Chapter 12
AVA WAS SHAKING SO badly it felt like her bones would shake right out of her skin. She and Max were walking in the dark of night, in the cold and snow, making their way to the Alpha Den. This couldn’t wait until morning.
It was freezing. Ava squeezed Max’s arm and moved closer to him. He wrapped his arm around her and helped stave off the cold a little more. She wished they were touching skin to skin because she couldn’t feel his warmth as well through her bundled layers of clothing. This simple action couldn’t heat her up like his kiss had. The lingering warm fuzzies of that kiss almost had her floating despite the fear gnawing on her.
When the Alpha Den came into view, one of the large burgundy wood doors slammed open as if responding to Ava’s approach. Cedric Snow was making a hasty escape. His eyes were burning the golden color of his owl’s eyes, something Ava glimpsed for only a moment before he turned around to face the door before he made it all the way down the stairs. Nick emerged from the mansion and stalked onto the portico, a snarl on his lips and his wolf in his eyes. Gwen caught Nick and yanked him toward her before he could round on Cedric. He could have fought out of her grip, but he allowed her to hold him in place.
“You really should go home,” Nick said with a growl. “There’s nothing here for you, Cedric. Nothing.”
“There’s nothing for me anywhere,” Cedric replied coolly.
“I’ve been patient. Moon knows I’ve been patient, but you’re acting like a damn child. So, your parents gave your fortune away to your younger brother, what are you going to do about it? Fuck, Cedric. Did you even want it in the first place? Is it just an excuse to stay away?”
Cedric gave a flippant nod of his head, tossing his silvery hair to the side. He looked over his shoulder and locked his gaze onto Max and Ava. Ava pressed even closer to Max like she was trying to fuse with him or hide inside of him. Cedric’s gaze was scalding.
“What you should be worried about is her.” Cedric nodded his head at Ava. “What the fuck is your deal?”
A growl hummed in Max’s chest as he warned, “Lay off. Don’t take your anger out on Ava.”
“You move on quickly, don’t you, wolf? Weren’t you pining over a different woman like a week ago? For claiming to be so righteous and dedicated, you don’t have a problem with dropping people and moving on.” The anger in his eyes cooled to a deadness that made Ava shiver.
“Things with Lizbeth weren’t the way I thought they were. And yes, I was being stupid about the whole thing. I should have come clean with her months ago. And before that, I should have figured out that I meant nothing to her. So yes, Cedric. Yes. I am a fucking idiot, and I owe you an apology,” Max replied.
Cedric’s eyes went wide in surprise. He laughed. It started out as nothing more than a chuckle under his breath, but it built into a fit that almost had him rolling on the ground.
Ava did this. She was the one who did this to him. Cedric was broken.
Gathering her courage, Ava stepped away from Max and took the longest strides she could manage until she reached Cedric. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“What?” Cedric practically spat. He was done laughing and back to scrutinizing her. “What is it about you that makes me so…” He couldn’t find the word.
“I did this to you,” she confessed. Then she touched him, a brush of her gloved hand, but it was enough. That touch was a small static shock, the tiniest leap of Black Magic from her skin to his, igniting an old memory, an old pain.
Cedric winced and pulled away from her. His jaw went slack and he gave her a double-take. Instead of cold indifference, his eyes lit up in recognition. He shook. His whole body shook like there was an earthquake happening inside of him. Or maybe he was more like a volcano about to erupt lava and melt her into nothing.
“I knew there was something familiar about you, but every time I tried to figure it out, my mind came up blank,” he said. Then he cried out in pain as his hands went to his head. His knees buckled underneath him and he crumpled into the snow. Ava didn’t know how to ease his pain. The only time she had ever eased anyone’s pain was the time she had saved that cat, but she couldn’t recall what that kind of magic felt like. She didn’t know how to summon it. She dropped to the snow with Cedric and pressed her hand to his shoulder because she couldn’t do anything else. Useless tears rimmed her eyes again and she apologized, over and over, chanting the words as if saying them enough times would make that truth known.
Max, Nick, and Gwen quickly gathered around.
“What’s going on?” Nick demanded. He looked right at Ava when he said it. “I’ve been patient with you, but I can’t afford to be anymore.”
“That’s why I’m here,” Ava said, keeping her voice as strong and steady as she could manage. “I’m going to tell you everything, Alpha.”
Max pulled Ava to her feet as Nick did the same with Cedric. The Alpha continued to support the snowy owl shifter as he followed Gwen into the mansion, Max and Ava following them. Ava took a deep breath before they passed through the doorway. Max tugged on her hand, letting her know he was by her side and that he was supporting her every step of the way. She was strong. She could do this.
