17. Doyle/ Michael
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
DOYLE/ MICHAEL
DOYLE
Minutes, maybe hours, after Michael had left, I simply sat on the edge of the bed.
I couldn't wrap my head around what had just happened.
Waking up to see Michael above me, holding a kitchen knife with both hands.
The expression on Michael's face—wasn't normal, I realized.
Michael looked dazed, like a zombie who wasn't in control of his own body. The stab wound felt like a dull ache now.
I knew I should tend to it sooner or later, but I kept thinking of Michael's words. This is for your own good and mine.
Was it really? Michael shouldn't have just run out and driven away. He should've stayed, talked things out with me.
In the background, I heard the doorbell ringing, followed by a knock and a familiar voice.
"Hey, don't want to disturb you love birds, but—" Ivan trailed off.
I assumed he got impatient and left or had some other errand to attend to.
But the next thing I heard was my door breaking down with a loud crash, splinters flying, and Ivan barging into my bedroom.
"Doyle, are you okay? There was a trail of blood outside," Ivan began, then looked at my chest. "Shit. What happened?"
I sighed, and decided to explain.
"Michael... he was having a nightmare, sleepwalking. He stabbed me. Then he left. He thinks he's a danger to me, to all of us,” I admitted.
Ivan's eyes widened.
"We need to find him. He’s not safe out there alone, especially if Liliana's still got some kind of hold on him,” Ivan pointed out.
Of course Ivan was right. What was I doing, sitting here?
I nodded, but the pain in my chest flared up, making me wince. Ivan rushed to my side, helping me stand.
"We need to get that wound checked first. You can’t help Michael if you’re bleeding out,” Ivan said.
Reluctantly, I let Ivan guide me to the bathroom.
As he rummaged through the first aid kit, I thought about Michael, out there alone, terrified and vulnerable.
The idea of Liliana still having some kind of control over him made my blood boil. But I had to keep a level head.
We needed to get the bottom of this.
Ivan handed me a towel to press against the wound, and I winced at the sharp pain.
"We’ll find him, Doyle. He can't have gone far,” Ivan said.
I nodded, trying to focus on the task at hand.
"We have to. He’s convinced he’s a danger, but he’s not. Liliana’s just playing with his mind,” I said.
"Then we’ll stop her," Ivan said firmly. "But first, let’s get you patched up. We’ll call in the others, get a search party going."
As Ivan worked on cleaning and bandaging the wound, I couldn't stop thinking about Michael.
The fear in his eyes, the desperation in his voice. I needed to find him, to show him that we could face this together.
That he wasn't alone.
"Hang in there, Michael," I whispered under my breath. "I’m coming for you."
Ivan and I arrived at Zane's house half an hour later. Anxiety and restlessness gnawed at me.
Every fiber of my being screamed to go after Michael immediately, but Ivan was right.
It was smarter to go as a group. Besides, when Michael didn't answer my calls, the first person I contacted was his dad.
Matthew had told me Michael was on his way to Oak Meadow and would be there before dinner.
He hadn’t asked for details, but at least he wasn’t antagonistic.
As we stepped into the house, voices drifted from the kitchen. I managed to catch a few words.
"...has been taken. You and Doyle should head out as soon as possible while the trail is still fresh," Zane was saying.
Another kidnapping, so soon after Michael lost control of his body? It seemed too coincidental.
"Good, you two are here," Zane said, turning to us. "Two shifters have been taken from Oak Meadow."
"Michael's hometown?" I asked, frowning.
Zane glanced at me, then at Ivan.
Though my recent injury was hidden under my shirt and jacket, he could probably smell the blood on me. He narrowed his eyes.
"What happened? Did you two?—"
"It's not what you think," Ivan interrupted.
I didn't keep secrets from my family, so I told Zane and Draven what had happened to Michael and me.
"Michael leaving you was a good decision," Zane said.
Anger flared within me. I clenched my fists, and before I knew it, my fist connected with Zane's cheek.
He staggered back, rubbing the spot where I had punched him.
"How dare you say that?" I demanded. "If Otis suddenly left you, how would you react?"
Zane, unfazed, merely rubbed his cheek.
"I would’ve sent Otis away if I found out he was a sleeper agent sent by the enemy," he said calmly.
Zane continued, “If Michael's safe with his father, then there's no reason to expend manpower to go after him. Rescuing these missing shifters takes priority. These black magic users couldn’t have gone far."
"I'm going after Michael," I said, my voice firm.
"Very well," Zane said with a heavy sigh. He knew he wouldn’t be able to convince me otherwise. "Then Draven and Ivan, you two will go after the black magic users.”
Ivan looked conflicted. He turned to me, his concern evident. I grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it.
"Thank you for your comforting words earlier, but it looks like I’ll handle this on my own," I told him.
Ivan nodded reluctantly. "Be careful, Doyle," he said.
"I will," I promised, though my mind was already racing ahead, plotting my course to Oak Meadow.
I couldn’t shake the image of Michael, lost and alone, battling the demons Liliana had planted in his mind.
I needed to find him, to remind him I wasn’t going to give up on him, on us.
With a final nod to my pack, I headed out. The sun was setting, casting long shadows over the landscape.
I got into my truck and started the engine, and wondered if this situation was somehow all a trap set up by Liliana for me.
MICHAEL
I kept replaying the scene in my head: driving the knife into the man I loved and Doyle being crazily calm about it. It wasn't right.
I didn't deserve such an understanding mate like Doyle. Didn't he see that I was just a bomb waiting to explode?
