Undying: A Reverse Harem Shifter Romance (Crystal Lake Pack Book 2)

by Candace Wondrak

  She wished she could say the same about the three wolves before her, but things were complicated. She’d never been in love before. She wasn’t sure if the aching feeling in her heart as she gazed upon them was because she loved them or because her wolf didn’t want to leave.

  “I wish we had more time,” Addie said, taking a single step backwards, down one of the porch steps. One foot closer to the simmering skeleton in the road.

  Look at her, acting like this was the end. This was not the end of her story. She might go along with Clay, but she would fight him tooth and nail for as long as she could, as hard as she could. She would not be a willing participant in his experiments. Whatever he’d get from her, he’d have to work for. Hopefully, it would provide enough time for the pack to research, for some miracle to happen.

  “Maze,” a stern voice at the front door spoke, “go make sure Sarah’s all right. She went upstairs.” Forest’s blue eyes narrowed on Addie. “I’ll walk her.”

  Right. Because the thirty-foot walk from the bottom of the porch to the road might just kill her.

  Bad time for a joke like that.

  Forest pushed through Landon and Dylan as Maze went inside. Maze paused, half in and half out, glancing back at her. He didn’t want her to go, didn’t want to leave to handle Sarah. She gave him a smile, and he finally turned away. Good thing too, because the smile broke the same moment Forest reached her, his wide chest blocking out her view of the others.

  She refused to look up at him, fearing what would happen, what he’d say, what she’d do. “I think I can manage walking to the road by myself,” she muttered.

  A low growl left his chest. “I’m walking you.” It was not a question, not an offer; it was an order from an alpha. He was lucky this was an order she would allow, the last one she would not fight against.

  She shrugged, spinning on her heel to face the pathway that led to the road, where Hannah’s skeleton waited, small red flames flickering along her skull and spine, ivory turned to ash. The distance seemed to stretch before her, the path to her own doom, one she took willingly.

  This was stupid, but there were no other options.

  Forest walked beside her, his gaze fixated on the skeleton. They were about halfway between the road and the house when he spoke under his breath, “I’m sorry for what happened. It was inappropriate, and I should have stopped myself.”

  “Right,” she said, doing her best not to react. So it meant nothing after all. Addie didn’t know why, but it hurt. His words, knowing the truth—her heart constricted in a painful way, for even though she’d suspected, it was a different thing entirely to know. Her eyes burned, but she refused to cry.

  As if she still didn’t get it, Forest added quietly, “It should not have happened.”

  “I get it.” Really, it wasn’t a hard concept to grasp. He didn’t need to explain it, didn’t need to linger. The horse was already dead and beaten. Leave it alone, already.

  They were at the sidewalk, and Addie abruptly stopped. Still refusing to look at him, she said, “I hope…I hope you can find happiness again. I hope the others will, too. And for what it’s worth, I didn’t exactly stop you, so…” She shrugged. “It’s both our faults, I guess.”

  How stupid could she be? Actually thinking Forest might like her. She was just a kid in his eyes, a pup. She was nothing, and she’d definitely never hold up a torch to a dead woman who still clearly affected him. Addie didn’t hate him for it; it made too much sense, and it was something she should’ve considered before.

  But, when it all came down to it, none of it mattered.

  Addie was doing this for all of them. For Forest, for Landon. For the twins and for Caitlin. For the children in the town and the human mates who somehow stumbled into this life. She was doing it for each and every one of them, and she’d keep them all in her thoughts when she saw Clay again. This town, the Crystal Lake pack, gave her strength she never knew she was capable of.

  “Keep them safe, Forest,” she whispered, finally turning to meet his stare. Such a deep, sorrowful blue, like an ocean after a storm. If he let someone in, it wouldn’t be hard for any woman to lose themselves in a stare like his.

  He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but she didn’t let him. Addie moved away from him, walking past the tree lawn and stepping over the curb. She stood before the skeleton, its eyeless stare seemingly gazing straight into her soul. The skeleton’s bones creaked and snapped as it rose an arm, offering a bony hand. She started to take it, but she hesitated.

