Stealing the Alpha’s Heart

Another few days passed and we were approaching our second weekend since the attack. I was trying to be as patient as possible with Sam’s efforts, but even I was getting a bit aggro at the delay.

Theo must have noticed it, because he noticed everything. I could tell he was trying to do more around the house for me, and stay out of my way at work while also ordering me and the rest of the staff lunch every day. I wasn’t complaining, not in the slightest, but it did make me worry I was being way too harsh.

The whole thing came to ahead at our next family dinner at Mahlan’s new house. I thought Mahlan was going to make a whole huge surprise with the whole inner circle, showing Lyssa the house like some sort of giant present. But it turned out the two of them had enoyed that special moment on their own.

Which of course they would. They didn’t owe any of us that particular moment, but I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I had been looking forward to it.

Oh well, I still went to the family dinner at their new place, intent on having a good time. And it certainly helped that Lyssa seemed to be having the time of her life as she gave us the full tour.

The house was largely still empty, considering they’d only started moving in right before the attack, but I could see plenty of touches that were very obviously hers. I was sure once things calmed down she’d have the place decked out plenty nice.

Funny, I was always contented with my smaller house, but as I walked through the lakehouse property, I began to think it would be nice to have something similar.

“And what’s great,” Lyssa said as she led us into the kitchen, “is that since it’s not just a condo, we can set up our own security systems! We’ve had Savvy’s witch contacts ward the entire place, and set up cameras and alarms everywhere. Next week, there are two more security crews who are setting up a couple of other systems that were recommended to Mahlan.”

“Oh, I didn’t even think about that,” I murmured, turning about in a full circle to take everything in. “So do you have less guards here then?”

“About the same guards as we did at the apartment, but they’re much more spread out,” Mahlan answered, entering the kitchen as well. “The added systems plus this remote location, and the lake being blessed as moon water makes it less likely for any witch to successfully attack us right here.”

“Really?”

I couldn’t help it, my mind zoomed off at light speed, imagining Theo and I in a house similar to Lyssa’s, my stomach swollen with child. Although he was a beta and didn’t necessarily have the drive to reproduce, it didn’t mean that he couldn’t. Just that it was more of a conscious choice rather than an instinctual drive.

I could picture it vividly in my mind’s eye. Theo coming home from work, taking off his tie, and lifting our son above his head, swinging him around before crossing to me and giving me a k!ss. He would set our kid down to run off and do whatever it was pups did, then lovingly put his hand over my belly. There were no witches. There were no kidnappings. Just us living our lives together under the blessed moon.

Suddenly, I very much didn’t want to be alone in my thoughts. But I was certain Theo didn’t feel the same. He was going to be Mahlan’s beta and had never expressed the desire for children. And hell, I hadn’t even told him I’d loved him yet. As far as he knew, I was just tolerating him because we were stuck mated together.

I should definitely fix that.

“Hey Theo?”

“Yeah?”

“Could you imagine us in a house like this?”

A strange expression crossed his face. For a moment, I was worried that I’d just put him on the spot and he was about to shoot me down in front of everyone. I hadn’t meant to, I’d just wanted him to daydream with me, but suddenly, I was second-guessing my whole choice to even come out to Lyssa and my brother’s.

Mahlan and Theo exchanged a look with each other and my paranoia went on high alert. I was about to be humiliated, wasn’t I?

Except that wasn’t what came out of Theo’s mouth at all. Instead, his cheeks started to color ever so slightly as he spoke.

“Actually…I, uh, I already bought us the house next door.”

“Wait, what?!” I stared at him with eyes so wide, I was surprised they didn’t pop right out of my skull.

“It was a while ago, before we were mated. I just figured that, as a beta, I should live somewhat close to my alpha.” I couldn’t believe it when Theo flushed even more. “I put a bid in on every house around this lake in case our whole circle wanted to move here.”

“You what?!” That came from everyone who was present, and I felt a bit justified by my outburst seconds earlier.

But Theo just shrugged, giving me a look that was far sappier than I ever expected. “What do you say, Emma? Think you can see us building our own Fort Knox together?” I was sure that plenty of people wouldn’t catch the change in his tone, but I could. I could hear the longing in his voice, the saccharine sweetness of his sincerity. “I know this really isn’t the time or place to spring this on you, but I dunno, I guessed I always hoped that one day it would be filled with kids, and a mate who was happy to be there with me.”

I couldn’t believe he’d just out and asked me. It was so incredibly vulnerable, and the fact that he was willing to be that way in front of his closest friends was swoon-worthy, seriously swoon-worthy. It made my heart flutter in my chest, and for a moment, I had no answer because words sincerely did not seem like enough.

