I awoke with the early morning light, the grogginess of the medicine receding as I opened my eyes. Sawyer’s blue gaze was the first thing mine landed on.
“Hello, my love.” He leaned forward, propping his elbows on the edge of my bed and stroking my hair.
“Creek?” I asked, my eyes adjusting to the light.
“He’s fine. With your mom and my mom getting grandma time.” His voice was rough like he’d just awoken as well.
I looked to the left and saw the bed empty.
“Astra!” I sat upright so fast I almost cracked into Sawyer’s nose, the pain in my thigh throbbing with the sudden motion.
Sawyer held out his hands. “Whoa, whoa. She’s okay. She’s on a light walk with Willow to regain her strength.”
I relaxed a little, wondering why I was so jumpy. The queen was dead, we’d gotten our land back, everything was fi—
‘Run!’ My wolf’s voice burst through the final remnants of my hazy mind and the memory of what she’d said last night came back to me.
“Sawyer! We need to run, the Magical Creature Council has my wolf. They want us in prison and they’re coming.”
Sawyer’s eyes widened into saucers. “What?”
I jumped up from the bed, swaying, just as I heard the commotion outside. Murmurs, yelling, and a familiar howl.
My wolf.
It was too late.
Sawyer and I scrambled outside to see what all the commotion was about, and I froze when I saw my wolf, tethered with a collar and leash like a fucking dog. My gaze ran along the chain to look into the eyes of a tall, lithe dark fey. He wore a long, black fitted trench coat that skimmed the ground, and he stood next to five other people. One from each race.
The Magical Creature Council.
My gaze darted to each person. Troll woman, light fey male, witch female wearing a black crushed velvet cape, a dark fey male, a stout male werewolf I didn’t recognize, and a towering male vampire.
They were an ominous sight, all of the races walking together like this, knowing that half hated the other. The Paladins and Ithaki had no representation, which I wasn’t surprised by.
“Let. Her. Go.” My voice could have cut glass. I would kill every single one of them for chaining her like that.
The witch woman raised her hand and then snapped. A silver collar flew out of nowhere then, latching around my neck and closing with a click.
What the…!
She did the same to Sawyer beside me, and then we were both brought to our knees against our will.
Who was this woman? She looked barely twenty-five, with dark black hair and cherry red lips, but her power … it was unheard of.
The witch held up her hand, as if controlling us like puppets.
I reached up to yank off the collar and got the shock of my life. The sharp sting zapped into my neck, causing me to cry out.
Our pack went wild then. Paladin and city wolf pressed forward. The sound of bones cracking signaled their shifting. Screams of anger were hurled at the council as they threw themselves forward. But when they got too close, a bubble-like shield erected from the witch woman, covering us, my wolf, and the council, and no one else. It was instantaneous, thick like glass, and I felt myself marveling at this council woman’s incredible power. When the pack slammed against the shield, they too were zapped with electricity.
“Stop!” I cried to our people, not wanting anyone to get hurt on my account. Then I looked to the witch. Only a high priestess would have this kind of power, and Raven had told me that you didn’t make high priestess at that age unless you were a magical prodigy.
“Sawyer Hudson and Demi Calloway-Hudson, you are hereby under arrest for the recent jailbreak from Magic City Prison and your role in the crime. You have the right to an attorney and trial hearing. You may opt to forgo lengthy legal proceedings and enter into a quick and instant trial right here and now.”
I frowned, looking at Sawyer. Her power … her human lie detector power that Star had told me about, this is what she was referencing.
‘She’ll see everything, and she’ll show everyone here, like a movie playing out from your memory,’ Sawyer warned.
I nodded. “I will consent to an instant trial right now about the jailbreak, but only if you promise to reopen Sawyer’s murder case, take my testimony, and look at everything.”
I had to bite my lip to keep from crying. Showing her and everyone here my rape would be one of the most horrific things I’d ever had to relive, but if it would save Sawyer, I would do it.
Her brows drew together. “You know of my abilities and you would consent to have me see that you masterminded a jailbreak?”
I nodded. “If you would also see that Vicon Drake raped me when I was fifteen.”
Every council member inside of the bubble gasped.
“Lies!” the vampire councilmen roared. “What a convenient little falsehood to save her beloved. Cry rape. How original,” he seethed.
I could see the veins in the witch’s neck twitch. She didn’t like him.
“Is she crying rape if she’s willing to allow my power to see the truth?” the witch spat at him, looking up at the vampire with a cold gaze.
