“Yes, Alpha.”
“If after the binding, you still fail to see beyond the veil, there’s an alternative.”
My head jerks up. An alternative? I thought there was only this one path paved for me. Without meaning to, I raise my gaze and meet Aiden’s stare. His eyes flash silver, a sign that his wolf is ascendant.
There’s a touch of an evil smile on his face when he utters. “You will be made into a sacrifice.”
White-hot lightning strikes my body, burrowing a hole in my skull. My hands begin to twitch with the energy running through me. Still, I force myself to appear calm–not that Aiden can’t smell my fear.
Still, I’m proud of how soft my voice is when I speak. “So you’re saying I must give you credible visions, or you’ll kill me?”
Aiden pins me with his alpha stare, a cruel smile curving his lips. He enjoys my discomfort. Knowing he holds the balance of my life in his hands. He could tell me to drop to my knees right now to beg for it, and I would have no choice.
“No,” he answers finally. “The Warden will breed you, so your children will become veilwalkers. But I don’t want to wait for the next generation to find our true seeress, Aster.”
I blink at him, looking at his throat to avoid the searing alpha gaze. My heart pounds faster than a rabbit’s. Under my seeress's robe, my skin is cold and clammy.
“Don’t disappoint me.”
I shake my head. “I don’t intend to, Alpha.”
He lets that settle between us. I’m trembling, head bowed, hands clasped, legs shaking before him, and he simply makes me wait.
“Good. The Tiara of Ix-Chel is coming to the Gem and Mineral Museum in the city on Thursday. I will arrange a special viewing for you to see it up close.”
It takes me a moment to refocus on the task he’s giving me, my mind still spinning on the Blood Bonding.
“The Tiara of Ix-Chel?” I repeat to buy time.
“It’s a headdress fashioned for the Mayan goddess of the moon, made with a giant moonstone. I want you to hold the headdress in your hands and evaluate it for its power. If you sense any, I will purchase it for the ritual.”
I fold my arms in front of me, keeping my expression calm even though I’m freaking out. “Understood.”
“We need all the power we can get. We live in perilous times. We’re pressed from all sides by our enemies–” He means the Blackthroats. “And the humans are also becoming more of a threat.” Aiden gazes off into the distance for a moment, while I try to figure out what he means. I never heard him acknowledge humans as equals, much less a threat.
What is he plotting?
Whatever it is, he doesn’t see fit to share it with me, the seeress he treats like a servant.
“I need your visions, Aster. I need a true veilwalker who can guide us to victory, or we’re all fucked. Understand?”
I don’t, not at all, but I nod anyway. “I live to serve.”
“You do.” His voice is flat. He makes me wait for another interminable minute before he flicks his hand. “You’re dismissed.”
Chapter Two
Noah
I scrabble up the mountainside. Something tangles in my hind legs, catching me, pulling me back…
No. Fuck.
It’s the sheets bunched, snagged between my legs. I sit up in bed with my heart pounding, sweat soaking my hair.
I need to shift and let my wolf run with a desperation that’s driving me more and more mad. I have nowhere to run in Manhattan. No pack to hunt with. Brick Blackthroat may have hired me, but he hasn’t invited me to join his pack. I don’t think it’s because I’m deaf–the entire executive team learned ASL to speak with me. Moon Co is an inclusive company. The Blackthroat pack seems progressive, perhaps a result of being led by a young, successful alpha.
I suspect my exclusion from the pack has more to do with etiquette. I gave offense to them by not presenting myself for inclusion the moment I moved to Manhattan. I was keeping my options open, hoping to get in with the Adalwulfs.
