Chapter 5 – Ryder
Five
RYDER
My demand is met with tense silence that chills my bones.
Xander warned me this request wouldn’t work. That the boons have never been for people before, and they’re unlikely to entertain it, no matter if the original accords depict no limitations beyond requesting any of their deaths.
The coven’s collective glares shift into confusion and then centre on a particular woman. One standing nearby, which I’ve been painfully aware of.
My little sneak from earlier.
She was impossible to ignore the second I crossed into the clearing. Her scent carried my way, and her bowed shoulders obviously attempted to hide her face, since she’s aware the consequences her actions could have.
Seeing her caused that rumbling beneath my feet again.
As if the very mountains we’re standing between are going to shatter into a massive pile of rock if she leaves me again.
All afternoon, my nose has been filled with her, and anticipation of seeing her again nearly had me dragging everyone here hours ago.
She’s who they’re looking at?
This has to be some sick joke. Letting the witch from earlier go wasn’t my best idea, but learning my sneak is the witch I need… That I was inches away from Carina fucking Hargrove and could have snatched her right then and there and been done with this shit.
Morgan steps in front of Carina, her obnoxiously worn cloak swirling between us, reminding me too much of the one who cursed my father last night. “My daughter? What makes you think you have any right to ask for her?”
The coven moves forward as one, hands positioning to defend. Behind me, the others, all in wolf form, also near. A fist in the air commands them to stop. Everyone in the clearing, witches included, seems to obey my instruction.
Everyone but the male beside Carina, who takes her by the waist and tucks her slightly behind him.
My glare narrows where his hands touch her. My vision shifts, sharpening at the—the threat…as curious as that is.
Morgan incorrectly assumes my partial shift is in reaction to the rest of them and magick lights up her hands. “Try it,” she challenges. “Give me a reason to attack.”
“I won’t hurt her.” This I direct to Carina, aware it’s a partial lie. I won’t harm her, but what the other coven will do is unknown.
Morgan shakes her head, the magick still lit. “No one from Highridge can be requested.”
“The accords specify demanding one of your deaths is forbidden. Anything else is free game.”
She purses her lips, knowing I’m correct, but she doesn’t like it. “Why her?”
Before leaving camp, Marissa and Amos considered telling Morgan the truth.
Whatever’s going on is a spat between the covens and the sooner we get out of it, the better.
But explaining to Morgan opens up the chance for her to deny helping—and by extension, keep Carina from me. Dad’s life isn’t worth that wager.
“I vow that neither I nor anyone of my kind will bring harm to her. Explaining my reasoning also isn’t part of the accords.”
“You will when you want to steal one of us!”
“It’s not stealing when it’s a gift.”
Morgan flicks her fingers between us, casting a small blast that causes dirt to jump and a hole about the size of my fist to form. “That’s a warning. It’ll be a whole lot bigger and deeper if you take another fucking step. I’ll bury you alive if you even think about my daughter.”
Given the past few hours, she better make that hole pretty damn deep.
“Say the words.” I lift my fist into the air. “Ten seconds to hand over Carina, or I’ll give the order. Ready to sacrifice this many lives over one?”
Morgan’s jaw tenses. Her mouth opens, presumably with her next argument, but movement from beside her brings everyone, including myself, to a halt.
Carina steps out from behind the male with a pat to his arm and walks until she’s between me and her mother.
Her back’s to me and the pack—thus the unknown and danger.
Her actions are irritatingly reckless, but I tamp down the wolf who’s anxious to train her in defence and lower my fist.
Morgan reaches for her. “Carina, what in Goddess’s name are you doing? Get back.”
“No.” Her voice, clear and more self-assured than our first meeting, rings over both sides. “I’ll go with him.”
You will?
My wolf makes another noise. Take.
Morgan, ignoring Carina’s statement, whirls until her back is to me instead, placing Carina between me and the warlock, whose glare hasn’t moved off me. “What are you doing?” She speaks low. “Are you insane? Let me figure this out before you go offering yourself up.”
“Might I remind you all that failure to uphold the accords makes the agreement null. Then you’ll be chased off this territory, or you’ll fight and it’ll be war. Make the smart choice.”
Carina pales a bit, but her dirty look is anything but meek and submissive.
Challenge fucking accepted.
