by Gwen Knight
Golden light swelled in the depths of his eyes as his focus dropped my hand, still pressed against his chest. “Careful, Princess. Wouldn’t want to lose that hand, now would you?”
“How about you stow the attitude?” I snapped. “I have no idea what’s going on in that head of yours, but we’re about to face down the fae, who could easily kill us with the power they possess in their damn pinkies. So get your act together!”
The light in his eyes shifted, and he tossed a toothy grin at me. “You know, you’re cute when you’re angry. Like a little fairy about to take on the whole world.”
I snarled under my breath, then forced myself back a step. The man was intolerable. And moodier than all hell. Every word out of his mouth made me want to… I shivered and flexed my hands. What was it about alphas that was so damn infuriating?
“You coming, Tinkerbell?” he called out as he strode past me.
All right. This time my hands fisted and claws bit into my flesh. “Keep it up, Knox.”
He turned and winked. “Not a problem.”
I could get back in the car and drive away. No questions asked. I had the keys, it was my car. Let him deal with the fae all on his own. See who was laughing after that. Except, I couldn’t. I’d never abandoned someone before and wasn’t about to start now, no matter how enchanting I found the concept.
Maybe I couldn’t put him in his place, but the fae would. And I held that hope close to my chest as I trailed behind him. These people were unpredictable at best, and prone to strong emotions and harsh responses. Was it so bad that I wanted to see him smacked down a peg?
“State your purpose here, wildling.”
A gruff voice refocused my attention. I turned toward the sound, my eyes growing wide at the sight of the beast standing next to a guard station. Personally, the only member of the fae court I’d met was a messenger sent to speak with my father. She’d entered pack grounds and approached with a gift in hand. A gift my father had politely refused. Beyond that experience, I’d only heard stories. My father had made them sound like a beautiful people, lithe and wispy, their hair fluttering in the breeze.
This wasn’t that.
Not in the least.
The thing standing in front of me looked like a troll. Faint green skin, blazing yellow eyes, meaty arms crossed over his chest and fangs the size of my fingers. Every inch of me wanted to turn around and get back in the car, but I refused to show weakness. Daughters of alphas didn’t cower.
When we didn’t immediately respond, the creature raised a bushy black brow. “Come to stare?”
“Uh, no,” I murmured. “We were hoping for an audience with the ambassador to discuss a developing situation within our packs.” There. I could be diplomatic.
It curled a violet-colored lip. “We do not permit animals on our land.”
Animals? My eyes narrowed. Did this walking tree seriously refer to us as animals? I wasn’t the only one to tense at the insult. “Excuse me?”
“I smell the beast in you.”
Jesus. He was one to talk.
“Abomination.”
Welp. There we had it. Reason enough to believe the curse had been sent to us compliments of the fae. I swallowed my anger. “Then bring the ambassador out to us. Wouldn’t want to sully your perfect ground, would we?”
With a narrowed gaze, the beast before us leaned over and spat at our feet. I immediately reached out and grabbed Knox’s arm before he could move. From the sight of his coiled muscles and tight shoulders, he was about to do something we’d both regret.
“Just fetch your ambassador,” I growled.
Sneering, it turned and started toward the sidhe. From here, it looked like nothing more than a rolling hill of grass, but beneath an entire society dwelled. Creatures shaped by pure magic—a different magic than what shaped us, apparently.
Knox turned, his eyes ignited with fury. “Should have let me rip that thing’s face off.”
“Sure, because that would get us an audience.”
He shook his head, his eyes slipping closed as he sucked in a deep breath.
“If you’re ever going to be an alpha, you need to learn how to control your emotions.”
His eyes opened, and he pinned me with a stern stare. “Who said I was an alpha?”
“You’re kidding right?” I lifted a brow. “Every inch of you screams it. I saw it at the Cleary shop, and I can see it here now too. You’re oozing power and strength.”
His mouth crooked. “Been eying me, have you?”
