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I let my fingers trail across his arm draped over me. The smile on my matched how I finally felt. Like I’d found home in someone and was ready not to ever leave it. My mother would probably be happy. The last thing she wanted was me going with my father. Even if he wasn’t the one that lead the vampires here. That was something I’d find out as soon as I could untangle myself from Erik.
“Are you planning your escape?” His voice made me smile bigger.
“Not anymore,” I admitted.
“So, you want to go through with the mating,” he stated instead of asking.
“I want to be with you,” I said simply. “I’m tired of of running from who I am. Both parts.”
“For what it’s worth, I think your father has good intentions,” he said, still holding me.
“You don’t think he told the vampires?”
“If he did, it would be a first,” Erik sat up and reached for his pants. “But we can ask him.”
“I think it might be better if I did it on my own,” I said, pulling on my own clothing. “He might think you’re challenging him.”
“Maybe I am,” he said with a smirk.
I sighed. “Is that what I have to look forward to?” I cocked my head. “A wolf who thinks he owns me?”
“Not own, but I will protect you. No matter who it is,” he corrected, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“You know I can protect myself,” I countered. “Magick and all that.”
“Sure.” He glanced at me, a smile on his face. “At lease pretend to need my protection.”
I laughed. “You’re right. I do need you.” I leaned over the bed and kissed him. “But it still might be better not to spook my father.”
“I’ll wait outside just in case,” he said. “Besides, maybe you could use another magick lesson.”
“I think I’m getting it pretty well. You’re still alive,” I said, crossing my arms.
“Control is a thing,” he countered. “And you do need some help with that.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, but relented. He was right. If I’d been a little off, he’d be dead and a vampire would have killed the entire pack. “Fine, but I’m telling him I’m not going this time.”
“I think that’s a good idea, but you might also want to tell him it’s probably best to leave town. The vampires are going to come eventually, and they won’t leave anyone, even a warlock, alive.”
I walked out of the room, and he followed me. The minute we both got to the living room area, Jaylyn looked up. His eyes moved from me to Erik, and then he smiled wider than I’d ever seen him do.
“That was easy enough,” he said. “The wolf won.”
“Shut up, Jaylyn,” Erik warned.
He snickered and dropped his eyes back to the book he was reading, and Erik glanced at me. I was trying really hard not to smile and failing miserably at it.
“At least father will be happy,” Jaylyn said without looking at either of us.
“The full moon is only a few days away, but we still have to deal with the vampires,” Erik changed the subject, kind of.
“They will probably attack before then, if they know anything about your little witch mate,” Jaylyn teased. “She’ll come into her powers then.”
“How do you know?” I stepped into the middle of the conversation. “You didn’t seem to know any of this before.”
“I’ve been researching, and some of the things your father said matched up.” He stood. “If you are a moon witch, which you most likely are, then you will get your powers when you mate, and that’s on the full moon.”
The mating ceremony was always on a full moon. That was tradition, and it was when the wolf was most dominate. Even when the person hadn’t yet shifted. I never thought I’d be doing it, since I never wanted to mate anyone.
“It makes sense,” Erik said. “But that also makes your father’s timing even more interesting.”
“And why he wanted to take me from here.” I glanced at Erik. “If my power became tied to you, then he’d have no control.”
“No, he wanted the warlocks to have control of you. He said as much when we were chatting yesterday,” he said, shaking his head. “I can’t believe I thought he was doing this for anything but himself.”
“But why vampires?” Jaylyn said. “They don’t have any reason to come after witches or wolves.”
“Something is shifting, it has to be,” Erick said.
“When does Axl get back?”
“The full moon,” he answered, and Jaylyn looked a little more worried. “Skyler doesn’t know that.”
“So, we have to play nice until then,” Jaylyn said. He glanced at me. “You have to act like you’re going to go with him, but you need more time.”
“He’ll see right through it,” I countered.
“He won’t if you make it about your mother,” Erik said. “You have to tell him you’re rejecting the mate bond. That you want to learn your magick, but your mom is hurt.” He glanced at Jaylyn. “The wolves all know about the attack, but they don’t know who was hurt. We’ll say your mother was hurt and you have to stay for her.”
“I’ll let father know what is going on, so he doesn’t doubt the mating,” Jaylyn said.
“No, his reaction has to seem real. We’ll tell him after.” Erik turned to me. “You have to go to training today and make sure it feels real, or we’re all dead.”

