Chosen Darkness (Chosen Series)

by Fawn Atondo

  The gown was carefully packed for taking home and then Falyn got her shoes to match, silk flowers for her hair and a diamond bracelet.

  Now Falyn found herself standing in front of the bridal shop holding a gown bag and another bag filled with other goodies. She didn’t know where Alex was but it was like he could read her mind – and maybe he could – because the man suddenly appeared by her side.

  “Oh there you are!” she said happily.

  “Ah, I see dress shopping has improved your mood!” he smiled.

  “Well, it took a few tries but yes, I did end up enjoying it.” This was mostly the truth.

  She left out how she had felt numb from the inside out as she stood before the mirrors, waiting for something to spark some kind of emotion. Normally a girl feeling like this would have doubts if she should marry at all, but Falyn knew she loved Alex. She knew that if only she was not cursed and losing her heart, she would be dancing a happy dance so these ‘cold feet’ flashes were not a sign the groom was wrong, just of the bride’s cold, cold heart!

  Once back in the car Alex pulled a small black box from his jacket pocket. Falyn felt her pulse speed up and before he threw back the velvet lid she knew what it was going to be.

  “This ring has been in my family for a long time.” Alex’s voice was whisper soft.

  Falyn looked at the ring. It was amazing – a white gold band etched with leaves and a large princess cut diamond surrounded by a dozen small rubies.

  “It’s beautiful Alex,” Falyn gasped.

  “We only do one band; there is no engagement ring in our family, but I wanted you to know I will have a ring on your finger,” Alex told her with a laugh.

  “I can’t wait,” she assured him.

  The drive back to Rave Manor was quick. Alex loved driving like a lunatic and she found herself enjoying the need for speed right along with him. The moment they got through the door, Leo came out to greet them. With a small kiss to her cheek he took her bridal gown and once more disappeared into his study.

  Falyn stood there for a moment in shock, blinking at the back of her future father-in-law as he whisked her gown away. What in the hell just happened?

  “Go with it!” Alex whispered in her ear.

  “Right, go with it! As long as you know that was way beyond odd!” she muttered, shaking her head.

  “I do.” He chuckled.

  It was a great sound and brought out her own joy, and she was already forgetting the strange moment.

  “Let’s sneak away for a while!” Alex suggested, dragging her toward their room.

  Falyn was feeling wonderful, snuggled into Alex’s side after a great session of love-making. A sound of a ringing bell jarred her from her bliss.

  “What the hell?” she muttered, sitting up with a start.

  “Dinner, love.” Alex slid from the bed.

  “You’re kidding?” she muttered.

  “Nope,” Alex replied as he got dressed.

  “And what’s next, they send the butler?” Falyn said jokingly.

  “They won’t send the butler unless we take too long answering the bell,” Alex said in all seriousness.

  Falyn felt her mouth drop a little but quickly shut it as she chanted Alex’s saying over and over again in her head: “Just go with it.”

  They must have made it in time because she did not catch sight of the butler on their way to dinner. The table was set for at least twenty people, but it was only the four of them. Nicole hardly said a word, just sat eating her soup with an air fit for the queen. Alex and his father were running over the wedding plans leaving Falyn to stare at her dinner like it was the most fascinating thing she had ever seen.

  Falyn knew she only had to put up with the Raves for another week and a half, but heaven help her, she was not sure she could make it!

  After dinner, they returned to their room.

  “I am going to join my dad for a bit in the study, I‘ll be back before the fire dies down,” Alex said, kissing her soundly before leaving.

  “Okay darling, I’ll sit here and read by candlelight!” Falyn called after him.

  Really, she could easily believe she had time-warped back several hundred years without doubting it for a moment!

  Falyn found it easy to fall asleep. Within moments of laying her head down on the pillow, she was out. However, of late her dreams were growing more and more alarming. When dawn came she awoke feeling numb, the urge to rejoin her pack so strong she had to really cling to the small amount of her heart that told her had to stay, for Alex’s sake.

  Around noon, she felt the rush of heat and emotion return to her soul and she spent the rest of the day glued to Alex’s side. Of course, he passed quite a lot of the day with his father as the wedding was growing closer.

  Three days before the wedding, Alex’s clan started to show up. Falyn was extremely glad to see most were not as backwards as his parents! She was able to mingle with them and have normal encounters, and it was most welcome after all these days spent feeling out of place. Her main worry was the knowledge it took longer each day to gain her heart back.

  It was the eve of her big day and she had only seen Alex a handful of times in the last twenty-four hours, although he had awoken her last night – or was it early this morning? – And made love to her. When she eventually woke up, it took to nearly supper time before was able to know she loved Alex and wanted to marry him.

  She sat now at the desk in their room, writing a letter.

  She and Alex would be saying “I do” in the early afternoon tomorrow, and if today was a glimpse at what was to come, she would not want to wed him at noon! So she decided to write him a letter to tell him what was happening.

  She started the letter with how she was sorry. But a soft knock at the door broke her train of thought. She was not too surprised to see Alex’s mother.

  “Nicole, what can I do for you?” She kept her voice sweet.

