Chapter Two

Axe

“Stop being a dick,” Leo growled as he paced from the window to the door, where Titus sat on the edge of the table. This room had once been a dining hall for some Romanian king or lord. “Just eat the plant.” Candle chandeliers threw shadows across the tapestries on the stone walls. Like the rest of Bran Castle, this room was a museum, but tonight, the building was open to all partygoers attending the private bash. This was not where I wanted to spend my weekend, but shit happens.

“The spell will dampen the effects,” Natalya added. She was holding a four-inch leaf between her fingers. Her eyes narrowed as if she was challenging me. Her other hand gripped her waist, cinching the heavy crimson satin of her gown, which was trimmed with matching beads. “I don’t have all night. I want to get back to Siberia.”

Screw that. Our plan was to get Bram Castle’s ownership signed over to our alpha as part of his mission to fight the Romanian pack and claim their country, no matter how long it took. Then we’d return home. The Russian leader had his sights set on taking over Transylvania first and then Europe. But the initial step was gaining a foothold on enemy soil in Romania without the local pack finding out. Then our Russian clan would relocate to the castle with the intention to strike fast, eliminate any Romanian wulfkin standing in our way, and regulate the new territory. So, we had to complete our mission tonight.

But the human owner of this stronghold was a private man and nearly impossible to track down. When our alpha had discovered the man was holding a birthday party and would be making an appearance, he got us special invites. Of course, the castle wasn’t actually up for sale, so we’d need magic to help coax him into signing it over. And, according to Natalya, the best way to achieve this was to lower his inhibitions. Then it’d be easy to persuade him to sign the legal papers in my pocket. Sure, the spell would impact everyone at the party, but that was an inconsequential side effect.

“Anything else we should know about the spell?” I asked Natalya, not ready to trust a witch—now or ever. The last wulfkin who’d crossed paths with a witch had lost his ability to transform into his wolf form. For life. But I’d been forced into this situation. “You promised we wouldn’t be affected by the enchantment.”

“Fuck,” Titus said. “We all ate the plant, and none of us are dead. Do it.” He lounged on the table, arms stretched outward.

I was working with morons who’d walk into a demon’s lair before stopping to consider the risk—two wulfkin who were more interested in fighting, eating, and chasing skirt, in that order—and a charodeyka, better known as a witch, who’d hex me into a boar if she had her full powers. Luckily for us, the talisman that charged her innate magic remained safeguarded in Russia. Without the charm, her ability lay dormant, untouchable. Perfect for those of us who wanted to live another day.

Natalya pushed the greenery into my face. “You’ll be fine. I didn’t curse the leaf.”

I snatched it out of her hand, hating how she looked away when she spoke, as if hiding something. Although it wasn’t like I had another option. If we didn’t complete the mission, the alpha would take our heads. He was a tyrant and treated his own kind no better than enemies. But I’d made a decision long ago, after my parents and siblings had been killed for standing against the leader. I could either accept his dominance and cower, or fight from the inside. I’d worked damn hard to take charge of the Russian wulfkin army, and next in sight was the second-in-command position. With me in the alpha’s ear, I could sway him toward decisions that bettered all wulfkin instead of demolishing our future.

I stared at Natalya and said, “Remember: anything happens to us, and your daughter dies.”

For those few moments, softness crept behind her gaze.

I pitied Natalya, but none of us were in an ideal situation.

The bloody history between wulfkin and witches spanned centuries. The only reason Natalya had joined us was because the great Varlac Tsar, my alpha, who ruled over all wulfkin packs in Russia had captured her. She’d been caught with her daughter in our wolf territory, combining their powers to build a fire spell that would have killed the entire pack. Possessing a witch won wulfkin wars, but it came with incredible risk. Hence why her talisman and the teenage girl were back in Siberia at a secret hiding spot—extra incentive for Natalya to remain under control.

I stuffed the leaf into my mouth, eying Natalya for any kind of response. Nothing. I chewed on the acrid plant that tasted like dirt. Forcing myself to swallow, I shook my head at the bitterness coating my tongue. “Okay, we do this—and fast. Everyone know their part?”

Titus got off the table and tugged on his tailored black jacket. He wore a vest with swirl patterns in the fabric and a red tie that matched his belt buckle. Leo wore the same outfit, along with every other waiter at tonight’s function.

“The moment the owner arrives at the party, inform me,” I reminded them.

Leo rolled his eyes. “We’ve gone through this already.”

My pulse was a charging bull. It was bad enough I’d been forced into the errand. I didn’t need shit from a wulfkin who kissed the second-in-command’s ass every chance he got. But the alpha had insisted on these two buffoons because he owed a friend a favor and because Titus was his nephew. And I’d been looped in to babysit.

“Any monkey can manage this job,” Leo continued. “Sit this one out, Axe. We’ve got it.”

I hissed through clenched teeth. “I’m in this fucking shithole with you lot because the alpha doesn’t trust you.” I didn’t plan on dying anytime soon. “No screw-ups. No snacking on humans. Follow my orders. If I don’t give you permission to piss, you hold it. Understand?” A snarl hung off my last word.

Leo glared in my direction before dropping his gaze.

I turned to Natalya, who gripped her waist, smirking. She might’ve only been in her early thirties, but as a charodeyka, she was perilous. Instead of fighting the wulfkin, I ought to have been watching her. Witches were born with hexing abilities. Back in Russia, many humans claimed to use sorcery, but only two witch families carried the true bloodline of magic. And Natalya belonged to the biggest.

