They’d walk through this valley yet. Katy just prayed that when they reached the other side, no one else would have to be lost along the way. What she didn’t tell Lola or Gage was that she was still prepared to give up her life, if that’s what it took to save the innocent women who’d been forced into this life.

  Gage stared out the window of the cabin he’d called home for nearly a century, but his focus was far from the beautiful landscape beyond. His mind kept replaying the moment Otto told him Katy had to sacrifice herself. Then the resolve he saw on her face when he’d confronted her about it. The despair and acceptance in her voice tore at his soul. She would willingly give up the precious gift of life because her heart was too damn big. And though she didn’t know it, because he hadn’t bothered to mention it, as her mate, he could feel her emotions. So while she told him she trusted him to find another way, he still felt her resolve to give up her life if it came to it.

  And he, the mighty Dire Wolf, the last of his kind, could do nothing to stop her. Never had he felt so powerless. Gage was a protector, a warrior. Fighting impossible battles was in his blood. It’s what Dire Wolves did—they laid down their lives for the ones they protect without hesitation. But how did you fight for someone determined to become a martyr?

  “I know you’re hurting. I can feel it. Why can I feel what you’re feeling?”

  Gage turned at the sound of her voice. Katy stood just inside the bedroom door, outlined in soft, fading light. After they’d eaten, she’d taken a nap on the couch in the living room. Gage hadn’t wanted to disturb her, so he’d come to the bedroom to brood.

  “The same way I can feel what you’re feeling,” he said gruffly.

  Surprise and embarrassment flashed in her eyes before changing to the sorrowful resolve he’d come to know too well on her beloved face, making his heart seize. Gage crossed the room in an instant and pulled her fiercely into his arms. This was so new to him. The miracle of a mate. Something he never thought he would deserve or want. To have her in his arms was beyond words. He found that when he was in her vicinity, he just couldn’t help himself. He needed to touch her.

  “We’re mates, destined by Visata,” he told her, even though she already knew that part. “Not to mention I’m a Dire Wolf, which changes things for us. I have always been able to morph into my beast. A blessing from our Creator because my kind protected the shaman. But that doesn’t mean our mating won’t give me other abilities. I just don’t know what those might be.” He ran a hand down her back and felt her shiver at his touch. “For the moment, we can add ‘feels each other’s emotions’ to that list. And it means that we will most likely have supernatural abilities that others do not.”

  She pulled back a tad, putting space between them he didn’t want, but he wouldn’t force her to be in his arms if that’s not where she wanted to be.

  “I feel that.” She poked him in the chest. “Frustration. Why are you frustrated?”

  Gage inwardly groaned. “Don’t obsess over everything you feel from me, Little Wolf. It will drive you mad.”

  She simply stared at him, her brows raised. Waiting.

  He sighed. “I’m frustrated because you’re still determined to be a martyr if you must. I can’t help but feel a little rejected.”

  “You think my heart doesn’t shatter into a million pieces at the thought of losing you?” Katy’s breath hitched. She wound her arms around his neck, pressing close like she was trying to melt into him. “I never even knew I wanted something like this until I met you. I never knew I had it in me to be a romantic and want the fairytale ending. But there it is. And now it could all be gone in an instant.”

  Gage squeezed his eyes shut, emotions threatening to overwhelm him. He had to be strong for her, to give her whatever comfort he could in this nightmare.

  “Katy, my mate,” he rasped, cupping her face in one big hand. Her eyes were bright with tears, wide and luminous like the moon. Gage brushed away the moisture from her cheeks with aching tenderness. “I cannot stand by and watch you sacrifice yourself. You have no idea what agony it would bring me.” The words were raw, stripped bare of his usual stoic façade.

  Katy placed a gentle hand over his heart. Her touch scorched him, reminding his wolf how very fragile their bond still was. “I know,” she whispered. “Believe me, if there’s another way…” Her voice broke on a sob.

