Beckett

Business took me away from the manor more than I would like over the next few weeks, but regardless of the situation, I was still the Black Fang alpha. My people needed me to ensure their needs were met, even if that meant I had to ignore mine.

It was probably for the best in the long run. Pria and Allie took Devany under their wings and helped her settle into pack life. I only saw her in passing besides a few long walks in the atrium, and each time we had an escort. Per my request, of course. After almost taking Devany on my desk, I decided I wasn't in control enough to be trusted around her, and when I finally claimed her, it would be when the woman was in charge, not the wolf.

My step aunt had clearly spread word of my overprotectiveness of the strange, new omega because the attempts to sneak in and see her stopped almost immediately after our altercation. If I didn't want to strangle her so badly, I might have told her thank you. I was grateful for anything that made it easier to keep Devany safe.

Unfortunately, I couldn't protect her from the prejudices within my pack. While no one would say or do anything in front of Pria and Allie, since they were high ranked members of the pack, they had no objections to treating Devany like dirt whenever they cornered her alone.

Devany refused to call any single person out. When we asked her directly, she would just say that everyone was still adjusting to the new situation, but I knew it was happening because her smile didn't reach her eyes anymore.

I didn't understand her sudden reluctance to protest against being treated like this. Where was the woman who had stormed into my office and threatened to go back to her old life if things didn't change? She bore Alpha Marks. Being meek had to be driving her insane.

Gripping the steering wheel tightly, I took my eyes off the road to study her. She sat in the passenger seat and looked out the window. Not a word had passed her lips since we pulled out of the driveway. Someone else might think the pine trees and snow-capped peaks had enraptured her, but I could see the reflection of her eyes in the glass. She looked broken.

"Dev," I said, reaching over and pushing a strand of her hair back. A fresh dye job to hide her silver roots had turned it to a vibrant purple at the ends instead of the soft lavender. It was fun and edgy and very her, but I found myself wishing to see what she looked like with her natural hair color.

"Hmmm."

"You okay?"

"Sure."

"Bullshit."

A spark flashed in her eyes, and she turned in the seat. I was glad to see it still simmering in her expression as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Why ask a question if you already know the answer? Why don't you tell me how I'm supposed to be feeling?"

"That's fine. Let it all out."

She huffed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

I took exit 51. Only twenty more miles before we reached the Blue Mountain Pack. Only twenty more miles before I had to keep my temper in check and not punch Jack in the face for looking at Devany wrong.

"I'm waiting."

Her sassy tone put a grin on my face. "Clearly you're comfortable standing up to me, and I suspect you haven't been doing a lot of standing up for yourself to other people. Go ahead and take that out on me."

The leather seat creaked as she leaned back in it and dropped her arms to her sides. A wobble in her lip almost had me pulling the car onto the side of the road, because there was absolutely no way in fucking hell that I would watch her cry. At least without losing control and demanding to know who I had to kill for putting tears in her eyes.

"It's fine, Beckett. I wish you would let it go. You told me this was how it was going to be for a while, but you're working on a better solution, right?"

"Yes, I am, but that doesn't mean you have to suffer in silence. You can talk to me. Vent. Or if you don't feel comfortable talking to me, tell Pria or Allie."

She picked at the end of her hair as she thought about my words, then sighed and said, "I did tell Pria. She broke the guy's arm."

I tried not to laugh. Really, I did, but that sounded precisely like something Pria would do. My faux mate had a temper she rarely kept on a leash. Coupled with the fact she knew that if she didn't punish the offender, he would have faced a far worse fate than a broken arm when I found out.

"It's not funny!"

"Neither is knowing people are mistreating you."

"It's not the first time in my life others have looked down on me, you know." Her brows formed straight lines over her eyes. "I can handle it, because you promised me it's temporary."

"I promised you that, and I meant it. Liam said he has a lead."

The witch told me he had a lead a week ago, and I had heard nothing else since. Everything inside of me wanted to show up at his house and demand answers, but that wasn't how Liam operated. Just because he liked Devany and wanted to find out who messed with dangerous magic didn't mean he was going to jump for me, which was a hard thing to process for an alpha. I didn't give into some of the toxic bullshit behaviors like some others, but that didn't mean it was easy. The wolf in me wanted complete obedience.

A few times I had wondered how it was going to work between Devany and me. Mated pairs where both were alphas were rare. The fact that few females were alphas had something to do with it, I was certain, but the goddess had to know the challenges such a couple would face. Both of them warring for dominance all the time.

Because as much as I wanted Devany to raise hell and be the powerful wolf I knew she was, I also wanted nothing more than her submission. My cock hardened as I imagined her on her knees before me, her hair in my hands, and her mouth mine to command.

"Beckett," she screamed, throwing her hand out and grabbing my shoulder. "Watch out!"

I ripped my eyes away from her and looked at the road. A massive tree trunk laid across the asphalt, blocking the path completely. Cursing, I stomped on the brakes and jerked the wheel, hoping to at least swing the vehicle around so the point of impact was at the back.

Metal crunched and glass shattered as the back bumper struck the tree. Devany pitched forward, her seatbelt tightening to keep her from flying out the windshield. White powder exploded in my face as the airbag deployed, but not before I saw her forehead slam into the dashboard.

"Devany!" I choked out, clawing at the bag.

I had to get to her. Only the car was still moving. The front end rose, and my head slammed into the seat as we went flying backward over the tree, and then my head hit the roof as we landed upside down. The airbag hung in tatters from the steering wheel. After counting to five, I clawed off my seatbelt, and scrambled over glass shards to check on Devany.

"Devany. Baby. Are you okay?" I asked, hating the tremor in my voice caused by the sight of the large gash in her forehead.

Her eyelids fluttered, and she groaned. I touched her gingerly, checking for any other injuries. Blood clouded the white of her left eye when she finally opened it all the way. Already the skin around her wound knitted itself closed. Thank gods for the healing power in our veins.

I crawled out of the driver's side door and raced around to the passenger side. She let me unbuckle her and pull her out slowly. The entire time I kept a close watch on her face for any winces or other signs of pain she might try to hide, but she didn't flinch once.

We sat in the middle of the road while we recovered. She sat between my legs, her back against my chest, and her head resting on my shoulder. Blood speckled the hand she raised as she pointed to the tree.

"How did that get here? There wasn't a storm, and Pria texted us ten minutes ago that she had arrived at the mate run, which means it wasn't there then."

Rage bubbled up in me as I studied the scene. We had hit the tree hard, but not hard enough to have the momentum to flip over it. Unless it had help. The magical kind. Pair that with its sudden appearance, and there was only one conclusion to draw.

"Someone tried to kill us."