Jacob glowered. “Apparently, the coven didn’t teach you any manners.”“I only reserve those for people who deserve them.” I took another step to the right and a quick glance at the boulder. My eyes briefly caught movement that I hoped would be someone who could take Sammy from me.My Bear was dying to escape and rip these fuckers to shreds, but I couldn’t until I no longer had the boy to protect.“So, what do you want from me?” I asked again, hoping to buy myself some time. Plus, it would be nice to know why this fucker framed me for murder.His chin lifted slightly. “You were supposed to be mine.”My stomach churned, taking his words one way, but Jacob continued before I could verbally react.“Your mother was my fated mate,” he said hauntingly. “She was my life, and when she’d told me she was pregnant, I was the happiest man in the world.”Except I wasn’t his. I was Mathis’s child.“But my Rosy wasn’t far enough along for me to be the father.” His eyes darkened as he stared at me wit
Tiny flickers of dark magic landed on my arms and chest, but thankfully, my legs were covered by the teeth and apparently magic resistant pants.Fuck this. I was never going to get close enough to Hazel on two feet to use the daggers. It was time to show them what a true Bears was capable of.The weapons went back to their sheaths, and I could hear several sets of feet running away from us. Ones that I hoped were currently rushing Sammy to safety.My shift came fast and painlessly, then my bear roared with ferocity as we landed on four flickering paws.Based on the widening eyes of Johnathon, he either hadn’t heard about my magical wolf or he had assumed the details to be exaggerated.“Kill her,” he spat, shoving Hazel forward.I still wasn’t sure what the entirety of Johnathon’s endgame was, but if he sought to be Alpha Supreme and wasn’t willing to fight me himself, he’d already failed.This House would chew him up and spit him back out. Again.Stupid fucker for thinking otherwise.
All four feet of mine pushed off the ground, and I leapt as far right as I could. My teeth clamped down on Jacob’s furry tail, knowing full well that this wasn’t going to hurt him, but I needed him distracted.Sure enough, he whipped around too quickly for his size and got his own feet tangled.The mess he’d made of himself gave me the opening I’d been looking for, and I went for his eyes.My Bear jumped onto his back, then clawed her way to the top of his head. Her sharp nails raked across one eye with precision. Though, before we could take out the other, Jacob had recovered and sat as if he was going to itch his head with his back foot, but instead, the asshole launched us into the air.His front paw then swatted at my Bear with claws extended while we were still in the air. Thankfully, his aim was off, so we didn’t get skewered, but we were still slammed much harder into the ground than I’d been prepared for.The impact was so severe that the earth around us cracked, and there was
Without wasting any more time, I shifted back to my human form and pulled the sword out from the sheath on my back.The blade was magically enhanced like Elena’s daggers, but not with flames. No, this weapon had tendrils of electric power that moved along the steel surface while I held the hilt with two hands.Noiselessly, I crept through the trees and approached Hazel. She didn’t even flinch when I was right behind her. Though, her vulnerability didn’t deter me from what I needed to do.Two-handed, I lifted the sword up and then quickly brought it down, the blade slicing through Hazel’s neck with ease.Her eyes widened from the impact, but no sound came from her open lips.Wisps of magic rose from her body and then headed straight for my sword that eagerly soaked up the energy while her head tilted and rolled to the ground.Blood pooled around her neck and shoulders, but I didn’t look long enough to be elated by the death.Instead, my stare moved to my mate and the fucker who was try
I couldn’t lose her.“What the hell happened here?” Jack asked, but nobody answered him.My focus was on my mate, and that was where it would stay until she opened her eyes for me.I wrapped my fingers around her limp paw while I watched Amy press her palms over the wolf’s chest.“Don’t you fucking die,” Mark whispered in Amy’s ear when her faint magic began to cover my mate.Amy didn’t respond to him. Instead, she closed her eyes and slumped forward so limply that Mark needed to hold her up while she worked on Elena.I watched with strangled breath, helpless to do anything other than sit there and hope my reason for living didn’t stop breathing when I’d only just found her.Amy groaned, and Mark tried to pull her back, but she at least had the strength to keep her hands pressed over Elena. “I need to save her. It’s why I’m here.”I was certain Mark disagreed with that, but this time, he kept quiet. Just like I selfishly was.I hadn’t noticed him leave, but Jack’s Bear came running ba
Right. That made more sense.“Your mother came to us, offering her life in exchange for your protection,” the Maiden said, her voice almost ethereal and garnering my full attention. She wore a white linen dress that probably meant to highlight some sort of innocence. Her long, dark brown hair stood out in contrast over the linen material and her chestnut eyes blinked expectantly at me.My heart instantly dropped into my stomach, and tears burned at the back of my eyes for a woman I’d never known but had always longed for.“She’s…” I couldn’t even say the words.The Crone sighed. “Your mother lives. At least, last we heard. We did not take her first offering of her life. Instead, we concealed your true form and her mate bond with Jacob.”I glanced at Atlas again, hope blossoming in me for the briefest of seconds until a realization hit me. If she were still alive, why hadn’t she come for me? After nearly three decades, why hadn’t my mother wanted me? Had Mathis and Jacob terrified her
It hadn’t gone unnoticed that he didn’t answer my question about how he was doing, but I didn’t need his words to know.I could imagine the torment I’d have felt if it were him in this bed instead of me. Then, I’d multiply that rage by a hundred to get to Atlas’s level.He at least seemed okay physically, and that was enough. For now.“How is everyone else?” I asked, knowing there would have been casualties but hoping not many.Atlas stared ahead at the wall, and I instantly knew something worse had happened.“Is jack…?” I let my voice trail off.“He’s fine,” Atlas answered. “It was Tuck, along with more than a dozen others we didn’t really get to know.”Damn it. I’d hardly known Tuck, but he’d helped us and he’d been a close friend of Jack’s, along with being Sammy’s “Uncle Tuck.” My heart ached for their losses and for the grief felt by the rest of the families.I started to pull Jack’s arms away from me so I could get out of bed, but his hold tightened. “What do you think you’re do
Holy shit.I’d honestly expected the wolves to consider me a failure with how badly I’d been hurt. This was… It was something else entirely.“That doesn’t mean wolves from the outlying packs in Fire and Fluorite won’t come sniffing around eventually, but the position is yours if you still want to stay here.” Jack smiled proudly. “You’ve earned it.”I snorted very un-queen-like. “Of course, I still fucking want it.”Sammy gasped. “Language, Elena.”His response had me laughing until my sides ached, and I had to lean into Atlas to keep upright.This was really happening.I was home, and I had a family, and I was going to rule an entire fucking House.As hard as some of that was to grasp, I couldn’t have been happier in that moment.“You told her without us?” Amy gaped with her fists on her hips. She and Mark were standing behind Jack, and I hadn’t even seen them approach.Sammy flinched. “Sorry.”Atlas kissed the top of my head. “And we wouldn’t have come together without you.”Even wit