Chapter 8
Rowen
Wolfe grabbed me before my fist connected with Diesel, but it was close.
Diesel grinned at me, and whatever I had inherited from the Hollow rippled under my skin in response. In…recognition?
“You’re a druid?” I blurted, and the grin was gone from his face.
Diesel looked at Wolfe, one eyebrow raised. “Is that what your platinum-haired, robe-wearing charlatan tells you that you are?”
Wolfe whispered something that sounded a lot like a warning that I didn’t hear over the sound of the blood pumping in my own ears.
“The land accepts me,” I told Diesel. Maybe them all. How dare they laugh. This was a big deal. I had magic inside me.
Diesel snorted. “The land accepts us all, Rowen.” He sat on the floor, looking comfortable, even though he was the reason I had no furniture in my front room.
“Something wakened in you,” he said with a knowing smile.
“Yesterday, when the Goddess’s power was overflowing in Wolfe, a little of it touched you, didn’t it? ”
I could deny it, but I knew Wolfe would just confirm it. “I believe so.”
Wolfe pulled me closer to his chest, and I tried to relax against him.
“This is old land,” Diesel said as if we were discussing the weather.
“Your druid has barely a cup of it within him, but you…” He looked me over, and I felt as if he stripped me naked.
Not in a sexual way. In that way he had of weighing and measuring you with nothing more than a look. “You got more than a cup,” he mused.
“The druid said she’s his apprentice,” Killian told Diesel.
Diesel snorted. “Because he wants to smother you.” He looked over my shoulder at Wolfe. “She needs a better teacher.”
“You?” I asked him, hearing my doubt, knowing I would refuse.
“Me?” Diesel winced. “Fuck no, I’m no druid.”
But he was. He had to be. “You have magic inside you!”
Diesel’s grin was wicked. “So the females tell me, but I’m not a druid.” He looked around the room at the others, who were suddenly fascinated with my floorboards. “Or a shaman. I’m just…me.”
My eyes narrowed. “Well, just me,” I mocked him, “when you walked in, whatever magic is in me recognized you.”
He didn’t answer, and the silence stretched into uncomfortable.
Wolfe cleared his throat. “How is it outside?”
“Tense,” Brand answered immediately. “Blueridge Pack is unsettled. They lost some friends yesterday. Stonefang wants to check on the Grumps.”
“I’m going,” Diesel said. “Thalia and I, Cody no doubt—he won’t want her alone right now—we’ll cross tonight, and Thalia will ensure everyone is okay. Report back.”
“While he’s gone, Killian and I have agreed on who and what patrols we need; the border will be protected to ensure no attacks happen with the land open,” Brand told Wolfe. He reached into his pocket. “Oh, and this was left at the west ridge.”
Wolfe reached past me, and I saw the crumpled bit of paper and the undeniable seal of the Pack Council. Wolfe read it and grunted.
“We have three weeks,” he told us. He handed the summons to me, and I read the message. “Both of us.” He tipped his head back against the wall. “I don’t like it.”
“You’re not meant to,” Diesel said gruffly. “That’s the point.”
“Do you think the attacks will stop?” I asked.
“No.”
I looked at Killian, who had answered. “But…”
“They want us scared and angry,” Killian explained. “The best way to do that is to keep us unsteady.”
Wolfe nodded. “But we will fight them,” he told me. He kissed my cheek, then got to his feet. “I’ll go with Thalia tonight.”
The others spoke up, voicing their objections, but Diesel simply sat back and waited.
I watched him, still not convinced he was simply him.
There was nothing simple about Diesel. He’d been watching Wolfe, but he must have felt my stare, and his gaze turned to me.
He raised an eyebrow. I flushed, looking away quickly.
“I think it’s a good idea,” Diesel announced, shutting everyone else up. “Rowen, we need to go for a walk.” He stood fluidly. “Come.”
“I…”
“You don’t get to order her,” Wolfe spoke calmly. “She is my mate, the alpha of your pack’s mate. Respect is due.”
I thought Diesel would laugh, but instead, his head dipped in acknowledgment. “You’re right, Alpha. Rowen, would you walk with me?”
I wanted to say no, but something was happening here, something Wolfe needed more than I did, I guessed. I got to my feet. “You can help me find a new couch,” I told Diesel. “And then carry it here.”
“Pilfering deserted houses, disguised as shopping,” he joked. “I like it.”
Wolfe kissed me lightly before we left. Brand and Killian watched us leave, their eyes filled with curiosity and something that looked a lot like anticipation.
