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“It’s too late for that, Dad. Jake wants a war, and he’s going to get one.”
He grabs my arm and looks pleadingly into my eyes. “Do you want all of this to go down and finally get Quinn back to lose it all by getting hauled off for starting a war? We won’t be able to prevent the human population from finding out, even if it is on pack land. People will notice if we all head over there with vehicles full of shifters. The townspeople already know that we have some issues with them, but this won't go unnoticed. I don’t think Quinn would survive losing you. I know you have had your issues, but I can see it in the way she looks at you...she loves you, son.”
“She doesn't even trust me to know where our daughter is hiding, Dad. That’s all that matters to her. We may be true mates, but I don't think she will ever love me; I don't think she wants to be my mate. I'm not sure there is any way of coming back from what I did. If I get hauled off, I at least know that she and Maddie will be safe, and maybe then Quinn will know how much she means to me. Maybe then she will see what a huge mistake I made, and I won't make the same mistake again.” I haven’t realized that people stopped to listen to me; the room is quiet, and many stare at me in shock and sympathy.
“That’s right, Quinn is my true mate, not a chosen mate, and I screwed up. Seluna sent me an amazing woman! I won’t let Jake force her into doing something she doesn’t want to do. I won't let him abuse her abilities; he thinks he has won by having her. He hasn't won anything."
Jim steps forward and looks around the room, the energy pulsing with restlessness to face the evil we have known for decades. "We are Pack Twilight Meadows, and we will protect our own.”
The howls fill the house and the yard. My pack will rally behind me. With that, I leave the room, steeling myself for what will come.
Chapter 15 - Quinn
My skin pulls tightly around my knuckles as I clutch the steering wheel in a death grip. The shaking in my arms is not only because of the bumpy road but also because of the nerves from handing myself over to Jake. I guess I always knew that I would end up back here, in Jake’s grasp, but I hoped I would be free of his influence, though I see now how credulous that was. For a man who doesn’t have a lot of power in the shifter community, he has always had far more power over me than I’ve wanted. I guess that's what happens when the power dynamic is abused.
As I round the corner, an old barn comes into view at the end of this secluded road. My heart is pounding erratically in my chest; I try to take deep breaths to calm my nerves. The rocks on the road pelt the underside of Darlene’s car, announcing my arrival. I’ve never been to this property before; in fact, it’s about twenty minutes away from pack lands. I wonder if it’s private property or something. The barn is old, slightly dilapidated, and isolated in the woods. No house to go with it, just the barn, which is odd. Four men walk out of the barn, and in the middle is my nightmare: Jake. He hasn’t changed much in four years, which I suppose isn’t all that surprising. Pulling the car up in front of the men, I put it in park and take another fortifying breath. I need to do this to protect Maddie…to protect Eli. My heart squeezes, thinking about what Eli must be going through. The bond has become an increasing pressure, begging to be completed; I rub my chest, absentmindedly grateful for my time with Eli, even if it was short-lived. Whatever happens to me, I know Maddie will be safe and loved with Eli, which gives me a moderate sense of peace. I hope Paige was able to get to the council in time. The door to the car opens, and a squeak leaves my lips as one of my old packmates pulls me from the front seat. I guess I got lost in thought.
“I didn’t think you would actually show up, but I guess it’s true what they say: a mother will do anything for her child.’”
I stare at Jake with as much hatred as I can possibly manage. The grip around my arm tightens as I say nothing to Jake.
“Now, you didn’t do anything stupid and tell someone where you were going, right?”
“Do you really think I would risk my child’s life like that? I know you would go back on your word had I done that.”
“Ah well, funny thing, that. I wasn’t actually going to let your pup survive either way. You'll have hope as long as she is out there, and I can’t have that.”
“You bastard!” I try and lunge for Jake. I don’t know why I’m surprised he would go back on his word, but here we are. Someone else has grabbed my other arm and is trying to restrain me. My wolf surges to the surface, feeling the threat, and tries to force a change. All of a sudden, I feel a shooting pain in my skull, and the world goes black.
A throbbing pain radiates through my skull and down my neck. My eyelids feel heavy as I try to open them. Burning pain around my wrists and ankles jolts me up, causing me to pull at it to try and get away from the pain, which is futile. I look down and see silver chains wrapped around my wrists and ankles. A whimper rises in my throat, but I swallow it down; I refuse to let Jake know the pain I’m in. I’m inside the barn now, sitting on a mat placed against one of the walls. A few lights dot the area, but not bright enough to see everything. It’s nighttime now, which means it’s cold and hard to see. Surveying the area results in no new information. No one is around to talk to or to find out what's happening, and the silver chains are attached to a newly-poured cement floor. I place my hands on my head, massaging it slightly to relieve some of the pain from what I am guessing is being hit over the head. What a bastard, knocking me out instead of actually talking to me. I hear feet walking over leaves just outside the barn, and the door creaks open.
“Ah, you’re awake, good. Alpha Jake will be pleased.” Niam walks in with a cocky grin on his face.
“What happened to you, Niam? You weren’t nearly this awful in school.” He stares me down, and I can see the fire burning in his eyes.
“What happened? Luke is what happened.” Luke? His older brother?
“I see you remember him. Shortly after you left, Jake went crazy looking for you. He was convinced Eli had you, so he sent a few warriors to ‘retrieve’ you. Well, the old Alpha of Twilight Meadows didn’t take too kindly to having Clearwater wolves on his lands, so he made an example and killed them all…my brother was one of them.”
“I’m sorry…I didn’t know.” I hadn't known that my leaving caused so much trouble. I’m crushed to know that someone died because of it.
“Because you’re selfish. You were only thinking of yourself when you left, not what would happen to the rest of us. You knew Jake was obsessed with you, and yet you left the pack, and then we had to deal with him.”
“Then why are you helping him? He was the one who sent your brother out, not me.”
“Because you were the reason he did it. I lost my brother because you wouldn’t just stay here, shut up, and do what you needed to do for the pack.” His bitterness and anger is palpable. I shift slightly, wincing at the pain in my wrists and ankle.
“You think it’s going to get better now? That just because Jake has me now he will stop doing stupid stuff like picking a fight with the Twilight Meadows pack? Heck, even the council!”
“I don’t care if it gets better so long as you suffer.” He spits the words out at me, making me pause for a moment. This isn’t anger he is showing. This is grief.
“I’m sorry about your brother Niam…it wasn’t right. Jake was wrong in sending them out, and it was wrong of Alpha Ulfred to punish the wolves just following their Alpha’s commands. You have a right to be angry, to be hurt.” He stares at me for a long time, a sheen of tears sitting at the base of his eyes.
“I don’t expect you to understand why I did it—run away. But like you said, I knew what Jake wanted. He wanted me not for me, but for my bloodline, and I had resigned myself to being unhappy…for the pack. But then I found out I was pregnant, and I knew what he was going to do.” I stare into Niam’s eyes, willing him to see it. “He would have killed her—though I guess that doesn’t matter now, seeing as he is bound and bent on doing it anyway. I didn’t want any of this; I didn’t want people to die because of me. I’m so sorry about your brother.”
Tears well up in my eyes as I look at the far wall. I just pray that he won’t find Darlene and Maddie before the council can get here. So much life has already been sacrificed for me. Niam is silent for a long time before he says anything.
“Jake will be back soon.” I finally turn to look at Niam; the fire I saw before has quieted. Now, all I see is pain.
