As I sit on the couch in Rook’s house, waiting for Rook to get dressed, my eyes start to close. I’m exhausted all the way to my bones. It’s been a very long week, and though I’m apprehensive about the mating ceremony and impending fight, I’m just glad it’s almost over.
To say that Parker and Terrance were pissed when they learned of my involvement with Alpha Toth’s pack would be a gross understatement. Oliver, amazing man that he is, was proud of me and only worried for my safety. Once they all settled down and realized they couldn’t talk me out of the fake mating ceremony, they demanded they be in attendance in order to protect me. Normally, a mating ceremony is strictly a pack thing, but Alpha Toth agreed, happy for the extra help. He said their presence would be easy enough to explain because I wasn’t pack yet, and of course I’d want my closest friends to see me mated.
To keep up with the ruse, I spent most of the week on the pack compound with Rook. He personally introduced me to almost everyone. I vetted as many wolves as I could and helped Rook and Alpha Toth figure out who were Toth’s most loyal supporters and who I thought might be in league with Jeffrey. I’ve never used my abilities so much in all my life.
I pull my eyes open and rub my face when Rook clears his throat and says, “You about ready?”
He looks damn good in his suit, and he’s shaved off his normal five o’clock shadow for the occasion. It’s almost a pity this isn’t a real mating ceremony. I look at the garment bag lying over the arm of the couch and sigh. I’m supposed to meet with the top-ranked women in the pack and let them get me ready for the ceremony, sort of like bridesmaids in a human wedding. I’m not really looking forward to it. “Can’t I just get ready here?”
Rook smiles and holds a hand out to me. “It’s tradition,” he says, pulling me to my feet. Once I’m standing, he slips his arm around my waist and pulls me to him. “You’ll break their hearts if you don’t go,” he murmurs, combing his fingers through my hair.
I gulp. He’s acted so differently this week. His wolf has been calmer, but he’s been more aggressive. I can’t decide if he’s doing it on purpose because he likes me, or if he’s just losing the battle against his wolf’s desires. I asked him that very question yesterday, and he told me the two things are one and the same.
I can’t deny the connection I feel to him. There’s something about him. Aside from the fact that he’s one of the hottest men I’ve ever seen, he’s spent so long guarding his own heart that he knows where I’m coming from. He feels like a kindred spirit of sorts.
He untangles his hand from my hair and holds it to my cheek. I’m graced with his thoughts and am surprised to hear he’s having doubts about the plan. He pulls his fingers away from my skin when I frown, and explains. “My wolf doesn’t want to let you go out there today. It goes against my instincts to put you in harm’s way.”
I break his hold and take a much-needed step away from him. “I’ll be fine. Axel doesn’t want me dead, and I’ll be surrounded by Wulf, Nick, Oliver, Parker, and Terrance, anyway. Besides. Unless he brings every rogue in the country, he’s going to be sorely outnumbered. The fight is hardly going to be a fight at all.”
Over the week we only found maybe ten of Alpha Toth’s wolves who planned to side with Axel. They’re some of the strongest, but they don’t know Alpha Toth’s wolves are expecting this fight and know they plan to turn on them. Alpha Toth has secretly spoken to all his faithful wolves already and coordinated the proper defense strategies. It also helps that Evan has been spreading the word to his loyal wolves that Toth is granting clemency to those who don’t fight for Axel. Axel has only half the numbers for this fight that he’s expecting, and Toth has twice as many.
Rook sighs. “You’re right. I know. Still. My wolf knows there’s going to be trouble, and he doesn’t want you in the thick of it. I don’t want you there.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes only because I really don’t want to be there, either. I know my guys will keep me safe, but the thought of being in the middle of a bunch of angry wolves ripping each other apart is unsettling. I’m still having nightmares about watching Daniel and Maya die. “I’ll tell the guys to get me out of there the second the fighting starts.” I pick up the dress bag and smirk. “Unlike you wolves, I’ve got no problem standing aside while you all fight.”
He can’t stop the small smile that breaks out on his face. “Good. Still, I’ve got something for you, just in case.”
He walks into his kitchen and pulls a sheathed knife from a drawer. “This is pure silver. It’s werewolf Kryptonite,” he explains, kneeling in front of me. He lifts my pant leg and straps the knife just above my ankle. “I know you don’t know how to use it, but if anyone gets near you, just swing with it. You probably won’t manage a killing blow, but any slice you can give with this will slow them down a little.”
“I’m sure I won’t need to use it, but thank you,” I say as he tucks my pant leg over the knife and rises to his feet.
We bundle up in our coats, hats, and gloves—it finally snowed this week, and it looks like the freezing temperatures of winter are here to stay—and head across the compound to a house close to the clubhouse.
