Broken Bond - Callie Rose Page 0,23

push it away from her face so she can’t hide from me behind a curtain of gold. “The idea of hiding your witch from my pack isn’t the only thing bothering you, is it?”

She bites her lip, keeping her gaze on the bag as she shrugs. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s obviously something.”

“Fine.” Sable sighs, her black lashes stark against her cheeks as she closes her eyes. “I’m terrified of what being a witch means. I barely understand what witches even are, much less how being one will affect my life.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “Oh. Well, I can help you there.”

The words come out a little more enthusiastic than I was going for, and her startled gaze bounces back up to my face. I dial my energy back a notch before continuing.

“None of us are experts on witches, but I do have a little experience. Being held captive by them for so long, I like to think I gained a better understanding of how their magic works. So maybe I could help you try to understand your powers better.”

Sable brightens like a miniature sun. “Really?”

“Yeah, definitely.” I nod. “There’s a lot I don’t know, but I’ll tell you everything I can. We might have a learning curve, but we can figure it out together.”

There’s a beat of silence as she stares at me, then Sable throws her arms around my neck, colliding with my chest with some major force for such a small woman. “You would do that for me?”

I snake my arms around her back, holding her close. “I would do anything for you.”

“Thank you,” she whispers again.

The soft scent of her skin fills my nostrils as her heart beats against mine. Everything about having her here against me feels so right. Like we’re meant to be, and I never want to let her go.

Even so, a shiver runs down my spine at the idea of revisiting memories from the worst period in my life. Being held captive by the witches is something I’ve worked hard to bury. I was never sure I’d even survive those years in captivity. Once I got away and returned home, it took over a decade before I finally believed I was safe, that no one was coming for me, and I’ve made damn sure that my memories can’t resurface and haunt me every hour of the day.

But if drawing on those old memories and my dusty understanding of witch magic can lighten her load a little, I’ll do it. Sable’s hesitancy and worry right now aren’t just about being a witch—it’s also a fear of the unknown. It’s harder to be afraid of things you can understand and control, so with a little training, I think I could help her conquer this.

At the very least, I’ll give it my best shot.

9

Sable

Archer’s promise to help me come to grips with the witch magic has lifted a weight from my shoulders.

I don’t know how much he’ll be able to tell me. He’s a wolf, after all, not a witch.

But I won’t be alone in this.

I won’t have to face it on my own.

With a slightly lighter heart, I snap my backpack into place and follow the men out to the clearing in front of the cabin. I’m still not comfortable with their current plan of breaking laws and putting other shifters in danger, but now I have a future plan that gives me something else to focus on.

I’ll figure out how to master my magic, and how to control it.

The sun is high, filling the woods with warmth as we congregate outside the cabin. Ridge’s arm is around Dare’s waist. The injured man hobbles along beside him while Archer carries two bags and Trystan the third. The drugs in Dare’s system have turned his dark gaze glassy and unfocused. It’s haunting to see, but at least I know he’s not in much pain anymore. Once Dare has his balance, keeping as much of his weight off his injured leg as possible, Ridge addresses us.

“We’re going to go slow, but we stay together,” he emphasizes, his gaze lingering on Trystan meaningfully. “I know the gut instinct is going to be to run flat-out. But don’t. We follow Dare’s lead.”

Trystan rolls his eyes. “Yeah, I know. I’m not that big of an asshole, man.”

Ridge held up his hands, palms out. “Just sayin’, man. No offense.”

“I know what it means to be pack,” Trystan says, voice brittle.

“You know what it means to be West Pack,” Ridge snaps. “Not what it means