Dark Wolf (Spirit Wild)

17

Thank the goddess they’d taken her out of that damned sack, though what they had planned for her couldn’t be anything good. It was dark out, but Annie knew she was on the mountain not far from home. It smelled familiar, like home should smell, though the air was tainted with some kind of herbal stink, something she didn’t recognize.

The only ones around were more of those huge men, and two of them were carrying her. One held her arms, the other her feet, and it didn’t matter how much she tried to break out of their grasp, these jerks were strong. Annie fought them, anyway.

She’d tried shifting, but something blocked her so that she couldn’t find her wolf. That had never happened before. Since the very first time she’d shifted, when she was just a little girl, her wolf had answered. She’d even tried other creatures. None had responded. It felt as if part of her had died.

She was naked, and while no one had raped her, they’d had their filthy hands all over her body, pinching and poking, leering at her and making stupid threats. She’d ignored them. One thing she’d learned from some of the older women in the pack—evil men could do terrible things to a woman’s body, but they couldn’t touch her soul.

These idiots hadn’t even come close.

She knew Alex had to be nearby. Goddess, she’d been calling out to him for what felt like forever, but there’d been nothing. Where the sense of him had made up the brightest corners of her mind, there was nothing but darkness. He’d been a part of her since the moment he’d rescued her in town, and the feeling had only grown stronger since their mating.

Then just after those horrible men had stuffed her into a big sack, Alex had blinked out of her mind. He couldn’t be dead. She’d know it if he were dead, wouldn’t she? Their bond was new, but they were linked forever.

So where in the hell was he? When she couldn’t get Alex, she’d tried to reach her father and Anton. Nothing. As powerful as Anton was, he should have answered. She’d never felt so totally cut off from the pack before.

She couldn’t shift, couldn’t mindspeak. She wanted to scream in frustration, but no sound came out. But she could still bite, damn it, and she twisted in the grasp of the guy holding her arms and bit down hard on his wrist.

He slammed her hard against the side of a huge tree. Stars exploded in her head, but she tasted blood and knew she’d hurt him.

“Shit. The f*cking bitch bit me.”

“Watch it. Don’t damage the goods. Here. Stand her upright.” An older man stepped into her line of sight. He was tall and dressed in a dark business suit, which was not what most people wore this high in the mountains.

For some reason, he looked familiar, though she knew she’d never met him. He ran his fingers over the side of her face, and the foulness of his touch scared the crap out of her. He felt evil, as if there were something terribly wrong about him. She shivered, instinctively drawing away.

“Good. Animals should be afraid of me.” He held up a metal collar and tightened it around her neck. Even if she were able to shift, she couldn’t now without strangling herself. He checked the clasp and then clamped some sort of metal restraints on her wrists while one of his men fastened the same things to her legs, just above her knees.

Then they lifted her up like a sack of potatoes and hung the restraints on hooks stuck in the thick bark of the tree. Her arms stretched over her head, and her legs were spread wide with her feet dangling against the rough bark. It scraped her back and buttocks, and her head was still spinning from getting knocked against the trunk, but she twisted against the restraints anyway, testing them.

Then she saw lights off in the distance and knew where she was. They’d hung her from the big oak that straddled the property between the Chanku land and their neighbor.

Sebastian’s father. Shit. She’d heard people talking about him like he was some kind of crazy. This was not looking good, but it explained why he looked familiar.

He stood in front of her, smiling at her as if he was really proud of what he’d accomplished. She wanted to tell him what a piece of shit he was, but she couldn’t talk.

Can’t shift, can’t talk, can’t mindspeak.

Of course. He was a f*cking wizard. It had to be some kind of spell blocking her. What other explanation could there be?

Alex might not have any idea where she was or who had her. If she couldn’t link to him, it stood to reason he couldn’t link to her. She’d been counting on that connection, but if she’d been magically blocked . . . damn.

She looked in all directions, but the fire burning just a few feet away cast everything beyond its glow in darkest night. She couldn’t sense anyone nearby—not even the bastards who held her. How could Alex possibly find her if she was totally cut off? Her head fell forward; despair washed over her. She needed Alex. She’d always needed Alex, but dear Goddess, she really needed him now.


If his father hadn’t knelt beside him in his human form with a restraining hand on his shoulder, Alex would probably be dead by now. He knew that with the same certainty that he realized men would die tonight.

Hopefully by his hand.

