Her Wolf’s Demands by Rachel Medhurst

Chapter Fifteen

 

Malone’s strong body moved behind me, his leg brushing mine as I stretched and stuck my butt into his crotch. The morning light almost shocked me as much as the long hard morning wood sticking into my back.

“Good morning, gorgeous.” Malone’s drawling voice filtered into my ear as he leant up on his elbow and looked down at me.

Groaning, I stretched, pushing back into him further as his fingers trailed down my side. The tingle of his skin on mine sent a shiver through me.

We’d spent the previous day planning our attack on the witches. Tonight was the Solstice and there was no way in hell I would let Ertha kill my brother for her own greed and resentment. It had become apparent that she’d planned to use Drake for the ritual long before I’d been turned. Which meant she had wanted the Crawley wolves as her familiars to get rid of the Brighton Pack. The scheming bitch.

“Morning, my hot alpha,” I replied, bending my head to receive his kiss.

Our breath mingled as he stroked his tongue into my mouth at the same time as his hand clasped my breast, kneading it. My nipple tingled as his finger brushed over it, back and forth, teasing but not quite squeezing hard enough.

“I’m going to tell my pack about Frizz,” he said when he pulled away.

Nodding, I smiled to myself, pleased that he was ready to admit what had truly happened. It was about time he stepped up and gave himself a break. He had beaten himself up for long enough. It was time.

“I’ll be there, beside you,” I muttered, leaning my head to the side as his lips traced my shoulder.

“Good.” His breath fanned over my skin. “I need you beside me.”

“And, I…” I whispered, lifting my leg, “…need you inside me.”

His hand sunk lower as he inhaled sharply. The light touch of his calloused fingers made me swallow as my desire intensified.

“Fuck, I need to be inside you, too.” Malone’s voice was tight as he ran his hand over my buttock and pushed it between my legs from behind.

I gasped when he pulled my leg up and pressed his hips forward, resting his hardness on my thigh before gently sliding it up so it was flush against my core. Releasing my leg, he wrapped his arm around my waist, his hips grinding slowly. The friction of him against my bud instantly aroused me, making my head drop back.

“I like teasing you,” he breathed, kissing my cheek.

Biting my lip, I closed my eyes and felt the power of him behind me. I was safe in his arms, wrapped up tight and desired. The proof of how much he wanted me lay between my legs, ready to penetrate me. Fuck, I needed him to get inside me.

I gasped, opening my mouth to breathe when he moved faster. “I need you.”

His chuckle vibrated his chest against my back, making me even hotter. Before I could complain again, he slipped himself back, reached his fingers through the front of my legs and pushed himself inside me.

Pleasurable sparks shot from below, expanding and engulfing me. I was compelled to grind back onto him, impaling myself on his deliciousness as far as I could.

His fingers found my sensitive spot and rubbed it in circles, his panting becoming louder as he plunged deeper. My heart expanded as the wolf spirit within me stretched, enjoying the union with her mate.

“I want to hear you moan,” he whispered in my ear before nibbling on it.

A groan instantly left me as his finger moved faster, circling and flicking until the pressure started to build. I clung to the edge of the bed, willing him further and further into me. His breath was loud in my ear as his own pleasure heightened. Hearing how turned on he was escalated my desire.

“Give me everything,” I cried, surrendering as he rammed into me, his hand working me at the front and his cock pounding me from behind.

The burst of pleasure peaked and fell, the sparks shooting all over my body as my mouth stretched open as wide as my core. Malone pulled his hand away and gripped my hip, thrusting once, twice, forcing me to shudder as he exploded inside me, his roar echoing in the room and pushing me over the edge even more.

My whole body shook so much, my fingers were white from where I gripped the mattress. The height of the orgasm began to fade and we flopped on the bed, him sliding out of me and pulling me onto his chest.

“Shit.” I laughed. “That was mind-blowing.”

Looking down at me, he hugged me closer, staring into my eyes. My insides quivered as much as my body, nervous at the way he looked at me with such hunger. No one had made me feel desired the way he did. And yet, it went deeper than that. He didn’t just want my body.

