Chapter 23
HUNTER
It had been a hell of a week. Between my father attacking the street, Jewels’ betrayal, the death of Marcus, and then Constantine showing up on our doorstep to fuck our day just a little further, I was ready to let my beast loose. Tear it all down.
My wolf cared little for Golden Claw and the rest of the shifters in it. He cared for our pack, our quintet of power, and Emme. Not in that order. My little omega was always first.
My day had consisted of meetings and product launches, but my strongest focus was on our preparations for a war between witches and shifters. Kassidy was heading up a newly formed team that was working on sending out battle packages to the strongest enforcer groups across the cities.
All of them would be outfitted with the best tech Reeves Industries had to offer, including our patented armored vests. It might not be enough, but I had to do something.
We didn’t really know who was friend or foe these days, so our efforts were being marketed as a goodwill gesture.
A bonding between the shifter cities. Though we definitely still had some trusted allies out there.
Most other shifters would fight on our side, too, as none of them would want to lose their autonomy to witches.
I’d been in the middle of a meeting with our London offices when Emme’s magic had burst to life inside me, tearing through my control over my beast, as she immersed him in her spell.
I’d barely managed to keep my furious howl from spilling free, before I figured out what she’d done.
Our little mate had merged our energies and sent all six beasts out to attack Constantine’s spell.
There’d been a long moment when Emmeline had held my beast in her grasp, keeping him beyond my control. He was hers, in all ways, but I hadn’t felt weakened. Emme’s control over our essences didn’t drain us. We were just all part of her attack, even without moving a muscle.
The scariest part was the moment after she’d unleashed our power, when she’d been almost consumed by it. But I’d never had any doubt my little omega would snap herself out of it. Emmeline did not crave more power. She craved peace and stability, which was what I’d work forever to give her.
When I was ready to leave the office for the day, Talon checked in to inform me he was almost home too.
I packed up my laptop and paperwork, deciding I needed a few hours with Emme to soothe my ragged edges.
I’d never realized what true peace felt like until I was bonded.
I’d never had a place I could exist where the noise of our world and my responsibilities just… stopped. Emme was my peace.
As I got to my feet, Casey popped her head around the corner. “Sir, do you have a moment? There’s an alpha here to see you, and while he doesn’t have an appointment, I think you’ll want to take this meeting.”
I’d already mentally checked out of Reeves Industries for the day, but curiosity had me pausing. “Alpha?”
She nodded, expression unchanging. “Yes. Alpha Annandale.”
My wolf howled at Warrick finally emerging from his pack house. We’d been worried about our old friend. “Send him in.”
Warrick entered slowly, looking like he’d aged ten years from the last time I saw him.
His clothes were rumpled, shirt half tucked in, a few days growth on his normally smooth-shaven face.
I met his bloodshot gaze, and he just stared at me like I was a stranger.
“War,” I said kindly, not making a move closer since he was keeping his distance.
“What do you need? Is everything okay with Cora and the others?” He wouldn’t be here while his pack mourned unless something was wrong.
As he continued to stare, I managed to keep my normally impatient nature under control. Give him a moment of grace. If I lost anyone in my pack, I’d have been a raving mess. Well, anyone other than Emmeline. If I lost her, I’d be dead too.
“Where’s the fucking witch?” His first words were a rasp of agony, and I felt them all the way to my soul.
“We don’t know.” There was no point in lying. We had no fucking clue where the witch was, and even with every contact we had out looking, there was no sign of magic.
There wasn’t even a regular witch to be found, let alone Jewels.
“She’s gone to ground with apparently every other witch in existence. I have no doubt her plan is to stay hidden until the next full moon.”
I’d told our closest allies about Constantine’s warning, and though Warrick hadn’t returned my message, it had come up as read.
A small tic started in the corner of his eye. He leaned back against the door like he needed the support. “I’m assuming you don’t plan on letting that stand. You need to figure out how to find her…”
“We’re working on tracking her through magic,” I assured him. “We’ll track other witches too, if we can find an object that would lead us to them. We’re going to head for Fletcher’s old compound tomorrow in the hopes of unearthing a clue.”
His throat moved roughly as he swallowed, and the cry of his beast echoed through my own. “What happens if we don’t find her? What’s the plan?”
“We will go to war with the witches,” I said without hesitation, feeling my beast rising up. “They might control our shifts, but we have other strengths. We will figure out how to fight them and destroy the curse somehow. Or wipe out all witches so no one will ever control us again.”
Warrick didn’t appear convinced, so I offered him extra hope. “I have a team outfitting select groups of enforcers and warriors. They don’t really understand why, but they will come to our aid if we find ourselves at war. We’re bypassing the useless councils though.”
Warrick nodded, as if for the first time he was also done pandering to their needs. “I want to be part of the hunting parties when you go after the witches.”
With that, he stood straight and strong, as if he’d briefly shook off the weight on his shoulders.
“Bring me into the planning meetings and keep me updated so I can help in whatever way is needed. You can’t trust random enforcers in other cities but you ca—” His voice broke.
“We are old friends, and I have to avenge Marcus.”
“You will have your vengeance,” I assured him. “Every witch can die for all I care.”
Except for my mate, but there was no reason anyone needed to know about her unique heritage. Especially not her friend, who was currently on a path of revenge against magic.
“Keep me apprised,” he said with a firm nod. “If you find anything, I want to be there.”
That much I could promise him. “You’ll be the first to know if we discover anything of importance.”
With that he stomped out of my office, his dark energy trailing through the building.
Leaving right after, I was tense all the way back to the house, only finding relief when Slade texted that he was on his way home with Emme. The long way, since the lucky bastard had her backpacking with him right now.
