† Sage †

“I talked to your mama today. Well, I guess it was your mom. Is the wolf in her your actual mom? I’m not sure how the genetic stuff behind this all works.” I was very aware that I was speaking to a predator with a voice reserved for small children, but since Maddock had somehow left the building, I was working with what I had.

And all I was getting in response were feelings that were coming from a wolf.

Since the toxic radiation had now probably soaked into my bloodstream, I was oddly okay with it.

Maddock’s wolf felt in basic emotions that were clear and to the point. He seemed to know exactly what he wanted. I wished life could be that simple.

I really wanted to talk about this mate thing, but figured it was a better conversation to have with the man.

“It was informative though.” I drummed my fingers against the steering wheel while the giant wolf made a few turns on the small seat and settled down with a humph as he rested his jaw on my lap.

I reached down to scratch behind his ear and the instant comfort he felt drifted through my own body. It gave me a simple peace.

“She thinks I’m this powerful witch that can cast spells or whatever using only my hands. Supposedly, I’m a witch of intent and can push my intent on others.”

The wolf closed its eyes, leaning into my touch. He was happy in this moment and wondering why I wasn’t happy too.

“I am happy,” I quickly reassured him so he didn’t get the idea that I needed another rabbit. “But this is all a little overwhelming. I’ve gone my whole life thinking there was something wrong with me and then I come to this place to become, I don’t know, something more? It doesn’t feel right.

Like I don’t deserve this. Especially when Coral isn’t happy.”

The wolf whined as he rubbed his jaw against my leg. I lowered my voice to soothe his displeasure, but still felt comfortable spilling out my

heart to the simple beast.

“Don’t get me wrong, this is starting to seem like a dream come true. The freedom. The restaurant. The possibilities for our future. And don’t tell Maddock, but even he is a dream. I still can’t believe he gave us a place to live. But I’m a realist. Any second now, this dream bubble is going to pop and I have to be ready to protect my sister.”

The wolf growled, angry at what I’d said, and before I could shush him with kind words, a loud crunch sounded as his bones began to break.

I watched in horror as his body morphed, bending at unnatural angles, and he shifted into a very naked Maddock whose head was pressed to the roof of my car and his massive legs were crammed against the dashboard.

I didn’t realize how hard I was staring until I happened to look through the windshield.

Instinctively, I jerked the wheel to the right to avoid crashing into the tree.

The wheels spun on loose rocks as the car dipped with two tires into the ditch before I eased us back onto the road and slammed on the brakes.

“Gods woman, are you trying to kill us?” Maddock yelled as he thrust one arm across my chest and held to the door with the other.

“Maybe you should warn someone before you turn into a man while they’re driving!” I screamed as the vehicle came to a stop.

Chest heaving, I risked another glance at the naked man who was holding me pinned against the seat and burst into laughter.

“I fail to see what’s funny about this,” Maddock said pointedly, even as he tried to keep his lips from twitching into a smile.

The sight of him holding back his humor had me cracking up so hard my ribcage shook. I fell forward as much as his arm would allow to press my head against the steering wheel, trying to catch my breath.

“You look like a clown packed into one of those toy cars,” I said between fits of giggles with tears streaming down my cheeks.

“Then you admit this isn’t a real vehicle.” He deadpanned, pressing his other hand against the roof as if he could pop it off.

With the way his bicep flexed he just might be able to. That sobered me a bit.

“Don’t talk crap about my car and you can let go of me now.”

Maddock’s gaze traveled to my chest and he slowly moved his arm back to his lap.

I switched back into drive. “Why’d you shift like that? I was having a nice conversation with your wolf.”

It’s amazing how much the human brain can accept in such a short amount of time.

Talking to wolves. Naked shifter in my car.

As long as I didn’t look down to the oversized package between his legs, I could pretend this day was normal and continue on my pleasant drive.

Adapt and overcome. Motto of my life.

Besides, there wasn’t much else I could do with the naked man that big who was currently squished in the passenger seat and taking up all our breathing space.

That thought made me giggle again.

“I’m glad you find this amusing.” He grunted. “But to answer your question, everything you say to my wolf I can hear and since you were being so honest with him, I didn’t want a secret to come between us.”

“Ah. The good ole’ miscommunication trope. That’s not my favorite either.” I opted for sarcasm, silently screaming as I racked my brain trying to recall if I said anything embarrassing. Did I call him a dream? Stupid, Sage, stupid.

He watched me from the corner of his eye. “I wouldn’t word it that way, but I guess you’re right. Also, I wanted you to know that you don’t have to protect Coral alone anymore. She’s safe here with her pack.”

“You know, I’ve been meaning to ask…” Curse science. What did I want to ask? The intensity of his gaze was heating up my skin.

I pushed the button for the air conditioner. “Do you hear everything your wolf says too?”