“I know it’s been hard to get to know one another,” he said, stroking my arm. “But once this is over with the witches, I’m taking you on a date.”

A bark of laughter shot through me. “A date? What sort of date?”

Laying back, he looked up at the ceiling of the cabin and smiled. “I dunno. Maybe bowling. I’m good at bowling, I’d kick your butt.”

“Sorry, did you say kiss my butt?”

Raising his eyebrows, he looked down at me, sobering when our gaze met. “You’re really something, you know? You’ve been through shit, and yet, you’re still terrible at cracking jokes.”

My lips wiggled as I tried not to smile. “What can I say? The tough times…” My mouth suddenly dried. “They made good times seem impossible.”

Shifting, Malone moved me so that my chin was resting on his chest, looking up at him. He licked his lips before swallowing. “This really has been a shit show, but I promise, once it’s over, you’ll never be in danger again.”

An emotion I didn’t recognise blasted through me, forcing me to drop my gaze. He reacted quickly, gripping my chin and pulling it up so I had no choice but to make eye contact with him.

“You don’t believe me, I can see,” he said passionately, “but it’s true. You’ll no longer have to be the glue that sticks your family together. You’re… you’re…”

“Part of your family now?” I finished for him.

His jaw clenched as he nodded stiffly. See? It wasn’t easy for him to let his guard down easily. Maybe once we’d completed the ceremony it would be natural for us to be open with one another, but until then, we had to be patient. Each one of us had demons that we hadn’t faced. And being able to talk about that would only become easier with time.

I was about to tell him that I’d be there for him too when a loud bang on the front door jolted us apart. It couldn’t have been urgent–

Spoke too soon. Several more bangs were followed by the door crashing open. Rearing up from the bed, we both got to our feet. I looked down at my nakedness and cringed, quickly whispering a spell to materialise clothes. They covered me just as Manual burst into the room.

“Sorry,” he said, not bothering to leave when he saw Malone standing there all out and proud. “But Lionel just told me that he saw Drake leave the camp two hours ago.”

My muscles froze as his words sunk into my mind. No, Drake had been in the cabin next door, safe and secure. Why would he leave?

Malone glanced at me before shaking his head. “Did he say anything to Lionel?”

The tension rolled from Manual as he clenched his hands into fists. “Just that he had to make things right for everyone and he didn’t want to put Della in danger.”

“Shit.” Both Malone and I spoke at the same time.

In normal circumstances, I would’ve chimed jinx, but not this time. Drake had taken it upon himself to pay a visit to Ertha. She would kidnap him and take him hostage until she could use him to channel more magic. She would fry him to death, just to get what she wanted.

Tears slipped into my eyes as I moved past Malone and Manual, heading into the kitchen area. Their footsteps followed me as I went to the intricately carved dining table and waved my hand over it.

“What are you doing?” Malone asked, genuinely interested as a map of Brighton appeared in front of us.

Luckily, he’d grabbed a towel and slung it around his hips. Good. I needed to be able to concentrate.

The paper edges rolled slightly, attempting to curl in on themselves. Flattening one side out, I glanced at the main town of Brighton and frowned. Where would my brother go?

“I’m going to do a location spell to follow my brother.”

Manual stood beside me, glancing down at the detailed drawings on the paper. “A what now? Can’t you just follow his scent?”

Huh. That hadn’t even occurred to me. I knew Drake’s scent without my wolf instincts, but now, I’d be able to trace him just by sniffing the air. I was almost tempted to skip the spell in order to try it out. However, time was important. If Ertha managed to get to him before we did, there was a high chance we’d never find him.

“Technically, yes, but this will be faster,” I said, spinning and grabbing a sharp knife.

Malone’s hand flung out, taking the knife from me before I could cut myself. “What’s this?”

The corner of my lip quirked as I cocked my head to the side. His frown was endearing as his eyes narrowed on me.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt anyone.”

“Except yourself,” he shot back.

Licking my lips, I grew serious as he moved further out of reach, shaking his head and lifting the knife.

“I need a tiny drop of my blood because I share DNA with Drake. I was just going to prick the end of my finger. I’ll heal within minutes.”

