Kai cut the truck’s engine and looked over at me across the bench seat. We’d borrowed the vehicle from Oscar because it had a tow hitch. It was also the same truck Vinny and his little army had camped out on before attacking us last time I’d seen him.

  Sweet irony.

  “You sure about this?” Kai asked.

  “We have to take back control,” I said, unbuckling and reaching for the door.

  “Yeah, but wouldn’t just ripping out his throat be easier?” Kai didn’t wait for an answer before climbing out. “Or at least his vocal chords?” he added as he rounded the hood and met me at the back of Vinny’s car.

  “Just hook it up,” I said.

  “I will,” he said, “After we talk to him.”

  I put up a hand to stop him. “I’m going to speak to him alone.”

  “Like hell,” he growled. “Ash, he tried to kill you—”

  “Tried is the keyword,” I said. “Besides, you’ve got some temper issues, and I need clear heads on this one.”

  His eyes flashed with an anger he rarely ever displayed toward me. It only furthered my suspicions about what was happening to him. I hadn’t voiced my concerns yet, but after I spoke to Vinny today, hopefully, I would have a solution when I did bring it up.

  “Fine,” he said stiffly and then stalked off to start hooking Vinny’s car to the back of the pickup.

  I headed for the front door.

  Rapping hard, I stood back and waited.

  And waited.

  I’d just begun to turn for the backyard when a voice rose from inside the house.

  “What do you want?”

  It wasn’t Vinny.

  “Anthony?” I called.

  “I ain’t got nothin’ to say to you. Get off my property, or I’ll call the cops.”

  I rolled my eyes. “As your alpha, I’m entitled to stand here. And the only one getting hauled away by the cops is you for vandalizing private property last night.”

  A long silence followed that wore my patience thin.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  I huffed. “Tell Vinny to get his ass outside. Now.”

  More silence.

  I glanced behind me at where Kai was dragging cables toward Vinny’s car. Then I turned back to the front door.

  “You can come out or I’m coming in.”

  “Yeah, right,” snickered the younger voice.

  “Look, Anthony, I’m like the big bad wolf out here. I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and then I’ll fuck you up.”

  I caught the barest hint of sound as the brothers spoke in low voices inside. Then, finally, the door creaked open. Vinny peered out. He looked like he’d lost a few pounds but otherwise, same old Vinny. His eyes narrowed at the sight of me.

  “What?” he demanded.

  “You’re going to want to step outside to hear my offer,” I said.

  “What offer?” he scoffed.

  I stepped aside and gestured to where Kai had hooked Vinny’s car to the truck using towing cables.

  Vinny’s eyes widened.

  “Is that my car? What the hell?”

  He pulled the door wide and stepped out. I backed up to give him space and watched as he put the pieces together.

  “Your car has been involved in a crime,” I said as he turned back to me, venom dripping from his stare.

  “This is bullshit,” he said.

  “This is justice. And there’s more. You violated your bail when you threw that rock and hate note through the window. But worse, your little brother Anthony in there is underage. And I’m told he has a record, which means another arrest will result in him being sent to juvenile detention.”

  I watched as the color drained from his face. Good. That meant he gave a shit about his brother. He had to or this wouldn’t work.

  “Anthony didn’t do anything,” he said.

  “We have video footage that says otherwise.”

  The door creaked, and a kid who looked like a younger version of Vinny stepped out. “Vin, we can take her. Let’s just kick their asses.”

  My brow rose at that.

  I looked at Vinny. “This is what you’re teaching him? To disrespect authority? And to start fights he can’t win. Wow, what a role model.”

  “Screw you,” Anthony said.

  I closed the distance, yanking the kid up by his shirt and tossing him onto the dead grass. Either magic or my wolf rose up to assist me, and Anthony hit the ground hard. He grunted then scrambled up again, rushing at me with a look of furious determination.

  Kai was on him before he’d made it three steps.

  Kai’s hand closed around Anthony’s throat, and the kid gasped as his air supply was abruptly cut off. With a snarl, Kai slammed him on the ground, pinning him with his knees. Anthony writhed and bucked, fighting furiously for all the good it did.

  Kai leaned into the kid’s face and growled. Along with the sound came alpha power that left the kid whimpering as he gave up fighting and fell still. Anthony turned his face away, shutting his eyes as if it pained him to even look at Kai.

  I watched, for once approving of Kai’s harsh methods.

  Then I looked back at Vinny. “You should really teach him better than this.”

  “You came all this way to give me parenting advice?” he shot back.

  “I came to offer you a deal.”

  “What the hell do you have that I could possibly want?”

  “Immunity. Freedom. All charges dismissed against your brother here.”

  Vinny’s eyes flashed with a desire I knew he hadn’t meant for me to see. He wanted to shield Anthony. Good.

  “Right.” He snorted, but I had him. We both knew it. “What’s in it for you?”

  “I want a full apology to Tori for your hate crime. Anthony works off the debt for her directly.” I glanced over at Anthony, but he didn’t respond other than to continue cowering. I shot Kai a look, and he eased off—a little.

  “Is that all?” Vinny shot back sarcastically.

