Shattered Emotions (Redwood Pack)

by Ryan, Carrie Ann

  “Your brother, princess,” he said between bouts of coughing.

  Maddox growled at the term, but she shook her head. No use getting mad over her past. They had both been trying to overcome it anyway.

  “Why did he do this to you?” she asked.

  “Because I failed.” The other man winced, his body shaking.

  “What did you fail at?” Maddox asked, impatience evident in his tone.

  “I killed them like he asked, but the Redwoods didn’t kill you. They didn’t do anything. They continued to allow your freedom. I failed, and Corbin wasn’t pleased.”

  Ellie blinked.

  This man was the one who’d killed Larissa and Neil. The man who’d left those children orphans. The man who had shaken her world right when she’d thought she’d found a way to settle.

  Maddox lunged, covering the man again, and this time, her mate’s claws came out, sharp and ready to kill.

  “Why?”

  One word.

  One word so deadly, so sharp that Ellie had to hold back a wince. This was her Maddox, not anyone else. That’s why she didn’t fear him, but, goddess, she’d never heard him sound so lethal.

  “He ordered. I obeyed. I failed.” He coughed again, this time his whole body convulsing. He lifted his head to look directly into Ellie’s eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry you failed or sorry you took their lives?” she asked, a small ball of pity forming in her stomach.

  “Sorry I hurt you, princess. I tried to run away with the others when the demon came, but I lost. I’m sorry. My mother was a Redwood so I ended up being both Packs. I know I shouldn’t have killed them, but he didn’t leave me a choice. I left the den right after so I wouldn’t be caught, but Corbin found me. It wasn’t enough. It never was enough.”

  So he was a Central, one who had tried to flee when Caym arrived.

  “How did you become a Redwood? That doesn’t make any sense.”

  The wolf wheezed then shook his head. “Corbin told me to come and stay when Caym arrived, after he found out that I tried to run. He wasn’t happy. Since my mother was a Redwood, I was allowed in the den.” The darkness in his gaze forced Ellie to hold back a shudder. “I’m sorry.”

  Maddox looked into her eyes, and she sighed. The wolf in front of them was dying. There was no use hiding from it now. His wounds were too severe, and they were no healers. He’d die painfully—much like Neil and Larissa had—but was it their right to allow him to feel that pain? Corbin was the one who had forced this wolf’s hand.

  The demon and her brother were responsible for all this, not this wolf who had already lost everything and was dying, inflicted with a pain so horrible she didn’t want to think about.

  “Please…” the wolf whispered. “I know I don’t deserve it…but please.”

  She closed her eyes for a moment then nodded. When she opened them, her mate frowned but nodded back. Goddess, what right did anyone have to force her mate to do this?

  No, she would be the one to do it.

  She reached out, but Maddox held her wrist.

  “Is there anything else you can tell us?” Maddox asked, his voice kinder than before.

  “No, he didn’t tell me anything else at all. I’m sorry.” Tears slid down the wolf’s cheeks, and Ellie bit her lip.

  “Go in peace,” Maddox whispered then broke the wolf’s neck.

  It was a quick death, one that the wolf might not have deserved but had been necessary. He hadn’t wanted to do anything, hadn’t wanted to kill, yet the choice had been taken from him.

  “Why didn’t you let me handle it, Maddox?” she asked, her voice choked from tears.

  He reached out then stopped, looking down at hands that had killed the man lying on the ground.

  “You shouldn’t have blood on your hands, Ellie mine.”

  She stood and took his hands, ignoring his wince. “You did what you had to do, and I will do what I have to do. I won’t let you put yourself on the line to protect me from something that needs to be done. That man needed peace, and you gave that to him. Now, we know who the mole was, and we need to go back to the den.”

  Maddox pulled her into his arms. “Let’s bury him then go back. We don’t know if there were others that came with that first purge. He was so deeply embedded that I couldn’t sense who he’d been before. That type of magic worries me.”

  “We need to talk to your family.”