Grunting, Malone glanced at Manual before handing back the knife. The tinge of his cheeks was a testament to his ire, and yet, he nodded for me to do the spell. It was sweet that he wanted to protect me at all costs. It sent a warm glow throughout me as I pressed the sharp end of the blade into my fingertip.

Holding my hand over the map, I squeezed my finger to encourage a drop of blood to form.

A surge of panic rose from my feet, almost engulfing me. No, I had to stay focused if I wanted to get to my brother quickly. He only had a couple of hours’ head start, which gave us a good chance of getting to him before he reached Ertha.

The blood dripped onto the map, landing in the centre of Brighton city. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and recited the location spell. Once the words died down, I looked, leaning over the table to get a closer look as the spot of blood moved.

“He’s walking the streets of Brighton. Where’s he going?” Malone tapped the table surface, watching intently.

Tracing my finger just ahead of where the dot moved, I chewed my lip. “My best guess is that he’s heading to the library. He probably thinks Ertha will be at her office in the coven headquarters.”

“Should we go there?” the alpha asked, watching me for a reaction.

“No, we need to stop him before he gets there. Go get dressed, we need to go now.”

The alpha wasted no time leaving us. As soon as he was gone, I turned to Manual. He frowned at me, obviously guessing that there was something I wanted to say without Malone hearing.

“You could’ve dressed him with the snap of your fingers.”

Waving away his correct suspicions, I lowered my voice. “I don’t want Malone to put himself in danger. If you could gather a few of your best wolves and head to the city, I would really appreciate it. I’ll text you an exact address when we find Drake.”

Nodding once, Manual went to turn away.

“Wait,” I called him back. “That wasn’t an order. I meant to ask nicely, you know, not force you to do it.”

It was his turn to dismiss me with a wave and a shake of his shaggy hair. “You didn’t, don’t worry.”

Without another word, he rushed to the door and left. My breath came short as Malone came back wearing ripped light blue jeans and a tight white Tee. He had chosen the wrong colour for bloodshed. Not that I would tell him that, especially as I was hoping that there wouldn’t be any fighting today.

We had to stick to the plan to interrupt the Solstice ritual and help Drake to channel the magic if it somehow went ahead.

The dot of blood was moving down the street near the Pavilion, faster than I would’ve liked. He must have been in a taxi.

“We need to go.”

Malone was beside me in a second, taking my hand when I offered it. His frown was gone as I pictured Drake in my mind and the room around us distorted, changing into a busy Brighton street with cars beeping on our left and the green grounds of the Pavilion on our right.

“Where’s Manual?” Malone asked as I searched the people who wandered up and down the walkway.

My stomach churned as I looked for the light eyes and mousey hair, for the face I had been protecting my whole life. Why would he risk his life? Didn’t he know that I would never cope without him? Life had been bearable with him in my life, but without him… I wouldn’t survive.

“He’s gathering your best wolves for tonight.”

Scowling, Malone took my wrist, pinching slightly. “Good. That bitch is going to get it.”

I licked my lips and lifted my head to sniff the air. There… an extremely faint waft of Calvin Klein mixed with Drake’s smell slipped up my nose.

Using my instincts, I turned towards the seafront and dodged several humans, apologising when I tripped someone up. They shouted at me, swearing when they saw me sniff the air again. No, no, no, I’d lost Drake’s scent.

“Here,” Malone pulled me towards the roundabout. “I can smell him.”

Ah, yes, it hit me again, wafting between the people who crossed the road alongside us, heading towards the pier.

The chatter, music, and car engines attacked my ears. I had to clench my hands to stop myself from snapping at the two pretty women who dawdled in front of us, remarking on the way other women dressed in jeans all the time.

Fuck me, if I had such trivial things to worry about, my life would be a bloody fairy-tale. Who cared if women wore jeans? Their funky print dresses weren’t exactly winning designer awards. Okay, I needed to pass the women before I got even more offended.

My jeans were form fitting and practical. They were-

“Della?” Malone hissed in my ear. “Are you with me?”

