Wolfs Magic

Chapter Three

Kill.

The voice resounded in Leah’s head as her eyes flew open. She looked left and right, realizing she had no idea where she was. It didn’t matter, she’d been given an order, and she needed to follow it.

The man—Azriel—stood across the room staring at the window. His brothers surrounded him on both sides. She wanted to howl with delight. Her Alpha would be so thrilled if she killed all of them. Then he’d let her come home and live in the light of his presence again.

She leaped off the table, growling. They needed to see her teeth; they needed to see how strong she was. They should know who it was who was going to end their lives.

The three men whirled around. Leah’s gaze focused solely onto Azriel. She’d kill him first. Yes, that sounded like a good plan. Drool pooled in her mouth as she imagined how he’d taste…a pang thudded in her chest. What was that? No matter, she needed to do this. She’d been ordered.

“Gods damn it, she’s having an episode.” She had no idea what Az meant by that but it didn’t matter. He was nothing but soon-to-be dead meat to her.

Gabriel lunged forward. “She’s got death in her eyes.”

“No,” Azriel pulled back on Gabriel’s arm, shoving the man back toward the wall.

Leah was impressed. She hadn’t imagined he was that strong. No matter, she’d still destroy him.

Kill the wolves.

“No one touches her but me.”

Gabriel snarled. “Look at how she’s looking at you, little brother; she’s going to kill you.”

“She can’t control herself right now. Whatever is happening to her, it’s making her delirious and psychotic. You’re right, I’m sure she does want to kill me. She probably wants all of our deaths. If she was in the lab, she’d be locked up and the only thing she’d be able to do is throw herself against the bars. Unfortunately, she’s out and this was way faster than anticipated for another episode. I think somehow it’s not a coincidence that this is happening on top of the firebombing.”

Gabriel growled, which only infuriated her. Maybe she’d kill him first. “That’s nice. We’re still going to have to subdue her.”

“No one is subduing her but me.”

Without another thought, Leah leapt forward aiming for Azriel’s throat. Seconds before she made contact a warm, white light slammed into her, throwing her backwards.

Where Az had stood, a dark wolf stared back at her. Damn, she had forgotten he could do that.

She leaned back on two of her paws ready to lunge at him again. Az growled, loudly, and she couldn’t move. Inwardly, she raised an eyebrow. It was an impressive show.

Jumping so fast she could hardly make out his form amidst the blur of color that streaked before her eyes, his mouth came down on her neck. He grabbed her by the scruff like she was a puppy, dragging her across the floor as she whimpered.

Forcing her onto her side, he stared down at her, his wolf eyes letting her know in no uncertain terms that he was in charge and she was going to cease and desist. If only it was that easy. Leah tried to make sense of her thoughts. Everything felt muddled, like her thoughts weren’t her own.

She blinked twice. It wasn’t that Az was hurting her; he hadn’t, not even when he’d forcibly moved her across the room and put her into this position of submission. Wanting to cry, she closed her eyes. What the hell was happening to her?

Damn it, I wish you could hear me.

Leah’s eyes flew open. Had she just heard Az in her head? This was really getting out of control.

Did you hear me? He narrowed his eyes above her.

If you’re actually speaking in my head—and I’m not hallucinating—then yes, I heard you. Though why she would be surprised to hear a voice in her head when she was compelled beyond resistance to ‘kill’ by the same manifestation was beyond her understanding. Of course, maybe it was because it was Azriel’s voice…

The fact that you can hear me is a very good sign. He sighed. I’m actually hearing your voice. I have to tell you, it’s a really pretty sound.

His compliment sent shivers up her spine. No one had commented on her voice before…or maybe they had and she just couldn’t remember. Thank you.

Now why don’t you tell me what’s happening to you right now. Oh…wait…I’m so ridiculous. What is your name?

It was almost more bizarre than she could handle. Here she was, trapped as a wolf, being instructed by one voice inside her head to kill people, while talking to someone who could shift between wolf and man, and about to introduce herself. In her mind, she shrugged. She could write that on her list: she was the type of person who was capable of going with the flow in truly outlandish situations.

My name is Leah St. James.

That’s a very pretty name…Leah St. James. Wait, what? Azriel, the wolf, jumped back a few feet letting go of her scruff.

She rolled over on her side and stood up. Hoping the ‘kill’ voice could hold off a few seconds, she moved forward. Do you know who I am? All I know is my name. Does my name mean something to you?

