Page 93 of Owning His Mate

The gray swings his bloodied muzzle in my direction, his mouth pulling into a grin as his tongue lolls between his teeth. I narrow my eyes.

Wyatt?

He takes off, rejoining the fight, and I quickly make my way over to my coven. I can sense Kye in my mind, his concentration, and also some pretty strange animalistic thoughts from his wolf, meaning he’s probably shifted. Knowing he’s okay allows me to slip my hand into Halle’s. She gives me a shit-eating grin as she draws on her power, and I do the same.

I feel it amplified as it spreads between me and the other members of my coven. Dove stands on the other side of Halle while Roux is on the end. I don’t see Hester anymore, but I can’t think about her right now. Callum and the others are also fighting, every single person I care about trying to survive.

Without warning, a wave of power spreads across the entire compound. It’s like the blast from a nuclear bomb, flattening everything it touches. I glimpse the crowd of people ahead falling to the ground before I’m pushed down too.

I let go of Halle’s hand as I go down heavily, the wind knocked out of my lungs as my face smashes into the grass.

What the hell was that?

As a coven, we’re strong, but that was something else. I lift my head, seeing a sea of downed people and wolves, but two people remain standing.

The white-haired man and a redheaded woman. She’s standing at his side, her palm outstretched. Magic swirls around her, stronger than anything I have ever felt before. She isn’t tau. She’s a witch.

I scramble to my knees, but there is an invisible force field stopping me from getting up.

“Oh, boy.” I follow Halle’s line of sight, and my stomach twists.

They aren’t the only two standing anymore. Hester is also on her feet, standing in front of the white-haired man, far away enough from him that he can’t touch her.

He tilts his head to the side as he takes her in, disdain curling his lips into a snarl. “It’s been a while, sister.”

They don’t look alike, though there are some hints of similarity between them. He also looks older than she does. Hester has this timeless, ageless appearance to her, which I guess makes sense considering she is the daughter of one of the most powerful witches to ever exist.

“I could say it’s good to see you, Erik, but that would be a lie. I never wanted to see you again.” Her voice shakes beneath her strong words.

“What happened to blood being thicker than water?”

She laughs, but there is no humor in it. I scan the crowd, looking for Kye, but I can’t see him. It is only the fact that I can sense him in my mind that keeps me calm.

“That stopped making sense the moment you tried to kill me and Freya.”

“I didn’t come here to rehash the past,” he snaps the words, his irritation clear in every syllable.

Hester opens her arms wide, her eyes bouncing around the dead and injured. “And yet this looks exactly like the past.”

“I tried talking to the guys at the front gate. They attacked us, so my people attacked back.”

Halle’s hand slips into mine, and I squeeze her back, grateful for the reassurance it brings. I don’t know what is about to happen, but I feel like we are distinctly on the back foot here.

Are you safe?Kye’s voice strokes through my mind.

I’m with the girls,I tell him.You’re not injured, are you?

No.I’m good.

Relief fills me,and I’m sure I give him the same assurance.

“What do you want, Erik?” Hester asks, dragging my thoughts out of the mating bond to listen to their exchange.

“You know what’s coming.”

Hester’s arms wrap around her as if she can protect herself. “I knowyoushould be scared of what’s coming.”

Despite her brave words, I can see her hands are trembling as she faces her brother. Her fear of him is not feigned. She is genuinely terrified of him, and yet seeing him like this, I can’t help but think there is nothing to be afraid of. He is just a sad old man who relies on the strength of others to keep his place.

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