by Lia Davis
A smile lifted her lips. The whole Pack had gathered around them, filling the dirt road and the yards of neighboring houses. Dana hadn't realized how big Bloodrose was until then.
Ellen leaned in and whispered. "Greet your Pack."
Nodding, Dana stepped forward. "Most of you know me. For those who don't, I'm Dana Huston. I'm a charmed wolf and the sister of the Whiskey Hollow Alpha. The first thing I'm going to do is change the name of the Pack. There will be no more bloodshed within the den unless it's inside the Pack circle dealing with a traitor. If you are loyal to the rogue Edwin Bass, then leave now or deal with the consequences later."
Dana glanced at Cooper and held her hand out to him. Love filled her heart. His love for her and hers for him. Turning back to the Pack, she continued. "My mate, Cooper Reed, will step in as the Beta. Solon Bradley is my Sentinel, leader of the enforcers and sentries. Bree will continue to be the Healer."
Dana stopped, and one of the children stepped forward and asked, "What is our new name?"
"Oh, I guess I can't forget that. New beginnings are a cause for a new name..." She glanced at her mate and knew. "From this day forward, we will be known as the Huston-Reed Pack, sisters and brothers to the Whiskey Hollow Pack."
Cheers erupted around them. Cooper faced her and kissed her, hard. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. She broke the kiss to bury her nose in his neck and take in his scent. Her mate's scent.
“Let’s go home.”
Dana scanned the crowd that had started to go back to their own homes or wherever they needed to be. “Yeah. A hot bath and a nap sounds good.”
“I can think of something else that would be better.”
Dana nibbled her bottom lip and smiled. “Can you now?”
His eyes darkened and a wicked smile lifted his lips as he tugged her down the dirt road to his, now their, home. Dana walked closer to him and sighed. It’s going to take a while to weed out the bad eggs from the Pack and probably even longer to gain the rest of the Pack members’ trust. She wasn’t going to let them down.
The Pack, her Pack, deserved to be happy and healthy once more. That was one promise she wouldn’t break.
The thick, woodsy scent of smoke filled Dana's lungs. She gasped but couldn't wake from the vision-dream. She tried to scream. No sound left her throat. The wolf within growled and paced.
Where was Cooper? Fear froze her to the bone. No. She couldn't lose him.
"Dana."
Cooper? She heard his voice but it sounded so far away. Then he was in her mind. "Dana, wake up. I need you to get up."
The growl in his tone was a command, snapping her out of her dream. Opening her eyes, she met Cooper's wide eyes. Then she smelled the smoke. Her heart pounded so hard she thought it might jump right out of her chest. She sprang from the bed.
"What's going on?"
"We're under attack. Just started. Why wouldn't you wake up?"
His last question had fear in it, as if he were afraid she'd never wake. Framing his face, she quickly kissed his lips. "I'm not sure. But we need to move."
Just then, Darin materialized in the bedroom with his two Sentinels. Dana locked gazes with her brother. "Edwin will pay for this."
Darin just nodded, his brows dipped and his jaw locked. There was one other time when she’d seen him that mad. The day he’d killed Ross. "The two of you meet me in the Pack circle."
"Wait. This is my Pack." Dana crossed her arms.
He raised a brow and she sighed, then mind-linked with Solon. "Get the enforcers and meet us in the Pack circle. Tell the sentries to get the Pack to the school." To Cooper and Darin, she said, "The sentries will gather everyone in the school. I can surround it with a circle to protect them."
The guys nodded and moved to the door. Anger and fear rushed through her. Calling to the elements around her, she gathered strength and power from them, building up the magic within her. Edwin had just made this personal. She would show him what a charmed wolf could do.
On the way out the door, she conjured clothes to replace her very short babydoll nightie. Then she stopped and whirled around to face her brother and her mate. "Secure the den and make sure my people are safe."
Darin and Cooper both reached out, each gripping an arm. "Where are you going?" they asked at the same time.
"I'm going to find Edwin and end this."
