Chapter 20 - Sadie
Running through the forest, there is nothing inside me except alarm bells of panic ringing through my every cell. My blood runs hot with electric fire, and my skin practically crackles with power.
Even though it’s a dark, moonless night, I can see well, and this only spooks me more. As I run, I don’t trip or slide, and the branches of the trees seem to make way for me as I run from Rhys as fast as I can.
I don’t know what I’m doing, or where I’m going!
Through the frenzied fog of panic, only one thought comes clearly—that I want to get back to my daughter as quickly as possible. I don’t know what Rhys will do to me if he catches me, and the only thing I can think of is to get back to Cassie and keep running.
I don’t want to run. I want to believe that Rhys will listen to me… but that look on his face was pure loathing, with a heavy dose of fear.
His fear is much worse than his hatred, and I don’t blame him for it one bit. I lied to him, I manipulated him, and I betrayed his trust.
I deserve everything he can throw at me. And I don’t blame him for being scared. I’m pretty freaked out myself.
My powers activated the second Aaron came for me, but I held them in check until the men had Rhys completely helpless. I couldn’t just let him get killed or maimed, and my powers seemed to take over in a way I still can’t explain.
The sounds of Rhys following me are faint but still right there on my trail. Running even harder, I notice the trees pulling back for me, and the ground rising beneath my feet. It isn’t long before I lose him completely and run to the top of a small peak.
I’ve never been this fit in my entire life.
Tilting my head back, I look up into the stars. The sky is incredibly clear, and their glimmering lights look close enough to touch. A breeze sighs across my shoulders, cool on my forehead and on the back of my neck.
There’s harmony in my magic, and I can control it, I’m sure. Rhys doesn’t have to be afraid.
Looking at the stars soothes me even as I realize my body really doesn’t need much time to recover. I start to walk down the hill, my senses keen for any sign of Rhys.
I don’t know where he is or what happened back at the hut. I’ll circle back towards the parking lot and decide what to do from there.
***
I’m back in the valley, not far from the road, when I hear footsteps moving through the forest. Whoever it is isn’t concealing themselves very well, and I pause to listen. I can feel the person getting closer. It seems to be male, but other than that, I have no idea who it is.
My new and improved senses don’t come with a wolf nose, unfortunately.
I stand quietly under a tree, sunk into shadows as I wait for the person to come closer. I’m hoping it’s Rhys and that we can talk about this rationally and go home to work it out.
The noise gets closer, and I keep my eyes on the small patch of light nearby, waiting for the person to appear out of the woods.
Just as someone breaks the tree line, I feel someone grab me from behind.
Before I can react, a dark wave crashes through my vision, accompanied by a horrific flash of pain.
***
I come to with a horrible jolt, kicking and struggling.
Immediately, the breath is blasted out of my lungs, and pain shatters through me again.
I feel dirt between my teeth and realize that I’ve been hurled to the ground.
A hard blow smashes into my guts, and I cough and choke as I try to draw a breath.
Someone grabs my hair and yanks my head back. My eyes are slow to open, and I can feel my face is horribly swollen. There is a faint glow of light, so it must be near dawn, but other than that, I have no idea what’s going on.
I try to focus my vision, and eventually, Aaron’s cold blue eyes are clear above me, almost glowing with malice. He’s saying something that I can’t hear as he yanks on my hair.
I’m too dazed to fight back. Can I use my powers to heal myself? Would that even work, and how would I do it?
The ringing in my ears starts to settle, and I can hear Aaron’s words.
“… Taking you to the council. Then they can decide what to do with you. It was bad enough that they brought a human into our pack—but you’re a fucking witch!”
“I’m not—” I protest, but Aaron and his goons just laugh. I manage to get my head up enough to look around and see that all of them are messed up and obviously struggling with their wounds, but they’re also healing and obviously strong enough to deal with me.
Well, I didn’t want to kill them. I suppose I got what I asked for.
