What was she thinking? As Ivory heard the lock engage on the door, she couldn’t believe this was it. A snap decision got her into this. What was she thinking by following that fool cousin of hers? Should she try to escape? Try to get home? Home to what? What would she be going home to? Work? Drudgery? Hate? No, she couldn’t go home, that she knew. It seemed like hours went by and she resigned herself to a quiet night with herself. Gods, she hated being alone. She’d been alone all too much since Sapphire left. She hated being alone because she was alone with her thoughts and her reality. Ivory needed to do something. Anything. They took her phone earlier and now she paced the room. She’d lost count of how many times she’d crossed the room. If nothing else, she gets her steps in for the day. There was no television in the room or a phone. Not even a radio. This was worse that home. She at least had her phone, but who would she call? No one would talk
“What have you found out from you investigation?” Magnus looked at April with concern. Hayden stood at the back of the room while Magnus sat on the corner of his desk as he watched her closely. “Good news. The spells that are attached to Sapphire aren’t spells put there by her aunt. They aren’t negative spells at all. In fact, they are more likely protecting her from her aunt’s magic, by preventing her from accessing her ability to commune with the moon goddess. Her aunt may have been sloppy and not bothered to look for it. Though, I must admit I almost miss it. It took longer than I expected to find the signature on the spell. That wasn’t easy, but I know Betty’s magical signature, as I’ve undone a few of her spells before. This isn’t her signature, and I can only assume it’s her mother’s. Which I find odd.” April was really trying to be thorough in her details, and Magnus could appreciate that. “Odd why?” Magnus listened intently, his hands resting on his
Magnus couldn’t sleep. His mind kept playing over the plan, looking for any weaknesses. He knew he wasn’t underestimating Kilburn. Sapphire’s uncle was not in the here and now.Everything reported to Magnus pointed to some kind of poisoning. His mate must do something witchy to him.Witches weren’t normally the bad guy in Magnus’ mind, but every report he got about Kilburn’s mate pointed to a nasty creature with the knowledge of herbs and magic at her disposal. She didn’t have a problem using either to get what she wanted. For that reason, she wasn’t well liked by her own community. He figured that was another reason she was trying to get her hands on Sapphire’s abilities.Magnus wanted this over. He wanted his mate beside him, in every way. Sapphire deserved better than this half existence. She should need to feel like she must hide her wolf, and she should have access to the Moon Goddess. He didn’t care if she shared her experience. Magnus wanted his mate whole and happy.H
Ivory dragged herself from bed, with this Ran character standing nearby watching her. Someone left her a change of clothes and a few personal items. Why didn’t she pack something when she left the packhouse yesterday? Gods, this felt strange. Ran unnerved her with his eyes and silence. He wouldn’t answer any of her questions. Ran had the nerve to demand that she not pout. This was hard on her and that’s how she coped. Ivory pouted when she didn’t get her way. She complained, she wheedled, she expressed her anger. All to get her way. She came from the bathroom half expecting Ran to be gone, but he still stood there. “I can look after myself. You can go.” “Eat your breakfast. We have thirty minutes before we leave to get into place for the meeting.” “Fine, but it’s not very exciting watching me eat. Why are they making me go exactly? Is it just to prove to my father he has me?” “No, you’ll reject your pack at one point. Then we can d
Sapphire stood with Ivory on the second floor of a shop on the edge of the outdoor market. A cousin of Magnus was with them, along with Magnus. The two men were instructing them on what they were expecting from each girl. Sapphire worried about Ivory. She knew she’d say one thing and do another on a whim. She didn’t know which way Ivory would run with any of her stunts, and there was always a stunt somewhere. The problem was, who would then be the receiver of that stunt? Her father? Her mother? Magnus? Herself? Sapphire didn’t know, but she feared the explosion when it happened. “If I even suspect either of you are going to say something off script, I will pull you from that balcony immediately. We are ending this today by removing you from your birth pack. Once you both are gone, it will force your birth pack to renege on their treaty. That will break that treaty and it will force them to leave the region until this is all cleared up.” Ran wasn’t angry as he said t
Magnus paced. Everyone was in their places. They all knew their role to play. By now, everyone knew what they were dealing with and the gravity of the situation. Now they waited for Frank Kilburn to play his hand and walk into his demise. The old fool didn’t know who he was messing with and even if he did. The fool was so far out of date with his thinking and beliefs that he wouldn’t be able to compete. His witch mate was no competition against the witches the enforcers brought with them. It hadn’t been difficult to get permission for them to practice in the area with April’s help. If they couldn’t do it, then they’d let others do it if their allies trusted them. Magnus may be new to the area, but he brought considerable recourses. He’d have his mate and the blessed white wolf, the legend of the region as part of his pack. He’d make sure she was treated right and protected from being mistreated. Something, Sapphire should have expected from her uncle. Magnus
Sapphire watched in horror as Magnus’ enforcers opened the doors to several shops and wolves poured from the shops. She’d never seen so many wolves. She thought her father’s pack enforcers were a terrifying sight to behold. But here she watched these wolves move fast and with an intent so intense she felt it bordered on feral. Then she found herself and Ivory ushered through the building by several of Magnus’ enforcers. She wanted to go back and watch to ensure Magnus didn’t get hurt. No one listened to her, and she was pushed along out the back of the building. They could hear fierce fighting going on. Sapphire knew a fight could be loud, but this… This was a whole new type of loud. They bundled Sapphire and Ivory into a vehicle and were leaving the area within minutes. Returning to their territory where April waited. She felt the bond break once she finished saying her piece; it wasn’t painful, but it felt… Isolating. Like being in a room full of noise and
Magnus shifted, triggering the release of his enforcers from the buildings. He watched his enemies as they realized they didn’t have the upper hand as they thought. He gained pleasure and appreciated the fear that slipped over many of his enemies’ faces. Some people in the pack fled, and he enjoyed it. Half of the Vagas Moon Pack enforcers met with the Greater McConnell Pack. Magnus engaged Kilburn with a pouncing, clawing attack. Kilburn dodged and Magnus got fur. He cursed his overeagerness and concentrated on recovering his stance and protect his hide from Kilburn’s attack. He might not have hit a blow, but Kilburn hadn’t either.Other enforcers intercepted other wolves when they attempted to interfere in the battling alphas. Kilburn came close again. His anger fuelling his aggression and Magnus soon learned the old wolf was not in his right mind. Even in wolf form, he reeked of alcohol and herbs. Herbs Magnus couldn’t define, and he prayed this was not w