Page 152 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

Almost as though he heard me, Jace’s head turned in my direction, his yellow wolf eyes locking on mine. A shiver went through me. Another shifter lunged toward him. Without taking his eyes off mine, he raised his hind leg and kicked the wolf aside effortlessly. They went tumbling over, and Jace didn’t look fazed at all.

Suppressing a laugh, I smiled and waved at him. Wolves couldn’t smile, but whatever look Jace had was as close as it could get. He turned and jumped over another attacking wolf, leaping at least six feet in the air to do so, landing in a crouch before leaping forward to knock another shifter over.

“He’s showboating now,” Tank grumbled, but he was grinning.

My smile faded. I blinked and tilted my head. Something was wrong. I couldn’t quite pinpoint it, but there was a presence I didn’t recognize that had my magic pulsing. My crystal buzzed angrily against my skin.

“Tank?” I asked hesitantly. “Do you sense that?”

He didn’t answer, too enthralled by the wolves before us. Jace skidded to a halt at the edge of the forest, his head jerking back and forth. He’d noticed it as well. He raised his head to sniff the air.

A split-second later, a wolf exploded from the forest and lunged at Jace.

“Motherfucker!” Tank shouted, starting to run.

Waylan and Langston bolted toward Jace to help. The small gray wolf snapped its jaws at Jace’s back, trying to sink its teeth into his neck. Its feral eyes rolled wildly as it fought.

It was even smaller than the last feral to attack, and my heart shattered. It was another child. Urged on by some instinct, I rushed forward, running across the field. Everyone had already stopped what they were doing to watch their alpha struggle with the attacker.

Jace, being stronger than all the full-grown wolves, had even less trouble with this interloper. He bit it on the scruff of its neck and pressed it to the ground, placing a paw on it. He shifted into his human form and picked up the thrashing beast. He didn’t even flinch when the wolf snapped its jaws at him.

The closer I got, the better I could see the other wolf. Its eyes were a light blue, almost like a husky instead of a wolf. The look in those eyes was a mixture of rage, terror, and panic.

Langston shifted into his human form and stalked forward.

“Christ, Jace. He can’t be more than ten, if that. Hell, he looks like he might have gotten his first shift early. Could even be nine.”

Jace, still holding the thrashing shifter, glared at Langston. “So Eren probably had this kid tortured before his first shift.”

Still holding the scruff of his neck, Jace handed the young wolf over to Langston, who subdued the creature as easily as Jace had.

“But how can Eren force a child that young to shift? Before he even knows how?” I asked.

“An alpha can use their aura to get a young wolf to shift if they’re having trouble their first time. The initial shift can be painful and scary,” Jace explained. “A good alpha uses their power to help them get through it quickly. Afterward, every subsequent shift becomes more and more natural, a relaxing and pleasurable experience. Eren,” he said the name like it was the most abhorrent word in the English language, “has been using it for a much more sinister purpose.”

Waylan stepped forward, pulling his belt out through its loops. “Hang on,” he said. With deft movements, he encircled the pup’s mouth and cinched the belt tight around its muzzle. “There. Now he’s a little less dangerous.”

Unable to bite, the wolf pawed at Langston’s massive arms and chest to get away, his malevolent eyes locked on Jace.

“We may need to speed up our plans,” Jace said, eyeing the young child shifter sadly.

“He’s right,” I said. “I don’t give a damn how exhausted I get, I will have that spell ready. I don’t want this happening to another child. As long as Stephanie gets that guy to switch sides, I’ll be good to go. I promise.”

“I know they all just left not long ago, but call everyone back,” Jace said, nodding toward Waylan. “Things are escalating even faster than we thought.”

Less than an hour later, the other alphas and council members of multiple packs stood in Jace’s garage. Ivy knelt down, staring through the bars of the cage where Langston had put the young wolf.

“Dear God,” she whispered. “He’s so young.” She looked up at me, eyes full of sorrow. “Is there anything that can be done? Magic or otherwise?”

I stared at her, blinking rapidly. I hadn’t expected this question.

“Yeah,” Hollis added. “Is there something Kirsten could do, Jace?”

“I don’t know,” Jace said slowly. “His humanity is gone, torn away by whatever torture Eren put him through. There’s a chance some of him is still in there, deep inside, but it’s probably too difficult to get to.”

Waylan’s phone rang, cutting off the conversation. I let out a small sigh of relief.

“It’s Stephanie,” Waylan said, answering and putting the phone on speaker. “Steph? It’s Waylan. Everyone is here.”

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