Amelia swiftly changed back to human form. Rick’s hand was still firm around her neck. “Stop!” she said firmly. “I can…I can help you find her.” Rick looked into her eyes. He dropped her hand from around her neck. “I know her. The woman you’re talking about. I know where she is. If you let me go, I’ll lead you to her.” Amelia could see Rick thinking. “You know her?” he asked, taking a step back. “Yes.” “Liar!” Rick seethed at her. “She’d never come back to me.” “You don’t know that,” Amelia countered. Amelia knew it was a long shot, but convincing Rick was her only way out of here. “Then tell me,” he said. “Tell me where she is.” Amelia took a deep breath. “Well…” she started.*** “Where could she be?” Olivia asked, frantic. It had been twenty-four hours since Amelia had disappeared into the river. They had sent out several search parties. Everyone from the Red Rive
All eyes were on Rick. He stared blankly at Jonathan. Most people expected him to fight back, but he was too shocked to do so. “That was – that was wolfchoker!” All around the room, people gasped. Wolfchoker was a banned poison. The only pack that had access to it was the notorious Blackseed Pack.Jonathan didn’t reply, he only stared back at Rick. “But I don’t, I don’t understand,” Rick stammered. “How did you get that? Only the Blackseed Pack has that poison.” A thought suddenly crossed Rick’s mind. “Wait! Do you…do you know Mercy?” Olivia didn’t know how a human like Jonathan got his hands on wolfchoker, but she was enjoying watching Rick squirm. “He knows where Amelia is. I’m sure of it,” Olivia said. Jonathan nodded. He believed it, too. Rick was guilty as hell, he could sense it. Whatever had happened to Amelia, Rick had played a part in it. “Where is she?” Jonathan asked, his eyes wild with fury. Rick’s mind raced. He didn’t even care
“Don’t be obvious, but I want you to look at that Omega servant over there,” Jonathan whispered to Gabriel. “She’s to our left, right behind the old Alpha Vincent.”Gabriel nonchalantly looked over his shoulder. The girl was covered in whiplash marks and bruises but that wasn’t unusual for an Omega. She had her head down in a timid way. But again, that was pretty typical Omega behaviour.“Look closely at her face,” Jonathan said. The girl lifted her face and Gabriel could tell there was something off about it. He wasn’t sure what it was, but her lips were a little too large for her cheeks and her eyes didn’t look right.“Okay,” Gabriel said, turning back to Jonathan. “She looks a little strange, but…”“That’s not her natural face,” Jonathan interrupted. “Her face has been transformed. Through plastic surgery.”“Why?” Gabriel asked, intrigued. He found it strange that someone would bother performing plastic surgery on an omega. “To look like someone else,” Jonathan explained.“Who?”
“I think you’re right,” Gabriel said, agreeing with Jonathan. “This is a water pack. It makes sense that she’d be at the river.” Jonathan smiled at Gabriel. Asher nodded too. It really felt like they were a united front, which is exactly what they had to be if they were going to find Amelia. They all ran to the river. At the bank of the river, Asher hesitated. A shudder ran through him. Forest wolves are born afraid of the water. Their fear works to keep them safe. The water prevents forest wolves from transforming. So if they encounter anything dangerous, they have no way to deal with it. As a young boy, Asher fell into a creek behind his house. The water wasn’t deep and posed no threat, but when he tried to transform, he couldn’t. He panicked. He had never felt so helpless in his life. That feeling flooded back to him now. The red river raged in front of him, as fear paralyzed him. Not Jonathan, though. He just jumped right in.
All eyes were on Rick. He was frozen in place. The woman’s voice obviously had an effect on Rick. He released Jonathan from his jowls and whipped his head around to the voice. His eyes shot open in shock. “Mercy,” he whispered. “You came.” More people came running to the riverbank. Amongst them were Lily and Laura. They rushed to Olivia’s side. Olivia was dripping wet, and still coughing. Asher was rubbing her back.Jonathan scrambled to his feet, his clothes dripping wet, his face bloody and bruised. “What are you doing here?” he asked Mercy, surprised that she had come. “There was no need for you to come.” Mercy raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure about that?” Jonathan didn’t understand what she meant at first, but then he realized that he was a mess.“How did you know where to find me?” he asked.“I assumed something was wrong when you missed your treatment at your grandma’s. I heard something was wrong in the Redriver Pack. Someone had gone missing.
