Chapter 117 Maddy #2
Nico slapped a hand on the wall in anger.
“You know, the worst part is that we can’t protect everyone.
We’ve got it better than almost any other pack.
Between Donatello and Sinthy, we’re better off than others.
All I want to do is help everyone, but I can’t.
It’s like I’m fucking impotent.” He turned and glared at his three friends.
“You all make sure everyone is training every day. Every. Damned. Day. Increase the guards on the fences. And we need to figure out where that bitch, Viola, is. The only way this all stops is if their damned figurehead is taken down.”
He walked over and pressed his lips to my forehead, kissing me, then headed upstairs.
“I’ve gotta make some calls. I’m sure the other alphas have all seen this.” Without another word, he jogged up to his office and slammed the door.
Felipe nodded to Luis and Sebastian. “Come on. Let’s grab some people. Anyone who hasn’t gone through a training session. We need to make sure everyone is ready to fight if it comes to it.”
The three men nodded their goodbyes and left me with my three parents. Mom was wiping at her eyes. Dad had an arm around her, and Gabriella was still standing in the kitchen, a cup of coffee clutched in her hand as she stared at the floor.
Mom looked at me with terror in her eyes. “We were right to hide you all those years,” she said. “These people really are crazy”—she pointed at the TV— “and I don’t want that to happen to you.”
“I know, Mom, this is bad. Nothing can be done now, though. Not until we find Viola.”
She shook her head. “We need to hide you. Like you did with Abi.” She heaved a sigh and slapped the couch. “None of this would have happened if you hadn’t taken that stupid ancestry test. I wish you’d just left it all alone.”
It was like I’d been slapped. Was she blaming me for this?
All because I took some silly at-home DNA test?
There was no way I could have ever known any of this would happen.
Never in a million years. Yet here she was, telling me that I’d screwed up.
My face twisted into a scowl. Dad leaned toward Mom and whispered angrily into her ear, but before I could open my mouth to defend myself, Gabriella spoke up.
“This isn’t Maddy’s fault. It’s mine. I did this.
It goes farther back than that test. I knew exactly what Maddy was and what she could be.
I told you to put her on suppressants. I lied and never told you she was my daughter.
If Maddy knew what she was from the beginning, things might have turned out better.
” She looked into Mom’s eyes. “You can’t blame Maddy for what’s happened. ”
Mom looked stricken, both by what Gabriella said and by whatever Dad was hissing into her ear.
She shook her head and cried more. “No… I’m sorry.
I didn’t mean it like that.” She looked at me.
“Maddy, I’m sorry. It’s just that I’m so scared I’m going to lose you.
I shouldn’t have said it like that. The last thing I want is to lose you—I’d rather die than let that happen. ’
I nodded, my breath huffing through my nostrils. I understood. Things were tense. Everyone was afraid. She couldn’t help being terrified.
“Look,” I said. “Nico and the other packs are going to do everything they can to prevent what we saw on the news. We’re going to train, and we’re going to fight. I know, deep down, that everything will be all right.”
“You can’t know that,” Dad said with a sad shake of his head.
“Right,” Mom added. “We can’t assume it will all work out. I’m sure those shifters in Virginia thought things would work out fine too.”
Gabriella sat beside me and put a hand on my knee as she looked at the couple who’d raised me.
“Maddy is strong,” she said, her expression incredibly sad. “You never knew her biological father, but he was the strongest person I ever met. That strength is in Maddy. I can sense it. All she needs to do is believe in herself.”
Inside my mind, my wolf rumbled happily at her words as if she agreed. Was she even stronger than I thought? Was that what my wolf was agreeing with? The idea surprised and frightened me. Even after all this, was I still suppressing my wolf’s true power?
I looked at Gabriella, and she gave me a knowing smile.
Mom and Dad still weren’t totally sold on the prospect of Nico and me being safe.
The thought still tickled my mind that there might be something more lurking inside me.
My wolf had nearly pounded her chest with pride when Gabriella talked about how strong I was.
An hour later, the guys had organized another training session with Sinthy, ready to create another magical simulation. Nico was there, and most of the pack had come out to watch, which wasn’t typical. Everyone must have seen the news. They wanted to see what kind of chance we would have.
Nico nudged me. “Let’s work on a fighting retreat. We have to plan for all possibilities. Then we can see how it goes with us trying to get you and the others out if things go bad.”
I shook my head. “No. Not this time. I want to do a full-scale assault. A lot of people attacked that shifter compound.”
Nico seemed like he was going to argue, but I cut him off by looking over at Sinthy. “I want at least a hundred enemies this time. All of them were armed with guns. Can you do that?”
Sinthy shrugged and smiled. “It’s your world. I’m just living in it.”
A few moments later, the magically simulated anti-shifters came pouring out of the forest. I reached deep inside and touched my wolf.
There was a moment of understanding between us.
With a flex of my mind, I told her to take full control, to give me all she had, and I would guide us.
She howled in excitement, and a moment later, I shifted.
I’d thought I understood my wolf. But there had been so much more I’d suppressed.
Unconsciously, I was afraid of what might happen.
The power was immense. I moved faster than ever, my paws barely touching the ground as I sprinted.
My instincts were honed sharp as a razor, my body able to see, hear, and smell the bullets as they whizzed toward me.
I dodged and ducked the projectiles before they had a chance to strike.
My teeth snapped through throats and arms, dropping the faux enemies to the ground in a puff of smoke.
I moved faster and faster, almost like I would never get tired.
Soon the sounds of my pack mates vanished, almost like they’d disappeared.
I was locked in the dance of battle, more graceful and savage than I’d ever been in my life.
The wolf inside me was like a goddess of war, dragging me into battle.
When the final enemy tumbled to the ground, I shifted back and turned to see where everyone had gone. The entire pack—everyone—was staring at me in wide-eyed shock. They had all backed away to watch the show. Even my mother and father were staring at me with slack-jawed surprise.
I pushed my sweat-soaked hair out of my face as I walked toward them. Nico looked me up and down with an approving and somewhat turned-on expression.
“What’s everyone looking at?” I asked.
“Holy shit,” Sebastian shouted. “You were… like… holy shit.”
Nico grinned. “You took out ninety percent of the enemies by yourself. It was madness. I’ve never seen a wolf move like that.”
The entire pack broke out into spontaneous applause. I blushed and glanced over at Gabriella. She was clapping, too, a secret smile playing on her lips. She’d been right. I was strong. I was more powerful than I’d ever realized.