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"Nightwalkers," I correct before chewing my lower lip anxiously.
"What?"
"They prefer to be called nightwalkers. And they're not a pack; they're a clan."
"Who cares what they like to be called? They're a bunch of bloodsucking monsters," Mark growls, his anger visibly bubbling up inside him. "Why are we standing here talking semantics? They kidnapped you. We found you. Let's get this over with and go home already."
This is it. This is the moment I've been dreading from the second I saw them. I knew it was coming. I know it has to be done... But that doesn't make it any easier.
I plant my feet firmly on the ground and squeeze my eyes shut, finding my resolve before looking back at my friends and saying, "No. I'm not going back."
I did not realize I'd found a home until I had to give it up. I did not truly feel real until now.
I can never go home.
Chapter Twelve
"What do you mean you're not going back?" Mark asks, his voice dropping an octave.
"Flower, I'm not sure you understand the concept of a rescue mission. You were kidnapped. We found you. Now we all leave together and live happily ever after," Nico says, but I shake my head.
"You don't understand; I wasn't kidnapped. Well, not exactly. I mean, I was at first, sort of, but then not so much."
I'm not making any sense, and I'm growing increasingly aware of the whispers and glances in our direction.
"Do you understand her?" Mark demands, glaring at Nico as if he expects him to translate my rambling. The redhead only shrugs, the confusion apparent on his face even though his features are concealed by the blue mask.
"The Night King invited me to stay in his court. This whole ball is to welcome me to his kingdom. I'm the guest of honor." It's not a lie. It's just not the whole truth.
A part of me worries they'll fight me if I tell them why I have to stay. They'll tell Tristan what happened, and my mate will come for me. He'll fight for us to be together, and in doing so, he'll risk facing the wrath of the Moon Goddess.
The other part of me is afraid that he won't. What if Nico and Mark find out I'm half-vampire, and suddenly they don't want to rescue me? If they ever saw me as a friend, this might be enough to make them see me as the enemy. The look of disdain and disgust on my cousin's face flashes through the back of my mind.
Freak. Mutt. Half-breed. Abomination.
If any of the Rovers looked at me that way... it would break whatever was left of my heart beyond repair.
Either way, it's safer for everyone if they don't know the whole truth. I have to hurt them just enough to save them.
"This isn't a rescue mission, Nico," I try to explain. "Because I don't need rescuing. I want to be here, and I'm not going back."
Hurt flashes across his bright eyes, and he looks over at Mark as if the Beta might have some answer to my revelation.
But Mark doesn't look hurt or confused. He looks downright furious, his grey eyes narrowing behind his mask, his muscles going tense.
"No."
"What?" I ask, blinking back at him. I'm not sure what to make of his expression or the force behind that single word.
"I said no," Mark growls. "Tristan risked his life to find you. He's been worried sick since you disappeared. You don't get to abandon him now just because some vampire king decided to throw a party for you."
"It's not that simple. I-I'm supposed to be here. This court is where I belong," I protest, but it sounds pathetic even to my own ears.
"What are you talking about?" Nico asks, incredulous, his voice rising. "You belong with the Rovers. You always have. That's why you were in Sophie's vision. Your fate is tied with Tristan's, and your destiny lies with the Rovers. You can't just leave us."
His words are an arrow in my chest. While Mark seems ready to combust, Nico looks at me like a lost little boy, like he cannot fathom why I wouldn't want to go with them, and he keeps waiting for this to make sense.
"Sophie's vision already came true," I say, and I realize with a start that it's not just an excuse. Her vision led Tristan to the Banes, and by bringing me to his territory, he brought me closer to my father. If not for Sophie's vision, I would never have found out the truth about my mother. Going with the Rovers changed my life. It revealed what I am and rewrote my destiny.
