Shadow Kissed (Magic Side: Wolf Bound Book 4)

Savannah

Three hours later, I found myself standing in front of a portal that would whip us from Magic Side and drop me straight into the clutches of the werewolf council.

Last night, I hadn’t thought that my life could get any more fucked up. At the time, I’d just been the awful bitch who’d bound her wolf. This morning, everyone knew. That, and also that I was the herald of the end times.

Was I just supposed to march in and beg for the council’s mercy?

The other option, of course, was to run. Until I crossed the portal’s threshold, there was still a way out.

The portal was in an old stone gazebo, not far from the Garden of the Wolves. The hidden doorway opened into the dark gray nothingness of the ether. No horrid gargoyles or monsters guarded the way.

It was what was on the other side that was the problem.

I nervously adjusted the backpack hanging over my shoulder. I could feel the Moon’s magic radiating off the moonstone inside, and it helped me steel my nerve. “Where does this lead, exactly?”

“The gathering place,” Sam said. “A private island in Lake Michigan. It’s a spot where the leaders of all the Great Lakes packs can meet in secret.”

Great. How convenient. No witnesses.

“How many pack leaders are we talking about?” I asked, my voice betraying a chagrining amount of trepidation. I’d assumed the council would be Magic Side wolves, faces that I knew, or at least that knew of me. Fatal assumption.

Jaxson adjusted his leather jacket and shrugged. “This was short notice, so probably a dozen. But they’ll bring representatives of their packs, so maybe thirty or forty wolves.”

That was a couple dozen more than I’d been expecting. “Is this wise? It sounds like it could go badly.”

Jaxson studied my face as if he were deciding something, then finally spoke. “I’ll be honest—maybe. Our pack lives in the city, and we’re fairly open minded. Many of the alphas in our council are traditionalists, and they’re all familiar with your family and hate them. Now that the Dark God is breaking free, they’ll be looking for someone to blame. At this point, that’s us.”

More than any of his words, the tone of his voice was what raised the hair on the back of my neck. “And yet, we’re going.”

“Fuck the council,” he snapped. “We’re trying to save everybody’s asses. We’re not going to tuck our tails. We’re going to show up and control the conversation so that men like my father don’t.”

I took a deep breath, looking for the same internal confidence. Unfortunately, the voice whose confidence I needed right now was gone, and there was only a sorrowful void in her place. My stomach tightened. While I’d lived without Wolfie for most of my life, there was no going back to that existence—not after knowing what it was like to have her as a part of me.

I needed her.

I closed my eyes as I mustered my courage. What would Wolfie say? Probably something like, Screw those guys. We fought the Dark Wolf God himself. The council is nothing. Just nip them in the butt, and they’ll go running.

Stifling a glimmer of a smile, I jammed my hands in my pockets and nodded to the portal. “Okay, let’s get this over with. Show me to the execution.”

Jaxson reached out and lightly squeezed my shoulder. “Defeating the Dark God is all that matters at this point, not being a twin-soul, not binding your wolf. We need to make sure the council understands that. We have a plan to stop him—we just need to sell it. Don’t show fear. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

I studied the lines of his face. Though I could feel his confidence, I sensed an unspoken but. I was going to be fine—but what about him? Although I’d gone against his wishes, he’d stood at my side. What did that mean for the alpha? Would the pack leaders turn on him for being complicit in a choice I’d made?

My heart accelerated, and when he turned to go through the portal, I held back.

Jaxson glanced at me, questioning.

“Are you going to be okay?” I asked. “Could this council of alphas hold you accountable?”

The corner of his mouth twitched up. “I’d like to see them try.”

That wasn’t a no.

“I’m worried about this, Jaxson.”

“Don’t be.” And with that, my mate vanished into the portal.

Fuck.

I sighed in exasperation, and then, with my heart drumming, I stepped through. My stomach spun as the portal sent me hurtling through the grayness of the ether.

After a disorienting moment, my feet hit solid ground, and I tumbled out of the portal into a dark evergreen forest. Tall pines loomed all around us, though I also caught the scents of beech, maple, and moss drifting through the woods. The soft wind rustled the needles and carried the sound of waves and the scent of lake water, not far off.

