The Unwanted Wolf

CAIN

I stared across at my daughter, facing a harsh reality. The safest way to keep her protected was no longer an option. I only had two real choices. I could refuse to help and run away again, or I could actually stand up to the Council of Magic and risk my life. I had spent my entire life doing the safe thing that simply kept me alive.

“I can talk to the council for you. Convince them you don’t mean any harm to them.”

That mate of Adira’s nose twitched. I could tell he was fuming. He would have killed me for sure if it weren’t for Adira. Or maybe it was only because I had information about magic and the council that he needed.

He looked over at Adira, and I knew they were linking each other. I could tell they were having some kind of intense debate. “No. We can’t trust you. We can’t let you go off on your own to do as you please.”

“Would they talk to me?” Adira asked.

Simultaneously, her mate and I said, “No.”

“Adira, Cain has already told us they want you dead. If you talk to them, what’s going to stop them from just killing you right then and there?”

“Your mate is right. It would be suicide to just approach them like that.” It was already difficult enough for me to convince them to spare Adira, and they had some sort of trust in me. But the Daughter of Moon and Magic, the girl who threatened everything they owned and built? They wouldn’t hesitate to drive a knife through her heart if she gave them a chance.

Adira’s shoulders slumped. “There has to be a way to do this peacefully.” I gave her a look, but she quickly continued, “That doesn’t involve giving up my life and my mate.”

“You could threaten them.” As the words came out of my mouth, a shiver ran down my spine. Threatening the council was a suicide mission. Strangely enough, it almost seemed right.

“How would that help? Wouldn’t it just make them attack us?” her mate asked.

“It’s a possibility, but if you scare them enough, threaten their positions and powers. They care more about that than anything.”

“What’s the best way to threaten them?” Her mate was watching me closely. This is the first time he didn’t seem ready to kill me. He was more interested in what I was saying.

“I can’t do everything for you. Make sure you’re strong enough to take them out, and then let them know what you can do.”

Adira looked at me. “How much time do we have before they’ll come for me?”

“I would say three to six months. The council is not one to act fast, and they think I’m still trying to convince you to come with me. As long as they don’t learn otherwise, it’ll buy you some time. They will grow impatient eventually though.” I hoped my estimations were correct. I had never seen the council move swiftly in any matter, but they were afraid of this prophecy, and fear made people act rashly.

“Do you know any weaknesses the council has?” Her mate was asking good questions. With proper training, he could run an army. No wonder my daughter liked him. He was strong and fought for her.

“Only the typical weaknesses for sorcerers. Belladonna is a major one. Anything that takes away their powers. Most sorcerers have only known their magic, so they are pretty useless when you take that away.” I felt useless right now. I hated sitting in a prison cell, unable to do anything.

Adira looked at her mate, and it was clear they were linking again. I was always jealous of that ability werewolves had. It was never something I was able to experience with my mate. They both stood up at the same time, still holding hands. It was actually sweet to see how much they cared about each other.

“Thank you for your help,” Adira said before they started walking out of the room.

I stood up quickly. No, they weren’t supposed to just leave like this. “Wait! What about me? Haven’t I proven myself? I’m helping you.”

Adira paused in the doorway, her body stiff. She didn’t even bother looking at me as she spoke. “You should have helped me weeks ago when I asked for it. This doesn’t prove you have changed.”

My entire body tightened. How could she be so ungrateful to me? I could help her protect her family, but not from here. “You need me!”

Adira looked over her shoulder, her face tight and unlike herself. “I have never needed you, and that hasn’t changed.” She took another step out the door but then she stopped again. “Oh, Freya is here and wants to see you. I haven’t decided if I’ll let that happen again or not, but maybe if you continue to cooperate with us, I’ll allow it.”

I collapsed into my chair as Adira and her mate left. It felt like the b***d had completely drained out of my face. Freya was here, and she wanted to see me. It had been over twenty years since I had seen my mate, and there wasn’t a day that went by without me thinking about her. This just showed me I was still on her mind, too.

–

MARK

I watched Adira as we left the room. Her face was stoic and unmoving. I know dealing with her parents was hard on her. She deserved parents who loved her and cared for her and actually listened to her. Cain seemed like he cared for her, but he didn’t really know her. He loved the idea of having a daughter, but I didn’t think he loved Adira for her.

