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Erik

I turned my head and watched her. This woman was everything I wanted and everything I needed all at once. My hand stroked her bare back as she breathed, and I watched her. Every movement was another reason to keep her safe. She may not want to be my mate, but she was still under my protection.
“Ivy,” I said. “We have to get up.” She groaned and dug her fingers into my arm. Something about the way her groan vibrated through me woke something, and I struggled to not climb on top of her and take her again. “If you don’t get out of this bed, I’m going to have to wake you up my way.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” She looked up at me, and I felt myself struggling even more. Before I could react, she was on top of me, straddling my waist.
“That’s a bad idea,” I groaned.
“Is it?” She smirked and leaned forward, letting her lips touch mine.
I turned suddenly and pushed her onto her back, pinning her hands against the mattress. She arched her back so her hips were pushing against mine. I gritted my teeth. “It we had more time, I’d chain your hands to this bed and do anything I wanted to you.”
“Tell them you’re busy,” she said. “Tell them I can’t learn magick today.”
“You know we can’t. The pack comes first,” I said, and she sighed. I rolled off her and hung my legs over the side of the bed. “Plus, if you don’t intend to be my mate, we shouldn’t get comfortable.”
“But you just said-“
“I know what I said,” I snapped. “Get dressed. Your father is probably already in the training hall.” Before I could change my mind, I grabbed my pants and pulled them on, glancing at her just once before reaching for the nearest clean shirt and heading out the door.
The moment I got to the living room area, I noticed Jaylyn sitting by the window messing with his phone. He glanced up and me and a slight smile came to his face.
“What?” I snapped.
“You.”
“Why are you always here? Go find someone else to harass,” I said, turning and walking towards the kitchen. Coffee was what I needed after last night, even if all I could think about was the sweet smell of Ivy’s skin and the softness of her lips.
“You did it, didn’t you?”
“Did what?” I didn’t even think about what door that question was opening until I’d already said it.
“You mated her.”
I spun around and stared at him. “No.”
“She agreed to it, you agreed to it. That’s a mating,” his eyebrows raised and his smile got bigger. “You should be happy.”
“That’s not what happened. We didn’t say the words,” I said, grabbing a cup and dumping some coffee in it. “So, no mating.”
“Uh huh, okay.” He laughed. “You never read the books.”
“Go away Jaylyn.”
“Father will be thrilled.”

Ivy

I laid there for a little longer, glancing every so often at the place Erik was just laying. Why was I doing this to myself? He was the alpha of a pack I didn’t want to stay anywhere near, but him, I wanted nothing more than to be as close to him as possible.
That same pain in my stomach came over me, and I curled my legs up to try to stop it. Everything spun, and I thought about how stupid I was to get close to him. He wasn’t something I could keep and still have a life outside of the pack. He was the pack.
My stomach settled some, and I pulled myself out of bed. This whole vampire thing had to end, and I was the best weapon the pack had. I’d do this, and then the pack would let me go.
Once I was dressed, I carefully walked into the hallway and down the stairs towards the living room area. A part of me was hoping I’d see Erik again, but the logical part hoped I wouldn’t. The more I indulged in this possibility, the more I would be hurt when it all fell apart. There was no way he’d leave the pack, his responsibilities for me, and if I was honest, I didn’t want him to.
“Hey Ivy,” the voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I glanced up at Jaylyn standing in front of me. “If you’re looking for Erik, he’s already gone. Meetings or something.”
I forced a smile and shrugged. “I’m not. I have to meet my dad for training or whatever.”
“The magick thing, huh?”
“Yeah. The sooner I help get rid of the vampires, the sooner I can move on with my life,” I said. Maybe that was too much. I didn’t know what Erik had told him or what he really knew, but did it matter at this point? Their father already wanted to keep me in the pack, and I knew what the consequences were if I said no. Everyone did.
“Without Erik?” He watched me.
“Erik made it clear he doesn’t want a mate either. He’s a good alpha and I know he’s going to keep everyone safe, but that doesn’t include me,” I said. “I have other ideas for my life.”
“You can’t see it, can you?”
I looked at him, confused. “See what? That he cares about people?”
“He cares about you,” Jaylyn said simply.
I laughed slightly. “I mean, yeah, but he knows the boundaries.”
“Does he?” He walked past me and up the stairs before I could say anything else. But my mind kept lingering on those words. Did he care so much that he’d give up everything? Did he really mean that or was it just a way to get a stupid girl into bed with him?
I pushed the thought away and headed towards the meeting hall. Since my father set up the magick teachings there, Erik would likely meet with other pack officials in another location for once. Which meant it was just me and this man who called himself my dad.

