Chapter 15 #2
Allison was quiet for a moment, seeming to choose her words carefully. "The bond can still be rejected by you."
Her stomach jerked. "Rejected?"
Allison nodded. "The bond can be refused, even after it's begun forming.
But Lily, you need to know, rejection doesn't break clean.
It shreds. It can tear souls apart." Allison's eyes held old pain, and Lily wondered if she'd seen this happen before.
"I've known wolves who went mad from rejection.
The bond tries to complete itself, but if one party refuses, it turns inward.
Sometimes the wolves can't handle it. They stop eating, stop fighting. Some take more... permanent solutions."
She swallowed hard. "They kill themselves?"
Allison gave her a slight nod. "The pain is that severe. It’s like having a piece of you ripped out through your chest, I'm told.
And that's just wolves rejecting wolves.
A witch-wolf bond? With how your magic is already responding to him?
There is no telling what could happen. This is why the pack is so worried.
Not much is known about these kinds of matings. "
Through the window, Lily could see vines still wrapped around the distillery’s exterior, flowers blooming all over the place. Her magic had gone haywire the moment Gray touched her, and now it seemed permanently attuned to him.
"It would destroy us both," Lily breathed.
"The rejection could be catastrophic for both of you, yes. But more than that—" Allison leaned closer. "You have the power now. The choice. You can still walk away."
Pain stabbed through her chest at the thought of leaving him now. "I can't do that to him."
"I know that. But does he? Gray's already lost everyone he's ever loved.
His parents, his brother. And now he's handed you the power to destroy him completely.
" Allison's expression was sympathetic but frank.
"That's what terrifies him. Not the coven nor the hunters.
You. And the fact that you could walk away. "
"But he pulled back. He had the chance and he didn't complete the bite. I’m not sure I’m what he wants."
Allison laughed. "Girl, I haven’t known Gray as long as the rest of the pack and I still know better than that.
He didn’t bite you because he has to give you the choice.
Even knotted inside you, even with his wolf screaming to complete the claim, he held back.
" Allison smiled. "That's love, honey. Giving someone the power to destroy you and trusting them not to use it. "
Maeve made a soft sound, one hand on her belly, eyes distant. "Connor did the same thing. Held back until I told him I wanted it. Wanted him. All of him." She focused on Lily again. "It's terrifying and beautiful and the best decision I ever made."
"But my magic is so volatile," Lily started.
"Which is why you need to figure out what you want," Maeve said gently. "No one can make that choice for you. Not Gray, not your coven, not anyone."
Through the bakery window, Lily watched three massive SUVs pull up to the distillery.
"The Alphas are here," Allison said, standing. "We should get back."
Lily rose on shaky legs, steadied by Maeve's hand on her arm.
"You're going to be fine," Maeve said firmly. "Both of you. And when this is all over, come back for more scones. Maybe bring that broody wolf of yours. He needs to eat something that isn't protein bars and annoyance."
Despite everything, Lily laughed.
They crossed back to the distillery, and the moment Lily stepped inside, she felt Gray's attention snap to her. The bond flared hot between them, relief and possession and need all tangled together.
The distillery door slammed open, and three men entered. All massive, all radiating Alpha power. Damien led them, his presence commanding instant attention. His brothers flanked him. Dante coordinated evacuations by phone while Diego monitored marina security on a tablet.
"Status?" Damien's voice cut through the chaos.
"Evacuations are proceeding," Dante reported without looking up from his phone. "Emergency services have the east side cleared. Working on the festival grounds now."
"Marina's quiet," Diego added, swiping through security feeds. "Hunters are holding position on the mainland. Twenty-three confirmed, possibly more."
Gray crossed to her in three strides, bypassing two pack members trying to get his attention.
"You okay?" His thumb traced her jaw, and she had to fight not to lean into the touch.
"Yeah." But she wasn't. She was terrified and overwhelmed all at once. The mate bond made her hyperaware of him—his scent, his warmth, the way his wolf pushed at his skin when other males got too close to her.
"We need the tourists clear before this goes bad," Dante called out, still on his phone.
Through the windows, green light pulsed at the forest edge. Points of power growing stronger, and Lily's stomach dropped. But then movement caught her eye, a figure at the side window, barely visible in the darkness.
Willow stood there, her young face twisted with anguish. Their eyes met through the glass, and Willow mouthed two words: "I'm sorry."
Then she vanished back into the shadows.
"Gray." Lily grabbed his arm. "Willow was just—"
"I saw her." His jaw clenched. "She's with them."
"She didn't want this. I could see it in her face—"
"Doesn't matter what she wants. She's there." Gray pulled her closer. "About the ritual. What they really want from you. You need to tell me everything. Now."
"Can we talk somewhere private?" She glanced at the pack members nearby, their attention too sharp. "Not here."
He caught her hand, lacing their fingers together. "Ryker, hold things down here."
"Got it, boss."
They climbed the stairs to his apartment, and Lily's magic responded to being in his private space again. More flowers bloomed in their wake, petals unfurling along the banister. The moment the door closed, he pulled her against him. Not sexual, just desperate for contact.
"Tell me what has you so terrified. I can feel it eating at you." His hands framed her face, thumbs stroking her cheekbones. "You can trust me."
She pulled away, needing space for this confession.
"The binding ritual." Her voice came out steady despite her racing heart. "Everyone thinks it's about controlling magic. But that's not what it does at all."
"Then what?"
She turned to face him, memorizing his features. The stubble along his jaw, eyes the color of whisky that flashed gold when his wolf rose, the way he watched her like she might disappear if he blinked.
