The lure I felt to Foster, the way he made my insides burn with just one look, the euphoria of kissing him, all of that combined was enough to know that I wanted—no, needed—to know more about him. And that he would always be someone I could count on.

  That seemed irrational to my human-raised mind, but the supernatural part of me was over the damn moon that he’d found me.

  While I wasn’t head-over-heels in love with Foster, I was open to wherever this road was leading us.

  He slowed his pace, and I loosened my grip on him, peeking out around us. I still only saw the same trees that surrounded the coven, which made me believe we were in the same section of forest. That surprised me, given witches and wolves hadn’t always gotten along.

  “It’s about a five-minute walk to the main house from here,” Foster said when he started to set me down.

  “Just enough time for me to get my legs back. I have to admit, it took a lot out of me to run toward the barrier when we left.”

  Foster’s hands stayed close to me while I stretched. “Do you still feel the dark magic inside you?”

  His voice was panicked, but I shook my head. “No, just sore. I did a lot of hiking in Montana, but apparently, not enough to prepare me for getting blasted in the back and everything I went through last night.”

  A growl rumbled from Foster. “I should have been there.”

  “Yeah, probably, but it’s done now. Everything I ever owned was destroyed or stolen,” I said with a grimace.

  Foster grabbed my hand. “We’ll get you some things tomorrow, so you don’t have to keep borrowing clothes from Charlie.”

  “Shit. I never called my work. With everything that happened, I forgot to tell them I wouldn’t be coming back.” I hadn’t been scheduled to work earlier, or the day after, but I had said I’d help out if needed since my boss had left for her own family emergency.

  “I’m assuming you don’t have your phone?” Foster asked.

  I shook my head. “It hasn’t turned on since I was leaving work and tried to call for a ride.”

  “Don’t worry about it. We’ll get everything taken care of in the morning. It’s too late over there to make a call anyway.”

  “Why are you so calm right now?” I asked.

  He stared up at the stars above. “Because that’s what you need. It’s your turn to scream at people,” he said with a smirk.

  “Fair enough.” I chuckled.

  “Now, if one of the wolves looks at you the wrong way, then you might see the me from last night. I want to preemptively apologize for that, but I wouldn’t actually be sorry for showing them you belong to me.”

  Holy shit. Why did I find that so hot? He was possessive as hell, but even still, there wasn’t a single thing about him that scared me. Maybe that was bad, and I was too overwhelmed to see it yet, but I was choosing to believe in the bond between us. To believe that when he said things like that to me with such conviction, no truer words had ever been spoken.

  “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens,” I finally said while we continued walking through the forest.

  There were no roads that I could see. Just dirt walking paths like the well-worn one we were currently on. I wasn’t sure how the pack got in and out, but the farther we went, the more at home I felt. There was a sense of familiarity about these woods, even though I was certain I’d never been here.

  The tingles of energy inside me stirred, and I glanced down at my hands, but neither of them was glowing. The pulse continued inside me, keeping a steady beat that no longer frightened me. Instead, I yearned for the moment when I’d be able to truly unleash the magic I was supposed to have.

  A gravel road finally appeared. I looked right, then left and saw lights. “Is that the pack?”

  Foster nodded. “I’ve only been here a few times and have only seen the main house, but the territory spans over several thousand acres. This is only the front portion of their property.”

  “Why would they have this so close to town?” I asked, thinking the wolves would be more concerned with privacy.

  “Convenience, mostly. From what I understood, a decent amount of the wolves have homes downtown and jobs there. This was a happy medium in keeping everyone as close as possible. A city pack like this wouldn’t have been my first choice, given where I grew up, but it works.”

  I gave his hand a squeeze, guilt rising inside me that he was only somewhere he wouldn’t normally have been because of me. I opened my mouth to say something, but the details of the house came into view, and I lost all other thought.

  It was a monstrosity of a cabin, more like a mansion with big, open windows on the second level, log siding, and beautiful tree trunks used as supports to the expansive upper deck. A shiver ran up my spine, and I let out a small sigh.

  “One hell of a house, huh?” Foster asked.

  “You could say that.”

  The front door opened, and the man I’d seen with Foster earlier that day stepped out. He was older, with auburn hair and fine wrinkles on his face, but as he folded his muscled arms over his chest, I knew his age made no difference in his strength.

  “Holden, this is Andie,” Foster said when we approached.

  Holden grinned at me. “It’s lovely to formally meet you, Andie. What brings the two of you by?”

  “Andie needed a break from the coven,” Foster explained. “I was hoping you had those accommodations set up for me that you mentioned before and that we could stay for the night.”

  Holden tilted his head and looked down at Foster. “This isn’t a hotel, Foster. I welcomed you into this pack with certain expectations. Are you ready to meet those?”

  “I am. I’ll introduce myself to the pack tomorrow during breakfast, and I’ll be part of the new moon run when it’s time,” Foster replied.

  His voice was rough, and I hated that this was so hard for him. Understandable, after everything he’d told me earlier, though it further proved my reasoning for trusting him. He was sacrificing a lot to be here with me. Hopefully, I could find a way to be there for him in return.

