Chapter 14
WAKING UP TO THE most beautiful woman in the world was something Max looked forward to for the rest of his life. His mate was stunning. His heart pressed against his rib cage as he hugged her to him, feeling her skin on his. She was fast asleep, and he made sure not to wake her, but he loved her so much. He needed this closeness with her. It had been literally over a day since he met her, but a hell of a lot had happened. He felt like he had known her his whole life. Since she arrived, everything had fallen into place for him one piece at time. He was no longer a wolf shifter on the verge of going Berserker. He accepted what and who he was. He vowed to be better every day. And every day he would get to learn something new about Ava.
A big grin took over his face. He looked forward to it. He looked forward to every day with her. He wanted to know absolutely everything about her. He wanted to grow to love her more and more as time went on.
Unable to resist, Max kissed her forehead. She was going to make it through everything. She was going to survive the consequences of the past life she was thrown into. He would make sure of it. Everyone would see how beautiful she was. She would be forgiven. Cedric would come around, too. He had to. Yes, Max was biased. Ava was his Fated Mate, but she was good.
She was good.
Ava stirred when he kissed her again. “Sorry,” he apologized as she opened her tired eyes. “Can’t keep my mouth off you.”
“I like your mouth on me,” she said with a soft smile.
That comment deserved another kiss. Max met her lips and kissed her sweetly, lips brushing on lips. Ava was calm and relaxed. She was feeling safe, exactly the way he wanted her to feel.
Ava’s skin flushed a soft red. “I want to wake up to you like this always. I have never slept so well.”
Max hummed. “Good because I plan on waking up to you every morning.”
Ava ran her hands through his hair, ruffling it up even though it was probably already sticking out in strange places. “We have something important to do today,” she said solemnly. “We should talk to the Alpha.” She kissed him again, a small peck on the lips, and slipped out of Max’s arms.
When she got off the bed, she took a moment to stretch the sleep out of her limbs. Max watched her with hungry eyes. She was giving him a major boner. She was slim and had the beauty of a pixie. He could picture wings sprouting from her back. They would suit her. She had emerged as a butterfly. She was brave and preparing to confront the woman she had lived most of her life with. She was going to do her best to fix the pain she had caused and to put an end to the pain Beatrice caused as well.
Beautiful mate. Brave mate.
Max wanted another tumble in the sheets, but he sensed that was the last thing on his mate’s mind at the moment. She didn’t smell like arousal. Her scent had a bitterness to it that told him she was concentrating. Max needed to do his best too. He needed to support his mate. He needed to repay Blue Pack for putting up with him so long. They never gave up on him even when he had given up on himself.
This was worth fighting for.
He watched Ava scurry to the bathroom and shut the door just as he was about to get off the bed. There was tension in the air. Her scent had soured, too. He told himself not to act like a worried mother hen, but he was worried. He listened for the sound of running water. When minutes had passed and he heard absolutely nothing, he walked up to the bathroom door.
“Ava?”
She didn’t answer. The panic was screaming in his chest, but he made sure to keep his actions calm and controlled. His hand went to the doorknob. It wasn’t locked so he turned it and let himself in. Ava’s hands were placed on either side of the sink. She was slightly hunched over and she was staring at herself in the mirror. He saw that one of the bandages covering her sore fingers had been torn into and was dripping red again. She was fighting not to pick at the rest.
She glanced away from the mirror, but she couldn’t quite meet Max’s gaze. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t know… I want to be better, but it’s just…” She sniffled and a tear streaked down her cheek. “I’m so weak.”
“You stopped, Ava,” Max said. He bridged the distance between them and held her in his arms. “You stopped.”
“You deserve someone better than me.” She choked back a sob.
Max cupped her cheeks. “I want you. All of you. You want to change, right?”
She nodded her head.
“I’ll be here to help support you as you change. I accept you, Ava. All of you. I love you.” It was the easiest thing in the world to say because he meant it. He didn’t like that she hurt herself like this. He didn’t like what she had done in the past, but she didn’t want any of those things anymore. She never did.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“You love me,” she repeated. “Still?”
