ViolettaDean Hewitt had his father’s eyes.Not just that comforting deep brown, but also the kindness that was there. Even Finn relaxed a little more once Kenzi had been ushered away. Dean had watched her go with an arched eyebrow, but he didn’t say anything until she was gone.We appraised each other carefully. He was still in the middle of the dining room, and I was hovering in the doorway to the kitchen.There were some other similarities. Same jaw line and widow’s peak. Dean was definitely his father’s son, but he still had a youthful look about him. He didn’t have that hardness in his father that Parker did.“You’re not responsible for my father’s death,” he said quietly. “I came here to say goodbye and to talk to the people who were closest to him. It didn’t take long for your name to come out and the rumors to start swirling around. I thought I needed to come and tell you in person in case you have any doubts. My father was a troubled man. Based on the last few phone calls we
FerraraSo, Dean Hewitt wanted to be Violetta’s savior. Wanted to save her.From me.Fuck that.Knowing damn well the offer that Dean had just made to Violetta, I waited for the asshole to have the guts to say it again to my face. He had paled several shades, but he stood and nodded his head. “You have to know that I don’t mean any disrespect,” he said evenly. “My father was concerned that your pack would never accept her. On some level, you must feel that too. If she can’t stay here, she should have some place to go. I can protect her.”“Your father has been dead for months. What took you so damn long to get here?” I demanded as I walked up behind Violetta and put a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t jump, and for that, I was grateful. My wolf, furious that someone else was thinking of taking her away from me, was lashing out. My power reached to every wolf within the vicinity, but she wasn’t shying away.Progress.“I only just learned about it right before I left for here,” Dean admit
ViolettaI could barely focus on what Ferrara was saying as we walked home. An alpha was already here.Emerson, no doubt. Trying to throw Ferrara off guard. Trying to throw me off guard.I wasn’t going to let him. I was not the same scared little girl that he used to torment, and I was not now nor ever going to be his.“Why did you walk?” I asked suddenly. Too late, I realized that Ferrara was saying something to me, and I’d interrupted. “Sorry.”The muscle in his jaw ticked while he stared straight ahead. “I walked because I do not need to scramble to rearrange my day simply because someone decided to show up early. We’re still prepping, and that comes first.”“Right. It’s all about appearances,” I echoed hollowly. I was still a little surprised that he wasn’t going to lock me away if appearances mattered so much. “I interrupted you earlier. What were you saying?”“I was asking about Kenzi’s visit. Did it upset you?”“You mean when your little blonde bombshell walked in boasting about
Violetta“Release me,” I said in a cold tone as I stared at the witch. “Now.”It was a gamble. I had no idea what the spell was supposed to do. If I’d more time to study the magic wrapping around, I could hazard a guess. I doubted it was meant to do anything too drastic, or Maeve and her witch would be immediately accused.No, it had to be curiosity.Ferrara snarled, and the magic was gone. Maeve frowned at the witch, but Cam’s face was still calm as she bowed her head. “My apologies,” she murmured. “I feared my magic would be erratic here. Sometimes it acts without me.”Maeve turned to Ferrara. “I apologize. She did mention her magic was seeping out, but I didn’t think it would attack anyone.”“Not attack,” Cam said quickly. “My magic was just drawn to her.”“Apologize to her,” Ferrara said, his eyes still glowing gold. “Not me, and do not allow it to happen again.”Turning, Cam bowed again. “I apologize. I did not mean to alarm you. I am anxious.”I could definitely understand her a
ViolettaLuckily, we were just pulling into Irene's driveway.There were five guards outside her house. Apparently, Ferrara had upped security for the alpha meeting.Maeve noticed."Worried about something?" She asked as she got out of the car."Not at all," Ferrara said easily. "I simply want to make sure my witch knows she's safe now."One of the guards opened the door to the cottage and glared at me. It took me a moment to recognize Roy, but I tried not to show my discomfort as I walked passed him. Irene was waiting for us with a tray of tea.She was as white as a sheet."Alpha," she greeted. "Violetta. Alpha Frost, welcome."Her gaze slid by Maeve, and her eyes widened. "Cam?""Hello, Irene," Cam said in a hard voice. "You seem surprised to see me.""I was expecting your father." Her eyes widened. "Oh, I am so sorry, Cam. They told me a witch was killed, but I had no idea it was Bao."Her eyes filled with tears, but Cam looked anything but sympathetic. There was clearly some histo
Ferrara"Irene," I said in a stern voice. "Release her."I felt Irene's arm waver, but we both knew she didn't have the power to go through with her threat. Instead, she released Cam.Maeve drew herself up to her full height. "And here we all thought your witch was powerless," she hissed.Clearing her throat, Cam brushed herself off. "She is," she said before offering a soft smile."My father said you were so powerful you could command the wind with your pinky. But for now, that is all you can do."Irene tossed her hand experimentally and frowned. "And now it appears that I cannot even do that. I hope you found whatever it is you are looking for. I am now defenseless against the other witches."Narrowing my eyes at Maeve, I snarled. "Give me one damn good reason why I shouldn't kick you and your witch off my land right now, and don't you dare tell me that she was acting of her own accord. I saw you signal to her to attack.""I will not apologize. It was a non-lethal attack," Maeve sai
ViolettaLondon Elwes arrived first. The alpha was as quiet and unreadable as his pack. The deepest into the mountains, the Snake River pack was the smallest and they kept to themselves. When my brother was alpha, London's predecessor wanted to merge the two packs in a violent manner.He might have succeeded too, had I not realized what was happening.A month before my brother challenged my father, I nearly took control of the Snake River when I killed their alpha. Instead, I ceded to London and set my sights on better protecting my own.I had very little contact with London, although his beer was apparently making the rounds.His witch, Ava Starret, was an older woman although it was impossible to tell her age.London's second helped her out of the car, and she looked me over coolly. "Alpha Ferrara," she said as her eyes darkened. "You're standing at a crossroads, and you're choosing the wrong path.""I love a little premonition first thing in the morning," I said as I bowed my head.
