"Hey! Hey!" A groggy voice calls from next to us.

Basil's interruption only irritates Aiden further, but he turns his frustration towards Clover.

"You were supposed to keep him subdued, witch. Are you incapable of following simple instructions?"

Clover bows her head in submission, but not before casting me a meaningful stare.

"I'm sorry, Alpha. He must have metabolized the drug quicker than expected and I haven't had time to make more with getting our Luna prepared for this evening and all."

Aiden growls in frustration.

"You should have prepared enough before you brought them here. Enjoy tonight's festivities, because it will be your last night of freedom."

A flash of fear crosses Clover's face, but she bows once more to Aiden and disappears back into the crowd. Aiden turns his attention back to Basil, circling around his chair in predatory strides.

"Ahh, Basil McChale, the second of five children. You've led a rather unremarkable life, hmm? Your claim to fame is sleeping with the Beta of a decent pack, and he only earned that title because of me! I think there's not much use for you now that your sister has complied."

Basil surprises everyone by laughing, looking completely at ease despite his current predicament.

"Dude, at least I have a mate. Who cares about a title? If all I accomplish in this lifetime is having someone love me unconditionally, then I'd say I'm a lot more successful than whatever shit show you have going on here. Just leave my sister out of it."

Aiden raises his fist faster than I can blink and it connects with the center of Basil's face. There's a sick crunching sound that turns my stomach and blood streams freely from his nose. Basil coughs a little, but maintains his composure.

I realize now that this is my last chance to make a move.

Basil's life is at stake. Maddox and August can't help. It's all up to me. In a desperate attempt to gain control back, I reach for my magic with little hope, but this time, something is different. I can feel a tiny spark of energy, like a small seed, slowly sprouting its tendrils through my veins.

I can't help the small gasp of delight that escapes me when I feel it.

It's working.

I push harder, willing it to grow, but as quickly as it appeared, it vanishes.

Fuck, fuck, fuck! Come on, I just-

Poppy?

The sweet sound of Maddox's voice in my head is almost too good to be true.

Maddox? How are you...

My eyes scan the crowd to find Clover staring right at me with the hint of a smirk on her face.

This is the best I can do for you, Poppy. All of your barriers are down, but I can't take Aiden. It has to be you. The rest of us will do what we can from this side, but I don't know how long we can hold these rogues back if shit goes south.

Thank you, I cry in appreciation.

My chest feels a little lighter just knowing that mine and Maddox's bond hasn't been broken. Just being able to hear him again makes me want to cry with joy. I finally dare to turn my head slightly to look at him, but what I see terrifies me, makes my blood run cold.

Aiden is looking furiously between Clover and I, realization dawning on him. There's no way he could know exactly what our exchange entailed unless Clover told him, and by the way her face paled and eyes widened in fear, I doubt she's offering up any details to him. Still, he could definitely tell something was up.

"It would appear we have a little mutiny on our hands," He spits angrily, now facing his band of rogues. "Should we show our new Luna why that would be a mistake?"

A wave of cheers sounds from the crowd surrounding us. One rogue standing off to the side slips Aiden something wrapped in a dark green silk cloth. He turns back slowly to Basil with deliberate steps and for the first time since he's been awake, Basil looks scared.

I glance anxiously between him, Maddox, and August all while trying to call back that spark of magic I felt.

What do we do? I still can't reach my magic. Basil?

I can't reach mine right now either. Whatever shit Clover gave me is still in my system and is cutting me off, not that divination will help us much now anyways. You boys have any grand ideas over there?

He quirks an eyebrow in Maddox and August's direction, but they look just as at a loss as we both felt.

Not unless one of your new witch friends knows how to compel these dickheads to point their guns at each other instead of us. We'll be dead before we can take a step.

I'll try my best, Clover chimes in.

Two rogues grab me from either side, one of them gripping my jaw, forcing my face to stay pinned on Aiden. Fucking Bryant and Donovan.

"Nice to see you again," Bryant sneers.

"Bite me," I retort.

"Hmm, I might like that. Maybe when this is all over, Alpha Aiden might let us have a turn."

"Pay attention, Poppy," Aiden calls to me. "I want you to watch this bond that brought you to my brother destroy you entirely."

He unwraps the silk, revealing a dagger. The hilt was carved from gold Tiger's Eye, the blade a beautiful blend of smoky quartz and garnet.

A symbol of my dedication to my mate, crafted by a young girl hopeful for the future and far too naive about the troubles that laid ahead.

"Where the fuck did you get that?" I wail.

Aiden shrugs, the picture of composure.

"Doesn't matter," he responds before plunging the dagger into Basil's chest.