Fated Magic (The Wolf Pack)

by Gale, Avery

  “This isn’t the time to explain all the particulars of his birth, but suffice to say there is a very real connection between that sweet boy and the forces that are pursuing Kit and her children.”

  “What do you mean?” Angie had never understood all of the intricacies the magical community even though she knew there were some mystics in the more distant branches of her own family tree. She’d been raised to embrace her shifter heritage and had often wondered about her father’s family who had come over from the same countries that Carla had just mentioned. Just thinking about being forced to hide who she really was from the world made Angie almost shudder with disgust. She couldn’t imagine how difficult it must have been for the young man currently swimming his way back to the surface of consciousness.

  Since Braden’s father had been a shifter from a Celtic area where Angie had extended family, she’d listened patiently as Carla described the battle that had claimed the life of Braden’s devoted dad. As Carla had spoken, every hair on the back of Angie’s neck stood straight up. She had never believed in coincidences and she vowed to herself to ask Julie to look into Braden’s family history. As the Wolf Pack’s attorney, Julie had the means to get information much quicker than Angie would.

  “That is where my mother and I were during the last weeks of Kit’s pregnancy. We had been shuffling Braden from family to family trying to find one that was willing to take him, but most were just too frightened. It isn’t him you understand; he is a charming youngster. But everyone is afraid of the consequences of housing and protecting him. If I hadn’t been downtown today and felt the magical shift, they would have gotten him.”

  Angie's mind was whirling at the information Carla shared. “Does Kit know about this? Have you mentioned it Jameson and Trevlon?” She couldn’t imagine their pack not protecting a child and she wondered if Carla had considered it. For the first time since meeting her, Angie saw vulnerability in Carla Harris’s eyes. And it was in that moment Angie got a glimpse of a protective mother buried deep inside Carla Harris. She was worried about exposing her daughter and grandchildren to danger and Angie felt her opinion of Carla reverse itself. Grasping Carla’s hand in her own, Angie asked, “Do you mind if I talk to my pack about Braden?”

  After a series of calls, Carla had arranged for Braden’s continued protection at the hospital then Carla and Angie headed to the Wolf’s country estate. The car had barely stopped when Angie’s door was pulled open and Nick pulled her into his arms. He didn’t say anything. He just pressed her tightly against his chest. Despite the fact they were mated, Angie knew Nick and Tristan regularly locked her out of their mind link because they worried about adding to her burdens by letting her hear their problems. Angie had tried to explain that not knowing and feeling excluded was actually more exhausting, but she never seemed to be able to convince them. After several moments, she finally felt his shields begin to ease. ‘I was so worried about you. You were being drained and there wasn’t anything we could do.’

  Angie pulled back and looked at him completely shocked at what he’d just revealed. “How did you know? Who told you?” Her words had come out sharper than she’d intended, but she didn’t bother trying to retract them.

  Nick cocked his head to the side and raised his brow at her in question, probably more at her tone than the actual meaning of her questions. But it was Tristan who answered from behind her. “Love, do you really think we aren’t checking on you all day—every day? Do you honestly believe we reluctantly let you leave here in a stupor every morning and then we don’t watch over you?” His words couldn’t have surprised her any more. It had never entered her mind that they were watching over her. Her heart suddenly felt like it would burst with love for the two men she’d married and then had obviously shamefully neglected.

  Tears streamed down her cheeks and she stepped forward into his arms and pressed her cheek against Tristan’s chest, letting his warmth comfort her. When she finally pulled back he tilted her chin up and smiled. “We have some things to talk about after this meeting. But for now, come along, let’s see if we can’t help a young man that I believe has captured your heart.” That had been all it took to push her fragile emotions over the edge and she felt like she was in a free fall into an emotional abyss. Nick picked her up and they made their way up the wide steps. When they walked through the front door, Carla reached for her hand and her touch stilled the roar of emotions swirling in Angie.

  “You’re going to be fine, Angie. You’ve pushed yourself much too far and then the drain on you today was nearly your undoing. I’m sorry things went so far, but I couldn’t get to you. Those nurses that guard the operating rooms missed their calling, they’d have made damn fine prison guards. One of them actually called me a witch and thought it was an insult, the twit. She probably won’t be at work for a few days by the way, I’m fairly certain she isn’t feeling all that well.” The glint in Carla’s eye was pure Mistress of Mayhem and Angie laughed despite herself. “There, that is much better. Now, let’s get into this meeting before my son-in-laws add another black mark to my already heavily scarred card.”

  When the sophisticated woman turned on her heel and walked down the hallway with the grace and elegance of royalty, both Nick and Tristan blinked as if they’d just seen the woman for the first time. Nick turned and looked at Angie and whispered, “Who was that and what has she done with the ice cold bitch that we all know as Kit’s mother.”

  Laughter sounded from down the hall, “I heard that you know.”

