First, it pulls up the trees, which grew over the area where the castle needs to go, and they all get picked up and stacked off to the side so the wood can be repurposed. Next, all of the other foliage gets cleared out of the area, revealing the stone which used to make up the castle. The largest stones get lifted into the air, and while they hover there, small pebbles get lifted up, followed by swirling sand and dust.
All of the elements making up my home float in the air, spread out over different heights, the guys standing behind me remain silent, making sure they don’t interrupt my concentration. With another command, the stones rebuild themselves, pebbles and sand reforming into completed formations, cracks filled in and smoothed out. The sounds of groaning and grinding stones fill the air. Once completed, they systematically place themselves where they used to be. A snap of them clicking into place ricochets off the trees bordering the newly cleared out space. Before us, the walls of my home begin to form, floor by floor, the castle is rebuilt to its former glory.
When the last stone slides into place, I step back to take in the full beauty of the castle being restored. As I take in the view, a vine begins growing up the sides of the castle, flowers blossoming as it travels up, standing out as a complementary contrast from the stonework. The vine adds a missing touch the castle always lacked, adding in a piece of myself, making it truly mine. Tying in my mate mark within our new home.
Everything starts to fade out, and I’m swept up in Marcus’ strong arms, before my body is able to hit the ground from my legs giving out. Even with the turmoil of his memories not matching up with mine, his hold is still the same as I remember. It gives me a sense of being utterly protected.
“Angel, what’s wrong? You okay?” I’ve never heard Alex with such a serious tone, and it takes me a second to realize he’s the one asking. His hand is on my arm, gaze searching for my answer.
“I’ll be fine, just need some water to help me recharge,” I respond to all the worried faces crowding around me.
Klaus right away whips out a metal water bottle. “Here you go, Sunshine, I have some right here.” Marcus sits down on the ground with me in his lap.
Smiling at Klaus’ quick response, I focus on Derrick, knowing he’ll understand what I mean. “Derrick, I need you to get it for me.” I give him a meaningful stare, one that says he should know what I’m talking about when no one else will.
“I’ve got you covered, Precious. You were distracted when I filled a bottle just for you in case you needed it.” Derrick hands over a blue metal bottle, and I gulp down the fairy water held inside it. My magic is rapidly restored and the lightheaded, weak feeling lifts from my body.
“Oh, here we go again, with Derrick knowing exactly what she needs over us. I’m telling you, it’s only because he gave her that vitamin D, and she’s all dick happy over him. As soon as she gets another one of us, her tune will change. No need to say anything, fellas, I volunteer as tribute!” Alex parades around us acting all dramatic, trying to rile up a response. Damn him, growing on me when I least expect it.
An unexpected snarl pulls us all from the joking atmosphere Alex has created. The guys all jump to their feet, with Alex pulling me up from under the arms, to push me behind them once I gain my footing. Alphas... always thinking they need to protect the woman.
Shoving my way between them, I stand out in front, only for Marcus to pull me back and try to stand in front of me again. A quick elbow to the gut gets him to compromise by sandwiching me between him and Klaus. Having been distracted by our struggle, I finally glance up to see what made the sound.
We’re faced with a pack of wolves. I can detect the latent magic underneath their skin. These are shifters, but why would they be trying to attack us? Clearly, they’re protective over this area... can they not perceive we’re also shifters?
Another snarl sounds from behind us, more wolves having circled around, surrounding us on all sides with no way to escape. “Ferals,” Marcus growls out through his teeth. The alpha of the pack takes this moment to step toward us, breaking the circle they’ve made around us.
“What does that mean?” I ask Marcus. The wolf in front of us moves another paw closer, its teeth exposed and a low menacing growl escaping its mouth. It’s pissed.
“Damn, all these new memories are kinda fucking with my shit. Some of our people lost the use of their magic while they were in their shifted form. At least that’s our best guess of what happened. We call them Ferals because they lose all sense of humanity and start hunting humans. That’s why we were sent to collect the one Silas told us about. Which, now that I think about it, with our travel times, that wolf could be close to here by now. What if he was traveling here to join this pack?” Derrick explains to me.
