Jaguar's Judgment by Lia Davis

Chapter One
     
     
    “Create all the shields you want, dear daughter. I know where you are.” Savannah swirled her finger in the bowl of water, ending the visual of Sable in her so-called prison.
    Sable was mistaken if she thought she could hide. That little stunt of getting captured by the Council of Elders wasn’t going to protect her. Savannah would rip Ashwood Falls, and any other den who dared to stand in the way of collecting her daughter, apart.
    Turning to her mate, Savannah drank in the sight of him. His pale skin contrasted with his dark hair, eyes, and even darker soul. Felix Darwin had changed since she’d been imprisoned by the Council over two hundred years ago. He was stronger and more ruthless. Her perfect match.
    “The one thing about Sable is that she is our daughter. Her fierceness doesn’t fall far from her family tree,” Felix stated matter-of-factly as he read an email from his chemist.
    Email . Savannah shook her head. The world had also changed. So much. “We must go get her and make her see that the Council and all who support it must die.”
    He lifted his gaze to hers and laid his tablet on the coffee table. “What do you have in mind?”
    “I’ve already begun. I gave your lab tech a vial of my blood to add to the new batch of mutant serum. He ensured me the test subject should be ready for us in a day or two.” She waited, watching how his lips lifted at the corners.
    If the experiment worked, she’d have an army at her beck and call. With her blood, she could control them like the obedient beasts they were supposed to be centuries ago.
    When Felix stood and crossed the room, her pulse increased in anticipation. Through their mating bond, she felt his desire and the primal hunger of his jaguar. He stopped inches from her then ran his knuckles down her cheek. “Let’s go get our daughter.”
    Cupping his hand, she turned her face into his palm and kissed. “Have patience. I have a better idea.”
    Not explaining herself, she teleported them to the main gatehouse of Ashwood Falls. Two males—a wolf and a leopard—exited the small building and fell into defensive stances. Savannah held up a hand, freezing them in place by her will. “Tell your Elder he has twenty-four hours to release my daughter or I will retrieve her myself.”
    She dematerialized just as the two sentries charged at her. They weren’t very bright if they thought they could keep Sable from her. She was too clever for them, and the most powerful witch alive. The Council didn’t stand a chance.
     
    ****
     
    Jared’s skin felt too tight, too itchy. His jaguar paced close to the surface, growling and whipping its tail with each step. The beast wanted out to hunt down their mate.
    To add salt to the open wound, Sable sat in a holding cell about fifty yards north of the Pack circle, where he and every member of Ashwood Falls currently waited for the ritual to begin.
    Zorana Andrews, Ana as she liked to be called, would become the new Beta, replacing her brother, Alec. The role was rightfully hers as the third child of the former Alpha turned Elder, Keegan. A position she’d earned by helping the Pack take a stand against Felix Darwin, the rogue Alpha of what was left of the Onyx Pack.
    The thought of the rogue Pack drew his attention to the path that led to the one-room building where Sable had stayed since turning herself in a few weeks prior. He fisted his hands and planted his feet. The urge to go to her weighed on him, making him grow antsier by the second.
    The sweet scent of jasmine wrapped around him a moment before Cameron, his sister, stepped up next to him and leaned her shoulder into his. The touch soothed his jaguar, but only a little. After releasing a sigh, she said, “You aren’t needed for the ritual. Go to her.”
    He released a growl then spoke through his teeth. “I can’t.”
    Cam stepped into his line of sight and folded her arms. Her golden eyes flashed with annoyance. He studied her for