  He pulled her into his arms and kissed her softly. His hands, which had just given a peaceful death to the man who’d taken away her safety, held her close. Maddox was her warrior, but he’d just have to deal with the fact she wanted to fight by his side.

  Maddox’s arms tightened around her as the familiar scent of her nightmares invaded her nostrils.

  “Run,” he whispered. “Find my family.”

  Her mate threw her into the shadows and growled.

  “No, Maddox.”

  There was no way she’d leave him.

  “Go. Please. It’s the only way.”

  She nodded, her heart thudding in her ears, and then she ran away from the scent of her brother, away from her mate, and toward the Redwoods.

  The sound of her mate roaring in pain caused her to stumble.

  Dear goddess, what had she done?

  ****

  Maddox woke to a dark room that seemed eerily familiar. Instead of a bare bulb, harsh florescent lighting burned his eyes. The walls were stained brown and red with blood and goddess knew what else. Large chunks of cement were carved out, as if something much stronger than he had taken siege and tried to escape…or had held back another’s attempt.

  He tried to move and cursed. Metal dug into his skin at his ankles and thighs. Thick cylinders kept his wrists bound to the table—different from the last time. One chain wrapped around his chest and another at his neck. They dug in as well, leaving a trail of blood where they chafed his skin.

  The bastard had chained him to the table and stripped him down to his shorts.

  Hell.

  He knew this room.

  He’d been in this room.

  Before it had seemed only yesterday…now it was a lifetime ago, yet he couldn’t back away.

  The room might have been slightly updated through time, but it still had that same grungy look, same tainted smell. The cloying scent stung his nostrils, and coated his skin as it seeped into his tissues and blood, forever scarring him like the knives he knew his enemy would soon use.

  It was only a matter of time.

  Corbin had brought him back to the room where he’d first met Ellie—not that Maddox had known it was her at the time. Maddox had saved his brother, his twin, and ended up with the scar that had not only broken him off from reality and his own life, but it had been so deep it had taken a woman with even more scars than he to begin to heal him.

  Now, all was lost.

  Or, at least, that is what Corbin would think.

  Maddox wouldn’t be giving up. No, he hadn’t last time, not really, and he wouldn’t this time. Ellie would get his brothers, even if the journey was long and fraught with danger, and the Jamensons would come for him.

  It was past time they took out this piece of trash, this piece of dung that had hurt his Ellie, hurt his mate.

  He’d only just locked her in his soul, and he’d be damned if he’d give up now.

  The door opened slowly, and Maddox braced himself. He wouldn’t show fear to the bastard. No, he wouldn’t scream, nor would he plead for mercy. Corbin, Caym, and countless others hadn’t shown Ellie mercy, and Maddox wouldn’t be the one to beg.

  Corbin strode in, that annoying smirk on his face. His dark hair was getting a bit too long, so it hung over his face in lank, sweaty tufts. Maddox remembered Corbin before Caym had shown up, and he hadn’t been as skinny, or as sweaty. It looked as if the demon riding him—Maddox inwardly winced at that too-accurate analogy—was taking its toll.

  “I wanted my sister, Jamenson, but I’ll take you instead.
” Corbin turned his back to him, as if Maddox wasn’t a threat.

  Okay, so he wasn’t at the moment, but Maddox would kill the bastard later.

  “I’ll have your twin as well, you know. I’m still vexed after all these years that you lied to me. No matter. I’ll just kill you all.”

  Corbin turned then and smiled, his teeth sharp, his eyes glowing gold.

  No, Maddox wouldn’t scream this time, no matter what Corbin dealt.

  As long as Ellie was safe, nothing else mattered.

  Chapter 16

  Ellie’s lungs burned as she ran along the edge of the Centrals’ wards. The patrols were stringent, uncaring, and brutal. She had to outrun them before they could even scent her. Finally, she found a copse of trees and climbed high into the center tree. The bark dug into her palms, but she didn’t care and, frankly, barely felt it.

  Goddess, how could she have let Maddox go?

  Yes, he’d told her to run toward the Redwoods, but that had been an idiot plan at best.

