Stealing the Alpha’s Heart

I was so incredibly grateful that Theo was home.

While I had handled myself relatively fine in battle, and I’d already been healed by Savvy, I was so incredibly happy to see him again. Comfort, relief, happiness—all the emotions hit me when we hugged, which served as a sharp counterpoint to the grief and anger that was racing through me.

“Can you tell me exactly what happened in the battle?” Theo asked, his voice so tender, so sweet as he stroked my face again. I never thought I was a particularly sappy person, but goodness, that simple touch made me want to melt and forget about the murderous witches trying to…well, do whatever it was that they were trying to do.

“Um, well, I got thrown around a bit with a couple of magical blasts. Got a fireball shoved into my side. It didn’t make it through all my layers of skin, but it did quite a bit of damage. I shifted back into a human, called you, then shifted back into my wolf form to continue the fight.” Saying it out loud made it feel so simple, like not much had happened, but the battle had felt like it lasted forever at the time. “They sent out some ice spikes, but I dodged all of those, then they hid in their stupid shield bubble.”

“And you weren’t able to get through that at all?”

I felt a tiny bit of pride flicker in my gut. “I almost did a couple of times. Managed to get my muzzle in, but couldn’t progress much farther than that.”

“Alright. Make sure to tell Savvy all this. If she couldn’t sense this earlier, it’s probably not a big deal.” I appreciated Theo trying to downplay things, but he forgot that I could sense as much through our bond as he could. I could feel him freaking out honestly a bit more than I was.

Maybe that should have made me panic, but it didn’t. Instead, it filled me with a certain sort of warmth at being so cared for. Really and truly cared for. “Yeah, it’s probably not a big deal,” I agreed, hoping and praying he was right.

“Hey, why don’t we go rest on the couch while we wait for the others to get here?” Theo suggested, his voice so incredibly sweet.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”

He led me into the living room and sat first, patting the couch next to me in encouragement to lie down. I did, resting my head in his lap as he ran his fingers through my hair.

Oh, that was nice. It really was. It was the quiet of the moment that did it for me, and the simplicity of it all. It wasn’t some extravagant date with surprises, flash mobs, and thousand-dollar bottles of wine. It was just me and him, and the affection we had for each other.

Yeah, I was pretty sure there was no denying it—I was falling in love with Theo. And it was more real, more visceral than I ever thought it could be. I felt silly wasting so much time on the shallow, almost schoolgirl sort of crush I’d had with Kaleb when I very much could have had the real thing with Theo.

Then again, maybe we’d needed that time apart to become the mature people we were. Well, relatively mature. If we’d gotten together in our late teenage years or college, we might have become exes, losing out on all the potential stretching out before us.

And I did indeed see potential. So much potential. I could imagine myself in the very same position on my couch, but stomach distended with pups. I could see myself tending to his wounds after a fight. I could see us arguing about which Christmas lights were best and whose taste in beer was worse.

And it was just so lovely. Instead of being terrified of domesticity, I was excited about it. Maybe because it represented a future where I didn’t have the stress of a mysterious sect hunting down those I loved, or maybe I was learning and growing as well.

Who knew. At the moment, I wasn’t concerned with solving that particular rhythm. I had plenty else to do. Even if that something else was lying contentedly on my couch, trying not to think about the strange circle surrounding my pack mark.

Theo and I didn’t talk much while we waited for others to arrive, and despite everything, I found my eyelids fluttering as I fought sleep. Thankfully, Mahlan arrived before I completely passed out, and I sat up as Theo hurried to let him in.

“Are you alright?” Lyssa blurted before she was even fully in the door, rushing over to me and throwing her arms around my shoulders. “My God, I was so worried about you!”

“I’m fine so far,” I said, hugging her right back. It felt good to embrace my friend. I probably should have right after battle, but we’d both been somewhat out of it. Adrenaline and anger could do that to a person.

“You’re not in any pain? You don’t feel weird?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m worn out from the fight, kinda jaggy, but otherwise alright, all things considered.”

“Well that’s good at least.” She settled herself beside me, leaning on my shoulder. As for my brother, he approached and sat on my other side, setting his broad arm across my shoulder.

