“Are you good?” I asked Andie.

  She shook her head, but said, “Yeah.”

  I squeezed her hands. “That wasn’t very reassuring.”

  Charlie nudged Andie. “She’ll be fine. Are you staying here today?” she asked me.

  Standing, I pulled Andie up with me. “No, I need to go speak with Holden, but I won’t be gone long.”

  Beatrix snapped her fingers and pointed to her wrist. “We don’t have all day.”

  Andie took a steadying breath. “I’ll be fine. Have fun at the pack for both of us. I doubt much about my training will be fun.”

  Beatrix chuckled and muttered to herself, “At least she’s smart.”

  I gave Andie a kiss. “I’ll see you soon.”

  When I got to the door, I paused next to Beatrix. “Thank you for what you did for her.”

  She waved a hand. “I didn’t do it for her. I did it so she’d focus better on what’s important.”

  I nodded, not buying her bullshit. “You have my appreciation, nonetheless.”

  “Didn’t really need it, but good to know,” she said with a glint in her eyes.

  I was beginning to realize the thought of never finding Andie had scared Beatrix more than anyone knew. Then, likely knowing Andie wasn’t going to be a normal witch within the coven, well, I was sure that hadn’t made matters easier for Beatrix.

  Maybe I’d judged her too harshly before. Maybe she wasn’t a psychotic witch. Maybe she was just a frightened woman doing whatever she could to protect those she loved, even if she was doing it all wrong at times—she was doing the best she thought she could.

  Once I got onto the cobblestone street, I called my wolf forward and he surged to the surface, a little slower than I would have expected.

  What was that? I asked my wolf.

  He shook his fur out. Just adjusting to the bond.

  I wanted to ask more, but Holden’s voice cut into my thoughts. Are you on your way?

  I am. Is everything okay?

  It is. For now. We’ll talk when you get here.

  Shit. I didn’t like the sound of that.

  Let’s run, I said to my wolf, and he was already sprinting before I’d finished speaking.

  We arrived at the pack, and I was surprised that I didn’t feel a tug back to Andie. Instead, it felt as if she were right there with me.

  That made no sense to me. While I wanted to consider it a good thing, a part of me didn’t feel like it was.

  Before I could overthink things, I spotted Holden waiting for me at the road. He nodded curtly, and I shifted back to two feet.

  He sniffed the air. “You’re officially bonded to Andie now?”

  I nodded. “Last night. Why?”

  Holden’s shoulders hunched, and he turned to walk farther into the trees instead of toward the pack house. “I called the Wolf Council yesterday, and they didn’t return my call until this morning. Astor, the current head of the council, said that they’ve been in the process of disbanding the council for months. The idea was initially proposed under the wrong pretenses while the Supernatural Council was compromised, but they’ve since decided to continue with the process. They won’t be helping us with any complaints received about your bond with Andie. They merely advised that you don’t complete the bond yet.”

  My steps slowed the more he spoke, and I stopped fully at the tree line once he’d said that last bit. “Why?”

  Holden nodded for me to keep following, and I did, but only once he’d started speaking again.

  “Astor didn’t really give a reason, but I don’t think accepting the bond was the wrong choice. I have a good feeling that Astor was speaking out of fear and not because he knew what he was talking about.”

  My shoulders loosened slightly. “Why would the council leader be afraid?”

  “He ignored a pack’s plea for help. Completely disregarded them, and that came back to bite him in the ass in ways most of us will never know about. I can only assume, and I don’t like to do that, so we’ll move forward knowing that we’re not going to have help from our own council. We’ll need to handle any complaints as a pack.”

  We continued through the forest, getting farther from the pack. “Then why are we walking in the opposite direction?”

  Holden glanced around. “Because I don’t like the fact that one of my young was compromised, and, while I don’t believe anyone in my pack would intentionally turn on us, I understand now that I can’t be so open with everyone about what’s going on.”

  I could have told him that to begin with, but he didn’t need that kind of comment from me.

