Chapter 24 #2
She leaned closer, her heart starting to race as she scanned the page. One line was written in the ancient language. Beneath it, clean and precise, was the key from the ancient text into English. It appeared to be old English, but she could work with that. The very top had already been translated:
By trial given and challenge borne,
The Alpha stands, the rest are torn.
Not by blood nor oath once sworn,
The pack is kept by strength hard worn.
She let out a short breath and pressed her fingers to the page. “Solomon is going to lose his mind,” she murmured. So much for him being the only wolf in the know. This was excellent.
She flipped forward, scanning the next few pages.
The same structure repeated. Ancient text.
Then translation. Notes in the margins, tighter handwriting, corrections scratched out and rewritten.
Then the key—just how to translate the rest. It appeared as if somebody had started to translate the text and then moved on.
But the information was all right there.
It would take some time to translate those several chapters, but now she could actually do it.
Two more notebooks sat beneath the first. She grabbed all three and stood, brushing dust off her jeans.
The cold had crept deep into her legs and fingers while she’d been reading.
She shifted the notebooks and shoved them into her oversized purse, the weight settling solidly against her hip.
The strap went over her shoulder, familiar and grounding.
It was freezing down there, and she needed to move.
She turned toward the stairwell, already replaying the lines in her head, already planning to read for the entire night. If she returned home early enough, Bussy and Margaret wouldn’t even know she’d gone.
She took one step toward the stairs.
“Hi.”
She froze.
Luca stood at the top, blocking the way out. Blood dotted his face and streaked down one arm, already drying dark against his skin. His shirt was torn at the shoulder, and one side of his jaw was swelling fast.
“Holy crap,” she said. “What happened to you?”
“Rough trial,” he growled. His eyes dropped to the purse on her shoulder. “What are you doing down here?”
She frowned. None of this made sense. “What are you doing down here?”
He winced, like the words hurt. “I’m sorry. I knew you were here.”
“How’d you know I was here?”
“Well,” he said slowly, “I saw the SUV outside when I was going by.”
Nadia shook her head. “Are you finished with your trials?”
He picked at a bruise by his ear. “Two more to go.” His green eyes gleamed under the lights. One was puffy and half-closed.
“The trials have been bad?”
“Yes,” he muttered. “Let’s get you out of here. It’s not safe.”
She followed him up the stairs and through the lodge, her fingers tight on the strap of her purse.
Halfway across the room, Luca stopped and turned toward her. “I’m really sorry about this.”
Her stomach dropped. “About what?”
He slammed silver handcuffs onto one of her wrists.
“Hey,” she snapped, swinging out on reflex.
He caught her other hand easily and snapped the second cuff shut. Heat burned where the silver touched, sharp and immediate.
“Oh God,” she gasped. “Not silver.” She yanked back anyway. “What are you doing?”
“I had a meeting with my pack earlier,” he said, jaw tight. “Merritt wasn’t wrong. They don’t like the way things are going. So, I’m taking you and we’ll have a bit of leverage.”
Leverage? “You plan on cheating?” The asshole.
“The Ravencalls aren’t giving me a choice,” he said, wincing. “They agree you should be the next Alpha female, even though Taryn would do a better job. But lineage is important.”
Nadia kicked out, catching him hard in the ankle, and twisted to run. He grabbed her hair and yanked her back. Pain spiked along her scalp, bright and blinding. The notebooks thumped against her hip inside her oversized purse as she staggered.
She swung again. He backhanded her.
Pain ricocheted through her head, and she blinked hard, trying to clear her vision. The door was right there. So close.
“They can’t help you,” Luca said from near the entrance, his voice almost gentle.
She dragged her gaze toward him. “You took out my enforcers?”
“My people did,” Luca said. “It’s our only chance. The entire pack is at the school, and Caidrik’s gone on some trial right now. I’m sorry.”
“I won’t mate you.”
He sighed heavily. “We have leverage, and you probably will. I don’t know. Maybe if I just take you back and show I can do so, they’ll let me lead my way.”
Fury rushed through her, ringing in her ears. “Sounds like the pack is leading the Alpha, Luca. That’s no way to rule.”
“I just need time. You can help me get that.”
She could also slice his jugular, if she could get to her knife. “The Slate Pack will come after you.”
“Yeah,” Luca said. “But we’ve got a hundred big, good fighters, and we’re ready for war.” He grabbed the handcuffs and winced as the silver bit him too. “Boy, silver sucks.” Then he yanked her toward the door, and Nadia dug in her heels.
He forced her outside and down the steps, into the snow. She paused, searching for her enforcers.
Nothing.
Luca pulled her toward the SUV. “My enforcers had the element of surprise and took out yours, but I gave orders to knock out and not kill. They’re waiting for us at the edge of town.”
She gulped. At least her enforcers weren’t dead. “This is a bad idea. You know that, right?”
“It’s my only option.”
Awareness prickled down her spine. She partially turned and then stilled. “Bulwark,” she whispered.
She saw him at the edge of the light first, a massive shape just beyond the reach of the porch glow. He stood still for half a heartbeat, eyes reflecting faintly. Then he charged.
Luca shoved Nadia sideways and out of the way, but Bulwark wasn’t aiming for her. He hit Luca with the sound of boulder on boulder.