"No..." Something twisted and broke deep inside me at his betrayal, even though I should have seen it coming. Kaden had been right all along. Jordan had never been on my side, and he'd never planned to help me, despite what he'd said to me. I should have never trusted him, brother or not. Fuck, I was such a damn fool.
A noise rustled behind me, raising my hackles, and then a hand closed around my shoulder, pulling me back. I spun around to face my attacker and then froze.
It was Kaden.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
I braced myself for a fight, but Kaden yanked me closer, pulling me against his chest. His hands were gentle as they ran along my shoulders and arms. “Ayla,” he said, and it sounded like he was relieved. I gasped, but before I could ask him what the hell he was playing at, he leaned down and captured my lips.
I froze, wondering if this was some sort of new attack, but Kaden just kissed me harder. The sounds of the shifters around us faded to nothing as Kaden slid his hands around my waist and pulled me even closer. I melted against him, my body so used to this that my mind didn't have time to catch up and warn me not to let him do this.
"Forgive me, Ayla," he said, pressing his forehead against mine. “I should have never made you choose, and never should have kicked you out of the pack. I'm sorry.”
I could hardly believe my ears. Was Kaden...apologizing?
He kept talking, while I tried to find my voice to answer him. "I lost my temper that night, but as soon as I realized what I'd done, I regretted it. I went after you and tried to make it right, but you were already gone."
Was that what happened when he'd come to my hotel room, calling for me right before I teleported us away? I'd been so terrified for myself and for Jordan, I hadn't even stopped to consider he might be coming to apologize. I wasn't sure I could accept Kaden's apology so easily either. The man would have to do a lot of groveling to get me to take him back—but we would deal with that later. Right now we had more immediate problems.
"It's me who should be apologizing," I said, swallowing hard. "You were right. Jordan betrayed me." I jerked my head toward where Jordan stood beside Evanora, like her perfect little Leo pet. I'd sacrificed everything for him, and this was how I'd been repaid for it. “He's chosen his side, and it's with the Sun Witches, not us.”
Kaden growled low in his throat at the sight. "I wish I could say I'm surprised, but I'm not." He turned back to me and caressed my cheek. "But I don't care about him. I'm just glad you're here."
"I would never miss this," I said, pressing my hand against his, savoring the warmth of his skin on mine.
"Ayla?" Wesley's voice called out, and then he was barreling through the brush to get to me. He wrapped me up in his arms, nearly lifting me off the ground. "I'm so relieved to see you here. But is it true you're no longer in the Ophiuchus pack?"
"A temporary misunderstanding," Kaden said. "One I intend to fix as soon as this battle is over."
I raised an eyebrow. "Assuming I even want to join your pack again." I did, of course. I just didn't want to make it so easy for him.
Ethan shook my hand with a smile. “It's about time you showed up. Kaden was pacing up a storm. I never thought he'd settle down.”
Kaden shot Ethan a hard look, but that only made me smile wider. It was nice to know Kaden had been as miserable as me while I'd been away. I moved forward and embraced Larkin and Stella next. There wasn't much time for anything else, but I was overjoyed to see my friends and family once again. This was where I belonged.
Then we all charged forward to face the enemy.
“Welcome,” Evanora called out, cutting into our reunion, her voice booming through the forest around us thanks to her magic. “Welcome to the Convergence. I'm pleased to see all twelve packs of the Zodiac Wolves were able to make it. I hope we can continue our rituals as we have always done in the past, despite recent circumstances.”
Her eyes settled on Kaden and me, and then quickly looked around at the other Ophiuchus pack members. Kaden growled, low in his chest. I wasn't sure if Evanora could hear it, but it rattled through my rib cage, and the shifters nearest to us twitched.
“The Ophiuchus pack is not invited, nor welcome here,” she said coolly.
“The Ophiuchus pack has joined the Zodiac Wolves, and the twelve packs are no longer allied with the Sun Witches,” Kaden said, raising his chin defiantly.
Evanora scoffed, and her lips curled up into a cruel smile. “Don't be silly. The Zodiac Wolves need us. Or have you forgotten we're the only ones who can release your wolves, find your mates, and protect you from the Moon Curse?”
Around us, the packs were staring at each other, tension rising with each passing minute. There would only be so much time before violence broke out, but we needed to keep the peace for a while longer. This would be the perfect moment to unveil how the Sun Witches had orchestrated the Zodiac Packs' reliance on them.
"All of that is bullshit." Ethan was the one who called out, surprising me. He didn't look angry, like Kaden did. He was perfectly poised and polished, never losing his temper in the time I'd known him. He really was a diplomat, no matter how many times that had gotten in our way in the past, but he was obviously done with diplomacy today. “We know you're locking our wolves away and controlling the mate bonds. The Moon Curse hasn't been around for centuries. Release us from your spells, or we'll be forced to retaliate against you."
Evanora's smile changed and became almost pitying. “I have no idea what you mean. You've been deceived by the Ophiuchus pack. They are notoriously good at using dark magic, and they've twisted your minds.” She clicked her tongue and shook her head, and for all intents and purposes, looked genuinely remorseful. “It's really too bad.”
Anger rose inside of me at Evanora's fake tone and the stricken look on her face. Even being directly accused, she continued to deny it. She was putting on a show that was good enough that it had confused and held the packs under her thrall for years, but we couldn't let that continue any longer.
“The only twisted ones are the Sun Witches,” I called out.
Evanora's sharp gaze turned to me. “That's rich, coming from you, you Moon Witch half-breed."
A few mutters went up around the shifters at her words, but I ignored them. “You've been controlling us for centuries, turning the packs against each other and breeding us like dogs, all for your personal gain.” I stood up straighter, and didn't look away. “It's time for this to end. Now.”
Some of the enemy packs bristled and exchanged looks with their pack mates. It was clear that this was the first they were hearing of this, but I couldn't tell if any of them believed what we were saying, or if they would continue to follow the Sun Witches.
"No." Evanora's voice cracked like a whip. “We created you, and we made you what you are today. It's time for you to bow to us again.”
“We'll never bow,” Wesley said, glaring at Evanora. “We'd rather die fighting for our freedom."
Evanora let out a wicked laugh. “Oh, do try, little pup. Your might is nothing against our magic.”