Chapter 1

Anna

I gripped my sword tighter and faced down my opponent. Sweat beaded on my face and threatened to obscure my vision, but I was too afraid to take my eyes off my foe for even a second to wipe it away. We circled each other warily, each of us waiting for an opening.

Well, I circled him warily and he watched me with amusement as he kept pace with me. Talen was tall and lithe, like most of the male fae that I had met. His dusky gold skin, dark hair, and flawless features were reminiscent of an Egyptian god. I, on the other hand, had completely missed out on all of the grace and agility that most fae seemed to possess.

All of my other pack mates were already proficient with guns, knives, and explosives, but swords were something new for all of us. Talen had impressed on me the importance of being able to defend myself without magic. I didn’t want to be helpless if I was cut off from magic; I never wanted to be helpless again. The fae didn’t use guns, explosives, or automatic weapons. Their weapon of choice was the sword.

And so I was learning to use a sword. Slowly and painfully.

I wasn’t the only one. Austin had quickly realized that if we didn’t keep Talen busy, he was going to entertain himself by making trouble in the pack. Having Talen work with all of our pack members to teach swordplay was more than just keeping Talen out of trouble. Austin wanted our pack to be able to take on the fae if we had to. He needed all of us to be able to fight on their terms just as well as ours.

I could see Talen start to lose interest in our fight as his attention drifted to where Cody and James were sparring. The clashing sounds as their swords met filled the clearing we were training in. I took the opportunity to rush Talen to try and get a strike in. He quickly countered my attempted attack and my dull blade went flying.

“Ugh.” I wiped the sweat off my brow as Talen laughed.

“At least try to keep the blade in your hands, Anna.”

I shot him a dirty look but stomped after my sword to retrieve it.

Thankfully he turned his full attention to Cody and James. “The sword is not an axe, you dumb brute!” he shouted at Cody. “You don’t use it to hack at your opponent.”

Cody let the sword fall and took a step toward Talen, a deep growl emanating from his chest. Cody was the largest wolf I had ever met - he was close to six and a half feet tall and was all muscle. Most people were intimidated by Cody based on his sheer size, but he had a giant heart to go with his giant frame. Talen had quickly realized that Cody might growl and grumble, but wouldn’t actually hurt anyone on our side. But I was worried that Talen would eventually push Cody too hard with all of his harsh criticism.

“Alright, guys.” I interrupted. “Maybe we should take a break for some water?”

I placed myself in front of Cody to distract him, leaning on the sword tiredly.

“For the love of the gods, Anna,” Talen cried out. “How many times do I have to tell you that a sword should not be used as a walking cane?”

I rolled my eyes and kept my attention on Cody. “C’mon big guy, let’s go in and I’ll make you a snack.” I reached for his hand so that I could tug him into the house.

Cody’s eyes finally left Talen to rest on me, a small smile on his handsome face. “I am kind of hungry.” He admitted.

I grinned at him before turning to James. James wasn’t sweating at all and didn’t even look out of breath after battling Cody for the last half hour. He stood casually and held his sword comfortably, as if it were a part of himself. He wasn’t as tall as Cody, but was still over six feet. His dark hair and dark eyes matched his all black ensemble that included cargo pants and combat boots. “You want anything?”

James just shook his head at me. “I’m fine.”

James had taken the challenge of learning a new weapon very seriously. He had picked up on it quickly and was one of the few of us who had a chance of landing a strike on Talen. I loved to watch him fight, he was sleek and graceful with his movements and fought as if he were in a dance with death itself.

Talen strode toward James, readying his weapon for the battle. I hesitated but then turned back to the house. Cody wasn’t the only one who was hungry. I was starving. I had been working with Talen on my magic early in the mornings before weapons training, which alternated between swords, guns, and hand-to-hand combat. My afternoons were filled with pack responsibilities, and then my evenings were spent on more magic training. It was exhausting.

Cody and I walked companionably into the house to find Caleb already in the kitchen. “Hey, Anna,” he called to me with a smile. “I thought you would be in soon, so I was making some soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.”

I grinned at him before I stopped to give him a kiss. “You’re amazing.” Caleb was tall and lean with more of a swimmer’s build. He had chestnut brown hair that curled over his ears and brown eyes like melted chocolate. He was the sweetest wolf in the pack and we had bonded over our mutual social awkwardness.

Caleb blushed shyly at the attention as Cody hovered over the griddle to check out the sandwiches. “Were those just for Anna?” Cody asked worriedly, his brow furrowed at the potential seriousness of the food situation.

