Page 53 of Her Wolf's Demands

Lionel hissed behind us, the sound echoing around the cave. I glanced behind to check on Drake, who stood in the opposite corner, watching and listening closely. What did he think of my new life? Was he coping being in such a strange environment?

He caught me looking and smiled gently, nodding his encouragement. Relaxing, I released my clenched hands and stood taller. I had to be strong for my brother and the pack.

“I can’t speak on behalf of the new alpha,” Neil said bitterly, “but I know that I’ll do everything in my power to persuade my people. You’ve been a threat to us since you killed your own sister for challenging you.”

“How has that affected you?” Malone spat, his cheeks flaring red as fury surged through him.

The heat radiated from him as he stayed completely still, his frame immovable and his eyes bulging. His reaction was a testament to how painful it was for someone to bring up his sister’s name.

The wolves behind us were tense too, their feet shuffling as they waited for their alpha’s response. It reminded me that there was still a rift in the pack due to Malone’s actions. His choice not to tell them what had really happened with his sister had made them hate him.

Noticing that he’d caused a reaction in Malone, Neil came up to the bars and stared at him hard. “If an alpha is prepared to kill his own sister in order to keep his place in a pack, he’ll be willing to slaughter other wolves with the flick of a claw.”

My tummy rolled, the heat now igniting in my veins. I knew my mate, he wasn’t ruthless and unruly. He was tough, yes, but he ran the pack in a firm fair way, and if he confessed the truth about his sister, the pack would understand instantly.

“The ritual will be performed on the Solstice tomorrow night.” I brought us back to the current topic. “So we’ll need to plan a strategy to stop the witches from making your pack into their familiars.”

Everyone breathed easier as the tension dropped. Neil dropped his gaze from Malone, backing down in the face of a powerful man who wanted to help. Malone wasn’t an amazing leader, but a fair one.

Shit, he had been a bastard to me and still had to make up for that. However, he was offering his enemies a way out of a life of servitude. It was that or kill them all when they shifted. I had a queasy stomach, not made for mass slaughter – or raw meat, thank you – but even I had to admit that wolves enhanced by channelled ancient magic were a danger hazard to every living being on Earth.

“I’ll have to stay here,” Neil said. “If Kieran catches even a hint of betrayal, he’ll kill me and the pack won’t rebel.”

Holding his chin with his finger and thumb, Malone rested his elbow on his other hand and narrowed his eyes. “No doubt the witches will keep someone on guard at the stones until the Solstice. Ertha is too desperate for her plan to work. I’m hopeful that they didn’t scent us and assumed that you lost it and ran away.”

“The witches are so desperate to complete their spell, they probably left Neil to it.” Drake’s voice was strong as he stepped forward.

Everyone turned to look at him, surprised that he’d actually spoken. Lionel scowled, the low hum of annoyance echoing around the room. Emiliah punched him in the arm, frowning up at him as he shook his head.

“I’ll go to them,” Drake announced, wringing his hands in front of him. “It’s me they want.”

Dragging his gaze away from Neil, Malone turned slowly and regarded my brother. In a deadpan hard voice, he replied, his tone matter of fact. “No, you won’t be going anywhere.”

My own protest had been on the tip of my tongue, but my mate was quick to step in. Tingles ran over my skin, ignited from fear for my brother and gratefulness to my man. He would do anything to protect us, regardless of our witch heritage. I had made the right choice. My wolf spirit would not be bound.

“They want to use you, yes,” Malone went on, “but only to take us down. They already hate us because of our claim to the standing stones. Now, they’re afraid of Della’s power. They want her gone.”

Rochelle cleared her throat, asking her alpha permission to speak. When he glanced over at her and raised his eyebrows, she flicked her hair over her shoulder. “We have the element of surprise. The coven doesn’t know that we were there last night, or they would’ve been able to trace us back to the camp. We only have one chance, so we’ll need to be in perfect synchronicity.”

“No!” Drake insisted, silencing my new friend. “I’m the one responsible for all of this, even down to my painting. I should’ve refused the commission when Ertha asked me to infuse my magic into my art. I should’ve spoken to Della when I started to get suspicious of the elder, instead of keeping it to myself. If I had, it wouldn’t have led to my breakdown and subsequently, me hurting...”

“Lionel,” I blurted, my heart swelling with pride – although not enough to let him offer himself up.

Smiling apologetically at Lionel, Drake shook his hair out of his eyes. “I should be the one to face Ertha.”

The silence was punctuated by the sound of everyone’s breathing. We all watched my brother, our own thoughts whirring in our minds. No doubt Lionel would agree, but the others frowned, clearly not happy with his offer.

My heart thudded violently in my chest as I stepped over to Drake. Taking his damp hands, I squeezed them tightly as I looked into his light eyes. A rush of emotion threatened to close my throat. For so long, it had just been us against the world. And now, there was an alpha who wanted to take care of me, of us. I still couldn’t figure out why. “As commendable as your offer is, bro, the pack have their own fight with the witches. It goes beyond us.”

“She’s right.” Emiliah stepped forward and clasped Drake’s elbow. “We don’t hold you accountable for what happened. Weirdly, I’ve grown to like our new pack member.”

Her smile was wide, all-encompassing, as she beamed at Drake.

He smiled back, shyly glancing at me. “She can be a pain in the butt sometimes,” he said, “but she makes a great cup of coffee and does anything for those she loves.”

“Bloody hell,” I burst out, sucking back the sob that tried to escape, “you two need to stop or I won’t fit out of this cave where my head’s grown so big.”

“Why, what’s happening?” Manual piped up. “Is there something wrong with your magic?”

---