The Unwanted Wolf

ADIRA

“Before I start getting ready, do I have a few minutes to talk to Ginger?” I knew Rie was eager to have me get ready, but I still had the bottle of Cain’s magic in my hand, and I needed to talk to her about it. It didn’t feel like something that should wait.

“Is this about what happened last night?” Rie’s face fell. I’m sure Mason told her all about it. Mason was the head warrior in the Alpha Pack after all. All of the warriors reported to him, and I knew there were no secrets between Rie and Mason.

I nodded slowly, biting my l*p. “Yeah, there’s just something important I need to ask her.”

“Did that bastard visit you before he escaped?” Rie was turning red at the thought. She had zero tolerance for Cain due to the danger he put me and the baby in.

“Yeah. He left me a gift.” I held the bottle firm in my hand, as if it would just disappear if I let go of it.

“Whatever the gift is, throw it out. You don’t need it. You don’t need anything from him.” Rie was seething at the thought, and I didn’t blame her. If it was anything else, I wouldn’t hesitate to get rid of it. But Cain’s magic could make a difference with threatening the Council of Magic.

“It’s not that easy, Rie. I’ll explain it to you and Ginger at the same time. Come on.”

I walked out of the room, still in my pajamas. I wasn’t worried about my attire, especially because I knew I would just be changing again for the ceremony tonight. Ginger’s room was on the third floor of the pack house, but it was still a short walk to her door. I knocked as soon as we reached her room.

“Come in, girl.”

The door swung open on it’s own, and Ginger was reading a book in a chair in the corner of her room. She held up her finger as Rie and I entered the door. She finished the page she was reading before setting the book down.

“Sorry. Daniel has me reading all of these books. They’re quite good, but don’t tell him that.” Ginger chuckled to herself and then motioned for us to sit on the bed.

I sat down, and Rie sat next to me. “Did you hear about what happened last night?”

“Yes. I’ve been waiting for you to come here, girl. I didn’t realize he could get out of his restraints so easily. I would’ve said something. I thought the belladonna would have suppressed his powers, though. It did feel like they were suppressed. Impressive man. Terrible, but impressive. Might as well not have used the belladonna. I hate that stuff, anyway. But I suppose this situation did call for it. He did kidnap you and keep you against your will.”

“Ginger,” I interrupted. She was going down a spiral and almost sounded like Daniel for a moment with how much she was talking. Those two really were spending a lot of time together. “That’s not why I came to you. I don’t blame you for him escaping. I think Freya helped him escape, too. It’s too coincidental that he escaped the same night she visited him.”

Ginger c****d her head to the side. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. You are awfully forgiving. After everything that happened, I would have-”

I cut Ginger off before she could spiral again. “Ginger. Cain left me something.” I held my hand out to her and opened my fingers.

Ginger’s eyes went wide the moment she saw the small bottle. “Is that what I think it is?”

I nodded. “I think so.”

“What is it? Adira, you still haven’t told me what Cain left you,” Rie complained.

“Cain gave me his powers, or so he said,” I explained. “He came to me when I was sleeping, and he said he and Freya were running away together to get the second chance they were desperate for. He wanted to leave me his powers to make up for everything he had done.”

Rie stared at me, slack-jawed. “No way. He gave you his magic? Is that something sorcerers can do?”

I looked at Ginger for the answer. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you. When I touch this little bottle, I can feel Cain’s magic. I know Theron was convinced there was a way to take my powers from me, which is why he kept me alive when he kidnapped me.”

Rie scoffed. “Right, that piece of work took you too. Your family has a lot of nerve.”

“As far as I’m concerned, they are not family. You guys are my family. Mark is my family. They are not.” I gripped my thigh as I spoke, digging my nails into my sensitive flesh. I took a deep breath and let go of my skin. “Anyway, I wanted to ask Ginger if this really is his magic, and if it would be safe to absorb it.”

Ginger held out her hand. “Let me take a closer look.”

I handed her the small bottle. Ginger twisted the bottle in her fingers as she inspected it. To the naked eye, it looked like a completely normal bottle. It was a few inches long, and it had a simple cork seal on it. If you could sense magic, the bottle looked completely different. It looked like a small glass case that was bursting at the seams with power. It seemed like it could crack at any moment from the sheer amount of power.

“I don’t sense any evil intent in this magic,” Ginger finally said. “Now, I don’t know how it would affect you or that baby if you suddenly took on this magic, though. I think we should study it more before you make a decision.”

“Why would you risk it at all?” Rie asked. “He could have poisoned it or something.”

I put my hand on Rie’s thigh and looked at her. “That’s why I didn’t rush to do anything. But if we are going to get the Council of Magic to back off, I need to explore this opportunity. Cain was clearly a really strong sorcerer, so with his magic, I might be able to back up a threat.”

“He was powerful,” Ginger said. “But what I’m worried about is he has had his entire life to train his body to handle that magic. You can barely handle your own. If you just get a jolt of power, it could hurt you.”

I looked at the bottle, knowing Ginger was right. I couldn’t risk harm to the baby until I knew more. We had time before the council came after us anyway.

–

MARK

I was on edge after last night. When I heard Cain escaped, I almost had a heart attack. I was terrified Cain was coming after Adira. When we couldn’t find him after we knew he was gone, it was both a relief and absolutely terrifying. At least when Cain was in custody, I felt like I was in control. Now, he could come back for Adira at any point and try to take her from me. Adira assured me he wouldn’t do that, but she didn’t seem completely convinced of it, either.

“Hey, try to lighten up today. You’re officially get your luna today,” Scythe said. “I know Cain disappearing was a scare, but there seems to constantly be a threat. We can’t just stop everything we are doing because of these things happening. We have warriors looking for him still, but he seems to be long gone.”

I thought about Cain and Freya making out, and it made me shiver. That was something I never wanted to imagine again. “Yeah, hopefully they never come back. I guess I feel a little better knowing Freya ran away with Cain.”

Scythe scoffed. “She was an awful woman. Those two deserve each other.”

“And Adira deserves better.” It infuriated me that someone could look at Adira and not want everything to do with her. Once you get past her mixed scent, she was a delight, not that I ever questioned my desire for my mate.

“She has you and us. She’ll be okay. She’s strong,” Scythe assured. “Now let’s get you into this suit.”

“I don’t understand why you and Rie insist on us getting ready hours before the actual ceremony.”

Scythe held up a few different ties to my neck before finally picking one. “Because we want tonight to be perfect. You and Adira have gone through too much, and you deserve a night to be happy.”

“It’s not like we are getting married. It’s her luna ceremony. Tonight is about her, not me.” I couldn’t wait for Adira to be the official luna of the group. She was the unofficial already. Everyone looked at her like a luna, and it made my heart swell with pride.

“When are you going to propose to her, by the way?” Scythe asked casually.

My eyes went wide at his statement, and I found myself avoiding eye contact. “Talk about an interrogation.”

Scythe’s mouth dropped open. “You already have the ring, don’t you?”