Chapter Ten
Joanna
As the day wore on, Marcus spread the word of the blood pact among his wolves. I could sense their curiosity, their excitement, their unease. Something big was about to happen between their pack… and a hunter.
I shuddered. James could not find out about this.
Marcus moved quickly with the preparations. He was a natural leader, his authority unquestioned as he barked orders with an eloquence that made even the men eager to obey.
From the safe distance of the guest room window, I watched as werewolves headed to the place they called the Den—normally off-limits to outsiders. But at sundown, I would step inside and pledge my allegiance to the pack.
The ceremony was a bigger deal than I’d realized.
Whispers of gowns and new suits made their way to the guest room where I waited.
It wasn’t lost on me how much more luxurious this room was compared to the one from our first night under the same roof.
But when I teased Marcus about it, he simply claimed it was all for the ceremony.
I admit, I had a moment and demanded the whole thing be called off. My braids were almost three months old.
Marcus did not understand.
… Men.
He sent Maya to calm me down, and the next thing I knew, three young shapeshifters were helping me take down my hairstyle.
It felt… normal. A reminder of the sisterhood I’d lost when Toya was taken from me. And what would’ve normally taken an entire weekend to do by myself was done in a few hours. Now, rollers prepped my freshly washed hair.
Footsteps sounded outside the room.
Lucas knocked on the cracked door, entering cautiously. “Marcus asked me to give you this,” he said, holding out a garment bag.
I retreated from the window. “Is it ugly?” I asked, making sure the belt of my bathrobe was secure. I took the bag from his hands and unzipped it, revealing a stunning red dress.
The fabric was silk, the color a deep crimson that shimmered in the light. It was sleeveless, with a plunging neckline and two slits that would reveal a scandalous amount of leg.
“He wants you to wear this to the ceremony,” Lucas explained, his eyes darting from me to the dress.
I held it up, the silk cascading like liquid fire. “It’s beautiful,” I said in awe, running my fingers over the fabric. Then I frowned, realization dawning. “Does it come with a clutch or something?” I shook the garment bag. “There’s no place to hide any weapons in this thing.”
Lucas shifted, his eyes darting off to the side. “Marcus said you’d say that. He also said that attacking someone during a blood pact is treason. And that you have nothing to worry about.”
I sighed, resigning myself to the fact that I would be unarmed. It went against every instinct. But I had to trust Marcus. If he said I would be safe, I believed him.
“Fine,” I said, laying the garment bag over the back of the armchair. “But if I get killed because I’m defenseless, I’m blaming you.”
Lucas paled, swallowing hard before nodding. As he left, I felt a pang of guilt for making him nervous. He was just following orders, after all. In fact, every time I saw Lucas, he was waiting on Marcus.
He was tall, the way most of the werewolves were, but his adolescent frown betrayed him. He couldn’t have been over twenty.
I slipped into the dress, pulling it down over my hips and fastening the halter around my neck. The silk clung to my curves, the slits revealing almost all of my thighs as I moved. I felt exposed… but also strangely empowered. The dress fit me perfectly.
Marcus did well.
I removed the rollers and ran a comb through my hair, my head feeling light and free. I applied a touch of the makeup left for me in the room.
As I stepped into a pair of gold heels, a knock sounded at the door. I opened it to find Maya looking stunning in a flowing black dress. Her hard gaze swept over me before she gave a nod of approval.
“You look the part,” she said, her voice gruff. “But…” Her eyes locked onto the silver locket nestled between my breasts.
“Oh, shit,” I muttered. I unclasped the necklace and removed it from around my neck. Willing myself not to look at the photo, I tossed the locket onto the desk. Then, drawing a deep breath, I turned to Maya with a small smile. “I’m ready now, right?”
Maya gave me one last once-over and nodded, satisfied. “Marcus is waiting for you.”
***
I followed Maya along the winding path, our heels echoing off the stone walls of the Den. I hadn’t exactly thought the shoe situation through. Werewolves might’ve been able to reorient their bodies like damn cats, but this human would sooner ditch her heels than fall on her ass.
As we neared the ceremonial chamber, the low hum of voices and the rustle of shifting bodies filled the air. The torches lining the walls crackled, their flames casting flickering shadows across the cavern.