He just puckered his lips, like he’d sucked on something sour.
“I will grant your request. Consider his case reopened.” The witch stepped closer to me, extending her hand, and I froze.
I had only flashes of memory from that night. I didn’t want to see the whole thing, to remember more. Sensing my anxiety, my wolf bucked against the collar and the chain went taut in the witch’s hand.
‘I have the memories. Let me do it,’ she said.
It dawned on me then, she was right. She was the one who’d saved me and locked everything away to protect me.
‘Are you sure?’ I asked.
She nodded.
“Let my wolf join me, and then I’ll show you. She has the memories of that night. The night my soul split in two,” I added, and glared at the male vampire.
At my request, compassion crossed the faces of the witch, troll, and light fey.
“I’ll allow that, but if you try anything, I’ll kill him instantly.” The witch pointed to Sawyer and the dark fey broke out of formation to stand behind my mate.
Sawyer peeled his lips back, growling, but didn’t move.
The young witch councilwoman walked over to my wolf and unlatched the cuff at her neck. The second it fell to the ground, I dropped to my knees and opened my arms. Tears lined my eyes as she leapt into the air, going spectral, and slammed into my chest. I burst into sobs as she filled me up, making me feel whole and normal and sane for the first time since I’d left her.
‘Never again. I’m so sorry,’ I told her, hugging my chest.
‘It’s okay,’ she promised. ‘We can get through anything.’
I looked up into the surprised faces of the council, wiping the tears from my cheeks. Why did everyone look so shocked? It’s like they hadn’t really expected her to join me. Maybe they thought my split shifting was a rumor and she was a decoy pack wolf or something. Shaking herself from her stupor, the witch held out her hand again.
“Do I, Callie Heartstone, have your permission to enter your mind and see all there is to see pertaining to the truth?” she asked.
Enter my mind? I wanted to cry out, Hell no, but I knew the truth was the only way out of this mess. “I do,” I told her, and then turned to Sawyer. “Promise me you won’t look.” My lower lip shook and his entire face fell. It was like I’d just stabbed him. You could see the pain play across his features.
‘Promise me,’ I pushed through our imprint, relieved to find that the collar didn’t keep me from mentally speaking to my mate. I couldn’t live the rest of my life with this man if I knew that he’d seen the darkest night of my soul play out like a movie.
I just couldn’t. Some things needed to stay private in a marriage, and this was a deal breaker for me.
He swallowed hard, his eyes flashing yellow. “I promise.” His voice broke.
“Okay, very cute,” the vampire councilman sneered at Sawyer and I. “Let’s get this over with so we can lock them up.”
The witch’s nostrils flared in irritation, and then she looked at me, softening her gaze. “Show me your memory of the night of the alleged incident with Prince Vicon Drake.”
Alleged. That was such a hurtful word to someone telling the truth.
I reached out to touch her hand, at the same time that I turned and faced Sawyer.
The left wall of the dome we were in lit up like a movie screen and there was fifteen-year-old me and Raven getting out of a car and laughing as we walked up to Vicon’s house, where music could be heard inside.
Wow.
Her abilities were … incredible. She’d pulled my memory from my brain and then projected it on the wall with sound and color and everything.
“Hello, beautiful ladies.” Vicon opened the door with a bottle of beer and a handsome smile. This was my memory, and I felt that my wolf was about to take over and show hers. Flicking my eyes from the screen, I looked into the deep blue eyes of my mate. He was staring at my face and not making an effort to look at the screen beside him.
‘I love you,’ I said as Vicon’s pick-up lines played out in the background.
‘I love you so much more.’ Sawyer reached up, shielding my peripheral vision with his hands. ‘Everything about you. Even this.’
I whimpered at his words, and then my fifteen-year-old scream cut through the space.
Fifteen-year-old me said no. I said no four fucking times, but Vicon kept going, his friend’s voices joining him, egging him on. There were grunts, moans, shrieks, but I blocked them all out and just looked into my future, letting my past go up in flames. I didn’t live there anymore. I refused to.
‘Each day gazing into her blue eyes is like looking into the ocean. You come to learn there is endless depth,’ Sawyer said.
I couldn’t help but give him a weak smile as we blocked out the growling and the noise of fists smacking bone. The witch gasped and so did some of the Paladins behind the bubble, but I just focused on my mate. The one who believed me when I’d said what Vicon did and demanded justice for it.