Caleb chuckled. “I think four sandwiches might be a bit much for Anna to handle, she’ll probably be willing to share one or two.”

I laughed and gave him a shoulder bump. “I’m not sure about that, Cody. I’m pretty hungry right now.”

His Caribbean blue eyes twinkled at me as he wrapped an arm around my waist. “Let the negotiations begin.” I could stare into those gorgeous eyes of his all day, so he wasn’t going to be able to get much of an argument out of me.

My attention was drawn away from Cody as Austin stalked into the kitchen. Austin was tall and muscular with dark blond hair. He had a presence that usually exuded authority, but today I could feel the anger rolling off him in waves. I reached out with the pack bond to try and soothe him.

He gave me a small smile when he felt my energy, but made eye contact with everyone in the room.

“We have a problem.”

I sighed even as my tummy churned nervously. The last couple weeks there had been this tension in the house, where everyone had just been waiting for more bad news to hit us. There was so much that was unresolved, it felt like fate was hovering over our heads, just waiting to start dropping bombs again.

“Are we going to need to sit down for this?” I asked in resignation.

Austin rolled his shoulders. “Might as well.” He looked around the room at the three of us. “I’ll brief James afterward, but I think it’s best if he keeps our fae visitor occupied for now.”

“I can meet with the twins later,” Cody added. “They won’t be back from class until later this afternoon.”

“And they have Gemma,” I tried to keep all the resentment out of my voice, but I wasn’t sure I succeeded. Austin confirmed that suspicion when he focused his attention on me. I squirmed a little under his close scrutiny and went to the cupboard for dishes. I felt like Austin could read my every thought just by looking at my face. “Caleb made lunch, we might as well enjoy it while we chat,” I announced in an attempt to turn his attention to food instead of me.

Cody went to the drawer for silverware while I brought the plates and bowls over to Caleb. “I’m almost afraid to ask,” I said hesitantly as I turned to look at Austin. “But is this fae-related news?”

He walked up to me to take the bowls of soup as I ladled them out. “No, that’s one issue that’s still on the back burner for us.”

I had taken down the king of the Winter Court a few weeks ago and my father had brought me back here so that I could escape the fallout. I wasn’t naïve enough to think that the fae wouldn’t come after me, but I was hoping that the battle to determine who would be their next king would hold their attention for some time to come. I was also hoping that they were too cautious of my magic turning on them to try and use me in their struggle.

“Whatever it is, we can handle it,” Caleb told me with warmth in his brown eyes. He plated the sandwiches and the four of us sat at the table.

“Okay, I’m ready,” I told Austin as I picked up my sandwich. “Lay it on us.”

I saw a twinkle of amusement in his eye before his look faded to seriousness. “The witches are calling in their favors.”

I took my first bite of the grilled cheese that was toasted to the most perfect golden shade of brown, but I was too nervous to really enjoy it. Wolves usually stayed far away from the witches, but our pack had used their services more than once recently. We had used a witch to get a tracking spell the last time we were attacked by a bomb, and Austin had used them to try and find me when I was taken from the pack.

“What do they want?” Cody grumbled.

Austin’s eyes flicked to me and I felt a sinking sensation in my gut. However, it was my fault that we owed them in the first place, so I sat up in determination. Whatever they wanted from me, I could handle it.

“They want to take Anna, for one month,” Austin said with a tightness around his eyes.

“No,” Cody said. “Absolutely not.” Cody stopped eating and let his spoon drop into his empty bowl with a ping.

I patted his arm reassuringly and he turned to me with concern in his eyes. “We just got you back, there’s no way I’m going to let anyone take you again.”

“I haven’t spoken with them directly yet,” Austin said. “But that was the message that was passed to me. Obviously, I plan on negotiating.”

I sighed and sat down my sandwich. “You think it’s because of what Jade found when she did the spell?” The witch was the first to notice that I wasn’t a ‘normal’ wolf. When she did the tracking spell, she had used my magic to fuel it. She had been surprised to find that I had more magic than five alpha wolves put together, but that it was out of my reach because of a barrier. I ended up shattering that barrier later that night, but did the witches know that? Or did they think that they could just siphon magic off of me like I was a clueless magic fountain?

Austin nodded with regret. “I never would have agreed to let her involve you in her magic if I had known what you really were.”

