Page 85 of Oakheart

If I hadn’t been able to feel their surprise at it, I’d have heard the gasps from dozens of wolves, all at once as the feeling of pack settled inside us all.

CHAPTER 41

Cash

What the ever-lovingfuck was I doing?

Aleks had taken off on two legs, but that seemed to be Viktor’s preference too. Maybe that was how they’d trained, but I’d stood there on Katya’s porch, unsure what to do. Nobody needed my input. Aleks certainly didn’t need me to speak for him, but I wasn’t a fighter either.

Fuck, I wasn’t meant for any of this. I was just supposed to build things.

I stood there, stunned and second-guessing myself long enough for Evie to stick her head out of her and Pa’s place.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

My breath hissed through my teeth. “Witches.”

The same witches that Viktor said left their scent all over Aleks.MyAleks.

That decided it for me: It didn’t matter if I was a fighter or not. There were some things I was willing to fight for, and the spark of hope that flickered in my chest? I was going to protect that.

I shrugged out of the shirt I’d just dragged back on. “Stay here with Pa.”

Evie frowned at me. It took her a moment, and she didn’t like it, but when she nodded, shifting finally felt safe. I unbuttoned my jeans and ran out of them on all fours, making my way fast toward the old center of our small community.

The head witch was making threats toward Aleks when I felt it, the whole world snapping into place. Bonds sprang to life that I never knew had existed before, and there was Aleks at the center of it all, shining like the sun.

She wouldn’t take him from us.

I rushed into the center square. The head witch was snarling, the words muddled in my mind. I didn’t know if that was because human communication went a little off on four legs, or if she wasn’t speaking English anymore.

It didn’t matter, because her intent was clear, the jerks of her hands and fingers complicated and threatening.

Then a wave of magic erupted from her, shooting like an arrow straight for Aleks.

I yowled, too far to do anything in the split second I had.

But there was Viktor, attentive as always, ready for any kind of trouble. He leapt in front of Aleks.

The spell hit his chest, and he staggered, crumpling back in Aleks’s arms as his brother made a pitiful sound and knelt on the ground beside him.

My heart spasmed, but I knew if I stopped, if I let the witches get away with that one hit, they’d just keep coming for us.

Snarling like a feral dog, I threw myself between my alpha, myAleks, and the witches. The fur around my shoulders bunched up and stood on end as I crouched and stalked toward them.

Some of the witches started trying to cast, but they weren’t fast, and the majority stood there, gaping, like they’d never imagined being challenged before, much less byus.

But I knew what happened to mages when werewolves bit them—most of the time, our innate magic fought with the kind they’d cultivated throughout their lives.

One won out over the other. They lost their own magic, or they died.

Presumably, it’d be the same for witches. As far as I could tell, there wasn’t much difference between them and mages other than the way they approached practice, not that I was an expert.

It was only Dakota who’d been lucky. Only Dakota who was a walking miracle. It was why they’d wanted him, and why they hadn’t ever asked Aleks to bite any of them. They weren’t willing to risk their own lives for the transformation.

With a deep growl, I leapt. My fangs snapped at the nearest witch.

She screeched, throwing out her hand.