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“Do you know who I am?”

I look around at the absurd display of wealth. “Alpha of somewhere, I imagine.”

“Mountain Creek,” he supplies. “For now, you can call me Gage.”

He rises, and I shrink away. It doesn’t matter much with my wrists bound. He grabs my upper arm and hauls me to my feet. I resist, but it doesn’t matter. He bodily turns me around and pushes up the fabric of my sweatshirt, exposing my back. “Let me see it.”

There’s only one wolf who would be interested in that.

“You’re the one who attacked me.” A sick feeling snakes through my gut.

Kian had gone to meet with him—the alpha of the pack whose territory he drove me onto. But while I assumed it had been resolved, I’m now confident that wasn’t the case. How long has he been stalking me?

And is it really about me, or just taking one of Kian’s toys?

Now, at least, I’m a little more sure that Kian won’t abandon me. His pride wouldn’t let another alpha steal his witch.

His witch.

That’s where I’m wrong, I fear. I don’t belong to Kian, and he would agree with me.

“My marks are gone.” Gage grunts, answering my last question in part. He releases my sweatshirt. “Did my cousin heal you?”

“No.” I let out a breath and face Gage.

The memory of Kian’s hand pressed against my skin, his magic slipping under my skin, is so visceral I can almost feel his hot palm there now.

“Not even a little,” I lie.

His gaze flicks over me again. “I notice you’re missing an amulet.”

I lift my hand to my throat.

It’s true—I had searched for the necklace at the coven house, but it had vanished. The protection stone my mother gave me was nowhere to be found.

“I’ve been looking into that mysterious power of yours,” he continues. “The one that let you seem to disappear without a trace from right under my nose.”

I don’t reply, but it doesn’t seem to matter. He’s just talking to hear his own voice. To stoke fear in me over my future. I close my eyes and consider my past. The last few weeks of pain and uncertainty. Of losing my mother. I focus on that specific, sharp pain, and use it to ground myself. To keep my heartbeat steady, my breathing even.

I’m not skilled in tricking wolf shifters.

Up until Kian, I had never met a wolf in his human form.

“Turns out, there are some protection spells that will do that.” Gage eyes me. “Is that what happened, witch? Did you rely on a stone to get away?”

Maybe.

Maybe.

That would make sense, wouldn’t it? My mother’s magic infused in the stone, some sort of last-ditch effort to keep me safe. Extra power infused in the stone with love. It would explain how I’m capable of such a thing, even without her with me.

The high doses of power Kian tasted could’ve come from her, and the stone, and it had nothing to do with me at all.

That’s more believable, especially as I search for the well of magic inside me and find just a trickle of power. Nothing compared to what I would need to do half the things Kian wants.

I suppress my laughter.

Everyone thinks I’m so fucking powerful, but I’ve never been weaker.