Erik

I watched her walk away and wondered if I’d made the right choice letting her pull this off without me, but if we wanted him to believe that we were giving up the mating, I couldn’t be there.
“Are you sure this is the right plan?” Jaylyn said. He was still holding that book, but made no attempt to actually read it. “We could always change it and kill him.”
I turned and stared at him for a moment. “You do realize that would make the entire warlock council come after us, right?”
He shrugged. “I guess it would.”
“We can’t handle that kind of trouble. But getting one warlock to give up because his vampire horde is taken out is a different thing,” I said, hoping it was true. I knew that would piss off the vampires, but they’d gone for years without any kind of structured leadership. The fact my own father had used to his advantage for years. When the vampires tried coming at us or any packs we took over, he always had an in to make it end peacefully. I wasn’t sure if it was just his reputation making them stand down or if it was something more, and I never asked.
“Let’s let this play out and hopefully it works,” I said.
“And if it doesn’t?”
“Then you can tell me I told you so all day long,” I said with a smile.

***

While Ivy was working with her father to gain more control of her magick, I decide to talk to the one person that knew the most about Skyler. Or at least did at one time.
“I don’t know anything about him, really,” Ivy’s mom said, taking a sip of her coffee. “It was a long time ago.”
I sat on the stool at her kitchen counter next to her. “There has to be something. I mean, you two fell in love, didn’t you?”
She sighed. “I thought I was in love. I wanted nothing more than to go with him and live in his world and leave all this wolf business behind, but it’s forbidden,” she said. “He gave me a night of feeling that love and I got Ivy from it.”
“So, he wasn’t scheming you?” I hoped there was more to the story.
“He didn’t even have his power yet. He was just a normal man at that time,” she said. “I never told Ivy because she didn’t need to know. I never thought she would get any kind of powers.”
“You thought she’d just live as a wolf,” I finished for her.
“Or, at worst, a human.” She took another drink. “If he’s here, then there is more to it.”
“Why?”
“Because when I told him about her, he didn’t want anything to do with her,” she said. “He told me to get rid of her.”
“So, it’s not out of the goodness of his heart that he’s teaching her,” I said. “I knew something was off.”
“He wouldn’t come unless there was something he could get out of it. Is she really a moon witch?”
“News does travel fast,” I said with a slight laugh. “We don’t know. We just know she has magick, and it’s connected to whoever she…”
“Whoever she mates?”
“Look, I didn’t want a mate when I went to choose. I didn’t ask for it, but now that I have her, I can’t deny it,” I said. “I’m going to mate her on the full moon, but you have to keep it to yourself. Skyler thinks she’s going with him.”
“He asked her to go, didn’t he?” She swallowed hard. “She can’t.”
“I know. The best protection she has is this pack, and we will keep her safe.”

