My gaze jumped to my bestie Callie, who shucked off her jacket like she’d done it a million times for me.

“Sorry the zipper’s broke,” she said with a half-smile.

“And put on those pants,” Lona said with a huff, indicating a pair of jeans that sat atop a donations bag in the corner of the room. I crossed the room quickly, slipping into the jacket and pants. Then, I handed Callie the wire cutters so she could free Lona.

“Are you okay?” Callie asked.

“No. Not at all.” In fact, I was so many levels past okay. “But good to see you, girl. We need to catch up. Later.”

Right now, I needed to save my shocked future MIL.

As I returned to Elaine, I saw a dark green smudge—the same color as the mist Surlama had attacked me with—right over Elaine’s heart. In fact … the smudge was darkest over her heart, but a fine mist webbing covered her entire being, both human and wolf.

Keeping my eye trained on the sickly green smudge over Elaine’s chest, I pointed at it. “Can you wipe that away?”

She looked at me, perplexed.

‘What is that?’ Honor asked, cocking his head to the side as he stepped closer to his mother.

So he could see it too? Interesting.

“Bite me,” I commanded and then held out my arm to Honor.

‘What?’ He cocked his head to the side. ‘No.’

My gaze landed on my father’s pruning shears, and I scooped them up as Elaine’s eyes widened.

‘I see the magic spell—maybe my blood can heal it.’ I hoped. ‘Grandpa’s not back, so it’s worth a try,’ I told Honor.

Dragging the sharp edge of the shears over the fleshy part of my hand, I pushed hard enough so the wound wouldn’t heal right away. Pain seared my palm, and I winced.

‘You’re going to rub blood on my mom?’ Honor watched as I massaged my palm to get the blood flowing. ‘She’s … not so good with blood.’

How was that possible? ‘She’s a wolf…”

‘Just pin her down and do it,’ he said, his voice weighted with doubt. ‘Fast as you can.’

Okay … here goes nothing.

Without warning, I lurched forward and tackled my future mother-in-law to the floor.

“Nai!” she yelped.

“I’m sorry,” I gasped, wincing as she fell back onto the concrete floor. Stradling her, I rushed to explain. “I just need to wipe this blood curse away…” Without waiting for her permission … I rubbed my blood all over her skin just above Elaine’s heart. “Scrub-a-dub-dub … Surlama’s magic is a dud.”

Elaine sat up with a gasp and—crack!—smacked me in the head.

My vision became spotted, and I pressed my hand to my forehead, where we’d collided. “Oww.”

“Oh my mage, Nai. I’m sorry,” Elaine said while scooting out from under me. She glanced down where I’d been rubbing my blood and shrieked. “But what in the Mother Mage are you doing!”

She dragged the neckline of her shirt down over the crimson bloody smear, but … the green was still there.

Dammit.

I crawled off of her. “I’m … sorry. I … my blood has healing properties, and I thought…

Frustration pressed in on me.

“Grandpa Geoff!” I shouted into the smoky darkness above. “I could really use that spellbreaker root!”

Green lights flickered like sparks, and then three lines appeared, making a rectangle in the air by the potatoes. I blinked, and then my jaw dropped as Grandpa Geoff stepped through the lines, followed by Reyna.

“I tried to come through a few minutes ago, but the kitchen was in flames,” he said, holding out a small canvas bag.

Thank the mage!

“How do I do this?” I reached for the bag, trying to hold Callie’s coat closed over my chest so I didn’t have a nip slip.

“Chew up the root, spit the juice into your palm and mix it with your blood, then wipe off the spell.”

Riiight. Here we go, running out of time. I could sense Rage’s impatience through our bond. I bit a chunk off the end of the thick root and shoved the rest in the pocket of my borrowed jacket, relieved to discover the root tasted like star anise and cardamom.

“Don’t swallow it,” Grandpa Geoff warned, “Now, spit the juice into your palm.”

Gross.

I spat the now neon-green glowy fluid onto my bloody palm and watched as the two colors mixed.

“Like this?” I asked, my tongue feeling thick and slightly swollen.

He nodded and then tipped his head over to Elaine, who looked horrified.

Remembering how Elaine reacted to my tackling her, I decided I’d better try a different approach. “Elaine, I have to wipe this on you so that Rage can kill the king … before Declan kills your son first.”

Her eyes widened. “Do it.” She tugged the neck of her shirt down and exposed the green blotch of the curse.

I rubbed the concoction over her skin, surprised when it felt like warm lotion; some magical property was heating it up. The green magic seeped into her, melting like butter into warm bread, and then the putrid web of Surlama’s curse turned black.

Elaine gasped, clutching her heart, and my own leapt into my throat.

Then the black webbing fizzled and cracked, little pieces sloughing off Elaine as I ran my hand over her arm.

Elaine gasped—again. This time though, she smiled.

“Thank you,” she said, first to me and then to my grandfather. “I can feel it’s … gone.”

Halle-frickin-leujah.

‘Curse is gone. I repeat, curse is gone. Kill the bastard,’ I told Rage.

Then, I collapsed into a sack of potatoes. “Is it nap time yet?”

That was by far the most stressful hour of my life.

“You should probably,” Callie said, tilting her chin up the cellar steps. “You know, go save the world or help your boyfriend or something.”

I offered her a grin. “Remind me to introduce you to Kaja. You’re gonna love her.”

I tipped my head at Honor, and without a word, he was at my heel, bounding up the cellar steps after me. Pivoting toward the open field, I stumbled and then pulled to a stop.

Dozens of wolves lay dead or dying, their blood splattered against the white snow in a garish display of the brutality of war. Dozens more of our kind sat transfixed by the ferocious battle for alpha king. Surrounded by a semicircle of wolves, two onyx beasts snarled and snapped at one another. Both equal in size, Rage and Declan had both sustained significant injuries—their fur matted and wet from their wounds.

‘Rage!’ I sprinted toward my mate, desperate to do something. ‘Kill him!’

Almost as if my words infused him with renewed energy, Rage lunged forward, dipping his head to the side as his jaws opened. When his teeth went around the king’s throat, the meadow resounded with the collective gasp.

It was a death blow, but only if Rage had the courage to rip his uncle’s—

With one furious jerk, my mate ripped Declan’s throat out.

Holy Mother freaking Mage.

And Rage became Alpha King.

Chapter 13

“The alpha king is your mate…” Callie said for the fiftieth time today, shaking her head. She perched on the edge of Kaja’s bed, wearing a borrowed teal gown from Rue while my Harvest bestie stood behind me at the vanity, curling my hair. Kaja wore a silk dress in Harvest gold. The rest of her sisters were likewise dressed in rich autumn colors. My midnight-black, floor-length dress fit like a glove, and thanks to its side slit, my movement wasn’t restricted one bit.