Violetta"Why is Maeve Frost so interested in you anyway?" Amelia asked Finn as she sat cross-legged on the new bar that had just been installed early this morning.Finn, tenser than ever, didn't like that I wasn't in the office. The bar had its own door and far too many windows, not to mention, it had a separate entry into the kitchen. Despite the extra manpower watching me, Finn still thought I was too exposed in the bar.I understood. I really did, but I'd just spent three hours in my small, cramped office listening to the others complain outside. Bridget was third in the pack. She hated bodyguard duty, even if we'd sort of become friends. Amelia was fine with it but antsy, and she seemed to get off on poking at Finn. The other three guards who rotated between outside and inside were not quiet about their own annoyance for guarding the fake mate.Fake mate. I couldn't even complain about it. It was how I felt about myself, wasn't it?But a girl can only take so much, so I was spend
FerraraI managed to catch her before she hit the floor.Mate.My wolf came tearing out of me, but unlike last time, I did not hand over the reins. Grounding myself at the surface, I roared as I shifted. The bed broke under me, and I clutched at Violetta’s body.Something had happened. Had she been poisoned? How could someone have gotten to her?Healer. Healer, now.I agreed with the monster living inside of me. His own fears of his mutation were stowed. Violetta was in trouble, and we needed to help her. Holding her as gently as I could, I kicked the door down and roared.The door opened at the end of the hall, and a woman I didn’t recognize stared at me in shock.Danger. Surrounded by danger.Clutching Violetta, I howled and barreled toward the woman. With a scream, she jumped out of the way, and I entered the main part of the infirmary. Frantically, I searched for Saul’s bond to call for him only to remember that I’d broken it off.Kenzi.I pulled hard on her bond and turned my hea
ViolettaSaul pulled so many samples from me that I felt like a pin cushion. He did eventually have to stop once Ferrara’s growls started to sound more animal than human. When I offered to go to a different room, Ferrara’s hand wrapped around my arm and refused to let go.For a weak shifter, he was still very strong.“This will do for now,” Saul said. “I’ll be in the lab if you need me. Do what you can to keep him human. Makayla started having issues with shifting, and I imagine Ferrara will too. Remember, the longer he stays human, the more time we have.”I sent Amelia on a trip to round up as many items of entertainment as she could find and climbed into the bed with him. He was so damn pale, and I feared that I wasn’t going to be able to hide my panic for much longer.“You can do this. I stayed a human for months once,” I reminded him. “But then, I always did suspect that I was a little stronger than you.”Ferrara rolled his eyes and shifted to make room for me. I was careful not t
ViolettaDoing my best to hide my horror, I watched as Ferrara’s wolf came out and grew right before my eyes. He was easily bigger than Makayla’s wolf, but with the same issues. A hunched back. Dark patchy hair. His muzzle was the wrong proportions, and when he settled on all four legs, he roared.“Ferrara,” I snapped and moved so I was directly in front of him. “Stop that right now.”His eyes narrowed, and my heart skipped a beat. When I looked into his eyes, I didn’t see a speck of Ferrara in there. Still, I didn’t move. “Don’t panic. Don’t run. Just listen to me. You know me. You love me.”Those words were hard to say out loud, but I found our mating bond. It was still there, healthier than ever. I pushed as much calm through it as I could, and he lowered his head. People were starting to gather, and I could feel the tension in the air.I never took my eyes off Ferrara. “I need someone to alert London and Cruz what has happened. Someone needs to tell security that there is a traito
FerraraSaul’s frustration was etched on every inch of his face. London looked ready to howl, and Ava and Janelle glared at each other as we all stood in the hall and looked through the window. Makayla was in human form but non-responsive.“My theory is that her wolf put her in the coma. We were having a conversation, and I saw a tinge of blue, and then she collapsed,” Saul said tiredly. “Her system is shutting down. I’m considering giving her a half dose to see if that will buy us a little more time, but I’m worried about the damage it will do in the long term. I’m sorry, London. I truly thought we’d have a few more days before she would need another dose. I still haven’t figured out what those last two compounds are.”“Her wolf?” I interrupted. “Not the creature on steroids?”Saul nodded. “The effects wore off enough that she seemed to realize what was happening. As it was, we were discussing a medically induced coma to see if I could put her in some sort of stasis.”“Can her wolf h