Nick and Gwen led them all into a sitting room. Nick lowered Cedric onto a couch. The owl shifter’s handsome face was screwed up in pain, and he immediately folded in on himself when he had no one holding him up anymore. His hands were buried in his silvery hair.
“I’m a witch,” Ava blurted before she and Max took a seat. There was no point dragging this out any longer. “I’m the one responsible for supplying Erin Smith with her shifters.”
“So, your real name is Beatrice?” Nick asked. He was barely holding himself back now. He was going to snap and start growling, pounce on her, something. “How the fuck—”
“Nick, listen,” Max said with steel in his voice, an authority that must have meant he had the makings of an alpha wolf. He made the Blue Pack Alpha pause anyway. “Just listen.”
Ava shook her head. “Beatrice is my keeper. She told me what to do, and I did it. She always told me I was powerful. She’s a Black Witch too, but she had me do most of the heavy lifting… the actual breaking… taking souls and holding them captive.”
Cedric ground his teeth together as he struggled to get off the couch. Gwen showed up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders, urging him to stay seated. “I’m going to tear your flesh into ribbons with my talons!” he screeched.
“Settle, Cedric,” Gwen warned. Her own alpha dominance oozed into the words. Ava could feel all the alpha power clogging up her throat between the three wolves, making it hard to breathe, and she wasn’t a shifter at all. Cedric was a snowy owl, but he could feel the power as well. He silenced his aggression, too weak to fight.
“Why are you telling us this?” Nick asked skeptically. “Black Witch, what you’ve done isn’t going to get shoved under some damn rug and forgotten about. You have to know this is going to end in a shit-storm of trouble. Are you the one who put Bruiser and Rogue in comas then?” He was glaring at her. His wolf was ready to rip free from his skin. But there was also hesitation. He glanced at Max for some reason.
“I… I didn’t do that,” Ava said. “I was trying to. Beatrice told me to, but that time it was Beatrice who succeeded. Not me.” She took a breath and laced her fingers into Max’s, pressing her palm into his. “I’ll explain everything.”
And she did. She told them everything she had just told Max. She also told them about the safe house in Texas. Nick was a good Alpha and would help the shifters trapped there, or he would tell Trinity. Whatever happened afterward, she was glad they allowed her this time. Having Max there gave her the strength she needed to tell them everything without wavering. Her voice was strong and clear. Tears beaded in her eyes, but they never fell—not until the end.
Ava bowed her head low. “I’m so sorry. I know words can’t fix anything I’ve done, and I’m prepared to atone in whatever way you see fit. I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore.”
“You’re going to have to,” Nick said gruffly. He had calmed down, but the tension was still present.
“What?”
“If you’re truly sorry, you need to help us put a stop to Beatrice.”
Pursing her lips, Ava fell silent. Beatrice. She supposed it was the best way to show her sincerity. A part of her was attached to Beatrice, though. She cared for her even though she knew Beatrice wanted her for nothing but her power.
“You can’t trust her with something like that!” Cedric gritted out.
“I’ll do it,” Ava said. “I can’t stop all the hurt I’ve caused if I don’t stop Beatrice. I said I would do anything, receive any punishment. I meant it. I’m prepared to die.”
Max gave her a worried glance, but he remained silent, allowing her to say what she needed to say. She thanked the Moon for this gift. Whatever the Moon’s true intentions were, it gave her Max. For a short time, she felt like she was worth something. She felt warmth and acceptance. Max was still warmth. The truth hadn’t changed anything. He was beside her, holding her hand.
Cedric scoffed. “Fuck this. You’re all insane.” He stood on uneasy legs and stumbled to the grand foyer.
“Where are you going?” Gwen asked him.
He didn’t answer. He opened one of the large double-doors and shed his clothes at the same moment he turned into a burst of downy feathers. Snow. When he shifted, it looked like a flurry of snow. His wings flapped, producing the faintest of sounds, and then he was gone into the night. Sighing, Gwen walked over to the pile of clothes and shut the door to keep the mansion warm.
“You’re brave,” Nick said, breaking the silence.
“Me?” Ava pointed to herself.
“Yes, and I have a good feeling about you. When you first got here, I wasn’t so sure. Now I understand why your scent was strange to me.”
“You smelled the Black Magic. You all did.”