“Oh, God,” I groaned. “Typical male response.”
He shrugged. “I’m male.”
“Well, that doesn’t mean you have to act like one.”
For the first time since we’d stumbled across each other yesterday, he laughed. I startled at the sound.
“That’s no different than me telling you not to choose a mate tonight. We are who we are.”
“Fair enough. How about just toning it down a little until we’re out of here? The fae might not take kindly to you leaking our kind of magic everywhere.”
“Because we’re abominations?” he grumbled.
Before I could respond, the ground beneath us suddenly shook. Gasping, I instinctively reached for Knox. His hands closed around my shoulders and wrenched me into his chest.
“Magic,” he growled.
Duh. But who the hell possessed power over the very earth?
Knox drew a deep breath. I felt it the moment a wave of energy burst out of him. More astonishingly, the immediate ground beneath us stilled, while the rest continued to quake.
I stared up at him, my mouth parted in awe. “How are you doing this?”
“Alpha, remember,” he grunted, sweat breaking out on his cheeks.
Alpha or not, there was a cost to the power he was displaying.
“Well done,” a voice purred.
The air in front of us shimmered, and from the ripples, a lithe figure stepped out. An illusion, perhaps? Or the ambassador had the power to appear from nowhere. I found myself hoping for an illusion. The alternative was a little too frightening for me to comprehend. No one should have power of the very fabric of existence.
Unlike the troll, the ambassador appeared more human. A waterfall of hair shimmered down her back like spun gold. Azure eyes dazzled, her cupid-bow mouth a luscious pink most women spent hundreds of dollars on cosmetics to achieve.
Glamor, I realized.
I’d read about the fae extensively throughout my life. Glamor was second nature to them. These creatures breathed magic and deceit.
“Stow the show, ambassador. We aren’t here to be impressed by your beauty.”
Musical laughter rose from her throat, but she hardly spared me a glance. No, her eyes were all for Knox. She was light and elegance where he was darkness. Compared to the two of them, I was beginning to feel like the ugly stepchild, even though I knew I could hold my own.
Finally, she angled her head toward me. “Ah. I would recognize those eyes anywhere. I know your father, child.”
I frowned. My eyes were an icy blue, something I shared with my mother.
“We’re here to discuss this.” I lifted the mistletoe. I’m not sure what I expected. A full-blown confession simply by showing her the wreath?
She blinked, her long eyelashes fanning her sun-kissed skin. “You have an elfin face,” she commented. “Very subtle features.”
“I’m not here to discuss my facial structure,” I growled. “The mistletoe? It’s been used to curse members of our community. Those who touch it seem to lose themselves to the magic. They’re all dead.”
“Ah, a tragedy. And what would you have of me?”
“It’s magic,” I told her, tempted to thrust it in her face. “Fae magic.”
A simpering smile crossed her delicate face. “Perhaps. But there are many forms of magic out there. Who can say if it is fae or not?”
“You. You can say.”
“Why would I admit to such a thing?”<
br />
Ugh. Fae. And their word games. My jaw tightened as I fought back the words I truly wanted to shout at her.
“Play the politician all you want,” Knox growled. “We know the truth.”
“Are you accusing us of foul play?”
I stepped on Knox’s foot before he could respond. A direct challenge to the fae would devastate the packs. The fae weren’t forgiving by nature. And they never forgot a slight.
“What would it take to convince you that this is the cause of one of your people?”
“Direct evidence,” she responded. “This is circumstantial at best. Witches love to play with magic. For all we know, it was them.”
“This is pure magic,” I snapped.
The ambassador leaned forward with a wicked gleam in her eye. “You wouldn’t know pure magic if it slapped you in the face, child. Perhaps you should be focused on the real truth. The one you’re too blind to see.”
“What are you talking about?”
Her mouth spread into a grin. But rather than answer, she lifted a long finger to her plump lips. Without another word, the air around her rippled, and she vanished from sight.
