Page 5 of Her Wolf's Demands
A cheer rose up, the wolves saluting their former alpha. A few of them laughed and joked, their disapproval of their current alpha momentarily forgotten.
Although I raged, my hands shaking, I couldn’t help but admire the bond they shared. Witches had their coven, yes. However, it had always been about the magic. Wolves. They were loyal, bonded to one another the same way I was to my brother. It was a rare thing in our world.
As the memories were shared, a pang clenched my heart. I missed Drake. His goofy smile and his floppy hair. He was a true artiste, sullen and brooding while painting, but cheerful when he’d finished. They always said creative minds were susceptible to mental health problems due to their deep nature and complex imaginings.
I had believed, as a child, that the bravest people of all were the ones who ended up suffering from an illness of the mind. I still did. I admired my brother, and anyone else who endured an invisible disease.
“Yes, yes,” Malone said, “my father was good for the pack in many ways. However, let’s not forget what happened when the Crawley Pack attacked.”
My gaze snapped to the alpha as my mind was wrenched back to the present. I’d thought about Kieran and that day in the woods. Had he been trying to intimidate me in order to wind up Malone? Or had he been messing around? I didn’t know the way of werewolves when they were in their human form, let alone when they were a wolf.
The voices died down and the merriment fell away. The sombre mood dropped like a bomb, dispersing any remaining good feeling about Malone’s dad. Shit, it must have been bad.
“Exactly.” Opening his arms wide, Malone stood tall, commanding the whole space. “And this is why things have got to change. And I’m the alpha to do it.”
Chapter Two
My footsteps were as fast as my beating heart as we headed into the woods to check the boundary spell. Malone had finished his speech with an order to go to bed and accept that I was staying for now.
The pack had begrudgingly done as they were told, knowing that he wasn’t going to back down.
“That went well,” he muttered to Manual who had accompanied us.
Ignoring him, I wandered into the trees, digging out my phone. The pack had given me my old broken one and a new one, saying they’d cloned everything except the number. Apparently, Emiliah had insisted that I be allowed to contact my brother. I was indebted to her for showing me kindness.
Malone’s huff was loud as I dialled my brother, determined to hear his voice. I had missed him, and I needed to know that he was okay.
“Hello?” his croaky voice answered.
“Drake!” My throat almost closed as emotion squeezed it. “How are you?”
His yawn was a smooth balm, calming the anger that threatened to spill over. Malone was lucky I hadn’t kicked his arse already.
“Della, where have you been? Why haven’t you rung me?” His concern made me teary.
Turning away as Malone came closer, I pushed my fingers into the corner of my eyes to try and stop the tears from spilling over. My shaky breath would’ve been a giveaway, but I couldn’t help it. “I’ve been sorting everything out. It’s okay, you’re safe from the wolves.”
His sigh was long and loud. “I’m feeling a lot better,” he said, “although I’m not quite there yet. I’ve been painting a shit-ton to ease the paranoia.”
The tension in my body relaxed as I kicked the leaves and twigs underfoot. “I’m so pleased to hear that. I’ve missed you, bro. More than you’ll ever know.”
“I’ve missed you, too. Are you safe? Did they get you?”
I had to tread carefully. If he knew what had happened to me, he could easily take a step backwards. It was best to keep him in the dark until he was in a more stable place. “I’m fine. I’ve had a nice break and plan to get back to normality soon. I’ll come and see you.”
“Yes. It’s been weird not seeing you for so long.”
Another yawn reached my ear. Smiling to myself, I watched the tip of my white shoe as it got covered in dirt. “I know, I’m sorry. I’ll be with you in the next couple of days, I promise.”
A low scowl sounded behind me, making me look up. Malone watched me, his thick arms crossed over his even thicker chest. What? He couldn’t stop me from visiting my brother. If he tried, I would trap him in his cabin, keeping him prisoner until I returned. If I returned.
“I’ll let you get some sleep,” I said quietly, smiling into the phone. “Mushbrain Head Number One.”
He chuckled briefly before signing off.
When I’d found him one night, hiding in the cupboard under the stairs, he’d told me that he’d become a member of the Mushbrain Heads. I’d had no idea who they were, but I’d climbed in with him and insisted that I was Mushbrain Number One.
An argument had ensued with Drake claiming that I was in league with the enemy because they would want me to rule, not him. I’d allowed him to have the title instead, opting to be number two, his second in command.