The wolf pushes off of the dirt, launching himself forward, but a loud thunk shakes me as another wolf slams into his side. Another one?

  I start to lose all bravado until I catch a glimpse of the large wolf’s brown eyes. He’s not a rogue. His fur is silky and smooth, though blood stains his muzzle. Seth.

  I sigh a long breath of relief, and follow his quick movements as he stomps down on the fallen rogue. Without hesitation, Seth bites into the rogue’s neck as if he has done it a thousand times before. I whimper at the sight, but pride fills me at the same time. Holy crap, I’m a mess.

  Seth’s wolf face turns to me, scanning my body quickly, and then he turns to join in the fight with the others. His plight is pointless though, considering the other two wolves are already dead, just like their companion. The small clearing is silent for too long of a time, and I begin to shake uncontrollably.

  I find Seth’s comforting brown eyes in the darkness and sigh. “So, uh… I really like your home.” My shaky voice breaks the silence, and to my surprise everyone bursts out in laughter.

  Rylee and Bree stand over a rogue wolf body, while Wilk and Qadira wipe blood from the front of their shirts. And still, they all laugh. And, like the maniac I am, I join in.

  With shaking hands, I wipe the tears from my laughing fit, but the humor completely leaves my body when I see Seth walking toward me on two legs again… more than half naked. I follow the lines of his muscled chest with a complete loss of control over my eyeballs. Don’t look down, you hussy!

  But of course, I look down and heat fills my cheeks when I see the green fern branch that Seth holds in front of his hips, covering the part of him that I am not ready to explore. Yet.

  A throat clears and my eyes widen to round saucers as I remember everyone standing around. Oh, dear lord. Bree grins from ear to ear as she watches me ogle the naked man in front of us. Rylee has a look of indignation on her young face, but she doesn’t look Seth’s way as I thought she would.

  And of course, Wilk snickers and whispers something in Qadira’s ear that makes her giggle. I am the only one of us checking out Seth, apparently. Great. I find Seth’s face, which I somehow hadn’t even noticed before this moment. He’s smiling at me, and even with the drying blood on his chin and neck, he is so dang sexy.

  “Would anyone mind magicking me some clothes, or at least some pants?” Seth asks the faeries, but his eyes remain on me.

  Wilk grunts and steps closer to Seth. “That is probably a good idea. We would not want our Maia to have a stroke.”

  Bree snorts to my right and my mouth drops open. I don’t know how it’s possible, but even more heat fills my cheeks, to the point of almost burning. I turn away from everyone, needing to calm my racing heart, but I’m face to face with a large lumberjack-looking man.

  A squeal escapes me and I jump backwards, only to be caught in Seth’s clothed arms. He straightens me out, and quickly steps away from me. I look back at him as he wipes my blood off of his hands and onto his shirt. I gasp at the thought that my blood could hurt him, but he shakes his head. “I’m fine, Snow. No open wounds.” He shows me his now clean hands and I sigh.

  How could I ever forgive myself if I killed him? I couldn’t.

  Seth looks up at the stranger and raises a single eyebrow. “Horas. Do you have to just appear like that?”

  The man, Horas, just grins and steps fully into our little clearing beside the flipped SUV. “Sorry, Seth. We heard your call and I arrived first. Looks like the trouble’s over, though.” His forest green eyes scan the dead wolf bodies with a sort of appreciation.

  One by one, more people step out of the dark woods, until six strangers stand before me. Four more men, not as large as Seth or Horas, and a tall, beautiful woman with long blonde hair and dark blue eyes. Seth nods to each of them and then waves a hand at our small group.

  “Thank you all for coming, but it’s under control. Rogues attacked our car as we were entering the lands.” A few of the newbies gasp, but remain quiet. “I’ve brought the holder of our shifter cure. She needs a safe haven.”

  The tall woman looks me up and down. “She has the cure?” Her voice is indignant and snobbish. “And you brought… others?”

  Wilk steps forward. “Prince Wilk Arnou of Fae, and Qadira Mage. We are glad to be welcomed in your home.” So proper as always, and presumptuous.

  The woman scoffs and crosses her long arms. “Right. Sure thing.”

  “Sasha.” Seth’s voice is a warning to the woman. Still, I can’t stand the way her name leaves his lips, like he has said it a thousand times.

