Page 137 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

Jace’s hands curled into fists. “If he could make ferals and somehow train or force them to fight for him, he’d be damn near unstoppable. Ferals don’t stop; they’ll fight tooth and claw to the very end. They’d be berserk.” He shook his head in dismay. “He could take over other packs. I could totally see that happening. Knowing him, he probably gets a hard-on just thinking about it.”

Catching Langston’s eye, I said, “I want to help. I can use my powers. Just tell me what you need.”

“Hold up,” Jace said. “We didn’t agree to that.”

I ignored that, still looking at Langston. “What do you need from me? This isn’t your wheelhouse, Jace,” I said. “It’s up to him how he wants to use a weapon, and that’s what I am right now: a weapon, and I’m happy to be one. You can protest all you want, but at the end of the day, this is about saving an entire town. Our wants and desires come second to that.”

Jace opened his mouth to argue, then clamped his lips together and shook his head. A twinge of shame tugged at me for using his honor code against him, but I knew I was right.

Langston gave Jace an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, bro, but if Kirsten can help, then we need to use her talents. Eren’s a lunatic, and we need to use all our resources to save the innocent people suffering because of him.”

“I can also help,” Tinsley said as she stepped forward.

Since arriving, the only person who had been allowed to sense her full power was Jace. She’d been masking it so the other shifters didn’t freak out around her. Earlier, when she’d brewed the tea for Morgan, Tank had been there, but he’d been too distraught and racked with guilt to notice what was really going on. Now, Tinsley threw off her magical veil and allowed her true power to show.

Langston blinked, the muscles in his jaw tightening. He turned his gaze back to us. “What the fuck?”

Jace shrugged. “It wasn’t my secret to tell. She’s a good person, and Kirsten’s friend.”

“Another witch?” Langston whispered in disbelief.

“I mean no harm,” Tinsley said, holding her hands up in surrender. “I only want to help. I’m not as strong as Kirsten, that I know for certain. Honestly, I doubt there will ever be another witch with as much power as she has.”

My head whipped toward her. She’d never told me that before. “What do you mean? I’m just like you. I’m nothing special.”

Tinsley gave me a wry grin. “Oh, my dear girl, you are too modest. The moment you walked into my shop, I could sense it. Then, just a few days later, your power had grown enough that it felt like lightning bolts dancing across my skin. When you truly let loose and allow the magic within you to breathe and develop, you will be unstoppable.”

Swallowing hard, I nodded. “If you say so.” I had a hard time believing it.

“If things are as bad as they seem,” Langston said, regaining his composure, “then I might need both of you to take Eren down.” He nodded gratefully at Tinsley. “I appreciate the help.”

Tinsley clapped her hands together once. “So exciting. It’ll be like I’m a superhero or something.”

That forced a laugh from all of us. This wasn’t a joking matter, but it eased the tension in the room.

Langston stood and shook Tinsley’s hand. “Thank you, ma’am. I’ll be in touch.”

After he departed, Harley walked over to us, looking frazzled. “So, uh, I’m gonna go take a nap. This has been… a lot.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “This isn’t the vacation you signed up for, huh?”

She waved a hand at me. “I had a hunch it wouldn’t be, but damn, you people sure lead exciting lives. I’m gonna go lay down. I’m exhausted. It’s like a workout, me worrying about you,” she said, pointing at me before trudging up the stairs.

Later that afternoon, I found myself sitting on the porch steps, staring off into space. Could I really help? Was I strong enough, like Tinsley thought I was? So many doubts were beginning to creep in, and I had no defense against them. For the millionth time, I wished Nana was still alive so I could talk to her, get her guidance.

“How’s it going?” Jace asked as he sat down beside me.

He was tense. I could read it in his body language. His face was tight, his eyes worried. Things were getting more intense and dangerous by the day. We’d gone from thinking Eren was simply a piece of shit who wanted to force me into a relationship to something much worse. A monster we could barely understand, much less anticipate.

The awkwardness between me and Jace had vanished. Too much had happened for that to remain between us. I leaned over, enjoying the warmth of his body as I pressed against him. He let out a little sigh of satisfaction and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me even closer. The tension that had my muscles so tightly coiled quickly seeped away, letting me sink into him.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I never knew I’d be pulling you into all this.”

I snorted. “You didn’t plan it. None of this is your fault. In fact, this is where I was meant to be.”

“But if I’d stayed away from you, maybe none of this would have happened. You never would have gone to see Eren, he wouldn’t know about you. Hell, you may have already gone back home and lived a nice, normal, drama-free life.”

Tilting my head to look at him, I said, “For creatures who value fated mates so much, you guys sure don’t know how to trust fate itself. Even if we hadn’t met, I think Eren would still be doing whatever bullshit he’s doing with those kids. I was brought here at the exact moment I was supposed to be. Nothing either of us thinks will change that. Fighting against fate is like trying to stand in the ocean and punching the waves crashing around you. It’ll never stop anything. Fate doesn’t make mistakes, right?”

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