Elaine POV
The guys dragged Nik inside. He was alive but his wolf ran off! It was wild without its human. I didn’t even know wolves could be detached. Blazer seemed a little wild too. He rambled and paced continuously. He said he didn’t mean to do it or think he could!
“Relax, Elaine, quit shaking,” Azaire said.
“How are you not freaked out by this? How can a wolf be detached?”
He lifted a shoulder. “It happens.”
“What?”
“Babe, it’s rare but it’s happened before. Only strong Alphas managed to pull it off and it’s taboo.”
“What’s going to happen to Blazer then? Are they going to kill him?”
Azaire cupped my cheeks. “One problem at a time. No one should know about this for the time being. We’ll keep Nik here until we figure out a plan.”
I nibbled on my fingernails. “Dad will search the earth for Nik. He already knows this is the safe house.”
“Guys!” Lynn shouted.
“What now?” Azaire grumbled.
“We have company.”
“Stay here babe,” Azaire said.
Did he really think I would do that? I walked behind him until we reached the front door. Lynn paced the length of the door and rubbed her hands nervously.
“You shouldn’t have brought your brother here. Now the coven is here! I know Verena she’s as evil as Avena!”
I frowned. “Are they sisters?”
I never thought about Avena’s family since she lived with the Alpha for so long. Sometimes I just thought she was a wicked old bat who loved to make everyone’s life miserable.
“No, just a bitch.”
“I have to give up my fangs right now just in case,” Lawrence said, suddenly as he joined us.
Lynn nodded. “I agree. If we all get caught at least we’ve foiled the crazy Alpha’s plans for a while!”
My palms sweated and my heart rate accelerated. “I-I guess I have to too.”
“You’ll be fine, babe. I’ll be right here.”
“We can’t do it now! We need a goat and a ball of yarn,” Lynn said.
“Excuse me? No one said anything about a goat!”
Lynn shrugged. “That’s the most effective way to get rid of witchcraft. With powers like yours, they might just grow back and we’re back to square one. I can remove Lawrence’s vampire half though. I’ve done it before but I must warn you. It’ll hurt like hell,” she said wickedly.
Lawrence grimaced. “Whatever.”
“I’m sorry you have to go through this,” I said, embracing my brother.
He held me tightly. “Don’t be. At least this way I’ll live to see my children grow up.”
I smiled. “I’ll get Rae.”
I found Rae with my little sister. Isaura was sound asleep. I envied her peacefulness and smiled.
“Elaine… this room is completely spell-proof. No one can hurt her.”
“Thank you, Rae. I just want to get our Mom back.”
“You will! Gail is strong.”
Tears threatened to fall again but I had to be strong. “Lawrence chose to give up his fangs. I think he needs you.”
She sucked in a breath. “This is weird huh? Me dating your brother.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Would have been weirder if you chose Blazer.”
She snickered. “I-I like him a lot. It’s crazy I haven’t liked anyone since… Aiden died. It hurt too much. It felt like everyone I loved kept on leaving me. When he told me he was cursed to die it made things worse.”
“He’s not going anywhere though we do have to fight to make it through the night because the coven is here and they want Nik.”
Rae’s eyes turned to saucers. “Shit!”
“Yeah, we should go.”
Rae, her sister and Lawrence ventured into the study which was closed off from the living room. Blazer hadn’t stopped pacing in front of the fireplace. We went from bad to worse. I found Azaire on the phone in the kitchen with Richie requesting backup.
I felt the magic vibrating in the air and it was nasty. It was nothing like what I felt at the football game. I wasn’t sure I could subdue it. Our only option might be to surrender.
“Hey… you know I love you huh?” I ran my hands up his back muscles and squeezed his shoulders.
Azaire bowed his head and exhaled. “Don’t start.”
This time tears streamed down my face.
“I can smell your fear. Nothing’s going to happen to you. Wynter and her Pack are mobilizing as we speak. Laiken won’t know what hit him.”
“Azaire, an army won’t work. He needs to be taken down from the inside. I have to go.”
“No! Gail’s sacrifice will be useless then.”
“It won’t be. She can help. We can’t hand over Nik and Dad can’t win.”
He grabbed my face and kissed me roughly and passionately. He bit my bottom lip as if his life depended on it.
“Fine, but listen to me. I have a plan,” he said after breaking our kiss.
I nodded.
***
“Keep your guards up,” Lynn said.
“Are you sure they won’t track you?” I asked.
Lawrence looked like he’d just gotten the beating of his life but he agreed to surrender to the witches. As far as they knew our Father needed us alive. Everyone else was long gone by now.
“I’ll be fine. I’ll be right behind you and by the time they realize I followed them it’ll be too late and that’s a battle for another time,” Lynn winked.
I nodded. I opened the door and the magic in the air was electric.
“Where is Nik?” Verena asked, the only woman among the group of people dressed in leather.
“Nik? Aren’t you here to pick us up?” I asked.
“Yeah, we’re the important ones. The precious hybrids, Nik’s only a wolf.”
Verena narrowed her green eyes. “You must think we’re stupid. We have this property surrounded by magic. No games.”
I raised my hands. “No games. I just want my Mom back.”
Verena threw her head back and laughed. “You’re as stupid as Avena said. I can’t believe the coven offered you her spot! How foolish. Grab them both.”
My nerves settled.
“Just so you don’t think you can fool us I’ll subdue your magic and your wolf until we deliver you to your Father.”
I felt Azaire close by. He was annoyed and impatient. Our mate bond was about to be cut off.
“We’ll be together again soon my love,” I said through our mindlink before it was cut off.
They rounded us into a circle and began loud chats until a thick grey cloud rose from the ground and engulfed us. A few seconds later our feet touched the ground. Was teleportation that fast? I needed to learn that!
“Where are we?” I questioned.
“So silly you don’t know your own Father’s house?” Verena spat.
“I’ve been here before. He brought me here a dozen times. He spoke about how we’d be together as a family and it would all start here,” Lawrence explained.
The mansion we arrived at was ten times bigger than the Pack House.
“Inside! Your Father, awaits,” Verena ordered.
“Oh boy.”