  “No, actually, I want you to come work for me.”

  Vinny’s eyes widened in surprise that turned quickly to suspicion. “Work for you how?”

  “Become my eyes and ears for any pack members who plan to sabotage our new pack or who plot anything against me or Kai as their alpha.”

  “How the hell should I know what the rest of the pack are planning?”

  “Because you’re going to be my assistant. Filing paperwork, delivering notices, coordinating meetings.”

  Vinny snorted. “You really think I’d become a rat and your bitch?”

  “I think you’ll become loyal. It’s your only other option besides jail. In fact, you’re the only thing standing between Anthony’s future as a criminal or an upstanding member of what will be one of the strongest packs in this entire country.”

  Vinny was silent, and I gave him points for actually considering the offer. He was smarter than I expected.

  “Vin, don’t do it,” Anthony whispered, but it lacked any of the attitude from before.

  Vinny ignored him. “Is that it?”

  “Almost. There is one more thing I need from you.” Vinny started to scowl as I added, “But this is one task I think you’ll probably enjoy.”

  “Don’t hold your breath,” he said.

  “It’s part of the deal. All or nothing. If you don’t agree to this, it all goes away.”

  “Ugh. Fine, whatever. Just tell me what I have to do.”

  “I want you to bite me. Again.”

  Chapter Nine

  Unsurprisingly, Vinny accepted. We still towed his car off, which earned me a ton of whining and bull shit from both brothers, but none of that bothered me nearly as much as Kai’s silent fuming. By the time we made it back to his house, I wasn’t sure this was better than being screamed at. Still, his quiet rage only proved my suspicions again. Kai was losing it. And I had a pretty good idea why.

  “Are we going to talk, or are you going to start a game of charades?” I asked as we climbed out of the truck.

  Kai stalked around to my side of the car, obviously fuming. “Were you going to talk to me about this first? Or are you just making all the decisions for both of us now?”

  “I’m making decisions about my own welfare as it relates directly to the safety of our pack,” I said.

  “What does that even mean?”

  Rather than answer—which I knew would only add fuel to the fire—I quietly named the real problem. “Kai, your anger, it’s getting worse.”

  “I told you, I lost it when you were hurt. Can you blame me? I just need some time to adjust—”

  “It’s not about time, Kai. Or your worry for me. Although, I know that was hard.”

  My voice remained gentle, but I also couldn’t let this go. I could feel him inching closer to an edge, and I had no freaking idea what would happen if he fell over it.

  “What are you saying?” he demanded.

  “I think your wolf is untethered,” I said. “Again.”

  He frowned, too confused to be angry. “What? No. The curse doesn’t apply— We mated. Bonded even. My wolf is settled.”

  “It was,” I agreed. “But this magic I took on, it’s blocking everything else I am.” I ignored the pang the words caused in my gut. The truth of them literally hurt. “My wolf is practically gone. I can’t hear her, can barely feel her.”

  “We bonded,” he repeated stubbornly.

  “Have you heard me in your head again since the alpha challenges?” I asked.

  “No, but—”

  “That’s because my wolf is ghosting us both.” I hesitated and then admitted the final nail in the coffin. “Kai, I can’t even shift anymore.”

  He blew out a breath, reluctantly coming around.

  “You want Vinny to bite you so you can trigger your wolf.”

  I stepped closer, listening to the pounding of his heart. “I want to call up the parts of myself that you need most.”

  “Ash.”

  He shook his head, closing the distance between us and wrapping his arms around me.

  “I need all of you,” he said. “Equally.”

  “I know that,” I whispered, already feeling better now that I could feel his heartbeat slowing to a regular rhythm against my cheek. “But our wolves need to feel connected or we’re no good to anyone including each other.”

  He held me quietly, his hands running soothing lines down my hair and back. Birds chirped happily from the trees across the road, and cicadas sang their summer songs. The moment was the most peaceful I’d had in months. And all too soon, I pulled away and ended it.

  Until peace was permanent, it wasn’t real.

  “We have to think of the pack,” I said.

  “I have to think of you,” he said pointedly, the anger springing right back to his stormy eyes. “What will triggering your wolf do to the magic?”

  I knew what he really meant.

  What will it do to you?

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “But the herbs Cherise gave me are already helping to mute its effects. I think that will help with the transition.” I hesitated, adding, “Especially since I plan to triple the dose for the change.”

  Kai eyed me dubiously.

  “Cherise made it clear that either my wolf or the magic will dominate. Right now, it’s the magic. Which means my wolf is trapped. If my wolf comes out, the magic will be trapped instead.”

  “And if the magic disappears entirely?” Kai asked. “Like your wolf now.”

  “Even better,” I said.

  He shook his head reluctantly. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, Ash, but that magic is the only defense we have against Cohen.”

  “If I don’t do this, you’ll lose yourself, Kai. And then what? What will it matter if Cohen shows up—if we destroy ourselves from within?”

  Kai didn’t answer.

  “Besides, if I can’t access the magic, neither can Cohen,” I said.

  Kai shook his head. “You want to bury it so he can’t have it.”

