Page 73 of Wolf Hunter

My curiosity shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Mae knows my parents used to belong to this coven. She knows I’ve got a personal link to this area and to her people.

The eldest members of the coven share a long look before Mae sighs and settles further into her seat.

“That’s…right,” she says cautiously.

“And this coven still follows the golden rule of harming none?” I press.

“Of course.” Her gaze narrows on me. “Why are you even asking this, Tasha? Wolves are known liars. We all know that.” When she glances around the room, everyone nods in unison. “You, of all people, know how cruel and sneaky their kind can be.”

I thought I knew. But meeting Reid had flipped all my past assumptions on their head.

“Color me curious,” I say. “I just want to understand things better. Like, when did the ceremonies start, and why?”

For the longest time, only the crackling of the fire sounds in the room. It’s as though everyone holds their breath as they try to decide exactly where to begin. And what to say.

I study all of them and see some of the younger members waiting eagerly, as curious as I am.Hmm...Interesting.

As the coven leader, Mae should know the stories better than anyone. She draws in a deep breath and holds it inside her before beginning. The flames grow brighter in time with her story.

“The exchange of magic has always been equal and fair between the wolves of this area and the witches. With so many monsters on the loose, it made sense for the coven and the wolves to form an alliance. An exchange, power for protection. A life for lives. Our ancestors believed this ensured the continued growth of our people with only minimal loss. As soon as a sacrifice was accepted, another stepped up in her place. A constant cycle of the rebirth of magic.”

A few heads nod along with her, but I blink, confused. “Oh. So, a death wasn’t always required?”

Mae dips her chin down. “No. It was a simple release, where the witch willingly relinquished her magic to the pack. It was only in recent years that the exchange required a death or servitude. And the participant must step up to accept their fate no matter what.”

“Something had to change,” I press.

It makes no sense. How can an exchange that’s worked for centuries suddenly turn deadly? Did it happen in Reid’s father’s time, or before?

Mae shakes her head and says, “I’m not the one to tell you what changed. Only that certain parties became unhappy with the agreement and began to demand more in addition to the magic. They were never satisfied.”

“Blood and sex,” one of the women spits out.

I glance sharply in her direction, and she hurries to avert her gaze.

Blood and sex, huh?

“The current alpha does not—did not—feel that way.” I have to catch myself there, before I give away that Reid is still very much alive. “As my captor, he seemed less than interested in forcing me to sleep with him.”

Oh, no, I was quite the willing participant.

“The older Alpha, Edmund Holden, wanted more than we were giving.” Mae attempts to choose her words carefully, and still, the bite of them becomes all too evident. “His son may appear to be the lesser of two evils, but make no mistake, Tasha. If he’d wanted you, he would have taken you, by your choice or by force.”

Though my heart thuds away in my ears like a loose tiller on some machine, I stay perfectly still and meet her eyes with an unflinching stare. I’ve gone head-to-head with colder stares on a Tuesday afternoon.

What is Mae trying to hide?

“What does the coven get out of the exchange? There has to be something big to make you so willing to deal with the wolves considering they ask for a death.”

I guess I still don’t understand. Everyone in the room watches me. My hands start to sweat, and I rub my thumb over the frayed edge of my sweater, irritation pinching at my insides.

“They take our people,” one of the women finally speaks up, and the others tries to hush her, though she barrels forward. “They come in the night, when we aren’t prepared. They want more than a single sacrifice a year. Why should we not want them dead?”

“Well, why aren’t the witches willing to look into the disappearances of their young members?” I ask.

Especially the ones, like Carmen, who weren’t even a main part of the coven anymore.

Mae shares a look with the other women in the room and hesitates before saying more.

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