Collide Book 2

Collide Book Two: Conflicted

^ ^ ^~She’s a witch. He’s a wolf. She’s only helping him track down his evil brother and save the women he harms. There’s no way they can be together, but he’s determined to make it happen.~^

Lorena

I’m not a fan of visiting wolf territory, but as a witch, it’s my duty to keep the peace between us. Unfortunately, that means we do favors for each other.

They don’t scare me. They just make me uncomfortable with their intense stares and their sniffing around like dogs. I guess they kind of are dogs.

I try to look as uninterested as possible when the man with long white hair at the gate lets me in. I keep my chin up as I walk across their vast territory.

I leave my car at the edge of the territory and walk the rest of the way. It’s beautiful here. Kids are always playing in front of small family homes.

Trees shield us from the outside world. It’s like they have their own little island in a crowded world. Too bad they’re just savage dogs.

A man named Alan approaches me. He’s the right-hand man of their Alpha. The Alpha himself rarely meets with me. I’m okay with that.

Even though the Alpha—Jackson—is my brother-in-law. Yes, my sister, Victoria the witch, is mated to a wolf. It’s ridiculous if you ask me. Witches don’t mate, only wolves do.

But my sister insists she’s meant to be with this man. I was at their ceremony. She bit him in the neck—gross—and her magic transformed into something more. Coincidence?

I don’t know, but I’d never bite a man or stay with a wolf. They’re overly protective and jealous. And they smell like wet dogs. Just like the man standing in front of me.

He gives me a smile, but my face stays neutral. He’s good-looking, I’ll give him that. But he’s not worth the hassle.

“Welcome back, my lady.” I grunt at his words. He’s too old for me anyway. He’s twenty-three and I’m seventeen, about to turn eighteen in two months.

I’m determined to keep giving him the cold shoulder. He bows in front of me, and I can’t help but laugh. Did I mention he’s also goofy for a man so serious?

“Ah, so she can smile. What a delight to see.” I quickly put my poker face back on and walk past him.

“Good morning, Alpha’s lackey. What does my wonderful brother-in-law need today? And where’s my sister?” A low growl escapes his throat. I guess he didn’t like being called a lackey.

I’ve seen him around when I’m tracking someone for them or reinforcing their boundaries. His Alpha bosses him around, making him do all the dirty work, and he rarely gets any recognition for it.

Not that I’m watching Alan, not at all. He shakes his head, and his brown curls bounce along with him.

“Teamwork is what they call that. Don’t you have teamwork in your coven?”

I can tell by his tone that he’s annoyed. Good. The more he dislikes me, the easier it is for me to keep my distance. Not that it’s difficult or anything, not at all.

“You can’t compare what the coven has to what this pack is. In the coven, we’re all equal. No one calls the shots. We’re a family.

“You, on the other hand, have to bow down when your Alpha commands you to. Luckily, that little trick won’t work on my sister.”

I smile. There’s one advantage to my sister not being a wolf. Jackson can’t make her bow, because witches aren’t sensitive to Alpha power. We only answer to nature.

“We need you to track someone.” His answer is short, and the annoyance is already gone from his voice.

We walk in silence across the territory toward the pack house. That’s where most of the meeting rooms are. It’s also where my sister lives with her Mate until their house is built.

Yes, they’re building a new house. Victoria loves her space.

“Great. I want to stop by my sister’s first, before I do all your dirty work again.” Suddenly, Alan is standing in front of me. I almost bump into him.

“This isn’t just dirty work. This isn’t a game or a joke. These are matters of life and death. This is about protecting our pack and other packs out there. And even little witches like you.”

His hands are warm on my arms. They’re so distracting that I’m silent for a moment. I just stare at him, and I’m pretty sure my mouth is hanging open.

When my brain finally processes his words, I’m filled with anger.

“Don’t lecture me about life and death. You have no idea what I know. Because if you did, you’d know that my parents died young.

“You’d know that they were killed by your wolf buddies. Yet here I am, doing the job your nose is literally made for. So keep your attitude to yourself and don’t you ever touch me again.”

I walk past him, but he quickly catches up to me.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know. There’s a lot going on, and I’m just on edge. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. Thank you for everything you do for us. You know, in case no one has ever thanked you.”

From the corner of my eye, I see him nervously run his hand through his hair. His apology surprises me. I thought he would start defending himself or let me storm off.

But he stays quiet, and his words hang in the air. When we reach the house, I turn right instead of left. I hear him sigh, but I need to see my sister.

We used to be inseparable, but ever since she found her Mate, I haven’t seen much of her. Alan adjusts his pace to trail behind me. I come to a halt in the middle of a long corridor.

“It’s not your fault,” I whisper, knowing he can hear me.

Before he can respond, I push open the door to my sister’s office. A wide smile spreads across my face when I see her sitting at her desk. Despite my deep-seated aversion to wolves, I can’t deny that my sister has never looked happier.

She’s always been content, but never truly joyful. After our parents passed away, she practically raised me. We’ve been thick as thieves ever since.