“He won’t shut up,” Maddock grumbled as I pulled onto the cobblestone street.

I chewed my lip, thinking of a delicate way to put this, and realized it was probably best to be blunt.

No secrets, right?

I put the car in park outside the restaurant and turned in my seat to

face him. “Why does your wolf think I’m his? I get the feeling that he looks

at me like I’m supposed to be some sort of mate.” “You already know the answer, don’t you?”

I was not expecting that response. “I don’t know what I’m dealing with here. Care to enlighten me?”

“What about this worries you?” He leaned closer and his eyes flashed lighter gray with the wolf as he watched me, waiting.

“Um.” It was really dry out here. I wished I had some water. I’m not worried, am I? “Do the man and wolf agree?”

Low vibrations rumbled in his chest as a lazy smiled curved his lips. “On this, we are in perfect agreement. I quite enjoy being your dream.”

“Oh…” Unlike my dream slut, I was wearing panties and they were currently melting from my skin. I turned off my car before anything else exploded.

Like a bolt of lightning, it hit me. How could I have been so blind? After a lifetime of controlling my emotions, not only could I feel the wolf, but I was losing all control around the man.

“There’s more to this than I think there is.” I swallowed hard. “This has to do with some kind of fate.”

Maddock’s eyes widened and the sense of hunger grew so thick that it filled every open space in the car. “Do you want it to be?”

That was the million-dollar question. It was getting hard to breathe.

This was fast. Really fast.

Forever doesn’t happen in a week. “I don’t know what I want.”

His calloused palm cupped my chin, turning my face up toward his as his lips moved closer to mine. “I think you know exactly what you want,

little witch. When you’re ready to tell me, I won’t stop until you have it all.”

Every single one of my nerve endings came alive and I was drowning fast in the sensation, but instead of my vision tunneling to blackness, clarity came with the light.

I did want this. I wanted him. Now.

“Seriously guys, get a room,” Coral whined as she tapped on the window.

I let out something between a dissatisfied moan and a high-pitched shriek as I jerked away, hurrying to get outside the car.

A second later and my little sister would have seen me crawling onto a very sexy, very naked, very well-endowed wolf man’s lap.

“Are you coming?” I turned to ask Maddock, not really sure what to say after that intense conversation, but he was already walking down the street.

Bless science, even his ass looked good.

Every friend-zone boundary was crashing and burning, left behind in his wake.

What did I get myself into?

Kera stood on the sidewalk next to my sister with her eyes squeezed shut. “He’ll be right back. He’s going to get his clothes.”

Clothes. Right. I definitely needed a few minutes to compose myself

too.

“Let’s go.” Coral tugged on my arm with her patience wearing thin.

“We’ve been working our butts off all day for you. Come see what we did.”

*

The smell of decay was gone and replaced by something deliciously intoxicating. Not cleaning chemicals or fresh air, but charred wood and warm caramel. It was stronger in here than it was in the car for those

intense few moments as if Maddock had been everywhere in the restaurant and infused himself in the walls.

Or maybe I was going crazy. Fated mates? Seriously?

How was that even possible?

On top of that, I was supposed to be some sort of witch. Oh yeah, and my sister is a wolf.

The toxic radiation had definitely done its job and I was in some

hallucinogenic dreamscape-slash-twisted fairy tale. It was the only logical answer.

“So…” Coral pulled me from my madness. “What do you think?” “You girls did great,” I rushed out the words.

Truthfully, they did. Everything was spotless and gleaming like new, waiting for me to put my mark on it.

Guilt churned my stomach as I watched Kera beam with the praise as if she’d never been complimented before and Coral arch an eyebrow, waiting for me to fulfill my end of the bargain.

I should have gotten here sooner so they didn’t have to work so hard.

The front door was already removed from the frame and the old

hinges were gone. I walked over to it with the new hinges in my pocket as I searched for the words to break my sister’s heart.

“Talking with Lisa went well,” I said as I positioned the bottom hinge to make sure it’d be a good fit without needing to carve out the wood. “But apparently there is nothing I can do.”

“This sucks.” Coral groaned as she put her face in her hands.

“It’s not all bad news,” I tried to reassure her. “Lisa swore that you’d get your wolf. You just need to spend more time with your pack.”

“How does she know?” Coral peeked through her fingers.

“Believe me, girl. If my grandma says something will happen then consider it done.” Kera draped her arm over Coral’s shoulders. She lowered her voice, but I didn’t miss the side eye she cast in my direction. “She’s a witch too. They’re a little weird, but they know things.”

“I heard that.”

“See. What did I tell you?” Kera laughed as she shook Coral’s shoulders until my sister smiled.

“Don’t worry, pup.” Maddock’s gruff voice filled the room making my heart skip a beat. “It will come. Give it time.”

I froze, watching him stride across the old wood floors with his intense gaze trained on me.

