And it was all her fault.
She’d broken the rules, tried to save herself, and now the world would have to deal with the consequences. It wouldn’t only be the witches that would see their lives shattered. As the humans realized that more and more of what they’d thought was myth was all too real, they’d have to face not only their mortality, but also their deepest fears. The dynamics of how each race reacted and lived together would change with each breath.
And she’d unwillingly been part of that.
The Coven that rejected her had once told her mother that Leah and Roland would one day be the downfall of many. She just hadn’t realized they would be right, that it would be something like this.
Chapter Four
Ryder’s wolf pressed into him, needing Leah’s touch more than air. The man, however, knew better than that and refused to give in. Though the pain in Leah’s scent was palpable, he wasn’t about to do what his wolf wanted to do—claim her so they alone could care for her.
They sat in Walker’s living room since his home was attached to the clinic. They hadn’t called for the entire family to watch the footage, as they could easily watch at home, and there would be a meeting later to discuss it anyway. However, Brandon, Gideon, Brie, Walker, Leah and himself remained to watch the world change yet again.
Leah sat next to him, as his wolf wouldn’t let any other arrangement work. He’d tried to keep a respectable distance between them, but then Brandon had sat on the other side of Leah, and Ryder had not so subtlety pressed his leg into hers. The others had noticed, of course, but he’d noticed the way her shoulders had lowered at his touch.
Whatever was happening between them wasn’t one-sided, it seemed.
And that would only make things that much harder when the time came to do what must be done.
“As you can see, witches are real,” the newscaster was saying, bringing Ryder back to the present. “No word from their official leaders but the evidence cannot be ignored. We don’t know much regarding who these two witches are or why they are trying to drown humans—”
“That’s not what happened. They were trying to kill us.” Leah kept shaking her head, her hands in her lap.
On the screen, Roland used his magic to create a wave that smashed the humans into the rocks. Careful editing had made it look like Roland was the one starting the encounter, rather than the other way around. The screen changed to show Leah on the ground, her hand out as she used magic, as well. Though he couldn’t tell exactly what kind of spell she was doing, the effect of the editing was the same. It looked as if she and Roland were causing harm to humans with no cause.
It wasn’t good. Wasn’t good at all.
Ryder threw caution to the wind and put his arm around Leah’s shoulders. She immediately sank into his hold. “We know that. The media twists what it doesn’t understand. And sometimes it deliberately twists what it does.”
The anchor continued her news story. “We also have unconfirmed reports that the witches are in talks with the wolves. As you know, the wolves were forced to come out into the public eye in a shocking way. Since then, there have been numerous reports of violence on both sides. The public is scared, and Washington has issued statements, but no action has been taken on the wolf problem. No word yet how the witch problem will factor into this matter.”
Gideon growled loudly, then turned off the screen as the news switched to the weather broadcast.
“What have we done?” Leah whispered, her gaze on her clasped hands. “The Coven will want my head for this.” She murmured something so low that even his wolf ears didn’t catch it. He’d have asked her what she said, but he wanted to wait until they were alone.
And because he’d been an idiot and said she could stay with him, they would be alone. Often. He, apparently, had a need for pain and tension, because having her stay with him and his wolf without being able to do anything about it would be akin to torture.
“We’ll figure it out,” Brie said softly from the other sofa. She sat next to her mate with Walker on her other side. Both men had subtle looks of doubt on their faces, and Ryder hoped Leah couldn’t read that.
Gideon ran a hand over his face. “We need to meet with the Coven.”
Brandon cleared his throat, a frown on his face. “We have a meeting in four days. It’s our first one with the Redwood and Talon group.”
“I should be there,” Gideon added.
Ryder shook his head. “No, you shouldn’t. Remember, they’re the ones that summoned you. We can’t let you show up as Alpha and make them think that is an acceptable way to act toward wolves. While we’re on the verge of war and change with the humans, we can’t forget that we’re in a political dance with the Coven, as well.”