Page 67 of Owning His Mate

My head snaps up at Callum’s voice. He’s standing in the doorway of the bedroom, Beck behind him, both males wearing masks of confusion.

Kye stands immediately, inserting himself in front of us like a protective shield, and he shocks the heck out of me when he bares his teeth.

“Easy,” Callum warns as he steps into the room. “I’m not a threat, Kyson.”

He should be scared. Callum is a fraction of Kye’s size and my mate is hanging on by a thread right now. Anything might shove him over the edge.

“Until I know what’s going on, everyone is a threat,” Kye growls.

“Retract the claws, asshole,” Beck snaps. “We’re on your side, remember?”

I place a hand on Kye’s arm, and the anger bleeds out of him as he turns to look at me. “They’re not going to hurt us,” I assure him.

“I don’t trust anyone.”

I can’t blame him for that. Not many people have given us a reason to put our faith in them in our lives, but these guys have.

“Kye…”

He grumbles under his breath but reclaims his position on the bed. Concluding it’s safe to enter, Callum and Beck step into the room, though they still keep their distance from Kye—a smart idea.

“What’s going on? We felt the surge of magic. It was… incredible. I’ve never felt anything that strong before,” Callum admits.

“Savannah conjured a female she met in the place where we were held. She’s in the bathroom.”

“Unconscious,” Kye adds.

Callum’s brows flare up, climbing almost into his hairline. As much as we know about magic—and I feel like we collectively know a lot now—there are always surprises with what it can do.I know there will always be so much we don’t understand, but I had no idea something like this was possible.

“I didn’t mean to.” Savannah’s bottom lip trembles as she fights to hold back her tears.

I kiss her hair, letting her know we don’t blame her.

“It’s okay, honey.”

“How did you bring her here?” Callum asks.

“I was having a bad dream,” she mumbles.

“Right, and that dream made her appear?”

Sawyer and Cade come out of the bathroom, killing any answer Savannah might have given. We’re all too focused on the female slung over Cade’s shoulder.

“Anyone up for a little torture?” Sawyer smiles as he says it, giving him a macabre edge that is so out of character it makes me shiver.

I push off the bed as they disappear through the door, intending to follow them. Kye stays close to us, his hand on my shoulder possessively, as we follow the others downstairs. By the time we reach the living area, the woman is sitting on a chair in the middle of the room, her hands bound behind her back. Halle stands close by, ready to use her magic if necessary.

The others are here now too, including Wyatt and Tessa. She hangs back, Abel close enough to stand between her and any threat that might arise. The big wolf doesn’t seem happy his mate is here, but knowing Tessa as I do, I doubt she would have given him any choice.

And I get it. This is her fight as much as it is his, and she wants to be involved.

I can’t blame her for that.

She wants to build a safe and protected future for her pup. I would feel exactly the same. I do feel the same now I have Savannah to consider.

Ignoring the pounding in my head and holding Savannah against me, the large room suddenly feels small with everyone crowded in it.

“Wake her the fuck up,” Kye growls, stepping up to the threat.

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