“Yeah, but not enough to understand it. That trick Beatrice came up with, the one you were able to execute, is…” He swallowed. “When this is all said and done, release that wolf. Please.” The soft tone of his voice startled Ava. This big alpha wolf, Alpha of a pack, was pleading with her.
“I can release her now,” Ava whispered.
“You might need her strength. Keep her until after we settle things with Beatrice.”
Ava nodded stiffly. Come to think of it, since she started confessing, the wolf inside of her stopped pounding on the walls of her prison so incessantly. Did she approve of what was happening? Did she still have a mind after all?
“We’re going to capture Beatrice and hand her over to Trinity,” Nick said. “I’ll let them decide her ultimate fate. They have experience with this kind of thing, and I sure as hell do not. I’m going to contact Isabelle, my Trinity contact, to get Trinity’s help with this capture. I’ll point them to the safe house in Texas, too.” His eyes softened when he looked at Ava now. “They will be the ones to decide your fate, Ava. This is out of my hands. It’s so much bigger than my small pack.”
Max’s grip on Ava’s hand tightened. He was squeezing so hard it hurt, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. Thanks to the wolf inside of her, she could smell his fear. She wanted to reassure him somehow. She leaned against him and gave him a half hug since he wouldn’t let go of her hand. Suddenly, he released her hand and crushed her into his chest. His heart was beating erratically against her ear.
“I’m going to protect you,” he said, reminding her of the promise he made to her back in his motel room. “No matter what.”
She smiled into his chest. Whether he could protect her or not, she hoped, if this didn’t end in her death, that he would be waiting for her when she came back. She would do everything in her power to come back to him.
Nick cleared his throat. Ava turned around in Max’s arms, but he wouldn’t let her go. He held her waist. Ava’s face heated as she looked between the Alpha and his mate. His mate had a soft smile on her lips.
“W-why are you trusting me?” Ava asked, trying to get back on topic.
Gwen responded, “We’re good at sniffing out liars. Intent. Emotions.”
Ava nodded. She had experienced this as well with the wolf inside of her. She had never been so aware of other people.
“You were a wreck when you first got here,” Gwen continued. “None of us knew what the smell of Black Magic was or what your fear meant, but it put us all on edge. You smell different now. True and sure. We know you’re being sincere.”
Gwen joined Nick at his side. He wrapped his arm around her tight and rested his hand on her small, rounded belly. Gwen held his hand there like touch was the most important thing in the world right now. Grinning, Gwen nodded to Max. “Besides, you’ve done wonders for our wild wolf. You never saw it, but he was one paw away from losing himself and going full-on Berserker. You saved him from that. And you have matching Lunas Sigils. Fated Mates.” Gwen touched Nick’s face, and he leaned down to sip her lips. “My mate completes me.” She said against his lips. “I can see the same is true for the two of you.”
Ava looked up at Max, into his sky-blue eyes. Could she be his Fated Mate? Could witches receive this blessing from the Moon? Max leaned down like he was going to kiss her. God, she wanted him to kiss her. The memory of their first kiss was fresh in her mind as she stared at his lips. His lips had to be magic. Her body was buzzing when he kissed her. When his tongue was inside her mouth, she thought she would shatter. She was still buzzing. Definitely magic.
A phone rang, a plain default ring. Everyone looked at Ava. It was hers, the burner phone she returned to her pocket. “Beatrice,” she whispered in horror.
“Answer it,” Nick said quickly.
Max let Ava go so she could grab her phone. Her hands shook as she took the phone out of her coat pocket. She didn’t want to answer it. Was she strong enough? Could she stop Beatrice? What should she say? She looked at her fingers. Max had dressed her wounds again. Max.
Ava took a quick breath, flipped the phone open, and answered, “H-hello?”
“Can you talk right now?” The sultry sound of Beatrice’s voice stung Ava’s ear. It was like she could feel Black Magic oozing through the phone.
Ava glanced at the wolves. Nick nodded for her to continue. The wolves could probably hear every word just fine.
“I’m alone. I can talk,” Ava said.
“Good. We have to be careful when we speak and you have to be careful about what you do. Shifters can sense magic, but it seems your disguise is working well, my little weapon?”
“Very well. The wolves have no idea about me.”
“Good. It would have been unfortunate if it hadn’t.”
Max gripped Ava’s shoulder tight. She looked up at him and saw his eyes were blazing orange. He probably wanted to growl, but the wolves needed to stay absolutely silent right now. Maybe that was why he grabbed her shoulder, to keep himself steady. She placed her hand on top of his, trying to give him further reassurance.
