The ground was cold beneath his bare feet, and dead leaves crackled as he walked. He took a deep breath. A scent on the wind caused him to stumble. Then he froze and held his breath, afraid to take any more of the surrounding air into his nose. It was … her scent. The smell filled him. But it wasn’t possible. Peri wasn’t here. Even if she was alive, why would Peri be in the Dark Forest? His head swung around as he searched through the trees. There was nothing, just dead trees, darkness, and emptiness. Slowly, he let out his breath and then hesitantly took another one. The scent was gone, as he knew it would be. It had only been a ghost memory of his former mate. Part of him mourned the fact that this time when he sniffed there was only the smell of the surrounding forest. But the other part was relieved. He didn't want Peri's scent in his nostrils. The smell would only drive him over the edge even faster.

  “She’s alive,” his wolf said in his mind as he continued to search the woods around them.

  “No."

  “I know she’s not lost to us.”

  "You can’t possibly know that,” Lucian responded. He didn’t want to hear what his wolf had been trying to tell him since Heather had begun visiting him. He didn’t want to think for even a moment that his mate, his female, was still present in this life. Because if he entertained that idea for even a second, and then found out it wasn’t true, he would be destroyed all over again. Only this time, he didn’t think he would be able to control what that devastation would do to him.

  “We will wait,” his wolf said. “We waited for her here before, in this very forest, and she came to us. So, we will wait again.”

  It amazed him that just the scent of their mate had calmed his wolf to a level that he was willing to simply stay put instead of actively seeking her out as he’d wanted to do before.

  “I was wrong. Pursuing her would chase her away. We must let her return to us on her own. She must choose us,” said the wolf.

  Lucian refrained from pointing out that she’d already specifically not chosen them. There was no point in arguing with his beast. He was as stubborn as the human, and more discussion would only serve to frustrate him. Instead, Lucian found a large tree and sat down at the base. He leaned back and stretched his legs out in front of him. His hands rested in his lap, and his head laid back so that it was pressed against the trunk. Then Lucian closed his eyes, and for the first time since the mountaintop, he allowed himself to remember. He thought back to the beginning of their mating when she was so adamant that she wouldn’t accept him as her other half.

  “I have asked you politely to stay out of my head,” Peri spoke into the dark room they shared.

  Lucian chuckled, letting his voice whisper through her mind. “So telling me to get a damn life and leave you the hell alone is your version of polite?” he asked.

  “I didn’t throw anything at you, and I didn’t stab you. So yes, that is my version of polite,” she snapped.

  “I don’t know why you are fighting this, Perizada. You are my true mate. You have the other half of my soul, and I have yours.”

  “You can keep it. I’ve gotten along fine without it for all this time.”

  “I could help you with the nightmares,” he murmured into her mind.

  “I don’t think my nightmares are afraid of the big bad wolf—sorry to disappoint.”

  “You underestimate the healing power of love. Love mends many things. It could mend the brokenness inside of you.”

  “Bloody hell! Did you get that from a Hallmark card?”

  Lucian smiled to himself at the memory. She’d fought their bond valiantly, but she’d lost. The mate bond was not something that could be ignored so easily, not even by the great Perizada. There had been a few times that he’d honestly been afraid she would be successful and walk away from him, but ultimately, she’d given in. She’d realized the blessing of having someone to share your burdens with. Peri had decided that being alone, having the so-called freedom she vehemently argued for, wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. He’d been patient with her. Lucian had given her space. He’d given her time to come to terms with the changes she was facing. He wondered now if he had ended up enabling her to believe her own lies. The Great Luna had even visited him to help him understand.

  A soothing voice came from behind him. “You are acclimating well to this environment.” He turned and knelt all in one motion, bowing his head to his Creator.

  “Great Luna,” he rumbled.

  “But for all your acclimation, you hesitate at the door of your true mate. Why?”

  Lucian didn’t miss the reprimand in the Great Luna’s voice and fought the urge to cringe at the picture she painted. He, a dominant male, and an Alpha in his own right, stood like a scared pup outside the door of his mate instead of claiming what was his.