Ivy

I took a breath and walked into the hall where my father was. His back was to me when I came in and he sighed.
“Why haven’t you packed yet?”
“I wanted to talk to you,” I said without walking closer. “My mother was hurt during the attack yesterday.”
“I know. That was unfortunate,” he said, turning to look at me. “The vampire stole some kind of healing ability from a witch.”
“I didn’t know they could do that,” I said. I had heard of it, but only in passing.
“Not every vampire can do it. There are some that prefer to stay pure as they put it,” he said with a smile. “I’ve had a run in with a few vampires myself.”
“Why would they come here?”
“To find you,” he said simply. “You’re a special kind of witch. They can’t take your power, but they can try to destroy it.”
“Kill me, you mean,” I said, leaving out the part where the one vampire that did tell me something wanted to bring me to his boss alive. “All the more reason to stay protected here until my mother gets better.”
“We need to leave,” he said. “Your mother will be safer when we aren’t here. The vampires will have no reason to attack.”
“They’ve been attacking packs all over the area,” I said. “Me being gone will do nothing to keep her safe.” I hoped my protests were getting through. If he wanted to, he could drag me out of here, and there wouldn’t be anything I could do about it. Maybe Erik would see it and help, but I didn’t even know how much power my father had.
He sighed. “You won’t come willingly until your mother is better, will you?”
“No,” I said simply. “And if you truly loved my mother at some point, you would want her to get better too.”
He sighed and nodded. “Fine. We’ll wait.” He glanced at me. “And I did love your mother as much as I can love.”
Finally, something that was truthful. I could see the sadness in his eyes, but I still didn’t know if I could believe anything else he said.
I took a step into the room and felt my stomach twisting. It was the same feeling I had when I locked eyes with Erik, but why now? I groaned and doubled over. “I don’t feel right.”
“It’s the mating,” he sighed. “That was why I wanted you to get out of here. The more you deny it, the worse it gets.”
“I wasn’t feeling this bad before,” I said, trying to stand up straight. “How do I stop it?”
“The closer we get to the full moon, the worse it will get.” He walked over to me and helped me stand, but the pain got worse. “You might just want to sit out training for now.”
“I can’t, the vampires,” I said, through pulses of pain.
“I don’t think they are going to be an issue until the full moon,” he said. “They have their own orders.”
I nodded at him and tucked that information into my memory. “Maybe you’re right.”
“You can’t stay at that house. It’s only going to make the pain worse. You can stay here, in the cot they gave me,” he said, helping me towards it. “The best thing you can do is stay as far from Erik as possible.”
If I hadn’t already sure I was going along with the mating, I would have agreed with him, but the only thing I wanted was Erik.
“No, Erik’s father will know. I have to go back,” I said, and he sighed.
“Fine.”
I turned from his hold and slowly walked towards the house I was currently calling home with Erik.
As soon as I was out of my father’s sight, Jaylyn met me and held me up. He glanced at the hall and back to me. “Did he do this to you?”
“No,” I said, struggling to speak, and he seemed to realize what it was.
“The mating bond,” he said. “Damn. I didn’t realize it was this strong.”
“I need to lay down,” I said and felt myself crumple on my own feet.
Jaylyn scooped me up and carried me the rest of the way to the house. It wasn’t far, but I was in so much pain I was glad I wasn’t walking it.
Erik met us at the door. “What happened?”
“Mating pain,” Jaylyn said. “She needs you.”
I felt him pass me to Erik and snuggled into his chest. The pain lessened, and I sighed with relief.
“I thought once we decided, it would stop,” he said and carried me to our room. He laid me on the bed and sat next to me. “I’m so sorry for this.”
“It’s not your fault,” I said. “It’s a wolf thing.”
“I think when we agreed to the mating, it made it worse,” he said, letting his hand cup my face. “I would never want you to be in pain.”
“I know,” I managed. The pain was just a low throb in my chest now, and I finally could catch my breath. “Why does it get better when I’m close to you?”
“It’s part of the mate bond. To keep it strong or something,” he said with a slight laugh. “I thought sex would be enough to satisfy it.”
“I mean, it couldn’t hurt,” I teased.
“Don’t tempt me,” he said. “I have to figure out how to keep the town protected until the full moon has passed.”
“No, you don’t.”
“What do you mean?” Erik watched me.
“My father, he said they won’t attack until the full moon. He’s waiting for something,” I said.
“He’s changing tactics.” Erik shook his head. “He’s going to let us mate, and you come into your powers. Then he’s going to wipe out the entire pack.”