“You don’t have to pretend for us if you’re hurting,” he said with that oh-so-serious voice of his that he used whenever he was trying to be grown up. I appreciated it, though, as much as I liked to tease him about it.

“I promise, I’m not. That’s the best way to help the witches get the jump on us. But right now, I don’t feel drained, cursed, tethered, or anything like that.”

“That’s good,” he said with a nod. “You’ve always been a bit sensitive to energies. If anyone would sense they were being cursed, it would be you.”

“Why, thank you. And to think you used to call me a drama queen when we were teens.”

“You were a drama queen. You’re just a drama queen with a strong perception of malevolent forces.”

I huffed a laugh. “Okay, fair.”

The mood lifted a bit with that, especially when Theo joined us on the cushy couch. Some people might find it weird for four adults to lounge together on a single, overstuffed piece of furniture, but most wolves enjoyed close physical contact with their pack mates. It wasn’t anything s****l, or at least it didn’t have to be s****l. It was a comfort and socialization thing, filling our bodies with all sorts of warm and fuzzy bonding chemicals that made us better fighters, protectors, and family members.

Savannah arrived not too much later, dressed in scrubs, which was definitely a different outfit than when I’d last seen her. That was when I realized that she’d shown up to my shop in her pajamas, not an actual outfit. Right, I’d forgotten just how early it had been considering that our Alma usually stayed up all night for emergencies. Huh, she really was doing an excellent job. I should get her like…a gift basket or something. Was that an appropriate gift for an Alma? Maybe I should ask my parents.

“How is she?” Savvy asked, her guards posting themselves outside as Theo shut the door behind her.

“I’m fine,” I answered, holding out my arm. “This is just the limb in question.”

“Huh,” was her simple reply as she crossed over to me, pulling the ottoman close so she could plop down right in front of me and take my wrist in hand. She turned it this way and that, examining it while the rest of us waited with bated breath. “I’m not getting any feeling from it. Let me see if it reacts with anything.”

Reaching into the bag she’d set on the ground beside her, she started rifling through it. Finally, she pulled out three small vials filled with different powders.

“Okay, this first one is going to sting.”

I nodded, watching as she took out a tiny metal pole almost like a chopstick, but the very end of it was flat. She scooped a tiny amount of the purple powder out and spread it over a part of the circle.

“Ow!” I hissed, clenching my fist. She wasn’t kidding about the sting. It hurt. It felt like I’d dumped boiling grease on just that tiny section of my skin.

“I know, I know. Just hold on. It’ll only be a couple more minutes.”

I waited, my leg bouncing, and after nearly half a minute, she finally wiped it away with a damp cloth. And goodness, that felt like heaven as it swept across my skin.

“Sorry about that, but you did excellently.”

“Thanks,” I gasped. “Hopefully that was the worst of it?”

“Yeah, I wanted to get the worst part out of the way.”

“I get that logic.”

The next two powders indeed went a lot easier, with only one of them itching a bit. But when she was done with that, she pulled out a small jar of sticky goo and spread it over my bonding brand. It was gross, frankly, but it didn’t hurt, so I didn’t complain. I just let her bow her head and rest her hand over it, chanting something in a language I didn’t understand.

I supposed I didn’t quite get Almas. I knew what they were in a literal sense, but I didn’t exactly know or understand how they came to be. They couldn’t shift, but they were usually born of shifters. They had magic, but they weren’t witches. All their magic seemed specifically geared towards helping wolf shifters. There had to be a story to how all that started. Maybe one day, I would ask her. When I wasn’t possibly cursed by an untraceable magic, however.

Maybe fifteen minutes passed, maybe twenty, before Savvy sat back with a huff. “I’m sorry, I’m not sensing anything out of it. Not even a magical signature. If I didn’t know better, I would say this is an old scar.”

“Well, it definitely isn’t,” I said, deflating. Strangely enough, hearing that it was nothing made everything so much worse. Because it obviously wasn’t nothing, so it was yet another mystery to add on top of the stack of mysteries plaguing my life.

Great.

“I know. But I’m certain you’ll need a witch to figure out whatever this is.”

I looked to Theo. “Did Sam give an ETA?”

