Page 156 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

The others nodded or murmured their agreement. Even Reese, the lone doctor among us, still looked stunned.

“Is this all Kirsten?” Ivy asked.

“What do you mean?” I leaned on the counter, resting on my elbows as I eyed her.

She let out a sigh and glanced at the stairs. “Is it all magic? Or is there more about our own species we don’t understand? That’s all I’m saying.” She let out a chuckle. “Either way, Jace, your mate is freaking amazing.”

“Yeah, bro,” Langston said. “Fate knew what it was doing when it brought you two together.”

I couldn’t suppress the smile that spread across my face. The others had seen what I already knew. It also meant that Langston, along with the rest of my council and friends, believed Kirsten was meant to be part of our pack. She was here to help all of us, not just me. The way she’d saved a boy she didn’t know, a boy from a pack she didn’t belong to, showed them how selfless and kind she was. This was where she belonged.

Two hours later, Stephanie called again. This time, she sounded less distressed and more excited.

“Everyone’s still here, Steph,” Waylan said. “What do you have for us?”

“Byron managed to get to Carter’s mom, and he told her what happened,” Stephanie said, stuttering from speaking so fast. “She was almost inconsolable. Byron said she broke down sobbing on the floor with relief. It took him nearly ten minutes to convince her it was true. He was afraid someone would check to see why she was freaking out.”

“She’s good now, though?” I asked.

“Yeah. She’s happy. Byron told her about the plan to escape, and she’s agreed. She wants to get back to her son. He’s going to use his standing with the pack to sneak her out. Use an excuse that Eren wants to see her, then hide her until you all come for the kids.”

Langston nodded to himself. “Kirsten thinks she’ll have an illusion spell ready by then. You’ll need to tell us when we need to have his doppelganger in place. We’ll do the rest from our end. And for the love of God, make sure none of the parents or this Byron guy lets on what’s coming tomorrow night. The last thing we need is to walk into a trap because Eren found out.”

“I’ll make sure,” Stephanie said, then she paused, the line sitting idle for a few long seconds. “Jace?” she finally said.

“Yes? I’m here.”

“Kirsten brought that boy back all on her own? No one forced her to do it?”

A finger of irritation stabbed at me, but I remained calm. “Correct. She took it upon herself to pull him back to his humanity. She’s also not being forced to go on this rescue mission and use her magic to assist,” I added for good measure.

“I was wrong about her,” Stephanie said.

My eyebrows damn near shot up to my hairline. Langston, Waylan, and Abigail looked equally taken aback by her pronouncement.

“You were wrong?” I repeated.

“About Kirsten, yes. I’m so sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused. Look at this as my way of trying to atone for all that. I’m going to do everything I can to get these kids to safety and take that fucker Eren down. I promise you that. Whatever it takes.”

I didn’t like the sound of her voice. She sounded ready to go to extremes, and regardless of what she’d done to me and the pack, I didn’t want her blood on my hands.

“Steph, I need you to be careful,” I said. “Do you understand? I’m sure Eren has people watching, and I don’t need you getting hurt or killed. I don’t want that on my conscience.”

“I’ve got this handled, Jace,” Steph said. “Eren thinks I’m, like, devoted to him. After being banished, he thinks I look at him like some sort of savior.” Revulsion coated her every word. “He’d never suspect I’d betray him.”

“That’s fine,” I said. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t still be careful.”

“Thanks, Jace. I, uh, I really appreciate that. Thank you.”

After the call, everyone headed out to go home, and I went to check on Kirsten and Carter. I found them in Kirsten’s room on the bed. Carter was asleep on her chest, breathing quietly. Tiny snores came from his nose with every breath. Kirsten was awake, stroking his hair as the boy slept.

For a moment, I stayed in the hall, simply watching her with him. When she finally noticed me and looked up, I could see the exhaustion in her eyes. She’d put in a lot of work today, what with training and helping Carter. All she’d done all day was prepare to help others and actually help others. It was my turn to help her relax and unwind.

“Come on,” I whispered. “Let him sleep.”

Kirsten nodded and gingerly slid out from beneath Carter. She covered him with a blanket, then closed the door behind her with a faint click. She leaned against the wall and let out a sigh.

“Worn out?” I asked with a smile.

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