Filed To Story: Claimed by the Alpha I Hate Book Read Free
Tristan’s already pale skin grew paler, like wet tissue paper draped over cobalt veins.
“The Shadows? You’re sure?” He asked.
Zeke nodded, his face grim. He tapped the page a second time. “Positive. It says it right here. Not sure why the Shadows are willing to make deals with the Vampire monarchs, but if I had to guess it may be the fact that both Vampire’s and the Shadows drink blood.”
“Why would she create the Shadows? For what purpose?” Tristan scowled.
“Humans…witch hunters, had taken her baby. They thought witchcraft was taught, not passed down through the generations. They didn’t know her baby had magic of its own. Either way, she couldn’t allow them to take her child, so she acted.” I replied, my eyes glued to the pages.
There had been this force inside of me that demanded to know the truth. Why would anyone create something like the Shadows? The thought that this dark entity had been birthed from one of my ancestors’ thoughts made my skin erupt in goosebumps. I couldn’t stop myself from reading the pages, desperate to know more. The answer brought not a speck of comfort.
Nolan ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at the roots before letting go. “We can work with that. It just means that Daisy is more powerful than any of us thought.”
My mate’s eyes met my own, and in their golden depths I saw understanding so pure and strong that it made me want to weep. I wanted to find reassurance in Nolan, but I couldn’t let myself. He had no clue how much worse it got, but soon, he would.
“There’s more.” Zeke said. “The witch that created the shadows went too far. Tapping into that kind of magic is addicting, and even doing it once can get you hooked. It says here that she lost her mind, and that the dark magic had changed her over time. Before she was m******d by other witches, her sisters, she’d created what the humans called ‘the Black D***h’.”
Tristan locked eyes with Nolan, his icy blue against my mate’s warm gold. Something passed between them, an agreement of sorts. It was the first time I’d seen them wholeheartedly on the same team.
The four of us went silent, but the truth hovered in the air around us demanding to be given life. It was
Tristan that spoke the words on all our minds, solidifying the fact that we were losing this battle and that our worst nightmaresthey were so close to becoming reality.
“If they’re able to control Daisy, they could quite literally erase both our species from existence.”
There wasn’t much of a sleepover after that, though it wasn’t for a lack of trying.
Cassidy and Clara could feel the tension in the room and knew from the looks on our faces that what we talked about hadn’t been good. Soon after wrapping up, Breyona came downstairs, her eyes raw and red with the opened envelope clutched in her hand.
I knew Breyona needed space, but I also knew that leaving her alone wasn’t the right thing to do. It didn’t take much convincing to get her to say, but I think deep down she wanted someone to confide in, someone who understood.
After promising Cassidy I’d show up to training tomorrow, she and Kendrick left, following Mason and
Clara. The four planned on going out for drinks, and I was glad they were able to continue their night.
Staying here would’ve just meant d******g in all of our foul moods.
Holly decided to stay, and I found I was genuinely glad she did, even if she had to leave early the next day for a therapy appointment.
Late in the night, Breyona, Holly, and myself curled up on the massive bed Nolan had made for us, swapping stories in the dim lights draped around the beds canopy.
Breyona talked about the letter her parents had left her, breaking down halfway through as sobs wracked her body. I’d been stunned when Holly wrapped her arms around Breyona and I, hugging us both. I’d never gotten close enough to her to notice before, but her scent was light and held hints of elderberry and rose.
The letter written by her parents was a goodbye of sorts, a piece of themselves too sad to dare read out loud. Just hearing about it made my eyes water and fill with tears. I pictured my own mom, and all of the good and bad memories between us.
They had told her how much they loved her, how proud they were, and how she’d never be alone, not for one second. Every step of the way, every milestone in her life, they would be there.
Hearing Breyona talk about the letter prompted Holly to mention her own parents. I’d never pressed the topic with her out of fear that she’d shut down and close me off even more than I already was, but as she talked I listened with unbridled interest.