  I took a step forward, and we kept walking. “Beatrix told me I’m going to be the liaison between the pack and coven. I assume this goes along with you not wanting the pack to know more than they need to?”

  He nodded. “You coming and going is normal, but I’m almost always here and I’d never been inside the coven before yesterday. Beatrix has been here a few times, and each time drew attention. Right now, the less of that we draw, the better, until we figure out what the complaints are and where they’re coming from.”

  My jaw tightened. Some people just didn’t know when to mind their own damn business. “Do you have other packs you can trust?”

  Holden stroked his chin. “I do. Several of them. And I’ve already sent out secure messages to the alphas asking for them to keep their ears open. We’ll figure out where this mess is coming from and deal with it swiftly.”

  We stopped and looked around. There was nothing to see but trees out this way. “How far does your property go in this direction?” I asked.

  “Farther than we’ll ever use, but knowing the privacy is there? That’s something we can’t replace,” he answered earnestly, then added, “How about a run before we go back to the pack and talk business more formally?”

  My wolf perked up, and I nodded. I’d never deny him freedom when I had the opportunity to provide it.

  This time, my shift came faster and the energy inside me was more charged than I was used to, but still, something about my wolf’s actions felt forced, and I couldn’t tell why.

  Holden’s grey wolf nudged me before the alpha spoke in my mind.

  The bond changed you more than I suspected it would.

  My wolf kept his head high, and I asked, In a way that’s going to be a problem?

  Not for me. I trust when you say you don’t want to take over my pack, but for others? The kind of power that’s pulsating off you would be enough to keep any smart wolf away from your territory.

  Interesting he’d say that, because the longer we stood there, the weaker I felt, but maybe I just needed time to get used to the new energy.

  This will feel normal soon, my wolf said, but he lacked the conviction I was used to hearing from him.

  That worried me almost as much as Moira getting her hands on my mate.

  11

  ANDIE

  Beatrix left Charlie and me on our own for a while. I would have thought that would be a good thing, that Charlie would take her time offering a recap of all the things we’d been working on before, now that I had the ability to use magic.

  Except, that wasn’t what happened. Not even close.

  I was on my ass for the umpteenth time, and my face was beet red. I narrowed my eyes on my best friend and snarled. “Quit doing that.”

  She smirked. “Make me.”

  Oh, I wanted to strangle her. Badly.

  Charlie had this little trick with her magic going. I had no idea how she was doing it, but apparently, it was one of her signature moves to send out an invisible bit of magic that smacked its target in the back of the head or legs or wherever Charlie wanted, over and over again, like a damn boomerang that didn’t stop.

  The energy felt like a dull blade slamming into my skin but never fully penetrating. Just distracting and painful enough that my muscles seized, and I had no idea how to stop her.

  She bounced around me. “Come on, Andie. Where are those instincts you were bragging about earlier? You figured out how to teleport by yourself. You should be able to stop one tiny bit of magic.”

  I wanted to rip the grin right off her face. My fists balled up, and I called my magic forward—again—doing whatever I could to make her feel my annoyance.

  With a deep inhale, I shoved my hands forward and exhaled, pushing energy out of my palms, directed right at Charlie.

  Her eyes widened for the briefest moment before she attempted to disappear, but my power latched on to her shimmering form and slammed her onto the ground.

  “Fuck, Andie.” Charlie groaned.

  I gasped and ran toward her, then fought back laughter when I realized she wasn’t badly hurt. “Sorry. I mean, sorta. Mostly sorry. I think.”

  Her legs kicked out, and I suddenly found myself on the ground with her, still chuckling through the aches coursing along my body.

  “I might be a little proud of you right now,” she said with a groan when she rolled over to face me.

  I raised a brow. “Is that so?”

  She nodded. “I gave you an impossible task. One that was meant to break you. But you didn’t let it. You pushed back, even when you were exhausted. That’s the kind of strength that you’ll need to get your magic back. It’s not knowing all the tricks of what we can do; it’s having the will to never give up.”