The raspy depths of his voice broke me out of my stupid inner dialogue. Who the fuck cared what anyone wore? There were more important things to worry about. Like saving my brother, who appeared on the other side of the road, his profile recognisable straight away.

My whole being quaked as he shot down the steps leading to the aquarium. Why was he going to look at fish?

Pulling Malone, I dragged him across the next road and bumped everyone out of the way as I jogged down the steps. I ignored the moans, protests and even abuse. I had to get my brother before it was too late.

“Drake!”

I couldn’t see him in the swarm of people who entered the aquarium, but his smell smacked into me, letting me know that I was on the right track. If we hurried, we could stop him from… watching sharks?

Malone squeezed my hand, stopping me as the queue stalled our progress. I couldn’t see over the heads of those in front of me to determine whether Drake had already gone inside.

Looking up at my man, I raised my eyebrows. “Well? You’re a giant, can you see him?”

Grunting in true giant fashion, Malone shook his head. “Nope.”

“Well, that was helpful, Sherlock.”

Holding my arm in the air, I whispered an invisibility spell. I didn’t want to raise suspicion, especially if there were any witches around. Once the light cloak of magic brushed our skin, I bounded forward like a mother-fucking bowling ball. Everyone frowned and gasped as we barrelled past, knocking them out of the way. Just a few more and I’d have a strike.

“Sorry,” Malone said behind me when he trod on a man’s foot.

As we came out of the other side of the queue, I looked back, smiling at my man. His big heart would melt mine.

“We were invisible…” I bit my lip to prevent myself from laughing as I released the spell. “… That man would’ve just heard your floating voice.”

Pulling his brows low, Malone tutted. “Bloody witches.”

“Hybrid-witch, remember?” I joked back, gasping when I turned to see Drake stride up to Ertha just as she emerged from the entrance to the next chamber of the aquarium.

Neither one of us spoke as we surged forward, following the others. Fear grasped hold of me, giving me the adrenaline to propel through the archway and into the next room.

“Drake!” I called, halting when they both turned to look in our direction.

Ertha’s eyes widened, her teeth showing in a sneer. She whispered something to Drake, who shook his head at me before turning and hurrying down the tunnel with the elder.

Grief and anger sent me into a heated rage. Malone knew my intention before I’d made it, running forward and taking me with him. We had to get Drake away from Ertha, even though he’d clearly set up the meeting with her.

“I’m going to kill that bitch,” I muttered under my breath.

Malone’s super hearing heard me and he chuckled. He wouldn’t stop me, although it probably wouldn’t be a great idea to end the leader of a whole coven. They already hated me and wanted my blood. If I took down their precious elder, they’d gather all resources, including witches from other covens and take us all down. Best to try and keep my temper.

Who was I fucking kidding? I was going to make her hurt.

Heat singed my arms as we came into the entrance of the tunnel. Above us was shit tons of water with fish swimming around, happily ignorant to the paranormal creatures beneath them.

Ertha paused halfway down the tunnel. Spinning, she grabbed Drake, bringing a dagger out of her sleeve and pressing it against his neck.

My feet skidded to a halt as ice sweat dripped down my spine. I had to swallow several times to stop myself from throwing up. I wasn’t cut out for the action adventurer stuff. I liked love potions and chocolate before curling up to read a book.

“Stay back, Della,” Ertha said, her voice shrill.

Looking up, I licked my lips. I was a little afraid of water and fish. Water because drowning was my worst fear. Who would want to die that way? And fish because… they smelt so bad.

“Ertha,” Malone said, “you need to let Drake go.”

My brother’s face was pale, the skin almost translucent against Ertha’s dark-skinned hand where it rested under his chin. The fear in his eyes radiated into mine as I stared at him, shaking my head ever so slightly. My brother wasn’t usually the hero, but he would try hard to fix everything. What he didn’t understand was that he was a pawn in Ertha’s plan and it was too late to change it.

“I will kill him if you come any closer.” Her threat was enhanced by the shuffle of her feet and the tightening of her arm.

Drake wouldn’t fight her. Like most people with mental health issues, he believed that he deserved her wrath. But it wasn’t true. He was a victim.

