AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh by the gods, it’s you Vanya?” Stella gasped. She hobbled down the stairs toward me and I met her halfway. “I’m so glad to see you alive.” She wrapped her arms around me and held on tight. She sniffled as she held me and the way she clung to me had me even more worried.
“What happened here?” I asked when she finally released me. Her eyes were puffy and she seemed to be fighting for words. “Is Harlan okay?”
“An attack. They killed half the pack before leaving the rest of us for dead. They threatened to come back but so far it’s been quiet. Maybe something else caught their attention. Damn savages,” she bit out. “Harlan’s alive but they nearly killed him. Torryn has never looked so defeated. Even the elders are gone now, except for one.”
“I’m so sorry, Stella,” I said as guilt overtook me. If I’d been here maybe I could have done something.
“Don’t go there,” Nyx whispered in my ear as he stepped up behind me. He didn’t wrap his arms around me but his shoulder pressed against mine offering silent support.
“Oh, who is this?” Stella asked as she studied him.
“Nyx. One of my mates,” I said with a soft smile. “Life hasn’t been easy since I left, but I’ve found happiness among the chaos.”
“It looks good on you,” she said as another tear slipped free. “You’ve lost enough.” She lovingly tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear before her gaze flickered to the east. “Torryn is in the cemetery burying the last of our people.”
My blood ran cold at the thought of going into the cemetery but I grabbed Nyx’s hand and dragged him with me anyway. He didn’t speak or complain at how my grip was crushing his fingers but the closer we got, the harder my heart slammed in my chest. Images of Meira being dragged away tried to resurface but I shoved them away the best I could.
As we approached the gate, I stopped and turned to him. “I have to do this alone.”
He closed his eyes for a few moments before opening them and nodding. Nyx leaned forward and brushed a kiss on my forehead.
“I know.” His words held all of his contained emotions but he was holding it back for now. “But I was serious. He won’t hurt you again.” The fact he was so adamantly against it helped bolster my confidence. If Torryn would be willing to listen to me, then maybe this could go well. Not to make light of the pain they’d all endured, but maybe it’d help him see reason and forget about the failed traditions of a dying era.
Torryn was wearing earbuds and digging a large grave, making it impossible for him to hear me approach. I watched him for a moment with a confusing mix of nostalgia and anger. He’d lied to me about Meira. That was a betrayal I didn’t take lightly. But he was like coming home for me in a way as well. I’d blamed him for a lot but he was a product of a shitty elder council and I knew he felt helpless. That didn’t excuse what he allowed during his years but he’d tried his best to keep me out of trouble unlike his asshole predecessor.
As if he could feel me watching him, he turned. His eyes went wide at the sight of me and he yanked out his earbuds. I tried to find something to say but the first thing that slipped from my mouth surprised us both.
“You lied to me.” Reaching in my pocket, I took out the picture of Meira and handed it to him. He saw it and I watched his face twist with pain, then worry.
“I had to. You would have followed,” he argued. “I didn’t let it go, Vanya. I sent our tracker out and he never came back. Then two guards. Then our warrior. I tried to find her and everyone kept disappearing. I couldn’t and wouldn’t sacrifice anyone else after that. I didn’t do it to be malicious, but I knew you well enough to know you’d walk happily into the lair of the beast.”
“You told me she died. I fucking mourned her and you stood there knowing she wasn’t truly dead. I’ve lost my parents and then you made me believe you buried her as well,” I said. My voice cracked and he started to step forward before glancing behind me. His expression went from worry to annoyance.
“Who is that?”
“One of my mates,” I admitted. His eyes narrowed but I wasn’t giving him the chance to pick at my life decisions or change the subject. “A lot has changed since I left, including me. I’ve found a pack that feels like home.” His face twisted with pain at that word. It was the harsh truth of our reality. And deep down, duty aside, I knew this place wasn’t truly his home either. “I came for a reason, Tor. And it wasn’t just to demand you answer for these lies or to fight with you.” His eyes flickered back to mine, still on the defensive. Clearly he had a lot of guilt over this which meant his decision was bullshit.
“They were necessary,” he ground out. His jaw was clenched and his annoyance at being called out was my final straw. The punch I landed on his cheek surprised us both but I stepped closer. My hands shook as I confronted him but I wasn’t backing down.
“That wasn’t your fucking decision to make. Punishments and ignoring orders aside, what you did was fucking disgusting. You let me cry over the very last family member I had left, Torryn. Why? Just so you could try one last time to ask me to be your Luna, to keep me from running?”
“No,” he said quietly. The annoyance and shock were gone now and only defeat remained. “I hated myself for it but I didn’t know how else to handle it. You aren’t invincible like you’ve always thought and I couldn’t watch you die or be at the mercy of some random rogue wolves.”
“They aren’t random,” I said with a shake of my head. “You know so little of what’s really going on here. Your pack can’t stay here, Torryn.” We were far from done talking about his lies but now wasn’t the time. If I wanted to get Meira and Callum back, then we had to keep moving forward. “We have information on that pack which could help us all. But as I said, I need you to hear me out.”
“Whatever it is, I can’t help you, Vanya,” he said. It wasn’t a vindictive or malicious answer. It was broken. He’d lost half his pack and as an alpha that was the worst possible scenario, one that cut deep. But I wasn’t clouded by that same defeat as he was and could still see the bigger picture.
“Look. My alpha was taken. My pack is being run by the enemy. They need help and I need you, and whoever else is willing, to stand by us.”
“They killed my best guards,” he tried again. “I can’t even protectusif they do come back.”
“That’s my entire point, Torryn. If you stay here, they’ll kill you all without mercy or hesitation. Or take whatever women are left and turn them into this!” I yelled. For the second time I waved Meira’s picture at him. “They’ll be at the mercy of monsters. But if you ally with us, join us, we could fight back together. There’s so much I could explain but frankly we don’t have the fucking time. They’ll find us here in a few short hours. We have to go.”
“Who?” he asked. It was strange to see my former alpha so meek. His green eyes were shadowed and his long blond hair disheveled. Streaks of dirt lined his face and the bags under his eyes were so prominent he resembled a skeleton. This wasn’t the Torryn I knew, but again, that might be exactly what saves his pack.
“They’re called the Grave Pack. They’ve taken wolves and witches and enslave and torture them. I guarantee they were behind this attack as well. As I said, a lot to explain and no time. Will you help us, Torryn? Will you save yourselves?”
“I…” he trailed off and it was obvious he was trying to let me down gently. But defeat was not an option. I was fueled by desperation which meant I’d give anything to get him to agree. Now comes the more drastic measures because I wasn’t letting him give up so easily.