“You'd better knock her out again,” one of them says. “In case she gets lively.”
Aaron kicks me in the guts again, and I curl up on the ground, pain like nothing I’ve ever known crashing through my body. Aaron picks me up by the shoulders and punches me across the face, and I’m vaguely aware of being thrown over his shoulder.
Time passes, I’m not sure how much. In my dazed state, I still notice the day brightening, and by the time the guys stop, it feels like mid-morning. Aaron throws me to the ground, all the air going out of my lungs as I make impact.
“Get some rope,” he snaps.
His buddies clear out, returning a few minutes later with some of the soft, inflexible rope Rhys used on me before.
It must bind magic and shifter power.
When Aaron drags me to my feet, I see the hideous shape of the manor rising above me. A short scream bursts out of my throat as I struggle against Aaron.
I don’t know why, but this place scares the living fuck out of me!
Aaron and his men force me through the door, dragging me down the hallway to the left. The glowing torches throw frightening shadows against the walls, as if they reflect people struggling in horrible pain. I tell myself I’m hallucinating from the concussion and keep my eyes on the floor.
When we reach the council chamber, all six of them are waiting, lined up on either side. Aaron drags me right to the end of the table, and all of them regard me with icy calm.
“Here she is,” Aaron declares. “Here’s the witch!”
“As promised,” Darla says. “You told us it was urgent, Aaron Hunter, and we thank you for bringing this threat to our attention.”
I can tell from Darla’s barely concealed glee that she is thoroughly enjoying what’s happening.
“We tracked her,” Aaron says. “Because we feared for the alpha. We believe bringing a human here wasn’t right, and it would weaken us, and none of us would back down until we had the evidence we needed to evict her.
When we came upon them in the woods, we tried to parley, but Alpha Rhys went straight to defense. ”
I want to speak, but a massive knot of fear is moving from my stomach to my throat.
Where is Cassie? Is she all right? What happens to her if I’m sentenced to death?
“We attempted to talk with him, but unfortunately, he was angry, and it wasn’t possible to talk sense into him.”
My swimming thoughts move to Rhys and the brutal fight. It occurs to me that he didn’t shift during it, and maybe he isn’t able to.
Are his healing powers working? I just left him in the damn woods! I don’t even know if he’s okay!
A new kind of fear slowly fills me, overtaking the worry for myself.
The two people I love most in the world could be in danger. I don’t care what happens to me, so long as they’re okay.
Above all, the one image I can’t get out of my mind is the betrayal and hurt on Rhys’s face when he realized I lied to him.
“Then, the witch came out,” Aaron’s voice cuts through the fog of thoughts, painfully bringing me back to reality.
“We thought she was only human, but she attacked us with supernatural powers. These wounds on us were made by her as she called on the dark arts to murder us when all we wanted was a peaceful talk.”
“That’s not true!” I cry, almost sobbing. “They jumped Rhys, and I thought they were going to kill him. They definitely wanted to kill me. Rhys tried to talk, but they just attacked. I had no choice but to—”
I cut off suddenly, and Aaron looks at me, smirking.
“To do what?” he asks.
I look down at the floor, my head falling against my chest. “To use my powers,” I whisper.
“See, she admits it!” Aaron yells. “She just confessed.”
“Sadie,” someone says, their voice full of compassion. I look up to see Neville looking at me. “Is this true?”
I nod, imploring him. “Yes, it’s true, but I only wanted to protect Rhys. They attacked him—”
“We would never attack an alpha,” Aaron says, shaking his head. “You’re a liar. You lied to us from the start. You’ve always been a witch, and you pretended to be human to infiltrate us and take us apart from within.”
“No,” I mutter, shaking my head. “No.”
“You’re the cause of the sickness,” he hisses. “You are killing us.”