Biting my lip, I folded my fingers into my palm, pressing my nails into the skin. It was a habit I’d picked up when I was frustrated and unable to help Drake as a child. It helped soothe me so I could think clearly.

“This is over,” Ertha called. “I will have my ritual and you’ll all be gone and leave us in peace.”

“In peace?” Malone barked. “You’re the one who’s created this divide. For centuries, we’ve lived side by side, not needing to fight over our lands. Why has that changed?”

Snarling, Ertha looked up at a shark as it swum overhead. “Your father antagonised me for years, even killing my own daughter.”

My gasp echoed as Malone frowned. I’d known that Ertha’s daughter had died ten years ago, but we were told it was a car accident. Why had she kept the true cause of her death from the coven?

“How was my father involved?” Malone’s throat bobbed as he swallowed.

A tear dribbled from Ertha’s eye, flinging from her cheek when she shook her head. “He was chasing her in his car, all because she accidentally strayed onto his land when gathering herbs and plants. She was a herbologist. She never hurt a soul in her life and he ran her off the road on purpose.”

“How do you know it was him?” The alpha was searching for any way to excuse his father. I understood, the man sounded like a brut, but he was still Malone’s dad.

“I was in the car with her…” Ertha’s throat closed. “… I cradled her as she died and your father just laughed as he drove past in the car that had been chasing us.”

My chest squeezed as a shaky breath released from the alpha. The truth bent his spine, giving the impression of a defeated man. He couldn’t argue with Ertha on behalf of his father. He just had to right his wrongs.

“Malone isn’t Tom,” I said softly. “Drake isn’t Tom. Not all men are the same. We can overcome the past and move on with a fresh pact.”

A hiss came from Ertha as she threw up her hand and shouted in Latin. As easy as it was for me to use magic now, I still didn’t know many of the traditional spells.

The cracking of glass resounded overhead. My heart thrust into my throat as Ertha spun with Drake and pushed him out of the tunnel in the other direction. The crack started to grow bigger above our heads, quickly spreading in all directions.

The sound of voices approached us from behind. Shit, there were people who could be killed by the water.

Both Malone and I turned at the same time and ran fast in the opposite direction.

“Run!” we screamed, waving when we exited the tunnel.

A crash of glass was followed by a strange whoosh sound that puffed my hair in front of me as we all thrust into the room ahead of us.

Malone grabbed my arm, trying to get me in front of him. The other people screamed at the realisation of what was happening. There was no way we were getting out with no injuries or worse…

Ripping out of Malone’s grip as the sound of rushing water blasted behind us, I spun, holding my arm out and shouting a reversal spell. The mammoth funnel of water that had been emerging from the tunnel froze. The strength of it was heavy, pushing against my spell.

Malone’s hand slipped onto my shoulder, his fingers pressing into me to give me strength. I recited the spell, over and over, forcing my magic to change the molecules of the water and pushing it back the way it had come.

“You can do it!” Malone’s deep voice slipped through the noise of the screaming and into my ear.

Lifting my other arm, I shouted the spell, smiling when the funnel spun backwards and sucked into the roof of the tunnel. As the glass floated up from the ground, it locked the water back into the tank and sealed together, looking brand new.

“Come on!” Malone charged forward, dragging me with him.

I found my feet and went with him, not daring to look up at the sharks above. Had the fish survived the magic? I didn’t want to know, I had to find Drake and stop Ertha.

Sniffing the air as we came into the next dark chamber, I followed Drake’s scent to a door marked Staff Only. Of course, Ertha would want to get out of the public eye and save herself in the process. The water was no longer a threat, but I was.

“They’ve gone through there,” I told Malone, who was already extending his leg to kick the door in.

His boot bashed the lock off and the wood burst open, rebounding off the wall. Yep, Drake’s scent was stronger as we dove inside and came to a stop.

“Err…”

Rows of fish tanks made up aisles in the warehouse ahead of us. They were piled, one on top of the other, forming walls that divided the room. Fish of all shapes and sizes swum around, distorting the water and making it hard to look through to the other side.

