Alpha Protector (Shadow Sentinels World #3)

Chapter 20

S tone

It had been ten days since we’d arrived at the cottage, and I don’t think I’d ever been happier. Our days were spent exploring the forest, swimming in the dell, or lazing in the sun. We’d walked into the village a couple of times, but there were very few people I recognised there, so I mostly avoided it. There was no point in inviting questions. This morning, though, I could see my Butterfly twitching. I studied her as she picked a blade of grass and started shredding it, her leg bouncing up and down. I pretended not to notice, wondering if she’d tell me what was bothering her of her own accord or if I’d have to use some persuasion to uncover why she was wound up.

I’d not hidden my conversation with Connor over the comms device this morning, but I wondered if hearing about the escalation of the vampire war had made her consider home and what that meant to her now. Connor had asked about her, and even Ember had come on and asked questions. Shannon had vigorously shaken her head when Ember asked to talk to her. I wouldn't make Shannon talk when she didn’t want to, so I’d lied about her being out for a walk and told them she was doing well. Connor had growled, and I was certain he was about to call me on my bullshit when he grunted. It was clear Ember had elbowed him to shut him up.

“Don’t worry, Stone, just tell her we love her and are looking forward to her coming home,” she said before ending the call.

Home. Looking at Shannon, I wondered if she even saw the Scottish compound as home anymore. Especially as she’d seemed unsettled since that phone call.

“Will you…train with me?” She blurted the question, breaking my inner monologue. Carefully, I put down the thriller I’d been reading, my heart squeezing. We’d had sex, plenty of it, and I’d introduced Shan to the kind of dominance I loved. She’d responded beautifully to it, but ultimately, she knew she controlled what we did.This was the first time she’d asked for something outside of sex. I cocked my head, really looking at her. Her leg kept bouncing, and she bit the side of her thumbnail, staring out at the forest. My eyes narrowed. This wasn’t about training. She was upset.

“Train?” I asked slowly, watching her reactions carefully.

“Yeah, you know. Fight. Weapons. No weapons. Whatever.”

“Yeah, I know. What I don’t know is why? You’ve not mentioned training since we got here. And you didn’t train much—before.”

She tensed, but as much as I didn’t want to upset her, there was no point in sugar-coating what had happened. I hadn’t been the only one to notice that Shan’s physical state had slipped as her addiction had taken hold. It was one of the reasons Connor had ordered us to Hope. Sending Shannon to make sure her sister was cared for properly by Rawson had just been an excuse to get her away from the team before she got someone, especially herself, killed. We’d both hoped a change of scenery would help. Ultimately, it hadn’t.

My fingers curled into my palms, hating that I’d just stood by and watched my mate become physically weak and hadn’t done shit to stop it. Connor wouldn't let her return to her job until she was in far better shape. She knew it, yet her body language didn’t scream excitement about training. If anything, she looked like she wanted to run from her suggestion at one hundred miles an hour.

“Course I haven’t!” she snapped, a fine sheen of sweat on her top lip. “I’ve been recovering. But I’m better now, and I need to get fit if I’m going to get back to my job—and be strong enough to shift.”

Ah. I cocked my head and inhaled as I studied her. My wolf whined, and I had to agree with him. Fighting wasn’t what she needed. I stood up, towering over her. She glanced up, her pupils wide, her fingers curled into fists. There was a hard set to her jaw as if she was clenching her teeth.

“Well?” I cocked a brow, my decision made. “If you want to...fight, you need to get off your arse.” I stalked away into the woods, confident she’d follow. Deep down, Shannon wanted a peaceful existence, and the conflict I’d just witnessed on her face unsettled me. I didn’t go far, not liking the constant feeling of being watched despite sending my magic out and finding nothing. When I found a suitable bit of forest, I turned. Shan stopped about six feet away, biting her bottom lip.

“What do you really want, Butterfly?” I narrowed my eyes, squaring my shoulders and folding my arms across my chest. “You know I won’t ask again.”

She shuffled on her feet, not looking at me. I could sense her distress, her fear. I growled. My wolf wasn’t happy about it either.

“Okay then.” I breathed out and shifted. Pushing her was the only way to solve this. She said she wanted to fight, but she didn’t. If anything, she needed my Alpha side more than ever.