Shapeshifters crowded the space, the pack forming a loose circle. They parted as Maya and I entered, their gazes cautious. I lifted my chin, meeting their eyes with what I hoped looked like unwavering confidence.
Marcus stood waiting at the far end of the cave. He wore a black suit that hugged his muscular frame. His hair was slicked back, the silver streak glinting in the firelight. He looked every inch the Alpha, powerful and sexy as hell.
As I approached, he extended a hand, silently inviting me to stand beside him. I took it, his fingers wrapping around mine in a firm, reassuring grip. He leaned in, his breath warm against my ear.
“I did good,” he whispered.
A shiver ran down my spine, a spark of something deep and dangerous igniting within me. “Or maybe I can make even a potato sack look couture, Alpha,” I mumbled, fighting the urge to drag him closer.
He grinned. “You look stunning, Joanna.”
I focused on calming my pulse, mindful that all the watchful eyes belonged to creatures with super hearing.
Marcus straightened, his expression shifting from intimate to authoritative.
“Brothers and sisters,” he called out with a commanding presence.
“Tonight, we gather to forge a new alliance, to strengthen our family and secure our future. We are on the brink of an uprising. An uprising that seeks to expose us to the world, to tear down the walls that have protected us for so long. But we won’t let them damn us. ”
The pack roared in agreement, their voices rising in a chorus of fortitude. Marcus lifted a hand, quieting them once more.
“To stand against this threat, we must stay united,” he continued with a magnetic presence. “We must trust one another and fight for one another. And that includes those who have long stood against us but now stand with us.”
He extended an arm toward me. I hesitated for a heartbeat, then stepped forward, keeping my gaze steady.
“Joanna Sullivan is a hunter,” Marcus declared. “But she’s also an ally, a warrior who fights for the same thing we do. Peace. She’s proven herself to me; Now, she must prove herself to you.”
A murmur rippled through the crowd. Eyes darted between me and Marcus, suspicion etched into every face. The unspoken question was clear: Why was their alpha trusting a human?
Marcus turned to me, his piercing gaze holding mine. “Joanna, do you accept this alliance? Do you pledge to stand with us, to protect us as one of our own?”
I bit my lower lip and nodded. His eyes dipped briefly to my mouth, and for a fleeting moment, I saw the Marcus from last night, the man who needed me in his arms. But just as quickly, he was gone, replaced by the leader standing before me. His confident grin filled me with silent reassurance.
He held out his hand, palm up, and I mirrored the gesture, placing mine in his. The warmth of his touch steadied me, grounding me in the gravity of what was about to happen.
Marcus extended his other hand. Before my eyes, his fingers elongated, and his smooth skin transformed into the dark, curved claws of his wolf form. The shift was effortless, a reminder of the raw power that coursed through him.
I held my breath as he brought the claws down, slicing a clean, precise cut across my palm. The pain was sudden, a burning sensation that spread through my hand and up my arm. But I didn’t pull away.
Marcus repeated the action on his palm, the blood rich against his skin. He held my gaze as he pressed his palm firmly against mine.
“With this blood, you and I are united,” he declared. “We stand together, we fight together, and we fall together. This is our promise to each other and to the pack.”
A surge of energy coursed through me with his vow, a tingling warmth that started at my palm and spread through my body. It was unlike anything I had ever felt—power igniting every nerve ending, every fiber of my being.
I gasped, my eyes widening as the sensation intensified, threatening to overwhelm me.
Marcus’s grip on my hand tightened, his eyes burning into mine. “Stay with me,” he whispered, his voice cutting through the haze.
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to focus on his words, on the steady pressure of his hand in mine. Slowly, the overwhelming surge of energy ebbed, receding like a tide and leaving behind a sense of clarity.
The pack watched us, their eyes wide. The pact had worked. They had just witnessed the forging of our bond.
***
As the night wore on, the pack celebrated. Their voices raised in song and their bodies moved in dance. I stood at the mouth of the cave, the cool night air a welcome change from the heat inside.
My palm burned, the bandage around my hand proof of the pact I’d made. A reminder that I had betrayed everything I believed in for the last five years.
Footsteps sounded behind me, and I turned to see Marcus approaching. He had shed his jacket, his sleeves rolled up to reveal his muscular forearms. His eyes glowed in the dim light, reflecting the flickering torches from inside the cave.