“Why the fuck didn’t you try to help them turn back?” My blood heats like it’s about to boil over with the clear neglect of my people. The wolf takes another step forward, teeth snapping in a menacing gesture, but as soon as its paw touches the ground, it pulls it back with a yelp. We all peer down at the ground, including the wolf, to discover what could’ve caused such a reaction.
“Queen’s Thistle,” Derrick breathes out in awe. The ground is covered by the same vine adhering to the castle wall. It wasn’t on the ground before that’s for sure, I would’ve noticed it. With its spoken name, I’m reminded of Derrick mentioning it before. Something I need to remember to ask him about later, now clearly isn’t the time.
Marcus is jittery and agitated next to me. “Fuck this, I’m shifting. I’ll take them down in wolf form, you guys protect our girl.” Ummm... excuse me. Who says I need protecting?
Holding my arm in front of him, I say, “No, Marcus, stop! These are our people, they just need help shifting back.” I attempt to walk forward, but Marcus is the one holding out his arm to stop me this time.
“Babe, stop. We can’t protect you if you go off all half-cocked.” Marcus sounds concerned for me, but his worry is misplaced. My magic is back in full form, and while I can feel the pull of the anchor putting everything back in place, my bond with my mates has been feeding me the magic that has been siphoned away. Not to mention being filled to capacity with the fairy water I just drank.
Grabbing Marcus’s face with both hands, I force him to look at me. “You want me to start trusting you? It’s a two-way street, buddy. You need to trust me as well. Now let me do what needs to be done to set this situation right again.” My tone leaves no opportunity for him to argue with me.
With my first step toward the wolf, it starts up with its threatening growl again. The men behind me all twitch in some form to try and stop me but manage to hold themselves back after my words to Marcus. Once again, the wolf tries to place its paw on the vine, but instantly pulls it back before putting its weight on it. He glances down with ire in his gaze before peering back up at me. A couple of the wolves forming the circle break out of their standoff and run around the perimeter of their protective position.
Keeping my movements smooth, slow, and unthreatening, I make my way toward the wolf. The other wolves around us shift their weight, ready to follow the command of their Alpha. I’m only a few feet away now, and the wolf is starting to seem confused. “Shhhh, no need to be scared. I know you don’t understand why you became trapped in your wolf form. Don’t worry, I’m here to help you.”
The wolf calms down, and after a moment, it sits down in front of me. Holding my hand out, I pause before touching the wolf to make sure it doesn’t have a change of heart. The tension radiating from the guys not only permeates the air, but travels down through our bond, causing undue nerves to pop up inside me. Knowing they aren’t my own still makes it difficult to push them away.
Finally, my hand touches the wolf’s head and I know I’m over the biggest hurdle. Reaching my other hand out, I cup it’s head in my palms and stare right in its eyes. Typically, this would be extremely dangerous to do, but I’m a higher Alpha than this wolf, something it instantly knows once we lock eyes. A submissive tremor flows through its body, starting from its head and traveling through its tail.
I send a command with my eyes for it to not look away, then give a verbal command, “Reach inside and search for your spark. It’s there, even if it’s struggling. Find the flicker and give it a light blow to encourage the flame to light.” The wolf is struggling to connect to its magic, but I know the moment he makes a connection and gives it a bit of life. There’s a vibration in the air I’m able to pick up from him accessing it. His magic is almost completely drained, something I’m all too familiar with.
“Derrick, can you hand me the bottle again? Slow movements, please.” More confidence fills me as he approaches us, and the hand he places on my shoulder reinforces it. Once the bottle is in my grasp, I pour some out into my hand, giving the command for my subject to drink. His tongue laps at my palm, drinking up the small amount of water.
Ripples of four different vibrations of jealousy reach me, and I fight off the smirk wanting to appear on my face. When every drop of fairy water is lapped from my hand, my focus is fully on the shifter in front of me. The flicker of its magic has grown stronger, still not at full capacity, but enough for him to shift.
“Search for your warmth inside. Good, now allow yourself to shift back to your human form.” A moment passes with no change, before I give another command. With a snap of my fingers, I say, “Stop doubting yourself! Now shift!” I add in a thread of Alpha command to my voice, just enough to give encouragement, but not enough to be detected by anyone around me.