Poor Annie. She was so close and yet she might have been a million miles away. The bastard’s got to be blocking her.

His dad squeezed his shoulder. I asked Anton. He said it’s possibly a warding spell, but instead of being used to protect Annie, it’s acting like a shield, not allowing her to speak either verbally or mentally. It’s got to be blocking her ability to shift, too. Otherwise, I’m sure Annie would have been going for throats, not merely wrists.

My girl’s a hell of a fighter. Tinker was less than ten feet away, concealed in heavy brush, and Alex sensed some sort of massive mental restraint holding the man in place. Anton? He didn’t think his own dad was strong enough.

Those bastards will die tonight.

Oh, yeah. I’m with you, Tink. Help’s on the way. I think Lily and Sebastian are close.

I’m here, Alex, Lily said. Coming in behind you. Sebastian’s trying to get closer to Aldo. Dad’s got the pack together, and they’re building up more energy for our magic.

Then Anton was speaking. Sebastian? Are you two there yet? Good. Look, we’ve got trouble. I just heard from the sheriff. There’s been another murder—body of a young woman discovered on our land, down where it runs along the highway. Probably happened early this morning.

Sebastian spoke. Calm, measured tones. He’ll be much stronger, even harder to stop.

His control helped center Alex.

I know. Anton again, sounding calm and focused. Alex concentrated on his own focus as Anton continued.

Sebastian, be careful. We have to stop him tonight, before anyone else dies. Alex, I’ve confirmed my suspicions. Definitely a ward of some kind shielding Annie. I can’t sense her at all, which means he’s using some powerful magic. Blood magic from the death of that girl, I imagine. Sebastian? Lily? I’m holding pack energy. A lot of it. Link to me when you need it.

Thanks, Dad. And, Dad? Sebastian and I have mated.

There was a long silence. Then Anton again, sounding like a man fighting powerful emotions. Good, sweetheart. Damn good. In fact, it’s wonderful. Sebastian? You have an even greater responsibility to keep her safe.

I’ve known that since the beginning. I won’t let anything happen to those you love.

Alex glanced at his father and then felt Lily’s chin on his back. If Sebastian does anything stupid, she said, I will haunt him.

I’ll help.

Good.

The twelve rogues moved into position in a circle around the tree, six of them in human form, six as wolves. They stood just outside of the circle Aldo was scraping into the dirt.

He stood back and surveyed the circle and then stripped out of his clothing. One of the men, acting as an acolyte, slipped a black robe over Aldo’s head and helped him tie the sash. Then he stepped back and joined the others around the tree.

Annie hung there, looking angry and frustrated and scared to death. Alex glanced over his shoulder at Lily. She shook her head. Sebastian says he has an idea that should get Aldo to turn Annie free. Let’s see what he’d got planned. Then we attack, but we wait until Annie is free. She’s too vulnerable.

I know. And I don’t know if we’re strong enough to take them in a fight. He hadn’t wanted to voice that concern. Not at all, but it was wrong to deny the truth. There were twelve huge rogue Chanku, and only eight of them, counting the three packmates who’d come up through the tunnels.

Everyone else was in the meadow channeling energy. He didn’t trust magic. Not nearly as much as he trusted teeth and good old-fashioned fighting, but he forced himself to hold his position.

He wanted Annie to know they were here for her. That they’d be getting her away from the bastard who held her. Then, Goddess be blessed, Annie raised her head and looked right at Alex.

He gazed straight into her eyes and sent his love across the short distance, but he couldn’t tell if she saw him or not. He could only wait to see what Lily and Sebastian had planned.


Sebastian linked privately with Lily. We have to get Annie free of him. That has to come first. I’m going out there, but don’t give yourself away. I want him to think I’m here alone.

No, Sebastian. You can’t. It’s too dangerous.

I can, and I will be okay. I love you, Lily, and we have the power of the pack behind us. I can feel their strength.

Before Lily could say anything else, he shifted and strode out onto the moonlit ridge, but he pulled the power of the pack around him, and used their strength to mask his presence.

He felt it like a powerful drug, the energy from all those Chanku along with the added strength of the Mother thrumming in his veins. Even stronger was the power of Lily’s love.

The moon was almost directly overhead—time was growing short. Moonlight caught him just outside the circle, and he dropped the glamour that had hidden him from view, standing there tall and proud, his naked body hard and pulsing with more power than he’d ever felt.