Sometimes, I still half-expect her to sneak into my room for a late-night gossip session about the other witches in our coven. The house that once felt too small for our sisterly squabbles now feels too big.

Victoria grins back at me and rises to envelop me in a warm hug.

“So, how’s your wolf boy?”

Alan growls behind me, clearly offended by my disrespectful nickname for an Alpha. I roll my eyes. Victoria just laughs it off.

“He’s perfect,” she sighs dreamily, her gaze drifting off into the distance. I know she’s sending him a mental message.

It’s something witches can’t do, but it sure would be useful. I’d give my sister a piece of my mind right now if I could. But ever since Victoria Mated with Jackson, she’s been able to communicate with him telepathically. It’s just a coincidence, right?

“So, what does he want me to do? And why doesn’t he let you do it? What’s the point of having a witch for a Luna if you’re not going to use her?”

Victoria settles back into her office chair, and I take the large chair in front of her desk, leaving Alan to awkwardly linger by the door.

“You’re much better at controlling your magic than I am. Plus, I have other responsibilities now. I’m the Luna of a pack that’s still a little wary of me, so I’m throwing a party.”

Victoria has always loved throwing parties. Even when she was still with the coven, she’d organize every celebration we had. She was in charge of most of the ceremonies, too. My sister has never been one to sit still.

“In that case, I better get to work. Don’t want wolf boy to be kept waiting.” I wink at Victoria. She shakes her head, a smile playing on her lips.

“I love you. And my offer still stands. You don’t have to live in that house all by yourself. There’s plenty of room for you at the pack house.”

I give her a quick peck on the cheek and an “I love you” before practically sprinting out of the room. Every time I visit, she asks me to move in with her. But I don’t belong here.

I can see the way the wolves look at me every time I come here. No, thank you. I’m fine where I am. Even if it gets a little lonely.

Alan guides me back through the house and the seemingly endless corridors to an office tucked away at the back. As I step into the office, I can’t help but spin around.

Every wall is plastered with pictures and newspaper clippings from the human world. Small strings connect some of the articles and pictures. I turn to Alan, my mouth agape.

“What is this?”

Alan strides over to the desk in the center of the room. He scoops up the clutter there and tosses it into a corner. For a long time, he doesn’t answer my question.

I wander around the room. Most of the pictures feature the same man with blond hair and deep brown eyes.

There’s something sinister about him. His eyes are cold and calculating. I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve seen him before. The articles talk about missing people, particularly women.

Some are from the same states, but most are from different places. A few articles have pictures of the women next to them.

One thing that immediately strikes me is that they all have long dark hair and appear to be in their mid-twenties.

“That man is my brother. And I need your help to find him.”

Suddenly, everything falls into place. Except for the hair color, this man is almost a carbon copy of Alan.

But Alan’s eyes are warm and inviting, whereas his brother’s eyes send a chill down your spine.

Alan is staring at his hands, which are resting in his lap. I pretend to read the articles, but I’m really watching him out of the corner of my eye.

I have so many questions. Is his brother responsible for all these missing women? Did he know about this? What will happen when they find him? Are those women still alive?

But I hold my tongue and give Alan time to gather his thoughts. If this were my sister, it would be a complete mess.

“Ask me.” His voice is devoid of any emotion.

But I know better. I can feel the tension radiating from him. I can see the muscles in his neck tense up. And even though I’m dying to know what’s going on, it’s not my place to ask.

It’s not my job to question him. It’s only my job to help.

“What do I need to do?”

Alan’s head jerks up in surprise. His eyebrows shoot up to his hairline for a split second, then his face reverts back to its usual serious expression.

“We need to find him. The sooner, the better. He’s... He’s a danger. He’s a rogue.”

Now, I don’t know much about rogues, but what I do know is that they’re packless. And for wolves, that’s a very bad thing. They’re meant to live in packs. Without one, they go mad.

I glance back at the pictures of the women on the walls. They look like innocent humans. I nod and place my bag on the table. It’s filled mostly with herbs and other natural elements.

I don’t need them, but they make me more powerful.

“Do you need something of his? I have an old teddy bear he used to sleep with as a child.” Alan’s voice is laced with vulnerability. My heart aches for him.

“You share a blood bond. I only need you to find him.”

His eyes harden again. Something deep inside me wants to go over to him and give him a hug. But instead, I extend my hand for him to take.

As he does, I shut my eyes. I concentrate on the magic within me, on the elements on the table, and on the image of his brother that I’ve seen. Pictures flash before my eyes.

They’re too quick for me to make out what’s happening, but the screams that echo in my head are unmistakable. High-pitched female screams that cut right through me.

My heart starts to race as I try to pull my hand away from Alan’s. But I can’t. The magic is drawing me in deeper. That’s when the images stop.

Behind my closed eyes, a clear picture forms. It’s Alan’s brother, looming over a woman with long dark hair.

She’s on the floor, on her hands and knees, blood seeping from her head onto the floor. Her pleading eyes are fixed on Alan’s brother.

