by G. Bailey
"I did so much more," she whispers. "I made you invisible, the best gift I ever gave you."
"I don't understand," I say, furrowing my eyebrows.
"I know," she says, and steps closer to me and pauses when she sees my hostile gaze. "My mate knew you were not his and demanded you be killed when you were born. Your father told people what I had said, and the new alpha—Tanner—wanted to take you in. He was going to bring you up and make you carry his children. I couldn't let that happen."
"So, what did you do? They all thought I was dead," I ask, because it doesn’t make any sense.
"Luck changed everything for you on the day you were born. See, your parents—the ones that brought you up—were in the pack seeing their sister who moved there a long time ago to be with her mate. They had a baby while visiting the pack—a very early labour—but the baby did not survive. I was in labour at the same time, and you came into the world around the same time. In the same healer's hut. The mother I gave you to agreed to swap her dead baby for mine as long as we both never said a word. It killed me to swap you, but I knew you would live. That is all I wanted," she tells me all this as she moves closer and places her hand on my cheek. "I would hide you again a million times, even if you had a hard life growing up."
"You kept me safe," I whisper. "You really didn't want me to go?"
"Never," she says, her voice catching as she cries. "Every time we visited, I would sneak off to see you, to watch you. I hated that you were a slave when you were born to be an alpha. I've always loved you, and that will never change."
"Mother," I whisper, covering her hand with my own. I scream as a dagger pushes through her throat, and blood pours down her neck. Her hand drops from my cheek as I cry out and as her eyes widen, getting brighter for only a second before they fade into lifeless reflections, and her body falls to the floor.
"No," I whisper, my hands shaking as I look up from her body to the woman standing right behind her.
"Whoops," she says, and lets out a long, cold and cruel laugh. "Did I interrupt a personal moment?"
Chapter 21
Elodie
"Elodie!" Letric shouts as he runs into the room first, followed by Alaric, Alpha and River each one of them looking more murderous than the last.
"I am only here to talk, but if you touch me, be warned that poor Mary will be ripped to pieces by my mates," the woman warns. Clearly this trap is all planned out. I can’t risk Mary’s life, she means too much to the brothers. I run my eyes over the woman in front of me, her long black hair is in a plait down her back, and it is messy like she hasn't washed it in a while. Her clothes are in no better condition, and she doesn't smell the best either. Where the hell is she from? I'm guessing an outcast, but to get into the castle unseen is impressive for an outcast. Too impressive when I think about it.
"Then talk. Who are you?" I ask, my body twitching with the urge to shift and rip the woman in front of me into pieces for what she just did.
"I suggest you talk before we kill you for murdering the Ruxan Alpha," Alpha growls. “We had an alliance with them, an agreement to protect her.”
"Oh, dear brother, I have wanted us to meet for such a long time. See, you left me behind with him, and now that choice is back to haunt you," she says, smiling widely as I flash a confused look at the brothers. Alaric and Letric look confused, running their eyes over this woman for some kind of familiarity. Though Alpha, he looks like a ghost just slapped him in the face.
"Left you? Brother? You are insane," Alaric interjects. “We do not have any other siblings, and Tanner would have made it know if there was a sister around that we somehow missed.”
"My name is Katriel, and I am your sister. I was left behind when you all ran away, wasn't I, Alpha?" she says, laughing like a crazy woman as she reveals things that no one in their right mind would believe. "Or should I say Malric. That is your real name, right? How would I know that if I wasn't who I said I was?” I stay frozen as Alpha nods once, his eyes drifting to me for a moment, and I know instinctively she is who she says she is. Alpha hasn’t even told me his real name, and the only people that know are family because of Tanner. This woman couldn’t know this, not unless she was close to Tanner.
"One of the maids was heavily pregnant just before I left. I’m guessing she is your mother, but our father beat her to death. No baby could have survived that," Alpha says, shaking his head. "You survived that?"
