Second Chance by Fate (Fated Apex Mates #3)

1. Violet

Chapter 1

Violet

T his is such a bad idea.

The same words play over and over in my head as my hands tighten around the steering wheel, the urge to whip the sports car into a U-turn overwhelming me. My eyes dart back and forth between the gleaming purple sparkle of my nails to the road ahead, trying not to get distracted by the idea of going back and forgetting this quest that has consumed me for the past year.

It’s almost becoming a song now, with a beat put to music.

Such a bad idea, such a bad idea. Violet is making such a terrible choice.

It’s catchy and should steer me away, but it doesn’t. I’m too cocky for my own good.

On either side of me, flashes of the Arizona desert dart by as my foot lays heavier on the gas, my final destination tangible at long last.

Vultures spin in an ominous dance in the twilight sky to my right, undoubtedly eying some poor, dying animal. It’s another sign to get the hell out of there, to return to Miami, where I’ve been serving the past three years in exile. I don’t need the coven or a reading to spell this out for me. Bitsy’s shrill warnings keep playing out in my head and have been all the way from home. All the signs are yelling in my face.

Turn around.

But I keep surging forward. I have to. I can’t let this go with good conscience.

They won’t be happy to see me, and I gave the Alphas no warning I intended to come back. Of course not. I can hear Enzo now, scolding me for disobeying his direct order. At least he’s overriding my best friend’s incessant nagging.

But is that all he’ll do? An exile isn’t something to be taken lightly. The Apex Alphas didn’t send me away on a whim. They didn’t trust me then, and they won’t appreciate me showing up like this now, especially without a reason.

I shudder slightly and shrug off the premonition of danger, leaning forward to adjust the settings on the radio. My hand brushes against the protective crystals dangling from the rearview mirror, a glint of light catching in the reflection as I turn up the song to distract my troubled mind. Music hasn’t worked over the past two days of driving, but it’s all I have for now.

My breath catches when I recognize the motorcycles closing in behind me. For a millisecond, I forget where I am and appreciate the beauty of the bikes zooming up around me. Then reality settles.

Shit. I’m already detected. How are they onto me so fast?

I’m in Apex territory now—but that’s stupid. Everything is Apex territory in one form or another. They can’t possibly know I’m here already… can they?

My mind races with the possibilities. Maybe it’s just a coincidence. Maybe I can talk my way out of it. Maybe I should have just turned around when I had the chance.

On all sides of my car, sleek, black bikes pull along, their leather Apex jackets giving them away even before I look at their faces peering out from behind their helmets. Some of the shifters carry their mates on the back, but most ride alone. I recognize their posture and their stances. I’ve ridden with them on the back of Enzo’s bike, but that feels like an eternity ago. In some ways, it was an eternity ago. That was a different life, a life when the Apex Alphas liked and respected me.

Maybe they won’t recognize me, I think with childish optimism. Right. As if I had changed so much in three years. I still bear the same purple streaks in my hair. I suddenly wish I had the foresight to make some changes to my appearance.

But I remind myself that I’m not here to fool anyone. I’m not hiding out. I’m here to help—whether they like it or not.

One rider makes a gesture for me to pull over, and for half a second, I consider speeding up, but that wouldn’t be smart. Even with all my magic, I can’t outrun the half dozen Apex shifters on motorcycles. And I can’t keep my presence in Sedona hidden forever—even if they are catching me off guard before I’m ready to present myself again. No. I have to follow orders, to play by their rules, stupid as they are.

Stifling a sigh, I do as I’m silently instructed, turning down the music, and quietly enshrouding a layer of protection around me. Although, I doubt I’m in any real danger. They’ll sooner bring me to the Alphas and have them sort me out for breaching the exile. Nothing happens in Apex territory without going through the Alphas first, particularly when my exile was under Alpha order.

All the same, I don’t want to be at the whim of some trigger-happy newbie trying to make a good impression. A shroud of protection never hurt anyone.

Dust flies as we all come to a stop on the side of the darkening highway, and I roll down my window. Instantly, I recognize the wolf shifter peering back at me, my stomach dropping slightly. There’s no way to smooth talk my way out of this one, but simultaneously, I’m relieved. He’s not going to harm me. I’m certain of that.

Baylor peers at me in shock after doing a double take.

“It really is you!” he mutters, stepping back to shake his head in disbelief.

“You don’t look happy to see me, Bay,” I quip lightly.

“Aren’t you banished?”

I force a smile and shrug. “Nothing lasts forever, kid. How are you? How’s the family?”

He looks to the rest of his waiting pack nervously.