Your name means something to the entire state. You’re the daughter of one of our Senators and you’ve been missing for six months.

Azriel’s abrupt tone told her he was not thrilled with his recent discovery of her identity. She shook her head. None of what he told her rang a bell in her mind. Shouldn’t there be a big ‘a-ha’ moment now that she knew something about herself? But there was nothing. Still a blank slate with just her name to identify who she was.

The white light filled the space around Azriel again and he regained his human form.

The naked version of it, which she swore this time she would not lust after.

Kill.

She closed her eyes and pointedly refused to acknowledge the order. This was all getting rapidly out of hand. Voices in her head were not going to get to tell her what to do. She was a cognizant human being—or wolf at the moment—she decided whom she did and did not murder.

“I think we have a very large problem.” Azriel looked back and forth from his brothers to her. He thought they had a very large problem?

Gabriel stepped forward, his eyes focused entirely on her even as he spoke to Azriel.

“Were you able to communicate with her?”

“I was and her name is Leah St. James.”

Gabriel’s gaze moved to focus on Azriel as Theo, standing by the window, swore loudly. “Even for Dad, this is fucked up.”

Why was it so bad that she was Leah St. James? Wasn’t it a good thing? Now they could tell her family where she was and—

Like a light bulb turning being switched on, the truth of what Az had told her registered in her brain. She was Leah St. James, daughter of Senator Nathan St. James from Maine. Unless she was very much mistaken, people didn’t know that there were individuals running around who could be both man and animal. That meant that whatever went on here, it was secret. It wouldn’t do to have the daughter of a senator exposing it all.

Suddenly, she was overwhelmed with the urge to run. These people were going to kill her to keep her quiet. That’s what she’d do in the same situation and she didn’t want to record that in her pretend notebook about her personality traits. Looking around, she tried to figure out how she could escape.

The men were arguing. Well, Theo and Gabriel were. Az didn’t seem to be participating in it, all of his attention focused on her. He’d spoken in her mind. Did that mean he could read her thoughts, that he knew she was going to escape? She gulped as she couldn’t seem to stop herself from focusing on the fact that he was naked—again.

She looked down at the floor to divert her gaze. Were they all so comfortable shifting back and forth that none of them minded being so exposed and vulnerable? What if they gained a few pounds?

Pulling his brown-eyed gaze from its examination of her, he looked at his brothers.

“You both know that whatever happens, I go with her.”

Silence descended on the room and to Leah it felt like a palpable being. She was so sick of being stuck in this form and not able to ask her questions. As odd as it was, she was both desperate to run and terrified to leave Az. Truthfully, the idea of his going with her wherever she went was sort of appealing. Maybe they could get to know each other in less intense circumstances.

The door slammed open and a group of what she could only describe as huge men hurried into the room. Watching each one of them enter, she had to amend her thought.

There were some women, but only a few. If there were maybe thirty men there were only seven women. Each man—and she had to guess they were all shifters—was better looking than the next but none of them held a candle to Az. She gasped. When had that happened? When had he become the best looking man she’d ever seen?

In the lab, she realized suddenly, when he’d rubbed her fur and spoken to her. That’s when it had happened.

A tall shifter with long black hair who stood with one of the few women handed Az some clothes, which he quickly, much to her chagrin, dressed himself in. Conversations flitted around the room, too fast for her to follow. More than anything she wanted Az to speak in her mind again. The connection with him felt palpable to her, even though it had only been for a few seconds, she wanted it back. Something to ground her in all of this madness.

It’s okay.

She sighed with relief. There are so many people here.

They’re all family—kind of. Even so, it feels like madness to me most of the time too.

It’s one of the reasons I stay in the lab.

She smiled, not caring that she showed her wolf teeth while she did it. What’s the other reason?

Az grinned back at her, his brown eyes sparkling with mischief. You were there.

The door slammed open again. You shifters really know how to make an entrance.

Az laughed aloud, gaining him some odd looks from the others in the room. The mind speaking was kind of fun now that it wasn’t completely odd. As a man entered the room, a hush fell over the crowd. Leah focused her attention on the new arrival. He was tall, but not as tall as Az, and stocky. She immediately concluded that he didn’t look like one of Az’s brothers.

Theo spoke to the new man. “Aloud, if you will, Cullen. Az’s mate,” he indicated her with his head. “Can’t yet speak with us telepathically.”

The man they’d called Cullen turned to her, one eyebrow raised. “Really? He’s mated to the ‘made’ wolf.”

