by Eve Vaughn
The door opened and though she didn’t bother to lift her head to see the visitor she sensed that it wasn’t one of the usual guards. This was definitely a powerful male presence. An Alpha.
“The guards said that you haven’t left your room since you’ve been here. You are allowed to leave the guestroom and stretch your legs to run if you so desire. Perhaps you’d like to explore the island,” The Alpha offered.
Pet didn’t bother to respond. The least amount of contact she had with people the better.
“I’m sure you know why I’m here,” he continued. “I need answers. I need you to tell me everything you know about Gage so that we can stop him.”
She raised her head to look at him for the first time. She’d already encountered the handsome Alpha when she’d arrived on the island but they’d had little interaction. If you intend to use me as Gage did, you’re too late. I have nothing left to give, Alpha.
He raised a dark brow. “Use you? Besides information what exactly do you think I want to use you for?”
“Don’t you know what I am? Why else would I be brought here? Most of my life, I’ve been used for what I can do...well, what I used to do. I’m of no use now.”
“Pet, isn’t it?”
“That’s what I’ve been called, yes,” she acknowledged.
“But that isn’t your given name is it?”
“It’s who I am now. Like I said before, you’re wasting your time.”
“I don’t think I am. From my understanding, you’ve been Gage’s prisoner for a long time. My daughter Persephone was with you. You told her a little about yourself.”
Pet cocked her head to the side. From what Persephone had told her she was mated to a powerful Scandinavian Alpha and had previously belonged to Pack Kyriakis. She didn’t realize Persephone was actually the Alpha’s daughter. It was no wonder Gage had found her such a valuable captive. Pack Kyriakis had been a source of Gage’s ire for decades and he’d often taken that anger out on her. “All I told her was my name and that I’d been with Gage for a very long time.”
“But obviously not by choice.”
“Of course not.”
“Persephone also mentioned that you didn’t wish to escape. Is there a reason?”
She finally raised her head to look at him. “Look at me? Where would I go? Who would take me in? I can’t shift. I’m trapped in a body that doesn’t belong to me and I can’t die, at least not by natural causes. Gage made sure he only hurt me enough to the point where I only wished I was dead. He took everything from me so escaping wouldn’t have done much good.” She hadn’t seen her reflection in many years. When she was brought to this island, they’d put her in a room with a full-length mirror. She didn’t recognize the creature she saw. Her fur was a different color and it was matted. Her body was smaller, her eyes were a dull gold. She was ragged and worn. Gage had done a number on her and now all she wanted was to be left alone.
The Alpha moved closer. “What do you mean in a body that’s not yours? Actually, I had a question about that. You look almost exactly like someone I used to know in her wolf form but you’re not her. I could tell when I looked into your eyes.”
Although many shifters in their wolf form had similar colors and marking every one of them had a discernable feature that could separate them in some way from another wolf. No wolves were the same except for the rare case of identical twins. Pet was no twin. Just a usurper.
She was on the verge of telling him exactly what had happened to her when the door to the room came crashing open. In walked a tall man with dark hair and piercing green eyes. His strong jawline was generously peppered with stubble giving him a rugged appearance. He was broad and muscular and blatantly male. He was arguably one of the most handsome men she’d ever laid eyes on and she was certain that it was him!
An emotion she hadn’t experienced in a very long time coursed through her being. Her heart raced. Part of her wanted to go to him while the other half of her wanted to run away. She was certain this was her mate but meeting him now was like having the tastiest morsel dangled in front of a starving man only to have it snatched away. Nothing could come of a union between the two of them. She was stuck in this form and if by some strange chance that he did accept her, there were too many obstacles to overcome. She turned away because his presence taunted her for what could never be.
Though she was no longer looking at him, she could feel his eyes on her.
“What is it, Aries?” The Alpha sounded more than a little perturbed.
“I think there might be a way to help Pet.”
“How? We’ve already established that she doesn’t have Malum or else she’d be feral by now.”
“Maybe not but there’s still a reason why she’s unable to shift. Perhaps it’s something new but even if this is some sort of sickness there should be a cure. Perhaps she can be healed.”
“What are you suggesting…wait a minute. Do you think Sarah could help her?”
“I believe it’s worth a shot after how she was able to save Persephone. Just think about it, this malaise has wiped out packs. There was no cure that we knew of but Sarah comes along and with just a touch she was able to heal her.” His cousin Persephone had fallen victim to Malum, an illness that affected shifters. When contracted, the shifter couldn’t change into their human form. Because of the duality of their physiology, not being able to connect to both forms, drove shifters insane and made them feral. The only thing that had stopped them was death. It had been a hopeless situation for his cousin, but it turned out that Sarah unbeknownst to them had Seraphim blood flowing through her veins. It was her healing touch that had cured Persephone. So maybe she would be able to do the same for Pet.
“Constantine might object. He’s been especially protective of her since we learned of her powers. In fact, he and I had words about me even involving her in anything having to do with Gage.”