My vision changed, and the scents of the surrounding forest became sharper. I inhaled deeply, smelling the fresh grass, the flowers, and even the lingering scent of a nearby sprite, but underneath it was a faint, disconcerting scent of something…dark. It wasn’t a familiar scent, just…wrong. My spine stiffened, but I couldn’t sense another living being. It was…odd. I bared my teeth. If I didn’t know better, I’d say there was a vampire somewhere nearby, but Originals, and even Made vampires, had a sense of energy, of life—and this didn’t. Besides, Made vampires couldn’t get through the portal. It sent them straight into the void beyond its confines when it sensed their life energy was—wrong. There was much in Faery that was dangerous, but between my Fae senses and my wolf, I could avoid it or deal with it before it could cause Shan or me any harm. I made a note to ask Ventry if he’d ever encountered anything like it. But right then, my mate needed me, and I could keep her safe until we’d dealt with what was worrying her.

My head was as high as Shannon’s, her eyes wide with a mix of challenge and relief. It was a heady mixture and one my wild side instantly reacted to. My wolf was intimidating to most creatures. He was large even for a shifter wolf but was much bigger here in Faery, where he absorbed the life force of this land. As I stepped forward and bared my teeth, it was like I’d flicked a switch in Shan. Her eyes narrowed, and for a split second, she studied me intently. I held my breath as she decided: fight—or run.

I grinned as she spun, leaving a dent in the grass before she ran. I didn’t even give her a second. There was no way she was leaving my sight. Not out here. Instinct told me she wanted to shift, but her wolf had been trapped by her physical weakness. Now that her body was strong again, it was likely a mental block; she’d convinced herself she couldn’t.

I intended to disabuse her of that. So would my wolf. If she wouldn’t do it herself, I’d be the Alpha she needed and force it.

A bitter scent of fear lingered in her wake. Yet I knew her well enough to understand it wasn’t terror of me; it was of herself, of the fact that she was a shifter who couldn’t shift. She was scared she couldn’t do it even with my power to bolster hers.

I ran on her heels, giving her the illusion of escaping me before I nipped at her ankle, catching it between my teeth and pulling. I made sure not to tear the material of her jeans and kept my hold light enough not to bruise. Momentum sent her tumbling forward. Opening my jaws gave her enough freedom to roll onto her back. Arching her spine, she flicked to her feet and aimed a kick at my nose. It connected, but I shook it off and used my head to knock her entirely off her feet, leaping and landing on top of her. I didn’t snap my jaws or throw my weight down. I didn’t want to hurt her, but we both knew her wolf would submit to mine. Not only was he a powerful Alpha, he was her mate. I’d use that to make her wolf pay attention, to force a shift.

With my front paws on either side of her, I lowered my head, baring my teeth and letting my wolf rise fully. Taking a back seat didn’t worry me, not when I knew he’d never harm her. Together, we gazed deeply into Shan’s eyes. Normally, she’d look away, but she fought her instincts. Fuck, I was so proud of her. She’d spent her life fighting against her need to submit to the Alphas in her life, and it showed. Right now, though, if she wanted to connect with her wolf, she needed to let him in.

I felt his power rise and mixed it with my Fae magic, stunned by the force and ease with which it pushed into Shannon. There! Deep inside her soul was a faint glow. I felt it the moment he connected with her.

Shannon gasped, her eyes never leaving ours. I pushed to the surface so she could see me, too. My wolf rumbled. A warning to let him work. Pulling back a little, I watched as he firmly coaxed the female spirit forward, not being aggressive, but soothing and encouraging. He’d sensed Shannon’s fear as readily as I did and didn't want to scare that beautiful spirit back into hiding.

Come on…. I willed. Trust him.

A deep, throaty rumble shook his body as amber stained my Butterfly’s irises. As soon as he’d coaxed her to the surface, I took back over. It was gratifying that he trusted in our combined power to force a change. I stared deeply into those amber eyes and sent a surge of energy into Shannon. Her eyes widened and her bone structure changed.

That’s it, little wolf, you can do it. Come on…

I padded backwards to give her room to shift but didn’t drop my gaze, forcing Shannon’s wolf to look at me. With a howl, the change took. It wasn’t clean or smooth. No, it was a painful, forced change, and I hated the agony it caused. I wanted to tell her to stop with every fibre of my being, but if I eased off, her Omega wolf would hide away forever.

Shannon had wanted to fight, but not physically. She’d wanted to fight for her wolf. She needed this to reconnect with the other part of her soul.

