Chapter 41 Ryder
Forty-One
RYDER
Not hearing them approach until it was too late will haunt me for the rest of my life. My mate has been left defenceless, in the wide-open environment. It’s a nightmare come to life.
A nightmare that gets worse when she refuses to leave, but talks to them, like it’ll save her.
Between my racing mind and vocal growls, I barely comprehend—nor care—what they’re saying.
Something about a deal to ensure the pack and Highridge are left alone because she’s still worried about everyone else, not comprehending the only person in danger is her.
Protect her.
Kill them.
Instincts demand snatching Carina and running, but common sense from my mortal side remains. If I run, they’ll follow, which could lead them straight to the pack.
Then Carina steps forward, and newly discovered reflexes take over. She’s going to them, but if there’s no them, then she’ll have nowhere to go but to our home. My claws dig into the earth for momentum as I dart at the three witches.
“Ryder, no!”
No to protecting you? Impossible.
The second I’m a short distance from Carina, my body is flung into the air like a marionette.
A whoosh of air brushes past me just before black tendrils wrap around my middle, tight enough to make me I whimper.
A rippling sensation covers me head to toe as my body is shrunken, wolf features forced to revert to human.
Fuck.
“No! Let him go.”
The centre witch—the leader, I’ve come to presume, the one with the same voice who cursed Dad—tips her hood-shielded face up as her arms lower. Her spells remain intact, suspending me in the air.
“He’ll be fine, but before anyone else believes they can save you from your fate…” She faces Carina again. “Shame your mother doesn’t understand that I’m trying to save every witch. One would think, after the Sinclair incident, she’d be more understanding.”
Carina sniffs. “You sent the Hartmans after them. Harlow lost her parents because of you.”
“Casualties of war. You’ll understand one day. Now, come.” Before Carina can take a step, the witch flicks her finger, dropping her to the ground like a ragdoll. Her head rolls to the side, asleep.
“No!” Hands claw at the black magick around me.
The witch slowly looks from Carina and back up to me again, the hood falling back enough that her dark purple eyes become visible. There’s no warmth in them—they are nothing like Carina’s. She hums after a moment, which leads into a throaty chuckle. “I suppose this makes sense.”
“You fucking bitch. I will slaughter you. Bring her back to me.”
She whirls and gestures for the two others to follow. As the High Priestess disappears into thin air, one immediately follows while the third lingers, sending a spell towards Carina that hoists her sleeping form into the air before they walk away.
The pulse beside my heart—her pulse—weakens the farther away she gets. The tug in my stomach is stretching, elongating, pulling…
A male face peers through the dark up at me before he, too, blinks from existence, taking my mate with him.
And once the clearing is empty of all magickal beings, the tendrils holding me up release.
Gravity whips me twelve feet to the ground.
My body shifts mid-air, so when I land, it’s on four paws, not two feet, and I take off into the forest.
I failed. I made Carina mine and then failed to keep her.
The chord between us is wire-thin, stretched by distance, and extremely faint. Directionless, too, which is a heartbreaking realization. Apparently, there’s a limit to the connection, and Twilight Grove found it.
Carina! I mentally scream to the moon above—to their deity. You failed her.
In the end, the Goddess didn’t fail Carina. I did.
I didn’t keep her safe. I should have kept her safe.
The strange scent of the three intermingled with Carina’s sweet one burns my nose until dying off by the edge of the forest where they disappeared. I continue scouring, the wolf and man refusing to be told no, to accept she’s gone and unreachable.
I’ll find her. Her absence is temporary. My entire life’s focus will be to find her, and this time, ensure her protection.
As I turn around, another scent catches on the wind. Another witch, but one who’s harmless, albeit annoying.
Freya appears in a cloak similar to the other three. With pursed lips, she waves at my form before muttering, “Despite my finite knowledge, I can’t speak growl. Shift back so we can talk.”
Freya has answers I need. She must know where her own people took Carina. So I shift and stalk straight towards her, intending to force the words from her if she wants to play games.
“Where’s Carina?”
“In a mansion in Northern Ontario by now. She’s alive.”
“And safe?” Fuck, my chest is ripping apart piece by piece. She’s so far away. Ontario is a fifteen day walk from here. Shifters can go faster than a human’s pace and could probably shave the trip into about a week, but that’s still too long.
Freya’s eyes shift to the side. “Safe is relative. She’s unarmed. She’s still asleep.”
“What exactly will they do to her?”
The trees rustle in response to her sigh. “They’ll turn her Dark. Sloane’s deepest desire is for all of them to want to use black magick. If Carina refuses the proposed options, they’ll set her up to take a life in order to force the Darkness into her.”
“She already took some. Did you know that’d happen?”
“Give me some credit. Yes. She’s controlling the little bit well.”
She could contain the world’s Darkness in her body and control it “well” and I wouldn’t give two flying fucks.
“I need to go after her.”
Freya nods slowly, and her gaze shifts down my naked form with a calculating look. “Yeah, wolfy, hate to say this, but if you go now, you’ll die. You’re planning on taking on a coven? You need help, my friend. You need numbers. Trust me when I say, you can’t do this alone.”
She makes sense, but I’m driven to ignore her logic—to just go.
No number of shifters will change the fact of needing to find my mate.
But Freya’s logic imbeds enough to beat out the wolf.
Going against a coven isn’t wise, and disappearing from the pack for days on end for a dangerous mission is opposite of what it means to be Alpha.
“Also…” She rocks back on her heels and bites her lip. “Stop by Highridge.”
“So Morgan can slaughter me herself?”
“Nah, not her style. No, because right now, the bond is stretched too far to be helpful. You know Northern Ontario, but nowhere specific. Once you’re close, the bond will kick back in, but by then, you may be off the correct path.
Morgan can give you more precise directions.
Besides, you might find some extra help there.
Even at your speed, you’re looking at a minimum of a week of running, probably longer. ”
“Or you could. I assume you know their location.”
“There’s not much that happens with my kind I’m unaware of. But can’t interfere, sorry.” She begins picking at her nails, clearly not at all sorry.
“You’re interfering now!”
“Nuh-uh. I’m guiding. Big difference. Guiding you, wolfy mate, to the witch in question.”
One day, I swear I’ll…
“Can you ever be helpful for once in your miserable existence?”
She flips her hair over her shoulders—this time a brunette colour I might bother inquiring about, but truthfully, don’t care. “I’ve been told by numerous people that I’m extremely helpful. Also my existence is wonderful, thanks for asking.”
“They must be delusional then.”
She flicks her fingers my way, a spark of purple landing by my feet. “Seems you’re competing against the vampire for who can be the most irritating. I assumed you’d be nicer. The next guy better be easier to handle. Although…” She trails off into some mumble or other that serves to aggravate me.
“What are you going on about?” I ask, only to immediately realize, I don’t care. “Never mind. Just tell me what to do.”
“Already done that. Go home. Sleep on whatever chaos you have going on.” Sleep will be the last thing fucking happening.
“Get some fellow wolfies—maybe ones who are less of a dick than you—then drop by Highridge. I vow nothing bad will happen to Carina while you’re doing all that.
They’ll keep her knocked out for the next few hours, if not the day. ”
“Fine.”
“Good.” She claps her hands together—at the same time a bolt of lightning strikes the air. “Now, excuse me. You have me all worked up. I need to go bother a vampire. He’s so good to spar with.”
If only I truly cared about her location, I might ask about this vampire she continues mentioning.
“That was you?” I point to the sky.
“Duh.”
“What are your powers exactly? You’re not of one element.”
“Everything.”
On my next blink, she’s gone.