Ivy

“You aren’t connecting with the power like you need to,” Skyler, my father, said. “You need to reach deeper. I know your magick is right there, waiting for you to find it.”
I shifted my weight. Standing here, trying to lift an orange was making my brain hurt. “I don’t feel anything different.” I shrugged. “Maybe the magick side isn’t for me.”
“You knew you were about to get attacked by vampires. You can use it. We just need to find the trigger for you,” he said and took a step back. “What do you remember about that magick?”
I shrugged. “Nothing really. It was just a feeling.”
“Instinct?”
“I guess. I just knew my friends and my mom were in danger. I wanted to protect them,” I said.
“So, it’s more about protection than pulling the magick to hurt others?” He nodded. “Interesting.”
“What about your magick?”
“What do you mean?” He watched me as he spoke.
“What are you thinking about when you pull your magick?”
He smirked. “Not helping people.”
“So, warlocks aren’t good, are they?” I knew it was to the point, but I had to know where this magick came from. The essence of it, so I’d know if I even wanted to use it.
“Power is just power. It’s not good or bad. We get most of it from the shadows and death, but I’ve seen some warlocks use it to help others. Of course, it’s discouraged for us. That’s a witch’s duty, but we can do things that help others if we want.”
“Witches are women with magick?”
“Witches’ magick comes from life. Warlocks, death.” He sighed and raised his eyebrows. “You may not have been born by a witch, but because you are a woman, you have that power.”
“So any woman born from a warlock is a witch?” It made sense the way he was saying it. Women made life so they should be connected to it, but I had a feeling there were times it wasn’t that simple. Just like me with my wolf side. I’d never had the chance to connect with the wolf even though there wasn’t anything stopping me from it. Maybe this was the missing piece for all of it.
“Almost. There is one exception on the warlock side, but the only way to test it with you is to let you die,” he said. “Death is what triggers warlocks magick.”
“Oh,” I said simply. I was not interested in dying to test a theory.
“I don’t think that’s what’s going on here. You have access to some magick so it wouldn’t make sense,” he finished. “You just have to find out what’s blocking you.”
Just as he finished his sentence, the door pushed open and Erick’s eyes met mine. I sighed to myself but turned back to Skyler. “Does he really have to be here?”
“If you don’t want me here, all you have to do is say it,” Erik said. His tone was short and to the point.
“I don’t want you here,” I said simply, meeting his eyes. The sound of a window breaking behind me caught me off guard, but Skyler just laughed. I turned and looked at the shattered window and then at him. “What?”
“It’s him. He’s your trigger.”

