Chapter Forty-Five
Vince looked at me, then he turned to Morgan with a raised brow. “Well, then…” He sat back. “There isn’t much of a choice, is there?”
Morgan turned to me. “Amy, you can’t be serious. I raised you. I was your dad.” My eyes flashed and Nix was in front in a second.
“Repeat those words and I will call the Cath Báis out of pure arrogance on your part. You barely looked at us when we were a pup. You did everything and anything to take our mother’s time and attention from us.
And when I finally shifted, you stole our bonding night.
” Nix chuffed a warning call. “So think before you open your mouth again, Beta. If you step on my father’s legacy and my mother’s hard work, then I will not hold back.
I will rip you to shreds and reunite you with your mate. ”
Morgan paled. “Nix…I didn’t mean-”
“You didn't mean to take credit for work you had no hand in. You didn’t raise me. You didn’t pay my way.
You didn’t even house me. Amy bought the house.
Amy’s money paid for everything for her and her mother.
You even borrowed money frequently to take care of Shannon.
And Amy kept quiet for you. But I will not.
You use my status around the pack like it is your own.
You used it for yourself and for your daughter.
You used my mother’s situation to hold us on a leash, but I refuse to be held back any longer.
If my mother is single, she can leave to escape your archaic law about betrayed females becoming slaves.
Thankfully I am too old for you to take me as a slave for the provision of age, status, and completion of school.
I do not qualify as a betrayed female even if Brandon was fucking your whore of a daughter because we were not mated. ”
“Nix!” My mother called, but she shook our head.
“No mother. Amy may believe these fools, but I will not. If she decides to mate Brandon, I will go along, but I know the truth.” Nix turned to face Brandon. “She might be in love with you, pup, but I don't believe you.” I saw Vince’s eyes tighten.
Nix, you are blowing it. She growled back at me, but it was Megan that surprised us both. She pushed forward, taking over. She tried her best to mimic Nix’s voice. “Prove to me in these next weeks that you are truthful and faithful. Otherwise the mating is off.” She softened. “Do not let me down.”
Then she pushed me forward. I blinked and my eyes faded back to my human eyes. My mom came over and grabbed my face. She leaned in close and winked. “Are you back, baby?”
“Yes.” I shook, and she held me close.
Vince looked closely. “She doesn’t have control of her wolf yet?”
My mom shook her head. “She hasn’t spent a lot of time with her wolf. She shifted late and went directly to school. Nix is such a powerful wolf. If she takes over, Amy can’t fight it.” My mom answered quietly, causing both my wolves to snort. “She doesn’t remember much when Nix pushes her back.”
“Really?” Vince looked at me, and I could feel magic slip into the air. “Is that true Amy? You can tell me the truth.” He phrased it as a question, but I could feel the command along my skin.
Nix chortled. Even his magic is weak.
Megan sniffed the air. Because it isn't, he is using someone else’s.
Nix sniffed the air and then turned to me. She is right. The magic is…
Familiar. Megan finished for Nix, but then nudged me. Answer him, but make it look like you’re struggling. Like Nix is trying to stop you from answering, but his magic is too strong not to refuse him.
I shook harder and opened my mouth. I forced a grunt and then flashed my eyes again. I finally screamed and huffed out a labored answer. “Yes. When she doesn’t agree with me…she will take over…forcing me to sleep.” I made my eyes widen. I turned to Vince and sighed. “How?”
He just smiled. “You are stronger than you think.” But Vince thankfully turned away to Morgan. “I think my hands are tied here.”
Morgan looked at me, and I let my teeth descend again, snapping in his direction. He flinched, but recovered. “Ainsley please. Is there no other way?” He looked at me. “If your mom agrees to work on things, will you let the challenge go?”
I nodded. “If she agrees. She makes her own decisions.”
Morgan turned his hopeful eyes to my mother, but she just leaned in. “I would rather see you dead on the ground than spend another day with you.” His eyes filled with tears, and then he turned to leave.
