That familiar sting pricked my chest and I sped up, determined to get to the scared circle before the ceremony could take place.

  “What is this?” I heard an elder shout, his voice wobbly.

  The gaps in the trees grew wider and I lifted my head, not caring if anyone saw me. Tony had obviously just announced his intentions. It was the perfect time to arrive.

  Tammy rose up beside me, her hands shaking as she clenched her amulet. She was the only one who had come to tell me the truth. She might have been involved in the coup at first, but her remorse was clear to see. Would the others be loyal to Tony now? And what about Alini? She held more power than even Tony.

  Fender grabbed my hand just before I stepped into the clearing. “No matter what happens,” he muttered, “I'm here.”

  My insides quivered and I stared at him, my heart swelling with that unfamiliar feeling again. He ducked his gaze and nodded sharply, clearly dismissing my longing glance. The rejection blasted through my core and I coughed, turning away to hide the disappointment. He might have offered to be there for me, but it was in kindness only. Which was fine. If he was feeling some kinda way about me, it would only complicate things.

  Staring ahead, I shook him from my thoughts and gestured for the others to follow me. My boots crunched on the leaves before I landed on the grass of the sacred space. The members of my pack were either sitting or standing, watching Alini as she stepped up onto the sacred rock where the first lycan had spilled blood.

  Below her, Tony wore a robe and a smug expression, looking out onto the crowd as if he owned them already.

  “People of the pack,” Alini called, turning to face those who had betrayed me.

  Her gaze lifted higher and froze as it landed on me, waiting in the wings. I wouldn't need to announce my arrival, they would sense it.

  “Hello, Alini,” I called, treading closer to the back of the pack. “Fancy seeing you here.”

  My footsteps were slow, calculated. The werewolves stared at me, parting to allow me and my friends to enter the sacred area. Fender and Tammy were right behind me with the twins and Joel bringing up the rear, their paws padding on the ground.

  “Violet!” Alini's cheeks glowed bright pink. “What are you doing here?”

  Growls rumbled low in several wolves’ throats as I stepped through the crowd and stopped on the grass, facing my sworn enemy.

  Tony's jaw was clenched tight as he glared at Tammy, fire almost bursting from his eyes. He had expected her to stay loyal to him, to disregard everything ingrained in her wolf make-up. A werewolf bowed to their alpha above any other... except maybe their mate.

  “You have betrayed your alpha,” I spat at Tony.

  A blast of laughter bellowed from him, silencing everyone. I folded my fingers into my palms and tensed my shoulders. The warmth from Fender's frame slipped into my back, reminding me that I wasn't alone.

  “I see that you have shacked up with the very brothers who got you into this mess in the first place.” Tony shrugged his wide shoulders and turned to Alini. “Let's get on with this, shall we?”

  Alini frowned and shook her head before looking at me. “I'm sorry,” she said, “the wolf god has spoken.”

  Scoffing, I surged forward, only stopping when several young males of the pack rushed in front of Tony and bared their teeth.

  Fender was beside me, his arms tense and ready to fight. I held up a hand and the standoff eased. No matter what the pack had been made to believe, I was the only werewolf in the vicinity with pure lycan blood - which meant they would feel pulled to obey me over Tony. I had never wanted to use my power, instead preferring that they chose to follow me as their leader. Apparently, that had been a naive mistake.

  Looking at the men who protected Tony, I widened my eyes. “Do you really believe that the wolf god would chose a non-lycan bloodline to take over our ancient pack?”

  “She's lying!” Tammy shouted, pointing at Alini. “She's working with Tony to trick you all.”

  Voices erupted, some in support of Tony, others in league with me. Shit, the pack had been so coerced and deceived, they had no idea who told the truth. I was starting to wonder myself.

  “Silence!” Alini's voice cut through the ruckus. “I told you that a decision had been made regarding Violet Woodville. She has betrayed our pack by cavorting with strays.”

  My breath grew heavy as I watched Alini preach from the stone. My ancestors’ stone. My family stone. The place I had expected to become alpha a week ago.