  Sasha shrugs and turns around, walking away. “Let’s go, then. We should probably tell Alpha Nate about this.”

  I look toward my friends. “Are we supposed to follow her?”

  Bree rolls her eyes, and the large man, Horas, chuckles beside me. “I would if I were you. You don’t want to cross that one.” His eyes widen with his smile. “Seth knows.”

  I snap my eyes to Seth and he visibly cringes. “Uh… Yeah. Probably a good idea.” He grabs my hand, and the warmth calms me slightly as we all follow the oh-so-lovely Sasha. Very slightly.

  ♢♢♢

  Seth

  I realize this is my first time holding Maia’s hand, but I hate that I can’t enjoy it. We are all headed toward Nate’s massive cottage in the woods, our pack of wolves, faeries, a fox, and a witch. And then there’s Maia, the unknown. Of course, it’s just my luck that Sasha has to be leading the way.

  I was only fifteen when Sasha began chasing me around the pack lands. We hadn’t even shifted for the first time yet, but she was sure we’d end up being fated mates. I liked the attention, and the company, but I knew we weren’t meant for one another. I was sixteen the first time Sasha and I kissed. I knew then and there that she wasn’t the one for me, but she’s been after me ever since.

  And now my mind is all fogged up with thoughts of another girl. There’s no way Sasha can hold a candle to Maia, but I can’t help being worried that Sasha will try to make Maia uncomfortable. I’ll need to be ready to jump between the two if Sasha starts anything. I won’t let Maia feel unwelcome in my land.

  We stop at Nate’s front steps and he’s already coming out of the large oak door in basketball shorts and a loose t-shirt. I’m sure he has been sleeping, and he likely sensed the tension in all of us before we even arrived. Each wolf is linked to the alpha in a way that I can’t imagine. I guess one day I’ll know what that feels like.

  “Hey Uncle Nate,” Maia waves her free hand at our alpha. I’ve never heard anyone call Alpha Nate ‘uncle’ before, but it shines a whole new light on the dark and strong Shaw alpha.

  Nate’s eyes fall on our entwined hands and he glares. “What’s going on, Seth? What’s all this?” He waves to the motley crew behind me, and I can only assume he means the faeries and our latest traveler, Rylee.

  “Right,” I say, feeling the usual nervousness in front of him. “Prince Wilk and Miss Qadira have decided to join us in the protection of Maia. They’ve already done so much for her, I believe they should stay.” I glance back at Rylee. Her dark eyes are round as she stares at our alpha. “And we came across the fox shifter, Rylee, on our way home. She was hurt and needed help.”

  Nate’s frown is deep as he studies each of our guests. “Alright, wolves, continue your patrols. Thank you for your help.” He nods to Horas and the others, and they immediately disperse, going back to their nightly guard duty. His eyes fall on me. “Seth, see our guests to the visitors cottage, and I want you, Maia, and Bree back here to stay with Lydia and I. I will give Mathew a call. He has been worried about the three of you.”

  With that, Nate turns back into the house, leaving me to handle the sleeping arrangements. I never thought this would be my first real alpha task, but here we are. I turn to Maia, and to my surprise she’s smiling as she continues holding tightly to my hand.

  “Yay. Sleepover,” she says with fake enthusiasm, and I can’t believe the smile that stretches across my face.

  She’s perfect.

  Chapter 17

  ⟣⟡⟢

  Maia

  Sitting here in Uncle Nate and Aunt Lydia’s living room is surreal. I get why they never invited me to their home when I was a kid. Of course, the wolf paintings and pack quotes on the walls never would’ve made me guess that they’d be wolf shifters. Wolf-obsessed, sure. I suppose it was for my protection in case I ran into one of the pack members while they were shifted, but I can’t help the small sting of hurt.

  When we arrived in the Shaw pack lands last night, I can only imagine the thoughts running through Uncle Nate’s head when he saw us. The future alpha, Seth, with a bloodied me by his side, my witch protector, our new faerie friends, and the wounded fox shifter. How is this my life? I have to give it up to him though, he handled it swimmingly.

