Page 20 of Howling for Cupcakes

Mari turned her face into the warm crook of Luna’s neck, breathing in the calming scents of sage and lavender that always clung to her skin. “Take me home,” she mumbled, too wrung out for anything else.

Luna stroked a hand over her hair, gentle and grounding. “Of course. Let’s get you back to Whispering Pines.” A thread of steel entered her voice. “And then you and I are going to have a long talk about shoring up your magical defenses even more. Victor may be gone for now, but we both know he’s too proud and too vindictive to let this stand. He’ll try again.”

Mari shivered, curling tighter into her friend’s protective embrace. Luna was right. This wasn’t over, not by a long shot. Victor would come for her again furious and vengeful over this humiliation. And she needed to be ready.

But that was a problem for tomorrow. Right now, all she wanted was to return to the warmth and safety of her little bakery, to Molly’s fierce hugs and Arden’s gentle touches. To remind herself of all she had to fight for and all she refused to lose ever again.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Teach me, Luna. I don’t ever want to feel that helpless again. I don’t ever want to let him make me feel small or afraid. I want to be strong enough to face him and win.”

Luna’s arms tightened around her.

Mari let her eyes flutter shut, exhaustion settling into her very bones as Luna guided her from the office. She felt bruised and battered, wrung out in every possible way...but also fiercely, uncannily proud. She was Mari Sinclair, mistress of her own fate. And she would never let anyone, especially not Victor, take that from her again.

No matter what it took, no matter how hard she had to fight or what she had to learn, she would protect this new life she was building for herself. This chance at real happiness and real love.

ELEVEN

Arden cruised down the quiet streets of Whispering Pines in his patrol car, the early morning sunlight filtering through the dense canopy of trees that gave the town its name. It was a routine he’d quickly grown to love since settling here - the sleepy calm of the pre-dawn hours, the misty tendrils of fog curling between the quaint storefronts, the sense of peace and purpose that filled him as he watched over his new home.

But as he neared Mari’s house and the newly opened Divine Escapes, a prickle of unease skittered down his spine. Something felt...off. Wrong in a way he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Trusting his instincts, honed razor-sharp by years of military service and his innate shifter senses, Arden slowed the car to a crawl and surveyed the area with a keener eye.

There. Glinting in the pale light, nearly invisible to anyone not specifically looking for signs of disturbance, strange symbols were etched into the sidewalk circling Mari’s property, the bakery, and her little garden plot. They shimmered oddly, making his eyes ache if he stared at them too long.

Arden frowned, a low growl rumbling in his chest. He didn’t need to be an expert in the arcane to know these were no ordinary marks. They felt malicious. Invasive. And he had a sinking suspicion he knew exactly who was behind them.

Jaw clenching, he fished his phone out of his pocket and pulled up Luna Nightshade’s number. The wise old witch picked up on the second ring, her voice alert despite the early hour.

“Arden? What’s wrong? I can practically feel you vibrating with tension from here.”

He huffed a mirthless laugh. “You always could read me like a book, Luna. Listen, I need you and Celeste at Mari’s place as soon as you can get here. There’s some hinky magical mojo going on, symbols and wards I don’t recognize. And I’d bet my badge Victor Sinclair’s slimy fingerprints are all over it.”

Luna sucked in a sharp breath. “Goddess. Yes, of course, we’ll be right there. Don’t touch anything, Arden. If this is Victor’s work, it’s bound to be nasty. Celeste and I will handle it.”

“Understood. Thanks, Luna. I owe you.” Arden hung up and blew out a tight breath, fighting the urge to claw the strange markings from the very earth. His wolf prowled restlessly beneath his skin, snarling at the implied threat to their mate.

Because that’s what Mari was, he could finally admit it to himself. His mate. The other half of his soul. He’d known it from the moment he first scented her in that bar all those weeks ago, an underlying note of honeysuckle and home beneath the surface thrall of alcohol and smoke. Known it in his marrow when he woke the next morning to cold sheets and her lingering warmth, feeling like a piece of himself had walked out the door with her.

He’d tried to be patient, to give her space as she settled into Whispering Pines and recovered from the trauma of her terrible marriage. The sweet, slowly blossoming friendship between them was a treasure he cherished, but damn, if his baser instincts weren’t howling at him to claim her, mark her as his, and dare anyone to try to hurt her again.

Especially now with this blatant declaration of hostile intent from her wretched ex. It was taking every shred of his control not to storm off and hunt down the bastard, rip him apart for daring to threaten Arden’s female. But he knew that way lay madness and a prison cell. He had to be smart about this. For himself and for Mari.

Two faint pops of displaced air heralded the arrival of Luna and Celeste, shimmering with the pearlescent aura of their transportive magic. The witches took one look at the glowing symbols and identical expressions of grim anger stole across their faces.

“Oh, I do not like this,” Celeste murmured, green eyes lit with power as she studied the nearest curling mark. “Reeks of compulsion and emotional manipulation. If I had to guess, I’d say our slippery friend Victor was trying to destabilize Mari. Infect her environment with subliminal feelings of anxiety, depression, paranoia. Nasty business.”

“Can you get rid of them?” Arden bit out, claws sprouting from his nail beds as he fought to rein in his temper. The thought of that snake twisting Mari’s mind, her heart...

Luna laid a calming hand on his shoulder, her magic cool and soothing against his fevered skin. “We can. Give us a moment, love. Don’t fret.”

Chanting in unison, their voices rising and falling like cresting waves, the two witches wove complex patterns in the air. Sparks of amethyst and emerald flashed from their fingertips, racing along the lines of Victor’s spell work, burning away the oily taint of his power.

Arden watched, tense and coiled like a spring as the symbols flared brightly once, twice...and vanished, leaving only faint scorch marks behind. The oppressive atmosphere lifted immediately, birdsong and crickets once more filling the morning air.

“It is done,” Celeste declared, lowering her hands. She flashed Arden a quick smile. “You were right to call us. That magic could’ve done some real damage to Mari’s state of mind if left unchecked.”

“But he’ll know we stripped his curses and sanctified the area against further interference,” Luna added, eyes narrowed in thought. “And I doubt he’ll take the insult lightly. We need to be prepared for him to escalate his attacks.”

Arden growled, hands clenching into white-knuckled fists. “Over my dead body. I’m not letting that zealous control freak anywhere near Mari. Not again.”

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