“Yes. Always. I’ll keep telling you. I’ll keep showing you. Just like I said.” Max took the hand with her bleeding finger and gently kissed the back of it. “Before my wolf showed himself, I always believed in God and being good to other people. I believed love was something you should have for everyone. But I thought it had to be earned. Now I don’t think that’s true. The best people are the ones who love people they just met. Everyone deserves your compassion, your love and understanding. Without an open mind and being open to love, no one could ever be forgiven. I want to be better too, Ava. So let’s work together to become the people we want to be.”
“I want to give Beatrice another chance,” Ava whispered. “I don’t want her to die. I don’t want to kill her.”
“That’s because you have the best heart, Ava.” Max gave her a sad smile. “I don’t think you’re wrong. I think Nick is on the same page. He wants to hand Beatrice over to Trinity, so all we have to do is capture her. Nick really believes in Trinity. That means they’ll give her a fair trial.” He wiped away the rest of her tears with the pad of his thumb. “Let me be your rock. I’m here for you.”
She hugged him, wrapping her hands around his back. “I’ll make you proud of me someday.”
“I’m proud of you right now. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met.”
Max leaned down to kiss her. She closed her eyes and kissed him back. He could sense the tension slipping away, however small the amount.
“I’m going to try to save Beatrice. I’m not delusional. I don’t think it’ll work. I think she wants to be the way she is, but I’m going to try,” Ava told him.
“And I’ll be there to support you.”
Moonwatch was bustling with activity. The whole town was making its way to the amphitheater. It was the easiest place for Nick to address everyone at once. News of the meeting Nick called traveled through the air quickly, so Ava and Max followed the others as they made their way to the amphitheater in the snow to see the Alpha.
Ava clung to Max and walked with her eyes downcast. She wanted to talk to the Alpha alone again, but she supposed this thing with Beatrice did involve the whole pack. She didn’t want it to. She wanted to be the one to take care of Beatrice, to spare anyone else from getting hurt. Being a sacrifice didn’t bother her. She meant well on all the shifters in Moonwatch, but she couldn’t stand tall and look any of them in the eye. She let Max lead, and she kept her eyes on the ground. How many of them hated her and always would? Her captive wolf’s senses didn’t pick up any anger, only confusion. That likely meant no one else knew what was going on just yet. They didn’t know what this meeting was about.
Everyone could turn on her at once as soon as they hit the amphitheater and learned the truth about her. Or maybe not. Nick wasn’t in a hurry to get rid of her. They would listen to him.
It was snowing again, lightly. Based on the gray clouds overhead, there was a good chance it would turn into a storm later. Ava shivered at the thought. The worst storm by far would be Beatrice.
The amphitheater came into view. It was packing up tight. Blue Pack must have grown a lot since the place was constructed. Not that it was a problem. There was a field beyond the amphitheater for the shifters to stand at attention, but any seats were filled up. Ava caught sight of Cedric as she and Max found a place to stand nearer to the stage. He glared at her with golden owl eyes. He probably wanted to tear her eyes out with his powerful talons. Nervously, Ava leaned into Max for support. He wrapped his arm around her, keeping her safe and warm.
The wolf inside of Ava was calm in her cage, steadfast. She was urging her on instead of fighting. She approved of what Ava was doing, approved of getting revenge on the one who gave the order to have her life literally ripped apart. It was like Nick said. This wolf would be useful in stopping Beatrice. When it was all over, she would be allowed peace. Ava would let her go.
The feeling of so many pairs of eyes watching Ava was overwhelming for her. She wondered if she could hide in Max’s shadow, but shadows couldn’t help when there was a spotlight trained on her.
Ava’s eyes darted to a shifter jogging toward them. It was Derek. He had one of those dangerous grins on his face. He had a look that said “predator” to Ava, but the way he treated his mate didn’t quite match up with that assessment. She wondered if he knew she was a witch before anyone else, before she confessed to Nick. He was always wary of her, and his wolf was always right there when he was near her.
Derek clapped Max on the shoulder when he was close enough to do so. “Sly dog,” he said, shit-eating grin growing wider. “You claimed her like it was a fucking race, man. You’ve known her for like a whole day. Never thought I’d see you take things so fast.”
“H-how?” Ava asked.
“Smell, girly,” Derek replied as he tapped his nose with a finger. “Everyone here knows Max claimed you.”
Ava’s cheeks heated up.
Max grinned. “At least I didn’t claim her the same night I met her.”