My heart falls, and I can’t think of a single thing to say. I read in the history books that witches were often stoned to death, and I have a sudden, very vivid image of my future, standing outside in the stone courtyard while the others hurl stones at me.
So long as Cassie is safe. That’s all that matters. What will they do to her?
“Wait.”
The voice echoes through the room, a command that cannot be disobeyed. All of us look towards the door in shock to see Rhys walking towards us.
“Rhys,” I gasp, my hands fighting the restraints as I make an unconscious move towards him.
He doesn’t look at me, and my fear returns tenfold.
He’s here to finish me off. I lied to him, I betrayed him, and now he’s come to do his duty to the pack and avenge his broken heart.
Desperate feelings bubble up in my chest, and tears trickle down my cheeks. My whole body goes numb, and I can hardly hold myself upright.
He’s going to side with them. I’m dead.
Rhys walks right past me, not even glancing my way. His face is stern and determined, his gold eyes glowing like a blade being pulled from a fire. He looks completely healed, clear and composed.
“I’d like to thank the council for gathering,” he says in a casual tone. “And formally ask why I was not invited.”
“You couldn’t be reached, Alpha,” Aaron says, stumbling over his words. “We tried, but—”
“Shane and Owen reached me just fine,” he replies, his voice calm. Aaron backs up a step.
“What you haven’t been told is that these three mongrel dogs attacked me,” Rhys says, the undercurrent of anger in his voice ringing through the room. “They most certainly came after us with malicious intent, and they meant to kill me.”
“No,” Aaron protests. “We would never—”
“You act like I wasn’t there, Aaron,” Rhys says. “Just because my wounds have healed doesn’t mean I’m about to forget what happened. You attacked me, and your purpose there was to kill my wife.”
Is he defending me?
“She’s a witch!” Darla declares. “She lied to all of us. No matter the circumstance, she needs to be—”
“Thanked,” Rhys finishes for her. “She should be commended, because her quick actions saved my life.”
“She used magic,” Thorne says. “We can’t just let that pass, Rhys. Letting a human into our midst was bad enough, but she’s a witch. She should be executed, just like all the others.”
“She saved my life,” Rhys says simply, and for a moment, the room is silent.
“You can’t prove anything,” Aaron says suddenly. “You’re under her spell, that’s what this is. You’ll say anything she wants you to because you’re under an enchantment, like a puppet! Once we kill her, you’ll regain your senses!”
I can see Darla and Thorne really love this idea, and hopelessness washes through me, only for my hopes to rise again as Owen and Shane enter the room. At first, I can’t see what they’re holding, but then both of them place small cameras on the long wooden table.
“Luckily, the incident was caught on camera,” Rhys says, letting a small, satisfied smile stretch across his face.
“What?” Aaron breathes, his eyes wide.
“Near all the watch huts, we have lines of defense,” Rhys shrugs. “If you’ve never done guard duty, you wouldn’t be aware. But we have footage of the incident and proof that you’re the liar.”
“But—” Aaron looks around desperately, and realizes he’s completely trapped. There’s no way he and his buddies can leave the room.
“Take them,” Rhys snaps.
Owen and Shane move to block the exit, then apprehend the four of them. When Rhys approaches me, Aaron tries to run, but Rhys punches him across the face and sends him reeling. Quickly untying me, he uses the same ropes to bind Aaron.
“We are saddened by this,” Faye says. “To see wolves going up against wolves in this way. But the fact remains, you have a witch standing beside you. I assume the footage will show evidence of that fact?”
“Yes,” Rhys says. “Sadie used her powers, but only in defense of me.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Thorne says. “You know what we do to witches—and she lied to us. We have no idea what her plans are, and she should be dealt with.”
“I think a stay of punishment is in order, at least while we investigate,” Neville says evenly. “It would be wrong to leap to a conclusion without having all the evidence.”
Darla looks straight at me, and a cruel smile curves her lips.
“As you wish, Neville,” she says. “We won’t kill her… not yet.”