“No, but he should be here any minute. Your shop isn’t that far away.”

“I hope something didn’t happen to him…” Lyssa said, chewing on her fingernails. I didn’t quite have the full story on the two of them, but I knew that Sam was one of the few good things that happened to her right after her family had abandoned her, and that losing him again would not go well for her.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” I urged, patting her shoulder with my free hand. “He probably stopped for coffee.”

“At this hour?”

As if fate herself was listening, there was a knock on the door before it opened. Theo jumped up, but I wasn’t worried. With the number of guards we had outside, there was no way someone was going to just knock and waltz in unless they were an ally.

“Someone ordered a green witch?” Sam said, doing a dramatic spin before taking a long sip of his comically oversized iced coffee.

“Told ya so,” I said, sticking my tongue out at Lyssa. She just rolled my eyes, but she laughed. I did like making her laugh.

“Told her what?” Sam said, striding over to me.

“That you were taking a while because you were probably getting coffee.”

Sam sent Lyssa a mock-affronted look. “You truly doubted my coffee addiction? And I thought we were friends.”

“Sam, it’s past seven pm.”

He just batted his ridiculously long lashes. Why did guys always have the thickest, fullest lashes without a drop of mascara? It was entirely unfair, and when the whole witch business was done, maybe I would see if there was a spell for making mine naturally like that. “And your point is?”

“Right. How silly of me.”

“Word to the wise, Missy Lissy, never bet against iced coffee.”

I could tell that his frivolous mood was getting to Theo, but I enjoyed it. It made the whole situation seem far less serious.

“So, where’s this mark I’m supposed to see.”

I lifted my arm that was still in Savvy’s lap. Although she was wiping it between each round, it was still vaguely shiny and sticky. Not exactly the best sensation. “Tada.”

“Alright, if you don’t mind handing over the reins, I’ll check this out.”

Savvy got up, allowing Sam to take her place, and he gingerly held my arm in one of his large, capable hands. I felt safe with him, too, which was about the last thing I expected to feel about a witch at the moment. Goodness, I was going to need some therapy once everything was said and done, and I could trust that my therapist wasn’t going to secretly try to gank me to get to my pack. Or traffic me. Or whatever it was they were doing.

“Hmmm,” Sam murmured, bending over so his face was right over it.

“You know, that’s the same thing I said,” Savvy joked nervously. I liked that she was trying to lighten the mood along with every else, but I couldn’t help but feel that she was a bit worried that she failed me. I was definitely going to need to take some time later to assure her that she was fine. But first, I had to let Sam do whatever it was he needed to do.

“So I’m gonna push some of my magic into this,” he said after a few minutes. “It’ll probably feel a little uncomfortable, but it should only last a moment or two.”

“Thanks for warning me.”

He gave me a soft smile before I felt something seep into me. It was almost like cold, oily vines crawling over my skin and melting into it, but also entirely invisible. It was creepy, and if it were anybody other than Sam, I would probably sock them in the face and demand that Savvy get whatever it was out of me.

The vines went deeper. Not painful, but certainly not pleasant, either. It was just entirely alien, and I did my best to ignore it. Thankfully, it didn’t last overly long, with only a thin line of sweat beading my forehead. But the serious expression on Sam’s face certainly didn’t make me feel better.

“Is it bad?” I asked, dread filling me as my throat tightened.

“Not bad per se,” he answered, and I could tell he was choosing his words carefully, which did not make me feel better. “But I know what it is.”

“You do?” Theo asked, leaning forward so much, I was surprised he didn’t topple off the couch.

“Yeah, it’s a tracker.”

“A tracker?” I echoed. “Like a GPS?”

“Sorta. It’s similar to what they were using on the moonstones to pick off pack members who were on their own and vulnerable.”

“Why would they do that to me?” I asked, staring at my wrist in horror. Of all the things I had been imagining, that might have been the worst. If only because I was potentially endangering every single member of my pack.

“I imagine they’re desperate after we stole our moonstone back and they haven’t been able to reclaim them.” He shook his head. His demeanor certainly wasn’t making me feel better about the situation. “This is bad. Really bad. I can’t remove it.”

