Binding the Earth: The Pact Warden Trilogy, #2

By Dina Walburg

Kill the monster? Check. Get the guy? Check. Lose my job? Uh… check.

 

I've got the first ever clue about my missing memory, but it came at the cost of my life falling apart. Now I'm staying with the Stewart Pack for 'protection'. Not that I need it.

 

But you try telling Malek that. My magic and his wolf shift are addicted to each other. He'll do whatever it takes to keep his mate safe. And not everybody is happy about that.

 

As if unravelling my personal mysteries isn't time consuming enough, now I've got half the pack council suspicious that I had something to do with a vicious attack years ago. And I can't even be sure that I don't.

 

We're going to have to put our differences aside as some inconvenient guests arrive in the territory. There are bigger threats closing in on us, and I'll need all the allies I can get.

 

Most of all, I need to figure out who – and what – I am. Fast.

BINDING THE EARTH is the second book in The Pact Warden Trilogy, a fated mates paranormal romance series. This completed series is ready to sweep you away into a world of urban fantasy, magical powers, and long-lost secrets just waiting to be discovered. For mature readers only.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dina Walburg Inc
• Release date: Dec 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201188924

Book preview

Chapter One

A lmost there. Just a few more minutes, Malek said, turning the wheel of his blue truck as he drove us along a road outside of town.

It was almost three months since I first came to Davenfield, the major town within the Stewart pack’s territory. Three months since I met Malek, felt the Wolf Mates bond flare to life between us, and discovered that my life as a supernatural-problem-solver-for-hire wasn’t exactly what it seemed.

Not that it had ever what you might call normal, anyway.

You know, I appreciate the intention behind a surprise, I said, looking out at a pasture full of cows on a small farm, but it would be cool if you finally told me what you wanted to show me.

Malek grinned and glanced over at me, but only for an instant before returning his attention to the road. Just be patient, Hela. It’ll be worth it.

I rolled my eyes but smiled. Waiting was hard around Malek. It didn’t matter what I was waiting for. My magic still reacted as strongly to him as it did the first time we met. I could feel the energy moving around my body, drawing me towards him like a magnet. It wasn’t difficult to keep it in check, and wasn’t unpleasant - just persistent. 

Even without that tether between us, though, he’d be hard to resist. After my former boss, Divinity, turned weirdly hostile towards me and revealed that she knew something about my missing memories, we’d packed up my old rental house and moved me into the Stewart pack mansion. I’d insisted on staying in the room that Robin had first put me in as a guest, partly for the big, beautiful windows that overlooked the garden in the backyard. But partly because I didn’t want to rush into Malek’s bed too often. 

Wolf Mates or not, I could still take things slow.

Slow-ish.

His truck finally took a turn down a side road off the main one we’d followed from the town. Farmlands that had become overgrown with tall weeds and grasses surrounded the road on both sides. The late afternoon sun washed everything green in gold, making the whole place look a little magical. 

Here we are, Malek said, slowing the truck to a stop and parking right on the road. I guessed nobody came up this way very often. Hop out and I’ll show you the surprise.

I was glad he’d caught me on the way home from a day of working with Emilia on a town project, because I had already dressed in grubby boots and my leather jacket. The summer was drawing to a close, and the evenings were cooler. Thanks to a rainy week, there was mud just about everywhere.

Following Malek off the road and into the field, I looked around for whatever this surprise could to be. I don’t see anything here, I said.

Not yet, he said, gesturing to the big open field in front of us. He was radiating excitement, and it was a little contagious. But I have a big idea for this spot. I’ve been thinking a lot since you told me more about the work you were doing.

Before I came here, I’d been taking on assignments from Divinity’s nameless agency to deal with rogue supernatural creatures – capturing them if possible, but disposing of them if not. I’d lost count of the number of beings I’d rounded up for her over the years. 

I hadn’t heard or seen anything from her, or anyone from the agency, since she turned on me.

It was still kind of a sore spot, really, because I had no idea what actually happened. There was no explanation why Divinity was so desperate to keep me by her side, or why she would have ever had a hand in making me lose my memories – almost a decade of them.

The thought made my stomach twist. I didn’t like to dwell on it.

But in the days and weeks that followed my more permanent arrival here, Malek and I had grown closer. I mean, we had already gotten close… or as close as two people could get, physically. But now we talked about the past a lot. He told me stories of growing up here in his uncle’s pack with the expectation of taking over from him one day; I told him what I could remember from my distant childhood, and the six or so more recent years that I could remember.

Malek didn’t like the stories about my old job and the people I hunted down on Divinity’s orders, but he always wanted to hear them.

I don’t know what that agency is doing with all the supernatural folks you rounded up for them, Malek said. I don’t think I want to know. But the fact that your job existed at all tells me there’s a lot of creatures and people out there who are lost. And maybe instead of being hunted down and trapped, they need to go somewhere safe.

I smiled, suppressing a little chuckle. I could relate, that’s for sure. What are you thinking?

