His eyes narrow, and I lash out with my magic. I hear a crack, and then he howls as his nose breaks and blood flows from it. “I said, do you hear me?” I demand, my voice loud and filled with power as I glare down at the man at my feet.
“You pathetic bitch,” he spits, getting to his feet to retaliate. I prepare for the attack when suddenly, more magic fills the room, flinging Theo away from me.
My mouth drops open when I see my mother standing in the door, looking furious and very regal.
“Get out of my house!” my mother yells, power rising. Again.
Theo gets to his feet, holding his bleeding nose, and with a glare at me, he sweeps past my mother. “You have made a grave mistake,” he hisses.
She raises her chin, her eyes firing indignantly. “The only mistake was letting you get close to my daughter,” she snaps.
He leaves and the door shuts while I stand there, our eyes clashing. We are both unsure what to say. This woman is a stranger, my mother doesn’t fight, does not raise her voice. Yet she did both. She slumps then. “Alejandra, I am sorry, I should have seen how cruel he was. I just wanted someone who could protect you…but that’s not an excuse. Are you okay?”
I nod, and she takes in what I’m wearing and the locket around my neck and winces. “You have chosen, haven’t you?”
I nod again, speechless. She steps closer, clasping my hands, as tears well in her eyes. “I was always so scared to lose you. I forgot what it means to have you. I just wanted to protect you, I hope you know that.” She squeezes my hand. “You are sure this is what you want? The path will not be easy.”
“I know, but I love him, Mother. He is the one, he is my future, and this is my path. I have chosen,” I state determinedly.
She nods, looking at me for a moment before cupping my cheek. “My beautiful strong daughter. You are stronger than I could have ever imagined, you will save this world, never doubt that.” She drops her hand and steps back, straightening her dress. “Well then, how may I help you?”
I smile, unable to help it. She may have made mistakes, she may not have been the mother I needed, but right now, she’s trying. I accept her assistance, and as she helps do my makeup, hair, and don my dress, I inform her of what I need.
Now all I have to do is wait.
Slate
I wake with a start and hear the sound of more feet heading my way. I groan sluggishly, hardly able to move. Those evil fae twins stayed until I passed out, ripping my body and mind apart again and again, until I could no longer breathe, until I didn’t know what was real. They planted visions in my head, horrible visions that made me feel sick to my very core.
Visions of my mate being violated.
Hurt.
Killed.
Over and over, I was forced to watch them. I felt like my mind would fracture, but I couldn’t do that to her, she needs me. So even though it was complete agony, I survived, and they are coming back for more. I get to my feet, stumbling on my paws, but I refuse to be lying down when they come.
I am a god!
Not some weak fae they can break.
Lowering my head, my dried blood staining the concrete beneath me, I get ready to attack, to fight for my life and that of my mate. I am the original wolf, the eater of the world. I will not die so easily. I did not live thousands of years to perish in some godforsaken dungeon when I am so close to happiness.
Alejandra’s name fills my head like a war cry as they come into view and the bars drop.
I charge them, and I manage to kill two before their magic binds me. I’m frozen to the spot, actually frozen, with ice covering my body as a man holds his hand out to me. Another emerges, takes one look at me, and rolls his eyes. He crouches before me as the others rush to drag away their dead, making me snort. His eyes twitch, and when there is no one left but him, he leans in.
“Do not fight, wolf, your destiny awaits you. She will be there, trust in the goddess, trust in your mate,” he murmurs before standing as the others return.
She will be there? Alejandra? I stare at the fae in confusion as I’m lifted and dragged down the corridor with him following behind me. What did he mean? And why is he offering me anything? Doesn’t he work for the queen? I’m pulled past empty cells and up the stairs. We pause outside of two double doors as I try to fight the ice encasing my body. Watching it slowly melt is torture in itself, I’m ready to pounce.
But then the doors open, admitting us.
I stare, unable to help it. It’s a throne room, and there’s a party going on. There are women in dresses and jewels, men in suits, and a band in the corner. Food and alcohol flow freely. Those nearest gasp when they see us. Some look excited, while some look concerned as I am paraded through their midst to the empty throne and placed before it. No doubt it’s for the queen to make a show of her entrance when she arrives. I dart my eyes around, searching for the one face I want to see more than anything, hope filling me.
I find her in the crowd, she stands out like the moon on a clear night. She’s shining brighter than any other, even in her long, black, plain dress. Her silver hair is down and wild around her shoulders, and she wears no jewels like the others, except for a silver necklace around her neck. Her face is solemn and cold as she glances about before those eyes lock on me.
My heart leaps, and I want to roar, to burst free and rush to her, but I can’t. She swallows, her eyes melting for a moment to reveal my soft, sweet mate before they harden and she turns away. My heart cracks at that, shattering in my chest as I howl her name, locked inside my wolf.
Has she given up on me?
Or worse…has she chosen her people over me? Is she going to watch them as they torture and kill me?
I love her more than anything else in the world. A tear drips free of my eye, and a whine escapes my unfreezing throat. I see her flinch at the noise and anger surges through me. She should flinch. If my mate has truly forsaken me for her people…
Death would be swifter than the pain I feel now, as if my heart has been shredded in my chest. Even the twins of pain couldn’t inflict as much agony as I’m feeling now.
I reach for her in my mind, again and again, but she ignores me. She holds a glass of wine in her hand as she stands in a circle of other high fae nobles, nodding woodenly. Is she really choosing this life over me?
I watch the same man who whispered to me slide through the crowd to my mate. He whispers in her ear, and I snarl as jealousy and possessiveness surges through me, but when those silver eyes flicker to me I slump, whining at being so close but so far away from my mate.
She winks before turning away again, and I settle a bit. She isn’t choosing her people. She is up to something, my crafty little mate. The ice still holds me in place, and I drag my eyes away from her when the air shifts, bringing me an achingly familiar scent. Did they mess with my brain so much? He couldn’t possibly be here.
I catch sight of a redhead before she fades into the crowd, and I swear I see a dark, familiar head, but when I blink, they are gone. Just then, the crowd quiets down and they start to drop to their knees. The doors fly open, and the queen sweeps into the room. I know it’s her from the power surrounding her, but it’s nothing compared to my mate’s or even my own. She is flaunting it to try and seem powerful. There is a crown perched on her head, and her eyes lock on me as she saunters through the room and, with a flick of her dress, she sits on the throne behind me.