Amelia was awoken by a noise. A strange noise. She opened her eyes. For a moment, she forgot where she was, but then it came flooding back to her.Rick.She felt groggy and sore from sleeping sitting up. How long had she been here? Was it day or night? Hunger pangs stabbed at her stomach. She’d only seen the servant once. She’d brought Amelia food, a simple plate of stale bread and cheese. Amelia tried to ask her questions but soon discovered that she was mute. Other than that, she hadn’t seen anyone who wasn’t in the prison.She was cold and began to shiver. It was damp in the cell and the moisture sat in her bones. She fought back tears.Crying won’t solve anything, she chastised herself. Stay strong. She walked to the bars of the cell. She looked left, and then right at the rows of mutilated women. She’d barely escaped the same fate, and she had a feeling she wouldn’t be so lucky next time. She thought about Olivia.Where are you, Liv? Are you looking for me? Of course y
Amelia fell to her knees. She was feeling weak and faint. All three men rushed to her side to help her up.“I think we need to get you out of here. You need medical attention,” Jonathan said.“No.” Amelia took Jonathan’s hand and Gabriel’s arm. She stood up. “We need to find out more. It’s just the poison. It gets to me sometimes.”“You still have the wolfbane in your blood?” Gabriel asked. His eyes flooded with guilt. It was his fault! His fault that she’d been poisoned. He’d made her feed Sophia and Sophia had poisoned her! He hated seeing her like this – so weak and fragile.“Yes. It’s still in my blood. When Rick cut me, my blood burned him. He was furious and stormed out. Come to think of it – that’s why he left. He wasn’t because of my promise to help him find Sophia. That’s why I thought it was Sophia. Because of the poison.”Jonathan stepped forward then and touched Amelia lightly on the arm. “Your wolf is weak?” he asked. She nodded. “And your blood burned Rick?” She nodded a
"So do you think your father is in on this?” Gabriel asked again.Shane was taken aback by the question. He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts.“I don’t know,” he confided. “It’s possible, I guess. I actually don’t have a very good relationship with my father. Since my mother died, well, my father and I haven’t really seen eye to eye. I was supposed to take over the Alpha position when I came of age, but we didn’t share the same political stance.” Shane looked down to the floor. It was hard talking about this and the group knew it.“What do you mean, the same political stance?” Amelia asked softly. “It’s okay, Shane. You can trust us,” she added.“My dad – he – he believes in using force to maintain the peace of the pack. And for security. As his Beta, Rick also advocates for the use of extreme measures. They believe in violence. I don’t. I believe there are other ways to protect our pack.”“So your succession didn’t come when you turned of age?” Jonathan asked.Shane nodded.
A hush fell over the crowd. Jonathan stood strong. At once, he possessed the air of authority that only an Alpha had. “But you didn’t want it,” Lucas cried, shaking his finger at Jonathan. “You never wanted to be Alpha. You told me that. It’s MINE. I’m the new alpha. Not you.” “I changed my mind,” Jonathan said. Then he looked to Magnus. Magnus smiled at him and nodded. “Are you sure?” Magnus asked. “I am, your highness,” he replied. “Then it is with great pleasure that I introduce to you the new Alpha of Blackseed,” Magnus declared. The crowd burst into applause and Jonathan beamed. True, he had never wanted the role before, but things had changed. His people, his pack, they needed his help. “As the new alpha of Blackseed, you have my word that Blackseed will no longer be dealing with illegal potions. We will find a new enterprise, a new business. We will become a media conglomerate, under my rule.” Amelia s
“Everyone, gather around,” Magnus said, his Alpha King voice reverberating around the room. Everyone stopped and stared in his direction. Mercy’s news had been most shocking indeed. Magnus knew that Sephora was up to something but without tangible proof, there was no way to charge her. He had planned on launching an investigation into Sephora and her Blackseed Pack dealings, but now that Mercy had come forward, he didn’t need to. He had all the evidence he needed, and he knew where to collect more.The DJ cut the music. “I have an important announcement to make.” Magnus had wasted no time. He waited for the crowd to settle, some in wolf form, some still in human form. This was odd? What announcement? Right in the middle of the party? It must be very important if Magnus was announcing it in the middle of the party. “Something has recently come to my attention,” Magnus declared. “And it is something we MUST address immediately. There is a traitor amongst us.”
Gabriel pulled Mercy back to the party. He told her to wait here, he was going to talk to Jonathan. Mercy nodded. There was something about Gabriel that made her feel safe. She didn’t know him well, but he was an Alpha, and a strong one at that. So she did as she said. Gabriel made a bee-line for Jonathan. He pulled him aside and started talking to him. Jonathan’s eyes grew wide and he looked over at Mercy, shock on his face. Then Gabriel pulled him in closer and kept talking. Jonathan’s face changed and he started nodding along, obviously agreeing with whatever Gabriel was telling him. Then he smiled. The two of them came back to Mercy. “Mercy,” Jonathan said, reaching for her hands. “You could have told me. You SHOULD have told me. You can trust me. I’m one of your best friends.” Then he brought her in for a hug. It felt so good to be in Jonathan’s arms. He was her oldest friend. She had been terrified that he wouldn’t accept her when he found out sh
Gabriel and Mercy walked over to a quiet spot by the edge of the forest. “You know, don’t you?” Mercy asked, her eyes concerned as she searched his face. “Yes,” he said. “How did you find out?” she asked, already knowing the answer. “It was while you were playing. I realized, you were enchanting us. Mercy, you’re an enchantress?” Mercy looked away for a moment and he could see the pain on her face. “Not exactly,” she said. “Well, yes. But I didn’t know. I honestly didn’t know. It was Sephora. She kept my secret and then, at the warehouse, she…she told me.” “Your secret is safe with me, Mercy,” he told her. “Don’t worry about that. I won’t say anything.” She looked at him with gratitude on her face. “Is it..is witch blood then?” Mercy sighed. He already knew, so she might as well tell him. “Yes,” she said. “Sephora told me. I guess my mother was a witch. She fell in love with a wolf and they, they had me.”