“But she’s already involved whether he likes it or not and Sarah is quite strong-willed so I’m sure she’ll have something to say about it.”
“Well, don’t see that it hurts,” the Alpha mused.
Pet listened on. She was used to people talking as if she wasn’t in the room. The name Sarah made her ears perk up. It was a name she’d heard quite a bit in the past year. She was the half-breed with abilities that no one was supposed to know about. Gage had been certain he could secure Sarah before anyone found out what she truly was. Pet felt a slight sense of satisfaction knowing that The Kyriakis seemed to know about her already. But Pet doubted anyone could help her.
“Uncle, would you mind if I speak privately with…Pet?”
“Before you came in the room, I was trying to get information out of her.”
Once again she felt her mate’s eyes on her and a shiver ran down her spine. She wondered what he thought of her. When he looked at her, did he think she was pathetic? Mangy. Beneath him. It was clear he held a position of status in this pack. He was the Alpha’s nephew. More than likely he was the Beta or another high ranking position in the pack. Perhaps he’d think she wasn’t worthy of someone of his station. Even though she told herself she wasn’t interested in having a mate, the thought of him finding fault with her caused a painful twinge in her heart.
Silence settled over the room and she dared to turn her head to see why. Uncle and nephew shared a meaningful look with each other and it was clear they had established a private mind link to shut her out of the conversation. The Alpha raised a brow before looking in her direction.
Her mate nodded. When he turned to look at her she quickly glanced away not wanting to meet his gaze.
Finally, the Alpha sighed. “Okay. I’ll speak with Sarah and Constantine and see what she can do to help.”
“Thank you.”
Pet heard footsteps retreat and the door close. She was now alone with him.
Her body began to shake and he drew near. To her surprise, he knelt beside her.
“Pet,” he spoke softly, “look at
me.” His tone was gentle with an underlying steel beneath it telling her that there was no room for argument.
She raised her head unable to disobey his gentle command. A whimper escaped her throat when their eyes locked. The very fact that this man could make her feel anything when she’d thought she had no more feelings within her except for hopelessness, intrigued and scared her at the same time.
He placed his hand against her flank and began to stroke her fur, gently. What felt akin to an electric jolt shot through her body. The green-eyed man must have felt it too because he yanked his hand away as if he’d been shocked.
No words were exchanged for several moments before he spoke again. “I’m Aries Kyriakis, Beta of this pack. You’re safe here. Gage can’t hurt you anymore.”
His dulcet tone was so soothing and reassuring that she wanted to believe him but she knew that no one could fully protect her from Gage. He’s everywhere. My very presence on this island endangers all its inhabitants. You would be wise to dump me in the ocean and not look back.
He raised a brow. “Are you that eager to die?”
I died a long time ago, Aries.
“What’s that supposed to mean.”
Everything and everyone I once cared about is gone. And the things I’ve seen and experienced over the years…I may as well be dead.
“But you’re not. You’re here and you’re free of him. We can defeat Gage. But we’ll need your help. You probably know things about him that can help us take him down.”
I don’t know what you expect of me, but there’s nothing I can tell you that could possibly help. This man has done nothing but plan the destruction of our kind. He lives, sleeps, breaths and eats it. Do you think it will simply stop with us? It won’t. When he wipes us all out, he’ll go after the vampires, and the witches and warlocks. He won’t rest until we’re all gone or under his command.
“You sound very sure of this, but we’ve defeated him before and we will again.”
If she could laugh at his naivety then she would have. They were setbacks. You think Malum is your biggest worry. He’s got something much worse cooked up.
“Is that what you have? Do you have Malum? Is that why you’re unable to shift?” he asked softly almost as if he was scared to hear the answer.
She shook her head. No. I don’t have Malum. I am Malum.
Chapter Three
Aries didn’t know how to respond to that claim. What did Pet mean by that? It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her what she meant but the bedroom door opened. His uncle stepped into the room followed by Sarah and Constantine. From the look on his cousin’s face, he wasn’t happy about being here.
Aries raised a brow. “I didn’t think you’d be back so soon.”
“Actually, they were on their way over here,” Paris replied before turning to Sarah. “Why don’t you tell them what you told me?”
“Ever since I healed Persephone, I’ve had these dreams, kind of like premonitions.”
“Maybe what you did to Persephone activated your powers,” Aries suggested.
She nodded. “That’s the most likely scenario.”
“So what were you having visions of?” Aries asked.
Sarah nodded in Pet’s direction. “Of her. In another form, but with black fur, all over. No markings or anything. And then I saw another wolf that I’m pretty sure was my mother. I don’t know what any of it means but I needed to see Pet. Maybe if I can help her, we can figure out what happened to my mother.”
Aries frowned. “I spoke to Calliope earlier. You know she gets these visions sometimes. She also saw a black wolf but not just any wolf, an all-black.”
