His lips trail along my neck, sending shivers down my spine, and I moan when his teeth sink into my pulse point. The bite is bruising and thrilling at the same time. I cling to him as he sucks and spells his name with the tip of his tongue. When he pulls away, possession claims his features. “Wear my mark proudly into battle, mate. I want to watch you wearing it while you paint your skin with the sins of those who think to persecute our people.”
Marcus’ words light an inferno within me, not just lust, but a desire to make him proud while wearing his mark on my skin. It gives me strength and determination. Confidence fills me, and I press a hard kiss against his lips. I remove my outfit and send it to our bedroom at home, replacing it with something more appropriate.
Alex may have been onto something with the leather though. I replace the strappy top with a fitted long sleeve shirt, and the leather pencil skirt with skinny jeans. Comfortable knee-high leather boots fit over the pants and tightly hug my legs, adding a layer of warmth. To top off my look, I add a leather jacket, pulling my casual yet functional outfit together.
“Much better,” Marcus grumbles in a sigh of relief.
Alex shoots us a pout and crosses his arms. “I liked the other outfit better, but you still look hot as hell in this one, so I suppose it’ll do.”
We move to exit the tent, and I find William loitering by the exit, his hands balled up into fists by his sides. They’re clenching and unclenching as he tries to dispel nervous energy. The moment he sees me, his long strides bring him by my side a second later. He picks up my hand and squeezes the life out of it. My eyebrow raises in question of his unusual behavior.
When he speaks to me using our mental link, I know just how much of a wreck he is right now.“After we walked in from giving instructions to the soldiers, your dad came to the tent saying there’s several Alphas outside waiting to speak with you before we leave. I’m fairly certain my parents are out there. I’m not sure they know about me yet, and I can’t decide if I want them to be welcoming, or ignore me all together until after Silas is taken care of.”
The tremble in his voice makes my heart seize up. My sweet William. I saw how tormented he was by the situation with his parents when we first met. To go from thinking they’re dead, to knowing they’re on the other side of a canvas tent flap... The bond confirms his nerves are in knots. I use my thumb to rub away the crease between his brows, then pull him into a hug. My arms wrap around his corded strength, and he remains stiff in my hold.
Pressing my thumbs into the muscles in his back, I try to relieve some of the tension he’s holding there.“If they aren’t happy to see you, then I’ll banish them from the pack! You have nothing to worry about, my love,”I soothe him. He lets out an audible chuckle and finally relaxes into my hold. With a deep breath, he releases me and faces the tent opening. I take his hand again, gripping it tightly, offering my full support.
Alex exits first, followed by Marcus, Derrick, and Klaus. “Hello, Marcus, dear. So good to see you. Now scooch out of the way, I need to see my sweet baby boy. Where’s your brother?” The soft feminine voice reaches us moments after they exit the tent and relief is evident in William’s features.
“See, nothing to worry about,”I say, while giving William a slight tug of encouragement. We exit the tent and immediately get pulled into a hug.
I gaze over the woman’s shoulder and see my parents bowing with the four Alpha pack leaders, along with their mates. Well, aside from the woman who’s now gripping William’s face between her palms. She steps back and her gaze flicks over to me. “Oh, forgive me, Your Majesty. I forgot myself with my excitement.” She averts her gaze and bows, baring her neck in a heightened sign of respect.
“Please stand,” I awkwardly say, still not used to people bowing to me. Our parents step forward as soon as they stand. They don’t give any hugs or offer goodbyes. We never enter a war preparing to never come back. Instead, each one of them looks us in the eye, and takes turns passing on wisdom to bring us through on the other side of it.
When they’re done, we give a curt head nod and make our way through the woods, up the rest of the mountain. Thea’s team has kept an eye on the mine entrance, and used spells to try to catch any sounds from within the rock, all to no avail. We’re going in blind, but whatever is coming, we’ll face it together.
The ground is frosted as we leave the camp. We quickly stumble upon small patches of snow as we walk. It starts out as small, half melted patches, which slowly grow bigger until we’re walking through a couple of inches of snow. The birds keep singing, and the only other sound is the crunch of snow under our feet.
We lead our people into the snow-filled valley, trees giving way to the open expanse. Mountain ranges appear as a scenic backdrop, appearing more like the destination for a ski vacation than a battle. Nothing mars the view before us except for the puff of air from our breath in the frigid temperatures. When we reach the center of the valley, the soldiers get into formation behind us.