Two women answer the door with bright smiles and giddy squeals. They’re sisters, both tall and lean with more muscle definition than I’ll ever manage. One has blonde hair and the other brown. “Nora!” Rhea, the older of the two pulls me into a hug. “Finally. Come on, we’ve got a lot to do and not enough time.”
Rook starts to follow us in after the sisters shuffle me into the house, but Lila, the younger sister, stops him. “No way, mister. You go away. You can’t see her all dressed up until the ceremony starts.”
I don’t have the heart to tell them that he already saw me all done up in the dress at my party last week.
“Go,” Rhea insists with a stubborn stomp of her foot, pointing toward the clubhouse where the ceremony is being held.
Rook frowns at me, and Lila throws her arm over my shoulders. “You’ll see your mate soon enough,” she says.
Rook preens at how she refers to me as his mate and finally smiles. “All right. Just hurry up. And take good care of my mate.” His eyes shift to me and hold steady. “Be safe. I’ll see you soon.”
The two women coo over his gentle warning of safety as they shut the front door. “Ah, he’s worried about leaving you. That’s so cute,” Lila says.
Rhea smiles, too, but hers is sad. “I can’t blame him after losing his last mate.” She sucks in a deep breath and shakes off her melancholy, flashing me a bright smile. “I’m so glad he’s finally found a new mate.”
Lila nods enthusiastically. “For sure. No one deserves to be happy more than Rook, and the way he smiles at you…” A lovesick sigh slips past her lips. “You guys are so cute together. You’re going to be so happy. I can tell.”
Guilt stirs in my stomach. The only people we’ve told the ceremony is a sham are the wolves we know are loyal and are ready to fight. Everyone else thinks it’s real so that Jeffrey and his spies won’t suspect we know about the attack. I’m afraid the news that the mate pairing isn’t really happening is going to hurt a lot of the pack. They love Rook too much and are so excited to see him happy.
“Come on,” Rhea says, shaking me from my thoughts. She leads me through the house to the master bedroom. “Okay, let’s see the dress.”
“Yes, put it on, I’m dying,” Lila adds.
They leave me alone to change into my dress, and I tighten the knife around my ankle. Rook’s right: I don’t know how to use a knife, but I do feel safer with it on. Once I have the dress on, tingles shoot up my spine. That familiar warning of impending danger raises the hairs on my arms and neck. It’s strong enough that sweat breaks out on my forehead and my stomach rolls. The dread in my chest is almost paralyzing. Someone wants me dead, and they want it violently and immediately.
Grabbing the silver knife from the sheath on my ankle, I tiptoe into the hallway and freeze when I hear Luna Marie’s voice.
“Luna?” Rhea asks, voice laced with surprise. “I thought you were out of town.”
Out of town… In hiding… I suppose those are the same thing. That was the downside to this plan. In order for us to keep the surprise, we couldn’t let on that we know of Marie’s treachery. The pack just thinks she left town for a while on vacation.
“You ladies head on over to the ceremony,” Marie says. “I’ll help Nora get ready. I’d like to have some one-on-one time with her.”
Yeah. I’ll just bet she does.
Rhea and Lila comply so quickly that I don’t bother calling them back. It’s clear that even though they don’t know what’s going on, their loyalties lie with their luna. Obeying her is ingrained in them. I’m not sure they won’t side with her when she attacks, and I don’t need to take on three wolves. I can only hope that Rhea and Lila get to the clubhouse fast and tell Rook about Marie showing up.
I sneak back into the master bedroom and lock the door behind me. I grab my phone and send off a quick text to Terrance that Marie is here and I need help. Then I head for the window. It’s my only means of escape at this point. Before I can escape, the bedroom door crashes open and Luna Marie grins at me with a smile that’s pure evil. There’s a hungry gleam in her eyes.
“Well,” she says, looking me over. “Isn’t that a pretty dress? It’s a shame I’m going to have to ruin it.”
I have no idea what to do or say. I have no idea how to fight a werewolf.
“I’m going to enjoy ripping you apart, you little human bitch. You’ve taken everything from me. You bewitched Peter somehow and forced me out of my pack, and now you’ve taken Axel. I know he plans to mate with you instead of me.”
I roll my eyes at her jealous, villain-esque monologue. “You forced yourself out of the pack when you betrayed your alpha, and as for Axel…” I shrug. “Peter knows he’s coming, and the pack’s ready for him. He’ll be dead by the end of the evening.”
Marie’s smile widens. “That’s what you think. It’s not just Axel’s pack—”
“You mean your little lapdog Jeffrey? Oh, Peter knows all about him, and the wolves he’s managed to talk into mutiny. They won’t be any trouble. The pack’s itching to take them out first.”