"Yes, I did, though I didn't know about that little bit of information. Our sweet dad forgot to tell me that," she says and lets out another one of those creepy laughs. “Though he was always dishonest about many things.”
"Tanner brought you up?" Letric asks, and she only tilts her head to the side. “I’m sorry we weren’t there to stop that.”
"Yes, he did, in the mountains. See, he didn't want me in the pack until it was the right time. I found my mates in the outcasts, and now I am back!" she says and claps her hands together.
"I'm sorry we couldn't help you," Alaric says and breathes out a deep breath. "But why did you kill her?"
"She was in the way," Katriel states. "It was nothing personal. Oh, except it was a little, if I really think into it."
"I'm going to kill you for it," I threaten, meaning every word. “I don’t care who you are. You killed my mother, and you will pay the price for it. You didn’t even give her a chance to defend herself before you killed her. It was a cowardly way to kill someone.”
"Oh good, we are at the death threats already. See, I planned to just take over when my dad died, but then you killed him. I'd say we are even now. An eye for an eye is the saying, right?" she states, with a grin. I step over my mother's dead body and up close to this lunatic.
"I do not care what the saying is...you. will. die. for. her," I spit out. "Do you understand?"
"Oh, you will die first, and my brothers over there right after you. Oh, and the pretty boy," she says, running her eyes over River. “Though I might keep him alive for a little bit as a play toy for me. He certainly looks fun.”
“I would rather you kill me,” River states, and I can’t help but smile at his rejection.
"Oh sister, you do hurt us so," Alaric jokes, walking over and stopping close to my side. "But I'm afraid we will not let you kill Elodie or us. Or even the pretty boy, we decided we do like him, so he is protected."
"So, leave," Alpha says, coming to stand on my other side. “Sister or not, you killed Elodie’s mother.”
"Or we will make you leave," Letric finishes off, standing by the door with River at his side.
"This is not the welcome home I planned. First, you kill my mate who was stupid enough to get caught trying to kill her," she says, huffing as she points a sharp nailed finger at me. "Now I don't even get a hug from my long lost brothers. This is a bad welcome home day, indeed."
"Leave my pack, before I make you," I growl out. “I am inches away from killing you right now. The only thing that is stopping me is the fact you are their sister. You get a chance to run.”
"Oh, I will leave and return in two days on the full blood moon at the base of the mountain. In the town square so everyone can see," she says, smiling like I am missing something.
"Don't say something you will regret," Alpha warns her, but the smirk on her face suggests whatever she needs to say is what she planned all along. After all, she did say she wanted to talk.
"I challenge you, Elodie Masters, for pack Alpha. May the old rules guide us, and I will be back on the full moon. May death be our final goodbye," she says, grinning widely before waving and turning around. We all watch her skip out of the doors like the crazy person she is before there is silence between us. I fall to the floor next to my mother, pulling her head on to my lap. I very slowly close her eyes, wishing we had more time with each other. Little did I know she did everything to protect me, to give me the best life she ever could have. My mother deserved so much more than to die in here.
"I can't fight while pregnant. I will lose ag
ainst her and her mates," I say, remembering how anyone can challenge an alpha if they have alpha blood, and their mate can fight at their side. I suspect she has more than one outcast mate, and if they are anything like the one I fought in my room who Alpha had to kill, they will be strong.
"Then you need more mates. There are three wolves, alphas, who love you and will fight for you. There is no way you are going into that challenge alone," Letric states, placing his hand on my back.
"We will set my mother to rest tomorrow," I say, not being able to think of anything else in this moment as I hold my mother’s empty body. "Then we fight for our future and to avenge her."
They don't say anything as each of them comes to sit around me, placing their hands on my back and shoulders, offering what comfort they can to me in this moment.
"I wish we could have had more time, but I will make sure you are not forgotten, mother. My children will hear stories of you and how you saved me. The world will not forget," I whisper to her, leaning down and pressing my lips on her forehead. "I will never forget my mother who kept me safe."
