Filed To Story: Claimed by the Alpha I Hate Book Read Free
I believed her, reading the guilt in her eyes. My nightmares were few and far between compared to hers, but they also made little sense. I knew how disorienting they could be and wanted to give her the same shred of hope that I carried.
“Rowena, the witch that got here yesterday, she said that training will help you. It’ll give your magic an outlet, so it doesn’t have to show itself in other ways. You’ll be able to get some sleep for a change.” I told her, relief building in my chest as the smallest of smiles crossed her face.
While Tristan and Giovanni got in touch with their contacts, Nolan and I went back to the crime scene.
After a quick phone call to Cordelia and Rowena, the two were on their way to meet us.
There were only a handful of warriors left combing through the lake and surrounding beach, the rest having taken up patrol duties for the rest of the day. Nolan spread the word to expand the perimeters another five miles. Far enough to search the land without straying too far from home.
The crowd of college students had been chased away, giving us four the privacy to speak freely.
“We’ll start on the beach and make our way to where the body was found.” Nolan said, his hand on the small of my back as I led the way.
I wasn’t sure how I knew where I was going, but my feet carried us down the beach, to where I had run into Devin. Just a few feet away was where Zeke and Carson were, where we had taken that picture.
“That poor girl. I can only imagine how her family feels.” Rowena’s voice was solemn, her eyes downcast as they scanned the forest.
Cordelia’s sad smile held the same flicker of wisdom as grandmas, “If there’s anything here to pick up, we’ll find it. I’ll light a candle for Carson tonight, and for her family.”
We reached the edge of the forest and continued through, sticking to one of the smaller trails I had taken in my search for Nolan. It was silent apart from Cordelia’s soft humming and the occasional snap of a branch. Neither said a word until we reached the small clearing where Carson’s body had been discovered.
“She was found against that tree.” I nodded ahead, eyes darting down to the large spot of dried blood.
The grass had gone from emerald, to crimson, to brown.
“Was there a time of d***h?” Cordelia asked.
“One to three in the morning. Zeke said Carson got in the uber a little past midnight. It’s a half hour drive to the lake from there.” Nolan responded.
Both witches explored the clearing. Rowena with her auburn hair and slacks, and Cordelia, hair streaked with grey and clutching the pendants around her neck.
Several minutes passed and Rowena was the first to speak, “This is not helpful or comforting, but I sense it was a violent d***h.”
“You don’t feel that?” Cordelia frowned, growing still. “So faint, I almost missed it.”
She stood in front of the tree Carson had been sitting against. Dried blood turned the roots black, making the tree look infected. Her fingers grazed the bark ever so gently.
“What are you feeling?” Rowena asked curiously, her mossy eyes locked on the older witch. “All I’m getting is fear and confusion.”
“Is it magic?”‘ I couldn’t help but ask, hoping desperately for some clue that would point us in the right direction.
“I’d assume it were magic, but it’s so faint. I’m afraid I can’t get an accurate read on it. All magic leaves a trace, doesn’t matter what kind it is. There’s spells to cover your tracks, but if you know what you’re looking for, they can be unraveled.” She explained, looking down at the dried patch of blood. Her eyes were more than troubled when she spoke, “Whatever this is, it wasn’t a spell meant to cover tracks. It’s like what happened here has been seared from the land, and what I’m sensing is just the Scar.”
“So that’s it then. Whether or not it’s the vampire’s orchestrating this, there are witches involved.” I swallowed, feeling the looming sensation that I was way in over my head.
Cordelia stepped away from the tree and murmured something softly, “I think it’s safe to say that, yes.
There’s a witch, or witches after you, Luna.”
“We couldn’t have come at a better time, could we?” Rowena locked eyes with the other witch, both had identical looks of worry.
Trying to sleep that night was more difficult than ever. I had finally succumbed to my exhaustion around three in the morning, smothered in Nolan’s arms and masculine scent.
