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CHAPTER11
Margo
A drizzlingrain fell onto my face, annoyingly cold as we waited to see what would come our way. It had been a month since my birth mother left, and it was time for me to face her and whoever else showed up. The pack had been keeping track, and they knew the moment Vira landed in Dublin, accompanied by one man. Others may have arrived separately, but Byron doubted it.
He stood in front of me, Ryan and Nathan at his shoulders, a barrier between me and my fate. Dorian held my right hand, while my parents stayed close to my left. Many young, strong members of the pack had shown up, too. Victor was right behind me, and others I recognised panned out behind him. There seemed to be a formation to the way they stood, a feeling that they knew exactly what to do, and I felt safer in the midst of them.
Vira hadn’t mentioned a time, but a pack member had called to let us know the harbingers were on the move, so we had all gathered outside, waiting to greet them together.
I shuffled from one foot to the other, chilled by the rain and the nip in the air. Although spring had already arrived, the weather hadn’t much improved.
All at once, the pack members tensed as though alerted by something, and Dorian’s grip on my hand tightened.
“They’re coming,” he said under his breath as Victor growled behind us.
Soon, even I heard the car’s engine, but it would have been cooler to hear it as far away as the werewolves.
A dark-coloured car with tinted windows came to an abrupt stop in front of the gates, effectively blocking the driveway. The sickening knot in the pit of my stomach tightened.
Dorian nudged me further back behind Byron so I couldn’t see who got out of the car, but the coldness in the air shifted, and I thought I recognised the sensation as that of Vira’s. But there was something else, too, something familiar yet wrong. It came from the harbingers, but something about the feeling seemed important, something I should know.
Vira’s dull, monotoned words startled me out of my thoughts. “We’re here for an answer,” she said. “Is the girl ready to come with us?”
Byron had already warned me not to mention the fact I was her daughter. Nervous, I stepped forwards, to the alpha’s side, my parents quick to follow. I was taken aback by Vira’s appearance. She looked awful. Dark bags cupped her eyes, new lines had formed on her face, and she looked dangerously thin. The worst part was the emptiness in her gaze. Despite everything, I couldn’t help pitying her.
The man to her side held her wrist tight. His features were unsettlingly similar to Vira’s, marking him as her relative. That meant he was related to me, but the way he fixed his gaze on me sent alarm signals to my brain in an instant. His presence triggered an unpleasant prickling feeling in the back of my skull. He felt so wrong.
“Well?” Vira said without looking at me. She wasn’t looking at anything. That was creeping me out.
I tried to speak but croaked instead. Clearing my throat, I tried again. “I’m not going anywhere. This is my home.”
She closed her eyes, a brief look of relief crossing her face. When she opened her eyes, she said, “This is a mistake.” She was so complicated and confusing that she made my heart hurt.
The man was smiling, if you could call it that. It was more of a sneer, but his eyes had all but lit up at my answer. A shiver ran down my spine. Why did it feel as though I had given him exactly what he wanted?
“You heard the girl,” Byron said. “She wants to stay here. She belongs here, and she accepts our protection. This is the end of it.”
“Oh, no.” The male harbinger's smile widened. “This is the beginning. You have something that belongs to us. The more interesting question is how did it get here? Did you steal it? Create it?” He held up his hand. “I don’t want your answers. Only lies spill from your lips. Regardless, we will take it back. Next time, there won’t be a request.”
Vira gasped as though unprepared for his response. “Eli, what are you doing? This wasn’t—”
“You have your instructions, sister, and I have mine.” His smile unnerved me, especially when he focused on Byron. “I get to play with the dogs until they learn to obey commands. It’s time for you to go home. It’s no longer safe here.” He bared his teeth, and a chorus of growls rose around us. “For anyone.”
He tugged at her wrist, but she hesitated, looking back at me with an expression I didn’t understand.
“Vira,” Byron said in a gentle tone. “You’re welcome to stay under my protection, too. All you have to do is accept.”
She looked at him longingly, regretfully, and finally resignedly when Eli tugged at her arm. “I know where I belong.”
Eli roughly shoved her towards the car, leaning behind her to open the door. Vira hesitated, looking back at us. Byron took a step forwards, but she shook her head. She let herself be pushed into the car. Smirking, Eli waved before jumping into the driver’s seat.
The car sped away, but a small number of the pack followed them, both on foot and in a vehicle.
I turned to Byron because I wasn’t sure what had happened, not exactly.
“What now?” Dad’s face had drained of colour. “What do we do now?”
Byron’s expression was grim, his lips meeting in a thin line. “This is a game for him. He wanted to see how we would react. That was all. He knew what he would do, no matter what we said.”
