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I wonder how it would feel to hold his life in my hand. Leaning down, I press my makeshift weapon against his neck, but before I can do anything more, the door is kicked in. Joel, Syn, and Scott rush into the room, coming to an abrupt halt as they take in the scene before them—Bates unconscious with me kneeling over his body, looking like I’m about to slice open his neck.
There’s a moment when no one says anything, until Syn snorts and shakes his head, breaking the sudden tension.
“Well, this isn’t what I was fucking expecting to find.”
ChapterSeventeen
My gaze travels between the three of them, and my heart stutters back to life in my chest. Something twinges within me, and I think it’s my bonds, but I can’t feel them properly, completely cut off from them despite the fact that they are standing right in front of me.
Joel looks like he’s about to combust, and he’s desperately trying to compose himself, however, it just makes him seem uncharacteristically cold. Syn’s attempting to be his usual snarky self, but I see the terror in his eyes. He doesn’t know what to do, and it’s making him uncertain of himself.
In the end, it’s Scott who weaves past them and steps towards me.
“Laelia, I’m not going to judge you or tell you what you should do, but if you’re not going to kill him, you need to put down the shard and we need to get out of here as soon as possible.” He holds out his hand, and I find myself staring at it. “We don’t want to be here if anyone else shows up,” he continues, his voice soft. “I’m sure the council could spin this to make it look like it’s our fault.”
As I realise what I’m about to do and that he’s right, my senses return to me. Looking at the ceramic in my hand, pressed against Bates’s neck, I gasp and drop it as though it burned me. I stumble away from the unconscious alpha and throw myself against Joel. He’s not said a word, but his arms immediately wrap around me, a deep rumble coming from his chest as he holds me tightly. Lowering his head, he buries his nose in my hair, inhaling deeply.
“You should have just let her kill him, sick fucking bastard,” Syn bites out, and I turn my head to see he’s talking to Scott while gesturing at the prone alpha on the floor. “He’ll only try again.”
“We need to get out of here before I finish the job Laelia started,” Joel comments, his voice the lowest I’ve ever heard it. There’s no empty threat in his tone, and I glance up to see he means every word. That’s when I realise it’s not just me trembling, but him too. While mine is from adrenaline, his is from pure anger.
Realising the same thing I have, the others make noises of agreement, albeit reluctantly from Syn. Bundling me in his arms, Joel strides into the hallway, and we make it back to my room in silence. Thankfully we don’t come across anyone else on the short journey.
When we’re safely locked in my room, they tell me how they found me. Both Joel and Syn felt my fear when I was in the lift, so they immediately knew something was wrong. They found Grove’s champion dragging the healer into a dark corridor and rescued him. That’s how they knew Bates had me. It was Syn who then managed to track me down, knowing the hotel layout better than anyone else.
Once they finish with their explanation, I tell them what happened to me and what I learned from Bates about the new project he’s been working on. I explain how Bates has been watching me over the last few days and worked out that the best way to get to me was through Nicolai, and that he’s created a fatal virus that only affects werewolves and that’s why Nicolai isn’t getting better. I share my suspicions that the council is behind it and will use it to control us all.
I sit on Joel’s lap, in the cocoon of his arms, as I let the three of them absorb my words. I don’t blame them, it’s a lot of information, and if it’s all true, then it could destroy the council if the rest of the community were to find out about it. There would be riots in the streets, and then I really would be responsible for a rebellion.
“Did you know about this?” Scott asks Syn, breaking the silence. Despite the fact that it’s phrased as a question, it sounds a lot like an accusation.
Syn freezes, and with a dangerously deceptive neutral expression, he turns to look at Scott. “Don’t you think I’d have mentioned it if I did?”
A shudder runs through me at the cool tone he uses. Syn is the most dangerous male of anyone I know, and while I trust him not to hurt me, I’m not so sure he’d control himself with Scott.
“I don’t know,” Scott retorts, blatantly challenging the other male with a raised brow. “I don’t even know why you’re here.”
Syn’s temper flares, and he bares his teeth as he crosses the space so he’s in Scott’s face. “Because I’m her fucking mate.” He tilts his head to one side, and a wicked gleam appears in his eyes, the shadows twisting around his back. “I could ask the same of you. Why areyouhere?”
The words hit their mark, just as Syn knew they would. I see hurt and shock in Scott’s eyes. Ah, yes. We hadn’t told him about my bond with the other alpha yet, and now it looks like we’ve been keeping secrets from him. In reality, we only just found out ourselves, and I’ve barely had two minutes to comprehend it all. However, I understand why Scott would feel betrayed.
“I don’t know,” he says quietly, still looking at me. I want to jump up and apologise, but his expression shifts into one of determination as he turns to Syn. “But the goddess put me here for a reason.”
I know how hard that must have been for him. As a lone wolf, he’s not had to rely on anyone else for years, yet he’s decided to trust the goddess when his normal response would have been to leave. That flicker between us ignites in my chest again with the possibility ofsomething. It’s small, just a tiny ember, but it’s there and I swear it flared with his declaration. Now isn’t the time to explore it, though, not with so much happening and two mates to juggle, but I store the information away. For now, I’m just grateful not to lose him.
Syn’s been watching the male with a raised brow, and he slowly shakes his head, blowing out a breath and brushing his hand through his hair.
“The council has a lot of secrets, many of them I’m not privy to,” he explains with resignation, answering Scott’s earlier question. “They hid my bond with Laelia for years. It doesn’t surprise me that they are working on another way to control us.” His gaze becomes distant as he thinks, a frown pulling at his brow. “It’s a dangerous secret to know. If anyone found out that the council can infect anyone who displeases them, it will tear this community apart.”
His last words trigger something in my mind, and all of a sudden, I remember how all of this started and why I left them in the first place. My chest becomes tight, and my throat hurts as I try to hold back tears, feeling overwhelmed and like the worst fucking friend in the world.
“Nicolai!” His name comes out as a strangled gasp, and I attempt to jump from Joel’s lap, intending to rush straight down to the healers’ quarters.
Joel’s hold on me doesn’t loosen, and every time I manage to pull one of my limbs away, he captures it again. He says nothing, just gently keeps me from leaving, his expression unapologetic, but I see understanding in his eyes. He knows how much it hurts me not to be with my friend, but he’s trying to protect me after what just happened.
A sob breaks free as I continue to try and leave, but I’m exhausted, and I know even if I broke out of his hold now, he’d get to me before I could even reach the door. “I need to go see him,” I implore.
“Whoa, slow down,” Syn comments from behind me, his voice tight. “The town is on lockdown. There’s no way you’re getting out.”