  There was no way she’d have been able to make it to the Redwoods’ land in time to save her mate. Then, if she had even gotten there, she’d have had to explain exactly what had happened and why she didn’t have Maddox by her side. Members of the Pack already didn’t trust her, and there was no way she’d let them know she’d left her mate to die.

  Bile rose in her mouth, and she swallowed it down, letting her lungs work normally for the moment while she caught her breath.

  She’d left Maddox to die.

  There was really no other way to put it.

  He’d forced her to run the opposite direction—had literally thrown her that way. Yet, she shouldn’t have left him. Everything had happened so fast. One moment they were slowly coming to terms with the fact that they were returning home, and in the next moment, the Centrals had come, and Maddox had sacrificed himself for her.

  Damn those Jamenson men and their willingness to sacrifice themselves.

  North had done it, and now so had Maddox. For all she knew, North lay dead on the Pack grounds because they hadn’t been able to save him in time. Yes, Cailin had called, but that hadn’t told them much.

  Maddox could no longer feel his brother along the Omega bonds, and Ellie couldn’t either. It was odd, feeling these new bonds that had slowly begun to tangle their way around the center thread that held her to the Pack. She’d never been able to feel the others in the Pack before—not when she’d been a Central, nor when she joined the Redwoods. She’d had a muted bond with Edward, her Alpha, but nothing as strong as what she felt now.

  Now, she could feel her bond to Maddox flaring to life with each breath—a bond that would surely only strengthen when they marked each other.

  She held back a sob and forced it away at the thought.

  It would do no good to cry now, not when she had to figure out a full plan. There was no time for “what-ifs” and she’d just have to put on her brave face and find her mate.

  Then they’d mark each other and fully form that bond.

  She could only imagine what it would feel like when that happened, not only the connection established when they were fully mated, but also her ability to feel the bonds to the emotions of the Pack. Maddox had once said that he held a thread to each member of the Pack within him. Some threads were thick, unyielding, such as those with his family while others were bare whispers, like those of the members who’d tried to cut themselves off from him.

  She didn’t know which one he preferred, as the thicker bonds would almost surely overwhelm him and, eventually, her. They were his family and the others who needed help the most. The ones with the thinner threads could also need him and not know it. It was Maddox’s job as the Omega to seek those out, ground the bonds, and deepen their emotions.

  Goddess, she would be there to help.

  There was no way she’d leave him to her brother and the demon that had come to ruin them all.

  She’d find her mate, and they would help the others in the Pack because there was no way she’d let him do it on his own anymore.

  “We’ll save our Maddox,” her wolf whispered.

  Ellie closed her eyes and let her wolf rise to the surface. She’d hidden her wolf for so long under her brother’s and father’s bondage, and now she was closer than ever to the spirit that shared her body and her heart.

  She blinked once more and tried to tamp down the emotions running rampant through her. It would do no good to wallow in self-pity and self-doubt.

  She’d just have to go into the Centrals’ den and find him herself. She could do it. After all, she’d grown up there. Though the wards were strong, they weren’t perfect. As soon as Caym had come and had tainted everything in his path, the dark wards had become an inky black, suffocating the person who tried to come through without due course. Meaning if she pushed hard enough, she could make it through. Reed and Hannah had done it before and had not alerted the guards, so Ellie would do the same.

  Then she’d find Maddox…though she knew where he was. Corbin wasn’t that clever with his hiding. No, her brother would want to put Maddox in the same place he’d held him before. Anything that offered a flair for dramatics was Corbin’s favorite choice.

  Ellie slowly climbed down from the tree and looked over her shoulder for anyone approaching. Her wolf couldn’t sense another presence, so Ellie figured she’d be in the clear for the moment.

  It was now or never.

  Goddess, she just wanted that future with Maddox that she’d finally realized she could have.

  She walked up to the dark wards and closed her eyes.

  This was going to hurt.

