Chapter 38 #2
The first man doesn’t have time to react before Will’s jaws clamp around his throat, tearing through flesh and bone.
Blood sprays against the stone as his body crumbles.
Iron scents the air that’s already thick with the smell of death and Will doesn’t pause, barreling into the second guard.
His fangs sink in deep, ripping through his muscles and sinews until flesh is torn from bone.
Strangled cries echo through the dungeons until only a few splutters and silence remain, almost lifeless bodies slumping against the floor as we step over them.
Will nudges my arm as he urges me forward with a low and urgent growl. I grit my teeth, forcing my legs to push me up the stairs even though every step is a battle. It’s one I’m winning though, and as Will helps me navigate the narrow, twisting stairs I feel the strength returning to my limbs.
We emerge into the dim light of a deserted corridor.
The chill of the dungeon lingers on my skin as silence stretches out before us, thick and suffocating.
I glance at Will and he bristles with tension, his ears flicking as he listens for movement.
The Beta’s son is an apex predator and he’s ready to kill without mercy, his eyes focused and sharp, ignoring the blood matting around his muzzle as he sniffs the air.
I snatch at air as we emerge into the night, relieved to inhale something that isn’t tainted with death. I keep moving, pushing myself to race toward the woods, and I ignore the anger and fear curdling in my gut.
My instincts tell me to turn back and face my father.
My anger tells me I’ve every right to seek vengeance for what he’s done.
My reason tells me to get out of here and live to fight another day, returning when I have the advantage. When I’m ready, on my own fucking terms and with a strategy that’s likely to prevail.
Will shifts as we shroud ourselves in the cover of the trees and I stare at his dark eyes, wondering why he’s so fraught. He’s committed treason but there’s more to it than that. Much more. Will’s alert and distressed, oscillating between two opposing forces and almost succumbing to both.
“We need to move, Nia,” he snarls.
I nod and follow him, moving as fast as I can past the trees I used to know. The ground is uneven and my feet struggle to find their footing, but we’re heading away from my father’s mansion, toward somewhere that seems safer.
“What the fuck’s going on, Will?” I ask.
He glances down at me and his expression is as dark as the night. “Your father’s lost his mind, Nia. He’s convinced you’re the future of the pack and you’d better pray he doesn’t make good on his plans for you.”
I nod and Will shakes his head.
“Don’t act like you know, Nia. He’s convinced the Elders you’re his mate. Daughter or not, and together you’ll have pups that will change the future of our pack.”
I freeze, my blood turning as cold as ice as it moves around my body with the speed of a glacier.
It’s an abomination that the Moon Goddess would never countenance and I’ll never let it come to pass.
I won’t allow it, I won’t accept it. I’d rather die than let it happen and Will nods his head as his eyes flood with pity.
“Carrie’s in on it,” he says, his eyes darker than the sky above us. “She’s not your friend, Nia. She never was.”
I shake my head and step back, retreating from the horror of the truth Will’s telling me. He grabs my hand and I struggle against his hold as another devastating truth hits home.
“I tried to keep her away from you,” he pleads. “I tried, Nia. I tried to do the right thing. To protect you and the pack… Please… Just come with me and we’ll make it right…”
A shadow moves in the corner of my vision and I freeze again, my skin crawling with the awareness of something utterly sinister. Will’s expression shifts, his eyes widening as he senses it too. He spins around, pulling me behind him as his arms protect my flanks and then he stiffens.
Carrie steps into the dim light, her hair still a fire that burns through the night. Her face is obscured by the shadows and her expression is serene but the smile that curls her lips is wrong. Dangerously wrong. It’s cold and calculating, a twist that makes my stomach churn.
“Will,” she murmurs, her voice thick with seduction. “She isn’t worth saving.”
He stiffens, his arms clenching around me, refusing to back down.
“Carrie, don’t do this. It’s not too late. We can find another way. Any other way. We can leave and start again. You don’t have to do this for Bastan.”
My best friend tilts her head and her gaze shifts to me, a shiver running down my spine as her smile sharpens. I swallow as she lunges in a sudden, fluid movement. There’s no time to react and her claws flash in the moonlight as she lashes at Will.
I tumble to the floor, pushed back by the man who’s trying to fend off his wife.
His body twists as her hands fly faster than they should, and they’re much faster than Will’s.
Her claws sink into him and he grunts in pain, and Carrie refuses to stop despite my screams. Will’s movements slow as blood sprays over the ground and Carrie shows no mercy, her claws tearing into her husband time and time again.
He collapses to his knees, gasping for breath, blood pouring out of him as she forces him down.
“You never understood, did you?” Carrie whispers, leaning close enough that her breath brushes against his ear. “It was never about you. Or her. It’s about what I deserve.”
Her claws plunge into his chest and I hear the sickening crack of bone beneath the force of her blow. Will’s eyes widen, a choked sound escaping his lips and he looks at me one last time—his expression filled with a mixture of regret and something that might have been hope.
“Protect the pack, Nia,” he gasps. “Protect the pack and run.”
I stumble back, my vision blurred with tears and the searing pain in my side.
Will heaves one last breath and something in me dies with him.
His blood seeps into the wet earth beneath me and I refuse to let his sacrifice be in vain.
He’s given his life for a chance that I might survive and I want to stay, to fight and tear Carrie apart for what she’s done.
But it’s not a smart decision. It’s the move she wants me to make and I swallow hard, forcing myself to meet Carrie’s gaze. Her eyes are wild with a twisted glee, her lips curled in a triumphant smile. She thinks there’s nowhere for me to go and she’s certain she’s already won this fight.
She’s wrong.
I turn on my heel and run, forcing my legs to carry me deeper into the darkness.
Each step is an agony I pray I’ll never endure again but I keep moving, determined to make Will’s death count for something.
I’ll survive. I’ll endure and overcome. I’ll reap my vengeance and his as well—and the night swallows me as the wind bites against my skin and I welcome the cold, letting it harden the resolve burning in my chest.