Diesel walked beside me, his huge form taking up more space beside me than I was used to. “I really do want a new couch,” I told him, breaking the silence.
“I already found you one,” he confirmed. He had a hair tie in his teeth, and I watched him as he pulled his long hair back into a ponytail. A few twists of the hair tie, and he had a very smooth, very styled tight ponytail, the tail twisted to form a soft-looking knot at the nape of his neck.
“Why does your hair always look wet?”
“Why does your hair always look dry?” he countered.
“Because it is?” I don’t know why that sounded like a question. It wasn’t, it was the answer.
“That must be it,” he said simply.
I waited. He didn’t say anything else. “Your hair isn’t wet.”
“Doesn’t appear to be,” he agreed.
“Oh my Goddess, you are the most difficult male I’ve ever dealt with!”
Diesel grinned. “You’ll meet more than you want to, trust me.” He started to whistle.
I gaped at him. “Why are you whistling? I thought you wanted to talk to me?”
He glanced at me. “Hmm. I just thought you’d want to see the couch before I carry it to the house and then find out you don’t like it.”
I stopped walking. “You don’t want to talk to me about the magic?” I demanded.
Diesel blew out a breath. “Nah.” He kept walking. I hurried after him. “Let me show you something, Rowen, daughter of the Hollow.” He didn’t look at me as we walked. “Follow me.”
“Where?” I asked dubiously.
A knowing smirk curled his lip upwards. “I’ll never hurt you,” he said. “You’re my alpha’s mate. If you can’t trust me, trust that.”
I didn’t have a comeback for that, so I simply followed. It wasn’t long before I realized he wasn’t taking me anywhere near a couch, or an empty cottage. As we walked, he led us further off the path and towards the center of Blueridge Hollow.
To the Heartwood.
I almost wanted to ask. It was on the tip of my tongue to challenge him. But curiosity kept me quiet. I wanted to see what this strange shifter would do once he got to the heart of this land. Could I stop him if his intentions weren’t good? Probably not. Did I doubt his intentions? No.
He really was one of the most fascinating males I’d ever met. I wasn’t sure it was in a good way. But it was in a “way,” and that was what was keeping it interesting.
“Wolfe’s right,” Diesel said casually as we walked. “You do think loudly.”
My laugh spilled free before I could contain it. He gave me a wicked grin, and we traveled the rest of the way with less tension between us.
I stared up at the great tree, thick and solid. Diesel walked around the trunk twice before stopping and crouching at the base. His hand dug into the overgrowth, and then he beckoned me forward.
“Look,” he told me, his voice low. “Roots. They said you were born among the roots of the Heartwood.” He glanced up at me. “This is it.” He held my stare. “Your son should be born here, too. Ensure that his blood and yours spill on this.”
My eyebrows quirked. “You assume my first child will be a boy? How very male of you.”
Diesel rose, dusting his hands off. He placed a hand on my belly, and I was too stunned to react. “Definitely a son.” He gave me a knowing look. “A male only acts as insatiable as your mate did last night when he feels the power of his son in your blood.”
“What?” I stepped back. My hand was on my belly. “Wh-what are you saying?”
He frowned. “You know you’re pregnant… Right?”
I felt faint. “No. I’m not.” I saw his eyes widen in surprise and then regret. “Diesel?”
“I’m sorry, Rowen.” He actually sounded sincere. “I thought you knew.”
I sat down on the grass; it was either sit or fall over. I opted to make it my choice on how I landed on the ground, because there was no finesse with the way I sat.
Diesel lowered himself, sitting across from me, eyes watchful. “You didn’t even suspect?”
It was the fact that he sounded so skeptical that snapped me out of my stupor. “No, you giant oaf. I didn’t suspect.”
“Huh.”
My anger didn’t bother him. I met his stare. “What? Go on, tell me.”
“I just…” He scratched his thumb. “You fucked a lot,” he said bluntly. “You do know what happens when men and women fuck and she’s in heat, right? Tell me someone in this pack told you about breeding.”
My eyes closed briefly at his coarseness. “Your words leave a lot to be desired.” I opened my eyes and glared at him. “I understand that the chances are high for a female to become pregnant during intimacy whilst in heat.”
“Intimacy? Whilst?” He was grinning again, poking fun at me.
“This is why you don’t know that you’re pregnant.
People in your pack talk in flowery language.