“Wait.” Vince called and Morgan froze. “As Alpha of the Oakenfang pack, I declare the bond between Beta Morgan and Ainsley Maclean dissolved. The marriage is void, and both are single to bond again.” He had opened the mind link to every pack member, making his decree and dissolving the marriage for the pack to see.
We made it back to the house and my mother was ecstatic, dancing her way to my room. We shut the door, and she twirled. “Where do I go?” She turned to me and I just gave her a look. “I know I’m going to the cabin. I just mean how? Won’t the pack notice if I don’t leave?”
I waved my hand. “I’ll use magic to pretend to drive you away and I’ll leave your car at the airport and run back. Just pack your essentials and we will go over.” I kissed her temple. “But let’s be quick.”
“Why?” She sat on my bed and I pulled out black clothes. She just lifted her eyebrows. “What are you going to do? Rob a bank?”
I laughed. “I need a shower and descenting spray.” I rummaged through my bathroom, but my mom stood and went into my closet. “What are you doing?”
“I put the extra spray in here, foolish girl.” She came out with a bottle. “Now tell me why.”
“Rick.” She just twirled her finger.
“Rick what?” She handed me the bottle, and I put it on my counter.
“When he told me to go home for the day. He told me to go for a run.” I looked at her, but she was just staring at me expectantly. “Rick hinted that something was going to be happening in the woods today. Or tonight.”
“How do you know? And why didn’t he just say that?”
“There are cameras in our offices. I don’t know where, and I don’t know who watches them. But Vince knows stuff he shouldn’t.”
“So that’s why you told me to not say anything about Alannah being pregnant.”
I nodded. “There is a whole disgusting reason behind that, I’ll tell you later. Go pack. We don’t have a lot of time.”
She stared at me. “You feel something?”
I stopped and let myself feel whatever I was feeling. And then I nodded. “Something is happening. Something important that I have to see or stop. Something.”
She pushed up. “Then I better move.” She walked out of my room.
She called back to me, knowing that Morgan had set up microphones in here to listen.
I found the cameras a long time ago and got rid of them, but we pretended I didn’t see the sound recorders.
“I’ll be ready to leave in five minutes.
I’m not taking shit from this fucking house. Just get me to Toya’s pack.”
Then there were a few slamming drawers and packing. I took a shower and descented myself. Then I dried my hair, putting it up into a slick bun.
Are you ready? I called back to my wolves. Nix fluffed her fur and settled down on the ground.
Yup. She called back and I laughed. Megan looked at her, confused.
You look ready to sleep. Megan snorted.
I am. She cleaned her paw. I’m not the one going out into the woods. You are.
Megan turned to me. What?
I nodded. Nix is known. We need obscurity, not notoriety. It’s your time to shine. Sneak in, find out what is going on, stop whatever we have to stop and then get out. Quick, easy, and silent.
Megan stood, fur standing. I can’t, I’m not ready.
Nix chuffed out a laugh. You are a warrior. A Gamma. Silent, strong and deadly. Stronger than most Betas and low-level Alphas. You can kill Brandon without even losing a drop of blood. You are ready.
I nodded and came over to her. You are ready. Don’t doubt yourself now. We trained for this, remember?
She stared at me for a few seconds before nodding. I got this.
I winked and then turned to get dressed. My mom came in with a bag and shut the door. “Do we need groceries?”
I bit my lip as I tried to think. I waved her off. “We should be good for the night. If not, I’ll bring some stuff over.” I kissed her. “Go on ahead. I’ll be right there with some extra snacks and then I’ll seal the closet so no one can come through until I come back to the house.”
My mom nodded, and then walked to my room, opening the door. “Let’s fucking go. I never want to see this fucking pack ever again.” She slammed the door, walked into my closet and disappeared into the cabin.
I crept to the kitchen and called out to no one.
“I’ll be right there. I’m just grabbing something to eat.