It had been a padded, golden-plated prison she’d lived in during her time with our father, and while she’d grown to hate every second of it, there was a time where she wanted nothing more than to make him proud. Only when she realized how impossible that was, did she finally crave true freedom.
She had a longing for the mother she’d never met, the one currently trying to enslave me, but it was tainted with disappointment. Nothing would change the Blood Witch’s path, not even the daughter she’d never met.
After hearing Holly talk about her hopes, dreams, and pain, I felt I trusted her enough to talk about what
I’d just learned. I hadn’t realized how much I needed this, venting in the dark to two people who I trusted, who understood in their own ways.
It’s a good thing I had because this week had barely just begun.
Days passed by in a blur, each one melting into the next. The entire pack was tense, all of us going back to our normal routines as if everything wasn’t falling apart. Between the lingering stares and whispers whenever I went out in public, it felt like everyone was holding their breath, waiting for the next shoe to dropor the next m****r to happen.
Each day I bounced between warrior training, witch training, spending what little time I could manage with friends and family, and stuck in meetings with Zeke, Nolan, and a few others as we tried to figure out where the witches were reconvening.
Nolan had left a few men to scout the town the witches had once occupied, but none had showed up since. Just yesterday, he’d sent his Beta, who had been on leave taking care of his mate and newborn son, to Alpha Bran’s pack to act as Alpha in his stead.
Other groups were sent out to visit neighboring human towns. Clara and Mason went with most of them, mainly because of Clara’s ability to tell if there was any magic cast on the area.
All week, I kept up with practicing Conjuration, and as easy as it was becoming, I was still utterly exhausted after every attempt. I’m sure it didn’t help that there was a new stressor involved, one that had me questioning every move I made incase I somehow pulled magic from the wrong source.
Cordelia assured me that I’d know if I were drawing on dark magic, but the fear still remained.
Halfway through the week, Chris showed up. Per our old tradition, I stayed hidden as he entered the training room, greeting an entire class full of students. When he turned to introduce himself, I launched my attack.
The old man still had k****r senses, because not a second after I sounded my battle cry, he’d pivoted on his heel and struck. We fought for what felt like fifteen minutes, neither one of us yielding until Emilia came in and began clapping. A truce was called, but I know I would’ve won had we kept going for just a few more minutes. Funny enough, Chris said the same thing about himself.
It was Thursday night when something changedwhen the other shoe finally dropped.
The shadows had been restless for hours, thrashing and writhing in the forest the moment the sun had gone down. I could hear them whispering from where I stood on the balcony just outside our bedroom.
Nolan had his arms wrapped around my waist, his damp hair tickling my cheek as he spoke, but I wasn’t listening.
I could hear them. They were trying to work up the courage to come closer, to speak to me directly.
Their slippery little voices had grown in angst after I’d learned it was my family line that created them, and that it hadn’t been conjuration that allowed me to control them without making deals, but the fact that they came from my magic.
Our bedroom darkened as the shadows had finally come to a consensus. The lamp on our bedside table, which was currently on, began to flicker. When it sputtered out, cloaking the room in absolute darkness, I noticed the shadowy mass that had appeared.
It hovered over the carpet, writhing and twitching as it condensed into the form of a man.
Nolan stood nearby, his arm around my waist as he stared at the shadows. He was suppressing his surprise, but I felt it seep through the bond. It was still jarring, even after all this time, seeing them up close and hearing their dark, melodic voices.
Newcomers, they have arrived…
The shadows whispered, dozens of voices overlapping one another as they spoke almost in tandem.
“Who has?” Nolan demanded, narrowing his golden eyes into a glare.
We do not ssspeak to you, Cursssssed Alpha.
Every muscle in my body tensed, right down to my fingers and toes. I locked eyes with my mate, both of us wondering if we’d heard the same thing and if we had, what it could possibly mean.
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?