them.
Liza’s scent came to her on the slight breeze, and she veered in another direction to follow it. She found the woman sitting on a huge boulder, rubbing the small of her back, and grumbling at one of her mates, Caleb, the pack’s alpha.
“I’m pregnant. Not broke.”
Gabby bit back a grin. She knew this was a sore point. One, they kept trying to coddle her.
And two, she wasn’t just pregnant. She was past due, tired, and grumpy. Gabby knew better than to try to assure her friend no one had ever been pregnant forever. Her males were not that bright, and Gabby winced in sympathy when Caleb spoke.
“I know that, but there’s no point in tiring yourself further. The pack can live without your help for one day. The babies will be born any day now, and then you can dive right back in.” Then Caleb muttered, not quite low enough, “Hopefully, any hour now.” Before Liza could strangle him—and judging by the look in her eyes, she really wanted to—Zach walked into the little clearing. He looked to where Gabby was sitting in the trees and grinned, then yanked his shirt off and tossed it toward her.
“You better come help, Gabby. I’ve never heard of a paladin killing his, or her, alpha before, but I’d have to say he asked for it.”
She hurried to shift, tugging her beta’s shirt over her head when she was done. It fell to midthigh, and she walked across the pine-needle-strewn ground to join Liza on the rock. By the time she got there, she had the undivided attention of all three of them. Then, because things weren’t bad enough, Jonas showed up. He looked her up and down, his gaze coming to rest on her neck. With a chuckle, he shook his head.
“So the mighty has finally fallen, huh?”
She couldn’t hold in the growl. “Not fond of having your head attached, huh?” she snapped back.
That just made him laugh more. He was grinning when he stopped and, cocking his head to the side, took a deep breath. “Ethan. And Harris?”
“Well, isn’t that interesting,” Liza said and made a shooing motion with her hand. “Go away, gentlemen. It’s girl-talk time.”
“But I want to hear what she has to say,” Zach—always the teaser—said, but Liza just stared him down.
“Girl talk.”
He assumed a pathetic, pleading face. Laughing, Liza waved her hand at them again, her intent clear. There weren’t any more objections, and all three men went back into the woods in the direction of the pack circle.
“Spill it, girlfriend,” Liza ordered when they were far enough away they couldn’t overhear.
Gabby had no idea where to start. “It just sorta happened.” Liza gave her a frank, assessing look that Gabby was rarely on the wrong end of. It made her fidget uncomfortably.
“Right,” she finally said and lowered her voice. “You said you needed two days off. I know you go to Harris when the heat takes over, but you’ve never let Ethan anywhere near you during that time. You’ve never let him close enough to mark you. Never let the sex get that out of control. So what happened?”
Gabby sighed, but the story started to spill out. Liza halted her with a frown. “He used a potion on you? That’s not cool.”
She snorted. “That’s what I said. He said he’d reverse it if I gave him a week, but then, things got even more intense, and well, it’s too late now. Even if he reverses it, the bond is still there.”
“Yeah. I’ve heard some wizards can do that bonding thing, but it’s uncommon.” Liza looked surprised at that. “They don’t like to leave themselves vulnerable.”
“What do you know about it? How does it make them vulnerable?” She’d take any ammo she could get. Liza was half wolf, born and raised in the pack, but her mother was a witch, and Liza knew a lot about that world.
“Hey,” a voice greeted behind them, and they turned to welcome Harper. “Jonas said y’all were hiding out here.”
Gabby was glad to see her. What Liza and her mom didn’t know, Harper would, being the daughter of the wizards’ leader. Harper came closer and leaned one hip against the rock, brows drawn together in a scowl.
“I was just telling Gabby about wizard bonds.”
Harper’s scowl deepened. “Too late for warnings, I’d say.” Gabby’s chest went tight. Did she need to be warned? But Liza said it made Harris vulnerable too. “Tell me.”
The witches exchanged a look, and Harper shrugged one shoulder. “It’s a psychic bond.
Our worlds are very different. Wizards use that bond to keep track of their wives. They can spy on their emotions, their movements. Sometimes their thoughts, if they have enough telepathic ability.”
Gabby knew Harper had grown up in a cold world, but the way her voice changed, the way her eyes dimmed, Gabby knew it was worse than cold. Monstrous.
“You can…feel this bond?”
Harper bit her bottom lip and nodded. “I can see it, like a shimmer around you.” Liza cocked her head to one side. “Do you see wolf bonds?”
“No. Different kind of bond.”
“Harris said that. One is blood, the other psychic.”
Harper nodded again. “Yes, exactly.”
“And there’s no way to break it?”
“No, sorry. Only if one of you dies.”
