Wolf Magic: A Fantasy of Werewolves and Witches in the Twilight (7 page)

She focused her thoughts on her quarry.
You could stop running and face death, she grumbled on the mental telepath used frequently between non-humans.

What a good game you
're offering me.  You would offer me better games if you would give in to your primal instincts.

Passing through large trees was difficult and in mid-flight, Selene sought the image of an owl in her mind.
  Changing and flying upward, she imagined a tree in front of Les. Too bad he lunged at the tree, bursting through it, sending splinters and branches everywhere as he continued running, laughed maniacally. Sprinting past thick underbrush, Les dove into a foxhole and disappeared

Fucker.
She spat the word.

An image of Les tsking her, waving a finger appeared in her head along with his silken voice.
That's not very ladylike.

Perching atop a branch above the foxhole, Selene changed back into a human, wearing jeans and a white poet
's shirt that opened up at the wrists. Her neckline was visible, the top low-cut enough to reveal plenty of cleavage.  She giggled. 
I do look hot if I do say so myself.

Raising a hand, she snapped a finger and dirt shot up just a few feet away from the foxhole.
She heard Les's laughter, an intrusion over her mind. She had to protect Marco. He was hers. She knew in her heart this was right. Had known it all along, but the knowledge she had wolf running in her veins made it clear. A man who would fight for her was worth fighting for.

Get out of my head,
she commanded, sending a red flame into the foxhole.

Les
's yelp alerted her to where he was hiding.

Selene sent another wave of fire into the hole.
Dirt and leaves scattered.

A rock whizzed past Selene
's head, nearly knocking her off balance. She gripped a thick tree branch to hold herself steady.

You can
't hide from me, Les.  I'm through playing.

Oh, but I
've just started.

He emerged from behind a tree, standing in all his glory.
A large fern hid his nudity from Selene, but she saw more than she needed to, until she looked over his carved chest and saw the thin trail of blood trickling down his smooth dark skin.

"
You didn't kill me," he extended his right hand, stepping toward her.

"
Stay right there."

"
But…" his solemn expression changed to a sad, empathetic look. To any other human he would be beautiful.  Selene knew he was a heartless shell of a wolf, at least for the moment.

Selene raised a hand.
"Stay away from me and mine, Les."

Les smirked.
"To kill me is to wage war on the Opeth pack."

"
To not kill you is to steal their peace. And mine."

The leaves to her left rustled, and out jumped a beautiful gray wolf with bloodstained fur and a menacing look in his eyes.

Les, leave her be.

Turning to look at the new wolf, Selene recognized him. Les threw his head back in laughter.

Marco, you don't have any idea what you're doing.

Selene, you are mine to protect now.  He is my enemy.  I will kill him.

"Stupid pup, I am your elder's brother. How dare you think you can challenge me?"

To Selene
's surprise, Marco sounded sure as though he'd been ten years older and gifted with the experience of a well trained hunter. This had to be a ruse.  Marco wasn't capable of fighting for her. He was too young.

A man appeared, his piercing gray eyes narrowed and focused on Les.
His face was cut with angry slashes and his beard had bloodstains matching Marco's.

Selene
's eyes widened, her jaw dropping just a little. Marco looked her way, and she swore she saw him smile.

"
Brother, it's time to go home. You had your fun." Elder Kiba's face looked sad and old. Cuts marred his body, his hair appeared disheveled and dried blood was all over his neck and arms. His eyes narrowed, crossed then focused on his brother and Marco.

Les lowered himself to the ground and changed shape, bones cracking and resetting into place as he became a wolf in front of them.
He snarled, his eyes hot on Selene. 
When Kiba dies, I will have this pack.
  He snarled loudly, barking in Selene's direction.

Kiba took a slow step forward, placing a hand on a nearby tree for balance. 
"Les," he extended a wrinkled hand.

"
I'm in the mood for war." Marco growled, ready to pounce.

Les darted toward
Selene but Marco sprang into the air, catching the other wolf by the throat.  Both rolled several yards before slamming into a tree. Marco came out on top, Les's neck still in his jaw.

You wouldn
't.

Marco snarled.
I would.  You attacked me, my lover, my pack.  You aren't worthy of living, Les.

You wouldn
't kill me in front of my brother.
Fear appeared in Les's eyes.

I wounded your brother pretty badly in order to find out just what the hell is going on with this stupid prophecy.  Don
't think I won't kill you in order to fulfill it.

"
Les, let's go home." Kiba's eyes narrowed, his voice tired.

I
'm through with your Promised Land lies, Kiba. And Les, you waged war on me.  I should tear your throat out now.

Fear was evident in Les
's eyes, eerily so in the lime green one.

Marco growled. 
I'm tired of being a pawn in the pack.
  He let Les free of his jaws but turned around and kicked him in the stomach.

Les grunted, whimpered.  His lime green eye opened all the way.
A loud noise was heard throughout the forest. Birds flew away, leaves rustled. Other animals fluttered about and disappeared, hiding in fear.

Les began to glow but Marco didn
't hesitate. He lunged at Les again, catching him and slamming him into the large tree behind them.
Don't try that shit on me, old man.
  Growling, he snapped at Les.

Les flinched, slamming his head hard into the tree.
He appeared human again.

"
Marco, get away from him. He's had enough." A female voice yelled from behind him.