“What do you mean you can’t remove it?” Mahlan snapped, suddenly on his feet.

“Didn’t know that needed an explanation, but I mean I can’t remove it. Magic of this level needs someone far more skilled than me, or the caster themselves. Or to cut Emma’s entire arm off.”

Wait, what?! Not my arm! I needed that! And while I had incredible regenerative abilities, I wasn’t a lizard shifter. I wouldn’t regenerate a whole limb, even hopped up on Savvy’s healing.

“We’re not cutting your arm off,” Theo assured me before a very particular iciness seeped into his tone. “Sam, are you sure you can’t break it? Or sort of…jam the signal?”

“It isn’t a radio, my wolf man. It’s a complicated spell tying that witch’s magic to the magic of Emma’s inner wolf. There’s no jamming it, or confusing it, or anything like that.”

Dozens upon dozens of terrible situations popped in my head, and I wanted to cry. Somehow, I managed to keep myself together enough to get my words out. “Do…do I need to be exiled? Or, uh, or…” I drew in a shuddering breath. “Do we need to kill me?”

“WHAT?!” That was Theo, and I didn’t think I’d ever heard him sound so alarmed. Mahlan was just a step behind him while Lyssa just let out a soft gasp.

“No, nobody is dying,” Theo snapped, getting up to pace back and forth. That sinking feeling in my stomach only grew. What kind of mess had I gotten myself into?

“We’re not going to execute or exile you,” Mahlan said, giving me a comforting squeeze. “You’re my sister, Emma, and a loved member of our pack.”

“Besides…” Lyssa murmured, her voice sounding thick with stress. “The thing is, they’ve been watching you already and know your schedule fairly well. So really, can’t we just double your guard and make sure you stay away from other pack functions for a while? I know you being tracked isn’t ideal, but it’s not the end of the world.”

That seemed to calm Theo and Mahlan down. I supposed that she had a point. They seemed to be able to track me pretty well without magic so…was it even a big deal? Maybe I didn’t need to panic so hard.

“Actually,” Lyssa continued. “Since it’s the witch’s unique magic tied to Emma’s, couldn’t you kinda use it to track her like we hunted down Sarah?” I still heard her voice crack slightly when she mentioned her friend who had betrayed her. I’d do it again to save Lyssa’s life, but I remembered in the moment that she would be angry at me for ripping out the throat of her friend. I would always be immensely grateful that she seemed to understand, even if it was quite traumatic for her to watch her friend bleed out in her kitchen.

“That’s…that’s actually an idea,” Sam answered. “Don’t get me wrong—I need to do a lot of prep and cast one hell of a protection spell and a cloaking spell—but that bitch might have unintentionally handed us the keys to the kingdom!”

I heaved a sigh of relief that something could come out of all the chaos.

“Then get right on that,” Theo said, as determined as ever. I admired that about him, but it was pretty clear that nothing would be solved in one night. “The sooner we strike, the better.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, my furry friend. I can’t just pull this shit out of my back pocket. I need to prepare, gather ingredients, and most importantly, rest. I’ve been on the road with you for way longer than I should, and I can tell my plants at home are feeling it.”

“What do you plants at home have to do with anything?”

Sam narrowed his gaze at Theo in a reproachful look. “Apparently I need to remind you that I am a green witch. I need to be around plants to refuel myself and grow my magic. And that bonus works even better with plants I have bonds with. So yeah, if you want me to cast two complicated spells right on top of each other and track a homicidal kidnapping witch from a homicidal kidnapping witch circle possibly led by two maniac brothers, I need to go home and spend some time with my foliage crew.”

Theo grumbled, but Mahlan just reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, handing a couple hundred over to Sam.

“Do whatever it is you need to do.”

“I most certainly will,” Sam said with a wink, taking the money. But as he stood to leave, he paused. “Hey, I know I joke around a lot, but I want all of you to know I’m taking this seriously. I won’t let anything happen to Lyssa, Emma, or any of you, really.”

“I know,” I answered, standing to hug him. It wasn’t the best news, but goodness, I was relieved that maybe, just maybe, my cloud could have a silver lining. “Thank you, for everything.”

“Of course. Y’all are basically family now, so you’re stuck with me.”

