The Unwanted Wolf

ADIRA

The car ride to our destination was quiet. The tension was running high as we made our way to the area I sensed Xavier in. I wasn’t sure where he was exactly, but I was able to reach out and sense his magic, narrowing the location down more and more as we got closer. The only problem with this was that the more I reached out to him, the more I could feel Xavier reaching back out to me. He was sensing me in return, so I knew he knew we were coming.

It made my body shiver every time he reached out to me. I could feel his dark magic slithering through me, trying to pull me and feel where I was.

I don’t like this. Moon’s voice echoed in my head after my body shivered again. She could feel Xavier’s magic pulling at her as well, since she was the one linked to him. I had to take down the walls protecting my subconscious and Moon in order to search for his magic, which made both of us feel vulnerable.

I know, I said back to her. It’ll all be over soon. We will find him and end this. Then we’ll both be free of him.

Moon stopped responding, and I knew she was feeling on edge about this. Xavier had already almost killed us once, and I knew he wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

Mark reached over and put his hand on my thigh. He was driving the car while I was in the passenger seat, navigating to the best of my ability. “Are you doing okay?” The concern in his voice was obvious, even though I could tell he was trying to hide it.

“I’m okay. He keeps reaching out to me, and I don’t like the way it feels. I never want that man to touch me again.” Another shiver spasmed my body as if to emphasize my point.

“So he knows we are coming,” Mark noted. His eyes were hyper-focused on the road ahead. “That’ll make things more difficult.”

“I hope he doesn’t have time to prepare. We are getting closer. We should be there soon.” We were heading in the direction of my hometown, which made me worried. Xavier had been studying me for longer than I had realized, so I knew this couldn’t have been a coincidence that we were heading to the place I had grown up.

I decided to link Rie, who was in a separate car with Mason and Reyland. Rie, can you ask Reyland to check on Pack Lyna? Something feels off.

What do you mean? Rie linked back almost instantly.

We are heading towards my hometown, and I have a feeling Xavier knew we were going to come for him, I explained.

Rie took a moment to respond, and I found myself chewing my l*p as I waited for her to get back to me.

“What’s going on?” Mark asked as he glanced over at me.

“I just think something is weird. I can’t put a finger on what it is yet, but I think we should be prepared for something unexpected.” I grabbed his hand, feeling like I needed more contact from him to feel calmer. “I asked Rie to have Reyland check on his pack to see if they noticed anything weird.”

“It’s not too late to turn around,” Mark said.

I could feel his worry through our mate bond. He knew how difficult the last fight was, and I was sure the fact that I almost died was going through his mind. We didn’t have Cain to help us heal this time, either. We did have Doctor Zayla and more warriors with us. The numbers alone should be enough to take Xavier down. While he was powerful, werewolves were strong, too. We defeated Haley and Theron without any extra help, and Xavier should be weaker than the last time we saw him.

“We can’t. The longer we wait to face him, the more powerful he’ll grow as he gets more accustomed to this new body.” It was tempting to go home and hide, but that hadn’t worked for us so far, so I wasn’t willing to take that risk.

Reyland said there are no suspicious reports from his pack, Rie finally linked back.

Okay, thank you.

“Apparently, things seem normal in the town,” I said. We were on the outskirts of the town now, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of something being wrong. The closer we got, the worse the feeling became.

“Apparently, things seem normal in the town,” I said. We were on the outskirts of the town now, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of something being wrong. The closer we got, the worse the feeling became.

We started driving into town, and it felt like there was a rock in my stomach. We drove through the familiar streets, and everything looked normal, but I knew it wasn’t. I kept advising Mark when to turn on the small streets, and with one final turn, we stopped at a tall building. I knew this was where we would find Xavier.

Mark pulled into the parking lot of a large, worn-down hotel, and several cars followed after us. I got out of the car and stood in front of the looming building in front of us. There was no way this was a coincidence. Mark got out of the car after me and walked around to the other side of the car, taking my hand in his.

“This is where we first met,” Mark said.

I nodded. “I know. He had to have known that.”

“How?” Mark looked at me, and his face looked like it was made of stone. It was smooth and tight as he shoved down all of his worries and concerns. In that moment, I knew he was a warrior and alpha, ready to fight and protect his pack and mate.

“He was in Jori’s mind. He probably had access to his memories.” I didn’t like this feeling at all. This location was calculated carefully.

“Why?”

I looked at Mark, but I didn’t have an answer to that question. I didn’t know Xavier well enough to know how his mind worked. All I knew was he wanted to be powerful, and he didn’t care about other people, only himself. Why he would be hiding out here was a complete mystery to me.

The others started walking up to me, and Reyland was the first one to approach. He looked almost as confused as I was.

