Chapter Nine #3
Now she laughed. “Oh, Daze. It pisses me off so much thinking of all the lies you’ve been told. You’re so powerful, your blood can heal, but all of that was hidden from you. You were told you needed strong mates to birth a strong generation, but you could’ve mated with a broomstick and it wouldn’t have mattered. You are the reincarnation of the goddess of creation. The next generation of wolves is whatever you want it to be, and it would’ve been whether you mated with your mates that night, or if you killed them all.
“ You wanted the next generation to be stronger—powerful—because you were forced to spend day after day listening to the horrible things that are done to omegas on a daily basis. From that disgusting filth Mason to Odin Hayes.
“You hated how powerless you were to help us, and you hated how powerless we were to help ourselves, and so...” She reached forward, taking my hand. “You gave us power, Daze.”
“Nia.” I slowly slipped out of her hold. “Why are you talking like this? What did that person tell you on the phone?”
She threw up her hands, chuckling. “Sorry. I know I’m being super intense, but I just want you to know how much I admire you. You’re a good person, Daze, and I’m proud to call you my friend.”
“Aww.” My smile returned. “I’m proud to call you my friend too.”
“You’ve done so much more for me than you realize,” she continued, taking something out of her pocket. “You’ve fought for omegas more than anyone ever has.”
My grin dimmed seeing the piece of paper she smoothed out on the desk.
“Certainly more than any other high priestess did—”
“Nia,” I broke in. “Why do you have a sketch of the shadow? Have you seen him before?”
She nodded. “When vampires broke into our home and killed my parents, the dirty leeches burned it down. It was all I could do to get my brothers out safely. I couldn’t take any photographs with me. But thanks to you, Daze, I can finally see his face again.”
Nia stroked the sketch gently. Almost—
Lovingly.
“My father.”
A buzzing sounded in my ear.
“What did you just say?” someone asked.
I think it was me.
“I said he’s my father,” Nia repeated, nonchalant like we were talking about the weather. “He’s not some madman or some shadow. His name was Armond Dogo, and he’s been gone for a long time.”
“But— But—” I couldn’t breathe. “If he’s dead, then that means—”
“It means...” Cold, dimming eyes met mine. “The shadow is me.”
I jumped up, shooting between her and Hope. “Nia, what the fuck is going on!?”
“You would need to ask that.” She sighed, leaning back in her chair. “Gods, it makes me so mad that they kept so much from you. All your life you’ve only been told about high priestesses like you. Children of Luame who birth the next generation and keep the werewolves alive. But what no one ever told you is every hundred years, another child is born on the same day and at the same minute as the child of Luame. Another high priestess,” she said. “A child of Ola.”
My mind latched on one single word. “Priest- ess .”
“That’s right. A girl—now woman.” She threw out her hands. “Hi, sis.”
I breathed hard, sucking lungfuls in too fast to hold on to them. All I was thinking was one thing—I wouldn’t be able to shift and hold Hope, so what would I do if Nia did shift to stop us?
“Thinking about running away?” Nia asked, quirking a brow. “There’s no need for that. I mean you no harm, Daze. If I did, don’t you think I would’ve killed you a long time ago? Well, I almost did after you landed me in the hospital, but in the end, I forgave you because you were checking me out just like I was checking you out. We both passed the test.” She beamed at me. “We earned each other’s respect.”
“I don’t understand this.” My throat was too strangled to do more than whisper. “You’re a soul stealer? How?”
She shrugged. “Your mother gave you a special power. My father gave me one too. Not that big of a surprise.”
Our mother and father. She wasn’t speaking of the ones who raised us. She was talking about Luame and Ola.
“Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t figure it out already,” she continued, cocking her head. “I came right out and told you that I was in the room when they killed Rici. Do you really think the alpha council would’ve let little old omega me run around with a secret like that in my head, without bashing it in? Of course I had to be special to them in some way.”
Bile rose in my throat. Badr said that. He told me exactly that, and I didn’t listen to him. Of course that part of the story never made sense.
“Oh gods,” I whispered, clutching the crib rail. “Oh my gods. It was you. You killed Nyx’s twin brother.”
“Ugh, he told you about that, did he?” She scrunched up her nose. “It wasn’t my fault. Daddy and I were out in the woods. He was teaching me how to train and control my power when those two came out of nowhere. Daddy told me my power had to stay secret no matter what, so of course, I had to kill them.” She dropped this like she was talking about crushing a daffodil under her boot. “But after I killed the first one, Daddy freaked out and got mad at me. Said I couldn’t use my power on people. Ugh,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Oh, well.”