Morgan huffs and magick lights up her palms again, quelled when Carina reaches out. “Mom,” she hisses. “Stop. I’ll go with them.”
“Get behind us. I don’t care if this ends in a fight. You will not be going with these animals.”
Stupid, stupid witch.
“Think about it. They’ve never shown interest in any of us before, which means they need me. The question being why. I’ll go with them and see what they want.”
Unlike her mother, Carina has some brains. Though bravery is also dangerous.
“Carina—”
“You want me to be the next High Priestess?” Her abrupt harsh tone has Morgan inhaling sharply and physically recoiling.
“You’ve always said that leaders make sacrifices, so this one is mine.
If I don’t go, the accords will be broken, and it’ll lead into conflict.
Probably the fatal kind. Do you really want that to be our future? ”
My chest warms with a strange admiration for her. I’d always known witches to be cowardly, but Carina’s proving to be anything but. After all, she did face off with a shifter without backup earlier.
“Carina, this is kidnapping. It’s a disgrace. It’s wrong.” Based on Morgan’s waning arguments, Carina’s winning.
“It’s not kidnapping if I’m going willingly. It’s politics; it’s fulfilling the pact. He said they won’t hurt me, and we should believe that.”
Trust like that could get her hurt one day.
“We have no reason to believe them,” Morgan insists in a pleading tone.
“We also have no reason to deny them their request. Per Treaty Day, this has to happen.”
Mother and daughter end up in a silent battle of wills, both unblinking for a long moment. It’s Morgan who breaks first. “You want me to stand by and let you go?”
Carina pulls her mother in for a tight hug, using affection to end the argument.
“I’ll be alright. Hecate will protect me.
” She may be praising her deity, but it’s me she stares at over Morgan’s shoulder.
Her expression is blank and unlike our run-in in the woods.
As though she’s daring me to give a reason to make that statement a lie.
After hugging her mother tightly, she releases her. Morgan, expression pinched in dismay, steps aside to let her by. The warlock hovering nearby, however, does not. His hand snaps to her wrist and hauls her backwards, making her gasp, until she’s pulled into his chest.
Their goodbye isn’t my business, but it doesn’t stop the wolf from emerging to kill. To protect her. I move without thinking.
Carina does too, shaking him off and stopping me in my tracks. “Stop. This could be a life-or-death decision.”
“Yeah, yours.” His grip on her wrist tightens until she flinches. Her reply is lost within a haze of death; of the taste of death—his death when I snap his fucking neck for marking her.
Whatever their relationship, if he’s her mate, he’s a shitty one. Without another comment, he releases her and steps away, nodding once. His glare returns to me, but there’s no real challenge there.
If she were my mate and he were in my role, I’d tear out his throat regardless of a possible war. Wolves are extremely territorial about our chosen mates but clearly, witches are not.
Carina breaks away from them to near me, remaining rigid as she scans her coven.
Her bravado will undoubtedly end soon, but it gives me a taste of what to expect from her.
This week will go one of two ways. She’ll either submit or she’ll fight tooth and nail until the end. Which one I’d prefer, I can’t say.
“Good choice, princess.”
“Die, dog, and don’t call me that.”
She passes me, thrusting into my shoulder in a weak show of dominance, and walks straight through the pack without breaking a stride. I can’t help but reveal my smirk to the observing crowd; the coven who’s watching her pace away and the pack who’s waiting for my reaction.
Once she reaches the treeline, I flick a finger for someone to tail her. After everything, she won’t bolt, yet with Dad’s wellbeing on the line, I also won’t leave it up to chance.
“The treaty has been renewed,” I call out, facing Morgan again. “We look forward to next year.” Formal polite words Dad ends each meeting with, but it feels empty after tonight.
After a final scan of the clearing, I turn for the trees. My wolves fall into step around me, remaining in formation.
Carina is being cooperative now, but the vial in my pocket reminds me not to trust her. At some point, no matter what she told Morgan, instinct will rule. She’ll fight when learning why I’ve made her the boon. Her need for safety will demand it.
Once I’m inside the treeline, she’s some dozen feet away, with Conan being her sentry. His ear flicks with my approach and I wave him back to the group as she stops stomping long enough to turn her scowl my way.
Ignoring her, I gesture to the base of the nearest tree. “Sit. Once I shift, we’ll be headed back.”