Chapter 22
Elodie
I watch the fire burn what is left of my mother on the wood pyre we built for her in a garden behind the castle. The flames spread into the sky, sending little flecks of fire in every direction and gently blowing them away in the wind. My red dress blows around my legs, my arms rest at my sides, and my hair gently moves around my shoulders. I don't know when I begin singing a song, but I do sing for a long time, letting the wind carry my voice away with my mother's soul.
"Elodie," Alaric carefully calls for me the moment I stop singing. I turn around and see him standing by the door, with his arms crossed against his cloak-covered chest. He’s wearing dark trousers and a gentle, loving expression on his face. I walk over to his side, linking my hand into his.
"I am alright," I say.
"I know you are. El, you are the strongest woman I know. We will get revenge," he tells me, leaning down to kiss my lips once before leaning back. "We are waiting for you. I know this night is more rushed than we’d like, but we want to show you how our future could be."
"And how do you plan on doing that?" I ask.
"Come on," he says, tugging on my hand. We walk into the castle and down the corridor, right to the end. Alaric pushes open a door with a long descending staircase. I haven't been down here before, though I have been meaning to find out what this room is. We walk down the stairs into a large circular room, with a large bathtub in the middle of it, set in the ground. Alpha and Letric are in the pool, resting back in the water. Alpha turns when he sees me, his eyes resting on mine as he pulls himself out of the pool only a little. I try to process all the very attractive alphas being naked in this one room. It's an overload of sensations, but the major one is that, no matter what they look like, I love them. I'm no longer the slave with no chance of a mate. If someone told me as a child that I would have three alphas in love with me, that I'd be an alpha female myself, then I would never have believed them.
"This is the mating pool, closed off for alpha matings only. We spent five hours finding the hidden key for this place," Alaric explains to me. "The water is pulled from a hot spring deep within the mountain."
"They say the water is blessed by angels sent from the skies. Who knows if that is true at all, but the water is lovely," Letric adds, making the place seem more special than it already is. "Perfect for our mating." I don't say it, but anywhere would have been perfect for our mating, a day I never thought would happen.
"Are you all sure you want this?" I ask, feeling a little nervous that they have been rushed into a decision because of the crazy sister coming here tomorrow. The news has somehow gotten around the whole pack, and everyone is ready to see the fight. I have to win this, or there is nothing for my future.
"Certain, now come here," Alpha demands, patting his hand onto the side of the tile. Alaric pulls his clothes off before walking to the pool and sliding in the space between Letric and Alpha. I stay still for a moment, feeling all their eyes on me and wondering if I am brave enough to do this. To mate with them all. It doesn't take more than a moment to figure out that I am more than ready for this moment.
I very slowly unlace the corset of my dress, each tiny movement feeling far more than it is in the silent room. The moment the bottom lace on the dress is undone, I begin to push the tops of my dress down my shoulders. The dress falls to the floor, gathering at my feet as the warm air from the room caresses my naked skin. I step out of my dress and towards Alpha, knowing that he is the first one I need to go to. I want to go to. Alpha smiles up at me when I stop in front of him, and he reaches closer, running his hand up my legs. Alpha grabs my ass, pulling me closer to him as he lifts himself to his knees. I moan, grasping Alpha's soft hair as he buries his tongue into my core, swirling and sucking on my clit. I hear the others getting out of the water as Alpha lies me down on the warm floor and climbs up my body. Alpha doesn't pause as he slides deep inside of me, and I cry out from the pleasure.
"Alpha," I moan, and then Letric’s on his knees next to me, pulling my face to his as he swallows my moans. I feel Alaric kneeling next to me, and he takes my hand, wrapping it around his hard cock as his other hand plays with my breast. The overwhelming pleasure takes over, slamming into me as I feel Alpha lean down and bite into my neck. I pull my lips from Letric to bite Alpha's shoulder at the same time, both of us shaking in pleasure as he finishes.