  Was this the right decision? Was going down fighting as one a better option?

  Behind her, Forest shouted, “Addie, wait—” But those were the only words she heard before the skeleton snapped its hand up, gripping her wrist so tightly her hand started to burn and lose feeling.

  She turned around to look at Forest, but with a blink, she was no longer under the starry sky of Crystal Lake. A dark cabin surrounded her, lit by an eerie red flame, in a fireplace Addie knew had no chimney. Slow to turn her gaze back to the skeleton holding her wrist, she gasped when she saw it was no longer Hannah’s bones attached to her.

  A gloved hand, just as boney underneath as a skeleton would be. A face that made her mind freak and run for the hills. Addie felt her eyes rolling to the back of her head, consciousness fading as it was pulled out from under her most unwillingly, as a creepy, sinister voice entered her brain.

  “Hello, dear Addie. How I’ve missed you.”

  And then the world was black.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Maze had known it would be impossible to convince Addie to stay, to change her mind. She seemed to have a death wish, one only that death priest could fulfill. If it were up to him, he would’ve fought. Somehow, someway, they would’ve won. Maybe. Shifters were a dying breed in today’s world, though, so he guessed he could understand where she was coming from.

  Sacrifice one to save many.

  But that wasn’t what shifters did. They left no one behind, expected no one to give themselves up for the pack. Shifters were limitless when they worked together. There was nothing they could not do…except, apparently, fight off a death priest and detect magic. That was a power reserved solely for other witches and warlocks, which Addie was by blood.

  Maze made it back inside the house. He’d only looked back at Addie once, which he considered a win, because what he really wanted to do was run to her, hold her to him, and never let her go. He and his brothers didn’t need a martyr; they needed her.

  Though, after tonight, it was clear they were not the only ones who needed her.

  Forest was his alpha, and being the alpha came with a certain degree of respect automatically. Maze had to listen to his orders, unless they conflicted terribly with common sense, and only then could he challenge him. But Forest wasn’t the type of alpha to make any sketchy decisions. He was a good man, which was what made this so much harder.

  Anyone with an inner wolf, let alone anyone with eyes, would’ve seen it coming, even before tonight. Hell, Caitlin and her mates saw it, and they’d hardly seen Forest and Addie together. The way Forest talked about her, the way he looked at her…it was like she already belonged to him.

  But, and here’s the big thing, she didn’t. She wasn’t his. A part of the pack, yes, but his mate? No. That honor belonged to Maze and his brothers.

  Maze wasn’t stupid. He knew if their wolves connected, it would be fighting a losing battle to try to keep them from each other. Was he upset? Not really. Jealous? A bit, but that’s to be expected when another mate stumbled into the fray.

  Things were made even weirder because Forest was the alpha. At least in the history of the Crystal Lake pack, alphas had never shared mates. Being alpha, they had certain privileges. After Sarah ran off, Forest had come of age, taken over the pack because the previous alpha had neared sixty, and chose Hannah. Maze had only been a kid at the time, but they were happy together, though they never had pups.

  And then the
death priest came along.

  She was the first to disappear. Rumors went flying as to why she ran off, but now everyone knew she was only the first to fall prey to Clay. Years later, twenty-three other wolves missing, and Forest never took another mate.

  He deserved to be happy, Maze thought, and if that happiness was with Addie, well. He’d be fine with it, as long as Forest didn’t try to pull rank and take Addie away from them. Now that he’d kissed her, now that he felt the pain in his chest in her absence, he didn’t want anyone else. His wolf didn’t want anyone else.

  His thoughts of sharing Addie with Forest didn’t matter. She was gone, throwing herself at an enemy no one knew how to beat. She might have magic, might be able to stand on the same battleground as him, but her power was nothing compared to his. She might be one with her wolf, except for the form itself, but she stood no chance.

