Each time we shifted and ran together, it was tempting to just leave it all behind and never return. Things were simpler this way. There was no danger other than what we presented as the top predator on the property. Miles and miles of lush, thick greenery—pines, trickling rivers, and our favorite spot, a waterfall. It was all ours to possess and enjoy.
There’d been times when all I wanted was to build Darcy a log cabin deep within the Mystic Wolves’ territory and hide away. Locked within our own private love nest, I could give her those moments to breathe, that peace we desperately craved. We could celebrate our marriage and the future before us.
I could protect her from the life that came with being mated to an Alpha.
Despite her assurances last night, and how she’d chosen me, chosen to marry me; knowing that her life would never be perfect, I still wanted to give that fairytale life to her. She’d used the words ‘boring’ and ‘quiet’. I would’ve used ‘safe’ and ‘predictable’.
There was nothing wrong with wanting those things. I think any man—werewolf or otherwise—would want to create a world where he could guarantee his family remained untouched from drama and threats. It was just like those who questioned a man’s masculinity when he cried.
Only a fool would treat the ones he loved as though they weren’t his most valued possessions. It was the fool who didn’t constantly have their welfare at the forefront of his mind. It didn’t make Darcy something I owned; in fact, she owned me. I’d known that from the second I’d seen her and recognized her from my dream.
But the instant I’d claimed her as mine, she’d entrusted herself into my care.
It wasn’t something to take casually, with the boastful shrug of ‘I’m a big bad wolf. What’s the worst that could happen?’ If anything, the last few months had shown me life had a way of surprising and not holding back the punches. It was that knowledge that kept me up at night, mentally checking off my never-ending list of concerns. Even with the best of intentions, Darcy had been placed in danger.
My protection hadn’t been enough, but my heart had been. It would always be the driving force that guided me. It would be what kept me going, even when all the odds stacked against us and voices of doubts whispered, “Give up”.
As tempting as it was to live out the rest of days like this—running as wolves during the day and making love through the night, it wasn’t who I was.
I was more than an Alpha.
I was a fighter, warrior.
I would face each challenge and look it in the eye, never shying away from what needed to be done.
She’d chosen me knowing that.
In as much as she honored me, it was how I honored her.
Are you going to spend your time thinking, or are you going to help me find something to eat? There was a touch of humor to Darcy’s light scolding. Bumping my shoulder a little harder than earlier, she jostled me from my thoughts.
Hungry?
A little; but I was just thinking I needed to feed my man, she answered playfully, revealing she’d caught the gist of my musings.
Then I leave the meal choice to you, woman. I chuckled, inwardly.
Darcy broke away from the path, dashing into the trees until I lost sight of her. There was no need to fear being out here in the woods, where the nearest neighbor was miles away. Daniel and I always made sure the property was teeming with wildlife, careful that we didn’t deplete the population of creatures that also called this place home.
Flashes through our mental link came; revealing the prey Darcy had chosen was a large, unsuspecting jackrabbit. Catching her scent in the air, I slowly followed, anticipating the kill would be complete by the time I arrived.
She was an expert hunter, a surprising fact I’d discovered during the first months of our relationship. I’d seen females within the Pack who resisted that more savage part of our nature, letting the males perform the kill whenever they ran. I’d expected Darcy to be the same and would never forget the way she’d snapped at my snout when I’d suggested she hold back while I brought down a deer for us to share. She’d been the one to deliver the deathblow that day, effectively putting me in my place.
That was when I knew she’d be okay as the Alpha’s wife. She’d earn the respect of the Pack and they’d adore her as much as I did. My instincts had been right, so I took my time heading toward her, now.
This was her moment to enjoy.
And then a crushing blow struck me hard, sending warning bells ringing inside my head. Something was wrong. In the space of a breath, Darcy had gone from executing a routine kill to experiencing a savagery that I’d never felt from her before.
Tearing up the ground beneath my paws, I flew toward her, howling I was coming as I sent her mental urgings to hold on. I didn’t hesitate in locking into her mind to see what was happening, to get some kind of foreshadowing of what I’d find when I arrived. There was no need for this kind of reaction—the level of blood thirst that was all but consuming her. Rabbits weren’t predators, unless you were a frightened piece of vegetation. They weren’t a threat in any way, yet Darcy was in danger of losing herself to her wolf.
Not her wolf—her vampiric nature.
Blood had triggered her. The adrenaline pumping through the veins of the rabbit as it accepted death had sealed the deal. The frenzy coursing through my mate was her inability to control the new powers and thirst that had come with her conversion.
The sight in front of me, as I entered the small-enclosed circle of trees, stopped me cold. With the rabbit tightly secured between her teeth, Darcy’s snout was caked with blood as she shook the animal back and forth. The small body was already limp, the trauma of being handled so roughly no doubt killing it instantly. Dropping it to the ground, only to snap it back up, gore flew from the small creature.
“Darcy, I barked, desperate to get her attention.
Her only response was a snarl as I tentatively padded forward, my gaze never leaving her. She wasn’t my wife right now, but a crazed predator. Soft words and gentle kisses wouldn’t subdue her, either. She didn’t need her husband’s help.