  I glanced up at the sky, focusing on the light-blue color. “What if I can’t get my magic? What if I fail at becoming the witch I’m supposed to be?”

  Charlie propped herself up on her elbow and looked down on me. “Everyone fails at who they’re supposed to be, Andie. That’s how you become who you were meant to be.”

  Tears pricked in my eyes. Charlie’s words pierced my heart and found a permanent place there to always be remembered. A small part of me had felt like I was floundering with certain circumstances of my new life, but maybe my best friend was right. Maybe I needed to stop focusing on who I thought I was supposed to be and just see who I become.

  As the day went on, the high I’d been experiencing the night before was fading. I thought it was the training and lack of sleep, but something more than that felt off and I couldn’t place exactly what.

  “Thank you for never giving up on me, even when I wasn’t here,” I said to her, then I frowned. “But what if who I’m meant to be isn’t good enough? I don’t want people to die because of me, and I feel weaker now than I have in days.”

  She grabbed my hand and squeezed tightly. “We’ll figure everything out. I promise. In the meantime, we’ll keep training, but you’re done for the day. Tomorrow, you’ll be with Evelyn, but I’ll stop by and make sure she doesn’t overstep.”

  I nodded and tried to smile, but I couldn’t find the energy with which to do so.

  Beatrix appeared out of thin air next to us, and she looked down, grimacing. “Are we in preschool? Is this naptime?”

  Charlie stayed where she was next to me. “Nope. In fact, we sailed past preschool and are probably in middle school right now. Andie just stopped a repeater spell.”

  Beatrix raised one brow ever so slightly. “Is that so?” Charlie nodded proudly. “Well, then I guess you can take a lunch break, but your day isn’t over. Make sure to discuss spells and when to use them and when to rely on innate magic.”

  Beatrix reached her hand out to me, and I accepted, a little surprised when I nearly flew off the ground onto my feet. “Good job today, Andie.”

  Before I could offer my thanks, the coven leader disappeared into a shimmer of magic.

  Charlie was on her feet and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Food sounds delicious. How about we grab some sandwiches and eat in the garden? It’s too nice to be inside for the rest of the afternoon.”

  My head was already nodding before she finished speaking, and my stomach was rumbling. I needed food badly.

  Charlie took me to the part of the garden that was all different kinds of colorful flowers and had a few picnic tables placed throughout. A few witches came and went while we ate the sandwiches we had brought with us.

  Those who passed by us all smiled or waved, and none of them made me feel as if Beatrix had lied about making everyone forget they’d known I’d had sex the night before.

  Charlie kicked me under the table. “Why are you frowning?”

  My face scrunched. “Ow. And rude.”

  She shrugged. “Don’t ignore my question.”

  “I’m just glad people really don’t remember what happened last night,” I said with a sigh.

  “You mean that not everyone remembers, because I certainly do and I expect details, woman. You can’t have sex powerful enough to send a wave of magic through the coven and not share. That’s just bad friend etiquette.”

  I laughed, crumpling up my garbage from the food. “Then I guess I’m a bad friend. I don’t kiss and tell.”

  She tried to kick me again, but I was prepared this time and moved my shins out of the way. “You’re no fun. A big stick in the mud.”

  I reached my hand across the table and grinned. “Because I love you, I will share that he was the biggest and best I’ve ever had. He was gentle and respectful, but then also demanding in what he wanted, even if the pleasure wasn’t necessarily for him.”

  Charlie was fanning her face. “I need to find myself a soulmate or just a grumbly wolf to play with. Never considered it before seeing you with Foster, but maybe you can properly introduce to me the one with the wide smile and dazzling hazel eyes.”

  She gave me puppy-dog eyes, and an idea was already forming inside my head, one Foster would hate, but I would love it. “Mack? He’s the beta and really friendly.”

  She raised a brow. “Friendly, huh? I can work with friendly.”

  “Maybe you can come to the pack with us next time,” I suggested.

  She grinned. “You know Foster probably won’t like that.”