His skin glistened in the moonlight, his muscles practically quivered with power, and his cock rode high and hard against his belly. He felt as if all the elements waited for his call.

“Master! Behind you.”

Aldo spun about when one rogue called out. He stood just inside the circle, still too close to Annie, but his eyes went wide as he realized who it was who challenged him.

“Son. I was hoping you’d stop by.”

“Let her go.” Sebastian folded his arms across his chest, and he knew he looked larger than life, that the magic flowed from him in waves of power.

Aldo took a short step back, obviously surprised. “Sebastian ? Why, son, I had no idea.” The man practically cackled as he stared at him, and Sebastian wondered what the old bastard was thinking.

Then he felt a surge of power from the pack, and he was there, in his father’s mind, and the disgusting miasma coating the man’s thoughts almost made him retch. But he knew. Suddenly Sebastian knew exactly what his father had planned.

He hoped like hell he hadn’t made a terrible mistake. “Let her go, Aldo.”

“What? You’ve always called me father. Have those foul creatures turned my only son against me?”

“There was no need for them to do anything. You are not my father. Not anymore. I want no part of you or your plans.”

Aldo smiled, a hideous caricature of pleasure. “But they involve you, my beloved son. Why do you think you even exist? I f*cked that bitch just to get you. Do you think I would have touched her otherwise? I knew about shapeshifters, even though they were still in hiding—documents I took from your mother. She’d gotten them when her older sister died. She was a lab technician who worked for a government official named Milton Bosworth. It seems Bosworth had authorized secret experiments on a freak, a female who was part wolf. Do you know what fascinated me most about her? Tests showed she was practically immortal.”

Sebastian. The authority in Anton’s voice raised shivers along his spine. Keep him talking. We’re familiar with some of this information, but we need to know more.

“What’s your point, old man?”

“Interesting way to put it.” Aldo’s smile made his flesh crawl. “You’ll never grow old. Did you know that? It’s one of the things those Chanku bastards have over humans. You have it too. I want it. I want your power, and your immortality. I want your life force, son.”

He stared at the one who had fathered him and felt ill. The man was truly insane. “Turn her loose. Now.”

“I will. On one condition.”

Sebastian glared at him. “Name it.”

“That you take her place.”

Lily cried out. No, Sebastian. You can’t. He’ll kill you.

I’m stronger than him. “Set her free, first.”

“How do I know you won’t attack me? Why should I trust you?”

“Because I don’t lie. And because I don’t think you have the strength to fight my magic.”

Aldo burst into laughter and glanced at the rogues behind him. “Set her free. The boy’s got delusions of grandeur. He’s never been stronger than me.” He muttered something under his breath as two of the rogues went to Annie and unfastened her restraints.

Sebastian felt the power of the spell surround him. The connection linking him to Lily, to Anton, and the power of the pack flashed out like the blink of a light.

He stood before his father, his magic lying dead in his veins as Annie stumbled away from the tree. She reached for him as she passed, but energy from the wards sizzled and burned her hand. Stricken, she backed away.

Sebastian stood alone. The moon was almost directly overhead, and he felt the power of its brilliant reflection. As the rogues moved toward him, he raised his arms overhead and called out to the Mother, but there was no sound.

He couldn’t let his father take him, but his legs refused to move, and he stood there, wondering if the pack would realize he was trapped within the same spell that had held Annie.

“Come, boy.”

Like a mindless automaton, he followed Aldo toward the tree. He was vaguely aware of Annie stumbling away toward the woods, heading straight for Alex, closer to safety, but his goal had become the tree. He had to touch the bark, connect to the spirit that had guided him, and with that thought in mind, he found the strength to move beyond his father.

He felt the roots beneath his feet and drew the energy into his body. Reached out and touched the rough bark and the Mother answered his call. Her power rushed back into him, filling him with energy so pure, so powerful that his body glowed.

Brighter, as more power flowed into him. He felt the Mother, and the goddess Eve, and as Aldo’s wards began to fail, the energy from the Chanku pack flew into him, and all of it was tempered by his love for Lily. He pressed himself against the trunk, drawing even more into himself. Wolves burst out of the surrounding forest, more than he’d realized were even nearby. The six massive rogue wolves leapt into battle, and the others still in human form drew guns. One grabbed Sebastian around the neck and pressed the barrel of a handgun to his temple.