“Okay, Natalya, do your thing.” She’d premade a spell back in Siberia with her talisman, giving the potion enough power for one use. I prayed she hadn’t done something stupid.

If it had been up to me, I would have built a relationship with the witch clans, exchanging their services for our protection. Many wulfkin hunted witches, but having a charodeyka was like owning a genie in a bottle. Still, their sorcery came with limitations—they drew on nature, required specific rare objects, and worked with a darker force that drained them. When I returned home, I’d speak to Varlac Tsar about this. His second-in-command had been pushing the alpha to fight, to murder anyone who stood in his way. But there were other options besides mass extinction.

Natalya spun away, her skirt swooshing, and headed to the table. She emptied the contents of a bag dangling from her wrist. Twigs and bones scattered onto the wooden surface along with two small sachets of powder. One black and the other red. She picked up an empty bowl from a cabinet and laid a feather inside, followed by the rest of the items, and sprinkled the powders on top. Then she opened a small bottle, and the sweet aroma of vodka teased my nostrils. After drenching the contents of the bowl with alcohol, she broke into a mumbling chant I didn’t recognize. Her palms hovered over the bowl.

“This is taking forever,” Leo whispered.

I cut him a glare, and he turned away.

A spark of electricity zipped down my arms, and crackling erupted. The bowl burst into flame. A blue fire licked higher, lengthening by the second.

Natalya clapped once, and the inferno burst outward.

“Fuck!” I threw myself to the ground, my hands over my head. The other two wulfkin crouched near the wall, cowering.

A kindling smell infused with honey filled my nostrils. In a strange way, the scent calmed me, put me at ease. With another lungful of sweet air, every molecule in my body relaxed. My inner wolf was in my chest, rumbling for release. Why not? A whole three hours had passed since he’d last stretched his legs.

When someone chuckled, I lifted myself to my feet and found a cloud of mist floating through the room at waist height. The fog shifted back and forth as if a breeze pushed it along. I dipped my hand into it—it was cold to the touch. The whitish haze seeped into the gaps around the door and was sucked out of sight.

Leo was on his feet, punching Titus in the shoulder, and Titus returned the favor. They laughed.

My first reaction was to cheer them on. Hell, roughhousing was the norm at home. Wait. We had a mission to complete. “Don’t screw up” had been the alpha’s words. I refocused on the wulfkin. “What the hell are you doing?”

Leo glanced my way, and for those two seconds, something in his eyes morphed, as if he’d realized we weren’t at home. He knocked Titus off him with a shove.

Except Titus was shaking. His jawline elongated, bones cracking.

“Son of a bitch.” He was shifting into his wolf. I didn’t need him howling or breaking the door down to attack the humans. Titus still didn’t have full control of his wild side. Another reason I had argued in favor of leaving him at home. But the alpha insisted I bring along his nephew so he could gain field experience.

I darted toward him and hooked an arm around his neck, a hand covering his mouth and nose. Suffocating a wulfkin mid-change was the easiest way to get the wolf to retract.

Titus writhed in my grip. He thrust an elbow into my ribs.

“Motherfucker.”

Leo was on his feet, staring. “Let him be.”

“Get over here and help, or I’ll rip your head off!”

Leo charged, huffing, and gripped Titus’s arms, pinning them down at his sides.

Within moments, Titus’s body slackened, and when he ceased movement, I released him. He fell into Leo’s arms, who shoved him aside. Titus stumbled into a wall, barely holding himself up.

“I swear, if you two don’t control yourselves, I’ll bury you both,” Axe growled.

Leo’s gaze bounced between me and Natalya, his upper lip peeling upward. “This is her fault.” He raced toward Natalya and shoved her against a wall. “What have you done? Fuck, I’m struggling to even think straight. All I want is to release my wolf and hunt!”

I leaped after Leo and hauled him back by a shoulder. “You said we’d be fine,” I snapped at the witch.

Natalya’s face paled, and she shook her head, blond locks bopping over her shoulders, her petite nose scrunching. “I-I didn’t say you would be unaffected. I said the plant would lessen the effect of the spell. I’ve got it contained to the castle. The hex will stay strong and affect humans throughout the building three-fold. It’s what you wanted, right?” Her eyes widened.

I nodded, swallowing the urge to smash my fist into the wall. I didn’t need my mind messed up on the job. “Okay,” I said to the wulfkin. “Concentrate. Don’t get distracted, and for goddess’s sake, keep your wolves inside. Now, let’s do this.”

I opened the door and peered out into the dimly lit corridor. “Leo and Titus, you two head out first.” The sound of voices and violins from the courtyard floated on the air. I waved a hand at the two wulfkin to leave. They dragged themselves out and disappeared down the hallway. My head was a wave of confusion, as if my mind was swimming through fog.

I turned to Natalya, who was smiling as she batted her eyelashes.

What the shit?

“I believe we’re meant to act as if we’re a couple.” She slid her arm around mine, sidling too close. It’s not that I had anything against witches per se, but their magic scared me. Whoa! What am I saying? Damn, nothing terrified me. I squared my shoulders.

We strolled out of the room and shut the door behind us. I was ready to do this.

Natalya snuggled up against me and stole glances my way.

Yep, tonight might kill me.