  Gage crushed her to him again, inhaling her sweet scent as though to imprint it on his very soul. The rich aroma of cinnamon and honeysuckle enveloped him. It was the smell of mate, of home. An invisible cord wrapped around his heart and pulled taut. The urge to protect, to claim, to never let go, nearly overwhelmed him. His beast was ravenous to fight and kill a foe, but the one that deserved killing had gone into hiding, and the foe before him, the reality of their situation, wasn’t something his wolf could fight. He’d never felt so damn helpless in his life.

  “I’ll find another way,” he vowed again fiercely. “I swear on my life.” If Katy Dire left this world, then Gage would follow her into the next life.

  Katy leaned back to meet his eyes, determination shining beneath her sorrow. “I have to face this. But knowing you’re beside me makes it bearable.” She cradled his jaw, tenderness radiating from her moonlit gaze.

  Gage turned his head, brushing his lips against her palm. The aching need to taste her, to consume his mate until she was permanently seared into his soul, threatened to shatter his control. He shuddered out a breath. There would be time for claiming later after this crisis had passed.

  If she lived. Gage shoved the dark thought away. She would live. The Dire Wolf was not so easily defeated. He hadn’t survived alone for centuries just to lose his mate after one stolen day together. Call it stubbornness, fate, or the will of Visata. Gage would save his female or die trying. Failure wasn’t an option. He had been alone too long and fought too many battles, with no real reason to survive. For the first time in centuries, the soul of his wolf knew peace. The emptiness inside was filled by Katy’s presence. She was the missing piece they’d unknowingly craved. No. He could not lose that now. Would not.

  “Stay with me.” Gage lifted her into his arms and carried her toward the large bed in the center of the room. Everything in the cabin was sized for a male of his proportions. But in his arms, Katy felt so small, so fragile. An overwhelming need to shelter and protect her from the world and everyone in it rose inside of him.

  Gage laid her gently atop the plush blankets and nestled in behind her. Her slim body contoured to him as though made to fit at his side. Gage buried his face in her riot of brunette waves, breathing her in, clinging as though to keep her tethered to this world through the force of his will alone. This was right. She was his balance, his missing half, the light to his darkness. He had found her finally. Surely fate could not be so cruel as to snatch her away again so soon. Gage held her tighter. He would protect what was his, no matter the cost. Katy was his mate, his to guard and cherish. And the Dire Wolf would rip the very stars from the heavens before he let anyone take her from him and leave him in the dark of this cruel world.

  They lay together in silence as the first rays of dawn crept across the sky. Gage kept his arms locked around Katy, her back pressed to his chest. She relaxed into him with a sigh, her warmth and soft curves molded against his larger frame. He nuzzled into her hair, breathing her in, memorizing every detail. The steady thrum of her heart soothed his own.

  Gage had almost lost himself to the mindless rage of his wolf many times over the centuries alone. The Dire beast within rattled at its chains even now, ready to slaughter any who dared threaten its mate. But Katy’s nearness settled his other half in a way nothing else could. With her, the man and wolf were finally at peace. She kept the demons of his past at bay. With her, the present was brighter and the future held promise.

  If he could just save her somehow…

  He sensed when Katy drifted to sleep, her body going lax. He continued trailing his fingers idly along her arm. Even resting, she looked weary, the toll of the past days etched in the smudges beneath her eyes. His brave mate had endured so much: the shock of discovering a whole hidden supernatural world, the cruelty of the serpent king, the terrible burden fate had placed upon her shoulders.

  Gage’s arms tightened reflexively. He would rip apart the very fabric of the universe before allowing her to be taken from him. There had to be another way to save those girls without Katy’s sacrifice.

  In the stillness, Gage sent up a fervent prayer to Visata. The Creator had said Katy possessed a generous heart. Protecting the innocent was part of her very nature. Gage knew he could not dissuade his mate from that righteous path.

  But there must be some other means of saving the human captives without robbing the world of Katy’s light. She was meant for so much more. He had to believe that or go mad with grief for what they might have shared.

  “Please,” he rasped into the quiet room, a single tear slipping free. “There must be another way. Tell me how to save her.”

