“With your mate match and yours, too,” Lawrence gestures to Emma and Finn and then to Bast and I, “any children born will likely be hybrids, like many in my coven. When the time comes, we can help you teach them how to balance the wolf and the magick.”
Children. With Bast.The possibility hadn’t occurred in my mind as of yet. But now I can’t stop the images flooding my mind—a child with Bast’s warm eyes and my magick. Something twists in my chest, equal parts terror and longing.
Bast’s pulse quickens, and I wonder if he’s imagining it too—a future neither of us had time to consider until this moment. A future that terrifies me as much as it calls to something deep and primal in my soul.
Aiden moves toward the center of the group and gives Emma a quick hug. “Emma, I’m glad you’re safe.” His voice carries through the room, and I watch in fascination as even the most hostile faces in the room soften slightly. “We have a lot to discuss. Bast… You have Bridget with you. Good. We will need everyone’s help to stop these witches and Oliver.”
The simple acknowledgment of my name, the casual inclusion—it hits me like summer sun after endless winter. I’m not “the Salem witch” or “the assassin” anymore. I’m Bridget, a member of the pack. Family. My magick hums in responseto Aiden’s subtle power, recognizing what theMathairsnever understood—true authority doesn’t demand submission—it offers belonging. For the first time since I arrived in White Fork, I feel the pack bonds wrap around me like invisible threads, anchoring me to something larger than myself. Something real.
Aiden’s gaze sweeps the room, and I feel Bast straighten beside me, his wolf acknowledging his alpha’s command. “So everyone needs to be on their best behavior.” He glares at Finn, then Dave, then Lawrence. Each look carries the weight of absolute command. “Play nice.”
The last two words might be casual, but they aren’t a request—it’s an order from an alpha who expects to be obeyed. The power behind it makes my breath catch. Is this what real leadership feels like? Not theMathairs’manipulation and cruelty, but this steady strength that unifies instead of divides?
“Dave.” Aiden gives a respectful nod to the other alpha. “An update on the rebuilding? How are your people settling here? Do they need anything else?”
“It’s slow. We’ve cleared most of the burned buildings now. Frames are up on a half dozen houses,” Dave says as we gather in Aiden’s living room. “We appreciate everything you’ve done. After what happened at the inn.” He shakes his head. “My brother has always had a mean streak, but his viciousness was never so—”
“He’s desperate,” Aiden observes. “Attacking in town, in broad daylight? He’s going down and he knows it. He’s just trying to burn everything down on his way.”
“That definitely sounds like Dad,” Gen says from the perimeter of the group.
“Yeah,” Finn adds, “Fucking asshole to the core.”
“We’re ending it.” Aiden’s voice carries the weight of alpha authority. “We hunt him down. End this feud once and for all.I hope you and Gen don’t plan to stand in the way of that?” He directs his question to Finn.
Finn shakes his head. “Give me the gun, I’ll put the bullet between his eyes myself.”
Dave nods grimly. “Any of his wolves who don’t pledge loyalty to my pack will share his fate or leave these mountains forever. I won’t have divided loyalties threatening our pack again.”
The alpha’s declaration sends a chill down my spine. I recognize that tone—it’s the same finality theMathairsused when passing judgment.
“There’s more you need to know.” Lila steps forward, exchanging glances with Rachel and another woman I recognize from the Faire, but I can’t remember her name. “The Banfield Court—our coven—is hidden on the O’Connor land. It’s why Oliver was so obsessed with getting control of it. It’s why he tried to marry his daughter—your daughter,” she glances over at Gen for a second, “to Aiden.”
My knees nearly buckle.A hidden Court? Here?The magick required to build one—only the most powerful of theMathairscould attempt such a feat. If theMathairsin New England ever discovered this, they’d raze these mountains to the bedrock to claim it or destroy it.
“I knew the O’Connors had witches in town, but what does it mean exactly that you have a… Court?” Dave steps a little closer to Lila. “How many of you are there?”
“There are nearly two dozen women and children inside the Court. About a dozen live outside the Court.”
“And Oliver knows about this Court?”
“We don’t think he knows about the Court, but we think he’s very aware that Meredith was hiding a lot from him,” Lila answers.
“Yes.” Rachel meets his gaze steadily. “And now we need your help to protect it. Not just from Oliver, but from the Salem Court. They’ll destroy everything we’ve built here.”
Absolutely correct.The Court here represents everything theMathairshate—witches who dared to build something of their own, to live freely. Bast must feel my distress because his arm tightens around me.
“More witches?” Dave demands. “Why now—”
“Between your pack, Aiden’s, and our coven. United, we can eliminate both threats. Divided, we’ll fall one by one.” Rachel takes a deep breath. “You have skin in the game now that one of your biological daughters is married to an O’Connor. It’s time for all of us to be in this together.”
My stomach twists at Rachel’s confidence. I want to believe we can win, but are we strong enough?
The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Bast’s wolf stirs through our bond, responding to the power dynamics shifting around us.
“I agree,” Dave says, breaking the tension. “We know you’ve protected the O’Connor pack and have strong allies in the town of White Fork. The Gallagher pack would be honored to have an alliance with your coven, Lila.”
“Thank you, Dave.” Lila steps back into her group, ceding the floor to the O’Connor alpha.