Paris raised both brows in surprise. “Are you certain that’s what she said? From my understanding that breed of shifter was wiped out a very long time ago, long before I was born. If you believe that Pet’s true form is that of an all-black, she has to be at least half a millennia. And we’d also need answers as to why she’s unable to shift or heal.”
Don’t try to save me. It’s just best to leave me be, Pet’s voice entered Aries’ mind. He could tell she’d only communicated with him as the rest of the room’s occupants didn’t seem to notice the exchange.
We can’t leave you like this if there’s a way to make you better and to restore you to your original state, Aries replied back.
“I don’t like any of this,” Constantine spoke up. “I mean, curing Persephone was one thing but this seems to be something totally different. What if there are repercussions.”
Sarah placed her hand on her mate’s chest. “We’ve already discussed this, Constantine. “If I can do anything to help her, I’m going to do it. If this was me, wouldn’t you want someone to help me?”
Constantine racked his fingers through his hair in obvious frustration before releasing a heavy sigh. “Of course I would.”
“So I’m going to do this. I’m not asking your permission,” Sarah said with a layer of steel in her voice. She then turned to Pet who lay on the bed. The she-wolf whimpered as Sarah sat next to her.
Aries stiffened as he witnessed the wariness in Pet’s eyes. The sudden need to protect this creature washed over him and it took everything in him not to intervene. It’s going to be all right. I won’t let any harm come to you.
Sarah placed her hand on top of Pet’s body without touching it. “Do I have your permission to do this?”
Can I stop you? Aries heard Pet asked.
Sarah hesitantly pulled her hand away. “If this isn’t something you want then I’ll back off. Honestly, I’m not exactly sure if this will work or the mechanics of this power yet, but I’d really like to help you, if for nothing else than to make you healthy again. You’re wounded and I don’t want to see you in pain. If I could at the very least make you more comfortable in this form, I don’t see the harm in trying.”
Pet looked away as she projected her thoughts to everyone. Then do what you must. Although I think it’s pointless.
Sarah gave the she-wolf a gentle smile before placing her hand on Pet’s fur. She closed her eyes and whispered, “Heal. I wish you would heal.”
At first, nothing happened and Aries frowned with disappointment.
See, I told you it was pointless, Pet scoffed.
Though he was determined not to show it, Aries was a bit disappointed that Sarah couldn’t help Pet. “Well, no matter what, we’ll keep you safe in the meantime until we can figure something out.”
Sarah sighed, shaking her head. “I’m sorry it didn’t—” Before she could finish, her hand began to glow.
Pet whimpered but remained still as the slight surged from Sarah’s hand and spread throughout the she-wolf’s entire body.
Aries tensed as he watched this ball of light completely engulf Pet and Sarah making the room so bright he had to shield his eyes.
“Sarah, what’s happening?” Constantine called out.
“So much darkness,” Sarah cried out. “Pain. Hurt. Torture. Death.”
“Stop it! Back away from her, Sarah!” Constantine commanded.
Aries could vaguely make out his cousin going to his mate and Paris holding him back. “Let her finish.”
“You heard her, she’s in pain.”
“No, I’m fine, Constantine,” Sarah argued though her voice sounded much weaker than it had before as if her energy was being drained. Just then a flash of light even brighter than before burst throughout the room before it suddenly disappeared.
Temporarily blinded by the flash, Aries rubbed his eyes. Once his sight was restored, he noticed two things: Sarah had passed out, and Pet was different. Gone was the malnourished, mangy brown wolf that had several patches of fur missing. In its place was a large wolf with sleek black fur so dark it seemed to absorb all light surrounding it. She was a magnificent creature.
“Sarah!” Constantine rushed to his mate and lifted her in his arms. “And this is exactly why I didn’t want her involved in this. She doesn’t have a handle on her powers and healing Perse
phone had drained a considerable amount of her energy.”
“Take her back to your house to rest.”
Constantine nodded before carrying his mate out the room leaving Aries with his Uncle and Pet. The she-wolf seemed to be as confused about what happened from the way she cocked her head to the side.
“An all-black,” Paris whispered. “I thought they’d all been killed off ages ago, even long before I was sired.”
Aries couldn’t tear his gaze away from the magnificent beast. She was beautiful with her slick fur that looked incredibly soft and covered her entire body unlike the matted brown fur in her last form. Unable to help himself he reached out and ran his hand along her flank. Her eyes were now a pale shade of blue. She didn’t shy away from his touch.
Aries sat next to her on the bed. “How do you feel?”
I’m…not sure. I haven’t felt this way in such a long time that this is brand new to me.
“Like what?”
Without pain. Whatever it was she did, it took away the unbearable pain I’ve endured for many years. Trapped in that form was very painful to me. I can think clearly. I…remember. I remember who I was. What I was. What I did. She looked away from him as if she was ashamed. Though she claimed to not be in any pain, he could feel her internal suffering.
Aries turned to his Uncle. “Could you please leave us?”
“I need answers, Aries. Now that she appears to be somewhat healed, maybe she could give us some type of Intel on Gage and his operation.”