CHAPTER 146 Priorities First

CHAPTER 146 Priorities First
Maverick

The portal sealed behind us with a sound like a lung collapsing.

The space it left behind folded in on itself, light snapping shut in a hard, final way. One second the air carried heat, dust, and the echo of a city that never slept. The next, it was gone.

Cold Wyoming air rushed in to replace desert heat. Dawn was just beginning to split the horizon, a pale blade of light cutting across the plains beyond Blood Moon territory. The wards flared briefly as we crossed through, recognizing pack, blood, authority, before settling back into their steady perimeter pattern.

I felt the territory respond the way it always did. A low awareness. The land knew us. Me particularly.

We were home.

Smith stumbled slightly as he entered the manor. He rubbed his arm and scowled, adjusting his balance as the transition finished settling in his body. Portals always hit humans harder.

“You know,” he said, glancing wistfully back at the spot where Las Vegas had very recently existed, “if witches are going to end the world, I would have really wanted to at least see the Strip. Maybe lose some money. Drink something that glows. Before I die. Right, Aurora?”

Aurora nodded her head, still quiet, her shoulders drawn in as she took in the familiar walls. “I think that’s a reasonable request.”

Zuri didn’t even turn to look at him. She was already moving deeper into the manor, focus locked forward. “When this is over, I’ll take both of you there,” she said flatly. “If it’s over. Priorities first. Sightseeing is not a priority during an approaching magical war.”

Smith sighed dramatically, dragging it out. “You wolves are no fun during impending apocalypses.”

“We’re still alive,” Zuri replied. “That counts as fun.” She shoved a hand into her pocket and pulled out the small orb pendant she’d taken from Arnold’s corpse. The glass caught the early light as she crossed the room. “Agatha, this belongs to you.”

Zuri placed the necklace in Agatha’s palm. Agatha froze for a second, fingers curling slowly around it. Shock crossed her face, followed by relief.

“My brother was an extraordinary mage. He shrank the orb into a pendant,” she said quietly.
“Too bad he had gone dark.”

She moved to the table and placed the orb down carefully. When she snapped her fingers, the glass responded immediately, expanding outward until it reached its full size and settled upright. The surface was clear, smooth, and unmistakably powerful.

“There,” Agatha said, breath unsteady but controlled. “The All-Seeing Orb back to its right size. Thank you for keeping it safe while I was gone.”

I let the moment end naturally before stepping forward.

“All of you, grab a bite to eat and get some sleep,” I instructed. “Agatha, take care of Evie. Bear, you’re with me.”

Bear fell in beside me without comment. We left the manor and headed for the pack house, where the early shift was already moving through their routines. The smell of food drifted through the air, but no one relaxed.

My wolves snapped to attention the second they saw me.

“Double security,” I ordered as soon as I had everyone’s focus. “Every perimeter. I want overlapping rotations. No gaps. If someone misses something, another pair of eyes catches it.”

“Yes, Alpha,” they answered together.

I let my gaze move across them, taking in posture, awareness, readiness. They knew this wasn’t routine.

I remembered the image from the phone. Sengal standing beside Maggie Howell. The way she’d smiled outside Blood Moon Spirits like she belonged there.

To the outside world, it was a successful liquor empire. To us, it was infrastructure. Money flow. Distribution. Influence.

A heart.

And hearts could be poisoned.

“Including Blood Moon Spirits headquarters,” I continued. “I want cameras around the perimeter. Lock it down. No one enters the compound without clearance from Bear and me."

I paused, letting the weight of the next words settle.

“And if anyone trespasses, kill them.”

No questions. No hesitation. They understood what kind of threat warranted that order.

I turned to Bear. “You oversee security and get me the guest log book at Blood Moon Spirits. As for me, I'm going hunting.”

Bear nodded once. That was all he needed.

Back at the manor, I pulled out my phone before the adrenaline could fade and dialed Cruz.

He answered immediately. “Alpha Lord.”

“What’s Maggie Howell been up to?”

There was a pause.

“Haven’t seen much of her lately,” Cruz said carefully. “She’s been… quiet. Skipped three public gatherings. That’s not like her.”

My jaw tightened. “And Evie’s father?”