“Don’t kill him. Not this way.” Aldo rushed the rogue and shoved the gun away. “He’s mine. His energy is mine. His immortal spirit is mine.”

He shoved Sebastian against the tree and strengthened the spell that was barely holding him, but that was exactly what Sebastian needed. The Mother was there, strong and giving, her energy passing through the bark, through the life-giving roots, filling Sebastian, drawing power from the rocks and the nearby stream, pulling it from the moon overhead, and sucking it out of Aldo Xenakis.

Sebastian felt his father’s spell slough away like so much dead skin.

A fierce battle raged all around. All twelve of the rogue wolves had shifted, so that their numbers were almost evenly matched, but in size and strength the rogues had the edge.

Lily went down, a huge wolf at her throat, while Alex and his father fought off a pair who’d gone after Annie. Sebastian shoved Aldo, and the man stumbled, but then he pulled a long silver blade from the sleeve of his robe and rushed Sebastian.

Sebastian had barely a second to call on the Mother, to raise his hand to the nighttime sky and pull down the lightning. A single bolt of immense power and energy flashed out of the clear, moonlit sky.

A single bolt that struck Aldo Xenakis dead center in the middle of his chest. He’d not even fallen before the massive burst of energy grounded itself in Sebastian, standing his hair on end and sparking off his skin in crackling sparks of blue and gold.

Then it flashed from one rogue to another, too fast for the eye to follow so that only the afterimage burned into sensitive eyes told the story. Xenakis was dead before his body fell, a look of absolute disbelief on his face, that his son should have such power.

Before he hit the ground, lightning had speared each of the rogues. They died where they stood, falling so fast they made no sound. Unlike a dying Chanku shapeshifter who would return to human form, these creatures died as wolves, proof they were closer to their feral roots than the human side. Their bodies lay scattered across the ridge. Smoke drifted lazily from each, and the stench of ozone and burning hair and flesh polluted the air.

It was a small victory at a terrible cost. Sebastian didn’t even glance at his father. Instead he leapt over the man’s body, ran directly to Lily, and knelt beside her.

She lay in the torn dirt, still in her wolven form; her attacker sprawled beside her, dead. Lily’s throat was torn and bleeding, but her eyes were open. As he knelt there, feeling helpless and afraid, Lily shifted, but she didn’t try to speak. He carefully lifted her in his arms and held her against his chest.

Anton? We need help. Healers, now. Xenakis and the rogues are dead, but Lily’s badly injured. I don’t know how many others are hurt. Help us.

He felt a warm hand clasp his shoulder and glanced up. Anton stood beside him, covered in sweat and blood. “We’re here. Adam, Logan, and Liana are working on the most seriously injured. Liana will be here to help Lily in just a few minutes.”

He knelt beside Sebastian and took his daughter’s hand. “Hell of a fight, sweetheart. I know it hurts, but the bastard missed the artery. Just hang on and think about this man you mated.” He glanced at Sebastian and smiled. “I’ve never seen power like that before. You didn’t draw it from the pack until the very end. Aldo had you blocked. Where did you get the power to call the lightning?”

“The goddess Eve was here. I felt her, but most came directly from the Mother.” He glanced toward the tree. It was nothing more than an oak now. There was no sense of the spirit within. “She’s always come when I’ve needed her. I just never realized what a tough old broad she was.”

Oh, Sebastian. Lily’s eyes actually sparkled. Don’t let Eve hear you say that. Smiling even as he fought tears of relief, Sebastian held the woman he loved in his arms.

“Eve already heard that.”

“Eve?” Sebastian watched as the goddess knelt beside Lily.

“I sensed your spirit, but I didn’t know you could physically leave the astral.”

“Sometimes, when I’m needed.” She brushed Lily’s tangled hair back from her face and touched her fingers to the gaping wound on Lily’s throat. “And it appears I am needed tonight.”


The sun was high over the Rockies before they were able to return to the house. The sheriff’s department had sent out their forensics team to collect samples from the dead wolves and to take Aldo Xenakis’s body away, but Sebastian was still so wound up he doubted he’d ever sleep again.

The trip off the mountain had been slow, as he’d carried Lily the entire way down in his arms. He wasn’t ready to turn his mate loose. Neither, it appeared, was Alex, who held Annie close against his chest. It was an unusual procession of naked men and woman along with a few wolves and a pair of snow leopards, but Sebastian realized it didn’t seem as odd as it might have just a few days earlier.