  Chapter Five

  Kit paced the length of her husbands’ office like a caged animal during the entire meeting regarding the boy her mother simply referred to as Braden. Jameson hadn’t hesitated a moment in his agreement to take the teenager in and the rest of the meeting had been taken up with logistics and planning for his safety as well as the safety of everyone else living at the estate. Kit was in favor of taking him in and knew her friend well enough to know where he’d be staying once he arrived. It was obvious that Angie had felt a very real connection to the young man and Kit was relieved that everyone was rallying around him. Her restlessness had nothing to do with Braden…no her frustration was directed entirely at her two Alpha mates.

  Trying to tell me that I have to wait for the next full moon to run. Damn wolves think they can rule the world just because they are the Alphas of the pack. Don’t think so, fellas, I am running tonight if I have to leap out of a damned window naked and fly into the forest on a damned broom. She’d always detested the image of witches on brooms because it was about the most ridiculous bit of imagination in history if you asked Kit. Brooms? Really? Like any self-respecting witch needed a damned broom.

  Spending the past four months cooped up in the estate was taking a toll on her sanity and if she didn’t get out soon she was going to be a loon. At first she’d been too busy with the babies to worry about the fact she often spent the entire day in her pajamas. But the only thing that had kept a lid on her growing frustration was the fact she’d been spending a lot of quality time in the gym expending copious amounts of energy in every sort of physical outlet she could find. Well, all but the one she wanted to be enjoying. Her husbands had, for some reason, decided vanilla sex was more acceptable for a “mother” and she was seriously considering drowning them both.

  How can anyone who can be replaced by a battery operated device consider himself the Lord and Master of his Kingdom? I didn’t even get a honeymoon. Nope I went straight from caught to mated to knocked up. Once they got what they wanted all was well in the Wolf brothers little Alpha paradise. Whoever decided men should be the leaders of a pack or any other group really needed to study ancient history. Fat fairies will fly over Philly before I settle for vanilla sex for the rest of my life. It’s just mean. Show me all the fun of kink and then take it away? I don’t fucking think so.

  She’d finally received the go-ahead from the doctors to shift and run tonight and then Jameson had “suggested” that she wait until the ne
xt full moon because of the meeting she was currently ignoring. Well she’d be showing them a thing or two in a couple of hours because she had already made arrangements for the twins to spend the night with a couple of their nannies and she planned to make an appearance in the forest come hell or spell.

  *

  Trevlon watched Kit pace and thanked every great spirit he’d ever heard praised that he wasn’t in charge of the meeting he was currently sitting in because there was no way he would have been able to keep a straight face. He was struggling as it was and the attention wasn’t directed at him. Kit’s restless energy was palpable and even her mother had tried unsuccessfully to calm her. Actually, Trev didn’t even think Carla’s words had penetrated the internal hissy playing out in Kit’s mind.

  Oh, their pretty little mate might think she was shielding her thoughts from he and Jameson, but she was still too new to that game to actually carry it off when she was obviously so lost in the moment. Trev had struggled several times to keep from laughing out loud and now that she’d basically told them how much she missed their Dominance, they would be reminding her just how good they were at gaining her submission. But he was disturbed that she’d obviously felt slighted by the honeymoon issue. A detail they had indeed let slide and something that needed to be rectified—soon.

  Trev had been so busy considering ways to bring their beautiful little witch to heel that he’d almost missed one very crucial thought that she’d spoken a little too clearly in her mind. Trev knew Jameson had been trying to ignore most of her ravings so he could finalize the plans for Braden’s protection. But even as distracted as he was, Trev felt the shift in Jameson and knew his twin hadn’t missed the last nail Kit had just pounded into the coffin that her upper hand was being buried in.

  When she’d admitted she had actually faked her orgasm that very morning while Jameson had made love to her, Trev had nearly swallowed his tongue and Jameson had literally come up out of his enormous leather chair and growled, “Out! Everyone out right now. Tristan, you finalize this. Take it anywhere, but I want everyone out of this room now.”

  Kit had frozen in her tracks and for the moment her mind had gone completely silent as she struggled to comprehend the implications of what had happened. Trev couldn’t hold back his smile when she tried to scamper out of the room with the others who were scattering like fall leaves in the wind. Just as she reached for the doorknob, Jameson’s deep voice rumbled through the room and Trev knew he’d spoken through clenched teeth. “Don’t even try it, kitten.”

  Kit’s mind was racing as she tried to remember what she had been thinking about when she had felt the energy in the room shift as if a storm had suddenly moved in just before Jameson suddenly kicked everyone out. And he turned red, don’t forget that because no doubt that is a pretty important clue, Kit. Oh crap on a canary I am in deep shit and I can’t even remember why. How can I construct a defense when I don’t remember…oh shit!

  “Oh shit, indeed, mate.” When she slowly turned to face Jameson he had moved very close and she hadn’t even realized that she was now easily within his reach. Just as she let her mind consider fleeing, he reached out and wrapped his huge mitts around her upper arm. “Really, kitten? You think you can run”

  “Well, it probably would be prudent to give you a little breathing room because you do seem a bit miffed. And since I am evidently at the eye of the storm and I just can’t for the life of me imagine why…” She even tucked her chin and batted her eyes innocently for effect, hell, Scarlet had nothing on her. But it was a wasted effort because his hold just got tighter as he led her to the center of the room.

