Chapter 3 - Owen
How long does it take to fucking pee?
I wait at the bathroom door, listening to the faint rush of water into the sink as I run through a mental list of everything she might be doing.
Washing her face? Combing her hair? Flossing?
Minutes pass, and the sounds behind the door don’t change. Suspicion leaks through me, a faint trickle of anxiety—not just that she might be gone, but that she might have outsmarted me.
Impossible!
“Trina!” I yell, banging on the door. “Open up right now! What the fuck are you doing in there?”
Silence, except for the run of gurgling water.
“I’m coming in!” I yell, rattling the handle.
Still, there is no response.
Fuck it.
I step back and leap towards the door, kicking my leg out so I smash directly into the center of it. The door splinters and breaks, but it wasn’t as easy for me as I’d hoped it would be.
My powers aren’t fully back yet.
“Trina!” I yell, looking around the bathroom. There aren’t many places to hide, and I immediately see the open window. “Fuck!”
I go to the sink and turn off the water, then look out the window. The darkness is deep and still, but her scent is hanging strongly on the wind.
Maybe she doesn’t know how easily I can track her, because this was a pretty stupid plan.
The window would be a tight squeeze for me, so I shut it and go through the house to the back door. The second I walk out into the backyard, her scent drifts to me on the wind, and as I jog through the woods, it gets stronger and stronger.
When I get closer, I pick up some mixed scents, and immediately, my hackles rise.
There’s a female nearby, which doesn’t bother me, but there’s also an immensely strong male wolf.
I’m surprised by the rush of aggression and jealousy that floods through me, as well as a hint of absolutely pure, earth-shattering fear.
I want to deny that Trina’s my mate, but there is no mistaking this. I’ve been in her presence no longer than an hour, and the very idea that she could be taken from me is scaring me shitless.
I want to shift, but my wolf won’t come.
I can feel it snarling in my soul, desperate to be free, but the sacred link between me and the supernatural world has been broken, all because of the disease.
Shifting in front of Trina was one of the hardest physical challenges I’ve ever faced, and I could only maintain my wolf form for a few minutes.
I run across a small rise and into a clear path between the trees, finally seeing Trina ahead of me. I’m so worked up, I don’t actually notice the other figures at first.
Get away from my mate!
I put on some speed and a final sprint, and just before I leap into attack, the woman turns to look at me, and I recognize Sadie.
“Owen,” she says, her voice hard. “What have you done?”
“Why aren’t you at the manor?” I snap. “You said you were staying there.”
Sadie tilts her head as she looks at me, and her incredibly dark eyes flicker with hints of gold. I feel a swell of power around her, and it reminds me that I have barely any.
“I came back home to see Cassie and Rhys,” she says, reaching for the hand of the man beside her. I finally notice it’s Rhys and that he’s the source of the threatening scent.
I should have recognized him immediately—he’s like a brother to me! What the fuck is going on?
I look over at Trina, who is trembling a little as she inches closer to Sadie. Sadie lets go of Rhys’s hand and takes Trina’s instead.
“Let her go,” I growl, taking a slow step forward.
“Back the fuck off,” Rhys says, stepping into my way. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
What the fuck is wrong with me?
“Answer my question,” Sadie snaps. “What the fuck did you do?”
“I went to her house…” I reply, searching my mind for words that might make sense. “And I—ah—”
“What did you fucking do?” Sadie snaps, and the air crackles with magic.
My lips are moving before I’m aware of it, and I can’t help but obey her command.
No wonder we’ve feared witches for so long.
“I saw her outside her house, I tackled her and kidnapped her,” the words come out of me in a rush, and they shock me, because it sounds a lot worse out loud than what it looked like in my head.
“And what did we discuss at the manor?” Sadie asks. “I specifically told you not to disturb Trina until we were sure.”
“You knew about this!” Trina shrieks. “What the fuck, Sadie?”
“I’m sorry,” Sadie says, turning to her friend and giving her a hug. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.”
“What wasn’t? What the fuck is going on?” Trina cries, and tears actually start to trickle down her cheeks. The sight affects me deeply, and I want to shove the others aside and take Trina into my arms.
I don’t think that would make her feel better.
“Trina, I’m sorry,” Sadie says. “But the supernatural world is very real. I only just found out myself not that long ago—”
“Are you a wolf, too?” Trina asks, wiping her cheeks.