The calm before the storm.

Sam stumbled out after me and gave me a thumbs-up.

“Ready?” Jaxson asked.

I nodded, and he began leading us down a faint trail of crushed moss and brush. My nose flared at the scent of wolves, though it wasn’t as strong as it should have been. One consequence of binding my wolf meant that my senses had diminished. Along with my ability to shift, I’d also lost my strength.

My gut twisted. Could I still heal?

My mind began a new kind of calculus, remembering how many times the Dark God’s minions had nearly killed me. Our next showdown would require a completely different approach if I was going to live.

It wasn’t likely either way, was it?

Probably sensing my distress, Sam sidled up and took my arm, though there was barely enough room to walk side by side. She gave me a strained but genuine smile. “Don’t worry. Jax is technically head of the council, so even if they’ve gone behind his back, he’ll know how to handle them. And if not, I’m here to crack some skulls.”

Guilt and shame soured my mouth, and I squeezed her arm to me. “Thanks for being here, Sam. After what happened the other day, it means everything. You need to know that I’m really, really sorry. What I did—it’s tearing me up.”

She scoffed. “Are you still worried about that scratch? It was nothing. Remember, I grew up in a pack. Life was rough.” She patted the arm looped through mine. “I broke this forearm alone three times. You’ve got nothing on seven-year-old werewolves.”

“It was more than a scratch,” I whispered as I tried to keep my emotions under control. I’d flat-out mauled my best friend in Magic Side. I’d never unsee what I’d done—her blood dripping from my hands.

Her eyes went gold, and even with my weakened senses, I could smell her abject hatred. “You didn’t attack me. He did, using you like a weapon. Do you know how pissed off that makes me? He used my girl to hurt me. That’s fucked up twice over. That bastard will get what’s coming to him.”

The memory of the Dark God’s roars of outrage after Sam had pelted him with the moonstone brought a thin smile to my lips. “You saved our asses, and you sure pissed him off. I don’t know which I appreciate more.”

Her eyes twinkled. “Man, if I had more moon magic, I’d vaporize that asshole. Just holding those moonstones felt like I was glowing from the inside out. Is that what your magic feels like when you use it?”

A shiver ran through me. I’d acclimated to the feeling of my magic—hell, I was already taking it for granted—but there was no denying that my magic felt dark, like ice water running over my skin.

It felt like his.

It wasn’t the first time I’d had the thought, and doubts nagged at me. Was the sorcerer part of me just as corrupted as the werewolf? Had it been so from the start?

Sam gently nudged my shoulder. “You okay? I sort of lost you, there.”

I forced a smile. “I wish Casey could have seen what you did. His eyes would have popped out of his head with jealousy.”

She laughed. “That, I would like to see.”

Before long, the scent of wolves strengthened, and the trees above began to thin. I could feel their signatures and could practically taste their anticipation.

We ascended a small slope, heading toward what I assumed was the center of the island. As we climbed, I tightened my grip on the straps of my bag and kept my gaze locked on Jaxson’s back. I let each footstep be a hammer, forging my resolve into a blade of steel. I’d been wronged. I‘d been toyed with. I‘d been pushed to the brink.

But I was not going to be pushed any longer.

Jaxson brushed away the last of the branches as we emerged into a clearing near the top of the hill.

Two jutting boulders formed a gateway into an open area beyond—a natural amphitheater of stones. I could see and smell dozens of wolves sitting in the space, and my mouth went dry. Here we go.

Four werewolves blocked our way forward—two were in their human forms, while the others were wolves. Their build betrayed their role: muscle.

A woman with long gray hair and dark eyes glared at us. I could feel the heat of her signature burning brightly. Definitely an alpha.

She inclined her head. “Jaxson.”

He nodded in return. “Camila.”

The tone of their voices was not kind.

Her eyes flicked to me, then back at him. “The council is waiting.”

Jaxson tilted to look past her, and his fists tightened. “Everyone is already assembled? You met before we arrived?”