In the end, even if Cain loved Adira, it didn’t matter. His actions were what mattered the most, and he was manipulative and controlling. She deserved so much better than that. I was grateful that at least Reyland was doing better as a father now, but that didn’t simply erase the pain.

Are you okay? I linked her.

She nodded her head, but she didn’t look at me. I wished I knew what was going on in her head. Then maybe I could help her through it better. I squeezed her hand to let her know I was there, but I didn’t push any more conversation. If she wanted to talk, I knew she would come to me. She was always good about that, and I knew she felt safe talking to me.

As we made our way back into the pack house, Reyland started to approach us.

“How did it go?”

I stepped up and took the lead, not wanting Adira to feel pressured to speak right now. “He wants us to threaten the council. He says if we show them we have the power to destroy them, they’ll back off. They are too afraid to take on a real challenge.”

“And how do we threaten them?” Reyland asked.

“Numbers? And when Doctor Zayla finishes that serum that makes werewolves resistant to magic, we’ll be harder to defeat.”

“Will that be enough?”

“I think I’m the key,” Adira suddenly said.

Reyland and I both looked at her. Her eyes still seemed far away, but she was confident in her statement.

“What are you thinking?” I prompted.

Adira finally made eye contact with me. “They are afraid of me, right? Well, they must be afraid for a reason. If the Son of B***d and Magic was too powerful to handle, that means I will be too. I just have to figure out how. I haven’t had as much training, but if I can find a way to fully unlock my power, I think it’ll be enough to scare them.”

I stared into Adira’s eyes, and I saw truth in them. I saw her determination and strength, but more than that, I saw her raw power. It was still hidden deep away in her, but it was there, ready to break free.

I knew she was right about them fearing her, but it still worried me to use her as the ace. “They managed to kill the Son of B***d and Magic, didn’t they? And he had more practice than you. What if they manage to get to you, too? This seems risky.”

Reyland looked at her as well. “I agree with him, Adira. There’s already a target on your back. We don’t need to make it bigger.”

Adira grabbed my other hand and turned to face me directly. “You said you would rather fight and possibly die to protect your family. You didn’t want to run. Well, I feel the same. I’m tired of running and hiding. I’m ready to fight for the life I deserve. I want peace and happiness with you, knowing our child is safe and not under constant threat. If I have to put a larger target on my back to get that life, so be it. We have some time, so I’ll train with Ginger, get stronger and find a way to unlock my full potential. When we go to the council and threaten them, I will be a bigger threat than what they can deal with.”

My stomach sank, hating every word she said but also knowing I couldn’t critique this decision of hers. I would die for this family to make sure they were happy and safe, so why wouldn’t Adira want to do that? There was just one big difference that made my stomach feel rock hard.

“What about the baby? Zayla already said you should be careful because of the trauma you went through. Training won’t be easy on you and the baby.”

Adira squeezed my hand and smiled. “I will get daily check-ups if that will make you feel better, but I can’t just sit around and do nothing, knowing I may be the key to stopping this madness and keeping my family safe.”

I hated every aspect of this, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. I wanted to support her, because I knew she would do this with or without my blessing. She didn’t need my blessing in this situation. She needed my support.

“Just promise me to rest if Zayla says you need it. Don’t push yourself so hard that it’ll hurt the baby.”

Adira lifted up on her toes and kissed my cheek. “Of course. I want to protect our family, not hurt it.”

Reyland cleared his throat. “I think we should still come up with our own plan for this. That way, we don’t have to solely rely on Adira. We can reach out to other wolf packs to see if they can help us out. I don’t know how many people know about the Great War, but those who remember it will come, especially if they know one of our own is being threatened.”

Adira tensed at his words. “I don’t want to cause a war, especially not over this. War affects the innocent the most.”

Reyland pulled his lips tight. “Unfortunately, there’s a chance that this could all end in war, no matter what we do. We can do what we can on our end to make sure it doesn’t end that way, but in the end, if the Council of Magic declares you an enemy, they are declaring all werewolves an enemy. If they choose to force our hand, I would rather be prepared than caught off guard.”