“Hey,” Az’s voice held venom. She was glad she wasn’t on the receiving end of it.

“She’s a person to whom this happened. There’s no way she asked for whatever abuse Kendrick did to her and even if she had, I won’t have anyone speaking about her—or any of the people that this was done to—with anything less than respect. They don’t want to attack us. I’m sure if given the choice they wouldn’t.” He took a deep breath and Leah noted that Cullen had narrowed his eyes but otherwise he did not move. “Also, she has a name. It’s Leah St. James.”

Cullen covered his eyes with his hands and rubbed the top half of his face like it hurt.

“Crap.” She supposed she should be insulted except she was smart enough to know this would probably be the response everyone had. He took his hands down and they hung by his side. “Did anyone tell the Alpha yet?”

Theo shook his head. “No way in hell am I doing that.”

Gabriel snickered. “Nope.”

“I’ll tell him.” Az’s voice still held the same hostility.

Why are you so angry?

Az’s gaze met hers again, an emotion she couldn’t identify present in his eyes. When someone calls you a ‘made’ wolf it’s an insult.

Leah digested this. Because I shouldn’t be a wolf?

My father did this to you, to a lot of people. People like you, to whom this was done, have been attacking us for a long time. Some of our pack has been hurt. There is a lot of hostility but that doesn’t make it right.

The door opened again, this time not slamming into the wall, and three of the most beautiful women she’d ever seen entered the room followed by a man wearing sunglasses.

That’s Tristan. Az told her. The name didn’t mean anything to her. She knew they’d discussed him earlier but so much had happened she couldn’t keep any of it straight.

Who?

He’s our Alpha and my third oldest brother. In a wolf pack, he’s the absolute ruler.

His word is law.

Tristan approached Az with a fast gait. When he reached her one anchor to the world, he stopped and stared at him for a moment. As she, and the entire pack watched Tristan pulled Azriel into an embrace.

“Are you hurt?” Tristan’s voice was rough and she didn’t have to know him to hear the emotion in it.

“It was minor and I’m healed. I shifted, it took care of the injuries.”

Tristan nodded and released his brother. He put out his arm and the redhead who’d entered before him moved to his side slipping under his arm. She placed her head against his chest like a woman who was used to fitting against him.

Abruptly, Tristan turned his head to stare at Leah. She gulped under his gaze, which even through the sunglasses she could feel the heat from.

“You thought it was a good idea to bring one of them into our meeting room?” She knew he wasn’t speaking to her.

Theo answered. “It’s complicated, Trip.”

“Explain it so it’s simple.” He regarded the room for a moment. “Why is everyone speaking aloud, is someone having a problem with the link?”

“The wolf is my mate and her name is Leah St. James.” Az stepped forward, placing himself between Tristan and Theo. She wasn’t sure why he did that but maybe it was one of those male things. “I’m sure you know who that is.”

Tristan pulled off his glasses. Leah took a step back and banged into the wall behind her. His eyes—even in his human form—were wolf eyes and they screamed one word: dominance.

Leaving the redhead, he stepped forward to Leah. Az followed close in his wake, a growl sounding from his throat. Leah didn’t know much about these kinds of things but she would guess it wasn’t a good idea to growl at one’s Alpha.

Tristan turned around to look at his brother and when he turned back to Leah he had an amused smirk on his face. “Relax, Azriel, I am not going to wound your she-wolf.”

“She didn’t ask for this.”

Tristan had been the only one in the pack not to remark on her name and he hadn’t called her ‘made’, which made her disposed to like him even if he was a little scary.

“I know that.” Tristan nodded and stood up. “No one knows better than me what it is like to be trapped as a wolf.” He reached out his hand and she shook as she braced for what she was sure to be a blow. Instead, he patted her on the head. “And no matter what she is she’s ours now.” That last phrase seemed to be directed to the room. He turned around to the pack. “She’s pack.”

In unison, everyone in the room answered. “She’s pack.”

Tristan nodded as if he’d expected no less. “Alright, Azriel—brilliant mind of our pack, now we just need to figure out how to get your woman out of her wolf body and into her human one.”

Cullen moved forward. “It begs the question, my Alpha, is she a shifter trapped in a phony wolf body or is she a non-shifter human who is trapped in a wolf body that she would never have otherwise?”

Az cleared his throat. “We aren’t going to get answers about that since she doesn’t seem to remember anything other than who she is and even that is hampered by the ‘episodes’ of lunacy that overtake her.”