I could sense that everyone was looking at me, the news about their own houses momentarily forgotten. I was pretty sure that none of them had ever seen Theo and me be that romantic with each other. And that was a real shame. I knew that the witches had made it so we really didn’t go out that often, and a whole month’s worth of family dinners had been skipped, but I hadn’t realized how little anyone saw us interact outside of Lyssa. Yet another thing that I couldn’t wait to change once we weren’t being hunted anymore.

“Yes,” I breathed, crossing the distance between us and throwing my arms around his shoulders. “I’d love that.”

It was the closest I’d come to telling Theo that I loved him, but it wasn’t quite the same. I wanted to say it, I did, but it wasn’t the right time yet. And I wanted that moment to be just for us.

“We’ll look at it later?” he said, smiling at me like I was his whole world. And for a moment, I felt like it.

“Yeah, absolutely.”

Lyssa was practically glowing as we finished up the tour, and that just made everything better. We really were a family, all of us. I could feel my happily ever after coming closer than it ever had in my own life.

We just had to hope those brothers didn’t mess it up.

---

Life tookon a semi-comfortable sort of rhythm as we adapted to me having my tracking mark and waiting for Sam to get everything he needed. Sadly, I couldn’t spent much time at the lake, as we didn’t want to lead the witches there, but I got to see lots of pictures.

And every morning when I woke up, the bed still warm from Theo’s spot at my side, I wanted to tell him that I loved him. And that I was sorry it had taken me so long to get there, and to be sure of my feelings, but that I was certain beyond any doubt. But by the time I brewed his coffee and took it out to him after his morning run, I’d always chicken out.

But that was okay. There wasn’t a rush, after all. I could just enjoy each moment as it happened and be happy that we were together. I’d grown to really liking him having his makeshift office at my shop, and not just because he carried all the heaviest boxes.

Most of the time, I could forget about the invisible sand dial hanging above my head, steadily running out of seconds bit by bit. It was intimidating, sure, but it wouldn’t do me any good to dwell in it. So instead, I did my best to live in the moment.

And apparently, it turned out that living in the moment was cuddling with Theo on the couch while eating a dessert of chia seed pudding. I felt more content than I had in ages, and I couldn’t imagine a single thing interrupting the comfortable peace saturating the air around us.

RIIIIIING!

Well, except that.

Theo picked his phone up from the coffee table and his eyes went wide. “It’s Sam!”

“Sam?! This is the first time he’s called you instead of you calling him, right?”

Theo nodded, his thumb sliding over the answer button.

“Hey, I’m putting you on speaker,” he said immediately.

“You’re a wolf hanging out with other wolves. Do you really need speakerphone?”

“No, but it’s polite to say we’re using it so you know other people will hear you.”

“While I appreciate you being polite, I honestly don’t care. I’ve finally got everything I need, guys. Starting tomorrow morning, we’re finally gonna track these sonsabitches.”

My heart thundered in my chest like it wanted to break free from my ribcage. Could it really be happening? While so much of me had been ready for revenge for so long, suddenly I found myself interested in other things. Like living comfortably with Theo. But I wouldn’t get that as long as these shifter-hunting people were allowed to menace our population.

“What time do we need to be ready?” Theo asked, his tone completely serious.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but around ten am. I’ll be right there with an iced coffee and everything else we need to kick as*s.”

“Alright, we’ll be ready.”

“I know you will. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to get a good night’s sleep.”

With that, Sam hung up, leaving Theo and I facing each other, an incredulous expression on both of our faces.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” I breathed, hardly able to speak.

“I’m grateful it’s finally happening.”

“Me too,” I said, standing up and hugging myself. “I…I don’t think I’m gonna be able to sleep tonight.”

“Yeah, I don’t blame you.” Theo ran a hand through his hair and stood along with me. “Wanna take a nice hot shower, then eat raw brownie batter in bed?”

I grinned broadly at him, ever so glad that he was with me. I offered him my hand, and he took it instantly. “It’s like you can read my mind.”

---

“Are you ready?”Sam asked from where I was sitting in the middle of a circle he’d drawn on my living room floor. I didn’t know what he’d used to make the marks, but it smelled of dried herbs and mint.

I nodded, feeling the gazes of my packmates around me. Our entire inner circle was arrange in a circle around me, holding hands.

“As ready as I think I’ll ever be,” I answered honestly, even if it was a predictable answer.

“Alright. Well, I need all of you to concentrate a place you went as a child that you loved. Except you, Emma. You listen to me as we go.”

