Chapter 19 - Thane
Holding Willow's hand tightly, we race out of Elias's house, heading in the direction of the lake where we'd come from.
Everything about tonight remains a foggy, distant blur. One moment, we were about to kiss. The next, I'd been poisoned with enough wolfsbane to kill me.
Yet here I am, alive and breathing, feeling stronger than ever—a strength fueled by Willow's admission that she needed me.
Those words pulled me from the claws of death, giving me a second chance—or third—to do things the right way.
With Willow beside me as we head toward the threat, my chest swells with pride when I glimpse the shift in her. The courage, the determined glint in her blue eyes…it's nothing like the shy, frail girl I rescued from the Blood Claw Pack.
Standing by my side is a witch with great power, her magic already pooling in her palms by the time we reach the lake.
Elias, Dawson, and Brooks are battling it out against four demons, while Aurora and Rissa hit them with charged powers to snap their demonic spirits into physical form. Willow and I exchange nods before I shift into wolf form and charge forward to help my friends.
The ensuing chaos of snapping canines, slicing claws, and pulsing light in different shades is alarming only because we haven't had a demon attack for months. The dark figures flash between their distorted wolf forms and flying smoke, the smell of dirty, mucky oil filling the air.
The witches continue hitting the demons, and a lightning bolt of purple hits the demon charging toward me in spirit form. Aurora's magic forces the demon into its physical form, and I howl at the sky before leaping forward and tearing into its flesh.
It isn't enough to take it down, and the demon only becomes furious, a shrill cry of warning leaving the black pit of its mouth as obsidian eyes lock with mine.
Just as I'm about to lunge forward and finish the thing off, I hear Willow's voice echoing through the clearing.
“Move aside, Thane!” she yells out, and my first instinct is to do as I'm told. No question, no hesitation, stepping aside as I watch her aim her magic at the demon.
Gold light covers the clearing, the pulses directed at the demon turning it to ash.
My wolf is stunned, whimpering to call the attention of the other alphas.
“Step aside, everyone. Willow has this covered,” I tell them through our shared mind link.
Upon my telepathic instruction, the alphas step back, allowing Willow to take over, her blue eyes filled with gold swirls as more energy pushes through her palms. Just like what I witnessed before with the Blood Claw wolves, Willow's golden light turns the snow molten as her magic keeps the demons stuck in their physical forms.
Being fully conscious now, my vision not impaired by any poison, watching her wield her magic so fiercely is mesmerizing, my wolf chest swelling with pride.
The demons are defeated in no time, turned to ashes as if they never appeared. With a whimper of appreciation, I race to Willow's side just as she's about to collapse from exhaustion.
I catch her in my human arms when I shift just in time, her eyes meeting mine as a soft smile tugs her lips.
“See?” she whispers, a hand lifting to my cheek. “This is why I need you. To catch me when I fall.”
“I'll always be here to catch you, Willow,” I say with a lighthearted chuckle, noticing our friends moving closer. “But tonight, I think we all needed you.”
“That was brilliant, Willow!” Yvonne exclaims, clapping her palms together as Rissa and Brooks come over to help Willow to her feet.
The witches throw their arms around Willow, pulling her into a warm embrace. I step back and smile proudly at my mate, but I notice how tired she is, her body frail in their arms.
She used her powers too much tonight, and she needs to rest. But when Elias comes over and whispers that we need to talk, I know I can't be the one taking Willow home.
Everything that's happened tonight calls for a meeting, so I ask the ladies to take Willow home. Aurora says she'll hang back to reignite the trap to keep this area protected and keep the demons out.
“I'll be back soon,” I tell Willow as she passes with Yvonne and Rissa. She stops and turns her full attention to me, smiling with sleepy eyes.
“I think I'm gonna pass out the moment I hit the pillow,” she giggles softly. “I'm exhausted.”
I step forward, curling a hand at the back of her head and drawing her closer, pressing a chaste kiss on her forehead. “You don't need to wait up for me, angel. I'll see you tomorrow morning, then. Rest well. You were amazing tonight.”
Willow smiles at me, standing on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on my cheek. “Good night, Thane,” she says as she steps back, then joins the witches waiting for her at the ingress of the woods.
“That was impressive,” Elias praises even before I can turn around, his voice thick with pride.
“I know, right?” I grin as I glance over my shoulder at Willow, just as she and the other witches disappear beyond the trees back to the main village.
“She carried you back to my place,” Elias says casually as he places his arm over Aurora's shoulders, inspecting me with that keen look in his eyes.
“That's impossible,” I scoff with a nervous chuckle following. “Have you seen my size compared to Willow's? There's no way—”
“There is, actually, dude,” Brooks fists my shoulder with a grin. “She carried you back using her powers. Riss has a theory.”