  The last vestiges of night slowly succumbed to the morning’s rosy touch. Still, no answer came. Katy slept on, her mate a silent sentinel standing guard against the darkness waiting to claim her.

  Finally, as the first birdsong heralded the new day, Gage, too, slipped into sleep, his body curled protectively around hers. One arm stayed locked over her, anchoring them together.

  Then the dream came.

  Gage found himself in a lush forest, sunlight dappling the verdant ground. A figure stood at the edge of the glade up ahead, rays of light radiating from his form so bright that Gage had to drop his gaze. His breath left him in a rush. He would know this being anywhere—the aura of infinite power and grace. His knees hit the soft earth.

  “Visata,” he gasped. “I need your guidance.”

  “Come closer, but keep your eyes down.” The Creator beckoned.

  The Dire rose and moved into the light, emotions choking him.

  Visata’s voice surrounded him, at once vast as the cosmos, yet intimate as a father speaking to his child. “I have heard you, my son. Your mate hears the cry of innocent blood, and she would answer it nobly. Soon it will be time for you to move. You will wait for my words to come to you when the hour is right. Hope is not lost.”

  The vision faded, leaving Gage breathless with emotions. Clinging to this new chance, whatever that might be, Gage jolted awake. He stared down at his sleeping mate, resolve hardening within him.

  Katy had given him hope again after endless years adrift in solitude. Now Gage would fight with his last breath to ensure the Dire Wolves’ legacy lived on through her.

  Their story was only just beginning, and Visata willing, they had centuries yet to write it together.

  Chapter Two

  If Azure Dies Accidentally Falling On My Knife, No One's Losing Sleep Over It.

  “Nothing is as it seems. Never take the supernatural world at face value, or you will be gobsmacked by the whiplash of something you never saw coming.” ~Zeena

  Zeena had once possessed a spirit that glowed as radiantly as the rising sun. Those who know her now would scoff at this revelation, but once upon a time, joy and love spilled freely from her heart, bringing light to all those around her. But those happy days were gone, displaced by the cold centuries spent mated to Azure. He hadn’t always been cruel and disregarding of her feelings. There’d been a day he hadn’t been dismissive toward having a family. But he’d changed, and because of that, he had chilled the inner radiance she once held to barely a flicker. She felt as though ice flowed in her veins, and she exhaled frosty air with every breath.

  “My love, we have no need for children to be happy,” Azure would purr, his serpentine eyes staring through her. “Our kingdom will ssstand as legacy enough.”

  Recently, before the attack on their home, she’d thought she might be pregnant. But if she were, it was early, and she’d lost the babe. Bitterness had become the armor she wore to cover the anguish. Though it threatened to choke her, Zeena would paste on a smile. In public, she played the part of the devoted queen, appearing as ruthless as her mate. Only alone at night in the dark of her bedroom did she weep for the future she had always dreamed of having: little ones to nurture and raise, a family to cherish. A mate who would gaze upon her as though she were his entire universe.

  Azure cared only for power and domination. He viewed her innermost desires as mere distractions from his ambitions for their kingdom.

  “Why dwell on what we lack?” he would hiss dismissively whenever she dared speak of children. “I provide you with everything your heart could wish for. Is that not enough?”

  After centuries of being denied the family she so desperately longed for, Zeena’s once tender heart had been forced to harden simply to survive the pain. She retreated deep within herself, becoming as cold and removed from the world as her indifferent mate. Though outwardly she stayed loyal, a secret part of Zeena’s battered soul continued to whisper that she deserved so much more than this.

  The day Azure finally revealed his depraved plan to steal and sacrifice innocent lives, the last frail flicker of light lingering within Zeena shuddered and went out. She could no longer pretend that her mate was anything short of a monster. Nor that she, herself, was completely blameless for standing dutifully at his side all this time.

  When fire finally rained down on their kingdom, Zeena fled the ashes of her shattered dreams. Centuries of emotional neglect at Azure’s hands had smothered the joy she once held, dimming her spirit down to the barest ember. While Azure had gone into hiding, allowing the voodoo priestess to help conceal his whereabouts, Zeena had fled in a different direction. Alone, she hid herself away in a kingdom where he would never think to look for her, a place where she could change her appearance enough to fit in and not be discovered. She needed time and space to figure out what her next move would be. She had to prepare herself to face the male who had slowly destroyed everything good and gentle within her.

