Page 25 of Rising Darkness

My silver magick already swirled over my body in preparation for my shift, but Dason stopped me with a hand on my chest.

“Jolon,” he rasped. “We’ll be stronger if we move as a unit. As a pack.”

“We don’t have time for this fight, Dase,” I growled, tense from the possibility of having to fight for alpha when all I wanted was to find my mate and ensure her safety.

“No. You’re misunderstanding me,” Dason said. His voice strained and his muscles shook, and he dropped to one knee before me. Swallowed harshly, he craned his head and exposed his throat. “I submit.”

“Holy fuck,” Axel whispered while Chayton beamed with pride and Syler raised his brows in surprise.

Kota rolled his eyes. “Finally.”

I was bowled over. “Are you fucking sure?”

“We don’t have time for this, like you said. Just bite me and get it over with.” Dason’s hands were clenched in fists and his neck strained, ensuring the bite would be painful if he couldn’t relax the tendons.

Letting my shift filter through me, I used my wolf form instead of my fox and padded to Dason. Looming over him, I stared into his eyes and saw a sea of emotion. He didn’t want to yield. He didn’t want to submit. But at the center was selflessness. He’d give up his role as alpha for the woman he loved. To make sure she was safe and happy. He placed her needs above his own, and a new respect for the man took root within me.

I bared my teeth and struck, sinking them into the crux of his shoulder to seal the pack bond. It snapped into place with ferocity while Dason hissed from the string of pain.

Dason’s thoughts slammed into me with the force of a tsunami, and I gritted my teeth while I adjusted to having such a strong wolf in my pack. I felt his love for Lorn and his need to get her back. It was just as strong as my own.Welcome to the pack,I told him.

Let’s go get our girl, he ordered. And for once, I didn’t argue or begrudge his command.

The rest of them shifted, and we spread out through the woods to search for the scent of our mate.

We’re coming for you, firecracker. Just hold on,I prayed as I flew through the forest in the form of my wolf. My paws dug into the dirt, spraying it behind me as I pushed myself harder. I growled low when I caught the faintest trail of blackberries and sugar.

I’ve got her,I growled down the link, and soon, the others joined my flanks with Axel flying overhead. A rock formation rose before us as the forest yielded to the foothills. It was as if every atom of my being pulled me toward her.She’s here. I feel her.

The others growled and snarled their ascent. Shifting back, I hurried to the rock, searching the stone face for any sign of entry.

She’s in a hidden place of stone and shadow. I repeated the riddle Lorn’s friend had given us, praying for a sign that my mate was here somewhere.

“Jolon,” Dason whispered harshly. His hand ran along a groove in the rock that led to a narrow passage.

Chayton quickly took care of decimating the ward. With the pack behind us, we stalked inside with magick rife in our fingers and revenge burning in our hearts. But the sight that greeted us was nothing like I’d imagined.

There, curled up in a conjured bed by a roaring fire, was my mate, her hand splayed across the naked, tattooed chest of the man I’d seen in Mama Dunne’s crystal ball.

Lorn was literally in bed with the enemy. I saw red, and a roar bellowed from my chest, startling them both awake.

“What the fuck are you doing with our mate?”

Chapter Ten

Lorn

Ijumped from the bed and stared at a fuming Jolon and an even angrier Dason. The desire to run to them and throw my arms around their necks was strong, but the way they glowered at Tye, and the jealousy and confusion I saw enter their gaze at my nakedness, made me stay where I was.

Stars. I wished I’d gotten dressed before falling asleep with Tye. But I couldn’t take it back. And I wouldn’t. He was my mate. I just needed time to explain everything that had happened.

Pushing past the alphas, Syler shouldered his way between them and crossed the cave. His head nearly brushed the top, but that didn’t stop him from coming deeper.

A sound suspiciously like a cry left my lips when his strong arms wrapped around me, and tears fell from my eyes. It wasn’t sadness, but relief. More than once, I’d almost died. I’d worried I wouldn’t see them again, yet here he was, holding me against him.

“You’re here,” I murmured into his chest.

His arms tightened around me, speaking for him where words failed. The way he held me like a precious gem was a promise that said,always.

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