Chapter 8
Chapter
Eight
With a fierce swing of my golden whip, I struck out at the vampire guards, the sound of the cracking against their flesh echoing around us. I swung my whip around again and slammed it into the vampire. Two guards flew through the air and hit the ground with a heavy thud.
I pressed my back against Hayden’s, his body warm and solid. Behind me, the screams and breaking of bones and flesh hitting flesh filled the open space.
A lone vampire charged at me, snarling with bloodlust, but I was ready.
I swung my whip again and wrapped it tightly around his neck, forcing him to his knees.
All I had to do was pull on the rope to tighten it.
Although my energy was leaving me, I summoned all of my strength and jerked the whip hard, breaking the vampire’s neck.
The sound sickened me, like crunching leaves beneath my feet in the forest.
The glimmer of the shiny gold was fading—a bad sign. My weapon was losing its power. The golden whip chose this moment to retract to my forearm as if it were too tired to fight any longer. As my will to fight left me, so did the magic in the bracelet.
From the corner of my eye, I detected movement. A guard inched closer, lunging toward me and throwing a hard punch in my face. I blocked the blow with both arms, but with a surprise move, he grabbed my arm and swung me around with my back to him. He had me in a tight hold from behind.
As taught by my father, I kicked his legs and twisted out of his embrace. But as I spun around to face him, a glint of silver caught my attention. A dagger flashed through my vision, cutting through the guard’s side before sinking into his chest.
Hayden appeared before me and plucked the dagger out of the vampire’s body. Pouncing on the remaining vampires, my bodyguard tore apart every one of them while I gaped at his dominance and strength.
Hayden had impressed me with his fighting skills from the first time I saw him fight four vampires at once when he saved me in the kingdom forest years ago, but now… Now his skills were on par with Torin’s, if not better.
Blinking, I stood still, watching his fluid movements, graceful and deadly.
There were no more vampire guards standing.
Beyond the awe, an unsettling feeling formed in my gut.
I tried to smile, standing on shaky legs, but my body felt heavy.
I was grateful for Hayden’s protection, but suspicion also rose in my mind.
“I don’t think I can stay on my feet,” I said, and my knees gave out.
My eyelids drooped, and my body swayed, but two strong arms caught me before I hit the ground.
“H-Hayden…” I breathed softly.
I couldn’t find enough energy to talk to him. There was so much I wanted to tell him about Torin’s memories.
I tried to ignore the warmth that seeped through his touch.
“You’re my chosen mate,” I mumbled.
“Shush, sweetheart. There’s so much I want to tell you, too, but only after you’re completely mine,” he whispered.
No.
After he scooped me up, I rested my head against his chest.
“Tell me now,” I said but couldn’t put much force in my tone.
“You’re not ready. Now rest.”
Although the familiar warm sparks at the spots where my body touched Hayden’s engulfed me, this man felt unfamiliar. Something shifted inside him, making his grip on me tighten.
Or was the change within me?
He carried me in his arms while I faded in and out of consciousness. My mind lulled into darkness as the rhythmic rise and fall of Hayden’s chest calmed me. The next time I woke, I lay in my bed in the kingdom with a throbbing headache.
Before my eyes could entirely focus, my mind flashed an image of Torin’s rugged face with dull crimson eyes staring at me while his vampire hand constricted my breathing. My hand flew to my neck, touching the raw and sensitive flesh there.
I groaned as I shifted slightly. The back of my head rested uncomfortably against the soft pillow. I could imagine Dad’s face when he learned his Alpha had left me with a concussion and bruises.
A movement next to me caught my attention.
After blinking repeatedly, my vision cleared.
My gaze settled over my bodyguard sitting on the bed, knee propped, watching me with some emotion behind his eyes that I didn’t like.
The fierce gleam there shone with possessiveness that sent shivers down my spine.
He seemed like a wolf guarding his territory.
He gave me his charming smile, but I didn’t have it in me to reciprocate. Who would I face now—my easy-going bodyguard or my possessive chosen mate?
“I know that you’re my chosen mate.”
His smile disappeared, but his sky-blue eyes set intently on me as if he dared me to do something. Did Hayden always have such a possessive and forceful side to him that I hadn’t noticed until recently?