My wolf tensed, a low rumbling growl shaking our chest as we watched Shannon transform from human to wolf. Panting and trembling, she lay before me, her gaze lowered. For a moment, we just stared. She was stunning. I’d seen her before, of course, but not for years, and I’d forgotten how slender she was, how fine and soft her thick ice-white fur was. Emitting a soothing rumble, we firmly nudged her with our nose, nipping at her fur until she took the hint and shakily stood. That muscle memory for standing on four legs instead of two needed to be triggered. She didn’t need to do anything else this time, not when her exhaustion was so apparent. The shift had taken every reserve she had.

We locked eyes, and my chest was simultaneously filled with warmth that I could connect to her on such a level and worry about the exhaustion my mate was experiencing. Her wolf whimpered and sank back down to the ground. I let her. She was weak and overwhelmed. Instead of forcing the change back to human, I padded closer and lay down, curling around her. My much bigger body would act as a layer of protection from the creatures of Faery who’d come to see what all the commotion was about. I snarled viciously when any came too close, but I didn’t sense any real danger or malice from them. Within moments, Shannon’s wolf relaxed and was breathing deeply and evenly. My senses stayed alert while she slept. I’d kill anything that came too close, whether they were an actual threat or not.

The small hairs on the back of my neck bristled, and my danger gauge pinged to the point that, glaring through the brightly coloured flora of the Spring Kingdom as we walked, I expected to see an enemy rush me.

Throwing my senses out, I inhaled deeply. Bluebells, damp undergrowth, sunshine, grass, rabbit, sprite—and the heady scent of my mate. I loved it and wished it could fill my senses every minute of the day. But under that welcome fragrance was the sour odour that followed the oily sensation of being watched. My fingers grazed the handle of the Fae gun tucked in the holster on my hip. I pulled my wolf nearer the surface, even though, like every other time I’d had this feeling, I couldn’t sense anyone near. I hated having an awareness that danger was close but not knowing where it might come from or what form it would take, especially when my soul mate was by my side.

I hadn’t let her out of my sight for the past week and only allowed her into the woods to shift when I was with her. She’d defied me once. My cock twitched as I remembered the fun we’d both had with her ‘punishment’.

She’d surprised the hell out of me since then by complying with my wishes. Part of me wanted to just enjoy that she wanted to be by my side as much as I did hers, yet in a twisted way, I missed her defiance. I'd always loved our fiery, even aggressive, interactions. They’d made me feel alive when not much else did. But this? Spending time with her, enjoying her easy smile and laugh, her teasing, and even the comfortable silences we’d lapse into left me with a strange sense of warmth and calm. I shook my head, unable to reconcile the change from our bitter, often hateful arguments to two people who enjoyed each other’s company.

Even when we eventually returned home to Scotland, having this peaceful time together was something I’d never forget. I’d learnt more about Shannon in the past few weeks than in all the years I’d known her. We’d talked about everything from our favourite foods to heavier things like our childhoods. It was only fair that if Shan was going to reveal the pain of her past, I did, too. By the time I’d finished, I think Shannon found my father almost as despicable as I found hers.

I smiled, trying to stop my heart from tumbling in my chest. I loved her. More than I’d believed myself capable. Even now, before we’d mated, I’d do anything for her. If she asked, I’d leave the compound in Scotland and set up a home with her somewhere else. The thought of leaving my brothers and even my King, who was my best friend, didn’t leave the bitter taste it used to. I’d do anything Shannon needed to make her happy. My footsteps faltered at the realisation of how deeply I was in this. I really would do anything for her.

Her gaze flicked my way, small creases appearing on the bridge of her nose. I wanted to smooth them away before kissing her into oblivion.

“You okay?” she asked.

I grinned, and I reached for her hand. Who knew I was a hand holder? I chuckled. Who knew Shannon was? “Yeah, I’m good.”

“Do you think the school will be open today?” Shannon’s voice held a note of hopefulness that made my smile widen.

We’d visited the village two days ago, and Shannon had been drawn to the small school where the happy laughter of small children filled the air. I’d let her go, watching as she wandered closer to the playing kids. A soft smile had curled her mouth, a wistful look softening her features. It was a longing look, which I’d never seen before.

My stomach clenched. Was it because she wanted kids of her own, or was it just the innocent joy of the children’s laughter and antics? Either way, being near the school made her happy, so I’d suggested another walk into the village. We didn’t need food from the stores, not really, not when I was hunting daily to make sure Shannon had enough to eat like a good mate should.