I could tell by the way my eyes ached that I hadn’t slept for long. Spending a solid fifteen minutes brushing the knots from my dark hair, I stuck my head out of the bathroom when I heard the doorbell’s silvery chime.
“I’ll get it!” I called out to Nolan, who was still in the shower.
I was surprised to see a head of golden hair through the front door’s square pane of glass. The locked clicked as I opened the door, seeing Cassidy’s smiling face. Part of me was a bit surprised, there was no way word hadn’t spread by now.
“Hey, Daisy! Sorry to stop by all randomly, I was on my way to the gym and your new house happens to be in the same direction.” Her high pony, and sports bra legging combo backed up her words. Her smile fell just a sliver, “Oh, you aren’t busy, are you?”
“Not at all, come in.” I opened the door for her.
“Actually, I did stop by for a reason-” She began but was distracted by the house. Her pale lips popped open, and a sound of enjoyment escaped them. “Oh, this place is beautiful. The marble fireplace, the counter tops and appliances -oh he outdid himself!”
“You knew Nolan was having the house built?” I asked curiously, watching her roam the kitchen and living room, making small remarks of approval as she went.
“Of course, I did.” She giggled softly, ” Back before Nolan became all broody, when he was still a chubby faced kid, he always said he’d build his mate a castle.”
“With how things are going, we could use the protection of a castle.” I joked, even though a frown twitched at the corners of my lips.
“Oh, that reminds me. I almost forgot why I stopped by.” Cassidy shook her head and fished her cellphone out of her purse. I watched in silence as she tapped at the screen, her nails clicking against the glass. Guilt curled in my stomach when she pulled up the sororities I***a page. The most recent photo posted was one at the party last night. “There’s been a lot of comments on this picture, most of which aren’t good. I’ve been doing some damage control, but her posting this then d***g hours later…
Devin and his idiotic friends have been stoking the flames, but I’ll make sure they get theirs.”
I was stunned and flattered that Cassidy wanted to help, that she believed this random girl who was mated to her close friend. Sure, the pack had no choice but to respect me as their Luna, but they still had a mind and opinions of their own.
As much as I wanted to thank Cassidy for all of her help, my eyes were locked onto something much more important.
“You said Cassidy posted this picture?” I asked.
Cassidy gave me an odd look but shrugged, “Yeah, she’s the one with the log in info. Why?”
“This picture was posted at four in the morning.” I explained, realizing things had just made themselves that much more complicated. “The time of d***h was between one and three. There’s no way she’s the one who posted this.”
“You’re sure?”‘ I asked Mason, my irritation increasing with each missing piece thrust in front of my face.
Mason met Nolan and I on our way to Carson’s parent’s house, My stomach was rumbling from the lack of food, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep anything down if I tried. Just the thought of facing the shattered remains of her family, it left my nerves frayed and exposed.
He nodded, just as perplexed. “Positive. Not only was Carson the only one with access to the sorority’s social media account, but the picture was also posted from her phone.”
“Thanks, Mason.” I sighed, feeling that familiar pang of guilt as I looked into his mossy hazel eyes.
Nolan’s phone began to ring. He frowned at the screen and turned away, placing the phone against his ear. The voice on the other end was muffled, but it was Mason I had my attention on.
“Don’t feel bad, Daisy. We’ve both been busy these last two weeks.” His easygoing smile gave me some reassurance, but not much. “Once you start your training back up, we’ll see more of each other.”
“How has training been going?” I asked, feeling a little more lighthearted when some of the spark returned to his eyes.
“It’s harsher here in the capital. Your mate was going easy on us back then, y’know?” He grinned, and it was impossible not to smile back. Even with my stomach full of dread, Maya and I were both excited to keep up with our warrior training. He got into the Chevy Nolan loaned him and chuckled, “Give me a call when you’re ready to join. There’s still some empty slots left, not that it matters since you’re Luna and all.”
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?