  They had to do something. They had to get her back. She was theirs, and they would fight for her, hopefully kill Clay while they were at it. If Clay wasn’t dealt with, Maze knew the death priest would never stop, never cease in his machinations and his so-called experimentation. Maybe they could somehow use the wolf in the basement to track Clay, but if he was using magic, their noses would not help.

  Maze took himself up the stairs, his footsteps quiet. With Addie being all self-sacrificing, he expected her mother to fight her decision, but instead she went upstairs? It didn’t make sense.

  He heard her in the second bedroom, a room that had long since seen any inhabitants after Hannah was taken. He walked toward the door, finding it closed, as if Sarah needed privacy. Maze leaned his ear toward it, hearing no crying, no wailing, nothing at all. Only steady breathing.

  Huh. That was weird.

  Maze was seconds from entering when he heard her speak. His legs froze, his hand hovering above the door handle as he listened. Eavesdropping was not something he should be doing, but if it was more important than seeing Addie off, he had to know why.

  “I don’t know if this is still your number,” Sarah was saying, “and I know it’s been years, but this is important. I’m back at Crystal Lake, long story. A death priest has been haunting the pack. He’s killed twenty-four shifters, Arthur, and now he’s got Addie. I know he wants to find the nature of the beast, but beyond that, I don’t know. If you’re listening to this, Adeline needs you. Please. You might be our only hope. Help me save our daughter.”

  Maze felt his blood run cold. So the person on the other line, or at least the voicemail, was Addie’s dad? The warlock who stole Sarah from the pack. If she was calling him in, things didn’t bode well.

  “Oh,” Sarah’s voice added, “and if you’re not Arthur, please ignore this message and delete.”

  That was enough.

  He went for the stairs, back out into the cool night air. Addie, Forest, and the rambling skeleton weren’t in sight. There was a pile of ashes in the road, but nothing more. Maze glanced at Dylan. “What happened?”

  “The skeleton grabbed Addie,” his twin explained, “and then they both disappeared.”

  Landon was busy frowning. “Forest must’ve had a change of heart, but it was too late. He couldn’t stop it. He’s gone off to check the town, make sure there are no other skeletons, make sure everyone got home safe. We’re supposed to stay here with Sarah and guard Jack.” He let out a short, annoyed growl. “Listen to me, calling the traitor Jack, just like…” His annoyance was quickly replaced by anguish. “Just like Addie.”

  Sighing, Maze muttered, “Call me psychic, but I have a feeling things are going to get worse before they get better.”

  Addie, he thought, please stay safe.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  A pounding, raging headache warred inside Addie’s head as she struggled to come to, consciousness trying to dodge her left and right. Eventually, she was able to get a better hold on herself, though her eyes struggled to open. She tried moving, but her hands were bound before her, the sound of metal chains dragging across the floor as she tried to sit.

  Great. Chained and drugged with magic. This was going so well already.

  Once the metal clinking sound stopped, once she’d stopped moving, she heard the sounds of whimpering, of scampering feet and muffled voices. Addie opened her eyes, propping herself up.

  Back in the murder cabin, only this time, it was a bit different. For one, she was not stuck inside a cage. Two giant metal cuffs surrounded her wrists, holding her to the floor by a chain that was only two feet long. Enough to move a little, but not much. Secondly, there was no blood staining the walls and the floor, no table of torture instruments resting in its center. The same fireplace sat on one of the shorter walls, burning a red flame.

  “Hello, Addie,” a voice spoke, “about time you woke up. I was afraid you’d miss the show.” It was Clay’s voice, but it was off. Something about it was wrong, and it slithered up her spine like a spider. The words weren’t spoken distinctly, some of them blurring together, almost as if he had no lips.

  Clay stood over a man, leaning over him on his knees. The other man wore rags, layers and layers of holey, ragged clothing and an unkempt beard, dirt lining every wrinkle on his face. Older, at least fifty, his hair greying. His mouth was covered with a gag, his hands shackled much like hers were.

  A homeless man? A human?

