Page 67 of The Witch’s Daughter

It sounded like there was a compliment in there, but you wouldn’t know it from Kera’s tone.

She stopped in the center of the tent, surveying the organized chaos with an approving nod, and then put her hands on her hips. “Now I want someone in here to tell me why I can’t communicate with my niece.”

As her Alpha, Kera’s telepathic range was longer than most, but wherever Vincent had taken Tisiphone was out of reach for pack communications.

It was on the tip of my tongue to explain my failure again, but Calla stepped from the shadows with her wolves at her sides.

“We think Trish went undercover to gather more intel on the missing witch.” Calla gave me a cautionary look.

We do?

We didn’t. But now that she said it, that made so much sense. The breath rushed from my lungs as I fully exhaled. Had I been that blind? Kera was right to chastise me.

“What missing witch?” Kera’s eyes narrowed.

The twins joined Calla on either side, and the three of them hurried to explain the events of the festival so far. I stood back, letting them get it all out.

The tent flap parted, and in came Meg and Alec. Between them, of all people, was Sage. I didn’t sense Maddock anywhere, but it was bad enough that her mother was here too.

Tisiphone was going to lose it.

Sage offered a smile and turned her head slightly, motioning for me to join her outside the tent.

As foolish as I was, I knew better than to say no to this particular witch.

*

“Do you want to tell me what really happened?” Sage was shorter than her daughters and most other shifters, but—like Tisiphone—she exuded power and magic that would’ve brought a lesser wolf to his knees.

As an Alpha, I bent for no one.

Except our mate.

A memory of the other night came unbidden as I kneeled in front of Tisiphone, and I had to quickly banish it before the witch saw my reaction to her daughter.

“Everything Calla said was the truth,” I tried to keep the hope out of my voice as I admitted that out loud.

“My daughter isn’t reckless.” Sage shook her head. “She wouldn’t put herself in danger for no reason.”

I clenched my jaw, staring straight ahead. That was twice this morning I’d heard someone speak of Tisiphone in a way that didn’t explain her at all. It seemed they didn’t know her as well as they thought they did. Maybe I didn’t either. I was starting to think there was a whole other side to Tisiphone that none of us had figured out.

And that killed me.

“You know you can speak freely with me.” Sage smiled. “I don’t bite.”

I chuckled a bit at her attempt of a joke, but couldn’t bring myself to say anything. We’d had a few heart-to-hearts over the years, and Sage was a very maternal witch, but she didn’t owe me anything.

Nor I her.

My wolf whined softly.

I continued to stare straight ahead. “There isn’t much to say. Tisiphone makes her own decisions.”

Maybe it was time to believe that she knew what was best for herself.

And that might not include me.

“Her great-grandmother, Lisa, took me under her wing when I escaped the human purist city,” Sage said, shocking me with the turn of conversation. It wasn’t often I talked about Lisa with anyone. I was always curious about Tisiphone’s family, but Lisa had done more for me than most adults, so I eagerly waited to hear her name spoken.