“Do the Alphas know you’re back, Violet?” he demands, regaining his composure and drawing back toward the car again, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

His gloved hands close into fists, and my heart drops more. He’s onto me for sure. He signals for another one of the pack members to approach the vehicle, and I sit up straighter as they look inside my fully loaded car.

“It looks like you’re just getting in. Are you moving back?”

His rapid-fire questions annoy me.

“It’s a free country, Bay,” I retort with more sharpness than I intend.

“You’re in Apex territory, Violet,” he fires back.

“Everywhere in Arizona is technically your Apex Alpha’s territory,” I snap, my temper flaring.

“Tell it to the Alphas,” he grunts, and I smother another groan as he reaches for his phone. “I don’t need to tell you how things work around here.”

“Stop!” I beg him, extending my hand in panic. “I… I’ll call them myself.”

He hesitates again, and I can tell he doesn’t want to be the messenger, but he also has a duty to report this, especially with so many witnesses.

“You’re putting me in a really awkward position,” he growls. “You know I can’t go against my orders, against Apex Alpha orders. I have to report that you’re here.”

Beguilingly, I grin at him, even though my heart is racing. “I just wanted to get settled in town first. Give a girl a break, Bay.”

“You’re not supposed to be in town,” he reminds me coldly. “Unless I get authority saying otherwise, I need to see you out of here.”

Biting on my lower lip, I lean over the window. “I’ll call them as soon as I find a place to unpack. But I had to come back now. It’s a matter of life and death.”

His brow furrows, and he waves everyone back. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

I’ve already said more than I should, and I try to lighten the mood by maintaining my smile. “I mean… well, it’s really something I need to talk with the Alphas about. Won’t you let me do that myself?”

“Are you threatening them?” he asks angrily, and I scoff, rolling my eyes.

“Of course not. Do I look like an idiot?”

And if I were threatening them, do you think I’d announce it in front of half the Apex pack? Geez, where do they find these shifters?

That’s a dumb question. The Apexes are the best of the best. Only the best and strongest can hope to be a part of any state Apex pack. But sometimes I wonder…

Baylor hesitates again, and I can see him considering it.

“You’re jamming me up,” he complains again.

“You’re the one who stopped me,” I rib him gently. “You could have let me keep going and been none the wiser.”

Baylor scoffs. “Right. And when the Alphas get wind of that? It would be my ass on the line.”

He brings up a good point.

“What are you so worried about?” I insist. “I’m just a girl going through town.”

“No,” he corrects me. “You’re a powerful witch who’s too close to Dusty Woods for my liking. That town is off limits to you.”

I snort again. “Come on, seriously?”

“You think the Alphas’ security is a joke? You know exactly where their town is.”

“And I also know I can’t get to them unless they invite me in. What’s the danger?”

“You’re a witch. Who the hell knows what you can or can’t do. I still don’t know why you got banished. For all I know, that’s exactly why you’re not allowed in Arizona—because you’re able to access Dusty Woods.”

I give him another weary smile, but my pulse is racing, and I’m sure he can hear it. They aren’t Apex shifters for nothing. Their senses are far superior to normal shifters.

“It has nothing to do with that,” I reassure him. “I can’t access Dusty Woods without their invitation. And I will tell them I’m here when I’m settled. Just give me a night, will you? You can even put a team with me if you think I’m that dangerous.”

Warily, Baylor steps back from the car and waves everyone back to their bikes, but I don’t believe the matter is resolved.

He’s going to call Enzo the second I drive off. It’s his duty. I won’t have time to prepare at all. Shit. I’m in trouble now. All this planning for nothing. So much for keeping a low profile.

“Fine,” he concedes. “Where are you staying?”

I hesitate, unsure I want to tell him that much, but he’s not giving me much of a choice in the matter.

“I was going to stop up ahead at the Super Tree Motel,” I confess, sensing that the truth is my only recourse here.

“You’ll stay there tonight,” Baylor instructs me, and I exhale, relieved he’s letting me go.

“Okay.” Rolling up the window, I half salute the shifter and pull back out, my mind whirling in double time now.

So much for a discreet assist from the sidelines. I’m fully in it now.

I barely make it to the city without my phone lighting up. The peaceful evening I had planned for myself suddenly looks a lot more hectic when Bitsy gives me an earful through the Bluetooth speaker.

“Are you out of your mind?” my best friend yells. “You went back to Arizona? How many times have you said you weren’t ever stepping foot back there? Is this because of what happened last year?”

Cringing, I steer the car into the Super Tree Motel off the highway and park near the entrance, allowing Bitsy’s voice to fill the interior of the car. Bad news really does travel fast.