  She took a step forward and let the wards surround her. The inky black tugged on her like spindly fingers, curling around her arms and legs, pulling her under, threatening to suffocate her. She took another step then another. There was no way she’d stop, not for anything. The feel of sharp blades against her skin forced her to shake, and sweat rolled down her back, but she continued on. The blades weren’t real…she knew that.

  She kept going, pushing past the pain, the doubts, and the wards that threatened to consume her until she finally made her way through. Abruptly the pain stopped, and she crouched down, opening her eyes at the same time. Again, she couldn’t sense anyone, though that didn’t surprise her. The Centrals were nothing if not cocky about their wards. While Redwoods knew they couldn’t cover their entire den, they worked as a cohesive unit to try and make sure they were safe, but the Centrals took their dark magic for granted.

  Goddess, Ellie had no idea how her own soul had survived as long as it had within the Centrals’ den, but she was blessed in that regard. She knew if she had stayed any longer, though, she’d have been just as dark as the innocents of the Pack that had been lost.

  There was no stopping Caym.

  At least not yet.

  Ellie made her way to the building at the far corner of the den, ducking behind trees and other buildings as she did so, though she never caught another scent. Corbin’s playrooms were in the cement outposts near the edge of the wards. She held back a shudder as memories of just exactly what went on in there flooded through her.

  No, she couldn’t think about that now.

  She needed to get to Maddox.

  A wolf prowled in the distance, but she was downwind, and he couldn’t sense her. She crept inside the building, her heart racing. She had a feeling she knew what room Maddox would be in—the same one he’d been in all those years ago.

  That particular room was the fourth door down, and thankfully, all of the other doors were closed, meaning she could walk past faster. Her feet didn’t make a sound against the cement floor as she padded her way to where Maddox was. Yes, she could feel him now, his bond with her pulsing softly. Since they hadn’t finished the mating yet, she knew their connection would be erratic, but goddess, she could feel him.

  A short burst of relief filled her, but she cut it off. They weren’t even close to being safe. She could feel that
relief later.

  Her mate was just beyond that door, and thankfully, she couldn’t sense another. Her wolf whimpered in need, clawing at her skin because she wanted to be with Maddox. Ellie knew exactly how she felt.

  Taking a deep breath, she slowly pushed the door open then bit her lip so she wouldn’t scream.

  Oh, goddess, no.

  “Maddox,” she whispered.

  He lay on the table, his body covered in blood and cuts…just like the last time. Corbin had chained him again and bled her mate until she was afraid that, if she hadn’t felt his life through their bond, he’d be no more.

  Goddess, they had to get out of there quickly.

  She closed the door softly behind her, leaving it open a crack so she could hear if someone was coming, and walked to her mate.

  Hesitant to touch him and hurt him any more than he was, she quickly undid his chains, using the key Corbin had left on the table…just out of Maddox’s reach.

  Her brother loved his mind games.

  “Ellie?” Maddox rasped out, his eyes still closed.

  “Oh, honey, let’s get you out of here,” she whispered. “We need to hurry.”

  “Where are my brothers?” he asked as she sat him up. His body shook at the action, and she wanted to weep for him…then kick her brother’s ass.

  “We need to go, honey.” She knew he was already out of his mind with pain, and she didn’t want to add the fact that she’d come alone.

  He smiled sadly, his scarred lip tugging. “You came alone, didn’t you?”

  “Come on, Maddox.”

  He nodded, as if he didn’t believe they’d make it now. Damn man. She’d save him, just like she’d saved the others.

  She had to.

  “Well well well. I thought you’d show up,” Corbin drawled from the doorway, and Ellie froze.

  Damn it. She’d been so focused on Maddox she hadn’t paid enough attention to the door. Maybe Maddox was right; maybe she wasn’t good enough.

  Wait, no. Damn it, she was.

  “Let us leave, Corbin,” she said, her voice surprisingly steady.

  “I think not. I’m tired, oh so tired, of dealing with the two of you. It’s time we get it over with and let you go on to the other side. It will be easier to take care of the rest of the Redwoods if you’re out of the picture.”