Malek put his hands in his pockets and gazed out at the field. I thought, well, we have all this space in the territory. I’m always saying that we’re going to change things around here, and run the place differently than my uncle did. Maybe we can make that safe place right here.

I looked at the field. It was a fair distance from the town, and didn’t look like much now, but the land was flat and mostly clear. Wow. That’s a big idea, I said, not sure what to think.

I know. And maybe we just start with other shifters. Doesn’t matter what kind. Later, we can figure out how to help others.

Like that dryad? I asked.

Malek grimaced. The memory of the sick and twisted dryad that had infiltrated the pack forest and killed three pack members was still fresh, even after a few months. It had been what brought me here, though. Hopefully we can help before any creatures become like that.

This was one of the things I adored about Malek. He was so soft-hearted. I couldn’t help but think that years of being alone and working shitty, violent jobs had made me a little jaded. Just being around him and remembering there were people like him in the world made the cynic in me lighten up a bit.

It’s a really sweet idea, I said, going over to put my arm around his waist. Sounds like a hell of a lot of work, but I’m in, if you need my help.

He looked delighted at my approval. You can definitely lead the charge on finding people to bring back here, he said, leaning into me. I know you miss those tracking jobs. We can try a more peaceful approach. But before that, there’ll be lots to do to build a place for people to stay. And you’re getting good at that kind of work, too.

I laughed as we headed back to the truck. Some parts of it, sure. 

It only took a few weeks after settling in with the pack before I got antsy and needed to find something to do. Emilia, who managed the town affairs, was one of my other new friends in the pack, and she quickly offered me a position helping her with town projects.

Turns out being able to sense energy – be it water, electricity, plant matter, or anything – saved a lot of time and expense in construction projects. I had spent the earlier part of that day plotting a new well for a farm on the other side of town.

Doing these jobs with Emilia, spending time with Malek, going to the gym with Jason, and chatting with Robin – I found I was happy spending my day doing all these things. It took a while to adjust, seeing as it was more social interaction than I’d had in… well, years. 

But I liked it here.

It was a good thing, too, considering what had formed between Malek and I. And he was fine with taking things at my pace. We went on dates, did pack errands together, and I even convinced him to watch some of my favorite made-for-TV movies with me.

The fact still remained, though, that this bond between us demanded to be completed. Sometimes loudly. Mostly softly.

I tried not to dwell on that, either. Or the knowing looks I’d get from some of the pack members, once word got around that I was Malek’s intended mate. He was the alpha, after all. It was a lot all at once, but I figured it was a good thing that the people around him seemed deeply invested in his happiness.

Once we were back in town, Malek pulled up in front of the pack mansion for me to jump out. Now that I’ve got your approval, I’ll head to the hardware store to line up an order of supplies, he said. You’re heading to the library again?

Yeah, I said, knowing that it wouldn’t result in much. Plenty of afternoons over the last few months had been spent holed up in the pack’s library looking for any clues about my many ongoing mysteries. I’ll probably fall asleep reading, though. I can’t get through these old history books.

Then I’ll come find you after, Malek said with a wink. He drove off, leaving me to wander back inside alone.

I used to think that the weirdly outdated but opulent front hall of the old pack mansion was strange, but it had gradually become familiar. Maybe that was why nobody had bothered to update it after all these years. I kicked off my dusty boots at the door, carrying them through the hall to a back mud room where I threw them onto the pile with everyone else’s grubby work shoes. 

It surprised me to learn how many members of the pack actually lived here, after I finally got my bearings. The building had so many additions put on it over the years that there were wings of bedrooms in plenty of unexpected places. I usually hung out in the gym, the backyard, or the little living room that Malek had put together for me that nobody else used. It had become my TV cave, and he frequently visited me there.

I half expected to run into Emilia in the library when I entered, but found it empty and remembered that she was in meetings all evening. The library was her de facto office when she was in the pack house, and we would keep each other company when I was researching there. I had even started getting a taste for tea, since she was always offering me a cup from one of her collectible teapots.

Looking at the tall packed bookshelves today, I was at a loss where to begin. Months ago, I had scanned all the titles looking for anything obvious. Now I was reduced to checking unrelated, uninteresting books for any hint of information that might help me.

Not that I’d find much in a history book. My first priority was figuring out more about the agency I’d been working for over the last few years. Malek had said he found the phone number to contact them tucked into his uncle’s old journal, so they must have been around for many years, at least. But the internet would be a better source of information on that, if I ever figured out the right search terms. Nothing had turned up so far.

I hoped that these books might contain some clue about my other mystery, though. I picked up a title that I had been reading last time I came in here; an agricultural history of the region. It wasn’t much, but somehow I thought the land might know something.

The memory that I had received when I fought the dryad was still clear as day. When I used my magic to pull the massive well of energy from the miserable creature, it had unlocked something in my brain – I don’t know how, yet. But that memory of standing beside my mother as a town burned, and watching her summon rain down from the sky, kept me up at night. 