We’d spent most of the other day just watching the children play and having fun. The teacher had noticed us, with a look of utter surprise on her face when she recognized me. I’d tensed as her gaze fell on Shannon, and her look turned curious. As with most small villages in Faery, the only humans they ever saw were under the influence of a High Fae, slaves to their whims. Yet Edvina accepted my explanation that we were here for some respite for Shannon after an illness. I hadn’t bothered hiding that we were under the Prince Regent’s protection. Vina’s eyebrows had disappeared into her hairline, and I’d had to hide my smirk. Yeah, no one would mess with Shan if they thought she was under the Prince Regent’s protection.

For some reason, I was reluctant to introduce my mate with the name we’d decided on. Butterfly was my nickname for her, and I didn’t want to share it, so I’d quickly settled on Hunter. Shannon had raised a brow, her eyes sparkling with mirth as if she’d realised exactly what was going on in my head. As soon as Shannon had commented on how happy the children were, the two had hit it off, talking about anything and everything to do with teaching young children, while I’d sat there content to listen quietly and watch the children play their games of tag.

Shan had been happier the rest of that day than I’d seen her in a long time. It had taken a lot of self-control not to react when she’d gripped onto me, holding my hand without reservation and chattered about what Edvina had told her. My chest had clenched so tight when she tentatively shared how she’d always wanted to be a teacher that I’d had to rub it when she wasn’t looking. I had never considered my future or what I’d do with my life if I wasn’t a warrior. Mainly because being a warrior of one kind or another always seemed to be my destiny, but for Shannon? If she wanted to be a teacher, then I’d make it happen. She deserved to follow her dreams. And, yeah, spontaneously holding hands? It was so un-Shannon-like that I’d been momentarily speechless. But something told me to act as if I didn’t notice her behaviour. Especially as I didn’t want her to stop. If this was more like the true Shannon than the hard, snarky, aggressive person she thought she had to be, I wanted her to stay this way. I wouldn’t make her feel self-conscious. I’d give my Butterfly the opportunity to become who she wanted without judgement or comment, and if a friendship with Edvina would encourage that to happen, then that was great.

Keeping my senses alert to the danger lurking in the air, I smiled at the excitement in Shan’s voice. The sound of it made me even more determined to make sure she got to do whatever made her happy. “Yes, it’s the fourth day in this week’s sun cycle, so they will.”

Her brows rose. “Do all the kingdoms of Faery use numbered days and sun cycles as weeks?”

I smiled indulgently at her. “They do. It just depends on how far into Faery you go as to whether you use the left or right moon to follow their progress around the sun. Time moves differently here than on Earth, but we still use minutes and hours. I guess the moon cycle here is just like a month at home but there are more weeks in the month. The moons mirror each other in how fast they go around the sun, so it makes no difference which one is followed.”

“Ah, right. I always wondered about days and weeks and stuff because of Blue but never thought to ask, not when the clocks seemed to move the same.”

She slipped her arm through mine as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Since we’d admitted this was happening between us, I'd not held back. I’d been touching her at every opportunity, to the point Finchley had slapped me around my head and told me to give the ‘poor girl’ a break. Shannon’s laughter had earned her another long session of punishment. Finchley had taken to zapping the air with a little blast of magic to warn us she was coming in after finding me bending Shannon over the back of the couch. Grinning, I lifted her hand from my arm and kissed her fingers.

She smirked, mischief glinting in her eyes. “So…can you sense anyone around?”

I chuckled, knowing exactly where she was going with this. My cock twitched, totally on board. We’d had sex every night and whenever the mood struck us during the day, which was frequent. The more we were together, the more I fell in love with my beautiful mate. Because that was what I was, totally and utterly in love. I was hooked on her smile, on the light laughter that fell from her lips when Finchley scolded me for some made-up insult, for the way she flushed when I grabbed her and kissed the breath from her, for the way she threw her head back and begged me so prettily to take her; so many things I couldn’t even put them into words.

I also loved that she was braver now and would explore my body to figure out what I liked. She even had the confidence to tell me when she was up in her head and needed me to take that away for a while, surrendering control to me. I wondered what side of the coin she’d show me today: curiosity or submission. “No, only a deer, several rabbits, and the gliders up there.”

“Oh, good. So you could throw me up against that tree over there and fuck me senseless then?”