Erik

I glanced at her and then back to Skyler. “Why the hell would I be a trigger?”
Skyler smiled wider. “You’re her mate, aren’t you?” He shook his head. “It makes so much sense.”
“Mind filling me in?” I said, keeping my eyes on him.
“She’s not just a witch with magick, she’s a wolf too.” He looked at Ivy. “We should leave the pack and see how your magick reacts.”
“What?” Ivy snapped. “I can’t just leave them here to face the vampires alone. I’m the one thing that might help keep my family and friends alive.”
“If your magick is tied to the pack, then you won’t ever be able to leave,” he said. “It’s better to find out before you’re mated and stuck here.”
“I’m not mating Erik,” she said, and I felt my heart drop. Even though I already knew this was the plan, it always had been. I wanted her to reconsider or find a way to make it work. But she wasn’t open to it. She wanted to leave, and I was going to let her.
“You should go. He’s right, if the magick only works here, near the pack, then it’s only a burden to you,” I said .
She stared at me but didn’t say a word.
“Then it’s settled. I’ll take her back to New York with me, and we can see in a controlled environment if her magick is going to still work.” Skyler shifted his gaze back to me. “I’ll cast a protective ward around the town to help keep you safe.”
“Thanks, but we don’t need your help,” I growled. “We can take care of ourselves.” I shifted my gaze back to Ivy. “When my father finds out, he will want us to come after you. Once the full moon passes, you’ll be safe.”
“That’s when you have to complete the mating,” Skyler finished for me.
“Doesn’t that mean you won’t ever have a mate and could be exiled?” Ivy watched me as she spoke.
“That’s my problem,” I said simply. “I just want you to be safe and to find out who you are.”
“I want that too,” Ivy said, but the look in her eyes was worry and confusion. “I need a day to say goodbye.” She looked back at Skyler.
He nodded in answer, and I sighed. “You two should get back to training. You never know who or what you’ll meet on the road.”

Ivy

How was I going to tell my mother all this? She did so much to keep me in good standing with the pack despite who my father was. Now I was going to run off with him and learn magick. Was this even a good idea?
“Ivy?”
I stopped walking and turned to the familiar voice. “Sam,” I said with a relieved smile. “I’m so sorry I haven’t talked to you lately.”
“It’s okay. I know you have a lot going on,” she said with a smile. “Did you hear there’s a magick user here?” She got more excited than I’d seen her in a long time.
“Yeah,” I said. “Can I tell you something without it getting to the entire pack?”
“Of course,” she said.
“That magick user is my father,” I said, waiting for her to say something, anything.
“Your father,” she said and shook her head. “I mean, it makes sense. Did he tell you anything about your magick?”
“Just about how because I’m a woman, I have witch based magick. Whatever that means.”
“It means your father was a warlock,” Sam said. “Damn.”
“What?”
“That means his magick is made from death. How can he even begin to help you understand your magick?” She watched me. “Did he tell you he could?”
“He told me he had friends who knew how to help me. He wants me to leave with him.” There wasn’t a point in not saying anything, and I wanted nothing more than to leave with my best friend on good terms. “I’m going to go.”
“Really?” Same nodded. “Okay, well then we should read all the books we can while you’re here. You know, after the full moon, they won’t let you come back.”
“I know. I’ll be free,” I said with a slight smile. “It’s just…”
“You’ll miss it here.” She cocked her head. “No, that’s not it. You’ll miss Erik.”
I shook my head. “It’s not like I wanted to be mated, Sam. I hate the idea of it.”
“It’s natural,” she said. “The wolf part of you wants to be mated. It wants that bond. You always were someone who fought against it.”
“I never felt it,” I said to myself.
“Until Erik,” she finished.
“I never got my wolf. It never showed up,” I said. “I still haven’t met her.”
“I know,” she said. “Maybe it’s because you’re part witch.”
I shrugged. If that were the case, then I would never get the wolf without my magick. Even the books didn’t talk about that. Wolves and witches or warlocks were incredibly rare.
“Look, now that I know more, I can see if there are any more books about this for you. Just don’t leave. Not until we know,” Sam said.
“I told him we’d leave tomorrow. Is that enough time?”
“I think so. I might have to talk to the other library in Savannah, but one of us will have something.” She grabbed my hands and smiled. “I’m glad you know more about your family. I just hope it’s a good thing and not something that would hurt all of us.”
Me too.

