Memories of her life flashed through her mind, not surprising to her—really. Her mother’s majik was slowly overtaking her own. She thought for sure she would see the happy memories of her life. Not that she’d had many, but the ones playing on rewind in her mind were the worst days of her life. The instants her mother and coven had failed her.
Pain tore through her heart, having to relive the moments of betrayal she’d felt time and time again at the hands of her so-called family. The instances when her sister reveled in Adalyn’s punishment for failing to obey their mother’s incredulous demands.
The more the memories flooded into her mind, the harder she fought to push them back, until she finally gave in to the truth.
Her truth.
The truth that her mother had never loved her.
She’d only sought to serve her own selfish interests when she’d deceived Bjorn to get pregnant and given birth to her.
The evidence had been thrown in her face repeatedly, yet she’d refused to see what had always been right in front of her. She’d wanted to think her mother, of all people, was capable of change. Capable of loving the daughter she’d birthed and raised. Yet, with each passing second, her memories reminded her otherwise, forcing her to see what she’d always blocked out.
Didn’t everyone see their life flash before their eyes moments before certain death?
“I guess all the stories are true,”she whispered to her wolf.
“Don’t you think like that! We are strong enough!”her wolf argued.
“I’d hoped we were. I prayed we were.”
And she had hoped and prayed. But those hopes and prayers had gotten her nowhere fast. Her mother had the strength of a large and powerful coven to lean on, not to mention the ancestors. Adalyn had only herself and her majik was waning.
If only she’d been strong enough to ask for help from her mate, her family—her pack.
Adalyn stumbled backward, bumping into Wade as her mother’s strength increased and hers continued to decrease.
“You’ve got to fight her, Adalyn. Just a few seconds more. Don’t give up,” Wade whispered in her ear.
Was it as clear to him as it was to her that she was faltering, hanging on to life by a thread? Even if her mother didn’t kill her, she was draining every ounce of majik she’d been born with. She had to find a way to replenish it and fast, or it would be too late, no matter the outcome.
The sound of his voice in her ear brought tears to her eyes. She had just found him, only to lose him. She wanted an eternity with her mate, instead, she had only gotten a brief glimpse of what their life could be like. What it felt like to be loved by a man like him.
“It’s not fair,”Adalyn whispered.
Closing her eyes and sucking in a deep breath, Adalyn focused on the feeling of her majik. How it felt running through her veins, her muscles. She rallied her thoughts for one last hurrah. If she was going down, so was Mariska. She may not have the strength to kill her, but she could hurt her, and that would have to be good enough. It may not save her life, but it would save her mate and her father.
“We can save them both!”
“But not ourselves,”her wolf said.
“No,”Adalyn whispered.
Every ounce of majik she possessed danced at her fingertips, waiting to be used. Once the majik left her hands, there would be no summoning it back. Her witch side would cease to exist, but it was the only way. Her wolf knew it and so did the witch. Without her majik, all it would take was one hit from Mariska to end her life.
Wade must have sensed the change in her demeanor. He must have thought she’d summoned enough majik to put Mariska down once and for all. He pulled back, giving her the room she needed to maneuver.
“He’ll stop us if he suspects what we are about to do,”her wolf warned.
“I know. I don’t want to hurt him, but what choice do we have? If we don’t slow her down, she’ll kill Wade, too. At least, this way, he’ll be safe. Bjorn will be safe.”
“Please forgive me,” she said aloud.
Just as she was about to release her hold on the majik, Wade teleported to Mariska’s side. She turned to glare at him, an evil smile flashing across her otherwise beautiful face.
“Say goodbye to your mate,” she shouted.
“Never!”
