Page 25 of Second Chance By Fate

“And it can’t just be that they’re evil and want our power for themselves?” I counter. “A usurping has been known to happen.”

“It has… but not by witches. If this were the work of other shifters, maybe,” Enzo drawls. “Shifters aren’t just going to rollover and accept rule by a coven now. They can’t just walk in and take over the territory.”

We ponder their motives and drive more, but the answers are much harder to come by.

“It might not be so simple as getting in and out tomorrow,” Violet says quietly. “Not if we really want this to be over for good.”

“Violet—”

“Hear me out,” she insists. “I might be your only shot to do this.”

We lean in to listen, but the more the details of her plan unfold, the less I like it, my eyes darting toward my brothers. It’s obvious that feelings are irrelevant in this matter already. I’m outnumbered.

Violet is going to do what she wants to do, and there’s nothing I can do to stop her.

When I wake,Violet is already gone, and I panic slightly. I intended to spend the night with her, but I fell asleep on the sofa, and she left before I woke.

“Where is she?” I demand, rousing my brothers from their slumber.

Jax and Enzo bounce out of bed without hesitation, blinking wildly. They race through the pack house to look for her, but it’s too late. I’ve already gone that route.

She’s undoubtedly gone.

“You didn’t hear her leave?” Jax demands, throwing open the curtains in the living room. “You were right here!”

We inhale collectively. His car is gone.

“She did that on purpose,” I mutter, shaking my head.

She was onto our plan.

“She left without telling us!”

I try her phone, but she doesn’t respond, and I send her a text, not hiding my annoyance.

Me:I hope you haven’t gone to the estate already. Call me right away!

“We need to go after her,” I say.

“She could have gone for coffee,” Jax suggests weakly, but I can tell he doesn’t believe that in the least.

“Let’s give her half an hour,” Enzo agrees, and I fume about it. “The last thing we want is to go back to Dusty Woods without her.”

“Right. Because she’s the bait,” I grouch coldly.

“That’s the plan, whether you like it or not,” Enzo retorts. “We need to see this through and end this. How many more years are we going to go on like this? I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of being the weakest Apex Alphas in the country.”

Unsurprisingly, Violet doesn’t return in the allotted time, and I’m the first one out the door when my oldest brother declares the time up.

“We might already be too late,” I warn them, but I don’t wait for either of them to respond before I shift into my panther form and bolt off down the road.

Through my peripheral vision, I see them both shift into their animal forms, and I’m relieved they’re not fighting me on the course of action.

Silently, we stalk off in the daylight through the Sedona back roads toward Dusty Woods, and I ponder again how the dark witches infiltrated the town and estate. We weren’t careful enough in our weakened state. Sending Violet away was our first mistake. If she had been here, she would have noticed this a long time ago.

Shame propels me further faster, worry for her adding speed to my paws.

Arriving at the gate, Enzo stops to talk to the guards, asking if Violet went through. They confirm she got in earlier, and the dread on their faces is evident.

---