  The guest cottage is only a few hundred yards behind Uncle Nate’s house, so it was easy settling the others in. The place is gorgeous, and roomy, as well, so it won’t be hard to stick around here comfortably for a while. Seth, Bree, and I all came back to Uncle Nate and Aunt Lydia’s home. They have three large bedrooms. Theirs is on the main floor, while the other two are on the second.

  Bree and I shared the king-sized guest bed, leaving Seth to have the other room with the smaller bed. Poor guy is nearly six-three and sleeping in a twin bed. I can only imagine what sharing that bed with him would be like. How could I not imagine it?

  Right now, my eyes keep falling to the floor as I try to ignore my dad’s looming presence. He woke me this morning saying we need to talk, but I’m still hurt from all of his lies. It’s just the two of us, and the uncomfortable tension is about to strangle me.

  “Can’t you even look at me, Mai? I’m still your father.” His voice is pained, like it gets when he’s having a hard week. He gets sad sometimes, and I think it’s from loneliness. My mom died during childbirth, and Dad doesn’t date. I never understood why, but now that I know they were fated mates, it makes more sense. He lost his literal soul mate, the kind of love I may never know.

  I shake my head as I stare unseeingly at an uneven floorboard. “Dad, I’m just trying to wrap my head around it all. You’ve lied to me from day one, and I don’t know how to feel about that.” I lean forward and rest my elbows on my knees, combing my fingers through my white hair.

  A shuffling sound comes closer to me, and I can see Dad’s large frame sit down on the coffee table in front of me. “Mai. I love you more than anything else in this world. I can’t begin to tell you lying was okay, but let me explain the reasoning, please?”

  I hold a deep breath, and release it with a long drawn out sigh. “Fine. I’m not about to quit being your daughter, so I guess I should learn to listen.” I look up into his brown eyes and try to smile, though I’m sure it looks forced.

  The lines around his eyes crease and he rubs his hands together. “Alright. I should probably tell you about your mom, and our time together before your birth.”

  My nose scrunches up. “You sure? I don’t really need those details…”

  Dad holds a hand up and glares. “Don’t be gross, Mai! I gave you that talk once, and that was plenty. I’m talking about the events that lead up to us giving you the cure.” I nod, and let him continue. “I was a young man, if you can believe that, when I went to the college here in town. I’d often go for hikes in the mornings before classes, out here in these woods.”

  I scoff and lean back, sinking further into the plush leather. “Hypocrite!” And he never let me even walk home along a perfectly carved trail?

  My dad smacks me gently on my knee and sits up taller. “Stop interrupting!” A real smile stretches my lips and I nod again for him to continue. “Anyways. One morning, it was pouring rain, so I was ready to cut my run short when I came across a large, beautiful wolf. She was unlike anything I’d ever seen, black as night with bright jade eyes.” His eyes close briefly as he remembers my mom in her wolf form.

  I can’t even believe I had a wolf mom. I wish I could’ve known her. I lean forward and grab my dad’s hand. “Go on, Dad. I’m still listening.”

  He smiles and rubs the wild beard on his chin. “Right. Your mother came to find me at the school a few days after that, in her human form, of course. I couldn’t stop thinking about the wild wolf with the jade eyes, and when I saw this beautiful woman with long black hair, who smelled like wild flowers, and had the exact same eyes as that wolf, I was hypnotized.” He pauses again so I interject.

  “Did she tell you what she was?”

  He shakes his head with a small laugh. “No, she did not. I was an idiot, and I felt this pull toward her that I couldn’t understand. We were fated for one another, but I didn’t know that like she did. I kissed her before even speaking one word beforehand.” He laughs a real, deep laugh.

  I giggle along with him as my eyes go wide. “What did she do then?” I probably would’ve punched a guy who did that to me… unless it was Seth.

  “She punched me right in the face, and then proceeded to run off into the woods.” My mouth falls open and I laugh again. My mom was a total badass wolf shifter.

  Dad continues. “So, because I was an idiot like I said, I followed her into these woods, and I got the surprise of my life. I saw her with your uncle Nate, and the two of them were spying on the alpha at that time, Nate’s father, Jackson. He was in a heated discussion with your mom’s father, Landon. Your grandfather.”

  I sit up tall, suddenly feeling hopeful. “I have a grandpa?”

  He shakes his head slowly as sadness fills his eyes. “You did have very loving grandparents on your mom’s side. As you know, I have no family of my own, so your shifter grandparents took me in when your mom and I completed our mate bond.”