“Touché.” Derek shrugged. “I just couldn’t wait.” He glanced over his shoulder in the direction Ava could see Willow weaving her way through the crowd. Willow was a very pretty woman. Perhaps the prettiest Ava had ever seen. She was so curvy. The way she walked was naturally elegant. She wore makeup and nice clothes, but her beauty ran much deeper than that. The way Derek looked at her was soft, and it was a look he spared only for her. Maybe it was love that made her shine so bright. Gwen had a very different look, but she was just as beautiful.
“Everyone’s here,” Nick announced from the stage. His mate was at his side. “Listen up.”
Willow made it to Derek and grabbed his hand. She gave Max and Ava quick smiles and said, “Congrats,” before turning her attention to her brother like everyone else.
“Tonight, we’re going to catch a Black Witch,” Nick stated.
There was dead silence.
Nick gestured to Ava, picking her out easily in the crowd. “We’ll do it with Ava’s help. She’s also a Black Witch. She worked with the witch who provided Erin Smith with her shifter slaves.”
If all eyes weren’t on Ava before, they certainly were now. Everything was out in the open. Oh, God. She tried to keep her nervous shakes in check, but it was damn hard. She would have been on the floor cowering in fear if Max wasn’t holding her up, supporting her.
“Ava is aware that what she’s done can’t be pushed aside. She’s prepared to face the consequences of her past actions, starting with helping us capture Beatrice,” Nick established.
Ava glanced at Cedric. He was a shifter she hurt personally. She wondered if he was satisfied with Nick’s words. The severe look on his face said he wasn’t. He wanted to get justice for himself. Well, if Cedric did take out his talons and scar her, she would deserve it. She would take it.
“We’re witch hunting without the help of Trinity?” Howard called out over the crowd.
“Yes. Trinity is indisposed. They can’t get here in time for tonight.”
The shifters grew uneasy again. This was all going down tonight with such short notice. Ava understood their fear, because she was feeling it, too.
“We can’t wait for Trinity. We outnumber Beatrice. She’s one witch. We have a witch and an ass-load of shifters.” He grinned. “I don’t think I’ll have to whine and beg for volunteers.” Like the Alpha of a pack would ever have to whine and beg for his wolves to do something. “Beatrice threatened our home. She snuck Ava in here because she wanted to take all of us for her sick business. Ava warned us before that happened, and for that, I am grateful.” He looked right at Ava. Her face heated, but she could sense his gratitude—thanks to the wolf inside of her. “Ava, come here.”
Oh shit. She was going to stand on stage with the Alpha? Ava’s knees knocked together.
“I’ll go with you,” Max whispered in her ear.
He said that, but he ended up being the one to lead the way, basically dragging her with him to the stage. She hated the way her body shook as they stood by the Alpha and his mate. Every wolf there could smell her fear. They could smell her weakness.
“You’re in charge,” Nick whispered to her. “You know Beatrice.”
Ava balked. Nick just handed her the reins for this whole operation. Did he trust her that much? Did he believe in his wolf senses that much? Or was it something else? Was it because Max claimed her? Because she was Marked by the Moon?
There was no more time to stew it over. If Nick was going to give her a chance, she would make the most of it. For Max, for the possibility of staying with him always, she would hope there was a way.
After taking a deep breath, Ava said, “Beatrice will meet me in Harrison at sundown tonight. She wants me to come with captured wolf souls, and she wants to leave because a coven of witches she’s been avoiding is getting too close to her safe house.” Ava paused and glanced at Nick.
He nodded his head. “Trinity will take care of the safe house. They already have some shifters in Texas.”
Ava nodded in turn and continued, “Beatrice told me where to meet her, but we can lure her into a trap instead if I call her with Black Magic. We witches sense magic deeply kind of like how all of you can sense emotion and magic to some degree.” Her voice was steady and strong. She almost didn’t recognize it. She was no longer shaking either.
“We have to lure Beatrice away,” Ava said. “As far away from Harrison as possible. If a few wolves came with me so we can pretend to fight, I’ll set off enough Black Magic in a clear area where it won’t hurt anyone to get Beatrice worried. She’ll know something is wrong if she senses a lot of Black Magic and come for me.” She swallowed. “This next part will be dangerous, but once Beatrice arrives, she’ll have her attention on the wolves just long enough for me to get her. A moment of distraction is all I’ll need to immobilize her. From there, the rest should be easy.”
“You’re that confident in your strength compared to hers?” Nick asked.