Sadie shakes her head. “I’m a witch. A real one. I found evidence of my heritage in the museum library, and I came fully into my powers after I married Rhys.”
“What?” Trina whispers.
“I was always meant to be here. It’s my destiny,” Sadie says. “I think it might be yours, too.”
“No.” Trina shakes her head. “This can’t be happening.”
“We did a spell,” Sadie says, her tone very firm.
“And it picked you. We were going to double-check before we told you about it, and Owen was completely out of line to do this. Obviously, the damage can’t be undone now, but we’ll perform the ritual again and find Owen’s real mate.
The binding ceremony hasn’t been completed, so—”
“Ah…” I say, raising my hand. “I kind of—”
“Oh, shit,” Rhys says, pointing at Trina’s hand. “Is that a loop of Dead Silk?”
“It is,” I reply, lowering my head.
“What does that mean?” Sadie snaps.
“It means he bound her,” Rhys says in disgust.
“How could you do this, Owen?” Sadie cries. “Of all the irresponsible, ridiculous things to do—”
“I’ve had enough of listening to you,” I snap, taking another step forward into Sadie’s space. “Give me my mate. I’m telling you, I did the right thing, and I know it.”
“Get out of my face, Owen,” Sadie says in a low voice.
Before I can growl at her, Rhys steps between us. “Owen, calm down. Right now,” he says.
He’s too close to Trina!
I shake my head, getting ready to push him out of the way. Trina’s scent fills my nostrils, a sweet, floral aroma that wipes my mind clean of rational thought and leaves me a creature of pure instinct.
“Back. Off,” I say, ready to shove Rhys out of the way.
“Sadie,” Trina whispers. “Please help me.”
“Don’t you dare take her away!” I shout, frantic emotions flooding through me. “You can’t take her, Rhys!”
“What the fuck?” Rhys mutters. “Owen, fucking chill.”
“Get out of my way!” I roar, ready to tear Rhys to pieces.
“Rhys, stop,” Sadie says calmly. “Get behind me.”
“I’m not hiding behind my wife like a—”
“That’s not why!” she says, exasperated. “Back off from Trina. I’m curious about something.”
Grumbling, Rhys steps back and moves behind Sadie. Immediately, my temper cools, and the heat goes out of my blood.
“He’s fully territorial,” Sadie murmurs. “Interesting.”
“What?” Trina asks.
“What?” I echo.
Sadie sighs. “Look, Trina, I know this sucks, but you’re going to have to go back to Owen’s place, at least for now.”
“What?” Trina shrieks.
“The marriage bond has been completed, and you belong to him now. Owen’s reaction wouldn’t be so strong if it wasn’t meant to be.”
“Sadie, what the fuck?” Trina cries. “Have you gone insane?”
“No, sweetie,” Sadie says, rubbing her arm. “And neither have you. I don’t really understand this, but I will explain it all as best I can, I promise. For now, just go with Owen. I promise he won’t hurt you, and I’ll be there first thing tomorrow to talk about all of this.”
“But—” Trina protests, but Sadie takes her friend’s hand and puts it in mine.
“Be gentle with her, Owen,” Sadie warns. “She’s traumatized by what you’ve done, and I expressly told you to wait for me.”
“I would never hurt her,” I protest.
Sadie groans. “You already have. Try not to do any more damage.”
I tug on Trina’s hand and start walking back to the house. Trina turns to look over her shoulder, stumbling over her own feet.
“Sadie, please!” she cries. “Don’t do this.”
“I’ll be there first thing in the morning,” Sadie says. “I’ll explain everything, I promise.”
I give Trina’s hand another tug, and she trips over, falling heavily against me. In one swift movement, I pick her up and hug her against my chest. Her scent overwhelms me, and a sense of comfort and contentment eases through the feelings of anger and fear.
Trina sobs quietly in my arms, and we don’t talk on the way back. I expect her to be meek and tired when we get there, but as soon as we reach the house, she struggles out of my arms and pushes me away.
“Let me go!”
“I can stop physically holding you,” I reply. “But you aren’t leaving this house.”
Her bottom lip trembles as she raises her head and glares at me. “I have no fucking clue what’s going on, here!” she screams. “Wolves, rituals, spells—this shit is crazy! I can’t believe Sadie made me go with you. You’re all bonkers.”
“I have a good reason,” I say, thinking of my ailing pack. “We can help a lot of people if this works.”