Darin pursed his lips and worked his jaw as he stared at her. Finally, after a long moment, he said, "Take Cooper with you."
She glanced at her mate. There was no arguing with them. It'd take too much time. Time she didn't have. If the vision she'd awakened from—the same one she’d had before where everyone died—came true, she'd lose more than her family. "Fine."
Darin kissed her forehead and released her. "Stay safe."
After he’d taken off toward the Pack circle, Dana closed her eyes and locked her fingers with Cooper’s. First thing was securing the school. She teleported them in front of the building. Standing in front of it, she raised her hands, lifting the magic from the earth with them. Vines grew out of the ground, covering the school. "Protect those within these walls. Keep out all who wish to harm my Pack. I will it so. Blessed Be."
With a jerk of her hand, a ripple of magic swirled above the building, then settled over it, locking in the protection spell.
Solon stepped up beside her with several families in tow. Dana's heart swelled, and she had to fight off the tears. "The school is secured with a spell. Stay inside until I come to get you. Darin is here with the enforcers and Sentinels. They will handle the rogues."
When she turned, Solon grabbed her upper arm. She glared at him. Cooper growled and gripped the male’s wrist.
Solon didn't respond to Cooper's protectiveness. Instead, he stared Dana in the eyes. "I'm going with you. As your Sentinel, it's my job to keep both of you safe." On the last words, he slid his gaze to Cooper.
"Fine." Dana was tired of the high-handedness of the men in her life. She'd have to call them on it later. She jerked from Solon's hold and stormed off toward the former Alpha's house.
"How are we going to find him?"
She smiled a wicked and cold smile. "Tracking spell. The dumbass should know better than to leave personal effects behind.
She kicked the door open, letting it slam against the wall. Now, what shall I use? Her gaze went to a closed door to the right of the living room. An office? Only one way to find out. She crossed the room and jerked open the door. Satisfaction fluttered in her gut. It was a study.
At the desk, she hovered her hand over the wooden surface. Edwin's scent was all over the chair, even though he hadn't been there in several days, maybe a week, still, his scent lingered.
She gripped the back of the chair, closed her eyes, and focused on Edwin.
A vision flashed in her mind almost instantly. He was in some kind of warehouse. Or was it a storeroom?
"Solon."
The male was at her side a moment later, and she placed her free hand on his shoulder. He gasped, telling her he saw what she did. "Do you know where that is?"
"Yes. He has a bunker about ten miles north of here."
Edwin's head snapped up and he looked directly at her. Dana gasped in surprise. Before she was able to pull out of the vision, she was pulled through it.
She and Solon landed on a concrete floor like they’d been dropped from the ceiling. Edwin loomed over them, an evil smile spread wide across his face. "Well, well if it's not the witch and the traitor."
Dana’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of Edwin flanked by two witches. A thick layer of dark magic flowed around them. The hairs on Dana’s neck and arms rose, and her power surfaced as if ready for battle.
“So, the rumors are true. You’ve not only gone rogue, but insane.” Dana slowly stood and met the glares of the female witches behind Edwin. “Did he promise you great power? Perhaps revenge on the Coven?”
The females must have recognized her as a charmed wolf becaus
e they stepped back, glancing at each other.
Yeah, didn’t know what you were getting into, huh?
“I’ve never been more clear about what I am than now.” Edwin paced closer to Dana, putting her on guard. He threw his head back and laughed. “Not so confident without your Alpha brother, are you?”
Did he seriously think she needed Darin’s support? Edwin didn’t know shit about her or the power she shared with her twin. However, she remained silent, not sharing the truth with him.
He inhaled and let out an evil laugh once more. She was so glad she could amuse him. Fucking insane bastard.
“I smell your weakness. The uncertainty and the lack of control.” Edwin lifted his hand, and a ball of dark, smoky energy formed.
“Alpha, we could use her power,” Solon said and moved to stand next to Edwin.
Dana stared at him wide-eyed. What was he doing? The link Solon shared with her said he was lying. That he didn’t want her killed. He was being her Sentinel even if it made him look like a rogue.
