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14
Spencer touched the rock and the stone sealing Star’s home moved. I’d seen Sheila and Alec do that, but they had been visiting Star regularly. “Wait, how did you know how to do that?” I looked over at Star. “Did you teach him that?”
“Nope, as far as I know, he’s the first to figure it out on his own. I taught Alec and Sheila when we started working together,” she said.
“Well? How did you figure it out? And how did you find us in the first place?” They were probably questions I should have asked before, but they wouldn’t have changed anything. Plus, I’d been distracted by Alec’s injuries, my mating bond, and the fact that my father was a royal. My mind had been a little preoccupied.
“I made a lot of friends with witches while I was living with the vampires. There wasn’t much to do, so I learned as much as I could. See this little mark here?” Spencer pointed to a divit in the stone that could have been anything. “The key to get in isn’t all that well hidden if you know what you’re looking for.”
“That just looks like a dent in the rock,” Malcom said.
“It’s too smooth and it’s a near perfect fit for an index finger.” Spencer walked through the entrance. Malcom and I followed. Once we were through, the rock rolled back into place.
“And here I thought I was clever. You better win this thing since my secret is out. I can’t live here anymore,” Star said.
“That doesn’t explain how you found us,” Malcom said.
“That should be obvious,” Spencer said. “We’re connected. I was in wolf form most of the time once I broke out. I felt you both any time you shifted. Though, I have to admit, I thought it was just one of you. The fact that you were together helped.”
“I told you your magic wore off,” I said to Malcom.
“Doesn’t matter much now, does it?” he replied.
“Good point,” I agreed.
“I thought I felt some lingering spells on you,” Star said. “I guess dabbling in magic runs in the family.”
“I learned my lesson,” I said.
We walked out of the cave into the woods. A chill ran down my spine as I recalled how badly things went last time I’d ventured out here. In the end, I was free of the mating bond. But getting there wasn’t easy.
“We just going to walk all the way to… wait, I have no idea where this house even is,” Malcom said.
“Eugene,” Spencer said. “Our family has properties all over the world, but he seems to like it there.”
“That’s close, right?” I was still a little fuzzy on where I was geographically. Another thing to add to my list for when this was all over. I was going to spend some serious time with a map to orient myself to the world.
“We’ll be there in about four hours,” Spencer said. “It’s the only reason we can pull this off in time.”
“I guess it’s good he likes it out here,” I said.
“It was our father, your grandfather’s, least favorite house,” Spencer said. “Growing up, we spent most of our time on the east coast. The packs there were very involved in the monarchy. I think he took up residence here to shut them out.”
“Sounds like a stand-up guy,” Malcom said.
“I only wish I’d have realized how dangerous he was sooner. If he hadn’t directly threatened my mate, I might still be playing his games.”
Spencer’s words struck a chord with me. The two of us weren’t really that different, after all. If not for Tyler, I’d have fled and hidden as a human for the rest of my life.
Instead, I had to fight more than I ever imagined. Not just to get out of the bond, but for myself. I wouldn’t have ever shifted. Maybe I’d have even gone insane with time.
A nagging feeling pulled in my gut. Desire for something I wanted my whole life and never saw happening on this large a scale. Power. All those years I tried to fight back, knowing I would fail, I dreamed of being able to simply defend myself.
It wasn’t just about defense. It was about claiming my right. As an alpha. As a royal. I just didn’t know it.
“I’m glad I didn’t sever my bond with you,” I said suddenly.
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” Spencer asked.
