Chapter 26
Jaxon
Alpha Liam Ossory met us at the border. He was short for an Alpha, but his shoulders were broad and he carried himself with an air that told me he took care of his own. I immediately liked the guy, until he scowled at me.
“I take it you’re Alpha Jaxon.” His handshake was as rough as his voice. “And you must be Alpha Kera.” Her name held a little more awe. I could understand that. Everyone—especially Alphas—knew of Kera, and he was young enough to have idolized her during his formative years.
“Thank you for meeting with us today,” Kera said.
Liam nodded. “One of my pack witches told me there was some emergency, but she made a mistake.” He motioned to the two female witches that stood behind the backs of the wolf shifters accompanying Liam to the rendezvous.
Emily stepped forward, lowering the cloak from her head, and beside her, Sarah did the same.
“Sorry to bother you with this, Alpha Jaxon,” Emily muttered.
“I don’t understand.” I looked them both over, sending my wolf senses out to check for abuse or coercion, anything to explain what was going on.
“As I said, there was a mistake,” Liam grumbled. “Sarah is in charge of the festival, and asked for my permission to have this Vincent warlock run some sort of trials on my territory. She should’ve mentioned it to her coven that she was busy helping her guest.”
“I apologize for worrying you all,” Sarah said. “But as you can see, I’m fine.”
She’s lying.
But if her own pack Alpha didn’t notice, then maybe my wolf was wrong.
“Did you know that Vincent is building an army to attack the humans?” Kera asked. I forgot how straight to the point she could be sometimes.
Liam dragged a hand over the top of his head, glancing at Sarah. “That’s what they said, but I was assured there’d be no movement until we discussed this with all the neighboring Alphas.”
“And you support Vincent’s plan?” I asked.
Liam frowned at me. “I never said that.”
“If you’re allowing this to happen on your territory, then it seems like you’re showing your support,” Kera pointed out.
“I have no love for the purists, I’ll tell you that.” Liam shrugged. “But as I said, that’s a discussion for a later day. Today, I trust my witches can handle themselves and give them freedom to do what they think is best.”
Emily lowered her head, while Sarah beamed an appreciative look at her Alpha.
Still, something was wrong. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Sarah seemed different than when I’d first met her, but we’d only had a few interactions. I didn’t actually know her, did I?
Kera twisted her hands behind her back, standing up taller. “With your permission, I’d like to enter your territory and speak with this Vincent character myself.”
Liam glanced at Sarah. The witch nodded.
“As long as you stay away from the festival, we can set something up,” Sarah said to Kera. “No offense, Alpha. It’s just we have rules that magic-less beings weren’t to be invited this year and we need to remain fair to the other packs.”
“I’m assuming only I can attend.” Kera looked back at the shifters that traveled with her. They were busy pretending they weren’t listening to this conversation. All except for Meg and Alec, who didn’t bother to hide themselves or their blatant eavesdropping.
“You, and any witches or warlocks that came with you, of course.” Sarah offered a smile to Sage. Tisiphone’s mom stood just to my left, and she returned the polite smile.
“All settled. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Liam clapped his hands.
“The borders have weakened with all this back and forth crossing. I’ll go ahead and strengthen my markers to make this trip worth it, and I hope you’ll join me for dinner before I return to my pack.
It’d be good for us easterners to learn more about our western brothers.
Who knows what alliances we’ll need in the future. ”
*
Sarah set us up in one of the tents used for healing at the far east corner of the festival, away from the noise and other eyes, and slipped out before I could ask her any questions.
There were five chairs; three for Alpha Kera, Sage, and me, I assumed, all facing each other meeting-style. None of us sat.
“Something is wrong with—”
Kera held up a finger, cutting me off seconds before we heard footsteps approaching.
I sucked in a breath as Vincent opened the flap to the tent, holding it for the female behind him.
Gods, she’s beautiful.
Every time I saw her, I thought the same thing.
It was always an effort to hold onto my wolf, who leapt at her arrival.
Over the years, I’d learned to keep the possessive nature of the beast on a leash—barely stopping him from marking her and trying to stake his claim—but being in her presence always soothed his anxious worry.
I felt like I could breathe again.
“Tisiphone.” I moved toward her, needing to know that we were all right.
She wouldn’t look at me.
“Trish…” Her mom called her name softly, standing by my side. But Tisiphone also didn’t look at Sage.
Her gaze was trained on Kera. That made sense. She was her Alpha, and the only one in this room with the ability to communicate with her telepathically. That old ache reared its ugly head again. If she hadn’t denied me, if we’d sealed our bond, then I’d have my own link with her too.
Sage grabbed my arm for support and I looked down at the witch, realizing how hard it must’ve been growing up and not having the wolf level of communication with her own daughter while others did.
“Alpha Kera and the infamous Sage Cerberus. I’d hoped to meet both of you one day.