  Her long pale hair was straggly and unkempt. I had never seen her look so sullen, so... crazed. And yet, she stared me straight in the eye, abandoning me completely. There was no coming back from it. What Fender had done had cast doubt into the seer's mind and helped to solidify Tony's hold over the pack. It was a lost cause.

  “I came here,” I started, moving closer to Tony, “to challenge you.”

  Pointing at my step-father, I sneered. My mother appeared by his side, her eyes wide and her skin pale. I was so disconnected from her, I hadn't even noticed that she hadn't been there before. Fuck her. Fuck the lot of them.

  Tony puffed his chest and gestured for his men to stand down. They did, glaring at Fender as they retreated a few steps. My friends were close by, ready to fight for me. It was ironic that the man who had teamed up with Tony to overthrow me was now ready to defend me.

  “You're still the stupid little girl who cried when daddy left,” Tony barked. “You need to harden up and face the consequences of your disgusting actions.”

  “What? Like you have?” I blurted. “Oh, you hardened me up, alright. Your violation turned me to fucking stone. Which is why I'm going to kill you now.”

  “Violation?” Fender's voice was deep and dark, rumbling in his chest. “What did he do?”

  His hand gripped my elbow and I winced as I looked up at him. He had stepped beside me and now stared at Tony, his whole body shaking. His eyes flashed, changing shape from human to wolf. He could barely contain his wolf spirit, which meant there could be carnage. I had to talk him down, otherwise he might have slaughtered my whole pack.

  His head bent to look at me, his eyes clearing. “Tell me.”

  A surprise tear dribbled down my cheek and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the memories of Tony's roaming hands. His attention had changed as soon as I'd become a teenager. His advances had been ignored by my mother, despite my pleading for her to hear me. It was hardly surprising that I hadn't made more effort to rescue her from his clutches. She had never bothered with me.

  Opening my eyes, I shuddered as my gaze clashed with Fender's. His face was bright red and his teeth were elongated, cutting into the flesh of his chin where he clenched his jaw.

  “I'm sorry,” he muttered, stroking a finger under my eye and removing the tear.

  Before I could reply, he spun and lunged forward, a roar exploding from his chest. Tony cringed backwards, tripping onto the sacred stone as Alini jumped out of the way, yelping when she fell onto the ground.

  Fender had almost reached Tony when three wolves landed on him, their teeth snapping at his clothes. Throwing one off, he grunted, unfazed by the lines of blood that were forming on his bare arms.

  “Fender!” I shouted, running forward to help.

  Reaching one of the wolves, I threw my hand out and swiped his rump with my claws. He yelped and fell off Fender, hobbling away.

  Arms came around me from behind, holding me back as Fender picked up the last wolf and threw it across the clearing.

  Tammy's scent slipped up my nose, reminding me who I was and why I was at the ceremony. My hand dropped and my claws retracted. I had just attacked my own pack member to protect a Lawless Brother. Great, my fate would be sealed now.

  Inhaling, I watched, helpless as Fender pushed forward, heading for Tony, who cowered behind the sacred stone. When my forbidden werewolf rushed onto the stone to reach his target, he froze, his back bending and his mouth stretching into a roar.

  Everyone went still and stared at the Lawless Brother who shook violently as his wolf fought to break free. Different parts of his body were shifting into wolf form. His hands shifted to big wolf paws and his muzzle lengthened, looking bigger than it had before. What was happening?

  Breathing deep, I glanced around at my people, suddenly realising, as they stared in horror, that they had never been mine. I had never been their alpha. They had treated me with respect and taught me basic training, but they hadn't ever come to me for advice or orders. My heartbeat slowed, echoing in my ears as the realisation hit. They had always gone to Tony, even directing me to him if I ever asked anything. No wonder they were ready to make him alpha.

  I snapped out of my revelation and stepped forward, reaching the stone as Fender dropped to his hands and knees. His huffs were interspersed with grunts as he stared at the hard rock. My gaze followed his, tracing the bright red symbol that now glowed on the surface. What the actual fuck?