I tensed and looked at him carefully. I hadn’t fully discussed the revelations about my fae heritage with Austin yet. I think a part of me was still terrified that he would reject me or think less of me now that he knew that I wasn’t a full-blooded wolf.

Austin hadn’t been around much since I had been back. The shifter world had been filled with rumors after so many packs had been approached by fae who attempted to purchase their females. Austin had convinced the council to stop hiding what they truly were, and announce to the community that we were all descendants of the fae.

The news had sent shockwaves through our community and not everyone was having an easy time accepting the existence of fae and our history with them. Austin and the rest of the guys had convinced me that it was best to keep quiet about who my father was for now. Only a select few in the pack knew Froston was my father, and that I was half-fae. Well, more than half really, but it seemed like most of the wolves were still going to consider themselves a completely different species.

While I understood that Austin now had an important role in our community as an influential member of the council, a part of me just wanted him to stay here with me in Seaside. All the unspoken words between us was causing frustration to build up inside of me. I kept telling myself that I just needed to wait for the right time, but what if that never came?

I cleared my throat. “We do owe the witches for their help, and I’m willing to fulfil that debt. But I’m not willing to walk into a situation where I’m not in complete control.”

Caleb looked at me quietly. We had talked a lot about how I was determined to learn to use my magic and never helpless again. I was adamant that I would never again place myself in a situation that made me a victim.

“What are you thinking?” Austin asked thoughtfully.

Cody opened his mouth to protest, but I gave his arm a squeeze before speaking. “I’m guessing that they want to use my magic to fuel their spells.”

“I agree,” Austin said unenthusiastically before he took a bite of his soup.

“I’m not opposed to working with them if they intend to use my magic for good. But I decide what spells I’ll participate in and how much magic I’m willing to donate.” I was proud of myself for sounding confident and self-assured as I made that statement. But deep down I was worried. Had the witches realized what I was? Would they recognize that I had fae magic from Jade’s description? Would they recognize it if they came face to face with me now? The fae had been banished from our world for at least a thousand years, but they obviously hadn’t respected that banishment. It was possible that the witches had run into them over the years.

“I don’t like the idea of you leaving our territory and being at their mercy,” Caleb said with a frown.

I didn’t like the idea of being alone in a crowd of witches focused on sucking the magic out of me either. “I don’t want them coming here,” I told the group firmly. “We have the barrier around our territory for a reason and I don’t like the idea of them messing with it.”

Talen and Froston had helped me put a couple of barriers around our territory to keep us safe from threats. There was one around the house that prevented anyone from entering who meant us harm. That one was too complicated and involved to place over all our land, so the second barrier that stretched the length of our property was thinner and would alert us if anyone crossed who meant us harm. That would give us time to mount a defense before they got too close to the house.

“We need neutral grounds to negotiate,” Austin mused.

“What about Arminius?” I suggested. “The witches and the lamia have close ties, plus he seems to have an interest in my well-being.”

“Can we trust him?” Cody asked doubtfully. “I don’t like the idea of him having an interest in you at all, well-meaning or not.”

“Emerys said that Arminius has always been more focused on making allies than enemies,” Caleb added. He had known Emerys for years through their mutual interest in technology, but did you really know someone if you only interacted with them through their internet persona?

“Arminius did invite me to his estate,” I said slowly. “I’d like to meet with him to learn more about my mom, if nothing else.” Froston had shared very little with me about my mother and he left a lot to be desired in a father figure. Arminius had claimed to have known my mother and said that he had a long history with the white wolves. If he was willing to share information then I was more than willing to listen.

“I can make contact with him,” Austin offered cautiously. “If that’s something you want, Anna.”

“It is,” I said strongly before taking another bite of my sandwich. I knew very little about my mom and my heritage. Plus, I had a feeling that there were reasons why Froston hadn’t shared much with me.

Froston might be my father by blood, but that didn’t mean I trusted him. He had known exactly where I was in the human world for years and hired Evelyn to keep an eye on me. He hadn’t stepped in to save me from an abusive childhood. He hadn’t stepped in to help as I shifted for the first time, scared and alone. And he hadn’t stepped in until he decided he had a use for my power. He had given me quite a few excuses. He hadn’t wanted me to grow up in the fae world. He thought I was growing up in a good family. He had wanted to keep me hidden from his enemies, but I wasn’t sure that I believed him entirely.

Evelyn would have been able to tell me for sure just how much Froston had known. But she wasn’t here for me to ask. Evelyn’s death was what had set off a huge chain of events that had led to this day. I was still sad to have lost her, but I had come to terms with her death.