Without giving her time to blink, I had her up against the tree in question and her combats undone. Her moan was obscene as I slipped my fingers into her slick warmth. “Anything to make you happy, Butterfly.” And I meant it. She was the most essential being in my life and had been for years. Connor had seen that even before I had. He’d seen how we battled to hide our pain and how Shannon was on the verge of breaking, so he forced us both to confront our feelings. I’d have to thank him eventually. Internally, though, I rolled my eyes. He’d be such a smug motherfucker about it.

All thoughts of anything but Shannon soon fled. Her smile bloomed at my words, and my breath hitched. Gods, I was so totally screwed. She could ask me to cut out my tongue, and I’d do it. “You’re so beautiful and so fucking mine,” I whispered before kissing her. I was a total sucker for that smile, and it bloomed so often now that I didn’t ever want her to go back to the dark place where she’d been before we came here.

Edvina was outside the school with the children as we approached. They all sat crossed-legged on the soft grass while she encouraged each to read a passage from the book they all held. After a few minutes, she left one of the older kids to supervise and strode over, a welcoming smile on her lips.

“Hey, Hunter, it’s lovely to see you. Nice to see you too, Stone,” she added as an afterthought.

I raised my brows and laughed. “It’s okay, Vina. I know who you're pleased to see.”

“Well, can you blame me when female company is hard to find around here?”

“Not really.” I glanced around the pretty village square. A few people were milling around the bakery and the grocery store, a couple sitting on the side of the well, but certainly no other lone females. As always it was hard to know how old everyone was. They all looked my age, but looks meant nothing. Once Fae reached their late twenties or early thirties, their ageing slowed so much that it was almost non-existent. Anyone who did look even remotely old was, by default, ancient and was afforded the respect they deserved, though many Fae went mad before any wrinkles appeared. It was the High King’s responsibility to decide on their fate. A part of Ventry’s role I didn’t envy, even if such deaths were an accepted part of life in Faery.

Like many other long-lived supernaturals, Fae didn’t reproduce easily, hence why this school and the handful of children in it were so precious. Seeing babies and children so frequently was one of the reasons I loved being on Earth. Shifter females went into heat regularly and found it easier to get pregnant than Fae. Maybe I wasn’t good at expressing it, but I was over the moon for my brothers when they had children.

My stomach tightened and I clenched my teeth. Would Shannon go into heat and need me to help her through it? Mother Wolf, I hoped so. I rubbed at the ache in my chest. I’d never considered having a child. Never let myself when I knew how difficult it was. As I stared at Shannon, it dawned on me that such a thing could be our future. A family. Did I even deserve that when Gwen would never get that opportunity?

As if sensing my distress, Shan’s attention focused on me. I forced a smile to my face. Would a child of her own make her happy? Shit, she’d only just got over a long and harrowing addiction, and still had one hell of a messed up past that needed working through. I wasn’t stupid enough to think this time with me had cured her of all the darkness her dickhead of a father had left her with. But maybe when she was ready, we could discuss what our future might look like.

“Hey.” Warm fingers clasped mine, pulling my attention back to the two women. “You okay?”

The thought of a future with this strong, beautiful female who had room in her heart for so many people despite being damaged by her past, a future that might even include a child, made me cup her face and kiss her deeply.

A cough from Vina had me slamming back to my senses, but I didn’t pull away quickly. I simply eased off, still sipping from her lips until we broke gently apart.

Her lips were swollen and her cheeks flushed. “Well, damn, that was unexpected.”

I grinned. “Good. Don’t want to become predictable.”

Shannon raised a brow, then her eyes narrowed as she searched my gaze. “That’s something you’ve never been, Stoney-boy. So? You gonna tell me what that was about?”

I shot her a cocky grin and stepped back. “Nope.”

“As arrogant as ever,” Vina scoffed before giving me a pointed look. “If you’ve made the effort to walk to the village, I assume you have things to do?” Before I could answer, she turned to Shan. “Come on, you can come and sit with me and the kids for a while. You can even help me teach them to read. It’s hard sometimes to give them enough attention when there’s only me. Stone will be fine.”

Shannon’s face was a picture—joy and surprise, followed by uncertainty. It broke my heart that this was how she really felt. Here, away from the need to be the kickass person she always was, she was shocked that someone had asked for her company. “Erm, yes, I guess?”