  Tony shouted and surged forward, a knife raised high above his head. Without thinking, I darted onto the stone in front of Fender, using my body as a shield.

  Pain ripped through me and my vision blurred. I could just make out Tony being flung back as I froze to the spot, unable to move or speak. I clenched my hands into fists as my wolf tried to burst from me, pushing and pulling at my muscles and bones. I breathed hard, refusing to scream out the pain that vibrated through me.

  “Violet!” Tammy called, her voice barely audible over the roaring in my ears.

  The roar was feral and canine, although there was another layer to it... No, it was another wolf. I was hearing two howls in my mind.

  Tears streamed down my cheeks as I started to rise into the air. When I was a few feet up, the pain suddenly ebbed and I released my breath. I still had no control over my body as I turned slowly. My gaze met Fender's, who also hovered in the air, and a warmth exploded from my chest, shooting straight into his. A brown and gold glittery stream flowed between us, sending a gorgeous orgasmic sensation through my nerves.

  His eyes were wide, almost panicked. I wanted to reach for him, to wrap my arms and legs around his hulking body. I needed to draw him into me, to connect to him deeply. Needed to...

  Fuck.

  Shit.

  Bollocks.

  No.

  The panic suddenly gripped me, making my muscles hard. The light fluttered, but stayed strong, not releasing despite my resistance.

  “It's okay,” a feminine voice called.

  My whole body went still as I forced my eyes to glance down. My mother stood there, her hands across her heart. Her cheeks were glowing pink and a smile, as big as an upside crescent moon, split her face.

  Her excitement confirmed my fear. The mating bond of alphas had been evoked.

  When I looked at Fender, I blinked. His eyes held a sadness that I'd never seen before. What had made him so angry, so afraid of letting anyone in?

  Rejection.

  The vulnerability made my heart melt and I surrendered, wanting him to know that I would stand by him.

  As soon as I relaxed my muscles, the light evaporated and we both dropped to the ground.

  “No!” Tony's crazed shout echoed through the clearing. “He's a vile stray!”

  I crawled to Fender and wrapped my arms around his neck. He stayed crouched on one knee as he caught his breath. His head was bent, staring at the blood red symbol below us. I glanced down again, frowning when I saw a small spider engraved on the stone. I'd never seen it before or the symbol of a howling wolf. It was clearly the markings of the first blood ritual spell. But why a spider? And why did Fender have the same tattoo on his back?

  “What the fucking shitter was that?”

  I glanced to the side to see Joel. Of course. It couldn't be anyone else. Tammy and the twins were beside him, all staring.

  Fender lifted his head, shaking it slowly from side to side. I swallowed and glanced beyond the people who had stood beside me. My pack were speechless and wide eyed as I got to my feet. I would allow Fender a moment to come to terms with what had happened.

  “It appears,” I shouted, my voice echoing through the silence. “I have found my mate.”

  “He's no lycan!” a man shouted, spitting on the ground. “You must have played a trick on us.”

  Frowning, I turned to watch Fender, my neck bending backwards as he rose to a stand. He was bigger, somehow, his energy expanding. The man was right, he wasn't a lycan... was he?

  “I can explain,” he rasped, his voice croaky.

  There were several disgruntled murmurs and a few men moved in front of the women. A flood of white hot heat travelled from my heels and up to my head. He could explain? Did that mean there was something he hadn't told me?

  “Fender,” Joel said, a warning in his voice. “Don't forget the prophecy.”

  Rubbing his eyes, Fender grumbled. “I know, I fucking know.”

  He reached for my arm, cringing when I ripped it away and stepped off the sacred stone.

  “You knew!” A woman who had a very swollen belly gestured to me. “You brought this scumbag into our pack to take over.”

  “Take over?” I muttered, stumbling away from the Lawless Brothers. “What do you mean?”

  Jeers and cat calls came at me from all sides. The energy was heavy and anger sizzled in the air. My heart squeezed, breaking as I watched their faces, cold and hard. People who had smiled and laughed with me at some point in my life. People who were supposed to love and trust me.