  “Well even though it might actually be in your best interest if I expended some of the energy that is suddenly boiling inside me, it isn’t going to happen—yet. We’ll play the chase game later. We have a few things to discuss and most of that is going to take place elsewhere as well. But first…do you trust me?” When she nodded he added, “Do you trust Trev?” Again she nodded. This time he held out his hand and in her peripheral vision she saw Trev lay something black in Jameson’s open palm. “Turn around, kitten.”

  With no small measure of reluctance, fear and anticipation all swirling in a bubbling cauldron of emotion, Kit slowly turned. Every instinct in her screamed that you never turn your back on an enemy, but despite the fact she knew he was angry with her, Kit also knew they loved her and would never truly hurt her. “Good girl, close your eyes, kitten.” When she let her eyelids fall, she immediately felt the cool silk slide into place as Jameson quickly secured the blindfold into place.

  Kit knew her breathing was already becoming quicker as the excitement began to take root. God but she’d missed this rush. And even though she knew he was angry and would no doubt make her pay in spades for faking her release, Kit also felt completely safe in their care. Her exhilaration at having “her men” back was tempered very little by her fear of the unknown and quite frankly, if they never fucked her in that damned missionary position it would suit her just fine.

  Chapter Six

  Jameson had literally seen red when he’d heard his mate’s confession during her mental tirade. When her frustration had started he’d managed to tune most of it out because he’d known Trevlon was listening in. But her admission that she had faked a climax had stunned him beyond anything she’d ever said or done. Hell, he was almost as mad at himself for having missed it as he was at her for thinking it was acceptable. Every single cell in his body had changed from pack Alpha to Dom in the blink of an eye. Hell, no self-respecting man appreciated that sort of disrespect, and to an Alpha who was also a sexual Dominant, it was a blatant throw-down challenge. There was no way he would let this go unpunished. And Jameson had every intention of showing his precious mate just how many ways he could indeed punish her. He’d seen Doms in clubs punish their subs in very creative ways for much less.

  Wrapping his large hand around her much smaller one, he felt the slight tremble she quickly brought under control. He leaned close and let his words drift over her ear in a move carefully calculated to both arouse and alarm. “We’ll see if you feel the need to fake your release after my brother and I finish with your punishment, sweet mate. And I assure you we can punish you in ways you have yet to even imagine.” Reaching around her, he gave her ass a solid whack. “This ass is ours and you racked up a whole lot of punishment in a very short amount of time, kitten. You’ll do well to remember your manners as we take care of this too, because we’ll just continue until we believe you have learned the lesson well enough. Now come along.”

  He let Trev take the lead so all the doors he directed her through were already opened keeping her disoriented. They deliberately led her in circles and up and down various sets of stairs so she’d be totally confused about where they’d led her. They’d never taken her into their playroom and they didn’t really want her to know its exact location just yet. Blocking her from their mind link, Jameson spoke directly to his brother. ‘Take the lead, I don’t want her to hear the beeps of the keypad.’ Turning his back to Trev to shield some of the noise, Jameson cupped his large hand over both her ears in a move that was both purposeful and possessive as he crushed his lips against hers. Kit’s response was equally explosive and Jameson knew in that instance that their sweet woman had indeed missed this aspect of their mating.

  Kit had responded well to being dominated from the beginning, but after they had been formally mated she had become particularly responsive. Obviously he and Trev had underestimated her need for their dominance, and that was something they would be rectifying in short order. But right at this moment, feeling her molten reaction to his kiss caused him to growl deep in his chest and he fought back his body’s demand to shift. Focusing on the soft mewing sounds coming from his mate was causing him to lose his concentration and he needed to refocus from sinking into his own need to how he could most effectively dominate her. Her breasts were larger now that she had given birth to their children and feeling their softness press
ing against his chest sent a spear of primal need straight to his cock.

  When he finally pulled back from the kiss, they were both panting and the smell of Kit’s arousal was surrounding them like a cloud of temptation. As soon as he moved her into the playroom he felt her stiffen. Aha she feels the difference in the energy of this room and even though she can’t see where she is, she knows it isn’t a place she has been before. He was counting on that unfamiliarity to feed her desire as well as up the stakes of the punishment, because he really was completely pissed off about the fact she’d hidden her needs from them. That, as well as faking an orgasm, were pretty significant offenses and he planned to make it a lesson she didn’t forget for a good while.

  Jameson stepped back out of her reach and then silently circled around so he and Trev switched sides. Trev’s amused voice floated into his mind. ‘It won’t work, you know. She can tell us apart by energy alone.’

  ‘I just want to keep her guessing. She is too smart for her own good and a bit of discomfort and scrambling will be good for her. I’m pissed she faked the orgasm, but I am fucking outraged that she felt the need to. How did we let this get so out of control?’

  ‘No clue, brother, but we have obviously been neglecting our little witchy mate. That needs to stop now.’