  The woman still flinched, hating that Falyn addressed her as she did.

  “I’ve come to beg you not to ruin my son’s life!” she said.

  “I think you beat me to it when you fed him his childhood friend!” Falyn was not up for her games tonight.

  “The girl was willing, and Alex needs to move on!” she said angrily.

  “I think he has but he won’t forgive you.” Falyn told her sharply.

  “I know my son hates me, but I still love him and I know you struggle daily to feel that!” she pointed out boldly.

  “You think you know my heart?” Falyn asked.

  “I can feel your heart and most days it holds nothing, yet my son seems to think that’s not something to worry about. But I wager you know better.” Her words were soft but deadly sending a shiver up Falyn’s spine.

  “If you can read hearts, then read mine now and you will see how much I love Alex!” Falyn challenged the older woman.

  Nicole closed her eyes and, for a few moments, she stayed like that. When she did open them, they still held worry but also defeat.

  “I can feel right now you love him, but what will the situation be tomorrow? You may love him with all your heart, Falyn, but how much heart do you have? That is what you should be asking yourself!” she said icily before leaving Falyn alone once more.

  Falyn felt cold and it was not due to a draft. The fire was roaring, making the room warm. No, she felt cold to her bones, for though she disliked Alex’s mother, what she’d said was true. Loving Alex with her whole heart was meaningless. Her heart was so full of the curse now only a small amount remained intact.

  “Alex, you deserve better!” she whispered.

  Her hand still held the pen but she could think of nothing else to say to ease Alex’s pain once he learned her fate.

  I am heartless, she thought as she lay on the bed, her mind cramped with fear and worry. Duty and honor were all that would be left when her heart was drained of its love – when the curse took over fully.
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  If she did not marry Alex tomorrow, nothing would tie her to him. Not when she lost all the love from her heart. So she would not sleep. She would stay awake as long as she could. If sleep was when the change in her heart happened, and grew worse each night, then she would not sleep tonight. She would stay up, marry Alex and then tell him everything!

  Dawn graced the sky outside her window. Falyn yawned. She had be able to stay awake the whole night. Alex had been sent to sleep in another bed so they would not see each other before the wedding. Falyn got in the shower, hoping the warm water would ease the stiffness in her body. Afterwards she dried herself but didn’t dress; she could already hear the maids who’d been sent to help her bustling around outside the bathroom door.

  They did her hair, braiding it and twisting it up on her head and placing the silk roses in it. They did her makeup, keeping it light; only her lips were colored bold, a bright red, to set the full look into place.

  The gown went on next and they fussed much like the shop assistants had until it fit just right, then they clasped the bracelet in place. Only then did they let her look in the mirror. She was truly breath-taking, and it made her sad to know she should be able to enjoy this – it should not be tainted by the fact her heart was slipping away! This was a sad day as much as it was happy.

  She was so tired Falyn had to force down four cups of coffee just to keep her eyes open long enough to make it to the small room by the garden exit where the wedding was to happen. Only one more hour and she would be married! Falyn paced back and forth, not trusting herself to sit, not trusting herself to rest. Everything she cared about was at risk if she dozed off.

  Falyn peeked out the window to see how the setup had come together. The grounds around the garden were full of crisp white chairs with apple green ribbons tied into neat bows on the back. Those chairs were mostly all full. White rose petals formed a path up to where Alex and the vicar were standing. Falyn’s gaze stopped on Alex. He was wearing a black tux with not a hint of white to be seen. He looked very handsome and dashing.

  A single tear ran down her face, landing on her shaking heads. Falyn took a deep breath and turned away from the window. She had to hold it together. She wished their friends could all be there too and suddenly their not being so really started to bug her.

  “Get it together!” she told herself.

  She felt a wee bit dizzy. Leaning on the wall for support, she closed her eyes, trying to let it pass. Her eyes felt heavy and her mind started to wander. At some point she lost the fight and sleep came to her, even as she stood on her feet.

  “Falyn!” a voice called.

  Her eyes snapped open to see Leo’s head poking around the door.

  “You’re next!” he told her with a smile.

  Falyn blinked, her mind cloudy for a moment. A small voice in the back of her mind was panicking, trying to force her to remember something, but it faded before she could focus on it.

  Falyn looked at herself in the full length mirror. She was wearing a white silk dress. She was all ready to go and say “I do.”

  Shaking her head she could not understand why she had allowed herself to be brought all the way over here to play dressing up? She had duties to her pack and a war to fight. This was not the time to be tying the knot! She peeked out the window and saw a sea of faces all waiting for the ravishing bride to come out and walk down to the waiting groom. She made a face. The very idea of getting married, and to a vampire at that!

  Falyn shrugged. He seemed to be a good looking man and she didn’t have any issues with vampires, but as a wolf she knew it was her duty to mate with a wolf. If she was going to choose a mate, since she was the Alpha, her selection would have to be a good one.

  Falyn knew she had been with the vampire who was waiting for her out there, but she could not remember why she’d let herself get so wrapped up in all of this. She understood well enough having the aid of the vampires might prove beneficiary at some point, but surely she did not have to marry one to get their help? If they would not join her willingly, then she was ready to use force. Falyn had to get back to her pack, but from the looks of the numbers outside, she was not likely to be able to walk away easily.