Ertha was in here somewhere. Would she use magic to disguise herself? Luckily, our wolf instincts would lead us to Drake no matter how hard she tried to hide him.

Half tempted to magic the fish tanks away, I trod around the first one, checking to see whether Ertha or Drake were down the first aisle. It was empty, stretching away before halting at the wall on the other side. 

“They’re in here somewhere,” Malone whispered, his nose lifting into the air.

I copied him, smelling the air and skipping two of the aisles. There, the scent grew stronger down one of them. We moved slowly, trying to see through the water to spot anyone on the other side. A quick movement of dark material made me catch my breath.

We both broke into a run, spinning around the end of the passageway and into the next one along. Ertha’s black hair and floaty dress disappeared around the end. Drake wasn’t with her.

“Please,” I called, “don’t do this.”

Where was Drake? And why was the witch playing games with me? I just wanted to live a peaceful fucking life in my fucked up new world. Was that too much to ask?

Malone was gone, his instincts kicking in as he gave chase. I paused, re-smelling the air and listening to the space on the other side of the room, where Ertha had just come from. A tiny puff of air made me lift my head. Someone was breathing. Drake?

Ducking around several tanks, I followed and focused on the sound that had reached my ears. My nose sniffed, able to scent my brother.

Just as I rounded the last corner, a crash blasted the tank beside me and I threw myself to the ground, covering my head as water and glass scattered all over my body. The sharp bite of glass as it shot into my skin was washed away by the cool water that followed it.

“Della!” Drake’s shout forced me to my knees.

He was tied to a metal beam, his arms stretched behind him. My heart pounded in my head as I surged forward, ready to save him.

Fingers grabbed my hair, yanking me backwards. Ertha chuckled as I fell to the ground, bashing my head on one of the intact tanks. I gritted my teeth and thrust back up, diving for the elder, who held up her hands and pushed a gust of wind towards me.

I flew back, crashing into Malone who was getting up from under the debris of glass and metal. Oh, so it was the alpha who had caused the destruction. Ertha must have thrown him also.

“I admire your determination.” Ertha walked backwards, towards Drake. “I can see you won’t let me go without a fight.”

Fury fired my insides, burning my stomach and making it churn. If she wasn’t careful, I was going to breathe fire all over her. Would my magic give me such power? Maybe I should’ve given it a go.

About to open my mouth to try the spell, I froze, the fire inside me turning to ice. Ertha had drawn out a dagger, extending it towards Drake.

Maybe she would kill him in order to end the threat to her life. She might think that if she was to murder my brother, we would be so distracted, we would let her escape.

“Don’t do this to your own witches,” I said, frowning. “Just let us go.”

“I can’t.” Her sob echoed around us.

Inhaling loudly, she turned her head away to look at Drake. The next sob that erupted from her throat was strangled as Malone launched onto her in his wolf form. Snapping and snarling, he sank his teeth into her shoulder.

Throwing her arms to the side, Ertha screamed so loudly, the force of it threw Malone off her and into another set of tanks. The water and glass crashed loudly, scattering to the ground as the alpha landed in a slumped heap.

My legs wobbly, I stepped forward, ready to unleash all the pent up fear, anger and frustration on the one woman who was supposed to have looked out for us.

“You… didn’t deserve your daughter,” I said, rasping in a breath as she paused, her eyebrows pulled low over her watery eyes. “She would’ve been ashamed of you.” Flicking out my arm, I extended my fingers.

Before my restraining spell reached her, she flung her dagger behind her, aiming it straight at Drake.

Slow motion kicked in, the world around me spinning at the same time as the blade as it headed towards my brother, whose eyes widened.

I aimed my arm at the blade, knocking it off course with a flick of my hand. The grunt of something made me swallow, but I had no time to think about it.

“Run, Drake!” I shouted, diving at Ertha as she turned towards me.

The ropes on my brother’s arms released, dropping to the ground. I collided with Ertha’s legs, wrenching her down. She kicked my face and jumped out of my grasp, heading away from me. Something inside me pulled, a sadness and pain throbbing in my chest. What the…? Malone.