I smiled, trying to encourage her. “Go on. You’ll enjoy it, and the kids loved you the other day. Look, they’re already coming over to fetch you.” It was true. The two youngest ones she had chatted with the most were already running over, brandishing big, happy smiles on their faces. “Go and enjoy yourself. I’ll be waiting nearby.”

She squeezed my hand, biting her bottom lip. Gods, I wanted her to feel confident in who she was, but rebuilding that part of Shan’s psyche would take time. All I could do was encourage her to be whatever she wanted.

“But what about you?”

Unable to deny that I needed to hold her again, I pulled her into my arms and kissed her forehead, revelling in the fact that she didn’t want to kick me in the balls for it or keep me at a distance with barbed vitriol. “I’m fine, Butterfly. I’ll have a drink at the tavern, then I have to do some….shopping for fresh meat.”

She pulled back and grinned. We both knew it was code for me to shift and hunt. Even here in this woodland village, I wouldn’t broadcast that I was a shifter.

“Okay, then.”

My smile grew as she grabbed my t-shirt and yanked me down for another quick and dirty kiss. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright when she pulled away. She turned to Edvina, her touch slowly falling away. “That would be great. Thanks, Edvina.”

“Oh, call me Vina, everyone does. And, as that big brute clearly doesn’t want me to call you Butterfly…” She rolled her eyes at me. “I’m calling you Hunnie. Hunter doesn’t suit you at all. Seriously, Stone, couldn’t you come up with something better than that to call this beautiful woman?”

Shan laughed at my scowl.

“Hey!” I called as they walked away, and my fingers twitched to pull Shan back to my side. They both turned back. I allowed my magic to glow in my eyes and flick across my fingers. “Remember, I’m always close. If you need me, just yell. I’ll be with you in seconds.” I glared pointedly at Vina.

She paled a little but nodded. “She’ll be safe here.”

I nodded, a slight snarl baring my canines. “I’m sure you understand the consequences if she isn’t.” I had no reason to mistrust her, but my wolf was as unhappy as me at leaving our mate, even for a short while. Maybe this was a bad idea.

Shannon rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t pay attention to him. He’s just being overly protective. I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself if I need to.”

Vina looked from me to Shan. “But just what in Faery do you two think will happen in this sleepy little village? Literally, nothing exciting ever happens.”

My wolf rumbled as I forced him back. The shift was quick and painless, and thanks to the small amount of Connor’s power that hummed through my veins, I could reassemble my clothes and was fully dressed by the time I was back on two legs.

I swiped up the carcasses of two large rabbits. Normally, I wouldn’t stop my wolf from ripping into them after a hunt, but it pleased both of us to provide food for Shannon. I smirked at the satisfied rumble that echoed in my head.

Birds twittered, and the sun warmed my face as I headed back to the village. It was peaceful here in Faery, and part of me wanted to stay, but it was time I took Shannon back to Scotland. We’d avoided contact with my father or anyone outside this village, and I was grateful for that. Staying longer would put that luck to the test. Besides, Shannon was well enough to leave now. She’d not once seemed like she craved alcohol, and there’d been no further hallucinations. If anything, she was happier than I’d ever seen her. Her eyes shone, and she smiled and laughed a lot more. Her body was filling out again, and the heat in her gaze when she caught me staring never failed to make my stomach clench. The need to claim her was an itch on my soul, one I was finding hard to ignore, but I would never claim her without her consent.

Connor had tasked his brothers and warriors, the Shadow Sentinels, to eradicate the practice of forcibly claiming and bonding unmated shifters. Male or female, it didn’t matter if shifters were weaker than their attackers; once they were forced into a mating, there was no escape—unless one of the pair died. Slavery was rife in the shifter community, and one of our main goals was to eliminate it. The vampire war had escalated, which slowed our progress, but when it came to forced mating, Connor was relentless. Once the vampire war and the Blood Lust virus were under control, we’d continue our fight against the criminal packs who subjugated and used the less powerful members of shifter society.

I needed to return to Scotland and see my king and my brothers and their families. I hated the distance between us all, but Shannon came first, even if we did have a fucking war to fight. Count Balthazar Rossi would have to wait for my help, especially if Shannon wasn’t ready to deal with being back there. I wouldn’t do anything that might interfere with her healing. And, I needed to trust that, when we were apart, she wouldn’t give in to any urges to get lost in a haze of Rosewater. I doubted she could go back to being a Sentinel right away. She’d fucked up enough that I was pretty sure Connor would need her to prove herself before he’d even consider it. Besides, I didn’t even know if she wanted to be one any more.

