Forced By the Alpha (Sparkle Hollow Wolves #7)

Chapter 24 - Franco

“I think those pieces are small enough, if you two want to start hauling them to the trailer,” one of the Sparkle Hollow wolves told us.

Killian and I each grabbed a piece, took them to the trailer, and then returned for more. As we approached the school again, one of the chainsaws slipped from a man’s hands and nicked the shoe of the man standing next to him.

“Dammit, Carl!” the injured man yelled. “Watch what you’re doing! You nearly took my leg off.”

“You shouldn’t have been standing there in the first place!” Carl retorted.

The injured man shoved Carl, pushing him into another of the wolves, who whirled around defensively. At the sight of the scuffle, a band inside me snapped.

My bloodlust was triggered.

Not here, I begged internally. Not now.

“Hey, Franco. Are you doing okay, brother?” Killian asked with concern.

I exhaled forcefully, attempting to release the pressure that was welling within me, telling me to escalate the fight. I was successfully fighting the urge, but I still felt the pain of going against the curse. A burning sensation coursed through my veins as though my blood was now made of fire and acid.

“I’m fine,” I replied shortly.

“You don’t look fine,” he pointed out.

I grabbed another tree limb and hauled it back to the trailer, fighting through the pain with every step I took. I tossed it onto the trailer bed and turned to go back for another, but suddenly, my legs wouldn’t support me. I fell to my knees and braced my hands against the ground.

Fuck. I can’t do this.

A delicate touch on my shoulder made me look up, and I saw Sienna standing next to me.

“I thought you left,” I said.

“We were leaving when I felt like something was wrong,” she said. “I turned around and saw you on the ground. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, of course,” I said dismissively.

I took a deep breath and got back to my feet, wiping my hands on my pants. The touch of my skin against the denim of my jeans felt like tiny needles, and I winced.

“It’s the curse, isn’t it?” she asked.

There was no use in trying to hide it from her. Sienna could see right through me. I nodded tersely, and she wrapped an arm around my waist to support me.

“What do you need?” she asked quietly.

“To get out of here,” I admitted. “I don’t want to lose control.”

She nodded and walked me to her car, opening the passenger door for me. I slunk into the seat, taking deep breaths as pain wracked my body.

“Just hold on,” she said encouragingly. “I’ll get you back to the cabin.”

Sienna drove dangerously fast for the few minutes it took to get to our temporary home. She jumped out the second she parked, running around to open the door for me. As soon as the air hit my face, I leaned forward and vomited onto the ground.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “It’s just… the pain.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about anything. I’m right here. I’ve got you.”

She put my arm over her shoulders and walked me inside, helping me out of my clothes and removing my shoes before tucking me into bed. My body shook with waves of pain as I lay prostrate on the bed, unable to move my limbs.

“Is there anything that makes it better?” she asked.

“Giving in to the bloodlust or waiting until it passes,” I answered.

She crawled into bed next to me and began to run her fingers through my hair. They felt cool, like a spring breeze. As she stroked my scalp, I felt my body begin to relax. Everything still hurt exactly as before, but her presence made the sensation bearable.

“Will you stay with me?” I asked.

“Always,” she promised.

I sighed in relief as my eyes closed, and I was able to drift off into unconsciousness.

***

I woke up a few hours later to find that my pain was gone. I reached over to find Sienna and thank her for helping me, only to realize that she was gone as well. My senses were immediately on high alert as an awful dread flowed through me. Sienna wouldn’t have left without telling me, unless something was dreadfully wrong.

I threw my clothes and shoes on and sprinted outside. “Sienna?” I shouted.

Her car was still parked out front, so she hadn’t gone far. I just needed to find her. I listened intently, trying to distinguish the natural sounds of the forest around me from those that could be made by my mate. There was nothing out of place, but I had a sense that I should walk to the other side of the cabin.

As soon as I did, Sienna came into view. Her father was with her. Their eyes were closed as they stood facing each other. Their arms were in front of them at a ninety-degree angle, palms facing each other. It was clear they were doing some kind of spell, although I couldn’t tell what it was.

“Sienna?” I said questioningly.

Her eyes snapped open as a rush of wind swirled around the two of them, and I realized what she was doing. She had been asking me for weeks to allow her to tap into her father’s magic so that she could break the curse. I had thought he was against the idea, but clearly something had changed.

I sprinted the short distance between us and stopped just short of the circle of magic surrounding them. Within moments, it dissipated, condensing into a single strand of yellow light that entered through her palms.

“Great job, Sienna,” Tom told her.

She smiled brightly, but I was horrified.

“What have you done?” I asked.

“It’s okay, Franco,” Sienna said reassuringly. “Dad agreed to help me access my magic, and Alpha Lex said we can use the cabin here to do the spell that will break the curse. It’s all going to be over soon.”

“You said it would kill her,” I snapped at Tom.

“Don’t blame him,” Sienna said. “He’s only doing what I asked him to.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because I can see how much you mean to my daughter,” Tom explained. “I thought you were just some troubled man who had pulled Sienna into his dark life, but after seeing you two together and witnessing how much you’ve changed, I realized that I was wrong.”

“Dad saw how the curse affected you today, and how you fought against it,” Sienna said.

“The man I cursed would have given in without a second thought and killed whoever he pleased,” Tom said. “You’re not that man anymore. You deserve to be free of the curse I put on you.”

I was both touched and confused by Tom’s change of heart, but my biggest concern was for Sienna. In my mind, it didn’t matter whether I deserved to be free of the curse or not. All that mattered was that Sienna remained safe.

“If anything happens to you because you’re trying to help me, I will never forgive myself,” I admitted. “I can’t let you do this for me.”

“Then let me do it for me ,” she said.

I shook my head, unable to overcome my fear. “I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t,” Sienna said.

“How can you be so sure?” I asked. “You’ve never done a spell this intense before, and the last time you tried it… I’ve never seen you in so much pain.”

“I need you to trust me, Franco. I believe in myself. Can you believe in me, too?”

“Alright,” I sighed. “When do you want to do this?”

“Right now,” she said, a glint of determination in her eyes.