Chapter 365

I leaned in. “How much do you all know about magic?”

Rick leaned back in his chair and laughed. “Like charms, voodoo, and Hollywood CGI?”

“Magic isn’t real, Amy,” Ternen smirked and shook his head.

But Alannah was quiet. She leaned in and looked at me. “There are witches that live in the woods near my old pack. They are real, and if you cross them, they will come after your family.” She looked away. “But the witches worked with our pack, and they saved us more times than I could count.”

“Really? Then what happened to your pack?” I sat back. But I held up my hand before she answered.

“Hi y’all. I’m Stephanie, your server. Can I get you started with something to drink?” She went around and got our drink orders, then she left us alone. I turned back to Alannah and nodded.

“Our alpha’s son seduced the priestess’s daughter and then found his mate. It wouldn’t have been an issue, but the priestess’s daughter ended up pregnant.”

“Oh, no.” The server dropped off our drinks and took our orders, then left us alone again.

Alannah took a sip of her drink. “Even that would have been fine. The witches would have understood. They were just happy for a child, but the alpha son’s mate refused to accept it, even if the witch’s babe would never be seen in the pack.”

I slapped my hand over my mouth because I knew what was going to happen. “No.”

She nodded. “The mate snuck into the coven and killed the daughter and her babe. The priestess, she was broken, but still, she did not attack us.”

Rick leaned in, completely caught in the story. “I’m confused. I know your pack was wiped out.”

Alannah nodded. “We were. I escaped because of one simple fact.”

“That is?” Ternen wrapped his hand around Alannah’s.

“I was close friends with the witch’s daughter. When the rogues came and attacked, the witches came and watched. The alpha begged for their help, but the priestess shook her head. She said she refused to save the murderer of her child and grandchild.”

She shook in her seat. “She gave us one shot. She said she would save us if we pushed out the girl. But the alpha’s son refused, and they were left to fight for their lives. I ran, and the witch saw me. She called me to her side and then brought me to the next pack, Vince’s.”

“Witches are… real?” Ternen looked at his mate, and we both just nodded.

“Very much so,” I agreed. Then I turned to Rick. He was staring at Alannah.

“The woman that dropped you outside my house….”

Alannah nodded. “She made sure I was somewhere she thought I would be safe.” Ternen snorted.

“She picked the wrong pack for safety.”

Alannah looked up at me. “I don’t know, Ternen, I think we are right where we needed to be.”

I smiled at her and grabbed her free hand. “You are.”

Rick looked at us. “Why did you bring up magic?”

“Because my family, my father, is descended from a witch.” I snapped my fingers, and a flame jumped to my finger. I watched it dance along my hand, and then I pulled Alannah’s hand toward me and placed the flame in her palm. “And I have magic.”

Everyone was glued to the flame. It danced in Alannah’s hand, changing color, and never burning her. I snapped my fingers, and it disappeared right as the server came up with our meals. “Holy goddess,” Alannah took a long drink from her glass. “Why are you telling us?”

“That’s a fantastic question.” I took a drink of my own and cut into my steak. “I could go into detail about my life, my power, and what is happening. But we only have lunch, so let me hit the highlights.”

Rick nodded. “Sure.”

“Vince is almost definitely involved with the extermination of the lycans. He is also believed to be the driving force behind the eradication of the packs that were attacked by rogues. There is a group of wolves believed to be working with the rogues. Some go so far as to say that the enormous pack of rogues that conveniently live in the haunted caves by my father’s pack isn’t actually rogues at all, but men and women that left the packs of the alphas involved to work behind the scenes.”

“What?” Ternen furrowed his brow. “Are you saying that certain alphas... How?”

I nodded. “It’s believed that the alphas got together behind the king’s back and selected men devoted to them, asked them to leave the pack, to become rogue, and then work together to bring down other packs.”

“Why would they do that?” Alannah asked.

Rick gripped his knife tightly as he wiped his mouth. “Because what happens to the wolves left over? What happens to their stockpiles of goods… their money?”