  “She doesn’t fully understand the bond, and I won’t push her before she is ready,” he explained, and though it made sense to him, it sounded like an excuse as he said it out loud.

  “Perhaps you aren’t giving her enough credit. Peri is a strong female, which is why I picked her for you. She has shouldered many burdens and dealt with much evil in her time. I have a feeling she is plenty up to the challenge of an Alpha male werewolf. Stand, Lucian,” she commanded gently.

  Lucian rose from his position on the ground and looked at the Great Luna. His eyes met hers briefly but then dropped in humility. He decided to voice what he knew his Creator already knew. “What if she doesn’t want me? What if she doesn’t want the mate bond?”

  He felt her hand on his shoulder and her warmth, love, and comfort from that simple touch.

  “You aren’t asking the right questions. What you should be asking is what if she does?” She tilted his chin up so that he had to look at her. “I know you were in the dark for a very long time and that has affected the wolf you are, but do not let it affect the man I created you to be. The struggles that you endure in your life can either chip away at the goodness inside of you, or they can cause you to grow stronger, fortifying your character. Don’t let that time in the Dark Forest ruin the good things I have in store for you. Don’t allow yourself to be robbed of joy because of fears that might never come to fruition. I made you, wolf. I have a purpose for you, but I cannot fulfill it. That is something only you can do. I gave you a true mate, and now you must claim her. Love her as she needs, be the servant male that she has never known, and watch the walls that she has built up around herself come crashing down only for you.”

  “It has come to fruition,” Lucian said as the emptiness of the Dark Forest crept into his soul. He didn’t blame the Great Luna for what happened. It wasn’t the goddess's fault that Peri exercised her free will. He didn’t want Peri’s love if it was forced. He couldn’t imagine anyone wanting a person to love them without choosing to.

  He heard Heather’s voice again, but Lucian pushed it away and allowed himself to drift deeper into his mind, letting more memories keep him from having to deal with his current reality.

  Chapter

  Four

  “There is something beautiful about the dark. I know it sounds crazy, but without darkness, there can be no light. There can be no golden glow to shine into the black void and reveal the things that have been hidden. Evil is not the only thing that darkness conceals. More often than not, it is the lovely things of the world that darkness seeks to hide. It is our job to bring the light into those places that need to be illuminated so that we can show the hope waiting to be seized.” ~Jacque

  * * *

  “Is she going to die?” Lilly asked.

  “Wow.” Jen breathed out. “Just going straight to the depressing stuff, huh?”

  Jacque watched as her mother, Lilly, ignored Jen’s statement and stared directly at the sprite queen. Andora’s expression didn't change in response to Lilly's question. Jacque felt the weight of her mom’s fear on her chest. She could see the warlock queen holding her breath, waiting for the answer.

  Jacque glanced around the room, her eyes taking in those who’d gathered to discuss the events that had taken place a couple of weeks prior. Jen had even managed to coax Sally and Costin from their room, no doubt somehow guilting their best friend into the action. Jacque didn’t care how’d she’d gotten the couple to come. She was just glad to see them.

  Only a few were missing. The males who’d gone on the hunt for Kara and some lower members of the Romanian pack. The Poland and Hungary pack alphas were also absent. They tended to keep to themselves, though Fane had been in touch with them during the mourning period. The alphas of the other packs had opted to leave their other wolves in their territories. They wanted to protect the humans that lived close to each of their packs. They suspected the Order would begin to attack humans in a bid to get the packs to engage them in all-out war. They’d even called in the Coldspring and Springfield pack alphas, even though they hadn’t had any sign of the Order anywhere near their territories.

  Cindy Morgan and her husband Chris were also present, and neither looked like they were coping very well. Cindy’s eyes kept jumping to Sally, but she seemed at a loss as to how to help her daughter. Jacque hurt to see the woman looking so helpless. Chris looked even worse as he wrapped an arm around his wife as if that could somehow keep her from falling apart. All in all, it was a room filled with somber supernaturals who were unsure how to move forward in a battle that was unlike one they’d ever faced.

