Page 30 of Wolf Touched

I wanted to judge her and tell her how narrow-minded she was, but she’d been right about Slade and his mother. Her bias hadn’t served her completely wrong. “I’m assuming the coven betrayed Foster?” I needed to get back on topic. My emotions were all over the place with tears threatening to slide down my face. Part of me wanted to forgive her, but another part was angry at myself for even considering it. I had to sort through my emotions before I attempted to determine how I felt about any of this.

Exhaling, Octavia rolled her shoulders and stared straight ahead again. “The coven and the wolf shifters. Both hurt him, resulting in his death.”

I arched a brow, just as Raffe linked,I’ve been trying to leave you alone, but I keep feeling your emotions. Do you need me out there?

The truth was I did, but I suspected Octavia would not be as forthcoming if he joined us.Give us a few more minutes. I don’t want her to clam up, and she’s sharing a lot with me.

You do what you need to do. I’m not going anywhere.

My heart warmed, some of the pain ebbing. Raffe was one of the few people I believed when he said that.I love you.

Love you too.

I didn’t end our connection, wanting to keep it open a little longer. It wasn’t as nice as having him with me, but he was more accessible. “Can you be more specific?”

“Similar to what the coven did to you by trying to make you one of their members. They felt Foster’s power and found him on the brink of death. A woman was leaning over him, touching his face. When she sensed the witches, she ran off.”

I hadn’t heard that part. “A woman? Was she human?”

“She was the alpha wolf shifter’s daughter. She’d been coming back from the village and found him.” Octavia steepled her fingers. “She was his fated mate, and her touch calmed the power inside him, which was the only reason he didn’t die then. But he was bad off, so the coven took him back with them. He was out for days after causing a minor earthquake.”

Everything but the woman leaning over him matched what Slade had told me. “Are you sure the wolf shifter washis fated mate?” That story sounded way too similar to mine.

“Unfortunately, I am. Foster kept a journal where all of this was documented … until he imploded. His parents stayed with him and kept his things when the coven ran off. They filled in the pieces.”

The wind picked up, and I wrapped my arms around myself. At least, I assumed the cold was from the wind, but it could have come from within me. “What is his version of what happened?”

She sneered. “Similar to yours. The coven tried to help him, but they didn’t know how he could grasp his power. And each night, he snuck out to meet the alpha’s daughter. Her presence was the only thing stabilizing him.”

That I understood. Raffe eased my emotions when they were volatile, and if he hadn’t come to me that one night, I would have imploded, just like Foster. The power had ravaged me and drained my strength, taking on a life of its own. My skin prickled at the memory.

“One night, the supreme priestess of the coven followed him. She’d become suspicious of him. She told the alpha what his daughter was doing. Let’s just say the revelation didn’t go over well. In the alpha’s eyes, his daughter was spending time with a warlock … a coven member. After spending centuries under the coven’s control, the shifters and vampires despised the witches and anything that resembled coven power. He alpha-willed his daughter to never see Foster again.”

I thought of King Jovian trying to alpha-will Raffe to marry the Atlanta alpha’s daughter, and my heart ached. The only difference was that Raffe and I had partially completed our mate bond.

“Foster couldn’t stay away, and his power became morevolatile on days he didn’t see her. Eventually, the shifters had enough and attacked the coven to eliminate the threat. Foster tried to protect everyone, both shifters and coven members. In the end, he caused his own death, and the wolf shifters took over after that.”

That was a horrible way to die, and knowing how he’d felt from my own beginning with Raffe … no one deserved to end like that. “That’s horrible.” My chest throbbed, and I rubbed the spot to appease the ache.

“It is, and that’s why we need to be careful. You’re twenty-two, the same age as Foster when he imploded.” Octavia placed a hand on the back of her neck. “We can’t let that happen to you. We need to figure out how you control your power.”

The sliding glass door opened again, but the tingles on my neck told me who it was—Raffe.

“It’s late. We should all get some sleep,” he rasped, his concern flowing into me.

I stood without a second thought. Though Octavia had shared a lot of information, I needed space. “He’s right. It’s been a long day.” And we had to determine our next plan. We didn’t have a large pack, we had no incoming money, and a secret society was on our trail. Not only that, but Octavia had told me that no activated arcane-born had lived past my current age. This was messy.

Octavia didn’t say a word, and the three of us headed back inside. Lucy and Adam were standing in the living room, the television off. It was close to ten, and we were all tired, especially Josie and Dave.

Lucy arched a brow, taking in my appearance.You need to talk?she linked.

I smirked. She was becoming more like a sister than a friend.I don’t have the energy to tell everyone individually.I’ll tell you everything in the morning after we get some sleep.

If you change your mind, I’m always here,she replied and hugged me.And when things settle, we gotta get back on ourCriminal Mindskick. I’ll check on our favorite little monster before heading to bed, so don’t worry about anything.

Lucy nodded toward Octavia then the stairs that led below. “You’re rooming with me. Let’s get going.”

Octavia didn’t hesitate, and the two of them headed down.

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