  “Even if he somehow gets his hands on me again—”

  “He won’t,” Kai growled, making the air between us shudder with wolf energy.

  “If I don’t do this, the only other choice is to leave,” I said softly.

  Kai’s eyes snapped to mine. “Together,” he reminded me.

  I sighed. “Even together, I don’t want to run. It’s what…”

  “What your dad did,” Kai finished.

  “I don’t want that to be my legacy too.”

  He ran a hand through his hair, sending it into messier disarray than before. My stomach fluttered at the sight of him. Even disheveled, he was handsome enough to distract me from our life-or-death problems.

  “I can’t agree to something that puts you at risk, Ash.”

  “The pack is a mess,” I began.

  “The pack has always been a mess,” he snapped.

  I bit my lip.

  “I’ll wait to shift until the pack has steady leadership and a new plan,” I said finally.

  It was the best I could do. Besides, if something happened to me by trying to transition through the magic, I didn’t want to leave the pack with no new leaders in place. I wouldn’t do what my father had done.

  “What about the elections?”

  “We’ll still hold them, but we’ll also appoint some advisors who can oversee the elections and anything else the pack needs.”

  In case we left.

  Kai nodded knowingly.

  “Okay,” he said grudgingly. “We figure out all the logistics first.

  I nodded. “Then we force the change.”

  He looked pained as I said the words.

  I only hoped Kai could hold it together until then. We both knew he was headed somewhere dark. It was only a matter of how fast he got there.

  “All right, Ashes,” he said, brushing his knuckles across my face, “We’ll go with your idea, but if Vinny so much as litters, I’ll rip his balls off and stuff them up his—”

  “Whoa. Okay, before we do anything else, we really need to calm your wolf.”

  He grinned, a feral-looking smile that only made him look more dangerous. “Sweetheart, when it comes to your safety, my thirst for vengeance isn’t something you can tame.”

  Hell, he was probably right.

  *.*.*

  Later that night, we met up with the others at the Throttle to explain our plans; and to ask them to be part of it all. Kai and I had needed all of five minutes to realize we were both on the same page about who we wanted as our closest advisors. That, at least, strengthened my confidence that we were going to nail this whole alpha thing. If something happened to me, the pack would be in good hands. That’s what mattered.

  “We called you all here because we need your help,” I said once everyone had settled.

  Isaac, Idrissa, Presley, Silas, and Oscar all stared back at me. Vinny had been purposely left out. I didn’t exactly trust him with our secrets just yet.

  “Uh, I’d like to think that’s exactly what we’ve been doing,” Isaac pointed out.

  “You have,” I said. “And I can’t thank you enough for doing what needed to be done while I…”

  I couldn’t finish.

  Even now, the magic had begun swirling, sending waves of nausea and dizziness through my body. The herbs could only do so much, it seemed. And all I could think was that time was the enemy now.

  When I trailed off, Kai jumped in. “It’s past time we started figuring out how things are going to run in this new pack.”

  “And how are things going to run?” Idrissa asked.

  “For starters, as a democracy,” I said.

  “What does that mean?” Presley looked wary, and I couldn’t blame him. What we were proposing wasn’t exactly the norm for wolf pack hierarchy. But after witnessing so much division among the pack and the broken window aimed toward hex hate, we had to find a way to make everyone feel like they had a spot at the table.

  “It means Kai and I are alpha, and that word is and always will be final,” I said with more confidence than I felt about my authority. “But we also know we can’t possibly handle running a pack and territory this size all on our own.” I hesitated and glanced at Kai. He nodded. “And,” I added. “if something happens to one or both of us, we need to know the pack won’t fall apart again.”

  “What’s going to happen to you?” Idrissa asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

  I looked at the white strands of hair woven into her braid. “Hopefully nothing,” I said. “But this magic is unstable. Sooner or later, something will give.”

  “So we figure out a way to get rid of it,” Isaac said.

  “We’ve tried,” Kai said darkly.

  “You have?” I looked at him in surprise.

  “I told you, no one wants to help us,” she reminded me.

  “The errand you went on,” I remembered from the day I woke.

  She nodded. “I went to see a hexerei a couple of hours south of here. She isn’t associated with Cohen’s coven and has always been neutral when it comes to conflicts between our kinds.”

  “And?” I asked.

  But one look at her expression and I knew the answer.

  “She said something about magic being energy that can’t die or end or be disposed of. She used the word transmutation a lot and then threw me off her property.”

  “I thought you said she was neutral,” I said.

  “She was,” Idrissa said. “Before I threatened to transmute my foot up her ass unless she told me how to fix you.”

  Isaac snorted. Presley shook his head.

  I sighed. “And Kel? Any word?”

  “Nothing. She’s just vanished,” Idrissa said.

  Damn.

  “Right. So, we stick to the current plan. Once the pack’s leadership is up and running, I’ll trigger my wolf and hope she can fight off the magic until we can find a permanent solution.”

  At my words, sparks shot from my fingers. One landed on an oil-stained rag, and it caught fire. Presley shot to his feet, hissing as he stomped on the flames.