“What do you have for me, pet?” Beatrice continued.
“Progress,” Ava replied. “I haven’t broken any wolves yet, but they all trust me. They think I’m one of them. It’ll be easy to take them at any time.”
“Take as many as you can hold and meet me tomorrow. I’ve changed my mind about collecting the whole pack. We’re leaving.”
“W-what? Why?”
“The Circle. They’re crawling up my ass again. They haven’t found the safe house but they’re getting too close for comfort, so we’re moving.”
Ava frowned. She only knew what Beatrice told her about the Circle, which wasn’t much, and she had never met any of the witches who made it up. Beatrice made sure they never had any run-ins. There were times they had to lie low for a while to make that happen. Now was one of those time. What rotten luck.
“Where and when?” Ava asked, trying to hide the panic in her voice.
“Harrison. It’s not too far from Moonwatch.” She proceeded to give Ava directions. “As for when, meet me at sundown tomorrow. We’ll slip away into the night.” Beatrice blew into the phone, causing static to crackle into Ava’s ear. She flinched away, but then immediately held the phone back to her ear. She couldn’t miss a word of this. “I don’t want to start over and find a new safe house, but that’s what we’re looking at. Fuck the Circle. Those damn witches. Too bad you can’t kill them all for me. You’re a prize, darling, but you’re still one witch, aren’t you? Pity. Such a pity.”
“I understand. Tomorrow at sundown in Harrison,” Ava repeated.
Beatrice let off a peal of laughter. “Yes, pet. It’ll be good to see you again. So good. I hate having you away.”
The line went dead. Ava held the phone away from her face and tightened her fingers around it. She pressed her sore fingers into it and zapped it with a spark of purple lightning. The phone started smoking and then melting.
“Ava!” Max reached out in alarm for the melting phone, but she held it away from him.
“It’s okay, Max.” She gave the phone a gentle toss into the air and it burst into a puff of black particles. They disappeared before they made it to the floor.
The three wolves stared at her in astonishment.
“Beatrice won’t call me again,” Ava explained. “She expected me to destroy it.”
“What if you can’t find her?” Nick said. He pressed his hand to his head. “I’ll need to warn Trinity about this Circle thing now too… Fuck.”
“I’ll send out a signal with Black Magic. She’ll find me if I get lost or need help once I’m in Harrison.” Ava bit her lip. “What am I supposed to do now? Do I meet Beatrice? As soon as she sees me, she’ll know I was lying.”
“We’ll come up with a plan to lure her out where we’ll be waiting with you. Then we’ll ambush her.” Nick shook his head. “Something like that anyway. I wonder if anyone from Trinity will be able to get out here in that length of time. They only have so many shifters who work directly for them. Most of their relations are casual like they are with my pack. They’re pretty busy and spread thin because of that. If they’re all preoccupied, we won’t get any help.”
“Good thing Trinity has Blue Pack then,” Gwen said. “If you’re serious about joining Trinity, Nick, this will be the first step. We might have to take care of this ourselves.”
“No!” Ava shouted. “No. You’ll all get hurt. You don’t know what Beatrice is capable of.”
“She sells shifters as slaves,” Nick said. “We have an idea.”
“Beatrice will kill you if we try to ambush her. Forget capture.”
“We’re strong, Ava. Beatrice may be a powerful Black Witch, but we’re a pack. Our power is in our bonds, and we have the Moon on our side. Beatrice doesn’t have that.”
Max spoke, “Nick, I’m in this all the way. I haven’t pledged to Blue Pack, but I recognize you as my Alpha, so use me.” He bowed his head, submissive. “And thank you. For everything. I’m going to protect Ava with my life. I know you said you’ll be handing her over to Trinity in the end, but I hope you tell them about her because they should know everything that happened and everything that will happen. She is good.”
“I’m taking you up on that offer, Max,” Nick murmured. He smelled concerned as he looked between Max and Ava. Ava knew he didn’t address the last part of Max’s request because Trinity’s decision was out of his hands. He had already said that much. Maybe he wasn’t fully convinced about Ava either. Tomorrow she would quell those fears. She would make penance.
“Let me take care of Beatrice,” Ava said. “Make that a part of the plan. I’m a match for her. I’m better than her.” She had never gloated about her power, but it was true. She could take Beatrice. “Bring your wolves for support, but leave the fighting to me.”
“Noted. I’ll consider it, but for now you should sleep,” Nick replied. “We all should. It’s late, and we’ll need to be well-rested for tomorrow.”