"It's not binding magic, it's binding consciousness." The words tasted bitter. "Thirteen minds in one body. My body."
Gray went perfectly still. Not even breathing.
"The ritual merges the witch's consciousness with the coven's collective. I'd still walk and talk and cast spells. But everything that makes me who I am, would be gone. Dissolved. Absorbed into thirteen other minds until there's nothing left of the individual."
"That's murder."
"They call it joining the eternal circle.
Becoming one with the greater purpose." Tears burned hot, and she couldn't stop them.
"My mother refused the ritual. She chose to die when her magic went nova rather than submit.
And they've been waiting twenty-three years for another chance to 'save' our bloodline. "
"Save?" His voice came out dangerous and low.
"They really believe it. That's the worst part. They think individual consciousness is selfish. That joining the collective is the highest honor." She laughed, feeling bitter and broken. "Iris—the leader—she's my aunt. My mother's sister. And she genuinely believes erasing me would be saving me."
Gray moved to her slowly, like approaching a spooked animal. Each step deliberate, giving her the chance to pull away. She didn't.
His hands framed her face with impossible gentleness, and she saw his eyes were pure gold now. His wolf as attentive and powerful as the man.
"They will never touch you."
"You can’t—"
"Never." His forehead pressed to hers, and she felt the thread between them pulse with his absolute conviction. "I don't care if it's thirteen or thirteen hundred. You're mine now. I will protect you."
"You can't fight them all."
He kissed her. Not gentle but not violent either. Deep and claiming and full of promises he couldn't possibly keep. His tongue swept into her mouth, and she tasted his determination to protect her at all costs. When he pulled back, they were both breathing hard.
"The bond makes me crazy," he admitted, thumb wiping away her tears. "My wolf wants to lock you somewhere safe. Hide you until this is over. But I know you'd never forgive me."
"We can't hide from this."
"I know." His hands slid down to her shoulders, grounding her. "But you need to understand something. What you just told me, it changes nothing. Except now I know how much I want to kill every one of them."
"Gray, they're not evil. They're just—"
"They are trying to erase you. That's evil enough for me." His voice dropped to a growl. "They plan to steal all the little things that make you the woman for me. The beautiful sounds you make when you work. Your laugh. And the way you look at me when you think I’m not looking.
"You noticed that?"
"I notice everything about you." His thumb traced her bottom lip. "And I'll destroy anyone who tries to take any of it."
A bang on the door interrupted them. "Boss! Something's happening!"
They rushed back downstairs to find the pack gathered at the windows. The Alpha brothers stood together, Dante still coordinating evacuations while Diego tracked multiple threats on his tablet.
"Evacuation's almost complete," Dante reported.
"Good," Damien said. "Because look at the coven."
The green light had intensified, pulsing in a rhythm that made Lily's bones ache. She recognized the pattern. She'd seen it once before, the night they'd tried to complete her binding.
"It's starting," she gasped, hand going to her chest where she could feel it like a hook beneath her ribs. "The summoning. They're using the spell from the failed ritual."
"To do what?" Damien asked, all business now.
"To compel me. Pull me to them." Already the tug was there, weak but insistent, like someone calling her name from very far away. "Once they build enough power, I won't be able to resist. My body will walk to them whether my mind wants to or not."
Gray snarled, and every wolf in the room tensed. The sound was pure predator, pure threat.
"How do we stop it?"
"We can't stop it. But maybe I can slow it down." She looked at him, seeing her own desperation reflected in his eyes. "Through our bond. If I can borrow your strength—"
"I'm right here." He pulled her against his side, and immediately the tugging sensation eased. "Take whatever you need."
She reached through the thread, finding his wolf's power. It flooded through her, protective rage and possessive fury, but underneath, something softer. Love, she realized. He loved her. Not despite what she was, but because of it.
Together, they pushed back against the summoning. The pulling sensation eased then stopped completely, the summoning going silent.
"It worked." She swayed, and Gray's arm locked around her waist. "For now. They burned through a lot of power. They'll need hours to rebuild before they try again."
"How long?" Damien asked.
"Hours at least. Maybe more." She looked through the window at the forest edge where the green lights had dimmed to almost nothing. "But they won't stop."
"Time's all we need," Damien said. "Diego, status on the hunters?"
"Still holding at the marina," Diego replied, eyes on his tablet. "But they're loading gear onto the boats. Looks like they're preparing to move."
"Dante?"
"The bridge is still backed up. Tourists are moving slow, with some asking too many questions. We need more time."
Through the windows, the coven's lights began moving. All the points of green fire spread out, forming a circle with the distillery at its center.
"They're surrounding us," Lily breathed. She could feel their power building like a low hum in her bones. They were preparing, gathering strength, so they could come for her fully next time.
Gray pulled her against his side, his hand possessive on her hip. Through their bond, she felt him coiled to strike, every instinct screaming mine.
“I’m okay,” she reassured him. Although she wasn’t sure for how long.
"Get everyone to the bridge," Damien ordered. "Priority is getting the humans off this island before this goes fucking sideways." He looked at his brothers. "Dante, you're with me. Diego, stay here with Gray."
Diego nodded, still tracking threats on his tablet. Damien and Dante headed out with most of the pack, leaving only Diego and a handful of others at the distillery.
Outside, the witches tightened their circle, their chanting audible now. Building power.
"Together?" Gray murmured against her ear.
"Together," she agreed.
The war for Devils Point was about to begin.