“Yes. I am much stronger than Beatrice. If we fought head-on, I’d have more trouble, but I’m still sure I would come out on top.” Ava was not the type for boasting or bragging. This was truth. Nothing more and nothing less.
“How many wolves do you need as decoys?”
“T-three. Three should be enough.” It was a large enough number that she hoped none of them would get hurt in the process. Having one wolf with her would be too risky because Beatrice would lock onto them. Three would be a good distraction. More targets meant a slower reaction. Ava would be able to act before she did.
“I’ll do it,” Max volunteered easily.
Ava squeezed his hand tightly even though it hurt her sore fingers. She didn’t want to risk his safety like this. She didn’t want to risk anyone’s safety.
Willow raised her hand. “I’ll do it, too. I’m fast. I’ll be a great decoy!”
“Fuck,” Derek groaned at her side. “I’m number three, then.”
“You do want to capture Beatrice so you can hand her over to Trinity, right?” Ava asked Nick.
“Yes, but if it’s too much trouble, I’m not against killing her. She’s too dangerous to chance her getting away when we can stop her tonight.” He grimaced. “If we do kill her, I hope it lifts the spell on Bruiser and Rogue instead of making it worse.”
Ava nodded. She didn’t know how to break Beatrice’s spell because Black Magic was about permanent destruction, but often even the most powerful magic and curses died with the witch who casted them. She doubted Beatrice knew how to break the spell either, other than with her death. Ava would do her best to bind her former keeper, capture her. If she could keep her alive and hand her over to Trinity, maybe she would want to change like Ava.
Maybe.
“What the fuck is wrong with all of you?!” Cedric shouted from the crowd. “Your Alpha is going to get you killed, but since you’re damn wolves, you’d gladly follow him to your deaths because he’s your Alpha, is that it? Don’t you get it? The witches are working with each other. They’re gathering you together so they can pick you off when they have you in their trap, far from home, and so there are less of you to sort through. They know not everyone will come. Only fighters will go to Harrison tonight, and you are exactly the kind of shifter these witches are after. It’s a trap. All of this.”
“Cedric,” Nick said his name with a coldness that went right to Ava’s bones. “I get your feelings. I really do, but I know something you don’t, and it’s not just because of my wolf senses. I know the bond of Fated Mates. I know the power of the Moon, and the Moon chose Ava.”
Nick believed in her, or maybe not her, the Moon, Max, but he was sticking his neck out for her. She couldn’t believe it, but the wolf inside of her could feel it. Nick and Gwen, Derek and Willow, they all felt warm. They were Fated Mates. They knew what she and Max had. Most of the others were warming up to Ava as well, probably because they witnessed Fated Mates. It was something that softened hearts and made them stronger at the same time. The power of a god, the Moon, to unite its shifters. But not all.
“I’ll prove it,” Ava said resolutely. “Cedric, I’ll prove it. I won’t let you down. I guess you’ll just have to take a chance on me.”
Cedric shook his head, pain clear in his eyes. “No. By then it’ll be too late.” He closed his eyes and his clothes fell softly around him as a burst of white feathers mingled with falling snowflakes. He could disrobe and shift in a way that was pure elegance, pure magic. He took off into the sky, a large snowy owl that glided away on silent wings.
Ava watched him go. She would never be able to apologize enough. Cedric experienced her power for himself, and it left his spirit broken—even though he was revived. She understood where he was coming from, too. He had every right to hate her. He would have that right always, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t try to make it right.
There once was a little girl who saved a dying cat. It got her persecuted and shunned, but that cat thanked her. It rubbed its head on her hand once before he went on his way. It wasn’t enough to ease the ache, and she didn’t recognize it as thanks at the time because she was immediately slandered for what she had done by the people around her. But she made a difference to that cat. She never saw it again, but that didn’t change the mark she left on it, a mark of good intentions and the kind of care she craved. The cat tried to give her that in return. From now on, Ava wanted to treat others with that same care because maybe it would come back to her just as the mark of brokenness and pain came back to her now as Cedric.
Light and warmth. That was all she ever craved. Max gave it to her, and she did her best to give it back. Maybe she could find a way to give that light to more people than Max. Maybe she could find a way to give it to Cedric and chase the dark away.
Little bit by little bit, she was uncovering the deepest part of her soul, the part that only ever wanted to give and be loved.