War of Hearts(117)

Then she went rigid when she felt his hands coast down her back.

There were no bumps or ridges.

No scars.

Thea pushed away from him, stumbling toward his bathroom where she knew there was a mirror. And sure enough, as she twisted to look, her back was smooth and scar-free.

Conall appeared behind her and Thea turned to him. “I don’t understand.”

He cupped her face in his hands. “You’re werewolf now, Thea. Our bodies wouldnae scar from injuries caused by iron. As the change wiped out the poison created by the iron in your heart, I can only assume that same magic wiped away all traces of iron from your body. Including the scars made by it.”

Ashforth was gone.

He was really gone.

“I get to start over,” she whispered, scared to believe it. It seemed too good to be true.

Conall gave her a slow, sexy grin. “Aye, lass. And if you didnae guess it while we were out there”—he jerked his head toward the woods beyond the house—“you’re an alpha.”

Her eyes widened. “I am?”

“Fast too.” His grin was smug, pleased.

Thea laughed at his boyishness. “Faster than you.”

“Aye, but not stronger.” He drew her into his body.

She rolled her eyes. “I could still take you.”

“Maybe,” he murmured against her mouth. “But for sure you could take anyone else in the pack. That’s why they were staring at you downstairs. You could lead a pack with the amount of alpha energy pouring off you. I should have known it.”

Thea couldn’t contemplate that. It was still bizarre to her she was now something completely different. What she could think about in relation to it, however, was … “The pack is safe?”

Understanding, Conall nodded. “The Castle Cara explosion has been on national news. It’s been divulged to the media that Ashforth and his son were renting the castle and they and their guests were killed in the explosion. The cause hasn’t been made public but is under investigation. A member of our pack lives in Glasgow and is a policewoman with the criminal investigations department. The pack is not under suspicion. In fact, we’re not even on the radar. They think it might have something to do with one of Ashforth’s business deals. We’re in the clear.”

Exhaling in relief, Thea nodded. “That’s great. But what about the danger I present?”

“James was in contact with the Blackwood Coven while you were going through the transition. They are going to pay us a visit.”

Thea tensed. “That doesn’t sound safe.”

“They’re only sending representatives. And they just want proof you’re a wolf. That people were mistaken about your identity.”

“James lied?”

“He informed them you were a lone wolf. I recognized you as my mate and I was trying to bring you back to the pack when we were accosted by Blackwood and Eirik who was misinformed about you. He told them that Eirik’s demise had nothing to do with us.”

“They believe him?”

“They willnae believe him until they see you shift into a wolf, and we need to give them that for us all to be safe.”

Although Thea nodded, she couldn’t just let that be the end. “I want to find the woman. The psychic from Prague who tried to help me.”

Conall tightened his hold on her. “It could be dangerous if anyone found out we’re poking around in fae business.”

“I know. But I … I don’t know if I can leave her out there, knowing she’s in danger.”

“And what do you plan to do when you find her?”

“Offer her the same chance that’s been given to me.”

Conall frowned. “The bite could kill her.”

Thea understood that. “She deserves the option. It should be her risk to take or not.”

Her mate let out a shuddering exhale. “Fine. But can I ask for at least one month of peace and quiet before you look for her?”

Snuggling into him, resting her head against his warm, hard chest, Thea sighed. “Yes, considering I could sleep for a month.”

He smoothed a hand down her back to cup her ass as he whispered roughly in her ears, “Oh, I intend to keep you far too busy for sleep. Mate.”

Despite her exhaustion, Thea felt a deep ripple of need in her belly as she looked up at him, lips parted.

Conall’s eyes darkened with desire. “I’ll tell everyone to leave, then you can sleep. In the morning, I’ll hold you to that promise in your eyes.”

She was almost a little disappointed at the idea of delaying sex because it had felt like an age since he’d been inside her, but as he led Thea back to the bedroom, the weariness flooded her limbs again, like sand in an hourglass.

Someone had made the bed. The sweat-soaked and torn sheets were gone.

“Callie,” Conall explained. “While we were running.”

“Did I mention I like your sister?” Thea asked as Conall pulled one of his T-shirts down over her.

“Good.” He smiled. “She likes you too.”

That was something at least. Thea still had to convince the rest of the pack she was one of them now. But that was a worry for another day.

Conall helped her into bed, and Thea was out as soon as her head hit the pillow.