She played along by narrowing her gaze at him. “I knew Darin kept you inside Edwin’s Pack for too long. I can’t believe I trusted you.”
“You trust too easily. How do you think Ross got control over your Pack?” Solon snarled, but his eyes held a plea of forgiveness only she saw due to the Alpha link they shared.
The Ross reference hurt, but not as much as she’d thought it would before she met Cooper. Now, she knew what a true mate was. “You’ll pay for this, Solon.”
Dana allowed her magic to run wild. Her hands glowed, and Edwin eyed them with interest but not surprise. So he knew. She wondered how long. Did it matter? She was going to take him down.
She lifted her hand and formed her own power ball—hers white—then raised a brow at the gray swirl of smoke in his hand. Well, not actual smoke, but that was what it looked like.
Tension filled the air, and Edwin’s dark power washed over her. She was so not experienced enough to power play with him. Just hit him with everything you’ve got.
Edwin’s hand twitched, and she gave him everything she had. Power extended from both of her palms to hit the rogue Alpha. Fear stole her breath as she realized too late her mistake. Instead of knocking him on his ass, the power went into him like he was absorbing it. Then it rebounded, hitting her in the chest and knocking her into the wall behind her. Pain exploded through her, and she fought for air.
Lifting her gaze to Edwin, she tried to slam her shields in place—the ones she’d created to keep Ross out. But it was too late. Edwin was already inside her mind, pulling at her power. He was draining her.
No!
He couldn’t have it. Yet she was too weak to fight him off. The more she tried to block him, the more the darkness pulled her under.
The last thing she heard before she passed out was Solon’s voice in her mind.
“The gods gave you a gift. They will not allow someone like Edwin to have it.”
She didn’t understand his meaning and was too tired to think…
Chapter 14
Cooper roared as Dana vanished. He felt her panic a split second before she was teleported away. Through the bond, she tried to reach out to him. Cooper let out a growl filled with rage. The only other male powerful enough to teleport her besides her brother was Edwin.
Darin materialized beside him. "Where is she?"
Cooper faced his new brother-in-law and snarled, "Edwin. She locked on him, and he took her. Solon, too. Solon said something about a bunker ten miles north of here."
"Fuck!" Darin threaded a hand through his hair and paced the floor. "The idiot bastard. It has to be a trap for both of us."
The Alpha wasn't making much sense. "A trap?"
"The only bunker I know of in the area is the one Ross used. It must be a family hideout or rogue HQ. I wondered why the rogue suddenly left." Darin pulled at his hair, his eyes going dark. The air crackled around them.
Cooper grabbed the Alpha's arm, drawing a growl so powerful that Cooper almost bared his neck, submitted to the Alpha power. Almost. "Take me to her. We end this. Combine your magic with hers."
Darin shook his head. "Too dangerous. Apart, our magic is unlike any other. Together, it’s explosive. No one would be able to control it."
Cooper didn't back down. That was his mate. "Somehow, I balance her. She focuses better. We are the only ones who can save her and our Packs."
With a sharp nod, Darin teleported them.
They materialized a few feet from a mound of trees and grass. Offset to the left was an entrance. Cooper moved toward it but stopped when Darin grabbed his upper arm. "Not that way."
Cooper studied the male as he turned to move around the bunker. Did it have a back door? "I can't sense her." Cooper's heart rate sped up. He’d thought once he was closer to her he'd sense her. What if...
Darin whirled around and growled. "Stop. And no, I'm not trying to read your thoughts. You are broadcasting them to me, trying to search for her. She's alive."
The other male turned too soon for Cooper to read his eyes. The way he’d said she was alive told him there was something else.
Pushing the thought out of his mind, he followed Darin around the bunker, close to the wall. Darin stopped and placed a hand on the grassy wall. When Cooper stepped close, the other male gripped his wrist. The next thing Cooper knew, they were inside the bunker. Scanning the small room, Cooper spotted Dana curled up in the corner. His chest tightened. Breathing became restricted.