I dragged a hand down my face. We should talk about it. The fact that we hadn’t was as much my fault as Shan’s. We both knew she’d put people at risk, and I didn’t want to upset her by bringing back the guilt she harboured over what had happened to her sister. She hadn’t asked about seeing Ava, going home to Scotland, the war, or any missions at all, not even after listening to my updates with Connor. It was like she didn’t want to acknowledge that part of her life existed any more.

Maybe a visit to Hope to see how Ava was doing was the best idea. While we were there maybe Shan could talk to Becca, the Canadian pack’s councillor.

There was a small beep as I switched on the communication device on my wrist to get an update on Ava. If she’d had the baby, I wanted to see them almost as much as Shannon did. Rawson had suffered through some life-altering shit, and I couldn’t be happier that he’d found his soul mate, even if finding her had put him through hell.

The communication device beeped, and Ventry’s deep voice greeted me.

“Stone. What do you need?”

I grinned, appreciating that he got straight to the point. “Do you have time for an extraction tomorrow?”

“Consider it done.” There was a pause. “Shannon’s doing well, then?”

“She is. There’s been no sign of withdrawal since we arrived. She’s…happy.”

“That’s good. Are you staying in Winter for a while?” There was a pause, but I waited patiently. He clearly hadn’t finished what he was saying. “When she wakes, I’m sure Blue would like to spend time with her.”

I glanced up at the moons. The glowing orbs were almost ready to meet. I hadn’t realised how much time had passed. I chuckled. “You sure you’re alright with that? They’re a force to be reckoned with when they’re together.”

Vent’s grunt made me chuckle. “They really fucking are. But, yeah, my human is a pain in the arse while she’s awake, but I’m not cruel enough to deny her seeing one of her own kind for a while.”

I didn’t call him out on the fact that I’d noticed he couldn’t deny her much at all. Their relationship wasn’t my business. He didn’t mistreat her, and she’d die if she wasn’t in Faery. Besides, technically, according to Faery law, she was his prisoner for her crimes against this land and his people.

“Sure, we’ll spend a few days with you. Unless you want to bring her to Hope?”

Ventry’s sigh echoed down the phone. “Sadly, I have responsibilities I must attend to here, but I will need to come and see my father soon. There is much he needs to know about.”

“Yeah, I can only imagine, my friend. Noon tomorrow, then?”

After Ventry had cut our call, I lengthened my stride. I’d been gone for less than an hour, but even that felt too long. I’d forced myself to leave the tavern after I’d sat and watched them until Shannon sent me a glare that meant she was going to kick my arse if I didn’t stop. I knew she could look after herself, but she was a human in a Fae world, and she was worth a lot of money to the shits willing to sell her to the highest bidder.

Every Fae in this village would have sensed my magic just as I could sense their fear when I approached them. I didn’t hide it, allowing it to rise in my eyes, but there was no accounting for stupidity—in any race. I had seen so much selfishness and greed in my life that nothing surprised me anymore.

My forward momentum stuttered as that oily feeling of being watched crept over my skin again. The hair on the back of my neck rose. This felt different than before. It was thicker, as if whatever it was had become braver. It was close.

I cracked my neck, my wolf hovering just under my skin. “I know you’re there,” I said, keeping my tone light while hiding my fury at being stalked. I was a predator, not prey. “Show yourself and state your business with me. Remain a coward, and when I catch you, your death will be long and painful.”

A cold laugh echoed around the woods. It was neither overtly male nor female, but it was enough to make me tense.

“You will not kill me, for your future is now set. And it isn’t with your human whore. The world is about to change, and even the spawn of the cursed king can’t stop it.”

Its laugh faded as I thrust my wolf forward and charged towards the village. The cursed king was how the Fae referred to Ventry’s father. Ventris was unable to return here because of a curse, but what he had to do with my stalker was more than I could unpack right then, not when my heart thundered, fear and rage infecting every cell in my body. I snarled and pushed harder, slamming through the undergrowth. My paws kicked up loose earth as I charged around the side of the tavern, only to skid to an abrupt halt. Breath heaved in and out of my lungs as I focused through my rage on the male who stood in the centre of the square. His hateful mouth curled into a satisfied sneer as he held a blade to my mate’s throat.

“Hello, son.”