Erik

I walked back to my house, really hoping to avoid Ivy after today and last night. If she left without me needing to talk to her, then that would solve my problems. It would be an easy, clean break, and the mate bond would fade. I may never be able to take a mate, but at least she’d be free like she wanted.
The only thing I wasn’t sure about was Skyler. Everything I’d ever heard about warlocks was about how they hurt others and couldn’t be trusted. They made deals that only benefited them and their council. Hopefully, that wasn’t what this was. Hopefully, he actually cared about what happened to his daughter.
“Are you good?” Jaylyn said after watching me wallow in my thoughts for a minute.
I glanced up and him from my seat on the couch. “Yeah.” He didn’t look convinced, so I changed the subject. “Did Axl tell you anything else about his plan?”
“Not really. He said he knew someone who could help, but what we need right now is more wolves,” Jaylyn said. “Have you seen Gavin?”
“He took off somewhere, probably,” I answered. Gavin wasn’t good at participating in things like this. He’d rather find a bar and a drink to drown in. “Father will find him if we need him.”
“After he bitches about how we didn’t keep track of him like we should,” Jaylyn said with a slight laugh. “I’m so ready to get my own territory and get away from him.”
“Careful what you wish for. You might end up mated to someone you don’t want to be,” I said without thinking.
“Anytime you look at you and Ivy together, all you see is that mate bond. She loves you, stupid.”
I snapped my eyes to him and narrowed them. “Stay out of it, Jaylyn. You don’t know everything.”
“I know enough.” He took a seat in the chair to the right of the couch. “I know you wanted to mate her last night, and she didn’t. I know she smiles when you’re around and you get nicer.”
“I’m always nice,” I said.
“No, you’re not. You’re always taking out what father does to you on everyone else. Since Ivy, you’ve gotten softer. Better. She’s good for you, brother.”
“She doesn’t want me,” I said, the words stinging my chest. She made it clear she wasn’t interested in mating over and over again. It was selfish of me to keep going back and forth with her. No matter how much I wanted to keep her. She deserved to be free. She deserved everything she wanted.
The door, practically coming off the hinges, took me out of my thoughts. Gavin was standing there in the doorway, his eyes wide and his whole body tense.
“What the fuck?” I said it without thinking, and Gavin’s eyes moved to me.
“We are so fucked,” he said.
“What are you even talking about?” Jaylyn stood and walked to our brother, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You look terrible.”
“I spoke to Hanson, one of the wolves guarding the entrance to town. He said there’s been movement and not just a few vampires. We’re talking about an entire army.”
“That’s not possible. They don’t gather like that. A few dozen, sure, but never more than that,” I said, hoping it would help calm him, but it seemed to rile him more.
“No, this is different. They’re organizing. They think whatever it is they want is here and we won’t be able to stop them.”

***

I took both Gavin and Jaylyn to the meeting hall and called every wolf leader I could think of. If the vampires were looking for a war, we’d have to be ready.
“There’s word of more than a few vampires gathering at the edge of town,” I said calmly. “We must take it seriously.”
“In daylight?” Ivy’s mom said from the other side of the room. “That’s not possible.” She took a step toward the center of the room. “Vampires are bound to the night.”
“Maybe they found a way around it?” Jaylyn rubbed his head as he spoke.
“Maybe this is a way to rattle us, give us false information and let us fight amongst ourselves,” a dark-haired man sitting on the edge of the room said. I didn’t remember who he was, as he barely spoke.
“Let’s not lose our heads here,” I said. “We have to treat every possibility like it’s the one that’s true. At least right now.” I leaned over to Jaylyn. “Did Axel leave to get the others?”
“I don’t know,” he answered. “But he’s not here.”
“Is Nakia still here?”
Jaylyn shrugged. “I haven’t seen her.”
“He better not have left us out in the cold,” I grumbled.
“Wolves have faced vampires before. It’s in our blood,” our father said, walking to the front of the room and facing the rest of the pack. “You may not have dealt with them before, but we have. To face them, you may need to submit to the shift.” The room erupted in talking and arguing over each other. He continued. “The wolf is stronger than the human part of you. It can see things you can’t. Fearing it only makes us weaker.”
“If you shift too much, you become the animal. We don’t do that here,” Ivy’s mother said.
“You will if you want to live.”
“We’ll reinforce the town and move all children and those that can’t fight to the hall here in the center of town.” I took a breath. “It’s my job as the alpha to keep you safe. I know many of you don’t know me yet, but know I will always honor that vow.”
Before I could even think, all hell broke lose.

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