Maybe it was a bit of a stretch. But I hoped something in one of these books could spark something. A memory, a clue, anything. 

I needed to know what happened to my family. And what happened to me.

I read for an hour before my eyelids got heavy. The library had the most comfortable couches, too. It was too easy to drift off into sleep, giving up on reading about crop rotations and seasonal droughts in the valley beyond the town.

When Malek gently woke me up with a kiss, I left a dream that I instantly couldn’t remember. 

Dinner’s ready downstairs, he said, taking the book I had dropped in my sleep and putting it on a table. Jason barbecued. So I hope you’re extra hungry, because he made enough to feed an army.

I stretched, blinking up at the evening light streaming through the skylight. Always hungry, I said, and followed Malek out for dinner.

There wasn’t a lot of formality here. Different pack members occasionally volunteered to cook dinner for whoever else was around, and I’d gotten comfortable enough to join them, even if Malek wasn’t home. Picking up a plate from the kitchen island, I grabbed a hamburger and a baked potato from the large platters that Jason, Malek’s best friend and pack council member, had brought in from the barbecue.

Everyone here at the house was part of the pack council. Everyone had their own individual duties – Emilia looked after the town management, Flynn did the bookkeeping and managed tax money, Oleg, Mark, and James all worked on the territory defences – but they got together once a week for a meeting to make any big decisions that needed to be addressed. 

I was grateful that being Malek’s potential mate didn’t mean I was automatically enrolled in all that business. I really hated sitting through meetings. Plus, there was one other little problem.

We sat down at the large table in the dining room adjacent to the kitchen. Robin and Oleg looked up from their dinners and smiled as I joined them. James, sitting across from my chosen seat, did not.

He took one look at me, picked up his plate, and left to eat somewhere else.

Nobody said anything about it. This had become normal. Ever since the older wolf had first clapped eyes on me, he’d gotten this sour attitude. He had demanded to know who my mother was, and I’d politely told him to stuff it – I barely remembered her, and wasn’t about to share my few precious memories with him. Whatever he suspected, he wasn’t telling anyone, so we were kind of at an impasse.

Hey, Flamingo, Oleg said, pausing between bites of his hamburger. He was continuously finding new nicknames for me based on my magically dyed pink hair. Heard you were out at the Hutchinson’s farm today doing your voodoo.

It’s not voodoo, I reminded him lightly. Oleg was always prodding me about my magic, which he’d never gotten to see in combat, since only Jason and Malek had gone after the dryad with me. Malek’s uncle Orland had banned magic users from the pack when he was alpha, so it had been a long time since someone like me had been here. It’s just energy magic. And yes, we found the spot for the new well.

Sounds like your kind of work, he said with a wink, clearly being sarcastic. When are you going to finally agree to come out with the team and train? Show us what you’ve got under all that attitude?

I’d declined his offer a few times. The idea of training with a bunch of people made me kind of anxious; besides, I didn’t know how to ‘train’ my magic without possibly hurting them. It wasn’t the kind of thing that needed to be tested and honed. Keep asking, and maybe one day you’ll wear me down, I said, cutting into my baked potato. 

I’ll tell him to stop if it’s actually bothering you, Malek said through our bond. That was one of the more unusual aspects of our connection; we could speak to each other without words, as long as we were nearby one another. That had definitely required some conversations about boundaries at first. Now, we only used it when actually necessary.

It’s okay, I replied. He’s just curious. The longer I make him wait, the funnier it’ll be when I kick his butt.

Malek just smiled, nudging my knee under the table as we continued our meal.

This was something I could get dangerously used to.

This felt like home.

Chapter Two

N ice hit, Hela! Jason said from the other side of the training floor.

We were in the house's basement, where the pack had an extensively equipped gym. Our training sessions here had become an almost-daily routine. Jason also preferred to work out here instead of in Oleg’s wolfy boot camp, which suited me just fine. I liked a little company. Just not too much.

Occasionally Malek came to join us, but it wasn’t that often. Jason complained that he had an unfair alpha advantage, whatever that meant.

Told you, I said, taking another swing at the punching bag when it came back my way. Cheap shots count for more when you’re usually fighting things bigger than you.

I haven’t had that problem, he said, hanging upside down from the frame he was doing crunches on. Guess it’s the one downside to being so big and buff.

I laughed out loud. The padded aluminum gave a squeak as I struck it again. Seems like a real hardship. We should start a bottle drive or something.

Don’t laugh. It’s tough being tall, Hel. All the attention from the ladies is exhausting.

My condolences, I said, adjusting my gloves between shots. Maybe try thinking short thoughts.

Is that what you do? he retorted. Must be why I saw you using a stool to reach the top of the cabinets in the kitchen.

It’s not my fault this house was built for giant werewolves! I shouted, making him laugh. I’m a perfectly normal-sized person.

I took a few more swings at the punching bag before Jason came over to watch. Just like we practiced, he said after a minute. Swing through the knee, let your shoulder do the work. Too heavy. Try again. It’s okay, you can come back.

I did as he instructed, and the air shook