“We had to discuss procedures and options. This is a grave situation, Jaxson. I’m not going to lie, what you two have done…”

She looked at me but didn’t give me the dignity of ending the sentence.

I wasn’t going to give these wolves the satisfaction of watching me grovel while they treated me like a criminal. Stepping up close beside Jaxson, I said, “You’re right. This is a grave matter. The Dark God is loose, and we’re all screwed if we don’t do something about it. So if you all haven’t spent your time making a plan for how to defeat him, then you’d better put away your claws and hear what we have to say.”

She gave me a warning smile and stepped aside, waving us through. “I think we are all very interested in what you have to say.”

Every instinct I had told me to run, but I fought them down. I wouldn’t show fear. I strode toward the entrance to the natural amphitheater with my chin held high.

Camila reached out and stopped Sam from proceeding. “You cannot enter.”

She was taken aback. “What? Why? I’m with them. I’ve sat in on dozens of meetings in the past.”

The gray-haired woman shook her head. “The Dark God changes everything. This gathering is for alphas and elders only. And the accused.”

“Accused?” Jaxson growled. “I thought this was a council of wolves, not a kangaroo court.”

Camila stiffened. “This is not a trial. Yet. But you will need to account for your actions, or we will take steps, despite your position on the council.”

Sam snarled at the woman. “This is bullshit.”

At that, the two black wolves rose off their haunches and moved toward her, teeth bared and menacing.

Sam drew her claws. “Don’t even think about trying anything. I can take you both.”

I instinctively raised my hands to draw my claws as well, but there were none there. Shit.

Camila smiled, though her voice was pregnant with warning. “A disruption would not reflect well on your friends, Sam. Considering how much hangs in the balance, I would put your claws away. Do you need to be escorted back through the portal to Magic Side, or will you wait by the lake for our decision?”

Jaxson growled, but I knew we had to deescalate before this got any worse. We had to persuade these wolves, not fight them. I reached out and gently touched my friend’s shoulder.

“Go, Sam,” I said softly, trying to muster a confident air.

“Fuck!” She snarled and withdrew her claws. “Are you sure? There are a lot of wolves here, but most of them are toothless by now.”

I held back a smile as Camila tensed. “Thanks. We’re good.”

“Stay close,” Jaxson said. “Call Regina. Let her know that there’s bullshit about to go down, and to be ready.”

Sam withdrew, frustration and anger tugging at the corners of her expression.

With a thankful nod, I headed toward the circle of wolves, but before we’d gone more than three paces, Sam jumped up on a large boulder and turned to face the wolves in the stone ring beyond. “Listen up, alphaholes!”

All faces turned to her, and my gut plunged. What was she doing?

“Since Savannah Caine discovered our world one month ago, she’s been abducted, hunted, and nearly killed by rogue wolves operating in your lands! And when pack members turned traitor and tried to murder her family, she kept her mouth shut to protect our pack—even before she was one of us!”

Sam’s eyes blazed gold, and her voice vibrated with anger. “She rescued me from blood drainers, and when a fucking sorcerer trapped two dozen of our wolves in the Dreamlands, Savannah went back in for them even after she escaped. She nearly died getting them out.”

“Get down,” Camila hissed. “How can you defend someone who bound their wolf?”

Sam leapt to the ground in front of the gray-haired alpha. “She gave up her wolf to protect our people!”

She stepped around Camila, up to where the black wolves blocked her way. “How dare you people judge her for that? She’s more wolf than any of you, and she’s done more to oppose the Dark God than any of you have or will.”

With that, she spun and stalked off toward the woods. “Fine. I said my piece. I’m fucking calling Regina.”

I heard the heavy murmur of the council behind me, but I could think of nothing but the crumbling sensation in my chest. I’d never had a friend like Sam in my life. “Thank you,” I whispered as she disappeared into the trees. Her words meant more to me than anything, and I could feel Jaxson radiating with pride.

“Is she going to be trouble?” Camila asked, her gaze locked on Sam.

Jaxson gave her a wicked grin. “Only if you are. Let’s go.”

With that, he shoved past her, and together, we stepped into the ring of wolves.