Surprise flashes in Marie’s eyes, and her face becomes hard.
“Oh,” I add. “We’ve also been working with Evan Fuller all week. Most of his pack hates Axel and have agreed to turn on him and fight with Alpha Toth. Axel is sorely outnumbered, and he has no idea.”
Marie’s face turns red from rage, and her eyes begin to glow. Her entire body begins to shake, and for a moment I think she’s going to turn, but she gets it under control and shrugs. “No bother. Peter and Axel can kill each other all they want. I don’t care. I have the means to disappear.” Her feigned nonchalance isn’t fooling me. “Seems to me the best revenge I can take is getting rid of you—their precious Nora. I don’t know what it is about you that everyone loves so much, but I’m going to enjoy killing you.”
Without warning, Marie shifts into a wolf and lunges forward. I barely have enough time to raise my hands to cover my face. I manage to keep my throat from being ripped out, but Marie’s teeth sink into my shoulder, and her claws drag down the front of my body. She rips my dress to shreds and leaves gashes in my thighs. I cry out in pain, but she howls, too, and stumbles back. Blood leaks from a gash on her chest, and I suddenly remember I’m holding Rook’s silver knife.
I fall to the floor, my wounded legs no longer able to hold my weight. My shoulder is on fire, and my head is beginning to fog over.
Marie regains her composure and snarls at me. She’s on me in seconds, and her teeth tear into my arm. I scream in pain and give one last, desperate shove of the blade toward Marie’s underbelly. She doesn’t see it coming. She’s arrogant and not expecting me to fight back. The knife plunges into her body, buried hilt deep, and she howls in pain as she falls over.
She’s not dead, but she’s definitely down. Hopefully long enough for help to arrive. I wish I could enjoy my small victory, but the fire in my arm is spreading through my whole body. It’s becoming harder to think straight, and black spots are clouding my vision. I’m starting to float in and out of consciousness, when the front door is smashed open. I can’t even tell who’s come to rescue me. I can’t see anymore. My entire body is burning.
“I’ve found her!” I think the voice is Parker’s, but I can’t be too sure.
Cool hands brush the hair out of my eyes. “Don’t worry, Nora, we’ve got you.”
There’s a mighty roar, and then someone else yells, “Peter! She’s dead already! Get a grip!”
Rough hands brush my cheek next, and a gruff voice says, “She’s been bitten!”
“MOVE!”
The hands bringing me comfort disappear, and new, calloused fingers grip my face and prod at my shoulders.
“Is she going to change?”
I know that voice. I try to croak out Oliver’s name, but I can’t get the word out. I can only manage a small whimper.
“Hang in there, Nora. We’ve got you. We’re going to get you fixed up.”
“I’m sorry, son,” a deep voice says. “She’s been bitten. There is no stopping what will happen next. But don’t worry. She’ll be welcome in my pack. We’ll take good care of her.”
“MINE!” a rough voice snarls.
“Easy, Rook.”
The voices in the room are hurting my head. I want to pass out, but the pain is keeping me awake. My whole body is on fire.
“She’s not turning.” The quiet, almost musical voice is soothing. I know it, but I’m too far gone now to remember who it belongs to.
“Nora is not human. She’s an underworlder wearing a strong glamour. She’s not turning right now; she’s being poisoned.”
“What?”
“You’re sure?”
“I’ve tasted her blood. I’m certain. I don’t know what she is, but she’s strong, and I believe she’s immortal.”
“I’ll call Enzo.”
“What do we do? We don’t know what kind she is. We don’t know what kind of blood she needs.”
“She may be strong enough that she’ll burn it out on her own, but still call Enzo. He’ll be able to help some.”
“On it.”
“It’ll take him too long to get here.”
“Guys. She’s really strong. She’ll be okay.”
“Give her some of mine, just in case,” Terrance’s low, rumbly voice says.
There’s a shuffle and a growl. It’s answered with a snarl. “Guys! Not now! Rook, let Terrance have her.”
Before they can move me, the pain reaches an all-new intensity that I can’t even begin to describe. Pressure starts to build in my chest, my head. I feel something dripping from my nose and ears, and then, with a pop, the tension shatters. It hurts so badly a bloodcurdling scream rips from my lungs.
Several gasps ring out in the otherwise silent room.
“Shit.”
“Well, damn.”
“Didn’t see that one coming.”
“It can’t be.”
I have no idea what they’re talking about, and I don’t care. With the pressure gone, the pain has dulled to a tolerable level. I welcome the blackness when it overtakes me.