Page 100 of His to Claim

I felt her anguish and her pain.

I experienced her remorse and intense sadness.

Her cries permeated my very soul.

And the knowledge of who she’d become stripped her momentarily of her humanity as her mother pointed the gun in my direction.

Suddenly, the cries permeating the night sky were those of a woman learning how to turn into a wolf.

A beast she’d feared her entire life, but one she was suddenly forced to embrace.

As a moment of confusion and fear wrapped around her mother’s mind, she turned and there was no other choice for me but to lunge in her direction.

I would save the woman I loved.

Pop! Pop!

* * *

Vanessa

I stormed into the room, still gasping for air. Every muscle ached, including my heart, the transformation I’d gone through something I still wasn’t able to comprehend, pushing the experience out of my mind for fear of losing it. I moved within inches of my mother, struggling to keep my anger at bay. “You will save him. Do you fucking understand me?”

“That’s not something I can do,” she said softly.

The hard slap I gave her did little to jar her attention. “Yes, you can and you will.” As Max came closer, his expression grim, I held out my hand in an attempt to wave him off. “Don’t. She can save Stone’s life.”

“Be careful,” Max encouraged, a slight growl in his tone. “She is dangerous.”

“You should listen to your friend, Vanessa. You think too much of me, darling daughter. I created the killing machine, not an antidote.” My mother laughed. She actually laughed.

I felt my wolf crawling closer to the surface. I had no understanding of what I was facing or how to deal with keeping my body from changing. I felt Max’s hand gripping my arm, could sense his concern. While we weren’t in a hospital, I couldn’t lose control, letting go of a beast I didn’t understand. Tears suddenly overwhelmed me, the horror of what had occurred in the woods unfathomable. “Please. I know better, Mother. I know how you work. I know you can save him. You can save both of them.”

“You want the bastard to live?” Gregor asked, huffing under his breath.

“The wolf was used,” Max said under his breath. “He deserves a chance to live.”

“That’s bullshit,” Gregor hissed.

I ran my hands through my hair, pacing the floor as I stared at Stone. What the hell was I supposed to do now? I could see the horrible spider-like formations that had appeared within minutes of Stone being shot. His breathing was already labored, his skin almost white. I glanced at the doctor they’d brought in and could tell by his face that there was little time left. I hated my mother, although I almost understood why she’d felt such animosity toward my father for years. While he’d never been able to tell her that he’d been undercover, he had confessed that he was a wolf, terrifying her.

Their love hadn’t been strong enough.

Would mine be for Stone?

“If something isn’t done within a short period of time, they’re both going to die,” Dr. Riker said to Max, shaking his head.

I couldn’t take it any longer, moving closer to my mother. I’d insisted her life be spared, the other wolves backing down. I only hoped I hadn’t been a fool once again. “You loved my father once. I know that you did. You suffered for years thinking he was a horrible man, killed because he was working for a true monster. But you never stopped loving him. I know you didn’t.”

“You don’t know that,” my mother whispered, fisting her hands.

“I love Stone. You may not understand or even care about me as your daughter, but you have to see how much love there is. Please don’t allow him to die. Please. I know you can help. You’re still the brilliant woman I’ve known my entire life.”

My mother swallowed, stealing a look at Stone. “I… can’t. I’m sorry.”

Anger swept through me and there was nothing I could do, the horror of what had been created too much to bear. I raced toward the front door, needing air. The moment I was outside, I allowed myself to scream. This just couldn’t be happening.

“Please, hold on, baby. I’ll find a way to save you.”I could feel the mental tethering slipping away. Stone was dying.

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