He left, but Theo was still pacing. I could feel his anxiety and anger spilling through our bond. I wished I could comfort him, but I wasn’t sure if he was ready for that yet.

“Mahlan, can you call in the emergency reserves for tonight? Tomorrow I’ll rearrange the shifts to accommodate for a double guard. I also recommend adding two more to Savannah’s home.”

“I would appreciate that,” Savvy said, also standing. “I know that Almas are generally off limits, but considering that these brothers killed Lyssa’s mother outright, I am worried they might try to use me to get to the rest of you.”

I nodded. That made sense considering that Savvy’s position tied her personal magic to each of us. Powerful stuff. It was easy to imagine them being able to somehow use her b***d or her spirit to channel whatever they had been using the moonstone for.

There was a little more arranging before goodbyes were had, with Lyssa hugging me for a solid five minutes at the door before letting Mahlan escort her out. When everyone was gone and our guards posted outside, I shut the door. And yeah, maybe I slid all five locks closed. Would they stop a determined witch? No. But they made me feel better.

“You’re gonna wear a hole in the floor,” I tried to joke with Theo. But when he turned to me, I only saw pain written across his features.

“I’ve failed you,” was all he said.

Oh no, that would not do.

“That’s not true,” I said, rushing to him and pulling him into a tight embrace. “We’re all doing the best we can. These are unprecedented times.”

He held to me just as tightly, and despite everything that was happening, I still felt so incredibly safe in his embrace.

“It doesn’t feel that way to me. I’m supposed to be protecting you, but I let you come to harm again.”

“There was nothing you could have done. You needed to go with my brother to Lyssa’s family. There’s more at play than just me, and you can’t be everywhere at once.”

He looked at me, and goodness, the expression in his eyes took my breath away. “For you, I would.”

I knew that the day had been long, and I was completely emotionally fried, but I was swept away in all of my fondness, my sheer affection for my mate. I pushed onto my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his.

It was just a simple k**s at first, but all of my passion quickly poured into it. I felt it ricochet around the bond I had with Theo, ramping up my own emotions. I was entirely prepared for him to push me away and tell me it wasn’t the right time, but he didn’t. Not at all. Instead, he held me to him like he was afraid I would vanish into smoke right in front of him, his mouth dominating mine.

If I was breathless before, I was nearly combusting as our mouths moved against each other. All the frustration, all the exhaustion, fear, battle l**t, and everything else combined inside me, then was funneled through a lens of passion, leaving me filled to the brim with desire. With want.

When we eventually broke apart, both of us were breathing hard. Theo’s pupils were so blown out, his eyes might have been black. I loved the hungry way he looked at me. Like he wanted to sink his teeth into me and taste everything I had to offer.

But hey, I was willing to give it.

“Come with me,” I murmured, sliding my hand into his.

He didn’t say anything, but he followed me up the stairs and into my room. There was a feral sort of energy to him that crackled behind my back the entire time, but I loved it. It made every emotion zinging through me that much more intense.

When we reached my room, I maneuvered him in front of the bed, then kissed him again, nipping at his bottom l*p. He responded by gripping my waist tighter. If I was a human, I would have bruises there tomorrow. But as a shifter, I would have to cherish them for whatever short time they were there before my body erased them.

The k**s was wild, our hands roving over each other, my b***d rushing in my veins. I was getting drunk on my own arousal, but it was a welcome change from all the negative feelings I’d been swamped with. I let myself drink it in, drown in it, and it wasn’t until I was nearly dizzy with our combined heat that I finally pulled away.

“You don’t have to,” Theo breathed, because of course he did. He was always looking out for me. While some guys would take what I was offering up without asking a single question, the first thing he wanted to know was that I was okay. That I was doing everything of my own free will and not out of some strange compulsion or obligation.

And that was one of the many reasons why I was pretty sure I was in love with him.

“I want to,” I answered simply before pressing on his ch3st. He let me, falling backward into a sitting position. Every nerve in my body was lit up with delight, my mouth practically salivating at what I was about to do.

He affixed me with the slightest smirk that absolutely drenched my panties. If he wasn’t careful, I was going to need a rubber mat and a mop.

“As you wish.”