“What do you mean, help?” she asks. “What possible benefit could there be to kidnapping me—and marrying me, apparently?” She tugs on the Dead Silk, but it won’t come off her wrist.
“My pack is in danger,” I say, trying to use a calm tone. “My people are very sick—”
“Well, doesn’t this sound like the start of a really bad movie?” she scoffs, rolling her eyes. “I’m not sold on any of this, so you might not want to begin with solemnly intoned, overused phrases.”
“I can’t believe this,” I reply, shaking my head. “Will you at least try to listen to me?”
“Why should I?” she yells. “None of this is real, you’re in a cult or something, and—”
“Oh, God, fine!” I roar, grabbing her hand. Trina struggles, but she’s no match for me as I drag her down the hall to my spare bedroom. I hurl her inside and slam the door, locking it from the outside.
Lucky it used to be a storage room—even luckier that it was fully furnished as a guest room when the house was renovated, and we didn’t bother to remove the locks.
“Let me out!” Trina screams.
“Nope,” I mutter, not even caring if she hears me or not.
I head in the opposite direction down to my room, but I know I won’t be able to sleep under these circumstances.
I lie on the bed with my hands behind my head, staring at the ceiling and listening to Trina’s shouts slowly winding down as she gives up banging on the door.
***
When light begins to creep into the room, I realize I’ve been dozing, and my body hasn’t really rested.
Before I’m ready for it, I hear Sadie knock on the front door. I hurry downstairs to let her in, and she looks fully refreshed and almost glowing as she enters the house.
Almost vibrating with power. I don’t know if I should be scared of her or not.
“I brought donuts,” she says, holding up a box. “Can you make some coffee?”
“Sure.”
“Where’s Trina?”
“Oh… in the spare bedroom.”
“Wait… did you lock her in?”
“I—well, I—”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Sadie groans. “Go make the coffee.”
I shuffle off to the kitchen, feeling chastised. Trina yelps when Sadie opens the door, and I hear a brief exchange before the two girls come up the hall to the dining room.
“Here we go,” I say, putting three steaming cups down on the table. “I’ll let you do your own milk and sugar.”
“Thanks,” Sadie says, taking a donut. Trina takes one, too, and reaches for her coffee, taking a furtive sip as she looks over the edge of the mug.
“Okay, so, let me explain,” Sadie says to Trina. “You don’t know this, but I was brought here under the exact same circumstances as you.”
“What?” Trina asks, her voice soft.
“Rhys did, actually, kidnap me.”
“Oh, shit!” Trina gasps.
“Yeah. I was pretty pissed—like, seriously, you can’t imagine. But here’s the thing—the wolves are sick.”
“Sick?” Trina echoes.
“Yes. Very badly. There’s an old curse hanging around, and it’s robbing the wolves of their vitality. Once I came into my powers, I was able to save Rhys’s pack.”
“You’re serious right now, aren’t you?” Trina asks. “Like, fully fucking serious?”
“Yes, I am,” Sadie replies. “The alphas finding their mates is the only way to break the old curse. People are dying, Trina,” Sadie takes her friend’s hand and squeezes it.
“I… I don’t know what to say to that,” Trina says.
“Just stay, for now,” Sadie says. “I’ll teach you everything I know, and we’ll see if there’s any magic in you—and if you can help the pack the same way I did.”
“I…” Trina shakes her head. “Magic? In me?”
“Yeah,” Sadie replies, rubbing her shoulder. “There just might be.”
“Well, now that’s settled,” I say, slightly amazed by how easily Trina is taking this when it comes from Sadie and not me. “You’ll stay right here until we figure out—”
“No,” Sadie says, looking at me calmly.
I glare at her. “What do you mean, no?”
“She’ll stay here with you,” Sadie says. “She is your wife now, but you can’t just dictate everything she does.”
Even though I know she’s right, the words are still hard to hear. “But—”
“It’s okay, Owen,” Sadie says. “I’ll be with her. You have to let her go to work and have her freedom. She’s your wife, not your prisoner.”
“I don’t feel like there’s much difference,” Trina mumbles.
Sadie rubs her arm again. “I’ll need you to come with me to the museum and help me look through the old texts. You might have magic, Trina. Isn’t that exciting?”
“Yeah,” Trina says, grinning bashfully. “It’s pretty amazing.”
Sadie gives Trina a hug, and instead of feeling rejected and left out, I try to focus on the fact that at least now, it looks like Trina wants to stay.