MARE:Earlier...It's my father's voice I hear. Isolde says what she says and his voice erupts in the back of my mind. He didn't realize what he had done that day when he told me what memories really are."Strength is measured not only by your power alone, but by the strength of your mind," Ivan had said.I remember staring at my father for a long minute. It only makes sense now, but I already know I shouldn't treat this lightly.Isolde asked me to give her access to my memories and it felt so intrusive. I do not know how to take it because I do not know if I have a choice yet. These witches have decided everything for me until this point. They wouldn't need my opinion now."Why?" I leave my thoughts and ask, watching each of them like a hawk."To defeat the Legacy Alpha, we need to start from where it all began; the Celtic Isle." Isolde holds my stare and the grave look in them has my heart racing."I don't know what you are talking about." Actually, I do. Not only have I read the boo
I'm begging for this to be a lie. He can't do this to me. I slam my fist to my chest, feeling choked as the tears roll down my cheeks. I raise my head to the ceiling. It's crazy how I've formed a bond with a child I've not even met. A child I should not even want. Jai-Blynn grabs my knee first and stands. Then he grips the scruff of my neck and pulls my face to his. He says in a low voice, "Do you understand?" I don't. There's nothing I can grasp at this moment except his betrayal, which cuts me like a blunt knife. I'm staring at him like I have nothing better to do because I want to see for myself. I won't believe it just yet. Maybe there's someone forcing him to do this to me. "Mare, I won't ask you again." He breathes, and I shiver from the coldness in his voice. I'm wondering what has changed. How did everything go from this to that? This isn't the Jai-Blynn I know. This isn't the man who kissed me in the Alpha's study and promised to protect me. "I won't let my child die,
"Shit! The storm caught up with us!" Coral calls the attention of her sisters.I'm still at the edge of the cliff, soaked with rain and feeling Isolde's magic coursing through me like an intruder. I want to scream, but it holds me down, stronger than the last time. My wet blonde hair sticks to my face just like my clothes stick to my body.Coral scans the vicinity frantically. They are all getting drenched like I am. She says, "Marelyn's been exposed. Sister, will the defense stop him?"She's asking Wendy, who looks like she doesn't have an answer to her question. Wendy's watching Isolde the entire time, waiting for something to happen. It doesn't matter if 'him' comes. They are here for one thing and they are going to get it, regardless."Sister!""Shut up, Coral! Let her concentrate." Wendy fires back and her sister withdraws with her head lowered.I'm too weak to summon my power, and I'm not healing. The head wound I sustained from my fall drained all my energy. It took a lot for my
ZEKE: This isn't how it's supposed to go down. I come here, save Marelyn from these witches, and take her back home. That's it. The stakes aren't supposed to be raised to this level. I pinch my gaze at the cut on Marelyn's cheek. It's real. Isolde has the exact one, and I clench my fist at my side, needing to punch something. "I'll give this one to you. You got me, but it's not over yet," I say, shoving my other hand into a pocket hole. Isolde looks like a thick green snake in a thick green grass with that smile. I have enough vendetta against these witches to want to end it all now. I was headed there, but now I can't. Marelyn is in danger. I can't risk that. Bessie snarls. "Are you sure, Zeke?" * MARE: "You underestimate me, Diamond." He whispers vaguely and then we all see it. The rain becomes his pawn. He wields it and strikes the witches. That circle comes over us again and the rain's dropping like building blocks on their body. He protects Isolde, too, but the rest of the
Zeke stays quiet throughout the ride home. The silence eats me up from inside, and I need him to say something. Anything. I saw the way he looked at me when I tried stopping him from attacking his beta. His eyes were a forge melting me to nothing. It still causes me to shiver till now.The chauffeur is someone I've seen before, but not frequently. I know he's not here to just drive Zeke around. He's a wolf, and a trusted one to have followed the Alpha all the way to the woods. He rocks the car into the driveway, parks, and before I can even blink, Zeke climbs out of the car.I jump out, following his trail and working my mind on the right answers to his questions I know are coming. He said to save it until we were home. Well, we are, and I'm ready to defend myself. I've hated him since day one and nothing will change about how I see him because of what he did to Scarlett. Yet that doesn't mean I haven't been pointing fingers in the wrong direction.He stops, and I almost run into his b
I stutter, turning around to face him with her photo still in my hand. Zeke's on a black board short titled Native. He looks pissed, and this time, it's not a different mad. I will myself not to, but my eyes wander down his pecs, tracing that unending 'v'. I gulp when I realise I've been staring, and it's not a good time. "Are you lost?" He tilts his head, narrowing his eyes to dark slits at the picture and coming forward. I take a few steps back, feeling the furnace creep up my neck. "I...She's beautiful." Zeke snatches the photo from my hand and whispers icily up close. "Next time, mind your business, Marelyn." "I didn't mean that. I just want to talk, Zeke." "About what?" He arches a sharp brow because the last two times I felt like talking with him, they didn't end well. Zeke knows to be on guard. I fiddle with my fingernails, averting my gaze while feeling like I'm standing on hot coals. He kept saying he wasn't a monster. I still don't know what to think yet, but I know
ZEKE:I flip the last batch of pancakes over in the frying pan. They're looking good, even though it's been a while since I've tried anything in the kitchen. But I'm babysitting. Drusila is far away and no one's here to look after Marelyn except me. Over the inside burner on the cooker, all the water in the non-stick pan has simmered away and the bacon for breakfast's looking crispy and delicious.I put the extra effort into this morning's meal because I can't get her cries out of my head. When I left her bathroom yesterday, I didn't exactly leave. I sat down at a corner in her room and was there throughout, listening in on her cries. I didn't expect her to cry, but she had just lost Jai-Blynn, and as much as I hated it, he was important to her.Marelyn ate these on her first day here. She liked fruit as toppings. I stack them onto a plate, pancake first, then a crispy bacon and in that order. I finish my dish with grapes as Marelyn walks into the kitchen already dressed up. She slips
MARE:Aiden crosses his arms and stands with his feet apart. He furrows his brows in thought as he and Zeke brainstorm about my situation. Isolde got the best of me. It's only a matter of time until she uses this to her advantage and tries to harm me. I want to fear them, but I remember Zeke's words. It should be the other way around."I suspect we only have a few more days to device a concrete plan against them, Alpha Zeke.""Isolde is their leader, but I'm only familiar with Bessie. Aiden, if she's the one at the top, then expect an attack now. But I think the eldest Diamond is more rational in her dealings. She will lie low."He grinds his teeth in distaste. "And Jai-Blynn?"My hearts skips as I hear the beta's name. I shoot my eyes up from the table and watch their conversation with an interested eye. I don't even know why I do it, but Jai-Blynn still affects me, even far away.Zeke says, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "We will talk about this when I get home from the set. You can