Sephora grabbed Lucas by the arm and hauled him away.“I’m very sorry, Jonathan,” Olivia said. “This must be a bit shocking.”Jonathan nodded then he shrugged. “Not really,” he replied. “I think I’ve always known, deep down, that Lucas wasn’t her real son. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change anything. It does explain why he was so awful to me all those years, though. I guess he knew, too, in his heart of hearts. He was afraid I would take the Alpha role away from him. I still don’t want it though. He can have it. He’s still the son of a previous Alpha, right?”“Uh, I just thought of something,” Olivia said then, her face pale. “Lucas is my half-brother.” Everyone let that sink in. Then Alfred broke the silence.“Tough break, kid.” He laughed. “But you know what they say? You can’t choose your family.”“No, I guess not,” Olivia laughed. “But you can choose your friends.” Amelia and Jonathan smiled at Olivia.“I feel like I should go,” Agatha said. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”
Sephora recognized Agatha the moment she walked in. That bitch! That human that stole her husband’s heart with her seduction? What was she doing here? Sephora’s mind flashed back to the day she found her husband was cheating on her was a human! Sure, Agatha claimed that he was keeping her there against her will, but she was lying. Sephora knew it. She was perfectly content in her little love nest. The cottage her husband gave her! And now she was pregnant? If the pack found out, Sephora would be the laughing stock of the entire pack! So she had quickly devised a plan. She would keep the baby and raise it as her own. Her husband could keep his pretty little human. Whatever. It didn’t matter. As long as NO ONE KNEW! But then she’d run away and people had found out. She’d gone straight to the Alpha King himself. Sephora had rejected it all, called Agatha a liar. Why would her husband, the Alpha of Blackseed, love a lowly human. It was preposterous! Most people had b
“Davison,” Agatha smiled. “Come, sit with us.” “Oh no, I can’t stay long. And neither can you. Olivia’s friends are waiting for her at the gala. I just thought I’d check in to see how the little reunion is going.”“Reunion? Dad, did you…did you know about this? That she was coming here tonight?” “Of course. I’m the one who invited her.” “What?”“She looks just like the pictures,” Agatha said, stroking Olivia’s hair.“Pictures? What pictures?” Olivia asked. Something wasn’t making sense here. Agatha told her she had left when Olivia was little. But these two were talking like old friends? “He’s kept in the loop,” Agatha smiled. “Over the years.” “Really?” Olivia asked. This was all news to her. “Yes,” Davison confirmed. “I’ve been in contact with Agatha over the years. She made a huge sacrifice, leaving you. So I made it my mission to keep her updated on you and your life.” “He sends me pictures. And tells me about what you’re u
Lucas. Of course. Olivia nodded. There had been rumors that Lucas wasn’t Sephora’s son by birth, which is why Lucas has been so mean to Jonathan over the years. Jonathan had told Amelia that his brother had even tried to kill him once. That’s why Jonathan had left the pack. It was ironic, because Jonathan didn’t even care about being Alpha. He didn’t want it. But it made sense now as to why Lucas was so aggressive and hated Jonathan so much. Deep down, Lucas must have known that Sephora was not his birth mother. Which meant he wasn’t the rightful heir to the pack, Jonathan was. So Lucas had tried to force Jonathan to leave, to get him out of the way, so Jonathan wouldn’t be a threat. This was all starting to make sense now. “It was a secret, one that I swore to keep.” “What happened after Lucas was born?” “I stayed. For a bit. I didn’t know what else to do. But he…he got worse. Meaner. More forceful. I told him I wanted to leave, and he threatened me.
Olivia stumbled backwards, shocked. “Mmmm, mother?” she stammered. Amelia grabbed Olivia’s arm to steady her. “That can’t be.” The woman looked uneasily at everyone in the wings. “Can I talk to you?” she asked, stepping towards Olivia. “Will you walk with me? So I can explain?” the woman asked. Olivia shook her head in disbelief and turned to Alfred. He smiled gently at her and nodded his head. “Give her a chance to explain,” he told her. “Trust me, I’m just as shocked as you are, love. But she deserves a chance to explain herself.” Amelia and Jonathan agreed.“I don’t know what’s going on, but I agree with Alfred. You should talk to her.” So Olivia left the wings of the stage and followed the woman to the bench overlooking the lake.The gala was in full swing inside and they could hear the music and the people laughing. It was a calm evening, and the water was so calm it looked like glass under the light of the moon. “I know this must be quite the