“Why somewhere we liked as a kid?” Mahlan asked.

“Because this tracking spell has a pretty strong cloaking mechanism on it, which I’ve found out how to crack, but we want to make sure we cloak ourselves so the witch doesn’t instantly know we’re on her trail. ‘Cause if she does get the hint that something’s up, she’ll just sever the connection and run, which means we’ll lose our chance to blindside her and the rest of her friends.”

“And us thinking about childhood memories will do that?”

Sam nodded. “There’s an inherent magic to the joy that only happy childhood memories have. It’s innocent, novelty, and wonder all mixed together. Nothing else like it.”

Huh, I’d never thought of it that way, but I supposed it made a certain kind of sense.

“And what do I need to do?”

“Right now, I need you to close your eyes and breathe in deeply. I’m going to burn some things around you, then I’m going to chant some spells. When I need you to say or do something, I’ll tell you.”

“What should I think about?”

“Focus your energy inwards. Think only about what you’re sensing or feeling. Be as wrapped up in your own body as you can.”

I nodded. “I can do that.”

Closing my eyes, I did my best not to think of my mate, my best friend, my brother, or anybody else sitting around me. I tried not to think about my shop or my future. I focused only on the sound of my breathing. In and out. In and out.

It wasn’t long before I heard Sam move around, and sure enough, the pungent smell of burning herbs filled my nose. It wasn’t exactly subtle, but it wasn’t painful, either. Just…strong.

But that was alright. I put my mind into concentrating on the scent and how it felt as it filled my lungs, pulling me further and further into my own body. I sank deeper. Then deeper. So deep that when Sam began to chant, it was more like a soothing background noise than anything else.

It was after the first verse that I started to feel something within me, something alien. Unbelonging. When Sam finished the second verse, that feeling grew stronger, glowing brighter and brighter in my mind’s eye until it was a vibrant purple.

That was incredible. How had I not noticed that within me before? It seemed impossible, and yet hadn’t Sam mentioned something about the tracking spell on my wrist being cloaked?

He began chanting again and the purple glow solidified into a tether. I could feel the tug of it going off into the distance, far beyond where I could see. Mentally, I reached inward to get it, only to freeze when Sam sharply barked my name.

“Emma, don’t!” I froze, almost losing my inward concentration entirely. “You can’t touch or pull on that. Then she’ll know we’re up to something.”

Oh. Good thing he said something in time. I’d nearly just yanked back on it as a reflex.

“Okay, what I want you to do is reach your hands out.” I did, keeping my eyes closed. “When I take your hands, I want you to guide me to whatever it is you’re seeing or feeling, okay? But you have to want to let me in, like we’re talking fully open invite, okay? Otherwise, it won’t work.”

“Right,” I murmured, waiting for his touch. “I’ll do my best.”

It came a moment later, his fingers surprisingly cool compared to my skin. Granted, most shifters ran hotter naturally. I let myself get lost in the sensation of our different temperatures, keeping all barriers between us as low as I could.

I wasn’t exactly used to inviting people into my mind, or my spirit, or wherever the hell I was letting Sam into, but I pictured the house that Theo had been showing me. I imagined it full to the brim with our stuff and chosen decor, a nursery on the top floor and a swing set out in the yard.

I imagined Sam coming right up to my front door and inviting him in for tea. It was a vivid scene, but instead of being alarming, it comforted me. Sam was a welcome guest. I could trust him in the deeper parts of me.

“There we go,” Sam whispered, sounding proud of me. And I had to admit, my ego did glow at the praise. “Now, I’m about to do the cloaking spell. It’s gonna feel weird, I’m not gonna lie.”

“Okay,” I murmured, trying not to worry. Worry would do nothing, especially since we had no choice but to perform the ritual. It was the only way.

“It shouldn’t hurt, though, if that offers any comfort.”

“It does.”

“Alright then, get ready.”

I braced myself as best I could, hand in hand with Sam and my pack surrounding us. And he was right, it did indeed feel weird as an inky, oily blackness began sliding down the walls of my mind. It felt slippery yet cloying. Unnatural and gross in all the worst ways. But before I could fear that perhaps Sam was tricking me, or even poisoning my soul, the thick, onyx liquid pooled onto the floor before slowly but steadily making its way to the purple tether.

Like shavings drawn to a magnet, the liquid bubbled up, one orb at a time, until the beam was completely coated, its light barely more than a whisper through its thin veil. Eventually, it reached my wrist where the tether stopped, and once more, I was struck by the thought that I had no idea what was going to happen. I wished Sam was a little better at explaining things beforehand.