  Addie’s instincts to protect kicked into overdrive, even though she had no idea who this human man was. “Clay, leave him alone!” She sounded brave, considering she was literally shaking in her ankle-high boots. The air in this place just felt wrong. Stale. Evil.

  The death priest stood, straightening his back out before turning to face her. The human was shackled ten or so feet before her, far enough away it gave Clay the opportunity to walk slowly, measuredly to her, which then allowed her to see it all.

  He might’ve worn a crisp black suit, but underneath, there had to be nothing but a skeleton. His body was too thin, the hands beneath the gloves—of which he wore two—too small. His face and neck were the only bits of him that looked normal, and even those, she saw, were not whole.

  A mask hung on his lower face, covering his mouth, his nose, and his jawline, as black as the paint that covered the rest of him. The white line drawn straight down the middle of his forehead continued over the mask, as if, even though he was losing himself to death, he could not let his fashion choice go.

  “Such a protective little wolf you are,” Clay drawled on, kneeling before her. He reached a hand to her face, and through the satin gloves, she could feel the bones poking at her. This was the caress of death itself. “Dare I say, I look forward to getting to know you even more.” Every word spoken beneath his mask was like nails on a chalkboard, making Addie flinch.

  She jerked away, as much as she was able to. “Don’t touch me.”

  He chuckled, his chest making a hollow noise under his suit. “Addie, Addie, Addie. Don’t you see? You belong to me now. Every part of you—your wolf, your mind, your body—it’s all mine. Ever since you left me, you’ve been on borrowed time. I let you go, just as I let you take my pet. How is he, by the way? Has he miraculously shifted, become a real boy again?”

  Addie crawled backward, hitting the wall with her back. The words he said…he had to be lying. He let her go? She thought…

  Venom dripped from his off-kilter voice, “Oh, dear. You thought yourself some high-powered witch superstar, didn’t you? Poor thing. Life’s full of disappointments, isn’t it?” Clay tilted his head, his slicked-back hair moving slightly, his amber eyes boring into her like daggers, straight to the heart. “You silly, silly girl. Did you think you were the chosen one, destined to save the Crystal Lake pack?” He chuckled, a slick, juicy sound emanating beneath his suit. “You are but a hybrid, special in a way, but not the first of your kind. What makes you so important to me is your lineage, nothing more.”

  Her voice trembled, “My dad?”

  “Bravo, you’re finally getting it,” Clay whispered, hushed under the mask.<
br />
  “But, you said…” Addie struggled to remember the words. “The weaknesses of none, the strengths of all—”

  “Yes, the ultimate hybrid. Fortunately for my master’s work, all it needs from you is a bit of blood, which I plan to take from you by the bucket. Everything else, well…” Clay’s shoulders shook with laughter. “What can I say? I like to play.”

  “Then what about the twenty-four wolves you murdered?” Addie shot back, growing a bit more of a backbone. “What about them?”

  Clay’s brown eyes studied her. For a split-second, he looked human, as if he felt guilt for all he’d done, but it was gone just as fast as it appeared, replaced by glee as he said, “That was purely from a revenge standpoint. You see, Addie, I was sent to Crystal Lake for many reasons. One of them being to wait for you, and the other to whittle it away.”

  A sense of horror, of complete and utter dread filled her. She wanted to vomit. “Why?”

  “Sweet daddy and mommy dearest aren’t exactly close to my master. If anything, I’d say he hates them, for what they did. He knew all along, you know. Of your existence. The others might’ve been fooled, but nothing escapes Death.” The way he spoke it, as if death were an entity.

  Was death itself Clay’s master?

  “Your mother,” Clay added, “was a bit of a whore, from what I hear—”

  Addie fought at her chains, but she could not reach his neck, could not even stand to attack him. She would never let a man like this talk about her mother in such a way.

  “Don’t take it personally,” Clay spoke, his eyes flashing a glowing, haunting red. Immediately, her shackled hands fell to the floor between her legs, and no matter how she struggled to pick them up, she could not. “Like mother, like daughter, from what I hear.”