Filed To Story: Claimed by the Alpha I Hate Book Read Free
“That was very brave of you to take the hit for my grandmother.” I said, swiveling my eyes to where
Rowena stood. “It’s probably what saved her life.”
Her lower lip trembled as she brought her hand to it, muffling a surprised gasp.
“They’re alive?!”
“Grandma’s alive, yes.” I replied. “My brother, however, he’s dead.”
If I wasn’t drowning in every blistering emotion I’d suppressed since seeing Sean’s cold, limp body at the morgue, I might’ve been surprised at how callous and empty my voice sounded.
“What? Sean’s dead?” Zeke croaked, his eyes glossing over.
“You didn’t know?” I asked, surprised considering he’d been searching for Nolan with Giovanni and
Tristan.
“No, I didn’t. We knew something bad happened with Nolan, but-but we didn’t know your brother…” He trailed off, his shoulders slumping as understanding and pity filled his soft eyes.
“Nolan’s the one that killed him, actually. It wasn’t his fault though. Was it Rowena?” I hummed, sliding my eyes from the towering Alpha to the trembling, red-headed witch.
“I’m not following, Daisy.” She stammered, confusion so genuine filled her eyes that I wanted to tear it from her face and stomp it into the dirt.
I cracked my neck, the urge to kill so strong that it was the only thing that kept it at bay. My patience was thinning, and I’d only be able to ride this game out for so long before I forced her to come clean.
“I talked to my grandma. Her version of events was slightly different from yours, Rowena. According to her, there was only one witch present, not two.”
“She was out cold when I chased the witches from the house, Daisy. There’s a strong chance she’s not remembering things correctly.” Rowena said, her full lips turning down at the corners.
“You think so? That’s an odd thing to say considering she’s one that told me Nolan killed Sean. That’s not even the best part, though. Would you like to know what else she said, Rowena?” I mused.
Rowena shuffled back a step, her eyes wary as they flitted to various points of the dome
I’d constructed, the one keeping all four of us caged inside.
“What’s wrong, Rowena?” I cooed the way one would when approaching a small, skittish animal.
“We’re just talking here, aren’t we?”
“I think you’re confused about things, Daisy. Does anyone know you’re here?” She asked, her voice taking on the same caring tone a mother would have. “Maybe you should call your father. You’re grieving, and grief can… distort some things.”
“Oh, I’m very much confused, but maybe you can clear some things up for me, yeah?”
She blinked. “I’d be happy to, Daisy. You know that.”
My lips twitched into an unhinged smirk.
Even though we stood in the middle of the forest, surrounded by shadows and liquid moonlight, I could feel myself teetering off the edge of the cliff I’d been standing on since learning my brother was dead.
One foot dangled off the edge, the tingling sensation in my stomach warning me how close I was to falling. Nothing-not even Nolan’s face in my mind, could warn me away.
“Wonderful.” I exhaled, fighting the insane urge to laugh in her face. “My grandmother used her magic to try and save Sean, but it was too late. Nolan had already gotten to him, but she did manage to hit the witch…”
I turned to Zeke and Tessa, directing my question at all three of them. “Can anyone guess where she hit her?”
Zeke’s eyes roamed Rowena’s entire body, starting at her feet and ending at the patch. of decayed skin on her face. His spine went ramrod straight and all traces of pain vanished from his expression when a look of pure murder took hold.
“Her face.” He whispered. “She hit the witch in her face.”
“You’d be correct, Zeke.” I grinned, then turned and tilted my head at Rowena. “What exactly did you say happened to your face again?”
“You can’t actually be serious.” She laughed nervously, eyes darting between the three of us. “The witch that attacked us hit me, obviously. What are you trying to say, Daisy?”
I took a step towards her, my fingers twitching from sheer anticipation. The mossy tones in her eyes were bright. I memorized each one, taking in their shape. and the way the moonlight hit them, memorizing every aspect of my brother’s murderer. Tasting the sheer extent of my rage and agony, the remaining shadows began to squirm, their whispers filling the clearing.
‘…magical blood.’ ‘We want to tassste.’ ‘Kill her, massster.’ ‘Feed usss…’
“You know exactly what I’m trying to say.”
11-11
In one fell swoop, every ounce of deluded innocence dropped from her face, so flimsy and half-assed that I wondered how I’d ever been fooled in the first place. With steady hands, she wiped the smeared eyeliner and mascara from her cheeks. 1
Her eyes narrowed much like a feline, her ruby red lips curling into a smile that could only be described as cruel yet sensuous. She held her hands out at her sides, palms facing upwards.
“Damn, you caught me.” She said, oozing fake disappointment. Her laugh was throaty and triumphant.
“It sure took you long enough.”
Tessa and Zeke ceased to exist as my vision tunneled, completely centered on Rowena’s prideful expression.
“You killed my brother.” I barely recognized my own voice.
The savageness in it was foreign to my ears, a quality I’d only ever seen Nolan possess. I never thought I was capable of blind hatred, the kind that devours everything good about a person until all that’s left inside of them is blackness, but I’d been wrong.
I hated Rowena. I hated her with every fiber of my being, with every breath I took and with every beat that shuddered my broken heart.
The edge was so close that my skin began to tingle with the familiar sensation of falling, but I didn’t lose my balance until Rowena opened her mouth and spoke.
“Well, technically your mate did that, darling. We did need another sacrifice, after all.” She rolled her eyes, inspecting her nails, completely oblivious that these were the final moments of her pathetic life.
“It’s rather inconvenient your grandmother survived, though. I’ve never failed to stop someone’s heart before. It seems the old broad had more strength than I gave her credit for.”
My body moved on its own, disconnected from my head as I lunged at Rowena.
Rowena glided backwards, my claws missing her face by inches. She waggled her finger at me, smiling coyly like I was a child throwing a tantrum.
“Ah, ah, ah. Can’t have you doing anything rash and ending the fun.” She giggled, emerald eyes dancing in the darkness. Besides, there’s so much to tell you now that you know the truth. I’m going to savor that look on your face. You know the one I’m talking about, don’t you? When you realize how royally you messed up, and that every problem you and your pack have faced has all led back to you.”
One second I’d been drowning in rage, and the next I was struggling to breathe. A phantom hand clamped down on my throat, squeezing every drop of air from my lungs. I couldn’t gasp-couldn’t make a sound as I clawed at the nothingness choking me out.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
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