His life continued to evolve.

He stopped by Lily’s cottage and wrapped her in a beautiful copper-colored sarong, though she had to show him how to tie the knot. He found another pair of Alex’s jogging shorts to wear.

“Does Alex actually go jogging?”

Lily just laughed and held out her arms. He picked her up and carried her through her mother’s beautiful gardens, aware on some instinctual level which grasses he might want to nibble on. Then he carried Lily through the sliding glass door off the back deck and took her directly to Anton’s den. Stefan, Alex, Annie, and Keisha already sat in front of the bar. Alex’s mom, Xandi, slept in one of the big overstuffed chairs, and Anton was behind the bar, opening a new bottle of Hennessy.

He nodded toward the leather couch, and Sebastian set Lily there. “I can sit at the bar, Sebastian.”

“Humor me.” He leaned over and kissed her. “You just got your throat torn out and almost killed by a rogue wolf.” He trapped her between his extended arms and pressed a tender kiss against the healing marks before kissing her soundly.

She came out of the kiss with a dreamy expression on her face. “Okay. I guess.”

“Thank you.” He turned and walked over to the bar. Without a word, Anton handed him two snifters with healthy shots of cognac.

Then Anton did something totally out of character. He grabbed his own glass, walked out from behind the bar and across the room, and sat on the couch next to Lily. Sebastian took the other side, but he slung an arm over her shoulders. It was going to take a long time before he felt like turning her loose.

“I want to propose a toast,” Anton said. His gaze slipped from Lily to Sebastian, and then settled on his daughter. “I always wondered how I would feel when my daughter took a mate. Would I be jealous that another male had her attention? Would I worry he wasn’t strong enough to protect her? Would he be confident enough as a man to let her be the powerful woman she has always been? Lots of questions for a father to ponder as his daughter takes that huge step away from his protection.”

He turned his gaze to Sebastian. “All of my worries, it appears, are for naught. You, Sebastian, have proven your strength, your honor, and your magical ability beyond all expectations. I welcome you as a member of our family and as a valued new member of the pack. To you, Sebastian Xenakis, and to my lovely daughter Lily. May you love long and love well, and always find laughter together.”

He held his glass out. Lily tapped the rim with hers and then it was Sebastian’s turn. “Thank you.” He glanced toward the others still sitting at the bar, surprised at how the crowd had grown. “Thank you all, for giving me the family I’ve never had, and for trusting me with one of your most precious members.”

He leaned close and kissed Lily, surprised when he tasted the salt of tears on her lips. He had to look away before his own spilled, and so he glanced again at the ones who’d joined the toast. The snow leopards, Mei and Oliver were here, along with others he was just getting to know. Adam and Liana, who had healed the injured with help from two pack members he’d not met before, Doc Logan and his mate, Jazzy Blue. Eve was still here, though he sensed her time on this plane was growing short. There were others he’d not seen before, and a threesome he hadn’t met, though he recognized the men from tonight’s battle.

The woman looked familiar on another level.

Anton waved her over. She walked across the room and stood in front of Sebastian. “It’s good to meet you, Sebastian. I’m your cousin, Daci. Daciana Lupei. My mother and your mother were sisters.” She held out her hand.

He stared at her for a moment in shock. Then he stood and pulled her into his arms. A cousin! There’d only ever been his mother, but hadn’t Aldo said she had a sister? “Your mother was the lab assistant.”

“That’s right.” Smiling broadly, the woman nodded. “She had an affair with Milton Bosworth, and I’m the result of the affair. I don’t, however, claim my father.”

Sebastian chuckled. “That seems to be going around.”

The phone on Anton’s desk rang. Keisha picked it up, listened for a few minutes, and then hung up. “That was the sheriff’s department. Aldo has been linked by forensics to the rapes. His wolves were responsible for the murders, at least of the young women up here. Since there’s been no mention of them shifting and they died as wolves, it clears the Chanku entirely. Once the sheriff has Aldo’s travel records and DNA from the victims down there, he says he expects he’ll be able to link them to the killings in the Bay Area as well.”

Alex slipped off his bar stool and grabbed Annie’s hand. “That’s good. I’m glad it’s over.” He turned and kissed Annie. “And I’m really glad I’ve got Annie.”

