The Wolf Who Fought for His Soul Mate by Scarlet Hyacinth Page A

the truth is that she is
    ruthless.”
    “Tyrell would respect that, to a certain extent,” Noah mused. “He
    is the same way, and she would be an asset since she knows all there
    is to know about the shape-shifter world. As I understand it, she was
    the wife of an Alpha, so she has information regarding the inner
    workings of your people. Many of the people in our coven are loyal to
    him, but they lack the ruthlessness you mentioned. He would want—”
    Noah’s eyes suddenly widened in realization. For a few seconds, he
    hesitated, as if afraid to speak, to share whatever idea he had come up
    with.
    Jace needed to know what was on his mind. “What is it?” he
    asked. “What would Tyrell want to do in these circumstances?”
    “He went to a lot of trouble for Aria,” Noah replied. “He wouldn’t
    do it if he didn’t have an important plan in place involving her. Even

    The Wolf Who Fought for His Soul Mate
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    so, she is still a shifter, something he cannot and does not like.
    Therefore, he might attempt to give her some magical abilities of her
    own.”
    Jace gaped at Noah. “But that’s not possible, is it? We’re shifters.
    We were born this way, and we’ll die this way. We can’t just change
    what we are.”
    Noah shared a look with Rhys, and Jace noted the incubus’s grim
    look. Out of all of Jace’s close acquaintances, Rhys knew most about
    Tyrell. He had gone on a mission to find the warlock’s whereabouts
    and had nearly been killed in the process. Jace was awed at the extent
    of the incubus’s dedication, and at his fearlessness. To a certain
    extent, it made him aware of how serious the situation must be, for
    Rhys to look so put out.
    “Have you heard of the concept of familiar?” Rhys inquired.
    “Of course,” Reed replied, sounding puzzled. “It’s in all the
    legends and stories regarding witches. They’re spirit companions that
    can often appear in the guise of animals.”
    “Many witches attempted to summon various creatures for their
    own purposes,” Noah explained. “Naturally, some of the darker
    beings didn’t take kindly to being bound to a master. As such, another
    solution came up. It was suggested to conjure actual animals, but the
    idea was discarded, as having a mere pet cat wasn’t what witches
    were looking for. They…We needed creatures of intelligence, but that
    would bend to our will.”
    Noah seemed to be having some trouble in placing himself in the
    same category as his father or others of his kind, something that
    reassured Jace. However, he was increasingly unsettled by what the
    young warlock was saying. “You mean witches can enslave shifters?
    But if they’d had that ability, wouldn’t they have done it to more of
    us?”
    “To answer your question, yes, shifters can be made into
    familiars. The shifter in question needs to agree, though, and must
    have a propensity toward whatever goals the witch might have,” Noah

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    explained. “There is a contract of sorts between the two, an exchange
    of power, which can only take place if both of them have powerful
    incentive.”
    “Well, Aria certainly has both those things,” Paris murmured. “So
    how can we be certain if she did become his familiar?”
    “I’ll need your assistance on that,” Noah replied. “If she was
    indeed involved in a magical ceremony, it’s likely that your blood
    connection with her can give us valuable clues.”
    “Of course I’m willing to help,” Paris answered automatically.
    “Whatever you need.”
    Alarm bells rang in Jace’s mind. “Not so fast. It’s not dangerous,
    is it?”
    “Normally, no.” Noah grimaced, rubbing his temples once again.
    “But the truth is, I don’t really know. Essentially, what I’d try to do is
    use Paris’s genetic link with Aria to glimpse into her memories. But if
    she is Tyrell’s familiar, they might feel us and strike back.”
    “I’m not afraid,” Paris said, just like Jace had known he