Erik

Once Ivy went to sleep, I left the room, but knew better than to leave the house. Jaylyn wasn’t the only one standing in the living room when I got there.
“Nakia, I didn’t expect you,” I said, and she shrugged.
“My dad sent me. He’s taking a little longer than expected, but should be here on the full moon.”
I glanced at Jaylyn. “Yeah, he already told Jaylyn that. He didn’t need to send you.”
She glanced at him and then sighed. “He’s getting Carik’s pack. Of course. Me being there would be an issue.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s making me marry that wolf, and neither of us wants to,” she said and sat on the couch. “You wouldn’t get it.”
“Right, because my father didn’t make me look at all the women of this pack and pick one,” I said and shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. Do you think they will help?”
“I don’t know. But they are the only ones in the area that haven’t said no,” she said.
“I should have gone,” I said. “Maybe I could have convinced more to help.”
“The packs have been at each other’s throats for years. No one can change that overnight. Especially not a Laric.”
“He’s not wrong,” Nakia said.
I turned to Jaylyn. “I need you to get the pack together and relay messages for me. I can’t go far from Ivy or she’ll be in pain again.”
“So, you two are mates,” Nakia said with a slight smile. “Thought so.”
I ignored her. “We need to reinforce the south side. They seem to like to come from that area.”
“By the park,” Jaylyn clarified. “I’m sure Gavin will get some wolves together to hold that area.”
“Good. And we need some volunteers for the main road in,” I said. “We have to be ready just in case.”
“You know we don’t have enough people yet,” he said.
“We can’t let them know that. The sun goes down in a few hours. Do what you can and make sure everyone is alert.”
“You should probably get all the children and those that can’t fight or shift into the hall. I know your warlock is in there, but maybe it’s time to relocate him,” Nakia said without looking up from her phone.
“I agree,” I said, and Jaylyn nodded.
“I’ll let him know he’s no longer welcome there.” The slight smile told me he was going to enjoy that conversation a little more than he should.
“One more night and then Ivy will be safe and this will all be over.”

Ivy

I opened my eyes, and the room was quiet. Erik was gone, but I felt so much better. I threw the blanket off and sat up slowly. The pain wasn’t completely gone, but it was more of a dull pain in my stomach instead of all the way up through my heart.
It was still light out, so I must not have slept too long, but still had to figure out how to keep my father from learning I lied to him. He’d let me come here too easily. Something was off.
I stood and made my way downstairs to find Nakia on the couch and Erik in the kitchen making something. I stopped and watched him for a moment before he realized I was even there.
“I thought you might be hungry,” he said with a smile. “How are you feeling?”
“Much better,” I said. “How do I keep this from happening?”
“Stay close,” he said. “Might be better anyway since we know what the plan is now.”
“We do?”
“You told me everything I needed to know,” he said. Erik walked towards me and put his hands on my shoulders. “Everything is going to be okay. I have a plan.”
“He’s going to figure out I lied to him,” I countered. “And then he’ll come after me. He’ll kill you.”
“He already plans to,” he said. “He’s going to attack us after you have your full power.”
“Yeah, I know, but then I’m connected to you.”
“Not if I’m dead,” Erik said. “He wants to walk away with you like a victim. He’ll do it when you’re not with me so you follow him.”
“I really thought he was something different,” I said. I thought that one glimmer of some kind of love he seemed to have for my mother was real, but it was all a lie. He didn’t want to teach me or give a shit about me. He only wanted to use me for power.
“I’m sorry, Ivy. I know how much you wanted a real father,” he said. “I wish I could give that to you.”
“I have you at least,” I said without thinking. “I never thought something like that was real.”
“Tomorrow everything is going to be different for you. You’ll be at your full power and your wolf will show you the way,” he said with a smile.
“I haven’t shifted before,” I said. “I don’t even know if I can.”
“You can.” He looked up at me. “Every wolf can.”
“Does it hurt?”
“Shifting?” He watched me, and I sensed I wasn’t going to like his answer. “Yes. It hurts. Every bone has to move to make the change. The first time is slower, harder, but I’ll be right there with you.”
“Does it always happen after mating?”
“Sometimes it takes a bit longer. Some wolves can shift earlier, but the mating is when you are forced if you haven’t already done it,” he said. “I promise, you will be okay.”
“I thought I’d be done with this and be a normal person. I never wanted to be a wolf. Now I’m the alpha’s mate,” I sighed.
“Worse yet, you could be an alpha,” Nakia said from the living room. “Trust me, that sucks more.”
I glanced at her and back to Erik. “So, tomorrow is the day.”
“We mate when the moon comes out,” he said. “And all the pain from the bond will go away.”
I stood there thinking about how everything would happen. With any luck, the mating would be an easy one, and I wouldn’t start shifting right then and there. That would ruin the mood.
“You won’t shift till after if you do at all that night,” Erik said. “I can read your thoughts when they cross over your face like that.”
“I’ll be happy to get it over with,” I said without thinking.
“I promise to make it memorable.” Erik smirked, and I shook my head.
One more day and everything would change. I’d change.

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