Page 125 of What a Wolf's Heart Decides

Haley opened her mouth, a denial at the ready. Then a memory surfaced.

Remy shook his head, his expression bemused. “Huh. My range must be getting better. Normally, I can’t communicate with Dom when he’s this far away.”

Her heart sped up. Another memory came.

Max grabbed the edge of his desk, steadying himself. “Moved too fast that time.”

More memories.

Bard dropped her hand in the study. “My apologies. I must have given that one a little too much power.”

Ben opened the cafe door, setting the bells jangling wildly. “Sorry . . . I’m still getting used to my Gift.”

Bard in the hospital. “You’re lucky Rupert is as strong as he is. Even so, I’ve never seen anyone move snow like that.”

Haley’s mind spun. Was it possible? Heart racing, she met Sabine’s gaze.

The witch nodded. “You see now.” She made a face like she tasted something bitter. “Well, there’s no reason for me to linger.” She turned and walked across the glass toward the open doors.

Haley slipped from Bard’s arms. “Wait!”

Sabine turned, an eyebrow raised.

“Um . . .” Haley gulped a breath, trying to marshal her thoughts. There was so much she needed to know, and she got the feeling there would be no finding Sabine again once she left. “You said I reversed the damage from the charm. But my Gift only enhances other people’s Gifts, which means I should only be able to restore Bard’s ability to Heal himself.”

“Yes. What of it?”

“In the vision, you said Bard would rule unchallenged and alone. Does that part of the charm still stand?” She looked in his direction. He stared at the witch, his expression hard.

Sabine didn’t seem to notice. Or maybe she just didn’t care. Her dark eyes gleamed, amber rolling over the brown. “There is more than one kind of love.” She turned her head toward Ben, who watched her with the same mix of anger and wariness as Bard. “You have a good heart, Stalwart.”

“And you have an evil one,” Ben said.

“A human construct, wolf. There is no evil. Just shades of good and bad.” She glanced at Bard before giving Ben her full attention again. “Loyalty is a form of good, as is courage. You showed enough of both when you stopped your mother from killing him. In your heart, you recognize him as your Alpha. I suspect it was enough to reverse that part of the charm.”

Ben lifted his chin. “It was. Bard Bennett is my Alpha and always will be, regardless of any witch’s curse.”

“And mine,” Glenna said, her voice weaker than normal. She was pale, with a deep bruise forming on one cheek, but she straightened her shoulders. “I recognize Bard Bennett as the true Alpha of the Washington Territory.”

Sabine’s voice turned silky. “You would serve one who claimed his place through magic?”

“That may be so,” Glenna said. “But he spent twenty years fighting that magic, and he did everything he could to stop the curse from infecting the pack. He sent people away to save them.” She looked at Bard and held his gaze for a moment. Then she lowered her eyes and said, “I didn’t understand it before but I do now. Thank you . . . Alpha.”

Bard stared, his blue eyes full of some indefinable emotion.

“It seems you have your creed, wolf,” Sabine murmured. She looked at Haley. “And your beauty,” she added, then started for the doors again.

“And the rest?” Bard called after her.

Sabine faced him. “You want to know if your line will continue.”

“You owe me that much.”

“I think not, wolf.” She gave him a thoughtful look. “However, I can be generous when the situation calls for it.” She turned to Haley. “My father had the gift of foresight—a gift he passed on to me. So I offer you a boon.”

Haley tensed. “I’m not sure I—”

“You will conceive under a full moon,” she said, power rippling through her voice. Then she lifted a shoulder. “Too bad you’re not a witch. A child born of virgin’s blood under a full moon would be especially powerful.”

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