“What the hell are you talking about? You were part of the Northern pack, Darius’ second in command,” my uncle sneered.
Sebastian opened the vial. “Wrong, you worthless son of a bitch. I’m Sebastian Lyall, sworn protector of Bailey Storm, and son of Waylon and Milena Lyall of the Royal pack. Your time is over.” Rollin tried to fight, but I held him down while Sebastian poured the liquid down his throat and covered his mouth. He tried to scream but he couldn’t open his mouth.
“Was that one of the vials Darius had on him?” I asked.
He nodded. “Let’s see how your uncle likes being burned from the inside out. It’s how he killed your father and my parents.” His body began to convulse, blood pouring out of his eyes, ears, and mouth. Pulling his hand away, Sebastian stepped back and we watched my uncle choke on his last breath. “Someone should’ve killed him a long time ago,” Sebastian grumbled.
I looked at my dead uncle one more time before leaving the room. “I agree, but my father loved him. They were brothers.” When we got to the door, I took a deep breath and opened it. “I’m not going to make the same mistake.”
Bailey
When I walked into the temple, there were candles all around with a pool of water in the center. Dressed in a white robe, my mother stood off to the side with a sad smile on her face and a washcloth in her hands. There was an opening in the ceiling allowing the moon to shine through.
“I need you to drop the blanket and get in the water,” Maret commanded, flourishing her hand toward the shimmering pool.
I peered down at the water. “What’s in it?” I could smell various herbs and perfumes wafting off the steam.
Maret put her hands on my shoulders and I jerked away. “It’s all natural ingredients from the earth. It’ll cleanse you before the bonding and prepare your body for mating. It’s also been known to help with bearing a child.”
Scowling, I stepped away from the water. “Why don’t you get in it then? You’re the all-powerful witch . . . you should just mate with Kade. That way, you can have witchy wolf breeds running around.”
She burst out laughing. “It doesn’t work that way, sweetheart. Only wolves can mate with other wolves. Besides, Kade doesn’t exactly do it for me. Now get in the water.”
Standing my ground, I glared at her and refused to move. I knew the pain was about to come before she even opened her mouth. Bursts of light exploded in my mind and I screamed, falling to the ground. It felt like a thousand knives jabbing me all over my body.
“Maret, stop! Please,” Annika begged. After a few more seconds, the pain dispersed and I sucked in a ragged breath. She held me protectively in her arms, shielding me.
Maret pulled her hand back and huffed. “Get her in the pool, Annika. We don’t have much time.”
She lifted me up and walked with me over to the steaming water. “Please, Bailey. Do as she says. I can’t stand seeing you in pain.”
“You should’ve thought about that before you took me from my family.” She flinched and then lowered her gaze to my blanket, gently prying the edges out of my hand. Knowing I had no choice, I gave up and let her unwrap me.
“I’m going to give you some time to gather your thoughts. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Maret announced. Over my shoulder, I watched her disappear out of the temple. Even with her gone, I could feel her magic oozing all around me.
“Why are you so stubborn?”
“Maybe I get it from my real parents,” I spat.
Huffing, she finished unwrapping me and threw the blanket on the ground. When she got a good look at my body, her eyes flashed. “What the hell happened?”
I looked down and found a messy bite mark on my breast. “It’s the work of your future son-in-law. You must be so proud to know that each and every night, he’ll be forcing himself on me. He’s already informed me that he likes it when I scream in pain. It should make it fun for me, you know, to be a baby factory for your pack.” Walking past her, I stepped into the warm water and sank down into it. Whatever was in it couldn’t be any worse than what awaited me once Kade was ready.
Kneeling down beside me, she soaked the washcloth in the water and rubbed it over my skin. “I didn’t know it was going to be like that. I thought in time you’d grow to love Kade, just like I did with your father.”
My head snapped and I glared at her. “My father was Marrock Storm.”
Releasing a heavy sigh, she lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry. Just like I did with Darius.”
“This is all bullshit and you know it. I have a true mate. This isn’t the way to bring back magic to our packs. By forcing me to do this, it’s only going to cause destruction. One way or another, I will get out of here, even if I have to take my own life. I refuse to be a slave.”
She finished washing me up and helped me out of the water. I knew without a doubt that whatever happened with Kade, I would rather die than have to bow down to him. The light blue dress my mother helped me in was long and silky, but I didn’t see the use in it. It was going to get ripped to shreds once Kade had his way with me.
Through the hole in the ceiling, the moon was almost at its apex. My wolf clawed at me from the inside, desperate to get out. She was trapped just like I was. The weight of the necklace around my neck was a constant reminder of my weakness. With tears in her eyes, Annika brushed my hair and put it up, decorating it with tiny blue flowers that matched my dress. She touched me with tender hands just like she did when I was a child. Even though she deceived me, I had no doubt that she loved me. I could see it in her eyes.
“You’re so beautiful,” she murmured.
Eyes burning, I grabbed her hands, clasping them with mine. It was the last time I would ever see her. “Whatever happens, I want you to know that I forgive you. You weren’t the one who killed my parents, Rollin did. There was never a time I went without because you always made sure I was happy, even when I wanted to go to college.”
A small smile splayed across her lips. “You have no idea what it means to me to hear you say that.”
“All right, it’s time,” Maret called.
I glanced one more time at Annika and kissed her on the cheek. She pulled me into her arms and I closed my eyes, breathing in her lavender scent. “Thank you for loving me.”
She stepped back, brows furrowed. “Why are you saying this?”
Maret took my arm and ushered me toward the door. “Enough talk, Kade’s ready for her.”
Giving her one last look over my shoulder, I smiled and let the tears fall freely down my cheeks. “Goodbye, Mother.”
Everything moved in slow motion at that point. I couldn’t seem to grasp what was happening because everything went too fast. The sound of my mother’s growl echoed in my ears just a mere second before I was knocked to the ground. My head hit the side of the stone temple and everything went fuzzy. I could hear the sound of Maret’s screams and the ripping of flesh. When I was able to focus, Maret’s blood was all over the temple, her body torn to shreds. I gasped when I found not just one, but three wolves standing guard over me.
“Tyla?”
The large, gray wolf stared back at me, baring her teeth in a large grin. The wolf beside her was Micah. If they had gotten inside the wall, then that meant Ryker was there too. My mother shifted and tore the necklace off my body. The second it was gone, not only did my strength return, but my memories came back as well.
I remembered everything about my parents and what happened the night of the attack. My siblings and I were playing Monopoly in my room when my mother burst in and told us to run. Micah had come to get Faith, but Sebastian was with my parents. I didn’t know where my brother was, so I had no choice but to go alone. Before I could get out of the house, Maret’s magic struck.