  Holden grinned. “Good news. You don’t have to wait to meet the pack until tomorrow. We actually had a meeting tonight. You tripped our perimeter sensors just as it was finishing up, so I asked everyone to stay a bit longer. Follow me.”

  Holden turned for the door and I tugged on Foster’s hand. “You don’t have to do this for me. We can go back to the coven. I’m already feeling better.”

  He shook his head. “I’m not only doing this for you. I need to for my wolf and myself. We’ve been running from the past for too long.”

  “Can I do anything to help?” I asked.

  “Just having you at my side is more than enough. I’ll have to tell them who you are, but Holden has a good pack here. We can trust them. It’s the only reason I joined when I realized you were going to need all the help you could get.”

  Holden was still waiting at the door, watching us. I wanted to continue this conversation, but not with an audience.

  “I have no objections. I trust your instincts, Foster.”

  Foster sucked in a sharp breath at my words, but I nudged him forward. He squeezed my hand and whispered, “Thank you,” in my ear as we approached the porch.

  I smiled and nodded in reply as we entered the cabin through the double doors. In front of us was an open living room with a high ceiling that was accented by wooden beams and an intricate metal chandelier that had hand-forged metal vines and leaves interlacing between the lights.

  The second level had a balcony that curved around, likely leading to the upper deck I had seen from the outside. There were four black leather couches that created an open square in the center of the living room and a large, stone fireplace on the wall nearest to them.

  Off to the right appeared to be a dining room, and I couldn’t see anything beyond that as Holden walked toward a hallway at the back of the welcoming room.

  Every wall we passed was lined with wood planks. I’d have thought the oak would get overwhelming, but as we continued through the house, the varying shades grew on me.

  “Just out here,” Holden said when we approached a set of glass doors that led to another porch spanning the entire backside of the house.

  Outdoor furniture covered most of the area except for where the six-foot-long barbeque was set up with what seemed like nearly everything I’d find in an indoor kitchen.

  Foster gripped my hand tighter when we got to the edge of the deck. I glanced ahead and saw an open field with about fifty people standing in front of a small podium.

  “Oh, you’re not cruel enough to make him stand up there, are you?” I asked Holden.

  The alpha’s answering grin told me he was indeed. “Foster made a promise, and I intend to hold him to it, but your concern is noted.”

  “It’ll be fine,” Foster said, but the tense tone of his voice wasn’t convincing.

  I glanced back at Holden. “I can go with him?”

  He nodded. “Absolutely.”

  As we got closer, all eyes present were on us and the voices quieted into murmurs.

  “Is this everyone who lives here?” I asked.

  “No, my pack is spread out. We have a lot of territory to protect, so I don’t require all members to return for meetings, but there’s a video feed set up right over there.” Holden pointed to a tripod I hadn’t noticed before.

  “How many pack members do you have in total?” I asked before we approached the podium.

  “Nearing three hundred,” he answered with pride lacing his words.

  “That’s a lot of people to manage on your own,” I noted.

  Holden winked. “I don’t do it on my own. I have a team who helps me.”

  Of course he did. I wanted to ask more questions, because this whole pack life intrigued me, but we’d reached the podium. It was time for me to be there for Foster.

  I turned him toward me. “Are you ready?”

  “I am.” His voice was full of confidence this time, and all signs of the anxiety that I’d seen before was gone.

  “I’ll be right at your side.”

  He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “And that’s the only reason I’m ready.”

  21

  FOSTER

  Stepping up to the podium was easier than I’d thought it would be. When Andie had helped remind me of why I was doing this, the conviction inside me had grown stronger.

  Andie deserved the best version of me. The one who was still holding on to the past was not that. I wasn’t going to forget the pack I’d lost, but I was going to stop fighting my way back into another that not only accepted me, but that I accepted in return.

  With Andie by my side, I lifted my head and stared into the crowd of men, women, and children. None of them seemed surprised to see me, which also made things easier.

  I took a steadying breath and moved closer to the stand. “Hello. As I assume most of you already know, I’m Foster Kline. I’ve been in L.A. for a while now thanks to a nudge from our creator to go searching for my mate.”

  I nodded to Andie. She blushed and waved awkwardly, making me smile.

  “She’s a witch. I know that can bring its own troubles, but right now, she’s being targeted. I won’t lie to you and pretend I joined your pack because living near the big city was where I wanted to be. I joined because for the first time in many years, I found another alpha I felt I could trust and depend on. Though, that isn’t all. I need your help in keeping my mate safe. I know that’s selfish of me to ask, given that I’ve only just arrived, but I promise to stay and earn my keep if you’ll have me.”

  I paused, waiting for someone to respond to my honesty. The eerie silence was weighing down on my chest, so I finished.

  “I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, and I understand if my request is too much, but I’m desperate enough to ask you to consider offering your help. I’ll be splitting my time between here and the coven, but I look forward to getting to know you all. If you have any questions for me, I’ll be around tomorrow morning. Thank you.”

