Filed To Story: Claimed by the Alpha I Hate Book Read Free
My attention drifted over to the observation window, to where Rowena sat. Her eyes were locked on my own even though there was no way she could see past the two-way glass.
‘Let’s see how enthusiastic she is when pain is involved.’
While Nolan went to grab a few things, I stayed put with the others. I didn’t need a cart full of instruments to peel her flesh from bone. Even without the aid of my magic, I’d much rather use my bare hands.
Tristan and Giovanni were both leaning against the wall. Neither acknowledged the other, but they didn’t seem to be fighting anymore. I hoped whatever feud they had going on had come to an end, because we needed all hands-on deck to get through this. Breyona, Zeke, and Tessa were huddled around the single table in the room, exhaustion clear on all their faces.
“The sun will be coming up soon.” I warned both Tristan and Giovanni. “You guys might want to get out of here.”
“We’re staying.” Giovanni grunted in his thick accent, staring at me with eyes even as dark as his shadow-wolf mate.
Tristan nodded, still not looking at Giovanni, but said nothing. Just then, Nolan returned to the observation room, pushing a large metal cart in front of him. The blades, drill bits, and various vials of chemicals rattled as they hit one another. From where I stood several feet away, I could make out the subtle tang of old blood coating many of the instruments.
“Would you mind going to check on Holly? She was at the hospital the last time I saw her.” I asked
Tristan, smothering the worry that threatened to shine through my eyes.
It wasn’t what Rowena said that had me fumbling, but the potential that my half- sister was in danger too. There wasn’t a single doubt in my mind that Holly could be used by the witches, molded into a weapon of mass destruction. She’d been an object in my father’s eyes, something to possess and use, and I knew that wouldn’t change with the witches involved. It was one of the many reasons why I’d never asked for her help.
“She’s safe with Mason and Clara. They’ve been keeping me updated.” Tristan replied, pulling a cellphone out of his back pocket. He swiped his finger across the screen and held it up for me to see.
There was a text thread between him and Mason, along with several texts about both Holly and my grandma.
Tristan cleared his throat, the sound somewhat awkward. Brushing away the strands of his golden hair that fell in his face, he regarded me without his usual scowl.
“You need us right now, and not as your seconds-in-command,’ but as your friends
‘.” He grumbled.
The pressure in the room increased, weighing on my shoulders. It was the only sign I had that told me
Nolan had approached. Just when I thought he’d snap and lash out at Tristan, he surprised me by doing the exact opposite.
“We need all the help we can get.” He said, then gestured to the cart he’d pushed into the room. “How do you feel about drawing some blood?”
I was positive I’d been devoured by the darkness and forced into an alternate universe because
Tristan’s slender lips peeled upwards in a devastatingly eager smile.
“Are you kidding? I love blood.”
Five minutes later and the floors of
Rowena’s cell were stained red. Staring down at the growing puddle, I silently wondered if it would seep into the concrete if we’d return to this very room a decade later to find the evidence of what we once did.
I’d always known Nolan as one of those rare individuals who excelled at everything he did, and this only reaffirmed that belief. The way he moved, gliding the blade through the flesh and muscle, was nothing short of an artform.
Seeing my fair share of death, I assumed that watching the man I love torture someone would fill me with disgust and shame. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be standing here, fighting the urge to jump in and do far worse than carve off a finger or two. The dark magic I’d dabbled in tainted my thoughts and fought to express its will over my own. It was why instead of helping my mate, I stood off to the side with hands clasped behind my back.
“You’re going to tell us where the witches are. It doesn’t matter if it’s with your last, gurgling breath.”
Tristan said coldly, hovering over Rowena.
He played the part of Nolan’s partner in crime with more joy than I’d ever seen him express. I would’ve never pegged him as one for torture, but where Nolan was rough and brutal, Tristan was cold and calculated. They balanced one another out perfectly, keeping Rowena teetering on the cusp of consciousness.
Coated in a thick sheen of sweat and blood,
Rowena’s head lolled to the side. Her auburn hair was matted and slicked back from her head. The flesh along her arms was gone, laying on the floor in piles that made my stomach turn. Her chest heaved, her eyes glossy with both tears and rage.
“Where are they?” Nolan bellowed, slamming his hands down on the arms of the chair. Rowena jolted but did not move.
Her eyes, however, tracked Nolan wherever he went. “Where is the blood witch?!”
Slowly, her lips curled into the smallest of smiles, her teeth painted pink from blood. From behind my back, my fingers twitched, every joint aching as a voice far darker than the shadows danced through my head.
‘Kill her, kill her, kill her.’
‘Make her pay. Make them all pay.’
‘Use us to bend them to your will.’
‘We will rule the ashes, not them.’
The only thing that kept me from finishing what I’d started was the stinging pain that came from biting the inside of my cheek. Blood filled my mouth, but its scent was drowned out by Rowena’s. The wound healed within seconds, forcing me to bite it open a second time, and then a third.
Just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore and feared I’d truly snap, Rowena belted out a wet, agonizing laugh that made Nolan go completely still.
“You idiot.” Rowena wheezed, the whites of her eyes bright against all that blood. “She’s already here.”
The growl he let out was low enough to make my hair stand on end.
“She’s here, in my pack?”
Rowena hummed, lips curling at the edges. She’s been here this entire time, Alpha
Nolan. Living right under your nose.”
There wasn’t much more we could do after that. Rowena was dangling on the cusp of unconsciousness and one more slice, one more sliver of flesh, could easily send her tumbling off the edge.
I could’ve healed her, resealed her wounds. and sent the blood trickling back into her body, but I didn’t trust myself. The more I thought about her, about Sean and how I felt, the hazier my mind became. I was running out of reasons not to finish what I’d started back in the forest, and that fact terrified me more than anything.
I should’ve told Nolan, but what was the point? There was nothing that could be done. The dark veins along my fingers and hands were proof that I’d almost went off the deep end, and the shadows themselves insisted there was no cure to be found.
After ordering Giovanni to dose Rowena with enough Hemlock to subdue a small army, Nolan and I left. We spent the rest of the day together, though it was anything but relaxing. There was so much he and I needed to talk about, but we were both working on overdrive, fixated on protecting the people of this pack.
Zeke, Tessa, and Breyona tagged along, following us to Killian’s old office. The five of us crowded around the large conference table, clutching cups of crappy coffee in our hands as we created lists of every single person we’d come in contact with since moving to the capital of the pack.
Strangers, acquaintances, friends, family, foes. There were too many people to sort through and not nearly enough time to vet them all. Tessa, surprisingly enough, was the most helpful. She’d stepped up since declaring which side she was on and was honest with the information she gave out despite her obvious fear towards losing her sister.
“I don’t know exactly where the others are. Ember and I were kept from the group. We were assigned a protector-or a babysitter as Ember liked to call her. Elaine’s one of the witches good with crafting illusions.” Tessa explained, her soft features hardening at the mention of her twin. Her voice took on a muted tone as she continued, “…there were a couple of times your wolves didn’t even notice us. We’d be camping in the forest and a patrol team would race by.”
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