But even if he had explained, I might not have believed him. Because what happened was that the viscous liquid surrounded my wrist. Then grew. And grew. And grew until I was staring at a liquid version of myself.

“Alright, now pull away.”

I did, and the inky Emma’s form rippled until she turned into a nearly perfect doppelganger of me, complete with the purple tether around her wrist.

Oh my God! I gasped without talking at all. I still wasn’t clear how much of what I was experiencing was metaphysical and how much was literally happening within me. Magic was weird.

“Neat, huh?” I heard Sam’s very real voice answer. “Now that the tether’s attached to that, it should allow you to move more freely.”

And you can track her?

“No. That’s the last part. It’s, uh, it’s gonna be difficult, so there’s something I’ll need you to do for me.”

What’s that?

“This witch is powerful, so I had to hunt down a tracking spell that could get through her own cloaking and wards. Chances are, it’ll take over most of my instincts, real similar to what happened with Sarah. As soon as I finish it, I’m gonna go silent, and I might even try to leave.”

That certainly sounded dangerous.

“I have an iron bracelet in my bag beside me with an inscription carved into it. I need you to grab it and put it on me. Only you, within this circle, can do it. Anyone else tries, and it could possibly break the spell entirely instead of just putting it on pause.”

Oh, uh…okay.

No pressure then.

“Alright, here goes nothing.”

Sam let go of my hands in the real world, and yet somehow I could still feel him there. Focusing as hard as I could, his chants filled my head again as another herb began to burn. Then he was rubbing something across my forehead that felt like might be ash.

It was strange, but not entirely uncomfortable. Until he finished his chanting, that was. Suddenly, it was like someone had rung a gong in my head, power reverberating through my entire form.

It legitimately felt like I was in an earthquake, everything shaking violently. But it only lasted for a few moments before everything cut off and I felt like I was practically thrown out of my own mind.

“Emma! The bracelet!”

Lyssa’s voice cut through the fog, and I blinked rapidly to realize that Sam was sitting in front of me, his eyes whited over and his face pale. He was unmoving other than those full l!ps of his, which were moving silently.

Uh-oh.

Quickly, I reached for his bag, pulling out a bangle that looked more like a bangle from the eighties than actual fashionable jewelry. But I quickly clamped it around his wrist, heaving a sigh of relief when his eyes went back to normal and his posture relaxed.

“Whew! That was something, wasn’t it?” he asked.

I nodded, pretty drawn out myself. “It sure was.”

But our moment was interrupted by Mahlan, and the urgency in his voice reminded me of the forces that we were playing with. “But did it work? Were you able to track her?”

“Yep, definitely can. I can only vaguely feel her now, but I can take off the bracelet and I’ll know exactly how to lead you to her.”

“Then we should go now!” Theo said, jumping to his feet. But while I appreciated his passion, even I could tell that wasn’t the best idea. “Kill her and anyone else in her coven before they have a chance to strike again!”Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

“As much as I’d like that,” Jacobian began, his voice low and somewhat ragged. I was pretty sure that out of all of us, he hated magic the most. He was never comfortable around Sam, no matter how much the witch proved himself. Maybe it was something we could work on when there wasn’t an evil coven afoot exacerbating tensions. “We shouldn’t be the ones in the tracking party. Considering how much we’re being surveilled, we’ll tip the witches off if we all move as one unit.”

Drat. He had a point. I had wanted to insist that I come along, too, but it was clear this wasn’t a situation where we could go in with metaphorical guns blazing.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was Sam who had a solution. “Hey, I can’t be the only fae you know who’s willing to work for a little green. Why not hire some trustworthy peeps to work the tracking and scouting with me? I’ll head the team, we’ll gather all the intel we can, then y’all can go in and do what you do best.”

“Defeat our enemies?” Parker suggested hopefully.

“I was more alluding to all the ripping and tearing you wolves seem to do, but yeah, we’ll go with yours.”

“At this rate, we should probably give you a raise,” Mahlan said with a chuckle, and I couldn’t help but agree. I had no idea where our pack would be without Sam. He’d seriously saved our hides time and again. We really were lucky that Lyssa inspired that kind of loyalty in people, even a handful of years later.

“In order to get a raise, I need a salary,” Sam said, batting his eyes at our alpha not too differently from how I did when I was being cheeky. I didn’t know if I was rubbing off on him, if he was rubbing off on me, or if Lyssa was involved, too. Whatever the reason was, it made me awfully fond of the young witch.