Is this really what I want?

I didn’t know if I could be someone’s forever.

“Here, let me.” His large hand covered mine as he reached for the

hinges and electricity danced along my skin. We locked eyes and stared at each other with a shared breath.

Do I even have a choice?

“Alright, well if you’ve got this, then I’m going to head to the

market.” I pulled my hand away before I did something I’d really regret. Like ripping the shirt from his chest in front of two young girls.

Seriously, the man didn’t need clothes.

Why ruin a perfectly good body by hiding it?

Maddock smirked as if he could read my mind and warmth came to my cheeks and my hands.

For the first time in forever, I didn’t think of ice water. I thought of how nice it would be to get lost in the heat of these sensations.

“To the market?” he asked in that husky tone that made my toes curl. I nodded as I swallowed hard.

He stared at me, unblinking, and the torment in his gaze mirrored my own as if he was having an internal conversation.

“We’ll go with her.” Kera sighed as she brushed past her uncle. “Come on Sage.” Coral pulled on my arm, breaking me from the

trance. “You’re buying me something since I cleaned your restaurant all day and you won’t use your magic to help me.”

*

There wasn’t much to look at. Flies jumped around sun beaten tarps and crates of goods that had seen better days. Salvaged items in repair like a second-hand or last chance shop were set up on tables. The vendors watched us as if we were the most entertaining thing they’d witnessed in a while.

I hugged the jar of gemstones to my chest, eyeing the rack of animal furs and leather work. Shooting sparks came from a welder carving under an old tin roof. I made a beeline for the farmer’s stand at the back corner of the square.

Both girls stayed too close for comfort at my side and I wasn’t sure if I was protecting them or if they thought they were protecting me. I tried to smile politely at the staring faces to make a good impression. It wasn’t just for Coral’s sake; it was also for the reverence that some of them seemed to show Kera.

It was like we walked a dividing line between those who lowered their heads in respect to the girl and those who stared brazenly as if bored. I wasn’t the only one who noticed.

“Is this what it’s like to be the Alpha’s daughter?” Coral nudged her friend playfully.

Kera walked with her chin held high and kept a sharp look about her, watching everything but saying nothing. I’d be able to pretend she wasn’t affected if it wasn’t for the nervous twitch of her hands twisting behind her back.

I hated to think this discomfort had anything to do with me.

“Hey Kera,” I said as I adjusted the weight of the jar in my arm. “You don’t have to come with us if you don’t want to.”

She hesitated, her gaze sweeping around the market, and leaned close to my ear with her voice so low a whisper that I barely heard it. “If you want me to go, I will.”

The sadness in her response had me aching to pull her in for a hug.

There was a subtle shift in the air, a sudden quiet to the pathetic market, that made it seem as if everyone was hanging on our every word like they could hear.

I still didn’t know much about their world, but I remembered the

pride Maddock had spoken with about his niece and wondered if this had something to do with the triplet birth thing.

Could Kera someday be the future Alpha?

I didn’t see why not.

“This is your pack.” I gave her a gentle smile. “Without your help, I’m probably going to make a huge mistake and upset some more people today.”

I handed Coral the jar of gems and laced my arms through both of the girls’ elbows so we continued through the market as a unified chain.

Kera tensed and then relaxed, biting her lip to hide her smile as whispers broke out around us.

Something told me I’d just made some sort of statement, but they’d have to forgive me for not knowing all the customs yet. For now, I was

going with my gut instinct that said Kera needed more people in her corner.

Since I’d already decided to adopt her, I wasn’t leaving her to fend for herself with the wolves.

I’d need to add this to the growing list of things to speak with Maddock about though.

After we discussed fated mates…

*

When we reached the produce stand, I released the girls and extended my hand to the woman with kind eyes who had coiled braids wound tightly against her head. The old man sitting next to her kissed her cheek as he stood. He turned his back to me and began digging through the crates.

I decided not to worry about the strange men’s behaviors here after Lennox’s weird explanation. The woman seemed nice enough anyway so I didn’t mind talking to her.

“You must be the witch that our Enforcer is smitten with.” She shook my hand with a strength that was shocking for her age. “My name is

Kathryn.”

Kathryn tilted her head to the side and nodded at Kera respectfully.

She turned to my sister to size her up. A sense of loss deepened the lines on her face. “You look just like your mother.”

“Did you know her?” Coral asked, but Kathryn shook her head with a pained sigh the same way Lisa had done.

“She left us over twenty years ago and her parents had gone before that. The girl I knew was a child then. I’m sorry for your loss.”

Coral’s expression was neutral as she nodded, but I knew that poker face. She was hiding something. This lack of information must have been frustrating her as much as not meeting her wolf was.

“Thank you for your kind words.” I took the jar from my sister, trying to hurry this along and spare her from further pain.

