Chapter 4
ROWEN
Sitting back in the chair, I tap my pen against the desk. The list of websites I need to complete is a mile long, and some of them are a few days past due, yet I can’t seem to make myself care. Instead, all I can think about is my pack, the coven, Jericho and Evan— Tobias.
For four hours, I’ve been staring through my open bedroom door at Tobias’ room across the hall, wondering when he’ll have the courage to come out. The poor man had been terrified of us, and for good reason. I would be too if I were in his shoes—waking up in a place I have no memory of.
Flexing my hand, I dig a thumb into my palm where his brand burned me.
There’s no evidence of it, of course, nothing to say he’d physically harmed me, but the pain was real.
I’d felt it. How is that possible? I’ve never heard of a mark harming someone else.
Was it a protection spell of some kind? A claiming spell? It makes no sense.
Opening a new tab in the internet browser, I type in “supernatural brand that burns.” The results are slim at best. A few pages dedicated to mate marks or healing runes, and one page describing temporary protection spells, but nothing to explain why a mark would physically hurt another person.
That can only mean one thing: it was created using dark magic.
The supernatural government blocks websites about dark magic, for obvious reasons. And yet, I saw the way Red recoiled after seeing how it affected Sage and me. Something about the mark scares him. There’s danger in it, even if he doesn’t understand it.
If Tobias would only tell us…
I close the laptop and drag a hand down my face, unsettled.
My mind is at war with itself—one half needing to demand answers and protect the pack, the other understanding Tobias’ fear.
He’s just a human, after all. Not a shifter or a mage.
A mortal who was pulled into this supernatural war for who knows what reason.
And he’s been through more than any of us, including Jericho, enduring days or maybe weeks of physical abuse and trauma. He needs to heal before he can trust us.
But do we really have time? Foxx is out there right now, regrouping with his coven, and I can’t shake the feeling that whatever this mark means, it’s just the beginning. Foxx is up to something dangerous, and he’s using Orem to do it.
“Fuck.” My voice is barely a whisper, yet it’s loud in the quiet room.
I stare at the blank screen for another minute before slamming the laptop shut. My head is pounding, my chest tight, and all I can see when I close my eyes is Tobias’ shame-filled expression. His fear. What are we going to do? How can I protect my pack?
Giving up on pretending to work, I shove the chair back and push to my feet.
As I make my way downstairs, my body feels heavier than it should, like every step is covered in mud.
The pack is gathered around the kitchen table, where books are scattered across the surface—some cracked and yellow with age, others new.
At the center sits Taren, wearing purple pajama bottoms and a gray tank top.
Her short dark hair falls into her face as she flips furiously through a heavy tome, and her expression is one I haven’t seen in months.
Focused and determined. But her energy is stressed.
Almost frantic, like she’s chasing something she can’t quite see.
“What are you doing?” I ask, grabbing a La Croix from the fridge.
Taren glances up, eyes bright with frustration. “Trying to find it.”
“What?”
“Tobias’ mark,” Red says.
My eyes widen. “You think it’s one we know?”
“It has to be.”
I walk around the table, peering down at the mess. Each book is full of drawings and symbols, yet none of them match the image on Tobias’ shoulder. Not that I remember anyway. I didn’t get a good look at it.
Red pushes a legal pad toward me, revealing a sketch on it. “Is this what you remember?”
I study the drawing. “Maybe? I can’t be sure.”
Taren groans. “See! If I could just see it for—”
“No,” Red cuts in firmly. “No one talks to him until he’s ready, aside from Rowen, Sage, and me. We don’t want to scare him off.”
“Why Rowen?” Grant asks.
Red hesitates. “Tobias met him earlier and seemed to trust him.”
He did? He seemed just as terrified of me as he had them.
But I also agree with what he’s saying. Tobias is extremely skittish. Pushing the issue could just make things worse. Make him run. He’s already shut us out once before.
“But if I can just see the mark, it would help, Red. Because this doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen before.”
“Because you probably haven’t,” I say simply.
All eyes turn to me.
I rub my palm, voice low. “I felt it burn me, Taren. That’s not normal. Whatever this is, it’s new.”
Taren shakes her head. “Even if it is new, there’s always a source.
Always. To create a mark of power, you have to use known symbols.
” She taps the paper. “If I can just figure out the base, we’ll know what we’re working with.
If it’s ownership, control, or a million other possibilities.
But I can’t do that without seeing it for myself. ”
Out of any of us, Taren is the one who would know what to look for. She studied supernatural history in college, with an emphasis on runes and historical markings.
I sink into the chair next to Ivy. My sister seems just as hopeless as I feel.
A phone rings on the table, and Forest answers. “Yeah?” His expression relaxes the more he listens. “That’s good. Any sign of where they could’ve gone? Alright. Good. Come back home, then.”
When he hangs up, he says, “Sage and Neal went to scout the club with Bronson. The place is almost completely gone. Burned to the ground, and no sign of the coven.”
“So they ran off,” Grant says. “Cowards.”