  “You let me worry about him. As long as Holden says it’s okay, then you’re welcome with us anytime. They have guest rooms in the pack house, and it’s beautiful in there.”

  Charlie laughed and gathered up the rest of our stuff before we both stood. “Are you saying I can’t stay in that small, one-bedroom cabin you’ve told me about with you and the wolf?”

  “I love you, but not that much. And Foster would kill me,” I said with a chuckle.

  “No, he’d probably just punish you, but it wouldn’t really be punishment coming from him.” She waggled her brows.

  I shoved her as we walked back toward my house. “I should probably be more concerned about the thoughts you have about me and Foster.”

  “Nah. I’ll let you have the same ones when I land myself a sexy man, too.”

  There was little to no chance that I would be anything like she was once she found her other half, but I didn’t need to tell her that. Charlie could have her fun for now. I knew she meant well.

  Benjamin and his mother, whose name I’d yet to get, were walking toward us. He was grinning widely, and she was paying more attention to her hands than anything else.

  Benjamin waved. “Hey, Andie and Charlie.”

  I smiled. “It’s good to see you up and about.”

  They were within touching distance now, and Benjamin hugged me tightly. “Thank you for saving me.”

  “No thanks needed,” I said when he pulled back. “I’m just glad I could help.”

  Charlie nodded at the woman. “Hi, Reah. I don’t think you’ve met Andie yet.” Charlie turned to me. “Reah and Benjamin joined the coven after you and your mom left.”

  “I saw her briefly, but it’s nice to formally meet you,” I said, but she still wouldn’t really look up.

  Benjamin nudged her. “Come on, Mom. It’s okay.”

  Nerves assaulted me. “Did something happen?”

  He shook his head, and his grin widened. “We have something to share with you.”

  Yeah, that didn’t help ease the twisting of my insides.

  Reah finally looked up after Benjamin whispered something in her ear. She had tears in her green eyes, and her lip quivered.

  “Your mother? She was…” A hand covered her mouth as she sobbed.

  Benjamin held her shoulders tightly. “It’s okay, Mom. It wasn’t your fault. Andie will understand.”

  I shared a concerned look with Charlie. Neither of us had any idea what was going on.

  Reah took a shuddering breath and met my gaze again. “Your mother was my cousin, the only person I considered family until I met my Jeffrey.”

  My mouth opened, but no words came out as my stare bounced between her and Benjamin. My mind couldn’t believe what my ears were hearing. Did I still have blood family in this world? How could this have been possible?

  Charlie pinched my arm, but before I could get my thoughts in order, Reah continued. “We grew up together in Oregon, and I was younger by six years. She protected me and taught me everything she knew about magic and surviving in our family, but when I was a teenager, I thought I knew better than her. I met Jeffrey, and he told me about a coven who wanted his help, one that promised him all the things I could only ever dream of. One that would get me away from our oddly run coven.”

  “Moira,” I muttered, and she nodded.

  “Aspen tried to warn me off, but Jeffrey was my everything. I had to go with him. At the time, I thought if I let him go, then it would be the end of the world. My only saving grace was that Jeffrey was truly an amazing man. He protected me as much as he could after we quickly realized this new coven wasn’t what we’d been led to believe it was. In the end, we were both stuck. There was no leaving once we were bound to Moira’s terms.”

  “Except you did leave, when you had the right motivation.” I glanced at Benjamin.

  She nodded and squeezed her son’s hand. “Jeffrey wouldn’t let Benjamin be tainted by that woman. He gave his life so we could have one outside of the darkness, but I was so ashamed. I hid for months before Juniper found me. Apparently, Aspen had told her about me, and Junie promised to find me for her.

  “When Junie did, I was so ashamed of my choices, I told her the only way I would come to the coven was if she didn’t tell Aspen I was there and nobody else knew I was related to her. Aspen had already been through enough. She didn’t need to feel guilty about coming back to fix my broken pieces, and I couldn’t raise Benjamin beyond the coven. Not with his abilities. I needed help Aspen couldn’t provide after giving up her magic.”