  Then another memory came to her: there was a garage on the side of this building full of all kinds of fast cars. Perfect for getting her out of here quickly and without fuss.

  She quietly opened the door leading back into the hallway of the main house. The clicking of her heels had her cringing. She pulled the shoes off and continued barefoot. Her heart was not beating particularly fast. She was not worried about being found out.

  Falyn made it to the other door without seeing a soul. She slipped out of it and made a mad dash for the building about two hundred feet away. Her focus was on the door to the building, and only that. She was halfway across the lawn when she heard a man’s voice calling to her. She did not stop or turn around. Instead she sped up, her legs moving forward faster and faster. Falyn hit the garage door with a thud. She threw it open and went right to the key cabinet. What might have started as a wedding day had turn into a quick escape.

  Grabbing the closest set, she hit the unlock button and looked to see which car beeped in response. It was the sleek-looking black one. She sprinted to the car and hopped in, hitching her long dress up around her knees to do so. She put the key in and the engine purred to life. Putting her foot down on the gas, it shot forward. She realized with a start she hadn’t thought to open the garage door but thankfully it rolled up automatically as she sped forward, barely clearing it.

  The man was standing in front of the door and had to jump out of the way as she raced toward him. She had no intentions of slowing down – in fact, she was switching gears and applying the gas. She heard him screaming at her to come back, she did not even consider it. She was heading to the airport. She had no money, no ticket, and no passport, but she had something better then all three of those: a diamond bracelet. It would buy her a plane ticket.

  All Falyn could think about now was getting back to her pack and getting ready for a war. Her duty was clear, and if she did not fulfil her destiny, what honor would she have left? Love was not for her, nor was marriage. No, Falyn knew what her birthright was: leading the Lycan race!

  Chapter Twenty-nine: Gone

  Alex watched the Bugatti Veyron as it sped away, his mind reeling as to what the hell had made Falyn run! His father was now at his side asking the very same thing.

  “What’s going on, Alex?” Leo demanded.

  “I have no idea, but something is wrong! Really wrong!” Alex had panic in his voice.

  The only person among those around him not freaking out was his mother. She looked smug, as if she knew this would happen.

  “What did you do?” Alex asked, grabbing her arm, shaking her.

  “Alex, enough! You’ll hurt her!” his father ordered, pulling his son’s hands free.

  “Clearly you made her run! What did you say?” Alex was seeing red now.

  “I have not talked to the girl since last night!” his mother said, her eyes narrowing at him.

  “What did you talk about with her last night, then?” Alex demanded.

  “I only told her I could see she loved you, and she said she did with all her heart. I merely pointed out how small her heart happens to be!” she said defensively.

  “You told her what?” His voice went quiet and deadly, his hands shaking so much he had to force them behind his back so he would not strangle his own mother.

  “You know very well I can sense the feelings in people, heart, and soul… whatever it may be. Hers is so full of nothing the part that does love you is barely noticeable!” Her chin came up at this.

  “Mother, I told you she has been cursed! You really must have made her panic about it if she ran like this!”

  He stormed away, too upset to care his whole clan was there, witnessing everything. He went to the room he had been sharing with Falyn and started t
o pack what little he’d brought. She hadn’t taken anything of hers, so he packed her stuff as well.

  He was going over the room one last time when he saw the note on the desk. It was in Falyn’s handwriting.

  Alex, I am sorry. You deserve better.

  Alex stared at the note. His heart felt like it had dropped to the pit of his stomach. If he had only come to her last night, he would have seen this note. He would have known she was upset!

  Alex heard his cell phone ringing and prayed it was Falyn.

  “Hello?” Alex said.

  “Alex.” He knew the voice but it was not the one he was hoping for.

  “Break,” he said.

  “Is Falyn with you?” she asked.

  This had him going cold. If Break was asking about Falyn, she had seen something with her powers.

  “You’d think the bride would be with me on our wedding day, but no, she ran off in one of my parent’s sports cars!” Alex muttered.

  “The curse has taken over!” Break’s words hit him like a ton of bricks.

  “What do you mean, taken over. She’s been cursed since she came out of the Lycan court!” Alex reminded her.

  “Yes, but the Shadow wolf is now complete. Her heart is gone,” Break informed him.

  “Her heart is gone?” Alex repeated.

  “You didn’t know?” Break asked, astonished.

  “No, I didn’t know she would lose her heart! She never told me that was part of the curse!” Alex’s voice was ice-cold. “Where the hell is she running off to?”

  “She is coming home. Her need to be with her pack will be overwhelming now. The only feelings she will be having are honor and duty, and a tiny bit of pleasure,” Break told him.

  “How do you know so much about this so quickly?” Alex wanted to know.

  “West has been keeping me updated. Falyn’s pack members are going through the same things as she is, and now the woods around his house are full of Shadow wolves – so many Lark and West can’t even count them!”

  “They’re waiting for Falyn?” Alex asked.