What if we were at Zane's house when this happened? What if it was Ariel or Porter I had hurt instead of Doyle?
I swallowed the lump in my throat and kept driving, with no destination in mind at first.
Then, an hour out of Sky Stead, I called my dad.
"Michael? Hey, how's your day going?" my dad asked.
Instead of words, a sob came out of my chest.
"Mike? What's going on? Did something happen? Did Doyle hurt you?" The fury in his voice made me smile, but only for a moment.
"No, Dad, it's the other way around," I said.
"What do you mean?" he asked, sounding confused and concerned.
"Look, can I stay with you for a few days?" I asked.
While it was true that I still had nightmares when I was with my dad, I had a feeling Liliana had left a trigger inside me that was meant to target Doyle and members of his pack only.
It was safer for everyone if I stayed away.
"Sure, Michael. Stay as long as you want," my dad said.
"I'll see you soon," I said, my voice trembling. "And... thank you."
"Of course, son. You'll be here around dinner time, right? I'll make us something special," he said, ending the call.
As I approached Oak Meadow just as the sun was setting, a familiar unease settled in my chest.
I turned into the neighborhood, my eyes scanning for any signs of danger.
When I saw a familiar brown car parked in my dad's driveway, my heart sank.
Panic surged through me. I killed the engine and immediately rushed out of my car, thinking my dad was in danger.
My breath quickened as I sprinted toward the house, fear gripping me.
The car was unmistakable—it belonged to Morgan or one of Liliana’s other cronies.
I reached the front door, my hands trembling as I fumbled for my keys. Finally, I managed to unlock it and burst inside.
"Dad!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the house.
I reached the front door, my hands trembling as I fumbled for my keys. The metal felt cold and slippery in my sweaty grip.
Finally, I managed to unlock it and burst inside.
"Dad!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the house.
I rushed into the living room and froze. My dad was tied to a chair, a gun pressed to his head. Bloodied and bruised, but alive.
Morgan and two other witches stood there, smug satisfaction etched on their faces.
"Michael, I'll make this simple for you," Morgan said, smiling. "Come with us, and we'll leave your dad alone."
My heart raced as I debated if I could fight them. My fox surged within me, ready to attack, but I realized it was futile.
If I tried, I might just end up losing my dad. So I urged my inner fox to be patient.
"I'll come with you," I whispered, hating the tremble in my voice.
"That's a good boy," Morgan said, and I clenched my fists by my side.
"Liliana can't wait to see her favorite pet," he added, his tone dripping with malice.
As we were about to leave, Morgan shot my dad in the shoulder. The sound echoed through the room, and I screamed.
"No!" I yelled, but one of the witches shoved me forward, towards the front door.
"I'll be okay, Michael," my dad uttered, but I wasn't so sure.
They marched me out of the house and into Morgan's car. Morgan sat in the back with me, while the two witches took the front seats.
"Now, don't do anything reckless," Morgan said, his voice sickeningly sweet. "I might just end up killing you by accident, and we can't have that."
"What does Liliana want with me now?" I demanded, my voice shaking. "Why take me to her now, when you let me go the last time?"
Morgan chuckled. "I only released you after telling you the necessary trigger words,” Morgan said.
I swallowed hard as the implications of his words sunk in. My mind raced with possibilities and fears.
Had everything been part of her plan?
I shouldn’t have run out on Doyle. That had been my first thought as the car sped away from my dad's house.
I replayed the scene in my head, over and over again, filled with regret and fear.
I had abandoned my mate, left him bleeding and vulnerable.
But then another thought hit me. How did Morgan know I was going to come back here?
Did they station someone to keep a close eye on my dad? That was certainly possible, and the idea made my skin crawl.
I felt a cold sweat break out as another terrifying thought occurred to me. I still had some strange connection to Liliana.
I realized with sinking despair that the moment I missed Doyle’s heart, she probably knew I had failed.
She must have sensed it, felt the disruption in her spell.
She could have deduced the only place I would return to was Oak Meadow, because I had no other place to go.
My heart pounded as I considered the implications. Liliana's control over me was deeper than I had imagined.
She had manipulated my mind, set traps within my subconscious, and now she was reeling me back in like a fish on a line.
The idea of her having that much power over me made me feel sick.
Morgan's words echoed in my mind.
"Liliana can't wait to see her favorite pet." The way he said it, with that sadistic smile, sent chills down my spine.
I clenched my fists, trying to suppress the rising panic. My fox stirred within me, restless and agitated, sensing my distress.
The car's engine hummed, and the trees blurred past the window as we sped down the road.
I felt trapped, like a caged animal being taken back to its master.
My mind raced, trying to think of a way out, but the situation seemed hopeless.
I was caught in Liliana's web, and every move I made only seemed to tighten the strands around me.
I had to face the grim reality. Liliana knew I had failed. She knew where I would go.
And now she was pulling me back, ready to reinforce her control and punish me for my defiance.
But I couldn't let her win. I couldn't let her use me as a weapon against those I loved.
As we drove further from Oak Meadow, I steeled myself. I had to find a way to break free, to sever the connection she had over me.
If I could get close enough, maybe I could turn the tables on her. Convince her that I was beaten, that I was willing to do her bidding, just to protect those I cared about.
The moment she'd let her guard down, I'd take her to hell with me. For now, I had to play along, to bide my time.
The road ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear: I would not let Liliana control me any longer.
I would fight back, with everything I had, and I would find a way to end this nightmare once and for all.