Maddox throws a stack of twenties on the table and gets up with a speed slightly too quick for a human.

"Let's go," he says gruffly, holding his hand out to me.

I take it wordlessly, still too in shock to put up any kind of protest over unfinished food. He ushers me to the car, wrapping his arms protectively around me as his eyes scan the parking lot for any potential threats.

The sound of the passenger door shutting in the otherwise noiseless parking lot causes me to jump in my seat. My already on edge nerves go into overdrive when I notice Maddox running his hands along the sides of the car, bending down to look underneath it before popping the hood.

When he climbs in and starts the car, I turn to stare at him anxiously. The absolute fury radiating off of him is palpable even in our silence, and I try to pull some of it through our bond to calm him down just a little, but he's hanging onto it for dear life.

"What were you doing with the car?" I whisper shakily.

He sighs and screws his eyes shut, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Checking for bugs, bombs, and anything else that could put a damper on our little expedition."

"Do you really think Aiden would bug us? Do you really think he would bomb us?"

The thought causes a chill to run down my spine, even though I know I shouldn't be surprised. He's already proven he's willing to kill to make a point.

"I have no idea what my brother is capable of anymore," he mutters darkly, his words mirroring my own thoughts.

As Maddox speeds off into the darkness, in no direction in particular it seems, another thought pops into my head.

"How did we not know those guys were rogues the second we pulled the car up to the diner?"

A werewolf's sense of smell was his greatest ally, and an Alpha's was better than most. He should have been able to smell that they were rogues, and more importantly, he should have been able to smell their connection to Aiden.

As much as that irks me, my own lack of awareness is even more troublesome. Even though I detected something off about the two men at the bar, I chalked it up to them simply being weird. I went against my intuition when I should have spotted the problem the second I laid eyes on them. Why was my reaction so delayed?

"I've been thinking about that since we left, too," he murmurs.

His hold on the steering wheel seems to have loosened just slightly, but I still fear for its structural integrity. The last thing we need is getting stuck on a highway in the middle of nowhere because my brute mate decided to Hulk smash the wheel.

"They must have found a way to mask their scent, make themselves appear human," he continues. "There's no way I wouldn't have been able to tell exactly who they were otherwise."

"That would imply that they're working with witches though and we both know that's just not possible. Wolves can't mask scents on their own like that."

"Maybe they found a witch or two that they were willing to work with? If rogues can turn their backs on their own kind, it's not so far-fetched to believe that a few witches might have done the same thing, right?"

I press my forehead against the window as I ponder the question. Rogue wolves are rare enough, but a rogue witch with no coven is almost unheard of. I suppose it's possible that a witch has experienced rejection and decided to leave society, but the improbability of it all makes it so hard to wrap my head around it.

We stick together. We're stronger in groups, with or without our mates.

"I guess..." my voice trails off as I try to piece it all together.

It still just doesn't feel right. I made the mistake of ignoring my gut before, but this time my gut is telling me that there are missing puzzle pieces that we aren't seeing, an explanation to all this madness.

"Speaking of, we're going to need something to cover our own scent from now on so they can't track us. Do you think those little bags Lennon gave us will help?" Maddox asks, seemingly unaware of my inner turmoil.

I reach into my back pocket for the little black satchel and dump the contents into my open hand. Some raw black tourmaline. A piece of broom. A mix of betony, cedar, and cinnamon.

I smile as Lennon's words "come back to us in one piece" echo through my mind. That girl is already in full blown mom mode.

"It's a spell for protection, but I can add my own spell to it that can mask our scents. You just have to make sure you're wearing it at all times or else it won't work, and... I'm going to need a lock of your hair," I grin sheepishly at him.

He gives me a subtle smirk in response and pulls a pocket knife out from under the waistband of his jeans.

"Snip away."

"Were you expecting trouble?" I ask nervously, taking the little blade from his hand.

I don't remember him ever carrying one on him before.

"I've learned to expect just about anything. But fear not, my little mate, my trusty pocket knife and I will protect you."

A cheeky grin crosses his face and it seems that just like that, his bad mood is gone. When I open the mind link and search his thoughts, I can still feel the rage he's been clinging on to since the diner, and even a little fear, but at the forefront of his thoughts is the desperate need to make me feel safe and unafraid after our encounter.

My heart swells knowing that despite everything, his main concern is my happiness.

I lean across the center console to place a sloppy, wet kiss on his cheek, earning myself an outraged "Hey!" followed by his deep laughter. As soon as Maddox stops at a red light, I take the opportunity to cut a small piece of hair from both of us and place them in our respective bags before putting my own spell on them.

I can feel the magic flow from my fingertips like pools of warm honey and vibrant energy as it entwines with Lennon's magic, enhancing it. This is what I have missed about being in a coven.

Combining energy, making each other stronger witches as we discover our own magic. I haven't had much of a chance to explore my new coven since mating with Maddox and I realize now what I've been missing out on. It gives me newfound purpose in beating Aiden so that I'll actually have a coven to go back to when this is all over.

Maddox reaches over to grab my hand in his large one and gives it a reassuring squeeze.

"There will be plenty for you to go back to, and they'll be so lucky to have you," he says softly in response to my thoughts.

"I can't wait," I smile back at him.