“This place has been abandoned for years,” Reyland said.

“Why did it shut down?” As far as I knew, the hotel was still up and running when I still lived here.

“They discovered there were structural issues, so they had to shut it down for safety reasons. They were supposed to renovate and fix it, but it was going to cost more than they thought it was worth,” Reyland explained. “I haven’t been here in years.”

I looked back, knowing it was time to go after Xavier. “All right everyone. Stay on your toes, and if you come across Xavier before me, don’t engage if possible. I’m the one he wants after all.”

Since the hotel was large, we broke off into three different groups to search the building. Mason led one group while Reyland led the other one. Darian had stayed back at our pack house with most of the warriors, just in case anyone threatened the rest of the pack while we were gone. In my group, we had Mark, Percy, Julian, and Hunter. Rie was with Mason with several warriors from Pack Lyna, and Scythe went with Reyland and his warriors to make sure the three groups could communicate with each other.

We entered the lobby of the hotel, and memories of boring pack meetings and parties came flooding into my mind. I had been too young to attend any of the meetings, and the parties were boring to a young girl who just wanted to run around with her friends. I had spent more time than I should have exploring the hotel during those events.

I led the group through the lobby and into the little courtyard outside. When I saw the fountain in the middle of the overgrown greenery, I smiled, remembering the night Mark and I had spent together when we met as children. I looked at him, and he was smiling as well.

In a way, this is where we began, I linked to Mark.

It was the night I fell in love with you for the first time, he linked back.

Things had changed tremendously since that night, but I was grateful Mark and I had found our way back to each other. If we weren’t fated to be with each other, then fate didn’t exist. Through all of the crazy circumstances and odds, we found our way back to each other again and again. I knew we would be able to get through this fight so we could have our happily ever after. We had to. It was fate.

When there were no signs of Xavier in the courtyard, I made my way to the ballroom where the dances had been held. As I approached the room, I had to stop from the sudden surge of magic I felt on the other side. I knew Xavier was waiting on the other side of the door for us. I turned to the others and gave them the signal. I decided to let them tell the others. I needed to focus on the fight ahead of us.

I took a deep breath and opened the door to the ballroom. It was dark inside, and dust fell off the top of the doorway as we entered. I looked around, grateful for my enhanced sight in the dark. In the middle of the room, there were two figures sitting in chairs. As I approached, I saw that Cain and Freya were sitting in the chairs, and they were tied at the feet and around the waist to keep them secure. There was something in their mouths keeping them from talking. Cain’s eyes were wide, and he was shaking his head, trying to tell me to stop.

I froze in place, trying to identify where Xavier was. I didn’t see him right away, but I could feel him. He emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room. He looked different, since he was no longer in Jori’s body, but his energy felt the same.

“It took you long enough to show up. I thought I was going to have to start sending pictures of your mommy and daddy tied up.” Xavier’s voice was deeper now, but it still held the same anger as before. He walked up to Freya and Cain and placed his hands on the backs of the chairs.

I gritted my teeth, frustrated that Xavier had gotten Cain and Freya involved. I was okay with never seeing them again, but now I was going to have to save their lives. I knew it was futile, but I said, “Let them go. They have nothing to do with this.”

Xavier chuckled. “Adira, my dear. I know you are smarter than that. We both know you came here with backup to ensure you would win this fight with ease. I had to ensure I had something I could use against you to get what I want.”

“You’re weak. You know you can’t win this fight. Why even bother?” I asked. I was hoping to intimidate him, but I could already tell it wasn’t working.

“Surely you feel that I’m not as weak as you think. I learned from my mistake last time. Werewolves don’t have any power for themselves, so it took me longer to adjust to that mut’s body. Plus, he fought me so hard. He didn’t want to hurt you, you know. He fought and fought, until I squished him like a little bug. This time I picked someone who already had magic, someone who wouldn’t bother fighting against.”

He stretched out his hands and took a deep breath. “It feels good to be in a body that is easy to control.”

“It doesn’t matter what you say or do. You’re not going to get me to just give into you,” I said. I had seriously underestimated him, but I wasn’t scared. I knew I could still handle what Xavier threw at me. I had defeated him before, and I was stronger and prepared for a fight this time. He wasn’t going to harm any of my friends or family.

With a deep breath, the magic inside of me ignited into a bright fire. I was ready to do whatever it took to keep everyone safe, and Xavier wouldn’t know what hit him.

“This is your last chance,” I warned. “Give up now, because you won’t be able to defeat me. I can promise you that much.”

Xavier smirked at me, pulling out a knife and pressing a knife to Freya’s throat. “Maybe you’ll defeat me, but are you willing to sacrifice people to do it?”