His words were a mere whisper, but they echoed loudly through my mind as he walked away.I would if I had to.While Atlas rejoined our small group, other members of Fire and Fluorite circled around us. This was exactly what we needed. It wasn’t just the faction leaders who needed to know I wasn’t backing down, but more importantly, it was the members of the House that needed to know I deserved the title I was seeking.My Bear moved forward, and I readied myself mentally for the fight, but Dylan didn’t give me much time for that.He shifted back to his Bear and hadn’t even let his front paws touch the dying grass before he swiped at me. His claws caught my tail, but no blood was drawn and nothing about the energy pulsing from me hurt him.Just like it hadn’t for Amy, Atlas, or Mark when we’d been practicing earlier.I had surmised that was because, just as Atlas had said, I was a pure wolf. The extra power I had didn’t give me special abilities, but it did enhance what I’d already work
Elena was vibrating next to me. She hadn’t said a word or made a move, but there was a storm building inside her, that was certain.Her chest rumbled, and I wrapped my arms around her. “You need to take a breath.”“A breath?” She slowly turned her head to look up at me. “A fucking breath? Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”She took a step away from me, but I pulled her back flush against my chest. “This is what Dylan wanted. He wanted to tear us apart. Don’t let him win now.”Her arms jerked within my hold, and I was barely keeping her contained. “We have to fucking kill them all. Every single shifter who hurt these people. They’re all going to fucking burn.”The hoarseness of her voice, the agony I could sense within her…all of it made me want to rage on her behalf, but I knew that wouldn’t solve anything.Not for the people here.They needed to see their potential new Alpha Supreme in control, not falling apart at the first sign of destruction.I grabbed Elena’s cheeks and forced her
That finally had her chuckling as I turned on the shower.She stepped in first, barely staying up on her feet, and I did my best to ignore the bruises that covered her neck, back, and leg. Dylan had been a fair match for her, but he hadn’t had the heart my mate did.There was no scenario in which he would have ever beaten her.Knowing that was the only thing that had kept me from getting involved. Especially when he’d drawn blood. Elena had done just what she’d needed to, and I was so fucking proud to call her mine.Quickly, we washed and rinsed our bodies, then only managed to half dry off before making our way to the bed.I tucked Elena against my side, but then she climbed on top of me, plastering herself to me.“I need you,” she murmured, peppering light kisses over my chest.My lips pressed against her forehead. “You have me. All of me.”She shivered within my arms, and my hands roamed over her body as she moaned. “Make me forget the last eight hours.”I wasn’t sure I could do th
The man gave his son another tight squeeze, then set him down. “Why don’t you go see Uncle Tuck while I talk to these nice people?”Sammy frowned. “Is he mad at me?”His hand rubbed over Sammy’s messy hair. “Not at all. We’re just glad you’re okay.”The boy nodded, then ran for the group of men who had moved a little closer but still were about twenty feet away from us.“I’m Jack,” the dad said, walking toward me. This time, without a murderous glare.I shook his offered hand. “Atlas.” I nodded behind him. “That’s Elena in grey and Amy in white.”“What happened to my son?” Jack demanded, glancing behind me, likely at Sammy.Elena stepped forward and moved to my side. My arm twitched to pull her against me and mark my territory, but I refrained as she began to speak.“Sammy told me that he was swinging with his friends while the adults talked. The ‘bad man’ as he called the asshole we have tied up in the van, apparently had balloons and, from the sounds of it, was hiding behind some bu
I hadn’t thought I could want him more, but he seemed to prove me wrong every single day.We each took a seat around the table, the food long forgotten, and waited for Amy to tell us what she’d seen.Her palms pressed over the table, and she took a deep breath. “I’ve never had one so vivid before. Normally, my visions come in small snippets that I have to put together before I know what they’re saying, but this one spoke loud and clear.”I leaned forward in my chair. “What did you learn?”“It’s hard to describe what I see,” she answered, “but what I translated from the images was huge. Jacob and Hazel were working with Dylan. He was under strict orders to make himself known within the House, but not to take over until he was told it was time.”I was pretty sure he’d been told this week, given how quickly he’d challenged me.Amy continued. “Hazel was here last night with the group that attacked Jacks’s people. That’s why nobody could track where the shifters went once Tuck knew they we
jack glanced down briefly and closed his eyes. When he reopened them, he stood and nodded. “We’re going to finish this. Together. What do you want to do?”There was the shifter I was hoping to see.“We need to gather those who want to fight,” Elena said. “But they need to be fully aware that this could be a fight to the death. Not everyone is going to make it back home. Not when the other side has a witch working for them.”He nodded and grimaced. “Let me see what I can do about countering Hazel. I’ve been stockpiling certain things for an emergency situation. I might have enough potions that I’ve traded for to make a difference.”His words reminded me that I had a whole house full of shit that I’d acquired over the years in my dealings.I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of that before, but if Amy could get me there without having to make the several-hours-long drive, then we’d have an advantage Jacob and Hazel wouldn’t be expecting.“Do you need help preparing your people?” Elena a
“Unfortunately, ‘this mess’ is only beginning,” I reminded her. “Being Alpha Supreme of a House that has been through everything that Fire and Fluorite has over the last two-plus decades isn’t going to be easy, but you’ll learn who you can trust to handle some of the issues that come up. They won’t always fall on you.”“Like you?” she asked with a small grin playing on her lips.“As much as I haven’t wanted to be part of a House in past years, I wouldn’t be anywhere other than where you are,” I said. “Plus, you’ll have Ryder.”“And Amy and Mark,” she said hopefully.I wasn’t so sure about that.I stroked her back. “You might need to prepare yourself in accepting that there’s a chance they’ll go back to Blood and Beryl.”Her face jerked back as if that shouldn’t have even been an option. “Why would they do that? This was Mark’s home for most of his life.”“Exactly,” I said.She nibbled on her cheek, then sighed. “I see your point. It might be too much for him to stay here. Too many rem
Without waiting to hear his response, I grabbed Elena’s hand and pulled her to my room, which had already been ransacked. “Fuck,” I muttered.Thankfully, I wasn’t a moron and had hidden most of my more important items, but still, we’d only be taking back half of what I’d hoped for.My dresser was toppled over, and the drawers were all broken. The closet door had been ripped from the hinges, and all my clothes were shredded and lying on the floor or on my bed, which had been overturned.Elena gasped next to me, taking in the destruction. “I’m so sorry, Atlas.”“They’re just things,” I said as I shoved the box spring and mattress out of my way.When I’d tracked down someone’s runaway teenager and only asked for cloaking spells in return, they’d thought I was crazy, but they’d sure the hell come in handy now.Quickly, I ripped the wooden slats up from the floor and unearthed three chests. One smaller and the most important, the other two larger and filled with weapons and other potions.