“How the hell did you hear about that so quickly?” I ask, more out of curiosity than anger. It doesn’t surprise me that she has friends in the Apex pack in Arizona, but that was record time, even for her. She must be amazing at her public relations job.

“Never mind. You need to get back here before you get yourself killed,” she moans, the worry thick in her tone. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Probably,” I say. “But I’m not coming back. At least not yet. I can’t just sit idly by?—”

“Violet—”

“I can’t, Bits. They need me.” My statement is oddly flat, and she picks up on it right away.

She laughs mirthlessly. “After the way they treated you, who cares? They exiled you! Screw them and what they need. What about what you need? You’re going to end up cursed—and they won’t do anything to help you if that happens, I promise you that!”

I purse my lips, catching sight of my golden-brown eyes in the rearview. I’m exhausted from driving, the usual passion fizzled from their depth. Lowering my lashes, I fix my gaze on the dashboard, the temptation to hit the red button and disconnect the call gigantic.

Bitsy means well, but I’m not in the mood right now. She’s not telling me anything I haven’t agonized over repeatedly for more than a year.

“Or is that what this is about?” Bitsy demands when I don’t respond.

“What?” I ask dumbly. “What are you going on about now?”

“Screwing them. Was the sex that good?”

Mildly offended by her bluntness, I tense. “I don’t expect you to understand. But they do need me.”

“If they needed you, they would have reached out to you once in the past three years. Has one of them even tried to call you? A text?”

I’m done with this conversation. Every word she speaks drives home more pain.

“I’m in Sedona now, Bitsy. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Just come home. Nothing good will come of this, Violet. They banished you and didn’t lift that ban. You’re asking for trouble.”

“Love you. Bye,” I sing, giving into the temptation and disconnecting the call. I grab my purse and head inside to book a room, turning off my phone before anyone else can call to harass me about my poor life choices.

To my surprise, the human receptionist is alert and nervous, his eyes darting around as soon as I enter. I’ve never walked into a motel lobby and seen such a wide-awake receptionist before. I’m too exhausted to take real note of it.

“Hey… need a room?” he asks, twitching slightly.

I arch an eyebrow and nod, my senses heightened as I look around. We seem to be alone, but I get the feeling he’s expecting someone.

Maybe his dealer, I muse, gaging by the way he’s acting.

Without asking me for a credit card or ID, he slaps a key on the counter. “Room 202.”

Suspiciously, I eye him. “Don’t you want to be paid?”

“Pay on the way out,” he mutters, waving me away like I’m contagious.

My nerves tingle with the unsettling sense that something’s wrong. A part of me wants to argue, but I wisely keep my mouth shut, the sense of danger rising all around me.

Really, how many more signs do I need? It’s a freaking carnival of red flags all over the place.

But I’ve already attracted too much attention today, and I assume he’s worried I’m going to cross paths with some kind of shady business deal.

“Okay…” I slide the key off the counter and retreat to my car. My razor-sharp witch senses look for other vehicles in the lot, but nothing stands out to me. Even so, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m being watched.

Are they following me? Do they know I’ve come to warn the Alphas?

I shudder again, the consequences of my actions hitting me in full force now that I’m back in Sedona and in the middle of it. It’s not too late to turn back. I haven’t seen the Alphas, and they haven’t seen me, even if they have probably caught wind of my presence. I could take Bitsy’s advice and go back to Florida.

But then they’ll never be okay, and I could never live with myself, even after the way they treated me. Even if they kind of deserve it.

No. No one deserves this. Once upon a time, I cared for these jerks, and however their lives turn out, it doesn’t need to be like this. I just need to tread carefully and not expose myself.

Again, I take inventory of my surroundings, looking for one of the motorcycles from Baylor’s crew. But I still do not see anything out of place.

Gnawing on the insides of my cheeks, I grab my duffel bag from the trunk of my car and make my way up the rusted iron steps to the second floor. Another shiver of apprehension rushes through me at the threshold, and I almost turn to flee again.

Something isn’t right.

Pressing my ear to the door, I listen for movement inside, closing my eyes and honing my inner powers, but there’s nothing.

Go home, Violet. You’re exhausted . I need a hot shower and a meal after my trip. I’m seeing shadows everywhere now. If I keep expecting trouble, I’m sure to find it.

Sighing, I step back and put my key in the lock, pushing open the door to the musky-smelling room.

Instantly, I realize my mistake and step back over the threshold as three figures rise in the darkness toward me, but it’s too late.

“Hello, Violet,” one growls, his voice instantly recognizable. “It’s been a while.”