“What are you?” Suddenly I was shouting. “What’s wrong with you!? You killed an innocent boy! You were going to kick off a war that gets women bred like dogs and omega babies killed!”
“Hey, that wasn’t me!” she shouted, jumping to her feet. “That was the council’s plan, not mine! I didn’t know about any of it until you told me!”
“Bullshit!”
“It’s true,” she insisted, taking a step toward—
“You stay the fuck back!” My claws tore free. “You come near my baby and I’ll strangle you with your own guts!”
“Dammit, Daze, I’m not here to hurt you or Hope!” She took five steps back, holding up her hands in surrender. “I’m here to tell you the truth. Something that no one has ever done, not even Luame!”
“And what the fuck do you think is true, sis ? Is it sneaking around, lying to me and pretending to be my friend? You wouldn’t know the truth if it was written on the brick I’m going to beat you with!”
Hope babbled in her crib, not even the least bit bothered by all the shouting.
“This is true.” Nia ripped up her shirt.
Right there plain for me to see... was nothing. No belly button on her smooth, brown stomach. All that was there where it should’ve been was a loopy, black depiction that almost resembled an anvil.
The mark of Ola.
“I am who I say I am, Daze. Luame gave you the gift of creation, but Ola gave me the only power he has—the gift of destruction. To take what is pure and innocent in a person and...” Nia placed one of her clips on her palm. Before my eyes, the clip glowed—shining bright—as a faint scream lit the air. She snapped her hand closed, crushing the clip, and the scream cut off.
“Oh my gods,” I breathed, hands shaking. “Was that...?”
“Yes. Do you like them?” She gestured to her many clips that had suddenly taken on new, terrifying meaning. “My gift is truly incredible, but I promise you, I never would’ve used that gift to aid in alpha domination if I knew their endgame. All I did know was that they were holding my brothers hostage, and I had to do whatever they told me if I wanted them to live.”
Her eyes pierced me. “You saw what they did to Ava and Melisent. You know that wasn’t a bluff.”
I didn’t let any sympathy for her work its way in. “That doesn’t explain why you lied to me, Nia.”
“I’ve lied to everyone,” she hissed. “Not even my brothers know what I am or who I was born to be. It had to be that way because children of Ola are smothered in their cribs the day they’re born.”
I lurched back, eyes huge. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. They feared us. They feared us and our power just like Luame feared Ola. Luame betrayed her mate, locked him in an eternal prison, and erased his true story. When werewolves formed the first packs and the alphas took over, they decided if getting rid of Ola was good enough for Luame, it was good enough for them.
“A goddess of creation who gives everyone wonderful powers—yay,” she mocked. “But a goddess of destruction who rips your soul out of your chest? No, thanks.
“The secret police searched all the hospitals on the night you were born, but my parents never made it,” she said. “They broke down on the side of the road and Mom gave birth to me in the woods. That saved my life.
“After that, they moved out of that forest community and into another. They lied about the day I was born, and even told people I was their niece to be safe. Anything to get the secret police off their trail. That worked for a long time until some rapey, alpha perv commanded me to strip and give the wolfball team lap dances.” Her lips twisted. “He filmed the whole thing, put it on Loop Garou, and just for a second you can see—”
“—that you don’t have a belly button.”
She nodded. “Just like that, they found me and brought me before the alpha council. I was sixteen. My parents were gone. My brothers needed me. I begged for my life by offering to work for them instead and... they took the deal.”
“You don’t have some mega-jacked omega power, do you.” It wasn’t a question. “People can’t attack you because of what you do to their souls.”
“People can’t attack me because their souls start dying whenever they’re around me,” she corrected chirpily. “Matter of fact, too long in my presence and they drop dead. But don’t worry,” she added quickly at the look on my face. “It takes days. No, for right now, your wolf is just being lulled into a deep sleep that she won’t wake up from. And a sleepy soul is not a ragey, attacky soul.
“But even so, it’s not a perfect power. Some souls are so fucking rotten, there isn’t anything more I could do to kill them.
“Mason,” we said at the same time.
She nodded, face tightening. “I thank you again for that, Daciana. You saved me. You risked yourself to protect me, and that’s when I made up my mind to never hurt you.” Nia held out her hand to me. “We’re both victims in this world that’s done nothing but keep us down and try to control us. We shouldn’t be enemies. We’re not enemies. I want us to be allies in this fight, just like we have been.”
“What fight?”