‘Who wrote it?’ I asked. He was always spouting poetry to me. It was one of the ways he wooed me at our time in Sterling Hill.
Sawyer stroked my cheek. ‘I did.’
My fifteen-year-old wolf’s howl cut into the bubble from the screen and the witch clapped her hands. “I think we’ve seen enough.” Her voice shook with emotion.
I had to take a few deep breaths to calm myself, keeping my eyes on Sawyer and just feeling the sorrow from my wolf before I could pull away and finally face the council.
Each and every one of them stared at their feet, all except the witch. She boldly met my gaze.
“She was telling the truth.” Her voice held pride and I had to swallow hard to keep from crying.
“Doesn’t change the fact that she broke out five high-value prisoners,” the vampire mumbled, head still down.
The witch looked absolutely stricken. “Of course it does! She’s the mate and wife of the alpha! When Vicon Drake stole her virginity, he soiled her for the future alpha, violating Section 5A of the Magical Creature Code. Sawyer Hudson was well within his right to kill him and seek redemption for his future mate’s purity. Which means Sawyer was wrongly imprisoned. And also means Demi was within her right to free her mate when justice failed them both.”
Holy shit. I mean, I didn’t love the word soiled or purity, but she was kind of a badass with all that section 5A stuff. This woman should be a lawyer.
“I vote to absolve both of them of their crimes and get back to our day!” the witch called out. “All in favor, say—”
“Hang on a minute,” the dark fey sneered. “I agree she was well within her right to free her mate, but what of the other four felons? They were not to be freed, and she should be held accountable for that!”
My eyes flicked to the outside bubble, where Walsh and Sage stood anxiously, peering in at us. ‘Tell Walsh to run,’ I told Sage calmly. The dark fey had a point, and I wasn’t sure what was going to go down now. Sage nodded slowly, grabbing Walsh by the arm and yanking him into the crowd.
The dark fey followed my gaze, but they’d gotten away in time. I glared at him, about to speak in my defense, when the witch opened her mouth. “You saw the security footage. They all jumped on the dragon and escaped themselves, she didn’t force them. As far as I am concerned, they are still fugitives, and when we find them we will prosecute them to the full extent of the law. Demi and Sawyer Hudson are innocent. All in favor, say aye!”
Sawyer reached out and took my hand.
‘If this goes badly, I’ll charge them, and you break out of the bubble and run. Go to Dark Woods and take Creek. You will be safe there.’
‘No,’ I told him.
‘Goddammit, Demi! Can’t you just do what I say for once in your life?’
Nope.
‘Fine,’ I lied.
“Aye,” the dark fey said. “If we hunt down the other fugitives.”
The witch rolled her eyes at the dark fey’s comment. “Aye.” She looked to the troll councilwoman.
“Aye.” The troll tipped her head in my direction and then stared at the light fey.
“Aye.” Then the light fey glanced at the vampire.
“Nay,” he seethed, eyeing both Sawyer and I.
The witch shook her head at the vampire. “Majority rules. They are now freed of all crimes against them.”
Cheers erupted outside the bubble, and Sawyer relaxed beside me. The witch snapped her fingers and both collars fell from our necks.
We … we were free. The protection bubble popped around us and the witch councilwoman stepped forward, bowing slightly. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”
Hah. That was the fucking understatement of the year. But if I hadn’t gone to the Dark Woods for so long, and I’d been able to testify at Sawyer’s hearing, we probably could have avoided all of this.
I gave her a nod and she made her way out of the crowd, the rest of the council following her as the pack parted with glares and growls.
Turning to face me, Sawyer pulled my face to his and pressed a firm kiss on my lips.
“Marry me,” he breathed.
I laughed. “I already did!”
He pulled back and gazed at me. “A real wedding, with our son and every fucking person alive watching. We’ll televise it for all to see. I want big. Huge. Celebrity worthy.”
I grinned. “Our venue got blown up, and most of Wolf City is in ruins. I’m pretty sure fancy is out of the question.”
He looked around Paladin Village, out at the cornfield and the giant weeping willow that was nestled in the meadow. “We’ll get married here.”
My throat tightened with emotion and the rightness of that statement, and I nodded as a single tear ran down my cheek. This man right before me was the best life partner I could have ever dreamed of.
I couldn’t wait to grow old with him. Together, we would lead my people, his people—our people. This pack would grow into one pack, and become the most powerful werewolf pack the world had ever seen, and we would never fall prey to a takeover again. Mark my words.
