Broken Bond - Callie Rose Page 0,61

sharp teeth bared and jaw open. In the same instant, Archer, Trystan, and Dare all shift, magic rippling over them. I have a brief moment of lucidity where I think, oh God, what does this mean for Ridge’s fight? And then I brace for the impact of his large body.

But Lawson never makes it to me.

Ridge heads him off in mid-air, and I hear the breath expelled from the vicious wolf’s lungs as Ridge slams into Lawson with his shoulder. I open my eyes in time to see both wolves go sprawling to the dusty ground.

A cry rises up in the crowd, and several angry faces turn my way.

Trystan growls and steps ahead of me, while Archer and Dare take either side. All three wolves have their hackles raised as they stare down Lawson. Ridge stands and bounds over to stand in front of all of us, baring his teeth at his brother.

Lawson gets to his four paws, and then magic shimmers over him as he shifts back to his human form. He laughs maniacally, pointing at me, an expression of disbelief on his meathead face. He looks around at the crowd, his eyes wild. “Are you seeing this? Your alpha is siding with filthy witches now.”

Ridge shifts back to human form before his brother stops speaking, and snarls, “Back the fuck off, Lawson. This fight is about us, not her.”

“This is just one more reason you need to be replaced as alpha,” Lawson says sharply, staring Ridge down as rage twists his features. “You brought the enemy into our territory where she could infiltrate our pack. I even recall someone suggesting the whore you found in the ravine could have been an undercover witch, and you swore she wasn’t. Said she was your mate.” He laughs again. “So you’re a liar now too.”

Ridge’s hands fist at his sides. “Sable is not the enemy. And she is my mate.”

Lawson guffaws. “How? How does a wolf mate with a witch?”

Tension spreads through the gathered shifters. The crowd begins to flow in two directions—some men and women joining Lawson in his face-off with us, but a surprising number of shifters choose to join us.

On the other side of the clearing, several shifters transform into wolves and stalk forward to flank Lawson. I sense the magic of others shifting behind me, and then half a dozen wolves walk around me and my men, joining Ridge at the front of our party with their teeth bared and hackles raised.

I’m happy to see that not everyone bought into Lawson’s smear campaign. I was appalled that no one stood up to the man in the beginning, but clearly, there are plenty who know Ridge is the alpha they need.

But now…

Shit, this just got more dangerous. It’s no longer Lawson versus Ridge, but a revolution within the pack, and it’s all my fault. The tension is so thick in the air that it’s almost impossible to breathe. Beside me, Archer’s ears lie flat on his head and a snarl reverberates in his throat. Trystan moves closer to me, snapping his teeth at the wolves on the other side of the circle.

A fight is brewing, and there’s nothing in the world that will keep it from happening.

Terror fills me, even stronger than the fear I felt while I watched Ridge fight Lawson. My magic hasn’t faded—it’s still clearly visible in every scar on my skin, and I can feel it pulsing inside me, ready to let loose if it feels the least bit threatened.

And I do feel threatened. Not because I’m worried about me. But because I know my four mates will die trying to protect me, and even though they’re powerful alphas and strong fighters, they can’t take on the entire pack if Lawson manages to turn everyone against us. We could all die tonight.

No! I didn’t come here today to lose my mates.

I refuse to let that happen.

But then I realize something even more startling—I just thought of these four men as my mates. Not just as shifters who’ve saved my life. Not just as men I’m falling in love with.

My mates.

Mine.

As the thought solidifies in my mind, I feel a sudden rush of certainty that they are my mates. All four of them. I know it, deep down inside of me where all my emotions are boiling. It’s the starkest truth I’ve ever faced.

These men are mine. And I’m theirs.

Something shifts in my heart. In my soul. Pieces I didn’t know were there began to