“He told the congregation she’s resting at home. Recovering.”

A lie built around just enough truth to be believable.

“She’s definitely got him under something,” I said. “Spell, suggestion, binding. I don’t care what you call it.”

“You want me to confirm?”

“I want scouts,” I replied. “Around the Howell residence. No confrontations. No probing unless necessary. If anything feels off, you call me. Immediately.”

“You think she’s on the move again?”

“I think she never stopped,” I said, and ended the call.

Agatha took over the moment Evie was settled.
She dismissed everyone else without ceremony, pulled the curtains to block the rising sun, and set a single vial on the bedside table. The liquid inside was dark and dense, its surface barely moving.

“This will block residual intrusion,” Agatha said. “But it won’t be pleasant.”

Evie didn’t hesitate. She took the vial and drank.
The reaction was immediate.

Her breath caught. Her fingers clenched into the sheets. I felt it through the bond, sharp and sudden, my body responding before my mind could. Heat surged, then pulled inward.

Agatha pressed two fingers to Evie’s temple and began to speak. The words were low and controlled, precise in a way that told me this wasn’t improvisation. The room pulsed once, hard enough that my jaw clenched.

Then it passed.

Evie sagged back against the pillows, her breathing evening out, color slowly returning to her skin.

“It’s done,” Agatha said. “Any witch who tries to access your mind now will hit a warded wall and announce themselves by doing it. You are your pups are safe."

Evie swallowed. “Good.”

Agatha studied her carefully. “This isn’t enough long-term. You’re strong, but untrained. Morgana felt you because you’re open.”

“I need to close myself off,” Evie said. “Teach me.”

There was no hesitation in her voice.

Agatha nodded once. “I will. You’re not meant to be a pawn. You’re meant to be a Grand Witch. And I won’t let Morgana define what that means.”

Leon left as soon as he gathered what he needed. No send-off. No escort. Just a small bag, his passport, cash, a burner phone, a nod, and a grin that promised he’d cause problems if anyone deserved it.

Agatha opened the portal to Mexico City. Leon stepped through and vanished.

After kissing Evie on the forehead and making sure she was resting, I went downstairs to my study and made my next call.

Marshall answered sounding like he hadn’t slept.

“Talk to me.”

“Draven’s in Mexico City,” I told him. “And this isn’t contained anymore. We’re heading toward open war with the witches.”

A breath on the line. “I was afraid you’d say that.”

I pulled the folded list from my pocket. “There are three witches in Los Angeles tied to the Covenant. They brew the youth elixirs Wolfgang’s been using.”

“I know them."

“I want them watched,” I said. “Quietly. No interference unless they move. I need eyes, not bodies.”

“You planning something?”

“Yes. I’ll call you when I get to LA.”

Agatha was standing in the doorway when I ended the call.

“You want them to brew for you?” she asked.

“I need a Plan B,” I replied. “Options.”

“That elixir is dark magic,” she warned. “There’s a cost.”

“To fight the dark,” I said evenly, “I’ll need the dark.”

Her gaze held mine, sharp and measuring. “And Evie?”

“She won’t touch it,” I said instantly. “This stays on me. Get dressed. There are neutral witches nearby. If we don’t reach them first, Morgana will.”

Agatha didn’t take long. She was already waiting beside my car when I stepped outside.

We didn’t threaten them. We didn’t promise safety we couldn’t guarantee.

We told them the truth.

Some hesitated. One cried. But all of them listened.

By the time the last one agreed, it was late afternoon. For the first time since the Charter was signed, something shifted.

I felt hope.

Evie was awake when we returned. Steadier. Clearer. I kissed her cheek, relieved she was doing better.

I called for an early dinner. Smith, Aurora, and Zuri gathered quietly. No jokes. No tension either.

Leon called later.

“Watching Lobo Negro territory,” he said. “No sign of Draven.”

“Stay sharp,” I told him. “He doesn’t move loudly.”

After the call ended, my phone rang again.

Cruz.

“Alpha Lord,” he said. “We have a problem.”

My blood went cold. “What is it?”

“Draven’s back in Chippewa Falls.”

Of course he was.

I looked out over Blood Moon territory, the moon thin but rising.

The board had shifted again.

And Draven was up to no good.