"My turn," Letric says as Alpha pulls out of me, licking his blood-covered lips. I sit up and look over at Letric, who crooks a finger at me as he sits back, running his hand up and down his hard cock. "I want my mate." He whispers the words to me as I climb onto his lap, sliding down onto him as his hands dig into my sides. I feel Alaric come and kneel behind me, wrapping his arms around me and cupping my breasts. He runs his fingers over my nipples as I ride Letric, getting closer and closer to the edge with each movement. I can feel Alaric’s hard cock hitting my back, and I reach behind me, closing my hand around him. I slide my hand up and down his cock as he rests his head on my shoulder, letting out a loud groan.
"Bite me," I whisper to Alaric, and look to Letric next. "And you." They both don't wait for more than a second before sinking their teeth into each of my shoulders. The pleasure overwhelms me as I feel Letric finish deep inside me, and Alaric all over my back as I bite down on Letric’s neck. The waves of pleasure don't stop as Letric pulls me off him and turns me to face Alaric. I bite down on Alaric neck on instinct, loving the moans that escape both our lips as I do. Alaric carries me to the water, sitting down and letting the warm water cover us. I rest my head on his shoulder, seeing Alpha and Letric climb into the water near us.
"My mates," I whisper, wishing River were here, in a way. I know he couldn't have been. This was our moment, my perfect time alone with my Alpha Brothers.
"The pup will be down soon. I sent him to get those fruits you like and some drinks for us all," Alpha states like he can read my mind.
"Good, we have a lot to discuss about tomorrow, but first I want to enjoy us."
"Mate, you couldn't have said something more perfect," Alaric says and kisses me gently. Whatever happens tomorrow, we have each other. Something I once thought was impossible, and it isn't. So just maybe we can win tomorrow.
Chapter 23
Elodie
"I promise she will be safe with me if you do not come back," Mary tells River, holding onto Arabella's hand. Arabella looks scared, and fresh tears stream down her cheeks every so often. None of us can promise that River will come back safe, and she is too young to really understand the reason why. I’m sure she has, no doubt, heard rumours around the pack of the alpha fight coming up. Though Mary has taken a liking to the girl since she moved into the castle, and we have come up with a plan for Mary to take Arabella and the rest of the Luxa Pack safely back to the island if we lose today. The sun is swiftly setting, and we have to be there before the moon rises in the sky. It is
part of the old tradition. If we win, the Luxa Pack are moving into the Xan Pack to create a massive pack that is united. The first law will be banning claim matings. If wolves wish to mate, they can choose a mate they love when they wish to.
"You will come back, right?" Arabella asks. River pulls her into his arms and kisses the top of her head. "I will fight to come back for you. We have to finish that chess game we started, after all."
"We do," she says, letting him go.
"Why don't you run down to the kitchen and start cutting up tonight’s dinner?" Mary asks Arabella, who grins and nods, before running down the corridor. Alaric and Alpha walk out of the throne room, going to Mary and talking quietly with her before they all come over to stand near us.
"Fight for your future, and remember what we discussed," Mary says, patting Alaric's chest in a motherly way before coming over to me. She wraps me in a tight hug and kisses the side of my head.
"You keep them alive. You are the true alpha, and I believe fate is on your side," she whispers to me. Fate is a funny word when it comes to my life. Yes, I do believe in it and that my life has been planned out to a certain extent. I also believe that this is the end or start of a new life for me.
"Fate has been more than kind to me already. I worry I am running out of good luck," I whisper back to her.
"You are not, I pray you are not," she whispers before letting me go. I watch her walk away before looking at my mates, all of them ready for this fight with various weapons. I am planning on shifting, knowing it is the best way to defend my babies. I can't risk fighting in this form, and I know Katriel will want me killed as quickly as possible.