ViolettaDespite Ferrara’s reassurance, I still couldn’t get over the strange looks he was giving me. When Kenzi arrived in the middle of the afternoon to see if I wanted to go for a run, I gladly accepted. Even she looked taken aback that Ferrara didn’t ask to join. To my surprise, Kenzi wanted to run on two legs and not four.“What? It’s good to keep in shape,” she said defensively when she started to stretch.“I’m pretty sure our wolves keep us in shape.”She rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. I like to run to clear my mind.”“And you wanted me to join you?” When she didn’t answer, I wrinkled my nose. “Is Ferrara making you do this?”“Look, I’m trying to take my new role of being his third seriously, and that means getting along with you. I’m making the effort on my own. You don’t owe me for saving you. That was my job. Now I’m just trying to bond with you a bit. Do you want to run, bitch, or not?”It was all I could do not to laugh. “I guess I want to run.”“Good. You are so difficult,
FerraraOnce Makayla was fed and Saul busy, I steered Violetta back to our rooms. “I’m going to make us some sandwiches for lunch. Why don’t you take a few moments to rest? You can review the information that London gave you, if you want.”Violetta frowned. “I told you I wasn’t sure if I was ready to look into that.”“Okay, then rest. I’ll be up in a few minutes.”Rubbing her chest, her eyes glazed over for a few seconds and she nodded. On the way to the kitchen, I knocked on Janelle’s door. It did not surprise me to see Cindy there, glaring at her. Janelle looked as if she needed to sleep for days. “Walk with me.”Cindy’s eyes widened, and she stood, but I held up my hand. “I just need a witch.”“That witch in particular?” she accused.“No. She just happens to be the closest witch.” I was done explaining to her that I was not going to use Janelle to take control of my wolves. Janelle stepped out, and I closed the door between us. After a moment, I opened it back up again. “I’m going
ViolettaShe was still alive.I didn’t know anything about the woman who lay shivering on the table in the infirmary, but relief swept through me anyway. I was so tired of people dying around me. So tired of being involved in death. It would be nice if this time, everyone lived.Although, if Makayla pulled through, London might very well kill her anyway. He practically vibrated next to me as we watched through the window while Saul did an exam.Naked and pale, she acted as if she knew where she was and who she was, but every now and then, she would give a little cry of warning, and her eyes would turn green. No one thought anything about it until London told us that Makayla’s wolf’s eyes were amber-colored.Now, as she cried out, Saul slowly inched toward the door. Holding my breath, I watched as the young woman fought to control herself. Irons were wrapped around her wrists and ankles, chaining her to the wall. They were supposed to be strong enough to hold a werewolf.No one was sur
FerraraLondon snarled at Saul and prowled around the small lab, occasionally muttering something under his breath. Violetta stood protectively on one side of Saul, and I leaned in the doorway, watching it all unfold.“Why didn’t you come to me immediately,” London snapped, and I watched as Violetta narrowed her eyes.“I had several theories about what the drug might do,” Saul explained, still as calm as ever, although his eyes were bloodshot red. “But as I’ve explained, I wasn’t sure what these two compounds were. I was still diving into the research when I fell asleep. It wasn’t until Violetta’s discovery this morning that made me put it together. Well, put most of it together.”“This is dangerous and important. You should have notified me at every step!”“I had planned to give a report this morning.”London opened his mouth, and Violetta stepped forward. “Enough! It is not Saul’s fault that you got some weird drug, and someone is using it to turn themselves into Mr. Hyde!”Saul loo
Violetta“It wasn’t me,” Janelle repeated for the hundredth time as we all stared at the damage done to the trees.I wanted to be annoyed with her, but I knew what it was like to always be on the defensive. To know that if anything went wrong, everyone would be looking at you.That didn’t mean that I trusted Janelle, but in this, I trusted her. She didn’t see any lingering magic, and neither did I.Ferrara and Amelia were trying to pinpoint London’s whereabouts. We’d been to what looked like the start of whatever had happened, although none of the evidence made sense. The woods were completely normal until whatever happened in this spot. Had a car dropped the beast off? There were no tread marks.Had something dropped it from the sky?“Nobody thinks it was you, Janelle, but if you keep saying that we might have a different opinion,” Finn snapped.Janelle’s eyes narrowed in his direction. Good. I was happy to see the witch with a little backbone.“This is weird,” Kenzi said as she wrin