  But perhaps, a small voice whispered, it is truly not too late for your inner light to be revived.

  Nico leaned back in the plush seat of the private jet, propping his boots up on the table. Across from him, Callon tensed, his golden eyes flashing with irritation.

  “Feet off the furniture, Shaman Chaos,” the lion shifter growled.

  Nico’s lip curled. He didn’t take orders from overgrown cats. But after the look Shaman Roan leveled at Nico, he shrugged and complied. No need to start a brawl 30,000 feet in the air.

  “So, we’re going to beg the silkies for help to find Azure?” Nico snorted, flipping one of his knives idly. “I highly doubt they’ll want to get involved in a snake wrangling mission. It’s too risky for those creepy crawlers. They might break a leg… or six.”

  Callon bristled, but Roan answered calmly. “King Aurelius and Queen Athena lead justly and despise those who deal in darkness. If Azure hides in their lands, they will wish to root him out.”

  Nico grunted skeptically. In his experience, those in exalted positions enjoyed keeping the status quo. They didn’t want to rock the boat, even if it meant tolerating the occasional bit of rot. “Maybe they will want the snake out of their territory, but will they be able to find him if the slippery serpent doesn’t wish to be found? He has the help of a voodoo witch. No doubt he will be hidden by powerful spells of concealment.”

  “Which is why we need Athena’s help,” Roan said patiently. “There are few supernaturals stronger at unraveling the unseen. If anyone can pierce Azure’s veil of darkness, it is her.”

  “She’s got a hundred eyes. Of course, she’d be able to see past the glamour.” If he were being honest, Nico would have to admit that he didn’t like arachnids of any kind. He didn’t trust them and never had. But that was a story for another day. Today, the front-page headline would read “Two Stupid Shaman, One Lion, and One Panther Get Stuck in the Spider’s Web.” No two ways about it. We’re going to be lucky to make it out of KOS without becoming dinner.

  The jet hit some turbulence, and the conversation halted as they rode out the bumps. Nico gazed out the window at the landscape far below. He loved to fly, though he’d much rather be able to do it like those in the Kingdom of Wings—out in the elements, feeling the wind ripple across your skin as you twirled and flipped and then rose higher into the air. Nico lived for the adrenaline rushes in life. Why? Because what the hell else did he have to live for?

  After a few minutes, the jet leveled out. Nico leaned forward, bracing his arms on the table. He was ready to get out of the steel bird and hunt. His metaphorical inner beast was foaming at the mouth to get a hold of Azure. Which gave him pause. “Say we do actually find Azure, thanks to the Silkies. Then what? Azure won’t go quietly, not after the Dire Wolf gutted him and took his prize captive.” Just thinking about the snake made Nico bare his teeth. He’d enjoy being part of the hunting party that finally took Azure down for good. Focus, man.

  Callon’s eyes glowed fiercely. “We’ll rip his fangs out by the root. The snake king will pay for the lives he stole.”

  Nico appreciated the lion’s thirst for blood.

  Roan pressed his fingers to his temples. “Let’s just start with locating him. Justice and the law will deal with Azure in due time.”

  Nico snorted. “If you expect the Council to handle this, the cobra will slither free as he always does. I say we finish it ourselves, send a clear message to those who might be inclined to hurt innocents.”

  Bane whispered, “We should not be the ones to take Azure’s life. That right belongs to the Dire Wolf, for it was his mate that has been harmed. Our goal should be to incapacitate and capture.”

  “No one will take anyone’s life. We represent the Creator’s law, not our own vengeance,” Roan chided.

  Nico pointed at Callon. “Does he look like he’s in a mood to dispense fair, even-handed justice?” At Roan’s exasperated look, Nico shrugged. “Face it, Cat Boy. If Azure dies accidentally falling on my knife, no one’s losing sleep over it.”