Filed to story: Claimed by the Alpha I Hate Book Read Free
“Do you think that’s how the blood witch is escaping our notice?” Nolan asked from across the table. I noticed how he tried to tone down the command in his voice, but it was there, nonetheless. Tessa didn’t seem phased by that fact. If anything, from the way she tilted her chin, she seemed used to being given orders.
“No. If she’s truly here in your pack, then she’s hiding in plain sight. Surrounding herself with a bunch of protectors to hide her whereabouts…it’s not really her style.”
Tessa cringed.
It should’ve frightened me that the mere mention of the blood witch had Tessa flinching, but all I could think about was Sean and the fact that both Breyona and
Mason were meant to join him.
“You’ve met her, then?” Zeke asked, his eyes brightening. They flickered to my mate, staying there for several seconds. He and Nolan were having some kind of silent conversation when Zeke abruptly turned back to Tessa and asked, “Do you think you’d be able to point her out if you saw a picture of her?”
Tessa blanched, “I’ve met her once, but it wasn’t an experience I ever wanted to relive. She was terrifying, to be honest with you. The kind of crazy that’s cunning and calculated.”
“How do we know she’s not wearing someone else’s face?” I countered, hands clasped and resting beneath my chin. The dark veins running up my fingers made them ice cold. “If the second witch can change her identity, can’t the blood witch do the same?”
“Again, that’s not really her style. She’s cocky, but not in a way that’s considered a weakness. She’d thrive on the fact that she’s living under your nose, but the second you came sniffing too close, she wouldn’t hesitate to pack up and move on.” Tessa explained, pursing her lips. “The way Rowena spoke made it sound like you haven’t even come close to figuring out who she is. I’d be willing to bet if she’s actually here in your pack, then she’s wearing her own face. If she is I think I could point her out.”
“It’s not perfect or fast by any means, but it’s a start. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to know who murdered my parents. Was it that sister of yours?” Breyona chimed in, and as her voice dropped low, I swore the lighting in the room followed.
Tessa visibly swallowed, glancing at the furthest corners of the room as though she noticed the sudden lighting change too.
“No, it wasn’t Ember…not that she didn’t volunteer herself for the job. My sister isn’t bad, not at her core. She’s just…she’s just angry.” Tessa sighed; her earthy eyes locked on the table’s surface as though it were the most interesting thing in the world. She scratched at a speck on the surface, not meeting any of our eyes. “Our parents were killed werewolves. Rogues, actually. It doesn’t matter to her who you guys are or what pack you belong to. You’re all the same in her eyes. The witch that murdered your parents was an elemental like Ember and I, only her element is water.” 1
Breyona’s eyes narrowed. “Water. Does that mean…”
“Your parents drowned.” Tessa said softly. I’d apologize, but what would it change? All of the apologies
Ember and I received as children did nothing to bring back our parents.”
As the others continued to talk, their voices fading into the background, I lost myself to my thoughts.
The blood witch was here in our pack, waking up each morning on our land, staring our people in the eyes whilst plotting their deaths. Did she sleep in a bed? Was it a house she lived in or an apartment?
Did she hold a job to keep up the façade of a pack member? These were all things I mulled over, and the more I pictured her smiling and pretending to be one of us, the angrier I became.
It came to a head when I glanced over at Nolan, seeing him when he thought no one was looking.
There were dark circles beneath his eyes, and his lips were swollen from the number of times he rolled them between his teeth.
“Zeke, you and I can come up with a list of everyone within a fifty-mile radius. We’ll get pictures and have Tessa go through them one by one. If the blood witch doesn’t turn up, then we’ll widen it another fifty miles.”
Nolan declared, his posture stiff and shoulders drawn back.
Tessa tapped on the table’s surface, seemingly deep within thought.
“If you had a strong enough witch here, she could cast a location spell. You’d need something belonging to the blood witch though. The more important the object, the more accurate the spell.”
Her suggestion made an idea pop into my head, one I should’ve thought of sooner. I mentally cursed myself for being so distracted with the thought of revenge that I couldn’t formulate a plan on how to get there.
“We don’t have an object, but we have something else…something better.” I mused, looking up from the table to realize that all eyes were on me.
Nolan tilted his head, pride flickering in his eyes regardless of how exhausted and pained they were.
“You have something of hers?” Tessa inquired, visibly perking up.
“Yeah, we do.” I replied. “We have her daughter.”
Once the idea formed, it was all I could think about. There wasn’t any need for a locator spell, not when
I had Conjuration on my side. That, along with Holly’s blood, had to be plenty to show me where the blood witch was. Even the dark magic coursing through my veins agreed with the idea, thrumming its praise as it whispered silky promises egging me on.
“I think we should wait until you’re at full strength. I’m all for getting this bitch, but you look dead on your feet.” Breyona said with obvious concern. A few seconds passed when her mouth popped open, and eyes went wide. “Ugh, that so wasn’t the right choice of words.”
Snorting at how horrified my best-friend looked, I shook my head. “I don’t know if waiting is the best idea. She has everything she needs now to finish the spell.”
“Actually, she has to wait until the full moon tonight to do anything. Blood magic is tricky in itself, but a spell like this relies heavily on any sort of power it can consume. The full moon would be just the extra charge of power Freya needs.” Tessa cut in. 3
Shock seemed to ripple over everyone at the table, everyone except for myself.
The poisonous whisper of dark magic filled my head once more, singing songs of all the other things I could do under the might of a full moon. I gave nothing away, not even when one of their tantalizing verses caught my attention and spoke to the wounded shards of my soul.
“So, we do this tonight.” I said, glancing around the table for confirmation.
Adrenaline held my muscles in its tight grip, desperate to spring. Even Maya writhed with anticipation, fighting the urge to shred my skin and start the hunt.
“Tonight.” Nolan said, and the others quickly followed suit.
For the next few hours we comprised lists and photographs of every pack member within fifty miles.
With every pair of eyes I stared into, my patience waned. Tessa breezed through them, her scowl growing more and more prominent with each photograph she slid to the side. 1
When dusk took hold and the sunlight careening through the large, open windows faded, we decided to call it quits. We filtered back to mine and Nolan’s house where
Tristan, Holly, and the others would soon be on their way. Deciding it was better to explain things to
Holly in person, I told Tristan to keep our plan to himself.
There was another plan brewing, one conjured up by the dark magic whispering in my ear. It was insanity, so much so that I didn’t dare tell anyone, not even Nolan. Still, as insane as it was…it was also highly tempting. Any guilt or doubts I had were slowly wiped away by its siren song. 1
Even as we pulled into the driveway of the house, it was all I could think about.
Tristan, Holly, and Giovanni had beaten us to the house. They were all in the kitchen, crowded around the island and sipping from the blood bags I kept stocked in the fridge.
My fingers twitched at the sight of my half- sister, at the features her and I shared, one’s we got from our father. I ground my teeth together, agitated and on edge. The room felt too small, to confining. This plan was weighing on my head, dangling in front of my face like a juicy piece of steak. 1
I needed to tell someone before I did something I regretted-something I couldn’t take back.
‘Can we talk for a minute?’ I asked Nolan through mind-link, catching his honey coated eyes from across the room. ‘…alone.’
He gave the subtlest of nods and excused himself from the kitchen. Together we walked throughout the house, heading upstairs and straight down the main hall. Nolan followed closely behind; his lips knitted tightly together though I didn’t understand why until I stopped in front of our bedroom door.