Filed to story: Owned by the Alphas Novel
“Kai,” Derik growled, “you are part of the pack. You are needed here.”
“Being here is doing fuck all to find her. I’m going to see if Tabby can help. She might be able to use the link or something,” I said, and before Derik could get in my head about it more, I shifted, ripping through my clothes, the burn of my wrist searing brighter, making me hiss as I did.
My muscles ached, the fur growing, my senses fine-tuning. And then I was a wolf, my mind immediately searching for her, whining when it felt nothing again.
“Let us know if you find anything.” Brax grimaced, his shadows darkening, swirling around him as he kept pushing to find hers.
I was going to do more than try. I was going to do whatever I had to; I was going to find her.
I snarled at Cain, who nodded and took off running. I’d give the little hybrid that: his lean body was fast. Much faster than a human and as fast as a wolf, for sure.
Not as fast as me, though.
I surged forward, running from the city toward Tabitha’s swamp. I beat Cain there, barely breaking a sweat, using my nose to drive me forward, refusing to open my eyes until I knew I wouldn’t see a single female.
I splashed through the swamp, ignoring Ruby, who wanted to play, and shifting as I came up onto the wooden porch of Tabitha’s cabin.
She opened the door with a frown, and I greeted her swiftly, a kiss on each cheek, before taking the pants she offered me. They were light and hung low, but they’d do.
“Tabby, please tell me you can help,” I begged.
“Come. I have tea ready,” she said and went inside as Cain came up onto the porch, breathing hard again and wiping his forehead.
I said nothing and went inside, sitting at the table and taking a customary sip of tea before waiting for Tabby to stop pacing.
She was frowning hard, holding her temple with one hand, the other clutching amethyst beads dangling down from her neck.
“Tabby,” I urged, not patient enough to wait. I needed answers.
She huffed and pursed her lips. “These humans have made the witches very angry.
Nothing good can come of this. What are they thinking?”
“So it is the humans? Which ones?” I asked, hope springing in my chest, but Tabby tsked and shook her head sadly.
“I don’t know, sweetie. The witches won’t let me get involved. We are sworn to not harm the humans.
“We can’t use our magic on them, not those of us protecting the balance anyhow.
Not without completely pure intentions, which I will not feign that mine are,”
Tabby explained.
This balance shit was really starting to get on my last nerve. We were the ones fighting the war for balance.
The wolves had protected the humans from the vampires for years, fucked so many virgins year after year to keep the magic renewed in the border that separated them, kept them from becoming dinner, just for them to turn on us?
Biting the hand that feeds them was not a good idea because I was going to bite back, and my bite was so much bigger. Deadlier.
Stupid, naive humans had no idea how the delicate magic that held everything together always demanded something. Virgin sacrifices, an eye for an eye…nothing was free.
The wolves had been paying that price for a long time. For the humans. Where was the balance there? Or maybe this was a lesson for them. If it was, I was happy to let them learn it.
As long as Lorelai wasn’t a part of it.
“I don’t want you to find the other humans. I don’t care about them. Where is Lorelai, Tabitha? Find the baby, the link, I don’t care, just give me something.” I tried again, my mind just as blocked as hers seemed to be.
She shook her head again and placed a hand on my shoulder, kissing my forehead.
“Patience, sweetness. This realm would not have granted you such a blessing as a winter born alpha child just to rip it away from you,” she tried, but I was done with the patronizing.
I stood up and kicked my chair back, anger rolling through my body so fast and hot it ached core deep. My heart pulsed with dangerous beats that spread an enraged storm through me.
People died when I felt that happen. I was done caring about the balance and the rules. The humans had taken what was mine, and I was going to slaughter every single one of them until I found the ones responsible.
She had been at her mother’s last. I had left her there, stupidly believed she was safe, and yet her mother thought she had gone home.
So, I would start back there, knock down every house like the big bad wolf, make the piggies squeal until she was in my arms again.
And with the way I was feeling, that wouldn’t take long.
“Thanks for the tea,” I said and went to leave when Cain dared to step in front of me.
“Mom may be bound by the witches’ laws, but I am not. I am a hybrid.”
“Which means?” I demanded, giving him a second before I forcefully removed him out of my way by his nose ring.
“They wouldn’t let me take the oath that stopped me from using my magic against the humans.” Cain smirked, and Tabitha gasped.
“Cain. Son. Don’t. The witches’ anger is on the humans. You will redirect it if you thwart them this way,” she warned.
Cain shrugged. He flared some purple magic along his fingers, then snapped, and it turned to a flame in the air before dissipating.
“They already find me offensive, which is why my magic is not limited to their laws.
Let me try this, for her and for the child,” he said, and I raised a brow.
I wasn’t sure why he cared enough to try, but I wasn’t going to question it. I needed the answers he might be able to get more than my next breath.
“Do it.”
“Cain. You are not strong enough to do the spell needed. Not without the witches’
backing,” Tabby warned.
There weren’t many times I had seen her afraid, but she was now, which had me hesitating.
“What does that mean?”
Cain pushed my hand off his shoulder and shrugged.
“It means I’ll get what I can before my magic overwhelms me.
“It might be nothing, but it might get us something,” he said, then went to the candles, blowing each one out until only a single flame lit up the altar in the living room.
The one with all the ingredients used to make Tabby’s potions.
“You won’t die?” I asked, but he snickered.
“If it gets her back, do you really care?” he asked, and I pursed my lips.
No. The truth was no. I’d swap his life for hers in a heartbeat. He nodded and smiled.
“I mated, Kai. Yesterday. If she was in trouble, pregnant, I’d do whatever it took too,” he admitted, and I couldn’t help the shock that rocked me.
“Mated? The pack didn’t feel it.”
“I know. I want to keep it private for now, if you don’t mind,” Cain said, and I nodded.
He was lucky he could stop that from happening. I could stop the link to the pack hearing my thoughts or getting to mine, but I couldn’t stop the feeling that was always there.
The pack was always heavy in my mind, always letting me know they were safe or if there was danger. Cain could switch that off, but it meant the pack kept him at arm’s length.
“Help me find her, and I’ll keep your secret.”
“I already told you I would.” He smiled, then started mixing things like a madman in his little wooden bowl, crushing things together, whispering as he went.
Tabby stood back, watching warily. I stepped back with her, my wrist burning even more. I winced and looked down at it.
“It’ll get worse the longer you ignore it,” she whispered in the dark, but I said nothing.
I knew that. I knew every day I ignored the brand was a day closer to death. It would kill me. Eventually.
But I wasn’t giving in to the brand. I would rather give in to the darkness than let fate destroy Lorelai.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?