“Della!” Drake didn’t need to tell me, I knew.

Opening my mouth, I screamed as loudly as I could, stretching my fingers towards a nearby metal pole that had come off one of the tanks. It lifted in the air as my face screwed up.

Swinging around and flinging my arm, I sent the weapon straight towards Ertha, who had reached the end of the aisle.

The pole flew forward, the sound of its whoosh making the leader of the coven turn back to see what was happening. The sharp end plummeted through her chest and into the wall, pinning her against the brick.

Tears dripped down my cheeks as the witch looked at me, scowling despite the blood spreading on her dress and the life leaving her eyes. No one hurt my brother, ever. And no one killed my alpha, either.

A gasping sob left me as the pain in my chest intensified. My spirit wolf paced my brain, begging me to check on my mate.

I turned slowly, unable to gather any speed, despite the urgency. The pain in my chest was too great, it wrenched my soul.

“Drake?” I breathed, stumbling around the corner.

Malone’s white fur was red from head to toe, his breathing shallow. No, I couldn’t do this again. How was he so hurt anyway?

Drake held up the dagger I’d diverted, pointing to where he’d just pulled it out of the alpha’s chest. Shit, I’d saved my brother by moving the blade, not realising that Malone had snuck around Ertha. So, if he died, it would be all my fault.

Sobs erupted from me, shaking my hands as I tried to cover his wound. There was silver in the dagger, it was easy to see as the clean part of it twinkled from the overhead lights.

“Malone,” I whispered, bending my head to his ear. “You can’t leave me. I need you.”

His eyes fluttered open, the brown and amber irises focusing on me for only a second before the black started to swallow up the white surrounding it.

“No!”

I shook Malone, about to scream, when Drake wrapped his arms around me. “Use the magic of the stones, sister,” he said. “Quickly. You can heal him. I’ll give you my remaining magic. We can do this together.”

Without thinking, I pressed my hands against Malone’s chest, right next to his heart and recited a spell that my mother had taught us when we had grazed our knees as children. It was a wound healing spell, one that would knit flesh back together.

Malone was on death’s door, the silver that penetrated his chest clearly having done damage to his organs, if not his heart.

“I won’t let you die.” Tears blinded my vision, so I closed my eyes and cried out the spell, willing my magic into the wolf.

Drake rocked me, copying the words and holding me together. If he hadn’t have held me, I would’ve broken apart.

Magic burned my insides as it spread from Drake and into me, travelling down my arms and into Malone. My weeping was loud as the last of the spell died away and my body heated up. My muscles cramped as I hunched over, channelling the magic that Drake had given me straight into Malone’s wounds.

Pain exploded in my brain as Drake went slack, falling off me and onto the floor. My head pounded as the darkness rushed into the corner of my eyes and dragged me under with it.

“Della?”

Someone shook my shoulder only seconds after I’d blacked out, waking me instantly. Fingers dug into my shoulder as a wet drop landed on my cheek, jolting me out of the darkness. My weak body refused to comply with my demand to move.

“You saved me…” His deep raspy voice stroked me alive.

My eyes popped open as his arms lifted me onto his lap. Malone’s eyes were bright, creasing at the sides in happiness. They were human again and very much alive.

“Thank fuck.” I grabbed either side of his head and planted my lips on his. “You’re…”

My throat closed, strangling the words that wanted to expel from me. So much had gone on, I couldn’t keep up with my thoughts. Malone was alive because of Drake.

Drake.

Sitting up, I searched the floor. Drake was passed out, his head resting on… Rochelle’s lap? I’d wondered what all the new smells had been, but not had a chance to process.

“He’s okay,” Rochelle said, stroking my brother’s hair out of his face. “… He saved our alpha.”

“How do you know?” I blurted, attempting to get up from my comfy resting place.

Malone’s arms tightened around me, compelling me to stay cradled in his lap. He was naked, his smooth chest pressed against my shoulder. A thin line of a red welt on his skin was the only sign that he’d almost died.

The shuffling of feet nearby made me look up. Manual and Lionel were surveying the room, checking on Ertha and returning the drowning fish into intact tanks. Wait, didn’t some fish eat other fish?