The wolf before me needed her Alpha.
Stop, I ordered, allowing my authority to blast out with just one word. It caused her to still, but she refused to release the now shredded form between her teeth.
Leave me, she growled through our connection.
Drop the rabbit. Even with the weight of my command, Darcy appeared reluctant to do it.
Drop the rabbit. Another refusal.
This time I growled, long and low, my lips curling up from over my teeth.
Relief hit when she begrudgingly obeyed.
Approaching her, I locked gazes with her, refusing to let her look away. The crisis was averted with the wolf, but it was my mate that I now worried about.
Mason, her horrified whisper confirmed it.
You’re okay. Your thirst caught you by surprise. She trembled as I nudged her, licking her snout for comfort.
I’m a monster. She tried to back away, but I wouldn’t let her.
No. I answered, forcefully. When she nervously glanced down at the rabbit lying at her feet, I nipped at her ear. Don’t look at it. Look at me.
I couldn’t control the thirst.
You didn’t know. We do now; and we’ll get through this. You’ll learn to adjust. If there was one thing I was good at, it was communicating. I needed her to make my truth hers, especially if she was going to be able to let this pass.
Mason.
This is a side effect to the conversion. You didn’t know. I repeated.
But . . . her voice faded away.
Trust me, sweetheart. Taking a softer approach, the tension that kept her body rigid slackened. There was a hint of a thought and then nothing. Nodding, Darcy relaxed and I quickly picked up the rabbit’s remains and tossed it to the side. You’re okay. Breathe.
Can we go home? Her tired response revealed how much this had drained away her energy and happiness.
> Let’s go clean up. Nudging her affectionately, there was nothing more I wanted to do than get her back to her room and hold her to me in my human form. The freedom we reveled in, as wolves, was not without its restrictions—and right now, I felt those limitations keenly.
I needed to comfort my wife.
The run home was quiet and without interruption. As we slipped inside our room, freshly changed and in desperate need of a shower, I let the silence envelope us. Words wouldn’t fix the new pain that filled Darcy’s eyes.
As I cradled her in my arms, I just hoped that the love I showed her next would.
Chapter Twelve
Darcy
“You can stop looking at me from the corner of your eye, Mason.” Sighing, I glanced over at him as he, not so subtly, pretended to be focusing on the road. After returning to the house and enjoying a shower together, we headed off to the Council building to meet with Zane. With everything that happened this morning, and the way I’d reacted to killing that rabbit, I was anxious to talk with him. The incident had left me rattled; but putting on a brave face, I rolled my eyes at Mason. “I’m not going to freak out. Promise.”
Smiling like he had no doubts, he lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed it. “I know.”
“Then why do you keep looking at me?”
“Because you’re beautiful?” he answered, chuckling low.
“You’re not sure?” I retorted, grinning back at him. “Having second thoughts, huh?”
“Never. And if you think that, I obviously didn’t do a good enough job at convincing you in the shower.” Mason wiggled his eyebrows, causing a heated blush to flood through me. The hot water had done wonders on my tight muscles, but it was the way he’d taken control and reduced me to mere sensations that had soothed my nerves. He’d helped me refocus and brought clarity to the forefront of my mind.
There was no need for him to keep checking to see that I was okay. I was. His staring at me only made me want to reach over and smack him.
“You know you’re amazing. Quit angling for a compliment.”
His throaty laugh filled the car. “It never hurts to hear, though.” Placing both hands on the wheel again, Mason made the necessary turn off the freeway, our destination only minutes away. “You want me in the room when you talk to Zane?”
I did. It always helped when he was close, like he was my security blanket or something. Having him within touching distance made talking about difficult things easier. “I should be fine. I’m sure he’ll want to see whether having Amber inside my body affected the conversion in any way.”
My response made him grip the steering wheel harder. “I know better than to question Zane, but I can’t help wondering why he didn’t sense her in the first place. It’s not like him to not be thorough.”
I thought the same thing, but hadn’t come to any explanation. “He tested my blood after the conversion. Maybe that’s why. He wasn’t looking for signs of possession. As far as he was concerned, my spirit was still intact and in control. It wasn’t until afterwards, when I received the spell from Helena, that things changed.”
Mason humphed. “True. I just don’t like how we all missed it.”
“Are we going to keep exchanging each other’s advice?” I laughed, shaking my head in disbelief. “It wasn’t your fault. It was no one’s fault. You couldn’t have known; and when you finally had the proof you needed, you acted. It’s over with, and like Devlin said, this is merely a formality. In fact, maybe you should be there so you can hear it for yourself.” In the time since I’d regained possession of my body again, I hadn’t spoken about my ordeal. It had been on the tip of my tongue to bring it up, but everyone had seemed reluctant to discuss the issue—giving me the space I needed to breathe. I’d appreciated it, but now was the time to share what I knew.
Besides, with Mason and Zane in the same room, it would save me from having to repeat myself. This was definitely a story I didn’t want to have to tell over and over. With any luck, Devlin would be at the building, as well.
Mason glanced at me, evaluating what I’d said. “How about you go in first and when you’re ready to share what you learned from Amber, call me in.”
