Rodger POVMy head was pounding. Cold coffee has been fueling me for the past few days as I sat in that disgusting room in the basement of the hotel, trying to make sense of the writings on the wall.“Here, boss,” Kai sat down a steaming cup of green tea in front of me. He cut off my coffee consumption for the day, but I needed something. Decaf green tea will have to work for now.“Thanks, Kai.”“Yup,” he stretched the back of his head, looking over the texts in the books I was studying. “Have you gotten any further?”“Not much,” I sighed. “These writings are not something I can just look up on Google. Scholars study for decades to even gain a minor understanding of what they could mean.”“So you have no idea what any of the writing on the walls says?”I pointed to a group of pictures that looked like stairs, random oval-like shapes, and then a human-like figure. “This is a symbol for a type of goddess. It appears the most together, so it was easier to find references too, but everyth
I continued scanning through all the hieroglyphics in different languages for all the different goddesses of ancient times, until my eyes landed on one. The symbols beside it were close to the ones written on the walls, but so were many of the others. That wasn’t what stood out to me. It was an ancient statue beside the text of a voluptuous woman holding a staff that was in the shape of a snake. The caption of the picture read, ‘THE GREAT GODDESS AND HER STAFF OF REGENERATION’.“Look at this,” I called Kai over, and his eyes widened as he read the lines under the picture too."Is that what I think it is on her cane?""A snake? I think it is. Look at the top where she is holding it." The handle was definitely a snake's head, with a pair of eyes that seemed haunted even in statue form. The snake's head was a stark contrast to the statue's beauty. It really stood out.“Mr. Smith had a cane shaped like a snake,” he whispered. “Estel even mentioned it. She said something was off about it.”
Laura POV“Hmm,” the tip of Mr. Smith's cane tapped lightly on the floor as he twirled it back and forth in his hands. His eyes were glowing eerily, the dark of his irises taking over all of his whites. “Seems we are running out of time,” he murmured, staring blankly out the dirty window.He called Jasper and I here, the only semblance of a house in the camp we're hiding at in the woods far from the pack. I was already upset at having to sleep in a tent like a rat for the past week. Now, it's like he is showing off that he's in the seat of power in the house, flaunting it to me. I haven't even washed my hair with real shampoo and deep conditioner in days, but he still looks clean and well-groomed."Running out of time for what, sir?" Jasper asked.Mr. Smith smirked. I could see his reflection in the glass of the window. "It's time to hold up to your end of the deal. Use your new mate to bring me the girl. Command him now."That sour taste of irritation burned my throat with the urge
Boyd POV “Do it,” the deep voice commanded me again. “You have until sundown. I’ll be waiting.” Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. I rolled over in my bed, grasping my head between my hands. I was squeezing so tight, I knew I would have bruises, but I didn’t care. I was fighting this command. I won’t follow through. I can’t. But at the same time, I can’t refuse. All morning, since before I even opened my eyes, their voices have been plaguing my every thought. It’s gone from Laura's shrill demanding screeching to Alpha Ford’s hostile commands emanating from inside my mind, driving me to madness with the need to comply. My will was on the cusp of breaking, but the consequences of obeying them would be too great. It is a price I would never willingly pay for anything. Even when I hated Mick and despised coming to this pack, I never would have put Chloe’s life on the line or sacrificed her to anyone. Not to them, and definitely not to that monster they serve. Sirius was snarling inside of m
“Estel,” I whispered, being the first to break the tense silence. Mick put his hand over mine, and I could feel his hesitation. Not one outside of us three knew of Estel’s bond to Boyd. I couldn’t leave her in the dark though. She looked at me, her eyes pleading for some answer to why everyone was acting off. I can’t tell her here. Not without raising suspicions. If Beau, Alexi and Jamie knew Estel was Boyd’s mate, that would put more pressure on her to accept the bond, even if there came a time when she might need to let him go. She was stressed enough as it was, and this news surely wouldn't make things any better. I threw a glance at Lenny, who wasn’t told directly about Estel and Boyd, but I knew he had his suspicions. I then looked back at Estel. “Can you come with Lenny and me back to the pack house? The others have something they need to handle.” She blinked in surprise, looking around the room at the stressed faces. Beta Desmond had already gotten up and quietly called a
She growled, stomping her foot, but grabbed my hand and practically ran with me all the way to the top floor where the Alpha suite was. "You mind lin the second we're there. We're not hiding away. We're looking for him." “Jeez. Where’s the fire?” Cortina grumbled. “She’s scared for her mate. You would be the same way,” I reminded her. Cortina was about to spit out some smartass retort, but all of a sudden, my entire body went hot and at the same time, a chill traveled down my spine. As we stepped through the doors to our bedroom, it got so much worse. Lenny moved to lock down the room, but I stopped him, putting my hand over his. “Wait,” I said cautiously, my eyes traveling around the dark room in search of the threat I was feeling. Estel and Lenny caught on to my change in alertness. “What is it?” Estel asked. Lenny started to examine the room too, his eyes glowing as his beast pushed forward. “I don’t know,” I whispered to Estel. “Something feels off.” “Probably because it
Frozen. Everything around me was completely still, like it was frozen with a glimmering sheen coating everything and everyone but me. “What the hell?” My hands were still stretched out, and my muscles were still flexed with the cool energy that exploded from my fingertips. “Did you freeze them? What was that?” My hands dropped to my sides, and I hesitantly took steps towards Estel and Boyd. Boyd’s body still looked bound, but the violet cords of power were no longer surrounding him. Not visibly. His body was contorted in place, like they were still there. Fur was lining every inch of his skin, and his snout was fully formed. “They aren’t frozen,” I said to Cortina as I felt the heat of their bodies. “Not like that.” Estel and Boyd remained unmoving, not even breathing as I walked cautiously around them, skirting between them, squeezing my body through the slender space between them, their body warmth pushed back at me. I could feel the dark energy buzzing on the surface of Boyd
The snake screamed a sickening, hissing scream, uncoiling around Boyd just enough for me to pull him under me, shielding him with my body as the fire raged inside of his mind, burning away the dark magic that had been poisoning him. The snake was still screaming, slithering to find an escape. There was no escape. The violet flames were everywhere, purifying every corner of Boyd’s mind. Soon, the fire overtook him, scorching him alive in this prerogative inferno. Then, I heard another voice, like nails on a chalkboard. It was a woman’s furious cry. “You better not fail me! You better not!” Everything was in flames, except myself and Boyd, who was still unconscious, but safe under me. I looked around everywhere and couldn’t find the source of the woman’s cries. “We’re waiting! In the spot at the edge of the pack. Bring her to us, and do not fail,” her screeching wails were possessive, demanding, and I could feel the weight of a Luna’s command in her tone. It had no effect on me.