I’ve seen enough. I pull my hand back without any trouble. My body is shaking, and only then do I feel the tears streaming down my face. Alan is by my side in an instant.

His strong arms catch me just as my legs buckle beneath me. I’ve never felt a connection so intense. That woman was confused and in pain.

She was fearing for her life in a way that I’ve never had to. My eyes land on one of the articles on the wall.

Margaret Penton, twenty-six years old. Abducted in broad daylight.

“What did you see?” A shiver runs through me. “Where is he?”

I can’t speak. All I can do is stare at that picture. A woman with dark curly hair and a smile that lights up her blue eyes. She’s beautiful.

How did she end up there? What does he want from her? Why? I realize these are the very same questions Margaret must be asking herself.

How does one’s life go so wrong that you end up in the clutches of an evil man? What does one go through to become such a dark evil? Why? Why does this happen?

Why don’t the gods protect them? Warm hands turn my face. Gently, my head is turned toward Alan. His eyes are filled with worry.

“What did you see?” His voice is barely a whisper, and he’s so close.

He smells like Christmas cookies and something else. Something I can’t quite identify. Definitely not a wet dog though.

My heart starts to race as my eyes drop to his mouth. A growl from him snaps me out of it.

I pull back so quickly that I nearly trip over a pile of books that seems to have appeared out of nowhere.

“He has her.” I point to the picture of Margaret. “I didn’t connect with him. Somehow I couldn’t, but I’m connected to her. I can find her.”

Alan walks up to the article and takes it off the wall.

“I need to know where she is. I need a location.” I shake my head as I start pacing back and forth. The map on the table is completely blank.

That’s never happened before. Usually, a small hole burns, marking the location of those I’m trying to find.

It’s never one hundred percent accurate, but it’s always close. However, there’s something tugging in my chest. The pull leads outside, and I can feel that it’s connected to her.

“I have to go with you.” The article crumples in his hand as he clenches it into a fist.

“No.” A simple word but so much emotion behind it. I stop pacing and look at him.

His anger doesn’t hide the fear I feel radiating off of him. Is he afraid of his own brother? Or is he afraid of me getting hurt? That last thought rubs me the wrong way.

“Yes. Without me, you won’t find her. And without her, you won’t find him. I did what I always do, and the spell did work. But he must be cloaked by a different witch.

“You were lucky I locked onto the girl. You need me. Without me, you won’t find him.”

His hand goes up, and he runs it through his hair again. He seems to do that a lot when he’s frustrated. His brown curls bounce right back into place as if his hand was never there.

I cross my arms and stare him down.

“You have no idea how dangerous he is. You’ve had no proper training, and I would need to bring a team just to protect you. It will be a lot of lives at risk for unnecessary reasons.

I don’t care how you do it, but you find him. Break the cloaking spell or whatever the fuck it is and give me his location.”

My hand flies up and a gust of wind sends Alan flying across the room against the wall. His body bounces off, and he lands flat on his face on the floor.

I only feel guilty for a split second, before anger flares up again.

“Now, you listen to me! I’m not weak or untrained. I only have to raise my hand or think about burning you and your ass will be on fire. Just because we live in peace doesn’t mean I’m weak.

“You don’t need a bloody team to protect me. And you sure as hell don’t need to give me an attitude for helping you!

“And you better not bloody forget that I’m, in fact, helping you for no bloody reason at all.”

Alan’s ego looks a little bruised as he quickly jumps up from the floor. He has a cut on his forehead that’s already starting to heal. I stand my ground as I see his body shake with anger.

Good, let him be angry. Nobody disrespects me and sure as hell no damn wolf. Eventually, I can see him give in. His muscles relax, and the anger disappears from his eyes.

Wolves and their tantrums. I can’t believe my sister actually Mated with one. Alan’s shoulders slump in defeat.

“I know you’re not weak. But he’s my brother. He’s my responsibility, and so many people have already gotten hurt because I failed. I can’t…”

He sighs deeply and runs his hand through his hair once more.

“You’re never responsible for someone else’s choices. You’re only responsible for you and how you respond to the choices that they made. You are not your brother.

“No blood stains your hands. Let me help you. That woman is terrified. I can feel her pain deep inside me. And we can keep fighting like this, but eventually you’ll have to give in.

“I’d rather we get to her before it’s too late. She’s alone and scared. She needs us.”

A shiver runs through me as I realize I’m meant to be here. The gods have a plan for me; they want me to help this woman. They want me to find this man. I can feel it deep in my bones.

I have to do this. Even if it means spending time with this insufferable wolfman.

“I need to let my Alpha know. Your sister won’t be thrilled about this.”

I study his face, searching for any hint that he’s just trying to ditch me. But he seems genuine. There’s an understanding in his eyes. It’s the first time I really see him.

Because behind those eyes is a truth I see in my own every time I look in the mirror—grief. The relentless ache of losing someone you love.

I push it aside, knowing there’s no point in discussing it. It’s a pain that never truly fades, no matter what anyone says.