Veiled Spirits

“Do yourself a favor, Cain, and forget about me. Forget about the fucked-up mage that fate hated you enough to pair you with. Go find yourself a nice, normal wolf to have nice, normal babies with and live a nice, normal, safe life together. It’ll be better for you that way,” I finish as I turn back toward the portal.

Before I step through, Cain calls, “And where will you be while I’m living this normal life you dreamed up for me?”

I let out a humorless chuckle. “Dead,” I whisper, so quietly, I’m not sure they can understand me. Without waiting to see if they heard, I step through the portal.

CHAPTER 8

LUCA

“Well, that was a shit show,” Bishop mutters as he watches our little mate walk through the portal. He scrubs both of his hands over his face before closing the rip in space.

Even though she’s out of our sight, Izzy is burned into my memory. When I close my eyes, all I see is her delicate heart-shaped face, small button nose, and kissable pink lips. Her gray eyes are striking, in part because of the pain swimming in them. Even when she’s smiling, Izzy’s eyes are still drowning in heartache.

Her anguish kills me. She’s so young. There’s no reason she should be hurting so much. But I’m probably the last person she wants to open up to about it now.

How small Izzy is also triggers my protective instincts. Nightshade wolves tend to be tall and pack on more muscle. She’s almost a whole foot shorter than me and four inches shorter than most women in my pack.

Yet, even with her small stature, Izzy refused to back down. I could tell we scared her multiple times. She never cowered or ran, though. Izzy just tipped up her chin and wordlessly dared us to do our worst. That takes a hell of a lot of courage.

Archer laughs. “That’s one way to put it. Would it kill you not to be a prick, for once, Luca?”

I wince because he’s right. For the millionth time, I find myself wishing my parents were still here. My dads were always the charmers. They’d know exactly what I should say to get Izzy to forgive me and what I shouldn’t say going forward.

My mom would have loved Izzy’s fire. She’d have cackled at Izzy’s sarcastic remarks and given her tips on how to get under our skin even more. Mom would have been overjoyed at finally having a daughter to do girly stuff with. She’d love someone to share all the Nightshade family recipes with.

All four of them are missing out on so much. I sometimes wonder if all the good parts of me died that night. It never bothered me until I met Izzy.

The only thing I can say in my defense is, “She ran.”

“Yeah, dickhead, we know,” Cain grumbles. “How you acted just makes her want to keep running.”

I groan because he has a point. I certainly didn’t do myself any favors by being a dick to Izzy.

I’m surprised Cain gives a shit about me scaring her off. With everything he’s been through, I would’ve thought he’d be happy that we made a horrible first impression on her.

Most people would be shocked I let Cain and Archer talk to me like this. As the Nightshade Alpha, I have a merciless reputation. Outsiders think I rule our pack with an iron fist and don’t tolerate dissent.

While I’m not a pushover, I don’t rule the pack through fear. They’re my family. A good alpha listens to his pack and meets their needs. A weak alpha uses his pack to meet his own needs. I just have to hope my dads would be proud of how I’m leading our pack, because everything I do is for their sake.

After what happened to my parents, I realized the Nightshade Pack needed to be stronger to prevent anything like that from happening again. That’s why I’ve created the reputation I have. Although I’m not violent with my pack, I am with anyone who poses a threat to us. I’ve earned every inch of my murderous, cruel reputation. The things I’ve done to keep my family safe have tainted my soul. It’s worth it to protect everyone.

Shoving a hand through my hair, I try to think about how to fix the mess I made with Izzy. But first, I need to know something. “Did you know she was our mate, Bishop?” I growl at the mage.

He barks out a humorless laugh. “No, Luca, I didn’t. If I had, I sure as hell wouldn’t have introduced her to you like this. I actually want her to like you assholes.”

“I always wondered what made you ballsy enough to approach us in the first place, Bishop. Now I know,” Archer comments with a chuckle.

Two years ago, Bishop approached our pack about working for us. I was skeptical of him at first, but he’s been invaluable in protecting our pack. Without his spells, our pack would have been an easy target for our many enemies. His magic is also a massive help in running our businesses. The mage doesn’t shy away from dirty work.

At first, Bishop was a threat. Now, he’s as much a brother to me as Archer, just like Cain. Bishop’s proven his loyalty over and over again, and he’s repeatedly shown that he’s a good man. We’re lucky to have him on our side.

“I’d do anything for Izzy. The woman has no idea she holds my heart in the palm of her hand. She still encourages me to fuck other people,” he says while shaking his head.

My brows jump up in surprise. “Why?” That’s not normal mate behavior. Most mates are extremely jealous. I haven’t even known Izzy for a day, but I’ll kill anyone, other than her mates, who touches her.

Bishop sighs. “She thinks it’ll keep me safe.”

“Why would it keep you safe?” Cain interjects. He pushes his floppy onyx hair out of his eyes. It’s always getting in his way, but he refuses to cut it. Even though I know why, I still wish he was able to. The past still has such a hold on him. Maybe our little mate can help him break free of it.