SableThe silence that falls over the valley after her declaration is deafening, especially in the wake of the violence, when her magic was zinging through the air and ripping up chunks of the ground. Not even a bird sings or an insect chirps. It’s so quiet that I can hear my own heartbeat and the breaths flowing in and out of my companions.In wolf form, the silence is so amplified it’s almost painful.Now that I have her attention and my point is made, I shift back to human. The moment I’m back on two feet, I put my hands out to my sides so she can see them clearly. The last thing I need is for her to imagine she sees black smoke coming from my fingertips and attack us again while my guard is down.My heart pounds as I approach her. I keep my steps short and only close some of the distance between us—not so much that it will put her back on her guard, but enough so that we can easily see each other’s faces and hear each other speak. All four of my mates remain as wolves, gathering a
SableI don’t have any expectations of what a witch’s home should look like, but the moment I set foot inside the small cabin, I know I’ve stepped into a place of magic.Bundles of dried herbs hang from the rafters, creating a forest of fragrant leaves that spreads out over the room. Some of them hang low enough that I have to brush away long branches of sage and rosemary with my fingers as I head toward Gwen.A small fire burns in the hearth, making the cabin feel stiflingly warm and intensifying the herbal scent. The mantel above the stone fireplace is laden with a number of glass jars full of strange liquids and other things I don’t even want to guess at.The cabin is simple enough that it’s just one big room with two doors, and Gwen’s small bed sits in one corner, the blankets neatly made up and a number of quilted pillows perched against the headboard. Other than the bed, there’s a storage chest and an armoire, plus a small kitchenette area equipped with a wood stove, a hand-pump
sable Then I recall the words Clint spoke before he died, and my voice dies out on a whisper.You better hope she doesn’t find out about you.I asked him who “she” was, demanded to know, but he didn’t have a chance to respond before he lost consciousness. Or maybe he just decided to take that secret to the grave, one last way to fuck with me.Could the woman he referenced be the person I’m bound to?“What should I do?” I ask Gwen, and my voice comes out tight and strained. “I don’t understand what this means. Can you please help me?”The witch drinks from her mug, a line etched between her brows as she stares at me over the rim. When she sets it back down, she sighs.“It seems likely that it didn’t bind you to the man you thought was your uncle, although he’s the one who cast the spell. Bonds formed by a third party are never as strong, although given the number of sigils he put on you, he was trying to make it as powerful as possible. Still, there’s a possibility that if that other
sableThe woman waves a hand at the two witch men, who dutifully walk away. Then she steps forward and puts a hand on Lawson’s shoulder. She doesn’t even cringe at the blood that soaks his shirt. “That’s a good dog. Now, I want to know all about the packs. But especially their protections. Tell me about those stolen sigils that mark the territory. Howl for me, wolf.”Lawson begins to speak. Haltingly at first, as if he hurts too much to talk, but then the words come faster, more wild and desperate. He barely seems in his right mind anymore, and I wonder if she’s using more than just physical abuse and torture to get him to speak. Is her magic somehow creeping into his mind too?However she managed to break him, Lawson doesn’t hold anything back. I know without having to be told that he’s spilling privileged information about the packs—secrets nobody should know, but especially not the witches.“Sable, come back to me,” Gwen whispers in my head.The sound of her voice startles me, break
SableStanding in Gwen’s front yard, I slide my newly acquired spell book into my backpack along with my clothes, stripping down so I can shift to wolf form.I catch a glimpse of Gwen’s pale face in the window as she watches me, a light of fascination burning in her eyes, and I flush, angling my nude body away from her prying gaze. I wonder if any part of her sees me the way my uncle saw me. Clearly, she’s not without enemies of her own, and if she sees my hybridization the same way Clint did, she might also think I’d be a formidable tool to have in her arsenal.But it’s unfair of me to expect that of her. She fought us when we arrived because we’d infringed on her territory, not because she considers us enemies for being wolves. Gwen is a hermit, a mountain witch who seems most comfortable in her own area away from everybody else—witch and wolf alike. As far as I’ve seen, she isn’t our enemy, and she’s given me no reason to treat her as such.She seems to be a sort of neutral player
RidgeI’ve never been more happy to see another pack’s territory than I am when we race into the East Pack village.I lost feeling in my legs ages ago. I’m running on fucking autopilot, putting one paw in front of the other because I have no other choice. If I feel this exhausted, this much like a worn out piece of shit, I can’t even imagine how Sable feels. She had no time to get used to her wolf form before we ended up racing all over the fucking state of Montana.But she hasn’t said a thing. Wolves are built for running, and shifters can go harder and faster than most, but even still, we covered more miles in the past twenty-four hours than I ever thought possible. I want to get her to Archer’s cabin where she can rest and recuperate. All of us, really. We don’t need to be racing headlong into war while our bodies collapse.The East Pack village is untouched since we last saw it, and for that I’m thankful. The whole way here, I worried we would be too late. I worried we’d find the
RidgeTurning away to give Trystan and Sable a moment to themselves, I offer Archer my hand. “Need anything before we go?”He shakes his head, but I can tell he’s afraid. I can also tell he’s ashamed of himself for being afraid—I can smell his shame, see it in the slump of his shoulders.“Hey,” I say gruffly. “Fear isn’t the weakness here. Even alphas feel fear. The weakness is hiding, running, not doing your part. And you, of all people, aren’t capable of those things. Courage is action in the face of your fear.”Archer squares his shoulders and nods. “You’re right. Thanks.”I release his hand to nod at Dare where he’s sprawled on the couch cushions. “You’re staying, right?”“Stupid fucking question,” he grunts.I hold up my hands, grinning wryly. “Your reputation precedes you.”For a moment, I think maybe I’ve gone too far, too soon. When Dare ran away from us after Sable began her transformation, it hurt her to her core. I know it’s been a point of contention between them a few tim
SableArcher’s house is quaint and comfortable. It feels like a home, more so than my uncle’s farmhouse ever felt. But I’m so on edge that I want to tear all four walls down and scream at the sky.I pace back and forth between the couch and the front door, my hands twisting into knots in front of me. It’s been a few hours since Trystan and Ridge left, so I know they’ve probably only just arrived at their respective packs, but I’m ready for them to come back. Now. I know what they’re doing will take time. Logically, I know I need to be patient because that means they’re being safer, being cautious.But I hate being away from them. I hate not knowing what’s happening out there in the wilderness, both with Cleo and the coven’s plans, and with my mates. I hate just sitting here. Waiting.It’s not like there aren’t things we should be doing here to prepare, as well. Archer cut out not long after Trystan and Ridge left to meet with his father and his council of elders. Dare’s been sprawled