  “If you’re asking me to tell you if the seer sprites have seen anything concerning your daughter’s life, you know I cannot, nor can Cindy,” Andora said. Her voice was unwavering, revealing not even a hint of remorse over the fact that she couldn’t offer the information that Lilly wanted. Jacque glanced at Sally’s mom and saw defeat in her eyes. Jacque wondered if Cindy had seen anything and perhaps that was what weighed so heavily on her.

  “Wait,” Stella spoke up. “These seer sprites can see the future?”

  “Hence the name: seer sprites,” Jen said dryly.

  “You better be happy I like you.” Stella glanced at Jen. “Otherwise I’d have Jewel put a hex on you.”

  “Dude, I’m so jealous of your witchy powers.” Jen sighed as she looked longingly at Jewel.

  “I’m not asking you to break any rules, nor would I ask that of Cindy,” Lilly said, once again ignoring the others in the room. “I’m asking you your opinion as one with healing powers.”

  “The only thing I can tell you is that I will do everything in my power to make sure Jacque pulls through.” Andora’s eyes softened briefly, though her voice was hard as steel.

  Jacque’s mom gave a sharp nod of her head, seeming to accept that it was the best answer she was going to get.

  “Regardless of what I can and cannot reveal,” Cindy said, “I haven’t been able to see anything, even when I attempt it.” She looked at Jacque, her lips turning up in a sad smile. “I wish I could.”

  Jacque shook her head. “Sometimes not knowing is better because our actions aren’t dictated by something we think we can’t change. Nothing is set in stone, remember? No matter what you or anyone else sees.”

  “Not to be insensitive in regards to the alpha female’s predicament,” Myanin said, “but can we discuss the cold fire explosion? And whether or not Peri could have survived it?”

  “Heather is convinced that she did,” Zara said. “So am I.”

  “Why?” Myanin narrowed her eyes on Wadim’s mate.

  The Romanian pack historian pulled his mate closer to him. Since Kara’s abduction and the battle at the Romanian pack mansion, the males had gone from merely protective to overbearing and ridiculous.

  “I’ve got a—” Wadim began but his words were cut off by a flash of light. And then the high fae in question suddenly stood in their midst. Jacque shot up in her bed, the shock of Peri’s appearance giving her strength she hadn’t had since before her attack. There was a collective gasp, and everyone seemed frozen as if they were afraid the slightest movement might make Peri disappear again.

  The high fae opened her hand, and five fae stones floated into the air. “They go where they are needed most,” Peri said. The fae's voice sounded strained to Jacque's ears as if the mere act of speaking was somehow an effort. “The power of the stones is a mystery. They heal, and they reveal. And so they've brought me here. I bid you listen and do not speak. Now is not the time for questions.

  "The prodigal is returning, and a new son will join your ranks. Evil will think it has prevailed, but hope will be born from the supposed triumph.” Her eyes roamed over the room, and Jacque saw what looked like a thunderstorm of emotions behind the fae’s eyes. Finally they stopped on Jacque. “I am sorry.” A thousand responses ran through Jacque's mind. Where the hell have you been? Why the hell did you try and take down the Order without us? How could you do that to all those innocents? But Jacque couldn't seem to force her lips to form any words.

  Then Peri looked at Sally, and her eyes softened even more. “So, so sorry.” And before anyone in the room could make a sound, the fae disappeared. The stones dropped to the floor with a clatter. At the same time, the door to the room flew open, crashing against the wall so hard the stone cracked where it hit.

  Lucian looked around frantically, his chest rising and falling as he turned in a circle. “Where is she?” he snarled. “I felt her. Where the hell is my mate?”

  Heather and Kale rushed into the room a few seconds later. The healer bent over, huffing and puffing, resting her hands on her knees. “I. Need. To…” She breathed out the words in between gasps. “Work out more.”