  “You've tricked the stone into thinking that the Lawless brother has lycan blood,” a man I had crushed on in school piped up, “just so that you could have another alpha rule by your side.”

  My hair flicked in my face as I spun to stare at Fender. He was breathing hard and looking around, clearly reading the irate atmosphere. Had he known? Had he used me to become an alpha?

  His gaze met mine before dropping the instant the accusation hit. And that was all I had to know.

  A rock flew through the air and Fender caught it before letting it fall to the ground. Tammy came to stand beside me as the pack's anger boiled over and they started to move towards us. I was about to shout when Alini's sweet voice sang out, stilling the whole clearing. She had got back up onto the stone and had her arms held out to the side.

  Fender appeared and wrapped an arm around my waist, urging me towards the trees. I couldn't resist him, too drawn to him to even consider staying alone, even though he'd betrayed me.

  “I'm sorry,” he hissed in my ear, “but we need to leave before they kill us.”

  He scooped me up into his arms and ran, his long strong legs propelling us across the grass. I strained to look around him, searching for Alini in the centre of the pack. She sung the wolf song. It was a ballad, only sung by the seer's who had seen the fate of the wolf god. She was telling the pack that the spirit we worshipped had spoken. I stretched to look around Fender's huge shoulders, intrigued by movement behind the stone. Shit.

  My breath was knocked out of me as a tall shadow emerged into the light, stepping up onto the sacred stone with Alini.

  “Enough!” the voice shouted, just as we delved into the trees, Fender bouncing me in his arms as he ran.

  No. Wait, no.

  My stomach churned and I held my hand over my mouth, slumping into Fender's chest. He cradled me closer as we came out onto a field that overlooked the vast landscape of Southern England. I clung to his shirt, not able to utter a single word or offer any sort of effort to walk.

  The person who had ordered Alini to stop singing...

  “Violet.” Fender's voice awoke me, bringing me to.

  I blinked my eyes open and reared up, headbutting the Lawless Brother straight in the jaw. He groaned, cupping his chin as he held me against his chest. I glanced around, not quite understanding what had happened.

  We were by the motorbikes, which were parked on the side of a country road. I could hardly believe that only an hour ago, we had been ready to challenge Tony's attempt at becoming alpha. And now... Everything had changed.

  Pushing on Fender's chest, I indicated that I wanted to get down. He released me slowly, stepping back when I glared up at him. “I'll deal with you later.”

  The others gathered around, clearly waiting for instructions.

  “Did you see him?” Tammy blurted, hovering next to Tristan.

  The men glanced at her, frowns pulling their eyebrows low. Joel cleared his throat and shuffled on his feet, ducking his head as if he had something to hide.

  “We all saw it,” Tristan muttered, narrowing his gaze on Fender. “And our omega has some explaining to do.”

  Shrugging, Fender ran a hand over his hair. “I'm sorry, okay?” he said, glancing at me, “I had a suspicion, I just needed to confirm...”

  The tone of his deep voice was like a balm to my anxiety, and yet, his words stung.

  “I wasn't talking about him,” Tammy butted in, snarling at the new alpha, “I was talking about...”

  Waving her hand in my direction, she raised her eyebrows, her expression sympathetic.

  “My father,” I murmured, “the real alpha of the Fire Moon Pack.”

  Chapter Twelve

  A deep bass beat vibrated around the camp as I entered the clearing. Tammy stood beside me, her shoulders slumped as she studied the scene in front of her. I'd completely forgotten about the Solstice ceremony the Lawless had arranged. People were dancing and laughing, wearing old fashioned white robes, flowers in their hair and goblets in hand. Any other time, I would've jumped straight in, enjoying the tradition of welcoming spring. Today... I just wanted to curl up and absorb what had just happened.

  “Where did Fender go?” Tammy asked, staring at Tristan as he grabbed up a goblet from the table near the food tent.

  I cleared my throat and looked around, hunting for my mate. The word was bittersweet in my mind. I'd vowed to ignore the mate bond if it ever appeared, but the wolf god hadn't given me a choice. No wonder we'd been drawn to one another, we'd been fated all along.