Rochelle shrugged and shook Drake’s shoulder. He snorted, sitting upright and blinking awake. Relief flooded my veins, helping me to relax against my nice resting place.

“Are you alright?” Both Drake and I asked each other at the same time.

Malone chuckled and shook his head, stroking my damp hair out of my face and picking a piece of glass out of my cheek. I cringed at the pain and climbed off his lap, not appreciating the picking monkey act, although it was quite sweet, technically.

He got to his feet, grunting as he stretched his back. I waved a hand over his chest and spelled some clothes. Yes, the two men in my life were comfortable around one another, but Drake didn’t need a flesh display. I wanted to ease him into the company of the pack gently.

“Ertha’s definitely dead,” Manual announced, shrugging when Rochelle punched him in the arm. “What? She was out of line.”

Going to Drake, I pulled him aside. “Thank you,” I said, clinging to his arm, “for saving Malone. You risked your life.”

His hand came up to my head, and he pulled me to him, pressing his forehead against mine. “I figured that you’d saved me enough. It was my turn to repay the favour.”

Emotion burst from me, laughter accompanying the sob that choked my throat closed. My brother had given everything to save Malone. Not for the alpha, he hardly knew him, but for me.

“I can see he makes you happy,” Drake said, cupping my cheek, “and you deserve to be happy. I can make my own life now.”

“Well,” Malone interrupted from where he stood, “I do have an incredible apartment in Brighton, Drake. You’re welcome to live there for as long as you need.”

Rochelle approached and nudged my side, reaching for me as soon as Drake let go. Her arms came around me, hugging me close.

“Thank you,” Drake said, nodding his acceptance to Malone. “I’ll take you up on that offer.”

“And you?” Rochelle asked me. “Will you come home with the pack? Where you belong?”

Manual cleared his throat, raising his eyebrows when we looked at him.

He glanced at Lionel who rolled his eyes and shook his head.  Clearing his throat, the werewolf looked directly at Drake. “Thank you for saving our alpha. Your bravery in facing Ertha has proven that you’re worthy of being associated with our pack.”

“Is that forgiveness I hear?” Rochelle joked, flicking her red hair when Drake glanced at her.

Lionel inclined his head towards Drake before turning back to Malone. I shared a smile with my brother as he breathed a visible sigh of relief. At least the wolves no longer had it in for either of us.

“There is another problem,” Lionel said, shuffling on his feet.

Malone had been watching us, a slight grin stretching the corner of his lips. A flash of desire mixed with gratitude that he was still alive tingled every inch of me.

His chest rising, Malone tilted his head to the side. “Please tell me the ritual won’t go ahead now that Ertha is dead.”

“Correct, the ritual won’t go ahead tonight,” Manual took over, stepping away from Ertha’s body where it hung on the wall.

A shudder moved me as I avoided looking at the witch who had been prepared to kill both my brother and I. Not one to shy away from death, I made an exception with the leader of the coven. Mostly because I’d been the one to kill her. And although there was a tiny part of me relieved that she was dead, I wished it hadn’t have had to been that way.

“However,” Lionel said, drawing my attention away from the witch. “When we went to check on Neil, he was dead. No one got into the cell, no one got out. He must have done it himself.”

My phone pinged, distracting everyone as they tried to talk. I grabbed it out and checked it, suddenly inexplicably afraid of who it might be.

You may have killed Ertha and ruined my plan for now, but I will never allow Malone to live.

“It’s Kieran,” I blurted, holding out my shaking hand and showing everyone the text.

They scowled in unison, erupting into chatter to discuss how they were going to kill the traitor. Their methods were interesting and a little disturbing.

Malone dragged me away and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me to him. “It’s okay,” he whispered, lowering his head to my head. “I’ll kill Kieran before he gets to me.”

“And the Crawley Pack?”

Shrugging, he chuckled, the sound low in his deep chest. “With you by my side, they’ll be obliterated. Or converted. Whatever they’d prefer.”

 

Want to know what happens next? You can get The Wolf’s Proposal HERE or click the cover below.

 

 

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