You haven’t got a clue. You fucked like rabbits, the girl rabbit’s oven was ready to do some cooking, and the male rabbit filled that oven up nice and tight. ”
I groaned. “You made that sound vile.” My head dropped into my hands. “I’ll never be able to eat rabbit again! Are you happy?”
His laughter was warm and pleasant. “I wondered why you weren’t telling your mate,” he said, leaning back on his hands. “It makes sense now. I feared you were trying not to distract him. But he needs to know.”
I grunted. “Yesterday, when Wolfe came back to the pack, the magic stirred in me, and I grabbed at his power.” I licked my lips. “I thought it was because all I ever wanted was to lead my pack…but…”
“Power-hungry magic stealer?” Diesel tilted his head. “Not you. You lack the ruthlessness to steal another’s power. It’s more likely your son, reaching for his father’s power, eager to show he’ll be ready.”
“I rejected it,” I whispered, fear numbing me. “What if I hurt him?”
Diesel leaned forward, a question in his eyes, as his hand reached for me. I hesitated but nodded once, granting permission. He placed his hand over my shirt. I felt my skin warm under his hand.
“He’s fine,” he told me, drawing back. “He’ll be strong.”
“So I’m not a druid.” I felt silly. Self-conscious. I’d been excited. Kind of.
“Who said that?” Diesel plucked a blade of grass and chewed it. “Nothing changed. You’ve been awakened. You can’t put the cork back in the bottle now.” He glanced at my stomach. “For either of them.”
My flat stare earned me another grin. “How do you know so much?” I watched him closely. “You aren’t a druid, or a shaman, or an alpha.” He quirked his eyebrow. “You’re more than a simple beta. What are you?”
“I’m a shifter.” He leaned back on the grass, hands behind his head, staring up at the canopy of the Heartwood above us. “I am Luna’s to command and my alpha’s to direct, his pack to protect.”
That sounded backwards. “You have magic in your blood.”
He stayed silent, the question hanging over him unanswered. “I guess I do.” He sat up swiftly, eyes on the trees and the path. The druid stalked into sight a moment later.
“Joy,” Diesel drawled. “My favorite charlatan.” Before the druid could even open their mouth, Diesel spoke.
“You filled her head with nonsense about being an apprentice, but you forgot to mention she carries the pack’s future in her belly.
” He gave them a dirty look. “Or did you miss it like she did?”
“Could you not announce it to everyone before I tell my husband?” I hissed at him. He ignored me.
The druid marched forward, fury in their eyes. “I did not think it was my place to announce it,” they said, eyes locked on Diesel’s, but I think the words were for me. “I’ve told you before, you do not belong in this grove.” That was definitely directed at Diesel.
“And I told you to go fuck yourself.” Diesel tilted his head. “You do remember what that is, don’t you?”
Whoa boy. Here we go.
The druid looked dangerous as they glared at the male sitting in front of them, relaxed and insolent. “Leave.” Their jaw was clamped tight, their eyes glowing with power. “Before I do something the alpha would kill me for.”
Diesel leaned back on his hands and looked up.
“You cannot kill me, druid,” he told them with a smile, fingers trailing over the grass.
“The Hollow welcomes me.” Diesel flinched and then laughed.
“That actually tingled,” he told the druid, getting to his feet.
“You’ve found an apprentice,” he said, as if the druid hadn’t done whatever the druid had just done.
“Rowen has been selected—”
“Yes, yes.” Diesel offered a hand to me and pulled me to my feet. “I know. Heard it before.” He walked to the Heartwood. “This one likes to chatter,” he said, his palm running over the trunk.
I wasn’t sure if he was talking about me or the tree. By the look on the druid’s face, they didn’t either.
Diesel turned back to us both. “You hide behind gimmicks and rituals.” His stare was hard as he spoke to them.
“She is worth more than that. You’ve been alone in your task too long,” he continued.
“Wield the power you were born with by the Goddess’s grace, and teach her as you were taught. The right way.”
“You dare insult me—”
“I gave no insult,” Diesel smoothly cut in. “I only speak truth.” His eyes flicked to mine, mischief lighting them up. “It’s why I’m so popular.” He gestured to my midsection. “I won’t keep it from him for much longer, and he’ll know himself soon.”
“I will tell Wolfe when I am ready,” I growled at the insolent male in front of me.
“Tell me what?”
All three of us turned and found Wolfe standing behind us, arms folded, and looking pissed off. “What’s going on? And why do I think I just got summoned here by a tree?”
Diesel and the druid looked at me with expectation.
Well, this was just fabulous.