Tinker stood and planted himself in front of Alex. “Son, I’m glad, too. I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time. I have to quit thinking of you as a ten-year-old bundle of hell-raising energy. I was really proud of you tonight. Both of you. I think you’ve both made a good match.”

“Thanks, Tinker. I figure it’s all about payback. One of these days, when Annie and I have pups of our own, they’ll be your grandchildren. If they’re anything like me, I imagine I’ll be needing your experience then.”

Tinker chuckled. “Here’s hoping they take after their mother. For both your sakes.”

Laughing, Alex tugged Annie along behind him. Almost to the door, they paused in front of Anton. “Any idea who the latest victim was?”

Anton nodded. “It was a girl you dated. Jennifer Martin. It turns out she worked for Aldo Xenakis. The guys who went after Annie in town that night were three of the rogues.”

Alex sighed and slowly shook his head. “Interesting. I’m sorry about Jennifer, though if I’d known she worked for Aldo, a lot of things she said and did would have made more sense.” He focused on Anton. “I think she was pumping me for information about the pack. I was careful not to tell her much, but I don’t like feeling used.”

Then he shot a teasing glance at Annie. “I just realized—no wonder those guys who hassled you in town were so big. Do you realize I flattened three rogues on my own to insure your honor?” He shot a grin at Tinker. “Your dad has to be nice to me now.” He wrapped an arm around her neck and pulled her close. “Oh, Lil? Annie and I are taking the cottage tonight. Hope you don’t mind.”

Tinker growled softly, but Alex and Annie were both laughing as they left. Lily glared after them. “What about us?”

“We can stay here tonight.” Sebastian leaned close and kissed her. “And since I’m Aldo Xenakis’s only heir—something he loved to remind me of—I imagine we can do something with a twelve-room cabin on the five hundred thousand acres abutting your dad’s property.”

Lily turned and stared at him, wide-eyed. “Ya think?”

“And there’s also the house in the city. It’s over in the Sunset, not too far from your place in the Marina District. I have to admit, though, I like yours better.”

Her smile lit up her entire face. “Me too.”

He wondered if she was thinking of that sybaritic bathroom and remembering what they’d done there. He nodded. “We’ll make a decision after a thorough cleansing of all the bad vibes around my father’s properties. I don’t want any essence of dark magic anywhere.”

He stared at his glass of cognac and thought of all that had happened in such a short time, how much his life had changed. “We just might have to tear it down and build something new.”


Anton wasn’t sure what woke him, but he was a man who’d learned to listen to his instincts. He left his wife sleeping, slipped on a pair of worn sweatpants, and padded down the hallway.

He paused outside the room Lily and Sebastian had taken this morning. They’d not come out once during the day, though Keisha had delivered a couple of meals that hadn’t been turned down.

He remembered days like that, staying in bed with his beloved mate for hours on end. Making love, talking, learning one another.

He opened his senses and chuckled softly. Lily’s sleeping mind was strongest, but it appeared Alex and Annie had joined them, just as Stefan and Xandi had so often spent the night with Keisha and him. As they still did.

Then he realized one mind was missing. He didn’t sense Sebastian’s thoughts, at least not here. Following a hunch, Anton walked back to the den and slipped through the door to the deck.

Sebastian was out there, wearing a pair of sweats that looked suspiciously like an old pair of Stefan’s. He was leaning against the deck railing, staring out across the meadow.

Anton walked up beside Sebastian and rested his elbows on the railing. It was a full minute before Sebastian spoke.

“Remember that story in the news a couple years ago, the one where some doctor was cloning babies to harvest body parts?”

Anton nodded. “I do. It was terrible, but at least they were able to save the children, find them good homes.”

“I remember being really disgusted by the whole thing, the ethics of it, the inhumanity, but I never really thought of the children’s point of view. What it would feel like for them, when they got old enough to understand that their very existence was due to the fact that rich old men were willing to pay to grow them like a crop to harvest their parts. I wonder how that’s going to affect them once they’re old enough to understand what that means?”

“That’s what Aldo did to you, isn’t it?”

Sebastian nodded. “He knew my mother was a shapeshifter, knew she had the genetics to be nearly immortal, but he didn’t understand enough about Chanku physiology to know how he could get that for himself, other than to get her with child, raise that child until he was sure he had a real Chanku shapeshifter, and then kill the child and take his life force.”

“But your mother took you and ran.”