How do you know I can’t remember?

Because you didn’t know you were the Senator’s daughter.

That made sense. Did you have to call it lunacy? She didn’t know why but that word bothered her. It was bad enough he had seen her like that and that now his brothers had.

The whole pack would think she was a lunatic.

Az cocked his head to the side. That was not a choice word. I apologize.

Wow. He apologized?

The redhead stepped forward. “Tristan, if I may offer a suggestion.”

“Of course, little one.”

The woman smiled and shook her head. “Some day you’re not going to call me that any longer.”

Tristan laughed. “Not possible. I’m going to call you that in this life and the next one.”

Walking toward Leah, the ‘little one’ crouched down. “My name is Ashlee Morrison Kane.” Ashlee looked behind her at the pack. “I think it’s rude that no one is introducing themselves and Leah here has to try to figure out who we all are through osmosis.”

Leah liked her already. Ashlee continued. “Anyway, Tristan, I think that I may have a solution. I’ve been trying to think this through using my own knowledge of magic coupled with the lifetimes worth of knowledge I acquired from the aunts before they died. I don’t see why we can’t do the same thing with Leah that we did with you when you were trapped in your wolf form.”

A brown haired woman who had been leaning on Theo’s arm stepped forward. “I wasn’t here yet when that happened. What did you do?”

The blonde who stood next to Cullen laughed. “No women were here. It was just Ashlee and all of them.”

Theo laughed. “And Ashlee was holed up in Tristan’s room forced to shift by herself thanks to our carelessness that night. We’re lucky anybody made it through that time. Are we sure we want to pull that out again?”

“It won’t work.” Leah really hated the sound of Gabriel’s voice. It was so hostile.

“Tristan was already a shifter. The magic just called him out.”

Ashlee stood. “The same concept applies here. She’s pack so whether she’s wolf or not Tristan will call to her. If my father were alive, Tristan would call to him and he was human. Pack is pack. It just is.” Ashlee took a deep breath. “Not to mention we don’t know that she isn’t a born shifter. She might be and,” Ashlee put her hands on her hips. “I don’t think, Gabriel Kane, that you are in any way qualified to argue magic with me. It’s a female thing.”

Tristan growled, which drew the attention of everyone in the room. “Whatever you’re going to say, Gabriel, don’t say it. I like Ashlee’s plan. In any case, it can’t hurt Leah. We’ll do it tonight. Almost the whole pack is here. Michael, Damien, Kurt, and Reggie are off island but it’s enough souls. Rex,” Tristan turned to address a man Leah hadn’t noted earlier. He quietly stood in the corner without making a sound. At the mention of his name, he raised an eyebrow.

That’s our youngest brother. He’s…troubled.

She grinned. Seems to be that way for most of your family.

The unmated ones anyway.

Leah was tempted to ask Az if that meant that he was now no longer going to be ‘troubled’ but Tristan continued talking.

“I want you to go with Faith and figure out the best way to contact Leah’s father. One way or another, we have to tell him she’s alive.”

Theo shook his head. “All objections I have to Faith spending time with little brother over there aside,” this earned him snickers from the pack and a look of angry dangers from Rex. “Are we sure we want to contact Senator St. James if we can’t be sure we’re going to return Leah to her natural state?”

Tristan sighed. “You’re not a father, Theo. I’m here to tell you, the man needs to know she’s alive. Besides, he might be able to shed some light on some of this.”

“Or expose us and we’ll all have to go into hiding.” Theo was clearly not going to let this go.

“Look,” Az interrupted. As sexy and warm as she found his voice when she heard it in her head, aloud it was rough and demanding. She wondered if he knew he had that effect when he spoke. “We’ll leave it up to Leah to contact her father. She’s not a child. We’re not going to make decisions for her like she can’t conduct herself.”

Rex stepped forward. “Any interest in seeing what your mate actually looks like Az?”

Az shook his head. “What?”

Rex held up his cell phone and Leah’s heart sped up. “I did an internet search. Here’s a picture of Ms. Leah St. James, beloved and missing daughter of Nathan St. James, senior senator from the state of Maine.”

Without another thought, she rushed to Az’s side to look at the photo. If anyone was going to see what she looked like, it was going to be her. Az took the phone from Rex’s hands and crouched down so they could look at her picture together.

Leah’s heart fell. The woman whose mischievous smile stared back at her was a complete stranger. Would there ever be anything about herself she would remember?