Rushing to her, he cradled her to this chest. When she snuggled into him, he sagged in relief. "Dana, open up. We need to take Edwin out."
She didn't say anything, and he thought she hadn’t heard him. Before he repeated himself, the link to their mating bond opened. Her pain hit him hard. He glanced up at Darin. "She needs a Healer."
A low growl was the Alpha's response. "Link to her magic and teleport back to your Pack. I'll get Solon."
"No." Dana lifted her head. "Give me a minute."
A moment later, she shifted into a beautiful, white and grey wolf. Then she started to…glow?
Cooper lifted his gaze to Darin, who stared at his sister and said, "She's speeding up her own healing ability." Then his eyes widened. "And she's drawing from both Healers."
"Is that even possible? Is it because she’s a charmed wolf?"
"It may be part of it, but I think it’s because she’s my twin and will always be linked to me and Whiskey Hollow. Now that she’s the Alpha of Bloodrose, she’s linked to both Packs.”
Cooper nodded and watched his powerful, beautiful mate.
Connecting to Piper and Bree at the same time took more effort than Dana realized. But both Healers were more than pleased to help while at the same time annoyed with her for getting hurt in the first place. Dana wished she could hug them both.
She couldn't ask for two stronger Healers. Although Piper wasn't technically hers.
After several minutes that could have been an hour, Dana broke her connections with the Healers and stood on all fours. She stretched and shook. Turning her head, she licked Cooper's cheek before shifting back to human and conjuring clothes at the same time.
"Hi, handsome."
He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. Then he framed her face and crushed his lips to hers in a dominating, raw kiss. She moaned and leaned into it.
Darin cleared his throat. "We have rogues to kill."
Dana shook her head. "They are here." She stood and reached for Cooper. He took her elbow, and she leaned into him. "Edwin... Solon turned on me. It was all a trap. Edwin and I fought, magic against magic." Everything that had happened gave her a headache since she wasn't at full power. "The rogue bastard shot me with a ball of magic. When I tried to do the same to him, he used some kind of spell to drain my powers."
Cooper's arms tightened around her. "We need to get her home. She needs to rest, and we need to create a plan."
Darin nodded. "I'll update the council and advise that they sprea
d the word that Edwin has gone rogue."
Dana rested her head on Cooper's shoulder. He scooped her up into his arms, which she was grateful for." "The council has already deemed him rogue, but yes, they need to be updated." She buried her nose in Cooper's neck, inhaling her mate's scent. "Take me home."
"As you wish, my mate."
Darin nodded and placed a hand on each of them then teleported them to Cooper's house.
Once her brother had left, Dana cupped her mate's face in her hands. "I love you. I think I started falling for you the first time I saw you even though I resisted. It just took me a little while to give in."
He kissed her quick. "I love you, too."
Epilogue
Dana stared out the kitchen window, sipping her coffee. It’d been a week since Edwin’s attack on the den and Solon’s supposed betrayal. Her heart ached at lying to her Pack and especially her mate. Hence why she’d decided to tell him today. After all, he was her mate and the one person she was supposed to tell her secrets to.
Cooper sat down across from her at the small nook and lifted a brow. She didn’t look at him as she spoke. “I need you to forgive Solon.”
“Not happening. Did you forget that he left you for dead?”
She met Cooper’s green gaze and leaned forward and kept her tone low so no one would hear their conversation. “Hear me out. Solon did his job. Darin placed him in Bloodrose as a spy back in the Ross days. Solon decided to go rogue so Edwin would believe he had betrayed me. I didn’t expect Edwin to drain my powers like he did. A miscalculation on my part that will not happen again. Now, Solon is playing rogue, learning Edwin’s secrets, but I’m worried he’ll lose himself to that life. I feel guilty every time I look at Bree.”
Tears filled her eyes, and Cooper moved around the table to sit closer to her. He pulled her into a hug. “You made a call. I wish you had waited until Darin and I got there, but what is done is done. We’ll have to get him out.”
She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. “Axle says Edwin hasn’t been back to the bunker and none of the underground groups have heard from him.”