“Does it matter when one mate tried to kill you, sweetheart? Can’t you accept that I’ve been next to you all this time, waiting patiently, supporting you, letting you make your decisions until you can clearly see that I’m the one who should be next to you?
” He took a deep breath. “I love you, sweetheart. That’s all that matters. ”
I sucked in a sharp breath and averted my gaze to the side. Both mates claimed to love me, yet they hid secrets from me.
An awkward silence stretched, filling the room with tension. Hayden’s hand engulfed mine, and my body twitched despite the pleasant sensations.
I waited to give him a chance to explain himself. I tried to rack my brain to think of a moment when Hayden had an opportunity to exchange blood with me. It had to be while I slept or was unconscious. As my bodyguard, Hayden had many chances to create a partial bond. I had trusted him with my body.
The base of my skull throbbed, and I shut and then immediately reopened my eyes.
“How did—"
“I’m your only choice now, Breanna,” Hayden’s sharp voice interrupted me.
But that wasn’t true. I didn’t have to choose anyone.
Although my mind was a chaotic mess, I had to come to terms with the fact that Torin had left me and destroyed my family. But anger, pain, and confusion battled within me, leaving me unsure how to move forward or even heal.
Love didn’t die with distance or a dark secret. If it were that easy to forget Torin, I wouldn’t be feeling stabbing chest pain now.
Hayden seemed unwilling to explain his actions which had led to our bond. I groaned and let out a sigh.
“Can you call for Dad? I must tell him about how his brother died,” I said, and then I swallowed hard before I could say his name. “Torin is the murderer.”
Hayden shrugged. “It doesn’t surprise me. He killed your family, and the King will execute him when he catches him, but it might not be fast enough. Torin could be caught by the vampire Queen. He’s on the run, but for how long?”
“Torin wanted to turn himself in and take responsibility. But he must have understood that the vampire Queen would capture him first. So that’s why he ran away.”
Hayden gave me a strange look. “He ran away because he couldn’t face you after what he’s done. He’s a coward, sweetheart.”
I drew in a deep breath. “Torin is a lot of things, but I don’t believe he is a coward.”
Some emotion flashed behind Hayden’s face. He withdrew his hand to his side and made a tsking sound with his throat, slightly shaking his head.
The next moment, my bedroom door creaked open, and Dad, followed by the three Alphas, marched inside my bedroom.
I sat up in my bed, pulling the blanket over my waist. I only needed to talk to my father. I sent a questioning glance at Hayden, and he nodded. It scared me that he understood my silent question of whether he had spoken to Dad about the recent events so quickly.
The Alphas crowded my space, turning the air thick and tense in my tiny room.
After awkwardly standing at the doorway for a moment, Alpha Henry cleared his throat. “We were concerned about your health, Princess. So we came to see you. Please excuse our intrusion.”
I nodded and averted my gaze to my hands clutching the quilt. But when I looked down, I noticed I was dressed in different clothes, with comfy pajamas. I snapped my gaze to Hayden. He smirked. At least he was his usual self, which comforted me.
“Your mom changed you into dry, clean clothes, sweetheart. Don’t look so disappointed.”
I let out a heavy sigh, and Hayden raised his eyebrows. I ignored him as he ignored my questions. I would like to see Mom soon. She must be worried. The faster the men left, the sooner I could talk to Mom…and there was one more person who I had to visit. Layla.
I focused on the Alphas again. Alpha Mark’s betrayal had cost him his life, and now the remaining three Alphas stood before me with their usual stoic masks on. My body twitched, and I crossed and uncrossed my legs under the blanket until Hayden’s large hand gripped my knees over the material.
He gave me a knowing smile, but the unsettling feeling in my stomach had already started. I would feel relaxed only after exposing the remaining traitor mastermind who had not been discovered in the kingdom’s territory.
No matter how much I wanted to believe in Dad’s men, Alphas Henry, Leo, and Michael looked suspicious, especially since they’d marched into my private space claiming to be concerned about my health.
Perhaps they wanted to ask how much I had learned from Layla and Mark.
Or the men could have asked Dad to take them to my bedroom to ensure a future werewolf Queen still existed.
Trust didn’t come easy to me, having grown up human in the werewolf kingdom and having been lied to my entire life.
The pain in my heart was much more intense than the throbbing in my head. I rubbed my chest and waited.