Page 98 of Binding His Fated Mates

Carmellia’s frown deepened, but she said nothing.

“Daniel,” Ash said weakly. “We can be a family again. Your mother is right—we’ll forgive this display of foolishness. You were just testing your power, after all.”

“I’m not going with you,” Daniel said. His voice was even, devoid of emotion. There wasn’t even a hint of apology in him and his armor-plated smile was nowhere to be found. “I don’t want you to be my family anymore.”

“But where will you go?” Carmellia demanded, sounding bewildered. “You can’t possibly stay with the wolves!”

“That’s exactly where he’s going to stay,” Lacey cut in, glaring her down. “For as long as he wants. He’s one of us now.”

Micah stared at her, too shocked by her words to get angry. “You can’t be serious! You’re wolves. He’ll never be one of you! Not really.”

“Daniel will always have a home with us,” Reed said firmly. “He’s pack.”

Harris added, “And we will fight for pack. To the death, if necessary.”

Daniel’s brother went paler as that sank in. Between Harris’s words and the glowing gold eyes from both of our alphas, it probably sold the fact that we were all willing to do whatever it took to protect Daniel. And it also probably occurred to him—to all of them, if they were smart—that they were outnumbered and outclassed. Not only could they barely stand, much less pull off any major castings, but the moon was fully in the sky overhead. Everyone in the pack could shift now, and then, weakened as the Henbanes were, the fight would pretty much be over before it started.

“Very well,” Carmellia said tightly. “We will leave.”

Ash tilted his head to the side, his gaze on Rowan. “It’s time to go.”

Rowan, who was standing with the pack, shook her head. “I—I don’t want to.”

“You what?”

“I don’t even know who you are anymore!”

“We’re your family,” Ash replied, his expression storming over. “Rowan, don’t be silly. Come with us.”

“No. Daniel is my family! I’m staying with him.”

“No, Ash. Let her go,” Carmellia said flatly. Her lips twisted in disgust as she gave her daughter a once-over, her eyes glittering with malice. “You’ve always been beneath us—the weakest of the Henbanes. Even more so than your brother. We don’t need a traitor in our home, breathing our air, undermining us.” She sneered. “You’re dead to me.”

Rowan sucked in a ragged breath, her expression crumpling.

Lacey, who was standing next to Rowan, shot her a sharp look and put her hand on the witch’s shoulder, steadying her. Then she turned back to Carmellia, and her eyes flashed, gleaming and animalistic. “Get out of here,” she growled dangerously. “Before we change our minds and rip you apart. And don’t ever come back.”

“Leave my journal,” Daniel added, his tone colder than I’d ever heard it. “It’s mine. It doesn’t belong to you.”

Carmellia snorted at that, but when she saw that Daniel was deadly serious, she slammed it shut and tossed it to the ground. She stared down at it for a moment, her lips pursed. Then her gaze slid back to Daniel and something in it softened slightly. Addressing him directly, she said, “If at any point you wish to come home, our door is always open to you. You’ve proven your mettle tonight. Once this—” She gestured at the pack, before continuing, “is out of your system, we can be a family again.”

With that, she turned to her husband and her other son, ushering them away from us.

Daniel strode forward and bent down to snatch his journal from the ground. He stood again and tucked it under his arm.

“I renounce you,” he called out, his gaze locked on Carmellia’s retreating back.

She froze and then, very slowly, turned to face him. The expression on her face went wooden and blank with shock. Her lips parted and her eyebrows rose.

“No, son,” she said, shaking her head. “Don’t.”

“I’m no longer a Henbane,” Daniel said flatly. A crackle of magic filled the air around him, turning his words into a spell. “Your magic is your own and mine belongs to me. From this day forward, I’m Daniel of the Crescent Springs pack. I’m a warlock and a spellcaster, but I will never be your son again and I am no longer a Henbane. I renounce everything to do with you. You three aren’t my family anymore and you have no claim over me or my magic.” He shot his sister a fierce look. “The only one who does is Rowan.”

Total, shocked silence met his statement.

Then Daniel’s voice sharpened dangerously, his eyes reflecting the light of the moon, just like a wolf’s. “Don’t return here, Carmellia. Or the pack will kill you. And I’ll help them do it.”

The magic—a pulsing wave of golden light—flowed into his words, illuminating pale white threads between him and the other three Henbanes facing us. Then the threads broke and vanished into nothing.