Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
Glued to me, Hayden glanced over occasionally, but I ignored him. All I could think about were different what-if scenarios about what had happened to Torin.
I feared the worst—a repeat of his past.
No, Torin is strong. He will be okay.
I climbed the stairs with inhuman speed I didn’t know I possessed, pushing the boardroom door with extra strength. The door bounced back at the doorstopper, the annoying thud muffled by the chaos inside the room.
The Alphas and the King spoke over each other—a commotion that never happened in Dad’s boardroom.
“What is going on?” I asked no one in particular.
But nobody paid any attention. The men were engrossed in whatever discussion they were having.
Blood rushed to my face. I walked to the round table and slammed my fist on the surface without processing my actions.
“What is going on?” I shouted.
Hayden smirked, amusement in his eyes.
My dad’s gaze finally fell on me. His eyes widened, and one of the Alphas cleared his throat.
Alexander stepped out of the circle of men gathered around him and made a slight bow. “Breanna. The people I sent to find Alpha Torin… Well, they found him.”
He sighed.
I was glad Alexander’s men had found Torin first, not Dad’s.
“Victoria and her vampire guards have caught Alpha Torin,” Alexander said.
I stifled the gasp that wanted to escape my mouth.
First, Torin had been caught.
Second, Alexander still considered Torin his Alpha.
Third, the vampire Queen must have chased Torin relentlessly for the last week and a half, and my worst fear just became reality.
It was worse than being threatened and hurt by my own mate. At least I knew that when Torin hurt me, he did not act of his own free will.
I wasn’t sure how much more abuse and torture Torin could take before he completely broke.
My heart dropped to my stomach. On autopilot, my mind started conjuring plans to rescue Torin.
Slow down.
I couldn’t believe my first thought was about rescuing Torin after the wounds, emotional and physical, he’d inflicted upon me. The shaky trust that was completely shattered seemed irreparable.
But it felt natural as breathing to want Torin to be freed from the clutches of the madwoman. Despite it all, I couldn’t ignore the voice that whispered in my mind to help Torin.
This was the last time, and then I would let go of him forever.
I surprised myself for the strength I mustered to rise above the pain and hurt to offer Torin a chance of life free of torture and misery. I wished for his happily ever after, even if I wouldn’t get mine.
My decision came fast—I would free Torin from his physical chains and free myself from the shackles of resentment, forging a new path for myself.
The Alphas and the King would refuse to take action and free Torin from captivity unless I ascended to become the werewolf Queen who declared war on our enemy, on Torin’s torturer.
My heart thudded in my chest as I realized that my life was now chosen for me. After I regained my wolf spirit from the dark witch, I would be strong enough to face the vampire Queen.
Ascending the throne would allow me to command the warriors—the only way to reach Torin and rescue him. I did not want to be marked by Hayden. Marking was for life. I was left with no choice but to regain my wolf spirit.
One of the Alphas’ voices pulled me out of my thoughts and grabbed my attention.
“Victoria will order Torin to kill Princess Breanna. We have to protect her at all costs,” Alpha Henry said as he looked at my dad.
The King ran his hands through his hair. He sighed heavily, as if our realm weighed on his shoulders.
“Or Victoria could come here with Torin to kill Breanna herself and bring the werewolves to extinction. We have to act fast,” Alpha Leo said.
The Alpha continued spewing bad-case scenarios, and in each one of them, I ended up dead.
My breath caught in my throat. Fighting Victoria would also mean facing my mate, who’d almost killed me last time. I had to consider the possibility that freeing Torin wouldn’t be easy. Victoria would use him as her weapon first.
“I will be damned if I let Torin or the vampire Queen hurt my daughter one more time.” Dad’s voice shook from anger and fear.
Dad said this out of love, but physically, he could not stand up to Torin or Victoria. The worst-case scenario was playing out, and the odds were against us.
The Alphas seemed to have calmed down and were ready for discussion. They took their seats, but I remained standing with Hayden next to me.
“Also, there is nowhere to hide our people here,” Alpha Leo said. “Torin knows the kingdom very well.”
Dad walked to his chair, and he dropped his body on the leather.
“Victoria will torture and seduce the information out of Torin,” Dad said.
He looked at me with sadness in his eyes.
My stomach churned, and Hayden pressed his side to mine. His body heat seeped into my tense muscles. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight.