” I grabbed a bag of food and crept quietly back to my room and into my closet.
I dropped the bag inside my room, my mom gave me a thumbs up, and closed the door.
I sealed my closet and then turned, mumbling the words I had seen earlier in the book of shadows to create a body double of my mom and her bag.
Then we both walked down the stairs and out of the house.
I drove past the pack members that had lined the street.
All of them were waving and bowing, giving my mother a farewell deserving of a Luna, not just another pack member.
But she has stepped up where Vince’s mate failed.
My mom helped with the pups. She made sure they were taught properly.
She fought for the females of this pack. And wolves never forgot their debts.
I drove down block after block of our pack, saluting to my mother, who wasn’t even here to see it.
I waved as I drove past the guards at the beginning of the land, and then we were out.
My mother’s body double disappeared, and I called for the jet to get ready to take a flight to the coast and come back.
“Who are we taking?”
I laughed. “No one.” There was silence on the other end.
“Take your families for a vacation to the coast if you’d like, my gift to you.
” I looked at the dash. “I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.
Get everyone to the hangar to leave and I’ll transfer you twenty thousand to have a nice weekend.
Make sure the flight attendant's family is informed and taken care of okay, Jerry?”
“Of course. Thank you." That’s what I loved about Jerry. Not one question asked.
By the time the plane was in the air, I had a few phone calls from Brandon, but I just texted him.
Amy- Hey. I see you have called, but I need space. If you want to work shit out, then give me a few days. Tell your father I am taking the next few days to get my mom settled and then I’ll be back in the pack.
Three dots danced on my screen and then stopped. Then they popped up again.
Brandon- Okay. I love you.
I clicked the phone shut and stuffed it into my pocket. Time to move. I shifted to Megan. Her brown and grey fur dancing in the air. She took a deep breath, stretching her legs before taking off into the trees.
Are you two sure about this? Her words were soft, questioning, but we both sat back on the grass. I put my back against the tree and waved her off.
Stop worrying about us. You haven’t been out in months and we are a ways away from pack lands. Enjoy this run. We will tell you when to worry. I laughed and closed my eyes.
What are you doing? Nix laid her head on my thigh and I instinctively started to run my fingers through her fur.
I’m tapping into my magic. I haven’t had a lot of time to give back, so while I have this time. I figured I'd gift the land as we run. That way, if we need some extra juice later, the earth will understand.
Nix nodded. Makes sense. As I ran my hands through her fur I felt her settle, her breathing became soft, and a slight snore started rumbling from her nose.
Is she snoring? Megan called back to me.
I chuckled. Yeah. I guess you two don’t really get the option to sleep deeply when you are always on guard for me.
Megan chuffed. We don’t mind.
I never thought you did, but maybe once all of this is over, we can do a rotation. So you two get a little peaceful nap. I could feel the yearning need from Megan. She wanted to curl up on my lap. But she refocused on the trees around her and sighed.
This is peaceful. The trees, the air. I know we are running towards something. But it is nice to have these peaceful moments when we can.
I sighed and pushed my fingers deeper into Nix’s fur. You have to take the peace as it comes, Megan. Otherwise you go crazy.
I pushed more power out to the trees, to the grass. The earth was drinking it in. There was a sigh as we passed, and a kiss from the very ground we ran on, a thank you for the gift I was giving. But then I felt the change. Something had shifted.
Do you feel that? Megan’s voice was coming in small gasps.
I nodded. Nix woke up from a dead sleep and was on her feet.
What the hell is that?
I looked at her as I stood. I walked around trying to figure out what was wrong, and there was another tug. A pit opened up in my stomach. Run Megan. Run as fast as you can. Nix. I looked at my other wolf
She nodded. We ran to the barrier. And I saw her push through, leaving me back here, alone. Things are about to get really fast. Nix’s voice floated back to me.
What do you mean? Megan questioned before Nix pushed her strength into her body. Holy fucking Goddess. Megan screamed as she ran faster than she ever had before.