There was so much I wanted to ask her and so much I wanted to say, but she was gone. I still felt a little sting of betrayal when I wondered how much she had truly known about who and what I was, but I had to believe that Evelyn did what she thought was best for me.

The four of us sat in a contemplative silence, and I wasn’t the only one lost in my thoughts. The guys had taken the news of my parentage in stride and had continued to be supportive of me. But I couldn’t help but worry about the changing dynamics of our relationship. When Austin had taken me into the pack, he had thought I was a lost purebred wolf, separated from my pack at birth and raised by humans. He hadn’t realized that he was taking in a half-fae, magical wolf that would bring death and destruction to his pack. I was the reason why so many bad things had happened to the pack, and a part of me wondered if he blamed me for his father’s betrayal. His father was still missing, but I could tell that his shadow looked over Austin.

Austin finished his sandwich and stood. “Thanks for lunch, Caleb, but I have to get back.” He walked around the table to give me a kiss on the top of my head. “Cody, you ready?”

Cody gave my thigh a squeeze before leaning in to give me a kiss on the cheek. “I’m ready to be done with this council shit.”

Austin sighed and I could see the tiredness in his eyes. I’m sure that trying to herd a group of the most powerful wolves in the country in the right direction wasn’t easy, but I was losing patience with just how much time he spent with them and how little he spent with me.

I got to my feet and grabbed Austin’s hand before he got too far. Cody gave me a knowing look and headed for the garage, probably to get the car and avoid the coming conversation. Caleb took one look at my face and then murmured something about cleaning up the dishes. He disappeared into the kitchen pretty quickly so Austin and I were left standing there together.

“Austin, I need to talk to you,” I said quietly. “I know you’re busy-”

He pulled me in close to him and rested his hands on my waist. “I’m never too busy for you,” he said quietly, looking into my eyes. A part of me melted as I sank into the warmth that he exuded. His masculine scent enveloped me and I momentarily forgot what it was that I wanted to say. I was hyper-aware of how close his body was to mine.

I shook my head to try to clear it and focused on what it was that I wanted to say. “I don’t want to sound like a whiny female, but I need time with you. We haven’t really talked since I got back and I’m not sure of where we stand in terms of our relationship.”

Austin blinked in surprise at my uncharacteristic bluntness, but the corner of his mouth turned up in a small smile. “I want nothing more than to lock myself in a room with you to escape the rest of the world, but…”

“But you have responsibilities, I know that.” I took a deep breath. “I want you to commit to a day with me, or even half a day. There are things we need to discuss,” I said firmly. I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I was tired of wondering and worrying about Austin and where we stood. I wanted to get everything out in the open. It would either break us or make us stronger, but I couldn’t stand not knowing.

I could see the respect in Austin’s eyes, so I was glad that I had pushed the issue. I wasn’t going to let my fear of rejection rule my life any longer; I was going to go after the things I wanted. And Austin was definitely something that I wanted, in more ways than one.

“This weekend,” he said softly before brushing my lips with his. “Saturday we spend the day with the pack, but the evening is completely yours. We’ll hide from the world and let it burn.”

I laughed before giving him a kiss of my own. “We’ll let it burn a little before we emerge to put the fires out.”

He pulled away from me reluctantly. “Believe me, I don’t want to walk away from you right now. But..”

“But you have to go,” I said sadly.

He nodded. “The council is voting on the fate of a young wolf, and my vote is needed to push things in the right direction.”

“Go, save the world,” I told him, trying not to look sad.

He gave me a wry smile. “I’ll see what I can do.”

I watched Austin disappear out the front door and went to the table to gather up the remaining dishes. I brought them over to where Caleb stood at the sink, rinsing out the pans he had used to cook.

“Everything okay?” Caleb asked with concern shining in his eyes.

I shrugged. “Yeah, I’m just feeling sad and grumpy today.”

Caleb bumped his hip with mine. “I think you’re overtired. You’ve been pushing yourself a lot with magic and I see how much it takes out of you. Everything seems more dire through the haze of exhaustion.”

I bumped him back and set the dishes on the counter next to him, and grabbed a towel to dry off the pans he was finished with. “You should talk, I’ve seen you go days on only a couple hours of sleep.”

“Exactly,” he grinned at me. “So I know what I’m talking about.”

I made a face at him. “You’re lucky I love you.”

He splashed some water in my direction. “I know.”