“Damn it!” I shouted. I whirled on my heel and kicked at the nearest rock. “Have I ever told you how much I hate the fae?”
Knox’s silence brought me back around. He stared off toward the sidhe, a contemplative look on his face. “What do you think she was referring to?”
“Who the hell knows. Everything with them is riddles. Maybe she means the mistletoe.”
“No. She was speaking to you directly.” He turned and eyed me, his brow raising.
“It would take me centuries to sort through the things they say. Come on, let’s go. This was utterly pointless.”
Annoyed and frustrated, I stomped back to my car. We were getting nowhere fast, and to make matters worse, the solstice celebration started in two hours.
There went my freedom, fluttering out the window.
5
Snow crunched beneath my feet as I trudged through the woods.
The solstice celebration was already in full swing. Even in the distance, I could hear the tell-tale signs of merriment: drinking, dancing, and laughter. Years past, these sounds would have brought a smile to my lips, and I would have hurried into the clearing to join my pack. This year, however, a cold sensation that had nothing to do with winter settled into my bones. Tonight, I was to choose a mate. A mate I didn’t want nor need. Someone with a decent ranking within his own pack—preferably the son of an alpha.
Unfortunately for me, there were only two sons: Brecken of the Moonlit Oak Pack and Garrett of the Black Lake Pack. Course, there was also Knox… Laughter welled in my throat. Right. My father would never accept a Knox. Silver Summit was the last pack my father would want to strengthen ties with. So, it came down to Brecken or Garrett. Neither choice appealed to me. One was a whiny runt of a mutt that made my skin crawl, and the other had to be the most boring man alive. Every time he was nearby, I succumbed to narcoleptic tendencies.
The sound of footsteps roused me from my thoughts. I turned in time to watch as a tawny colored wolf shot past me, her mouth opened wide in a canine grin as she ran through the trees. Juniper, I realized with my own smile. A young wolf with a great deal of potential.
Near the treeline, she stopped and turned back to face me, her tongue lolling out of her mouth. The sight roused a chuckle. At least someone was enjoying herself. And she wouldn’t be the only one in wolf form. Quite a few had taken it upon themselves to stretch their legs. The solstice was our way of celebrating another prosperous year gone by. Some of the youngest wolves enjoyed running and chasing one another in the snow. I envied their freedom.
I crossed the tree line and entered a small wooded clearing. The moon was perfect, riding high in the sky like a freshly stamped coin. And beneath it, the four packs gathered.
“There you are,” a voice called behind me.
I turned and forced a smile while noting the strain creasing the corners of my mother’s eyes. Seemed I wasn’t the only one suffering. If anyone knew the decision I faced, it was her.
Sighing, she wrapped her lithe arms around my shoulders and brought our heads together.
“I know tonight isn’t what you want,” she whispered. “It wasn’t what I wanted for you, either.”
My eyes slipped closed as I listened to her words. My whole life I’d known my parents didn’t love one another. Their relationship was one I could barely tolerate. Most of the time, my father hid in his office, attending to pack affairs, while my mother attended to the house and raised me. It was an arrangement they’d eventually grown accustomed to.
But it wasn’t a life I wanted. Most nights my father slept in his study on a futon, and my mother alone in their bedroom. I couldn’t imagine that kind of existence.
“I have one piece of advice for you.”
I opened my eyes and stared at her.
“Choose well, my girl.”
Choose well. Seriously? That was her advice? My two options were disgust and boredom for the rest of my life
“Did I ever tell you how I ended up with your father?”
I shook my head. I’d never felt inclined to ask.
“My father was the alpha of my former pack,” she told me, tipping her head up to stare at the sky as she spoke. Moonlight drowsed over her features, veiling the stresses she carried. “I was the most dominant female in my pack. Even above my mother. So my father deemed that I needed to mate with an alpha. I had a selection of choices, of course. Our region had five other packs I could choose from. And the night I was meant to choose amongst them, in your father strode, a stranger from the north. Alpha of the Mystic Ash Pack. The moment he introduced himself at our gathering, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him. He was everything an alpha should be.” She drew in a breath, her face serene as she reveled in the memory.