“You really should be,” I said, more than willing to throw my hat into the ring. I was aware from my brother that we’d paid Sam some hefty wages, but they weren’t steady and I knew he didn’t have insurance. Granted, I wasn’t sure how often a green witch with a focus on healing actually needed insurance, but that was beside the point. “You’ve been working with us on so many projects now, you’re basically a part of the company. Part of the pack, even.”

“Oh, hell no on that last part. I like y’all, alright, but I’m not really one for commitment.”

“Fair enough.” Despite his protests, I knew better. Sam had a lot of similar traumas that Lyssa did when it came to trusting people, and I could tell that he liked us. It was just that everything he’d learned in order to survive told him it was dangerous to ever lower his guard. But that was alright. Once we weren’t fighting for his life, I would prove to him how much we all appreciated him. “So it’s a plan then. We set up the team, gather all the info we can, then we end this. Once and for all.”

At that, Theo grabbed my wrist, pulling me into his side. Once more, I was aware that the others were watching us, surprised by our public display of affection, but I also didn’t care. All of my attention was on him and him alone.

“You’re incredible,” he said, resting his head atop mine. I could hear him gently scenting me and my toes curled in my shoes, pleased at the affection. He really was so good for me. It was crazy to think that if it weren’t for the bitch that had attacked me, we might have never gotten together.

Oh well, while I was happy how our fates had worked out so far, I wasn’t about to show her any mercy.

“Hey, I forgot to mention,” Sam began as he stood up, his knees gr0aning in their own chorus.

“You are far too young for your body to be making those sounds,” I chided.

“It’s the magic. It really takes it out of you,” he said with a chuckle before growing serious. “But I was able to sense the name of the witch while I was all glowy-eyed for a moment.”

“You did?” Hannah asked, also getting to her feet. “What is it? Maybe I can start doing some research and help your team so you’re not blindsided by anything.”

“With witches these powerful, I certainly wouldn’t turn down any help,” Sam said with a nod. “But her name is Ellan Sanders. She’s the one who cursed you.”

“Ellan Sanders, huh?” I rolled the name this way and that in my mouth. Not exactly a moniker that struck fear into my heart, but that was alright. She would be dead soon enough if I had anything to say about it.

“Yep. That’s it. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m gonna go pass out in my apartment while you guys handle hiring whoever it is you need to hire. Good day!”

He gave a little salute, then gathered up his things and left. As he headed out to his moped, I couldn’t help but muse how he kept going above and beyond for us.

“You know, we’re going to have to name our firstborn after him if this keep us,” I mused to Theo, who instantly stiffened beside me.

“Not a chance in hell.”

“What? Why not?” I asked indignantly, rounding on him and pressing a finger to his chest. I knew that Sam sometimes got on Theo’s nerves, but that was no reason to be rude.

“Because our beautiful children, who will no doubt take after their gorgeous and fearless mother, will have names of their own. They’ll carve their own destinies, not have their legacy named after a crabby-as*s witch with a caffeine addiction.”

He said it so bluntly, so frankly, that I couldn’t help but burst into laughter. That was my mate alright. Through thick or thin, I knew we would do just fine by each other.

---

I would have liked to have woken up the next morning feeling fresh and full of hope, but that wasn’t what happened. No, instead as I opened my eyes from sleep, I was swamped with an awful feeling. Nothing specific, but one that whispered bad so loudly that I couldn’t help but g***n.

“Is everything alright?”

“I’m fine,” I answered, although I certainly didn’t feel that way.

“Did you have a nightmare?”

I shook my head, grabbing my phone and checking the time. It was only thirty minutes before my alarm, so it wasn’t the strangest time to wake up. But it was a bit strange for Theo to still be in bed with me. “No. Just a bad feeling.”

“It’s probably just some anxiety over us finally having answers? I’m a bit on edge myself.”

That wasn’t it, but I didn’t exactly have a solid argument, so I just shrugged. “I’m…I’m gonna go get ready for work.”

“Alright. It’s my turn to drive, isn’t it?”

“Yup,” I answered dully, already heading towards the kitchen. Once I was there and had the coffee started, I sent off a text to Sam.

Hey, idk if you’re awake, but do you think you could swing by the shop?

I was pretty sure that he was stone-cold asleep and wouldn’t answer until well after noon. But to my great surprise, I got a message back a few moments later.

What’s up?

Just a bad feeling. Would be nice if you could be there.

Sure. I have things to discuss with Mr. Wolf Charming anyway.

Thanks! <3

Npnpnp

With that handled,I slid my phone back into my pocket and heaved a long breath. I was sure that everything would be fine. We had the witches on the ropes. All we had to do was make it to tomorrow.

Easy, right?