As I pulled my bike into the garage, Talon’s energy thrummed in our bond, and I wasn’t surprised to find him waiting in the entrance hall.
We could all mentally check in now, though Emme kept us from communicating as a group.
It was clear that one day we’d all freely speak when needed, but for now, Emme held tightly to her control.
“Hunter,” Talon called, leaning down to unclip his bag, pulling out clothing. When he was dressed, he looked around. “Where is everyone?”
“Slade and Emme are on their way home from training. Kellan and Fin are at hockey—they’ve got a few new team members, which means their coaches are forcing longer practices to team bond, and Slade left Constantine at the training facility to figure out his own way home.”
Talon’s smile was darkly satisfied, but before he could respond, Florence hurried into the room. “Alpha Hunter and Alpha Talon,” she exclaimed. “I’m so glad you’re both home. I left snacks in the gaming room. I wondered if you might like to… hang out there.”
She smiled softly, and I knew she was hoping I’d indulge in my usual place of calm—my place before Emme that was. Florence had been part of our lives for a long time, and knew me almost as well as my pack.
“Thank you,” I said, unsure if I was ready to game again after Sorenson’s betrayal. “We’re lucky to have you.” She smiled and half-bowed, before scurrying off.
“Gaming room?” Talon asked, a deeper furrow between his brows. “What’s a gaming room?”
Deciding I could at least use the snack, I waved a hand at him. “Come on, I’ll show you.” On the way through the house I ditched my jacket over a side table and was already loosening my cuffs and rolling up my sleeves.
I wasn’t sure Talon would enjoy gaming; Slade had never been into it.
He preferred to be online, scouring the web to keep tabs on friends…
and enemies. Slade also loved facts and figures.
Knowledge was power, after all. He didn’t buy into escapism—I’d always been the dreamer, inventor, and fantasy fan.
If there was a sliding scale with me at one end and Slade at the other, Talon fell somewhere between us. So maybe he’d enjoy a little Call of Duty.
When we entered the room I’d personally designed as my dream space, he took it in quietly, as was his way.
He did show a stronger level of interest than I expected, running his hand over the pool table and turning a few handles on the foosball.
When we ended up on the couches in front of the multiple screens, I asked him, “Have you ever played on a gaming system?”
I handed him the controller, and he held it like it was a bomb about to explode in his hands. The device did appear oddly small in his grasp, and I was already preparing for how many he’d crush on me tonight.
“No. I’ve never even seen anything like this before. What does it do?”
I loaded up my old server without thought, relieved when there was only a slight pang in my chest at the memories of gaming all night with Sorenson. His betrayal cut through any loyalty I’d ever felt; there was no room for his memories in my life any longer.
It helped to focus on Talon, so I taught him the moves while explaining the aim of the game.
“So, you just kill everyone?” he confirmed, and when he smiled, I was reminded that I wasn’t the only sociopathic shifter in this pack. The dragons were far worse.
“Yep, this is free for all. No teams. You win by being the last one standing.”
His confident smirk reminded me of Slade, and while it was eerie when they did the twin soul thing, it was also… comforting. As if he’d been part of our quintet all along.
“I’m always the last one standing,” he declared, cocky as fuck, right before his head got blown off. With a snarl, his body tensed, and there was a creak as he split the edge of the controller.
I barely controlled my laughter. “You might want to camp for a bit until you learn how to sneak around better.” My fingers were fast as I took off into the map, and I didn’t bother with headphones or mic, since there was no one I cared to connect with.
Talon snarled when he got shot again, hitting the respawn button so hard that I heard another crack. This time his character took off, following my path, firing wildly as he ran.
“Stealth works better than just holding the trigger and hoping for the best,” I said, but he wasn’t listening, all of his focus on the huge split screen.
His reflexes were next-level, which helped him overcome his lack of skill in taking out opponents, but he also died so many times that he was starting to wear out the respawn button.
“What did you find at the compound?” I asked as we gamed, actually enjoying myself despite his growls and curses.
“Well, there wasn’t anyone in—hey, you sneaky fuck!” He glared at me, and it was fair, since I’d just shot him in the head. Forcing my laughter down, I decided this was a new kind of therapy that I was totally subscribing to.
Talon respawned once more and took off, no doubt searching for me.
“The witch hasn’t been there in at least a few weeks,” he muttered, the tip of his tongue emerging from his lips as he knifed a bot.
“No scent or magic in the area, and she reeks of both. But there was at least one shifter stuck in the underground containment rooms. We should go tomorrow and explore down there. I’ve never been to those levels.
I suspect that will be where the most important information is held. ”
He ran around the corner where I was camped, and I shot him again. My move was so fast that he snarled and turned his body to full-on glare at me. For the first time in ages, I laughed freely, and another slice of tension left me.
Talon shook his head, and on his next respawn I noticed him following my screen first, to figure out exactly where I was. Switching guns to my sniper, I went to my favorite tower, and when Talon closed in, I shot him straight between the eyes.
“Motherfucker,” he bellowed, throwing the controller into the wall, smashing it into pieces. It took a lot to turn the rather unflappable dragon shifter into a raging inferno. My sperm donor had worked hard to knock any disobedience and independent thought from him.
Until now, I’d never seen anything other than Emme’s safety trigger him.
Now we had Emme and gaming.
Talon continued to glare at the split screen and then me, as if he wasn’t sure which one had wronged him the worst. Then right before my eyes, all the tension drained from him, and I knew the exact reason. I felt it too.
Our mate was here. Her soft, lilting laughter filled the room as Emme caught the tail end of Talon’s little temper tantrum.