“Hiding?” he asked, coming to stand beside me.
I shrugged, turning back to face the darkness. “Just needed a moment.”
He nodded. “It’s a lot to take in. My pack, the oath, all of it.”
I sighed, wrapping my arms around myself. “For so long, my life has been about avenging Toya, about hunting. And now, I’m supposed to fight beside you.”
Marcus stayed silent for a moment, his eyes now reflecting the moonlight. “I know this is hard, Joanna. But remember what we’re fighting for.”
I looked at him, his words resonating deep within me. His gaze softened, and he reached out, tucking a curl behind my ear. “We won’t fail.”
I leaned into his touch, feeling a warmth spread through me that had nothing to do with the magic of the blood bond and everything to do with him. “You have a lot of faith in me, Marcus Blackwood.”
He smiled, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw. “I have faith in us, Joanna Sullivan.”
We stood in silence, the sounds of festivity reverberating behind us. I could feel the tension, our unspoken words.
Damn him. It would be so easy to give in. Again.
Marcus seemed to sense my thoughts. He took a step back, putting some distance between us. “Let’s go back inside. We have five seconds before I desecrate the Den.”
I furrowed my brow. “How would you do that?”
He leaned in, his breath tickling my ear. “I think you know, Joanna. And I think you’d want it just as much as I do.”
I did. God, help me, I did. I never wanted a complication so badly in my life.
Marcus took my hand and led me back into the cave. The pack cheered as we entered, their voices synchronized in celebration.
We joined them in the dance, the tantalizing proximity of our bodies making me dizzy. But Marcus’s powerful arms held me as if he never wanted to let me go. It was a nonsensical daydream… but for a moment, as we swayed in time with the music, I lost myself in him.
“Shit.” Marcus froze, his head whipping toward the cave’s entrance.
A group of shapeshifters approached, their eyes narrowed, their lips curled. The music seemed to fade into the background, and the dancing slowed to a halt. Marcus’s grip on my hand tightened, his body tensing.
An older man stood at the forefront with a visible tension in his jaw.
Behind him, a handful of werewolves followed, their faces mirroring his scorn.
I found the two fleabags in the crowd, but their names were never important enough to remember.
What was unforgettable though was the clear provocation in their eyes.
“Marcus,” the older werewolf began, his voice cold and formal. “A word, please.”
Marcus didn’t flinch, his gaze steady as he met the elder’s stare. “Speak freely, Thomas. There’s no need for privacy among the pack.”
Thomas pursed his lips, his eyes darting to me briefly before returning to Marcus. “Very well. We have concerns, Alpha. Concerns about this… alliance you’ve formed with the hunter.”
Whispers spread through the crowd, their eyes shifting between Thomas and Marcus. The tension in the Den was thick. Whatever conflict these two had beneath the surface was threatening to erupt.
Marcus’s voice remained deceptively calm. “And what, exactly, are your concerns, Thomas?”
One werewolf behind Thomas, a burly man with a thick beard, stepped forward. “She’s a hunter, Marcus. Our enemy. How can we trust her? How can we trust you to lead us when you’re consorting with the things that want to destroy us?”
Marcus’s eyes flashed with anger, but his voice remained controlled. “Joanna is not our enemy, Omar. She’s made the pact.”
Thomas scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain. “A pact is not enough, Marcus. We need assurances she won’t betray us. That she won’t turn on us the moment it suits her.”
I felt a surge of anger rise within me. I stepped forward, my voice steady and clear. “So, because I’m a hunter, the rules of magic no longer apply?” I challenged. “I’ve given up blood. Like Marcus said, I’m not your fucking enemy.”
Thomas’s gaze shifted to me. “Pretty words, hunter. But words from you are cheap.”
The werewolves behind him murmured in agreement. I could see the suspicion in their eyes, the demand for more. But what was more than blood?
“Our alpha is without a mate, and yet he has no issue leading us into a war,” Thomas declared to his kin. “He has shown nothing but recklessness, allowing a hunter to enter our home. Executing our brother because he took the lives of a few humans.”
“Excuse me?” I pulled away from Marcus to kick the elder’s ass, but Marcus tightened his grip around my wrist.
Thomas’s gaze swept over the room, pausing on each werewolf, a clear challenge burning in his eyes. “The time has come for the Alpha to step down.”