  “What does it mean to complete a mate bond? Did you get married?” This world is so fascinating.

  Dad’s cheeks actually blush and I immediately regret my question. “Uh, let’s just say that completing the bond is the event that made you.”

  Oh, for Pete’s sake.

  I shake that thought away as fast as half-humanly possible, and jump to my next question. “So, uh… what were Nate’s dad and gramps arguing about?”

  Dad chuckles softly before continuing. “They were discussing a possible threat to the shifter race. Others were after this ancient cure that was kept by a Shaw pack ally. That put the entire pack in danger, so they needed a place to hide the cure. Your mom and uncle Nate were young, so they didn’t know about the cure, which is why they were spying.”

  “Why is the shifter cure so important anyway? Did they know you were there? Wolves have good senses, right?” The questions pop off without a breath and Dad holds a hand up to shush me.

  “I’ll get to the cure, but yes, the wolves all smelled me, but not until I had already seen your grandfather shift right before my eyes. I know you can imagine what that’s like by now.” He eyes me, and I give him a hard nod. I know exactly what that’s like after seeing the owl-ladies do it, and Seth not long after that.

  “Well,” he says. “The wolf shifters have this rule about humans. If a human is exposed to their kind, then the human is to be executed. I was in a tough position, and not just because your jealous uncle Nate was all wolfed out and about to kill me on the spot.” He rolls his eyes, but I don’t miss his words.

  “Umm.. what? Uncle Nate had a thing for mom?” Ewwwww.

  Dad nods. “They were actually chosen as mates for one another at birth. Nate was to be the future alpha, and your mom was the daughter of the beta. It was supposed to be a great match for the future of the entire pack.”

  I blink rapidly as I try to process this new information. So I wasn’t all that far off when I thought Nate might be my dad. Super weird. “So, you what? Came along and caused trouble in paradise?”

  Dad shrugs, but a new cockiness overcomes him. “I couldn’t help that your mom had found her fated mate. That trumps an arranged mating, that’s for sure.” He smiles, and shakes the thought away. “Anyways, your mom saved my life that day, claiming me as her mate as she faced down the alpha heir. It was incredibly brave, like the bravado I see in you, Mai.” He looks lovingly at me and I have to clear my throat to keep back the tears.

  I’m like my mom.

  I try to change the too-tender moment. “Okay, so you were mated then? Just like that?”

  Dad sighs and shakes his head. “It was complicated. The pack wasn’t okay with humans and shifters being together, so your mom gave me the option to be hers forever, or run away and not look back. She actually thought I’d run after meeting her, but I was already in love. That fast.”

  My heart flutters a little as Seth’s face flashes through my mind. Woah, woah, woah. Chill out crazy hormones!

  Dad continues. “I chose to be with her, and face the alpha with my head held high, and blah blah blah, bond completed.” He hurries through the uncomfortable details and I have to laugh a little. “Anyways, the next day was when our lives changed in the most amazing way. A witch told us we were going to have a baby girl.”

  “That fast?” My eyes stretch open wide.

  Dad nods and shrugs at the same time. “Yep. That fast. This witch told us that the shifter cure needed a safe hiding place, and that the only option was to place it inside of a vessel, completely out of sight. She told us you would be that vessel. According to her, the cure couldn’t be destroyed since it was created by the shifter god himself who had the ability to become any animal he wanted. It was made from his blood, and spelled by a powerful witch to survive anything.”

  My heart sinks at that thought. I was just a vessel to hide something toxic, something that will be in me forever? If my blood brings death to shifters and is impossible to destroy, how can I ever be with Seth?

  My dad takes my hands in his. “Maia. Your mom and I didn’t want this for you. We struggled with the decision, but just your existence has prevented a war that would wipe out shifters forever. Just after you were born, a type of shifter called “lupercus” came to the Shaw pack in search of the cure that was already hidden in your blood, and they killed your grandparents, along with many others. And as you know, your mom didn’t survive childbirth. Some sort of wicked twist of fate, I guess.” His voice cracks, but he continues. “The only reason you and I weren’t caught up in the fight was because we were humans, living away from the pack for your safety. It’s why I chose to never tell you where you came from. Being human has saved you all this time.”