I snapped my towel at him before using it to dry the dishes he was washing. I was well aware that I was the lucky one. Caleb had been sweet and patient with me since I’d returned home from the fae realm. I had been pushing myself hard to get control of my magic, so most nights I just passed out face down on my bed. I could complain about Austin not having time for romance, but I was just as guilty. I vowed to make time for each of my guys. I now had a date on the books with Austin, so now I needed to track down the others.

I hadn’t connected with James any more than I had with Austin since I returned. But I think James had been avoiding me on purpose. He was coincidentally only in the house when he knew that I would be busy elsewhere, and at meal times, he always had somewhere else he had to be. Something was going on with him and I needed to get to the bottom of it.

Getting control over my magic to protect the pack was important, but I shouldn’t be sacrificing my relationship with the guys to do it. I just pushed Austin to make time for me, but now it was time for me to do the same for the guys. Magic could wait.

“What are you working on this afternoon?” I asked Caleb. “Maybe I could help?”

Caleb smiled at me. “I’m going to be spending the day at my computer. Austin needs some dirt on a really bad guy, so I’m going to be going in deep.”

I sighed and started putting the dishes away. Caleb was really good at what he did, so he would find whatever it was that Austin needed. But that meant that Caleb was going to be glued to his computer for six to eight hours. I would be lucky if he stopped once to go to the bathroom.

“Take a nap in my bed,” Caleb offered. “I like having you close while I work,” he said shyly.

“Maybe,” I wavered. A nap sounded glorious right about now, but it seemed too selfish. I could take time off my schedule for one of the guys, but for myself? Not worth it.

I put the last dish in the cupboard, and Caleb leaned against the sink. “I’ll walk you upstairs,” I offered. “The pups are probably ready for some outside time, so I’m going to grab them so you can get some work done.”

“That’s a good idea,” Caleb said with a smile. “They were passed out earlier when I came down to make lunch, but they’re probably raring to go by now.”

I smiled. I think some puppy play time was exactly what I needed right now.

“Have you talked to James lately?” I asked Caleb as we headed for the stairs.

He frowned. “Not today, but we’ll probably meet later.”

“Huh,” I said noncommittally.

Caleb reached for my hand and I gave him a warm smile. “He just needs a little time,” Caleb said softly. “He’ll come around.”

I blinked at him in surprise. “Your thoughts are all over your face,” he explained with a small smile.

I blushed. “He’s avoiding me. I thought after everything that happened… I just thought it would bring us all closer together. I feel like we’re drifting apart.” I hadn’t realized just how true that was until I said it out loud. When I was away from the guys, unsure if I was going to make it back home, thoughts of them were what kept me going. But now, I still felt separated from them, even though we were all living in the same house.

Caleb pulled me in for a hug when we got to the top of the stairs. “We all handled it a little bit differently when you disappeared,” Caleb whispered into my hair. “James might seem the hardest on the outside, but he was the one that struggled with losing you the most.”

I leaned into his warmth and held him tight to me. “So, then why would he pull away from me now?”

“He’ll never admit it,” Caleb murmured. “But I think the thought of losing you terrified him. James has spent his entire life honing himself into the perfect weapon. When Froston took you, he was helpless to keep you safe. He failed at his primary mission in life, and that wounded him more deeply than any of us will ever understand.”

“And when a predator is wounded…” Suddenly, things about James fell into perspective. I still didn’t like that he was avoiding me, but I understood a little more. I knew what it was like to have my identity stripped from me, to question everything that I thought I was, to be trapped in a maelstrom of unidentifiable emotions.

I picked my head up off Caleb’s chest to look him in the eyes. “You are scary smart. You know that?”

Caleb gave me an embarrassed blush that was so cute that I had to give him a kiss. I pressed my lips to his gently and as I pulled away I saw that he was red up to the tips of his ears. I slid my hands from around his waist and ran them up his chest before wrapping them around the back of his neck. This time he was the one who lowered his face to mine and initiated a kiss. Our lips met in a tender kiss that had my toes curling.

Caleb’s phone went off and I pulled away from him with a frustrated growl. Could we not get some time to ourselves? He gave me an apologetic look as he pulled the phone from his back pocket. “Hey, Trevor.” The rest of the conversation on his side was more uh, huhs and okays than anything of substance, but I had the feeling that Caleb was getting another assignment added to his already full plate. I trailed after Caleb as he walked back to his room. I guess this meant that I was going to spend the rest of the day working on my magic, alone.