Sebastian turned and looked at him. “Yep. She didn’t know what he planned, but knew it couldn’t be good. That’s why she warned me against finding him. I should have listened to her.”

Anton studied him a moment—the strong profile, the intelligence in those fascinating eyes—and then shook his head. “No. You did the right thing. If you hadn’t found him, you wouldn’t have stopped him. You stopped him tonight, son. You ended a reign of terror that law enforcement now believes has gone on for decades. They’ll be following up on missing person reports for a long time, trying to figure out which ones might be linked to Aldo Xenakis. He’s used death magic for years. That’s what allowed him to become so powerful. Death magic gave him almost unlimited power. It didn’t run out because he never stopped killing.”

“How did he control the Berserkers? They followed him with such devotion. It makes no sense.”

“I imagine it was a combination of magic, what he could offer them, and his natural charisma. He must have known about the military tests, the fact there were shapeshifters who were different from the rest of us, and when he discovered the strength of their bloodlust, their need to kill, he provided the victims and made sure they weren’t discovered. Your father was a brilliant, charismatic man, I’ll give him that, but he let his need for power corrupt him.”

Sebastian turned away and stared toward the dark forest. “I saw things in his mind as he died. What he did to those young women. He used fear to increase the power of the magic. He’d rape them with the wolves all around, snarling and snapping at them until they were incoherent with terror. He fed off that. It made the magic stronger. Then, when he was done, he let the wolves tear them to pieces. They died so horribly, Anton. He stood there gloating, stealing their life force, watching them die in agony.”

Sebastian shuddered, almost as if he tried to shake off his connection to the man who had fathered him. His struggle to maintain his composure was painful to watch, and when he finally turned and looked at Anton, he was hollow-eyed with the horror of what his father had done. “I’m afraid I’ll live with those images forever.”

Anton put his hands on the young man’s shoulders and looked into eyes unlike any wolf he’d ever seen. Teal blue eyes, so troubled now, shadowed by terrible acts that would never be forgotten. Sometimes a man had to learn to live with evil deeds—horrible things that could not be altered—but that’s where the strength of the pack came into play.

“What happened is over. You ended it, Sebastian. Without you, he would still be killing innocent young women. Think of the good you’ve done, the fact that your bravery and your magic have ended a nightmare. It’s ended, now. It’s part of the past.”

Sebastian stared at the mountains bathed in moonlight. Just last night, he’d faced his own father on that mountain and had discovered strengths he’d never known he had. Anton wondered how that affected him, that experience with such power. Did he have his father’s need for more?

“No,” he said, smiling at Anton. “I seem to have come through last night’s experience with more power than I ever imagined. Your thoughts are clear to me. I couldn’t read you before unless you projected.”

“How?”

“The lightning that killed him. I drew it down and it struck Aldo, but I felt the blast ground through me before it hit the Berserkers. My father had worked a spell that would take my life force and add it to his. Somehow it appears to have reversed when he died. I’ve got my father’s magic, but not his darkness.”

“Amazing. Does Lily know?”

“Not yet. I’ve only just figured it out myself. I can feel the power. It’s not an easy melding, but I think it will settle down eventually.” He turned to Anton then and smiled. “I’m going to need some training. Are you up to the job?”

“I think so.” He felt the excitement growing. There hadn’t been such a fascinating challenge in his life for much too long, and he loved the idea of the chance to get to know Sebastian better. The boy had spirit. He was smart and he obviously loved Lily. It was hard to find any fault with that.

“Lily’s talking about taking a leave of absence, staying here until I learn more about being Chanku, about handling my magic. She wants me to get to know the pack, and for them to know me. Alex and Annie said they’d move into the Marina house for a while, take care of things for Lily at Cheval International.” He chuckled, sounding more relaxed by the minute. “Personally, I think Alex wants time with Annie far from her father. I don’t blame him. Tinker’s got a scary side.”

“Tinker works very hard to project that image, but Annie’s right. He’s a softie.” Anton sensed Keisha awake and waiting for his return. He pushed himself away from the railing and clapped a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. “You are a son any man could be proud of. Welcome to the family, Sebastian.”

“Thank you. I’ll do my best not to disappoint you.”

“Just don’t ever disappoint Lily. She’s the one who matters.”

“Yes, sir.”

He headed back to Keisha, feeling terribly pleased with the way things had worked out. He’d often wondered if Lily would find a man who could challenge her. It appeared she’d found exactly what she needed.