“You made Paxton co-leader of the clan. I was hurt by that,” she admitted. “You should’ve chosen me, but now that you know the truth, it will be me. We will lead the clan and then all of Wolf Nation.”
“Lead them to what, Nia?”
She blinked like she just noticed I was speaking. “To true freedom, of course. The end of alpha dominance. The end of werewolves skulking around in the woods, hiding from creatures who should fear us . And the end of Luame worship.
“It’s time for Ola to rise again and lead the wolves out of the dark.”
“I see.” I reached behind me, grasping Hope’s juicy little thigh and reassuring myself she was safe. “And how exactly would we do that?”
“Not by forcible breeding and murdering thousands of babies,” Nia cried, rolling her eyes. “Gods, the alpha council were a bunch of psychopaths. You could knock all their heads together and you wouldn’t come up with one conscience.
“No, we won’t be doing anything so genocidally horrific.”
“Well,” I said slowly, releasing Hope. “That’s something at least.”
“Of course.” She laughed. “What? Do you think I’m insane? I would never sacrifice thousands of innocent babies. I’d only sacrifice one baby.
“Hope.”
I went very still. “Excuse me?”
“We’d only need to sacrifice Hope,” she repeated—still light and casual like we were talking about nothing important. “She’s perfect, Daze. She’s the most powerful being in the world. More powerful than even the fae. And if that wasn’t enough, you blessed her with immortality.
“When we sacrifice her in the ritual to summon Ola, he’ll be able to slip right into the body her soul will vacate. A powerful, immortal body that can contain a god without burning to ash.”
My claws extended.
“Okay, wait,” she said, seeing my hands. “Just listen. I know it doesn’t sound ideal, but right now all the gods are just floating whispers in the sky. They’re useless. When Ola walks the earth again, he’ll have true power. Not just to take the planet back from the mundanes, leeches, fae, and demigods. But the power to take the alphas’ command ability, and give it to the omegas.” She held her hands out to me, eyes glittering with something I should’ve seen before.
Madness.
“The alphas are finally going to know what it’s like. Everything I’ve been through. They’ll know what it is to be used, threatened, assaulted, raped, and forgotten. They’ll know what it’s like to be nothing!”
My jaw extended, filling with rows upon rows of lethally sharp teeth.
“For fuck’s sake, Daze, don’t overreact. It’s not a big deal. You can always have more kids.”
I growled. Deep down inside of me, something broke.
“It’s not like you don’t have a line of men ready and waiting to father them. All I want is that one.” She pointed to Hope. “You’re the one who said you wanted to change Wolf Nation and free the omegas. This is your chance to prove you’re not another selfish bastard like the rest of them. Prove you truly care about making Wolf Nation a better place, and give me that baby.”
“Thank you for sharing all of this with me, Nia.” My voice was low and controlled—even pleasant. “It truly was very interesting, and you’ve given me a lot to think about, but I’m afraid we’re going to have to cut this short.
“Because I’m going to kill you now.”
Nia laughed out loud. “Don’t be ridiculous, Daze. You put on a super scary show, but that’s all it is. We both know your weak-ass wolf can’t get it up to kill me.” She winked at me. “Let’s not ruin our friendship over this, Daze. I’d hate to have to go through you to get that baby.”
“I can promise you one last thing,” I said, closing the distance. “I won’t harm your brothers after you’re dead.”
Nia rolled her eyes. “Enough already. Give me—”
My wolf burst free and launched at her. I had enough time to hear her bug-eyed scream, before my jaw snapped over her head.
Ripping her off her feet, I shook the bitch like a rag doll and flung her at the wall.
Nia crashed through the closet door and disappeared. I bounded after her and burst in as she fisted the carpet, trying to pull herself up.
My head smashed into her side, cracking three ribs against my skull, and sending her careening into a nest of ballgowns.
“No!” Nia shrieked, flailing to get free. “Stop, p-please! Plllleeeeeaaassee!”
I dragged her out by the ankle. Snapping through blood, muscle, and bone, Nia’s screams reached inhuman levels.
There wasn’t a word for what I felt listening to this psychopath speaking about my child’s life and soul like it was a poker chip to gamble with at the craps table. I transcended rage, blew past incandescent, and reached an all-new undiscovered emotion that unlocked something in my soul that not even her sick little power could touch.
Nia spoke about being my friend. She said she knew nothing about the alpha council’s ultimate goal, but if any of that was true, what was dear old Daddy training her for all those years ago in the woods? Why did he want her to perfect a power no decent father would encourage her to use? Why did she let the alpha council use her and hold her brothers hostage if she could’ve ripped their souls out and killed them any time she wanted? Why did Dagem shove her at me the very first day of school? My own personal shadow.