” Vincent smiled in greeting, seemingly ignorant to the tension in this tent and ignoring me altogether.
“When I discovered that Sage had turned down my invitation, I’d worried we were on bad terms, but it seems you sent your lovely daughter in your place. For that, I thank you.”
Sage blanched, clinging tighter to my arm. I could feel her shame shoot through me as if it were my own. I wasn’t sure if she was aware of how obvious it was, but now I knew why Tisiphone refused to look our way.
She was pissed.
Rightfully so.
It dawned on me that this happened more than I’d liked to admit. That they continued to keep Tisiphone in the dark, and kept underestimating her abilities. But didn’t we all treat her that way?
“I was planning to head west after the festival ended to speak with you about your experience waging war on the humans,” Vincent continued. “But here you both are in the flesh. To what do I owe the honor of this visit?”
“What do you know of war, warlock?” A darkness crossed Kera’s face, one I wasn’t intimate with, but I’d seen on some of the elders who’d fought in battles long past.
“As I said, Alpha, I was hoping to speak with you about that.” Vincent turned up the charm on his sleazy smile.
Kera looked past him to Tisiphone. “Come here, Trish.”
Tisiphone gave a slight shake of her head. “I think you should speak with Vincent. At least hear him out.”
I want to hear his skull crack against the ground. My wolf growled.
I clenched my jaw so that I didn’t make a sound when Tisiphone stepped closer to the warlock’s side and he looked at her fondly. The rational part of me understood what she was trying to do, but this was taking it too far.
“Then I’ll ask you the same question.” Kera schooled her expression. “What do you know of war, niece?”
She stood straighter. “I know that what the humans are doing to the witches behind their walls is wrong.” Tisiphone finally glanced at Sage. It was a brief flick of her eyes, but Sage’s grip on my arm relaxed just a bit.
“And I know that Vincent has some ideas that are worth exploring.” Tisiphone batted her eyelashes at the warlock.
I’m going to kill him.
I narrowed my gaze.
That wasn’t like her. Not at all.
Did I know her anymore?
“Fine,” Kera said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Come find me once you’ve built your army.”
What? Both my wolf and I gasped at the same time. After all that… After everything I’d set up and worked for… The trials. This meeting.
No one had even sat down.
I managed to keep my composure as I glanced at Kera. The female Alpha didn’t blink.
Vincent nodded. “We’ll be visiting Cerberus pack soon, then.” He moved back to the tent flap, motioning to Tisiphone. “After you.”
“No.” My growl slipped out, but I couldn’t help it, not after all this time spent waiting for Kera and Liam to arrive while the sense of dread grew and my hands were tied, unable to act. I’d expected an inquisition. Support, at least. They had to know there was something wrong with all this.
“No?” Vincent arched an eyebrow. “Exactly who are you again?”
Let me out. He’s a dead witch.
“Alpha Jaxon,” Tisiphone quickly intervened as she rested her hand on Vincent’s chest. “Isn’t he supposed to be at the trials this morning?”
I saw red, barely able to see anything besides my mate touching him.
Vincent smirked. “The Alpha quit the trials after your display of power the other day.”
“That’s a mistake.” Tisiphone thumped his chest playfully, but at least she stopped touching him. “You’re going to want Jaxon in your army. He’s a great soldier and loves following orders. If you don’t believe me, ask my gram.”
Her honey-brown eyes slid toward mine. Just a fraction of a second. And my heart exploded in my chest as our gazes locked before she tore hers away.
“If you insist.” Vincent didn’t spare me another second, marching out of the tent and waiting for Tisiphone to catch up like she was on a leash.
But that wasn’t the truth.
She had him tethered.
“Are you okay?” Sage whispered once they were out of earshot for a human.
I ran my hand over my mouth, nodding. It was all too much, but it wasn’t over yet. If anything, that look she gave me… It was just beginning.
I had to get back there. Fast.
“What did she mean about following orders and my grandmother?” Kera asked right as I was about to burst out of the tent.
I stopped just long enough to answer. “I once made the mistake of promising Lisa I’d take care of Tisiphone.”
It sounded so simple when I said it out loud, but who would’ve thought it would set off a lifetime of consequences neither of us could untangle ourselves from?
A single moment that altered the fabric of fate.
Hurt words spoken in heated moments we couldn’t take back that would shape the future as we knew it.
Humans. My wolf grumbled. Always making things complicated.
“A mistake?” Sage asked. “How is that a bad thing?”
“I know what he means.” Kera nodded. A heavy tiredness seemed to settle on her shoulders, but she still stood tall.
“Go now and hurry. I don’t like this any more than you do, but it seems that our Tisiphone has her own plans, so I’m holding you to Lisa’s promise now.
And I’m a lot meaner than my grandmother ever was. ”