My parents step up to our left, and I signal them to go ahead after checking that everyone is ready. They combine their power and send a rush of air right at the mine’s entrance. The door blows off the hinges, flying inward, disappearing into the darkness. Using a spell to amplify my voice, I send it in another burst of air into the tunnels. “Silas! It’s time to answer for your crimes. Come out peacefully and we can settle this without undue bloodshed.” My voice is strong and unwavering, resonating through the passageways within the mountain.
Laughter comes echoing out of the opening, manic and full of undue confidence. The sound sends a flashback of the night Silas tried to take everything from me. My twins step up on either side of me, lending their support. I know they’re both thinking of that night too, William for having lived through it, and Marcus for having experienced the night through our shared dream.
I clear my mind of the vision threatening to take over, just in time to watch Silas step out of the opening. He approaches us slowly, drawing out each step to be achingly slow. The pristine beauty of the valley instantly becomes marred by the inner darkness he harbors. Behind him, his inner circle spills out onto the snow. Their footsteps turn the ground, making it a muddy slush.
The sun peaks over the mountain range behind us, shining its rays on the offending demon before us. His manic mask of crazy is broken when he squints from the beam of light pegging him in the eye. “Oh! This guy’s got the right idea. He wore the brown pants!” Alex says, pointing to the group before us. I don’t see anyone with brown pants, but the sound of a hand smacking the back of a head distracts me from searching further.
“What the actual fuck, Alex? Do you really think this is the time for aDeadpoolquote?” Marcus admonishes him.
Alex shrugs with a grin on his face. “Why not? Thought we could lighten the mood a bit. You know, have some fun while painting the snow red.”
I scowl at his conclusion about how things are going to end. While I may know he’s right, I still hold on to hope we can avoid such a finale to this story. “Let’s try to stay focused,” I reply with exasperation.
In typical Silas fashion, his eyes glide right over me as he surveys our group. His approach ends right as he gets within range for our heightened hearing, leaving a broad expanse between us. “Brought a few traitors with you, son?” he says when his eyes land on William. His brow raises as he waits for a response. “I know things have been difficult between us recently, but this is your one chance for forgiveness. Hand over the magic suppressors and help me claim our birthright.” He beckons Will to step toward him.
The longer we all stand here saying nothing, the more Silas’ gaze narrows. He seems to have truly believed, when the time came, the boy he tried to brainwash would shine through, and choose him. He keeps proving there’s no end to his delusions. Will unclenches his hand and grasps mine instead. This is the final straw for Silas. His face is instantly over-ripe, strawberry red. “You’ve been the biggest disappointment of my life. I clearly should’ve taken your brother. Had he been taught the truth, I know he would be standing by my side.”
Marcus and his parents let out matching snarls. The fury behind the sound sends vibrations into the air, raising the hair on my arms. The North Alpha steps forward. “You have much to answer for, Silas. I should’ve seen the truth behind all of your actions over the years. I should’ve realized you lost your magic after your twin and his mate died. But most of all, I never should’ve trusted you for one second. There were too many moments where I made up excuses for your behavior and disrespect. Now step forward to be held before the Fates, for they shall surely judge you justly for your sins.”
I honestly hadn’t thought of performing the magic to force judgment by the Fates. Silas deserves to reap a small fraction of the pain he’s inflicted on others all these years. No. My plan is to rip him limb from limb, and take those sections and rip them into bits and pieces. I want to turn him into confetti and dance as his ruins rain down. I want to bathe in his pain, paint a masterpiece on my body with his blood.
His magic forsook him when he used it to murder his twin. If I use it to aid me, it would be in defense of innocents. In fact, my magic is sending me encouragement to end the one who’s threatened its very existence. I wouldn’t need to use my magic to accomplish my daydreams though. It would actually be more fun to use brute strength. To use a knife to dice him up, slit his throat like he did to me through Will. Over and over...
Will squeezes my hand, drawing me out of my daydream. Fuck! I’m getting ahead of myself. He hasn’t turned himself over yet, and I don’t believe he will either.
As if he heard my thoughts, and wants to prove me right, Silas chortles again. He goes so far with the laughter he ends up bent over with his hands on his knees. In the blink of an eye, he’s standing again, no smile in sight. It’s eerie, like he has split personalities and he just transitioned over.
