I made an appearance back at the bar to hang out with Stark a little longer. Luckily, I managed to stay away from Soren. I’ve always been confident in my abilities, but I don’t trust myself around him. I’m hanging by only a thread of sanity. Could some of it be the Rage? It’s possible. Sebastian suffered from it before he mated with Tyla. I’m at the age where it could become an issue. With Raelynn having another mate, it could exacerbate the problem.
It's closing in on midnight, but I’m not sleepy in the slightest. My mind has a million things racing through it. I want to be with Raelynn, and it pisses me off to think that Soren could be with her right now. Sharing her is not an option.
I turn the TV on and flip through the channels, only to shut it off within three minutes. I’m restless. I won’t be able to rest until Raelynn agrees to be mine. I pull out my phone and type out a text to Raelynn, saying how I need to see her again, but before I can press send, a phone call from Laila comes in.
“Hey,” I answer, getting up from the couch.
“Hey. I’m sorry it’s so late.”
I step outside onto the front porch, and tiny snowflakes begin to fall from the sky. A couple of hours ago, it was clear with the moon shining bright. Now it’s hidden behind a blanket of clouds.
“It’s okay,” I say to Laila. “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight anyway.”
“Stress will do that to you, and I bet you have a lot of that right now.”
I scoff. “You’re not kidding.”
Laila blows out a sigh. “Okay, so my father and Sebastian are here. They wanted to be here when I called. Do you mind if I put you on speaker?”
“Go for it.” My skin feels like fire, so I walk out barefoot into the snow. The flakes melt the second they touch my skin.
“Hey, man,” Sebastian calls out. “How’s it going?”
Sebastian is seventeen months older than me, and most people think we’re twins. However, Zayne has seventy years on us and looks the same age.
“It’s not going well, brother,” I admit.
Zayne clears his throat. “Just keep your head on straight. You have to play this smart.”
I laugh, but there’s nothing humorous in it. “I’m trying. Have you guys found any information for me?”
“No,” Laila reveals with disappointment in her tone. “I can’t find anything on multiple mates. I mean, it’s not even an option in our world. The Great Luna chooses one true mate. Even if that mate dies, that’s it. There will be no other.”
“How does Raelynn have the mating signs with the two of us?”
Laila clucks her tongue. “It could be some kind of magic. Does the Black Hills pack have a witch?”
“Not that I can tell. I can’t sense a witch’s magic anywhere. But I know there’s something off with this alpha. Every time I’m around him, I get this feeling. I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s not good.” It wouldn’t surprise me if there were a witch at play here. What Raelynn feels for Soren can’t be real, not when all I feel is darkness when he’s around.
Laila grumbles under her breath. “That’s not comforting, Micah. If I were there, I’d be able to help you more."
The thought has crossed my mind, but I refuse to drag her into my mess and into danger. She’s already been through so much. Raelynn is my mate, and it’s up to me to claim what’s mine.
“Thanks, Laila. I know you’d help me, but this is something I need to do on my own.”
“Please just be careful. We don’t like you being out there without the pack behind you.”
“Sebastian and I can be there tomorrow morning if you need us,” Zayne insists.
I kick a mound of snow off the walkway. “I don’t want to start a pack war. If you come here, the Black Hills pack will see it as a threat.”
“Or they’ll back down,” Sebastian adds. “We’re a lot stronger than they are.”
“No,” I growl, “we’re not going to do that. If it comes down to a fight, I’ll do what I have to do.”
Sebastian huffs. “And what if their alpha doesn’t fight fair? What then? What if you get killed?”
“Then bring them hell. Just make sure Raelynn, Dany, and Stark get out.”
We say our good-byes, and I walk back up onto the porch. The text I had yet to send to Raelynn is on my screen, so I press send and wait for a response.
Me: I need to see you tomorrow.
A few seconds pass, and my phone dings.
Rae: Soren is picking me up at 10. He wants to talk to me. I don’t know what it’s about, but I have a feeling he can sense something’s wrong.
Anger wells up in my chest, but there’s another feeling that dominates it: protection. My need to keep Raelynn safe flips into overdrive. The alpha in me doesn’t like sitting idly by while she’s still vulnerable. Raelynn’s a strong woman, but she’s also an unmated, royal female. She’s a treasure that an infinite number of male shifters would die to have. If Soren has some kind of dark magic over her, I don’t want her anywhere near him.
Me: Where is he taking you?
Instead of texting me back, she calls.
“Hey,” she says, her voice tired but sultry and smooth like honey. It gives me comfort to know Soren’s not there with her.
“Where is he taking you?”
She sighs. “Not sure. But if Soren suspects something, I have no doubt you and I will know it soon.”
The need to protect her grows more intense inside of me. “I don’t want you alone with him.”
“He’s never hurt me, Micah. Besides, I’m not worried about myself. I’m worried about both of you. You’re good men, and I don’t want to see either of you get hurt. My heart can barely stand it right now. I don’t know what I’ll do if you two fight this out.”
There’s no stopping it, but I know it’s not what she wants to hear. It’s inevitable. The bond I have with her is natural and genuine. She said it herself, it’s stronger with me. That has to mean something.
“I can’t stand the thought of you being alone with him,” I say through gritted teeth.
Rae’s breath sounds shaky as she exhales. “You don’t have to worry about that. Yes, I let you kiss me, but I needed to know how it felt. So, from here on out, I’m keeping my distance. The last thing I want to do is add fuel to the fire.”
The snow begins to fall harder, and I walk back out, tilting my face up to the sky. The cold does nothing to quell the fire raging beneath the surface.
“I understand, Raelynn, and I’m willing to give you the space you need to figure this out. However, something tells me that Soren won’t be so patient.” My wolf paces just under my skin, desperate to be let out. “If he touches you against your will ….”
“Micah, stop,” she thunders. “He won’t do that.”
“He better not. Because if he does, nothing and no one will stop me from killing him.”
And that’s a fucking promise.