  “Where is my mate?” Lucian snarled again.

  “I told you she was alive.” Zara folded her arms across her chest.

  Heather jerked to an upright position. Her unseeing eyes widened. “I knew it.” She beat a fist in the air.

  “She was here,” Jacque spoke up, hoping to calm Lucian down. “But only for a few seconds. She dropped the fae stones and vanished before any of us could stop her.”

  Lucian looked at Nissa and Disir, the two high fae. “Can you trace her?”

  “I can try.” Disir walked over to the wolf. He held out his arm. And before anyone could stop them, they flashed from the room.

  “How in the world did he get out of that cell?” Sally asked.

  Heather sheepishly raised her hand. “I might have had something to do with it.”

  “How?” Andora asked.

  “Well, you see…” Heather began. “People always underestimate blind chicks. Supernaturals, in particular, I've noticed, seem to view me as weak. And for some reason, they even think my lack of sight also means I have a lack of intelligence.”

  Jewel huffed. “Get to the point, Helen.”

  “I stole the key to the cell from one of your guards,” Heather said. “You really should remind them that those who are underestimated are often the biggest threat.”

  “Every day, I love her more.” Jen grinned.

  Jacque rolled her eyes at her best friend. The more devious a person, the more the blonde approved. Jen’s mind was truly a scary place.

  “Okay, the mystery of Peri’s crazy mate’s escape has been solved.” Myanin stepped forward. “We have bigger things to figure out. Like the cryptic message Peri delivered.” She knelt and stared at the fae stones. Jacque had forgotten they were there.

  “Does anyone even remember what she said?” Cindy Morgan asked as Nissa walked over to where Myanin knelt. She gathered the stones and held them close, staring down at them while a deep V marred her brow.

  Wadim raised his arm. He held a small pad of paper. “While the rest of you were staring with your mouths hanging open, I was doing my job.”

  “We’ll give you a cookie later, history boy,” Jen told him. “Please continue to dazzle us with your competence.”

  Myanin pinched the bridge of her nose. “How is it possible you all have managed to save the world one time, let alone on multiple occasions?”

  Jacque understood the djinn’s frustration. “Believe it or not, we pull it together when it counts.”

  Wadim cleared his throat and then began to read what he’d written as Peri was speaking. When he’d finished, the room was quiet. Now that Jacque was over the surprise of Peri’s visit, the pain and exhaustion returned. She gave a stifled groan and leaned back in the bed.

  “That’s clear as mud,” Cindy muttered.

  “Let’s start with what we know.” Jacque motioned to the stones in Nissa’s hands. “She said they go where they are needed most, which we already knew about the stones. She said they heal but also reveal. Throw out some ideas. Nissa”—Jacque’s eyes rose to hers—“do you have any insight?”

  “The fae stones have many powers,” Nissa said. “More than likely, we don’t know all they’re capable of. What we do know is that they can amplify the power of other supernaturals, if the intentions of that power are used for good.”

  “She said they can heal,” Zara said. “If you’re saying they magnify power, then could they magnify all the gypsy chicks' powers?” She motioned toward Jacque. “Maybe that’s the answer to healing our female alpha.”

  “Team history boy is up two cookies.” Jen pointed to each of the healers. “Let’s see if you gals can catch up by working your mojo and save my girl.”

  “Might I suggest adding the healer sprites as well?” Andora asked.

  “There goes another cookie,” Jen gave the queen a thumbs-up.

  “She doesn’t really have any cookies, does she?” Heather asked.

  “No,” Jacque and Sally answered at the same time Jen said, “You’re down negative one cookie. Don’t think I will have mercy on you just because your eyeballs are broken.”

  Kale growled, but Heather placed a hand on his chest and smiled. “If you did show me mercy because my eyes are broken, I’d kick your seeing ass.”

  Jen made a heart with her hands and fluttered her eyelashes. “My girl crush just got deeper.”

  “If you two are quite done, could we please work on saving my daughter?” Lilly asked, exasperation filling her voice.