“Okay.” To reassure him it truly was, I placed my hand on his thigh, my thumb lightly brushing over his pants. “It’s behind us. It can’t hurt us anymore.”
Pulling into the building’s small parking lot, I refused to believe otherwise.
****
“You seem . . . recovered,” Zane murmured, still holding my hands in his after testing my blood. This time, I was prepared and knew what to expect—I didn’t flinch when his nails pierced the flesh of my palms. “The conversion remains and I don’t find any side effects to Amber being inside you. Your blood still contains vampiric power and I suspect the evaluation conducted by Devlin still holds true.”
“I feel the same,” I admitted, taking a seat once he released me from his grip.
“What an extraordinary turn of events.” His statement was more for himself than me. Zane lowered himself into the chair opposite me, his stare making me wonder what he was thinking. Tapping his finger over his mouth, he seemed a million miles away only to snap back to the present and smile. “I feel I owe you an apology, dear Darcy. The burden of your suffering falls squarely on my shoulders. As your King, I should’ve known you were in jeopardy.”
“Then you better talk with Mason and Devlin, because they’re also claiming ownership. Maybe I need to make you three a t-shirt that says ‘I Eat Guilt for Breakfast’.” I hadn’t meant to be flippant in my answer and his chuckle proved he’d taken it the way I’d intended.
“That bad, huh?”
Nodding, I let out a heavy sigh. “Mason hasn’t stopped watching me since the spell ended and Amber was removed into the urn. When he’s not actually saying sorry, the look on his face says it.”
“It’s a natural thing to assume responsibility when a loved one is injured or attacked. Our minds like to torment us with the what-ifs and make us believe we overlooked something . . . anything that might have revealed there was danger, sooner. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, thinking we’ve betrayed those who mean the most to us.”
“But in this case, the only betrayal lies solely with Amber and whomever she was working for.”
“Search you heart, Darcy. Tell me if you were in our position that you wouldn’t feel the same.” When my gaze dropped to my lap, Zane had his answer. “It is part of our humanity that makes us unsure. It is also what strengthens our determination to be ready should it happen, again.”
“In our cases, danger always seems to be lurking on the horizon and within the shadows.”
It was Zane’s turn to sigh. “Now that’s a truth I won’t ever dispute. It comes with being in power. As much as I’d like to tell you otherwise, as Mason’s mate, this won’t be the last time you face such opposition. I can only hope that you will rise to the challenge and handle it with the grace I see before me. You are a marvel, Darcy O’Connor. If I didn’t think Mason would kill me for suggesting it, I would try to convince you to enter my Enforcer ranks. We could use more brave individuals like you.”
His flattering words had me blushing. “Then you should be inside my head. I don’t always feel so brave,” I blurted out, cringing when I realized what I’d said.
“That feeling will pass, as well,” Zane offered.
“What?”
“The insecurity you’re trying to deny. The embarrassment at being compromised.”
“Are you sure you’re not able to read my thoughts?” I was surprised he’d managed to capture perfectly what I’d been hiding from myself.
“I’m sure. That blessing is solely the gift given to your mate. I’m just adept at reading body language and understanding the simple nuances we reveal about ourselves. Sometimes our bodies speak more than we ever could.”
Sitting up straighter in my chair, I was tempted to see how accurate he was. “Tell me more.”
Without
shifting position, Zane quietly studied me, making me feel like I was a tiny lab rat under examination. If it hadn’t been for the fact I’d asked for this, I’d have squirmed under his scrutiny. Expecting him to answer immediately, I relaxed somewhat as a few minutes ticked by.
“Well, to begin with, you don’t like feeling uncomfortable or like you’re on display.” Pointing to my lap, I realized I was fidgeting. Clenching my hands into fists to release the tension, I stopped, and then promptly slid them beneath my legs.
“What else?”
“There’s something else you’d like to talk to me about. Something you’re uncertain to address because you worry it’ll affect how I see you.”
My jaw dropped slightly in surprise. I’d wanted to talk to him about the rabbit. But sitting in here, listening to him praise me for seeming so well adjusted, I didn’t want him to second guess me or doubt his diagnosis that insanity wasn’t a factor. “Remind me to never ask you to read me again. You are spooky, Zane.” I tried to brush off my shock with an abrupt chuckle.
“You’re not the first to tell me this.” Relaxing somewhat himself, his stare never left my face. “That doesn’t change the fact that what I said was true. What bothers you?”
“Shouldn’t we talk about Amber?” The way he cocked his eyebrows in response told me he hadn’t bought into my diversion tactic.
“We will, and you can invite Mason in when we do. He’s currently fighting the urge to enter the room and is growing impatient.”
I couldn’t resist, casting a glance over my shoulder at the door. “How did you know that?”
“It’s what I would do in his place.” Grinning, Zane’s features brightened, revealing a youthfulness I didn’t always see. Being the King meant he was always guarded in his appearance, careful not to portray anything other than strength. It was in private moments, like this, I caught glimpses of the man he must have been growing up—before the weight of his office rested on his shoulders. “Now, stop avoiding my question. What’s on your mind?”
Darkness Unleashed Page 11