And why did Nia wait until she was alone in a room with me and Hope to tell me the truth ?
Just like a power groupie, she latched on to me like she did the alpha council—sitting back and letting us do the dirty work—so that when the time was right she could step in, throw us from our thrones, and claim them.
“ Too bad you messed with the wrong mother, bitch. ”
“H-help,” she wheezed as I stalked my prey. “Help!”
I stomped her spine, choking out her cry with a spurt of blood that dribbled down her mouth.
I did tell the bitch I’d been training and fighting nearly every day of my life. Why she thought that meant I was a “weak-ass wolf” is anyone’s guess.
“P-p-p-p—”
Shifting to human form, I grabbed her by the belt and collar, and lifted her over my head. “Argh!” I roared, throwing her at the vanity.
Nia crashed into the mirror and brought it down with her, showering herself and the floor with glass.
The door flew open.
“Daze, we got you some— What the fuck’s going on!” Edric bellowed.
“She’s the shadow. Also, I’m sorry, Nyx, but she killed your brother.” I raised my claws. “Hold her down, please, would you, loves? I’m going to rip her throat out now.”
They didn’t ask any more questions. Dumping the food, Orion, Edric, Paxton, and Nyx each grabbed a limb. Badr grabbed her head. Pulling her spread-eagle across the carpet, the guys held down the broken, bleeding mess that used to be Nia.
I spared a look at Hope, who was sound asleep in her crib, and I erased the distance between us.
“D-d-don’t,” she croaked. “S-sorry— I’m... s-sorry—”
“Who gives a shit? Give your confessions to the lost souls you trapped in hell.” I gave her the same dead-behind-the-eyes smile. “They can’t wait to see you again.”
Raising my claws high, they fell.
Boom!
I blew off my feet, tumbling head over heels.
Hope woke from sleep with a wail, her distress ringing louder in my ears than the actual ringing.
“What was that?” Paxton cried.
“What’s going on?”
Dust and rubble blanketed the air, stealing into my lungs. I made out the clear, beautiful sky above me, but my brain refused to compute it.
A hole? A hole in the ceiling? Did Nia do that? Did she have another power? How could—?
A figure moved through the dust, coming to a standstill beside me. The haze cleared, and my breath stopped.
Beautiful.
That was the only word for him, so it was the word I used.
Long strands of golden spun silk flowed past his neck. Chiseled jaw; full lips; eyes the color of chlorine swimming pools; a strong muscled frame that his armor couldn’t conceal; and long, pointed ears.
“No,” I whispered, eyes widening on his ears.
“Daciana Volana, you are charged with breaking the first law of the cursed mundanes—revealing your wretched affliction to the natural mundanes,” he stated, his voice dripping from his lips like water dancing among the riverbed. “You will be taken to a place of execution where you be burned until you are dead. This charge nor your sentence can be argued, commuted, or appealed.” He stepped aside, making way for four more unnaturally gorgeous creatures. “Take her.”
“No!”
“It— It wasn’t just her,” a thin voice croaked out. “They helped her. They’re her mates.” Nia tried to point at Edric and the guys. Her hand made it an inch off the floor, then flopped down. “They helped her film the video and put it online.”
“Shut up, Nia!”
“They were laughing about it!”
“Hmm.” Pool Eyes observed my mates as they tried to get on their feet. “Take them too.”
“What?” I cried. “No! You can’t do this. You don’t understand—”
One of his men clapped golden handcuffs on me and I stopped. Literally... stopped.
I stopped moving. Stopped blinking. Stopped talking. Stopped moving my jaw.
It hung open and frozen in mid-sentence as a strange, shiveringly cold sensation spread through my limbs, and shut them off.
“Argh!” Badr charged.
Pool Eyes vanished. In the space of a millisecond, the cuffs were on Badr’s clawed hand, and he was still.
Fast. So fast. I no sooner finished that thought than all of my fates were cuffed and frozen before they had a chance to think about attacking.
Everyone said we didn’t stand a chance in a war with fae—not as we were now.
They were right.
Hope! Hands grabbed and dragged me to the spot beneath the hole.
Nia crawled across the floor, her broken body quickly knitting itself back together. “Don’t worry, Daze.” She lifted my crying baby out of the crib and shakily rested her on her chest. Flicking over her head, she looked me in the eyes and smiled. “I’ll take good care of her.”
HOPE!
We took to the air, leaving Corvin Academy far behind.
***
Thank you for reading Moon Cursed!