  I moved back with Andie, passing Holden when he stepped up to address the pack. “That’s it for this month. Any other updates will be sent through the messaging system, but one final note. I expect each of you to keep our new pack member’s business to yourself. I won’t force any of you to fight for the witches, but just know it might come to a point where I ask for volunteers, just as Foster has. I know my visit to the vampires didn’t go as planned, but this time, we’ll be more prepared. I assure you.”

  The pack began to part, but a few of them headed toward us. I had hoped for an evening with just myself and Andie before the questions started, but I should have known better.

  Holden grinned and clasped my shoulder. “Honesty was the right choice. They would have seen through any other bullshit.”

  “I figured as much. Now we’ll see if that backfires.”

  He gave my shoulder a tighter squeeze. “I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised with the members of this pack. Most of them aren’t even going to care that you’re here.”

  Andie snorted, then covered her mouth. “I’m sorry, but that’s awesome.”

  Holden winked at her. “You see, Foster has only known the serious me. The one who has to be cautious with those outside of his pack, but now that I’ve tied him down, he’s about to learn a thing or two from me.”

  “I think I’m going to enjoy that more than him,” Andie replied, nudging me with her elbow.

  “But business first. I want you both to meet some of my team leaders. This is my beta Mack,” Holden said, gesturing to the man nearest to him.

  He was wideset in the shoulders with dark, shaved hair, light golden skin, and a wide smile. “Nice to meet you, Foster. Holden’s told me plenty already.”

  I shook his extended hand. “Wish I could say the same. Now that I think about it, Holden hasn’t told me anything about any of you.”

  “Some things you have to learn yourself,” Holden said before gesturing to a few more people. “This is Lawson, Piper, and Colby. One or more of them is always on site at the pack house and will know where to find me or Mack if you need anything. Our other team leaders are offsite. We own an apartment building that one of them runs and then a few small businesses in town that the others oversee.”

  I shook Lawson’s hand first, noting his dark gaze, tense jaw, and copper skin.

  “Welcome to the pack,” he said after giving my hand a hard squeeze.

  “I look forward to making it home,” I replied, getting the feeling he wasn’t going to make things as easy on me as Holden had.

  I noticed Piper had an uncanny similarity to Holden when she approached me. Same auburn hair and light-green eyes, but her slight nose and thin lips were the opposite of Holden’s.

  She nodded at me and then Andie. “It’s good to meet both of you.”

  Andie smiled. “Same. I wasn’t allowed to go beyond the barrier when I was young, but it’s nice to see how close you all are to the coven.”

  Holden scoffed. “Beatrix bought the land for her coven right out from under me. I intended to extend the pack, but she beat me to the sale and built her coven there just to piss me off.”

  I shook my head. That sounded just like the witch I’d been getting to know.

  Last was Colby. He bypassed me and reached for Andie’s hand, grabbing it and bowing before her. “Welcome to our pack.”

  I snarled and stepped between them, breaking his hold with ease. “You don’t touch her without her permission.”

  “I was just being friendly,” Colby said with a straight face, but there was a glint to his hazel eyes I didn’t like.

  Holden pulled Colby back with a firm jerk, grabbing him by the back of the neck. “Apologize. Now.”

  Colby’s already pale, white skin turned to ash when he met my fiery glare. “I’m sorry. I was just—”

  “Not to me. To my mate.”

  Colby gulped as Holden released him. “I apologize for touching you, Andie.”

  “Apology accepted,” Andie said softly.

  “The three of you go make sure nobody needed anything after the meeting. Mack, come with me to show our new guests around,” Holden said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

  Holden’s quick action made me respect him even more. He knew when to be relaxed, but he also knew when to stop lines from being crossed. I could already tell he wasn’t everyone’s best friend, but he was well versed in garnering respect from his pack, just like he’d managed to do with me.

  Once the other three wolves were gone, Holden turned to me and Andie. “I’m sorry. Colby is new to our leadership team. He means well, but he’s the youngest of us and the one who likes to joke the most. He just doesn’t always remember the appropriate time for that.”

  My arm wrapped around Andie’s shoulder. “As long as he doesn’t do it again, there’s no harm done.”

  Mack shook his head while chuckling. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure he pissed his pants during all that. He won’t cross you again. Not with all that alpha power flowing through you. One thing our wolves respect is rank and even if you’re not in charge, they’ll proceed with caution around you.”

  “I’m not here to lead. I hope you told them that,” I said.

  Holden nodded. “I did, but some of them won’t be able to help how they act toward you. You’ll have to learn to be okay with that.”

  I wanted to argue that he was wrong, but I knew that would be pointless. Now that I’d let my alpha power out, it was hard to contain. Knowing I might need it to fuel me later on, I wasn’t going to bother trying to lock it down again.

  “Want to see where our wolves work out?” Mack asked.

  “Of course.”

  Andie yawned, and I quickly changed my answer.

  “Actually, can we see the housing and where we might be able to get some food? Andie was hurt earlier today, and she hasn’t eaten. I can come see everything once we’ve gotten settled if that works?”