Movement near the edge of the woods caught my eye, and I watched as Knox as his brother stalked into the clearing. It’d been years since I’d last seen Eli, but he wasn’t the one who held my gaze. Knox moved with singular purpose, radiating power with his every step.
“I knew then,” my mother continued. “So, I chose him.”
“What happened?” I murmured, my focus locked on Knox as he strode toward my father.
“Ah, well, when you choose the strongest alpha out there, you get an alpha. In the beginning, he would spend his days locked in that office, running his pack. But at night…I was the only thing on his mind. Months passed and eventually, I was pregnant. Your father was pleased. But just like that, the dream was over. It took me awhile to figure it out. I was nothing more than a tool for him. A means of producing an heir to his pack. And once you came alone, he no longer had time for me.”
I pulled my attention away from Knox and stared at my mother in shock. “I’m so sorry.”
“Not your fault, darling.” She leaned in and brushed her lips against my cheek. “I don’t regret my choice. He gave me you. And what more could a mother ask for? So, when you choose, do so wisely. There are quite a few considerations to make. Will he provide you with a strong child? Will he be strong enough to lead our pack when your father is gone? Is he wise enough to maintain relationships and end any wars that might arise before they even begin? Is he political and caring? Those are only a few of the questions you must ask yourself. All the while taking into consideration the most important one: Will he excite and embolden you? I don’t envy you tonight, but I do wish you all the best.”
“Who would you pick?” I finally asked, hoping her wisdom could assist me.
“Ah, well that isn’t for me to say. But I will suggest that you look beyond the two contenders you’ve been watching for the past few months.”
“Wait, what?”
My mother winked, and, after a quick hug, sauntered off toward my father. It broke my heart to see the truth in her words. Whatever he and Knox were discussing, my mother didn’t even warrant a single glance
.
But it seemed I did.
Both my father and Knox turned in my direction. My father’s eyes blazed with anger, but Knox’s were calculating. The hell was going on over there? I took a step in their direction when both gave a sharp shake of their head.
Fine.
Keep their conversations to themselves. I pivoted on my heel and strode toward a small table set up beneath a group of pine trees. A few refreshments had been laid out, and I grabbed a bottle of water and slurped down half.
“How goes the investigation?” my father’s voice rose up behind me.
I capped the bottle and turned, taking the time to wipe my mouth on the back of my sleeve. “It’s going.”
He lifted a brow, silently prodding me on.
“Seems likely that the fae are our villain of the piece.”
“Yes,” he snapped. “Knox updated me on that.”
I shrugged. “Then why are you here bugging me?” My father and I had never gotten along, but my mother’s story seemed to have sparked some pent up anger within me.
“I would like to hear your opinion on the matter too.”
My head bobbed. “Well, you have it. The fae.”
His eyes slitted. Apparently, he didn’t like my answer. Not that he’d tell me why, of course. “What’s your next course of action?”
“What do you want from me? You’re already forcing me to pick a mate and help you solidify relations. I’m not an alpha. It’s your job to put an end to any sort of squabbles.”
Rage sparked in his eyes. “Watch your mouth.”
“Why?” I stepped into him, my chin lifted as I met his gaze. The bottle crinkled in my hand, my claws puncturing the plastic. “Going to discipline me in front of all the packs?”
“If I must,” he growled.
I wasn’t sure why I kept pushing him. Perhaps my mother’s story had affected me deeper than I’d thought. It angered me to know that he’d used her, strung her along until he’d achieved his goal, then dropped her faster than a hot potato.
“Bring it, old man,” I hissed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, it would appear that I have to go make my choice. Let’s hope he’s a better mate than you.”