I shuffled on my feet, unable to stay still even with Hayden’s unrelenting support. I sent him a glance. Why did he keep supporting me when I’d clearly chosen Torin? I shook my head. I had other things to worry about at this moment.
I took a deep breath and walked around the table, disconnecting from Hayden.
“We need to attack Victoria before she makes it to the werewolf kingdom. There is no other way to save everyone. And this time, we must ensure the war is successful.” I scanned the men in the room. “How much time do you think we have before she arrives here?”
The Alphas were silent.
Alpha Henry tapped his fingers on the table. “No more than two weeks, Princess. Victoria will take some time to play with her toy first. And then she’ll make plans to come here.”
I felt sick to my stomach, bile rising to my throat. I took deep breaths to steady my nerves. It was my duty to lead the war. I would not let Victoria kill Dad or my people and torture Torin.
“I’ll kill Cordelia, and after getting my wolf spirit back, I’ll finish the war against the vampire Queen. So I have to do this in under two weeks,” I said.
Determination fueled extra adrenaline into my veins. This would be the last thing I did for Torin, and then I’d free him from me and let him go completely.
I felt Dad’s gaze on me, so I turned to look at him.
“No, I don’t want you to do this for the wrong reasons. You’ve been so reluctant to take on the throne.”
I swallowed hard, glancing at Hayden. He crossed his arms over his chest, gazing at the floor, deep in thought. I was probably hurting him again.
Stepping close to him, I placed my hand over his forearm and gave him a small smile when his eyes found me.
“Freeing him will free me from him, Hayden. I don’t know what will happen after, but I have to do this,” I said in a low voice—my best attempt to console Hayden.
Deep down, I knew it wouldn’t be so easy to move on from Torin, but I had to try because we had no future.
An uncomfortable silence stretched in the room, likely because all supernatural ears had heard me.
Hayden gave me the silly smile reserved only for me and nodded.
“Don’t disappoint me, sweetheart,” he whispered, and a sharp pinch stabbed my heart.
Releasing Hayden, I turned to face the werewolves again.
“I won’t let the kingdom fall. Do you want the war or not?” My voice came out snappier than intended.
Dad frowned. The Alphas agreed and nodded.
“But what’s your plan to find Cordelia?” Alpha Leo said.
Cordelia was one terrifying witch to kill who had disappeared somewhere.
She’d walked toward the Hollywood sign the last time I saw her.
It was pointless to search for her anywhere.
But I remembered from Torin’s memories that Uncle Derek was on his way to the dark witch’s cottage.
Cordelia had a home somewhere around here.
I looked to Dad. “First, how do we kill Cordelia?”
I didn’t know what he saw on my face, but Dad’s eyebrows rose almost to his hairline.
“Silver dagger to the heart, just like with any other supernatural. Anything sharp that stops the heart from beating would work. Or beheading or ripping her limbs. You know the drill, Anna.”
My stomach churned. Unfortunately, I had witnessed too many deaths.
“Second, Uncle Derek was on his way to Cordelia’s cottage. Please tell me where you sent Uncle Derek. It’s a long shot that Cordelia would be there, but it is a start.”
Everyone nodded.
My father put the location in the GPS on my phone. “Take some of the warriors with you. And Hayden, of course.”
The edges of Hayden’s lips lifted, but it wasn’t the carefree smile he used to reward me with.
“My King, I’ll take good care of her,” he said.
As soon as the meeting ended, we quickly departed in a convoy of three vehicles. Eight warriors rode in the two cars behind us while Hayden and I took the first SUV. We traveled down the winding road that cut through the dense forest.
As we passed by that spot, I couldn’t help but look out the window to where Layla and I had found Uncle Derek’s body. Layla’s outburst, the hatred in her eyes, and wanting me dead were forever ingrained in my mind, and the memory wouldn’t disappear, even though we knew who his murderer was.
Watching the rolling hills with round stones peeking out of the earth, I thought about Torin.
The numbness engulfing my heart felt different from the one after he rejected me.
Now I welcomed it, wishing I could also numb my mind and stop thinking about him—whether he was chained or scared or compelled against his will.
Hayden’s gaze fell on me several times during the hour-long drive. I wanted to turn my head and smile at him, but I couldn’t find the courage. I’d made him and myself a promise and planned to keep it.
The closer we got to the dot on the GPS, the faster my heart pounded behind my chest. What if Cordelia lurked nearby?