Forest sits back with a sigh. “I’ve been talking to the other alphas in the area. We all think Foxx is going to stay underground for a while. Let things simmer down. A few people think he’s already left the state, but Bronson and I have another theory.”
Grant narrows his eyes. “Which is?”
“We think he’s going to stay in or near Prodigy. He’ll have a better chance of hiding among other supernaturals.”
“Not to mention the endless food source,” Jasmine says coldly. “With all the willing humans, ready to feed vamps there?”
I scoff. “If he doesn’t just kill them.”
Forest shakes his head. “I don’t think he’ll be killing anyone for a while. He knows the police are looking for him.”
“So? He has Orem now. He’ll just wipe their damn memory again.” I shake my head. “I don’t like this.”
Forest sighs. “I know. But until we have more information, there’s not much we can do.”
I get to my feet, fisting my hands. “So that’s it? We just wait? Keep holding our breath and praying they don’t show up on our doorstep? Forest, they’re still hunting Jericho. They know where we live. And now with Tobias—”
“They don’t know Tobias is here,” Forest cuts in.
“Yet,” I argue. “They don’t know he’s here yet.”
My uncle raises a hand, defeated. “If you have any ideas, Rowen, I’m all ears.”
Tension builds behind my ribcage, but I tamp it down as all eyes turn toward me. It’s pointless to get worked up when I’m not the only one who’s worried. We all want to keep the pack safe. Keep Jericho and Tobias safe from the monsters. But damn. I can’t just sit around doing nothing.
“I know this is stressful,” Forest continues.
“We all wanted a different outcome that night, but we are fortunate the situation isn’t worse.
Several of their coven members are dead, and none of ours are.
Jericho and Evan are safe. We’re all safe.
” He looks around. “But Rowen is also right. The danger is still very real. Which means I don’t want any of us going anywhere alone, you hear?
That includes shifting. We go in groups, just like before.
Grant is going to be installing some security cameras around the property, and we’ve ordered a drone. I want us all to learn the systems.”
“What about work?” Ivy asks. “My boss keeps asking when I’m going to come back.”
Forest considers it, rubbing the back of his neck. “We’ll arrange some carpools to get you into town, and I’ll talk to your boss about having one of us stay during your shift. She’s a shifter herself, so she should understand.”
Ivy starts to protest, but Forest holds a hand up.
“I know it’s not ideal, but we’ve put off our jobs too long as it is. We all need to be bringing in money again. We also need to get back to doing the things we enjoy.” His attention drifts to somewhere unseen. “It’s what Sasha would have wanted most for us right now.”
“Justice and Genny too,” Ivy says.
Forest nods. “Yes, Justice and Genny too.”
A weight settles over the room, full of sadness. Jasmine reaches over to squeeze Forest’s shoulder.
“Will there be a Remembrance for them?” Ivy asks.
“Yes. Bronson is still going to host one, and he says we’re all invited.”
Suddenly, I ache with longing. It hurts to know I’ll never see my friend again. But at least we can celebrate him.
A Remembrance is the best time to say goodbye to a shifter. Though their body is buried immediately, the ceremony is put off until the next full moon, when everyone shifts to run with their spirit under moonlight one last time.
“The full moon isn’t for a few more days, so everyone should be healed by then. I want all of us to go.”
“What about Tobias?” I ask.
He hesitates. “We may need someone to stay with him.”
Jasmine clears her throat. “Jericho and Evan can. They should be back tonight. These events are more for shifters, anyway.”
“Wait, they’re coming home tonight?” Ivy and Forest ask at the same time.
“He texted me a little while ago. They’re leaving in a few hours.”
Everyone relaxes.
“That’s great news!” my sister says.
Forest nods. “If Jericho wants to stay with Tobias while we go honor Justice, that would be fine, but Bronson invited him. He tried saving his son’s life after all.”
“Are you kidding?” I say coldly. “Tobias won’t want to be anywhere near Jericho.”
“We don’t know that.”
“We do, actually. He freaked out hearing we were working with vampires.”
Forest presses his lips together. “I see. We’ll figure something else out then.”
“Alpha, might I suggest that Sage and Neal stay in Prodigy until Jer and Evan leave? They can follow them back. Be an extra set of eyes,” Taren says.
“Sure. Kaine and Willow are at the hospital too. They’re planning to follow behind as well.”
“Kaine?” Grant stiffens. “No. I don’t want that vamp anywhere near here.”
Forest leans forward. “I second that, but unless those vampires do something to break my trust—”
“Like killing Evan, you mean?” Grant snarls. “Kaine nearly strangled him!”
“I know,” Forest says calmly. “And then he saved Evan’s life.” The alpha looks at each of us. “Look, whatever your feelings are regarding the other vampires, I suggest you work through them—and fast. We’re going to need them before this is through.”
“You’re not letting them stay here, are you?”
Forest hesitates. “I don’t think so. But I think we should expect them to be around more.”
Grant growls under his breath before leaving the room.
The air in the room changes, full of uncertainty. I pull a book closer to me, then turn to Taren. “So, about the mark. What should I be looking for?”