Chapter 16
Wyatt
When I went back inside my family home, I was prepared for fangs and fur to fly, but for some miraculous reason, everyone had decided to act as if the Willow incident had never happened.
I wasn’t sure if it was a miracle, a time warp, or them planning an attack later and more privately . . . probably the latter.
My mother focused on Lulu and Liam for the rest of the evening, but only after asking Aisling a half a dozen times if she’d ever consider dating women.
Say what you would about Sandra Sullivan, but she wasted no time in pivoting to the next potential match for her children.
Unfortunately, much to Mom’s chagrin, Aisling was regrettably straight and not a match for Eloise.
It seemed everyone at the table was going to get a chance to be in the hot seat.
Dessert lasted far too long and all I could think about was getting back to Willow. These early days were maddening. I could barely stand to be sat across the table from her, but she’d held her own and given my mother something she needed: perspective.
No one outside of my grandfather or me had ever defied Sandra openly. And while my sister and mother butted heads often, I was always the one to fight Eloise’s battles when it came to our mom. Not because Eloise couldn’t defend herself, but because to my mother, the alpha’s word was final.
After I helped my aunt and cousin clear the table, I bid everyone but Gregory goodbye. He and I would have words later, but I only had one priority: I needed to get to my mate.
I took off from Mom’s house, then cut through the haunted wood and across the silent pumpkin patch before making a beeline for the Witch’s Brew. I’d just hit the well-worn walkway and slowed to catch my breath when I felt a dark presence tailing me.
I paused, sniffing the air as I looked back to the mist-shrouded path leading out of the haunted wood.
Something was there, and it was watching me from the shadows.
The alarms inside my head didn’t immediately go off. Lots of harmless things lurked in the shadows in this town. But my gut twisted and told me to keep going. I turned and kept walking when I heard the crunch of gravel footsteps behind me, growing preternaturally closer with each stride.
I whirled back around to see nothing. “Hello?” I called.
“Hello,” came a smooth, playful, feminine voice from behind me.
Before I could whirl back around, a sharp pain split through my head.
I stumbled, falling to one knee as my vision spun, but I quickly recalibrated, my wolf taking over.
I snarled as I spun and launched myself at my attacker.
She was covered in ink-black shadow, her cloak seeming to pull all the light into itself as it whipped around her.
She let out a cackle of delight and lunged for me.
Her fist collided with my mouth, splitting my lip.
I howled then swung and managed to land a blow to her side, but she sent a quick jab to my gut.
We were a flurry of fists and claws. It felt like I was fighting some sort of hellcat.
I tried to dodge her next blow, but she got me right in the temple, which sent me straight to the ground, seeing stars.
The next moment, the collar of my shirt was ripped open and my skin burned with the scratching of long, sharp nails. I hauled my fist back and launched it up into her torso. She grunted in pain at the force of my strike but didn’t stop, not until I grabbed the fabric of her hood.
My attacker gasped, clearly not wanting to be discovered.
As if a spell had broken, she twisted out of my grip and fled back into the dark wood.
I stumbled after her. My ears were still ringing, but I was hot on her tail until she stepped into the trees. In a single stride, she completely disappeared, not leaving a single sign that she’d been there to begin with. Aside from my bloody lip.
I doubled over, hands on my knees, panting and groaning in pain.
Who in every circle of hell was that? Who had shrouding magic like a witch, could fight like a monster, and could teleport like a demon?
I touched a hand to my busted lip, spitting blood onto the cold earth. Maybe I could follow her scent, but her paranormal speed told me it would be one hell of a chase. And something far more important flashed to the front of my mind: Willow.
I ran in the direction of the café, rubbing a hand across my collarbone that stung like I had been stabbed. It was too dark to see, but my kind healed quickly; humans didn’t. And if someone dangerous was in town, I needed Willow in arm’s reach.