“I think we all do,” Dawson adds with a thoughtful nod. “Think about it, Thane. Willow turned those demons to ashes. That's something the others couldn't do. You know this.”
I gulp hard, nodding slowly. “Yeah. I guess you're right. But what does any of it mean, anyway?”
“Well, the others and I suspect that there's more to our visions than what we've seen so far,” Aurora suggests.
“What we saw tonight was amazing…turning the demons to ashes like that.
Willow's extraordinary power may be the ultimate key to defeating the demons. But no one else has had more visions to confirm it.”
“Yeah, it's like Yvonne's visions stopped altogether,” Dawson says, and Brooks nods.
“The last vision Rissa had was when Willow arrived. It's like Willow coming back paused our clues, stopped our visions,” Aurora says.
Maybe that's why Willow has been resistant to exploring our mate bond—she's afraid of her own powers. Afraid of what she saw in her nightmares.
“Willow said she's been having nightmares,” I offer with a shrug. “But she hasn't told me what they're about, except that I die. Which already almost happened. I don't think it's linked.”
“Maybe, maybe not…” Dawson ponders as he cocks his head to the side. “You have slept with her already, right?”
That earns him a fist to his shoulder, not playful, but with enough force to knock him backward.
“I'm just playing, bro!” he protests with a sneaky grin.
I shake my head at him in disbelief, though deep down, I know that it's what needs to happen.
Perhaps what she'd been seeing in her nightmares was a foretelling of what happened to me at the lake earlier this evening. Still, if her presence has paused the other witches’ visions, perhaps our answer lies in Willow having one that will guide us toward our next steps.
But there must be another way to unlock her visions. One that proves to her that I can be there for her, like I promised. One that doesn't scatter her emotional state, but rather has her opening up willingly.
Then it hits me.
It's the one thing Willow loved the most back in the day.
The greenhouse.
***
Knocking on Elias's door with a hint of irritation, I tap my foot impatiently on the porch.
I was hoping I'd find Willow resting in her bedroom this morning, but Grandfather told me that she was up bright and early and said she'd be with Aurora.
Practicing again, no doubt.
Ever since she embraced her powers, she's been determined to hone her skills every chance she gets.
I wish she'd just rest.
Elias is the one to greet me at the door, relief on his face.
“I was just gonna come looking for you. My beta brought back news about the Blood Claw wolves who attacked you guys last night.”
“And?” I say with an expectant frown as I step inside. “What did Dillon say?”
Elias sighs as he closes the door behind us, patting my shoulder. “The group that attacked you was murdered by the demons between Girdwood and Seward.”
“Good riddance,” I mumble bitterly under my breath.
“We sent their body parts back to Alpha Grant with a warning to keep their wolves out of our territory. They're on their own. We're not responsible for his wolves, even if the demons come for them.”
“So, no alliance, then?”
Elias shakes his head. “They lost the opportunity the moment those wolves came after you and Willow. We don't need them.”
“Thanks, Elias,” I nod in agreement, grateful that my brother handled the situation the same way I would have.
If I'm being entirely honest, I would have set fire to the whole pack for what they pulled last night. But leaving them to fend for themselves is enough punishment on its own.
After all, Snehvolk has an advantage that none of the other packs have.
“Are the girls training downstairs?” I ask Elias, and he nods, pointing toward the kitchen.
“Want a drink?”
I shake my head. “I wanted to take Willow away from training for a bit.”
Elias nods, then calls Aurora through the mind link, asking her to let Willow know I'm here.
“Thanks, man,” I tell him, turning when I hear the hinges on the door that leads to the underground training room.
Willow appears from the hallway, her eyes twinkling with a smile on her lips when she sees me. I cross the small distance between us, noticing how faint the scar on her cheek has become.
She doesn't miss the bracelet I'm still wearing, her eyes flicking to my wrist as I lift my hand to her face, my breath caught with wonder.
“I think your training is healing you,” I breathe, and Willow giggles lightly, her cheeks flushing when I touch her creamy flesh.
“Probably…” Willow gives me a sheepish smile. “What happened? Why did you need to see me?”
I smirk as I grab Willow's hand and pull her out of the house. “I have something to show you,” I tell her, to which she frowns.
“Please don't tell me this is another surprise. You know what happened the last time.”
“I promise this one won't be harmful,” I reassure her, squeezing her hand lightly. “Let's go, before the others call you back.”
“Are we sneaking away?” she asks with a curiously arched brow.
“Of course, we are,” I wink, and Willow giggles again, like a woman who feels safe enough to drop her guard and let her little girl out to play.
As the soft sunlight kisses her cheek, a sense of accomplishment washes over me.
Bringing Willow back to Girdwood was the best decision I made, even before I knew she was my fated mate. She's healing, and that's exactly what she deserves.
To experience life again with a full heart.