“What do you have there?” Kathryn returned her attention to me. “A business proposition.” I gave her my best smile. “As I’m sure

you’ve heard, I’m fixing up the old tavern and I’ll need wholesale supplies to keep things running.”

“I knew that was what you were here for.” Kathryn laughed as she got straight to the point. I was adding her to my list of shifters I liked.

“Except I have no use for raw gemstones.”

And we’re back to a list of three.

“Don’t look too disappointed.” Kathryn chuckled with a twinkle in her eye. “Sadie over there with the hides makes jewelry. She’s a mean old croon, but see if you can work out an arrangement with her and then come back to talk to me.”

*

Sadie wasn’t as awful as I’d been led to believe. Kera explained there was an old feud that had to do with her father, but it was progress that Kathryn suggested they work together now.

The leather beading, jewelry making shifter worked with me at least. I was out thirty of her favorite gems for the labor, half a jar for custom work, and the feeling that I’d probably been swindled. But it was my fault for not knowing how much each piece was worth. She’d begrudgingly agreed to

give Kathryn her pick of the beaded leatherwork.

It was crazy to think I’d saved thousands of credits in my life that were just sitting in a computer system somewhere. That is if the National Bank didn’t wipe the data away.

Now I had mostly useless rocks.

I should have come better prepared.

“Is that going to be enough?” Coral motioned to the crates of produce and bag of cornmeal that Kera and I were carrying to the kitchen. Kathryn drove a hard bargain since we were essentially working with a loan until

Sadie finished with the gems.

“It’s a start.” I mentally calculated how many plates I could dish out. “We’re going to need some meat. I can do a soft launch with a limited menu until I can get things going and see what I’ll get paid with.”

“Leave the meat to me and Maddock,” Kera boasted proudly, lowering her voice when Coral went to close the front doors. “She’s not much of a hunter yet.”

I chuckled, even though at the mention of Maddock I was turning to look around the empty restaurant. It shouldn’t have bothered me that he wasn’t here.

Fated mates or not, the man had better things to do than sit around and wait on me.

Still… Later. I’d focus on that another time.

“Kera,” I started, unsure of how to bring this topic up. “Do you want to tell me what happened back there at the market?”

Sadie had been fine working with me, but I didn’t miss the way she’d ignored Kera altogether. Between the swindling and that, I didn’t add her to my favorite list.

“You noticed?” Kera sighed.

Gone was the tough shifter who’d marched through the market and her shoulders slumped as if she was a normal teenage girl. “It’s pack drama. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m not going to stop worrying.” I caught her hands in mine. “I want you to tell me what’s going on.”

“Really?” Her eyes brightened. I had the sick sense that Lisa was somehow right and I’d caused Kera’s eager response.

I pulled my hands away, wiping them on my pants as if they were stained, and focused on Kera as she let out a breath like she’d been holding one for years.

“Because my dad is the Alpha, there are a few shifters who think I should be next in line by birthright. But the others think that there needs to be a Cerberus triplet birth. It gets more complicated when you throw in the fact that a lot more of the pack just wants Apollo gone by any means necessary. Some of them think Maddock should be leading.”

I thought technically he was already leading in his role as Enforcer, but maybe that meant…

Oh. Any means.

Blood thirsty rumors of mutants aside, I figured it was best to

change the subject from Kera being an orphan. I’ve been there. It sucks. “Why don’t they support your claim to the Alpha position?” I asked.

“Is it because you’re female.”

“You would think that, but I’ve already proven I’m strong enough to handle the challenge. My grandma said that other packs have female Alphas leading too. Or they did when she last visited.” Kera shrugged. “That’s what I think is wrong though. We’ve been shut off from the other packs for so long. Everyone here is stuck in the past with their traditions and they’re reluctant to change. The three heads were a symbol of our ancestor founding wolf bloodline and without it, they think we are doomed as a

pack.”

“What do you want?” I forced myself to ignore the way I heard that question in Maddock’s voice in my head. “Do you want to be the next

Alpha?”

“And lead this pack away from their self-inflicted misery?” Kera narrowed her eyes and spoke with a conviction much too old for her age.

“Yes.”

“That settles it.” Coral sided up next to us, sharing a look with Kera

that showed they already had this conversation. “You’re my pick for the next Alpha.”

Both girls turned to me, waiting for some sort of answer. What did I know of pack politics or structure? I was still coming to terms with the

possible witch thing, fated mates, my sister’s broken wolf, and the place that shouldn’t exist while standing in a restaurant that was somehow mine even though I’d never signed a single contract.

Then again, what could it hurt to add one more thing to my plate?

Especially when two teenage girls were looking for my approval in a world where their lives had already been too hard.

I responded with pure instinct, pulling them both in for a hug. “If you want to be the next Alpha, then I’ll support you in any way I can.”