Selene
's voice did nothing to distract Marco.
No.  I am not a puppy to be toyed with.  I forced Kiba to rescind the banishment and let me come home.  Now he must pay for mistreating me.  So must Les.  We are not a fair race, are we Kiba?
Marco snapped at Les again, nipping him across the forehead. A claw dug into Les's chest.

Les yelled in agony.  Out of the corner of his eye, Marco saw Kiba flinch.  Bastard.

Another claw slashed marks down Les' chest and into his stomach.

Les screamed.

Marco let the rage build inside him. He found his direction, found his sense of being in killing. 
I am going to thoroughly enjoy killing you, Les.

Selene look at Kiba, but his eyes revealed nothing.
The small frown on his face was barely noticeable, but she swore he wanted to protect his brother.  "Marco, stop! If you kill him, you won't fulfill your destiny as future ruler of the pack, Marco."

* * * *

Future what?
Marco wasn't sure he heard that right.
Did you say future ruler of the pack?

Something clicked in his head, and he turned to Les and cold-cocked him.

When had they both morphed to human form? Marco wasn't sure. He hadn't been keeping track – but he wasn't interested in Les any more.

Unconscious, he wasn
't a threat to Selene, and now Marco could get to more important business – like straightening out his life, getting to the root of the prophecy and getting his mate to admit ... well, that she was his mate.

"
What is this about me being a future ruler of the pack?"

"
You have a destiny as we all do, my son. Your reckless ways prevented you from fulfilling that destiny and made us distrust you."  Kiba wheezed and took a deep breath.

"
Yeah? So what? Is it necessary to play these damn games in order to fulfill prophecy?"

Selene sighed.
"Yes, Marco. Unfortunately, it is. I've hated playing these games since coming into my own power, but trials like this made me stronger.  Nobody likes it but it's part of what we have to accept if we're going to grow."

"
I'd like to grow with you, Selene."

She stepped forward, extending a hand out to him.
"Then embrace your role as future pack leader. You will be alpha."

"
I'm not sure I'm anywhere ready to being Alpha. Besides, they all need Alpha females and I'm without one, last I recall."

She turned to Kiba.
"Does he know yet?"

Kiba shook his head.
"No.  I have not told him."

Marco stared at Kiba, raising a finger to point at Kiba
's chest. "Told me what? What are you hiding you motherfucker?" Marco paused, giving thought to all the things that had occurred recently. He raised his head, catching the scent of the wind. Selene's scent was slightly different.

"
You're pregnant?"

She nodded.
"Yes, and I'd like us to raise our child together."

His heart did a flip.
"Excuse me? The other day you told me we were just fuck buddies."

She blushed.
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that Marco. You're a young pup, but it takes quite a commitment to be with someone and you offered that to me almost immediately."

"
My instincts told me you were my mate." He shrugged.

"
Our child has a place in this pack to help it fulfill the prophecy."

Marco heaved a sigh.
"Damn prophecy."

Selene coughed.
"Don't I know it.  I'm stuck with a baby and a younger lover."

Marco didn
't miss the humor in her voice. "He'll really help our starving pack?"

She nodded.
"Indeed."

"
But … I don't know what to do or say."

She cupped his chin in her hands, slender fingers stroking the five day shadow that had grown on his dark skin.
"You'll take your place as Alpha when the time comes?"

He nodded.
"If you're by my side."

Taking his hand in hers, Selene smiled.
"Always."

E
PILOGUE

Marco lay beside Selene under the covers of her bed, enjoying the scents of winter and cinnamon that wafted around them. Her hand lay in his, and their legs were entwined.

"
You're going to school," she nudged his neck.

Her soft lips stiffened his cock immediately, but his ears perked up. 
"School?"

"
Yes.  I want you to attend classes and get an MBA but the problem with that is the MBA is crap. So I'm planning out school for you to give you the necessary leadership skills you lack. Your heart is strong," she rubbed her foot along his calf.

Her toes slid up his leg and he shivered.
Hints of arousal drifted toward his nose.  "But I want to stay here with you and…" Two fingers pressed against his lips.

"
I know.  And I'm keeping you here." She let out a loud sigh. "I don't want to go back to Hungary but we have no choice.  Eventually we'll have to go.  You're going to be an elder, and until our next Alpha is chosen, which," she sighed again, "should be soon, you'll need to be learning all you can about things."

Marco groaned.  He
'd always hated formal education. "Is Lukina going into something like this?  She was supposed to become an elder as well, right?"

"
No," Selene's hand snaked up around his stomach.

Marco
's stomach tightened and his cock twitched.

"
She is destined to help the next Alpha."

"
Do we know who that is?" Marco felt her hand snake up his bare thigh.  Goose bumps popped up all over his skin.

She took hold of his cock.

He throbbed in her hands. "I do. And after next week, I'll be going to Houston to meet him."

"
And will I need to do anything?" Marco really didn't care anymore. She'd started pumping his cock. He groaned softly against her skin.

"
No.  Not for the pack. Just for me. Now let me fuck you and love you."

Marco nodded, rolling over onto her.
His cock brushed against her heat, his heart beat against hers. Her mouth was inches away.  Plump red lips, begging to be kissed. Her heart needed his and he felt it deep inside.

Finally, he had been found.