Chapter 7
Jay found Canagan seated in his bar when he walked in. The place wouldn’t open for another two hours. He hated when she showed up unannounced—which was all the damned time.
Canagan was an anomaly. Few knew exactly what she was, but he knew the stories. Full Sylvan Fae, who was turned into a werewolf thanks to Killian. She gained control over werewolves when she first changed.
No one took her seriously. She looked like she might be sixteen, not two to three thousand years old. Being changed young in life stopped the growth process early.
She liked to believe she controlled all the wolves. However, there were two factions. Canagan being one, Bran being the other. There was a third if witches were factored in, but they were all on Bran’s side.
Bran wanted Nate to be Alpha, so his buddies supported Nate. Canagan backed Jay, which meant a good majority of the wolves supported him. However, without a true Alpha, the pack could shift at any time.
The biggest flaw to Canagan’s plan was that she believed Jay followed her lead.
He had his own plans. Jay wasn’t sorry he hadn’t become Alpha, though he couldn’t figure out what the fuck had happened when he challenged Killian and won.
Nothing went the way it was supposed to.
Killian died in wolf-form. His body didn’t shift back. The Alpha power didn’t shift to Jay. Nothing changed.
While Canagan put her support behind Jay, he played along. However, he was immune to her sway because he was born a shaman whose animal had always been a wolf. Mind magic, even that toward animals held no sway over him. No one knew he was more than a werewolf.
Somehow, the wolves loyal to Bran resisted Canagan’s persuasion, though he claimed to have no control over them. Maybe he didn’t know how.
Jay sauntered up to the bar. “What can I do for you, Cana?”
“Canagan,” she growled. “You know my name.”
Smirking, he tipped his head. “Sorry. Habit. You want to blend in, yet you don’t want to acknowledge times have changed. With your age, I would imagine you would have learned to accept the current environment by now.”
“Stop mocking me. I want to understand why you’re stalled on your plans to become Alpha.”
“We’ve been over this. I killed Killian, and the power didn’t transfer to me. I have no idea why.”
“Did you, though?”
“Did I what? I challenged the rotten bastard and killed him. You watched as he died.”
“Perhaps not. It’s the only thing that would keep you from becoming Alpha.”
“Or another spell.” He sighed. “I’m looking into other solutions.”
“Look faster, Jay. I’m running out of patience. If we don’t move our plan forward soon, I’ll find someone else willing to take the necessary risks, and who doesn’t simply want to play with their prey.”
“If killing Nate were the answer, I would. However, he isn’t Alpha either, and I’d only piss off those who respect him. Besides, he doesn’t have the balls to claim the land. I wonder if him being the son to the previous Alpha has anything to do with the power not changing. So why bother challenging him again? He handed me my ass the first time, and he’s no more Alpha than me.”
“Wait too long and he will claim the position whether he likes it or not. He’s an honorable man, which is why I want him brought to his knees.” Canagan stood and walked out the door, her blond hair swishing over her ass.
Between her youthful appearance and the fact she made his skin crawl, he wasn’t interested in anything more than their current arrangement.
Now, Savon was another story. She captivated him in a way only his mate ever had. He wanted her, badly. Was she worth the risk of being tied to a Sylvan Fae? Even half? He wasn’t sure, but he wanted to explore what was between them.
Besides, pissing off Nate was one of his favorite things to do. If he could claim Savon, Nate would have no choice but to let her go, for good.
* * * *
A day off was the last damned thing Nate needed. He wanted to close the spanning chasm between him and Savon, but she wasn’t ready to listen. He didn’t know how to break through, so he attacked the weights in his basement instead.
The scent of earthly magic washed over him. Nate set the barbell back in the rack and sat up. “What brings you by, Fran?”
She shook her head. “Just left Savon’s, and I don’t have much time, but you’d be wise to come clean about your nightly visits. Explain what you are and how you’ve been chasing her all these years, or she will truly hate you when she finally figures it out.”
“Been trying. She’s not terribly receptive. She was drunk when I told her last night. It didn’t sink in. This morning she practically shoved me out the door. So forgive me if I’m waiting until she gives me more than two minutes of her time before I spring all of this on her.”
“It’s not me who needs to forgive you. You stalked Savon, while not maliciously, you’ve done harm. She doesn’t understand, and she should.”
“She may hate me when I do finally tell her.” Standing, he paced away and came back. “How do I tell her what I’ve done? How I couldn’t let her go? She doesn’t want to hear it. She thinks I let her go. That’s so far from the truth.”
One shoulder lifted. “You’ll figure it out. Otherwise, I won’t blame her when she demolishes you. But I believe your paths twine again soon. Tell her.”
“I will. I owe her that.”
“Should go to the bar tonight. Play some pool.”
The last time they played went through his head. She was babysitting the neighbor’s kids in her senior year. They were asleep. It was late. Savon beat his ass at the game, so he bent her over the table and fucked her silly.
Rubbing his face, he walked toward the mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. “Not sure pool is the first place I should start with her.”
Humor danced through her eyes. “That’s right. She told me about watching the Thornton kids and how you were a sore loser.” Laughing, she shrugged. “She’s definitely thinking about you, Nate. Maybe you should start there, just don’t fuck her until she knows everything, because I still think the moment you two go there, she’ll be bound to you forever. You enter into a bond with that big a secret and you will pay for that mistake.”
“I’m not that fucking stupid, Fran. I don’t want to make this worse, and I don’t want to trap her. We need a long damn talk because the guys are pushing me to take the Alpha position.”
“What are you afraid of?” she asked.
“Becoming my father. I hate that bastard.” More than words could say. The asshole cost him his happiness.
With him dead, there was no reason to stay away.
“Nate, cliché or not, listen to your heart.” She left before he could respond.
Dropping onto the bench, he flung himself back and grabbed the barbell. He wanted to expend as much pent-up energy as he could before he tried to talk to her again.