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Kneeling beside him, I take his hand and thread our fingers together. I’m aware that the guards will soon break out of their magical restraints, and we could still be at risk, but I can’t rush this. Besides, I know that my mates will protect us if anyone tries to attack.
“You need to go,” he croaks out, his tongue flicking out to wet his lips. “They’ll kill you if you stay.”
He’s right, we can’t stay here. However, if we leave, we can’t take him. There’s no way he’s fit to travel, plus we’ve still not found a way to break the hold the queen has over him. Tears finally escape my eyes and roll down my cheeks. “I’m not leaving you.”
Even as I say it, I know that I’ll have to if I want to survive, but I won’t admit it aloud, the words hurt too much to say. The knowing look in his eyes tells me that he sees right through me. Squeezing my hand, he gives me a serious look. “You have to, I’ll just slow you down.”
“What about you? Do you really think you’re safe here?” I counter, my voice choked as I attempt to hold back my sobs. I’m acutely aware of my mates gathered around me, their agony that they can’t take my pain away flooding down our bonds.
“That doesn’t matter.” Shaking his head, he gives me a pointed look. “Whether I live or die is inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. What matters is that you get out of here and stop this stupid war.”
My eyes squeeze shut at his agonising words, my chest aching with the knowledge that I’m about to leave him in a dangerous situation with a life-threatening injury. With a gasping breath, I open my eyes and squeeze his hand. “You dying is not inconsequential to me, brother.” My words are harsh, but I need him to understand that I need him to survive this.
He doesn’t seem to react how I expect though, his eyes widening slightly and the ghost of a smile appearing on his lips. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you call me that.”
Barking out a teary laugh, I shake my head. “Then you need to get up and come with us, and I’ll call you that every day.” My voice breaks once again. It may have sounded like I was trying to joke with him, but really, that’s exactly what I want.
His face twists in pain, but this time, it’s not because of his wound. Reaching up, he brushes my tears away. “I wish I could. Goddess, you’re going to be spectacular,” he whispers, and my lower lip wobbles as I try to hold back a sob. He sounds like he’s saying goodbye, as though he doesn’t expect to live. “You know you have to do this. Take Luna with you.”
“Kill them!” the queen screeches, still bound.
My mates flinch around me, getting angsty, their eyes on the guards who are struggling against the magical shields. Without channelling that dark power, though, I can feel them weakening, and it won’t be long until they are free.
“Laelia,” Nicolai calls gently but firmly, “we need to go.”
Tears roll down my face as I nod and slowly lay Kano down, trying not to jostle him as I climb to my feet. “This isn’t the last time we’ll see each other,” I say, although it sounds more like an order.
He just smiles painfully and waves me away. “Of course. Now go, take care of Luna for me.”
Atlas stands, carefully draping Luna over his shoulder as the others circle around us.
With one last look at my brother, I attempt to smile at him. Joel’s hand slips into mine, gently pulling me, and I know it’s time. With all eyes on us, we jog through the ballroom and into the hallway, the queen’s screeching orders following us. None of the remaining witches try to stop us, watching solemnly as we pass.
Atlas takes the lead, his usually bright silver eyes dull as he holds his cousin tighter. “Come, I know the way out.”
Hearing those words makes the reality of what’s happening sink in. We’re finally leaving Haven.
“Where do we go from here?” Scott asks, back in human form and running at my side, not the slightest bit out of breath despite the energy he’s exerting.
They all glance at me, and for once, I know exactly what we need to do.
I acknowledge the bittersweet mix of emotions swelling inside me. “We go back to where it all started.”
I’m going home.
ChapterTwenty-Two
As I stand at the edge of the pack boundary, I’m a mess of emotions. It’s been a couple of months since I was last here, although it feels like years. Glancing around, I find it difficult to accept that everything is different while the pack forest feels, looks, and smells exactly as it did before I left.
However, the place I once called home no longer feels like that. Sure, everything is familiar and brings a nostalgic smile to my face, but the Laelia who once lived here no longer exists. In her place is a hybrid werewolf witch with the blood of a goddess who might have singlehandedly destroyed the sanctity of Haven. I have five mates I can’t imagine living without, and I’ve grown and developed my unique magic. I’ve also taken a life and been through terrifying trials where I’ve had to make awful decisions. All of those things change a person, for better or worse, and there’s no changing any of that.
Will my father still look at me the same when he finds out what I’ve done?
Don’t think about that now, Laelia, I tell myself, taking a deep breath and pushing those thoughts aside. If I think like that, I might lose my nerve and never come back. My mates would support me either way, and while they might argue with my choice, they respect that this is ultimately my decision. Having Nicolai here with me is a huge strength. He knows the pack and holds a position of authority. I do worry how he’s coping with being back here now that he’s no longer a werewolf though. Checking in with our bond, I find that although he’s sad, there’s an overwhelming sense of determination and love aimed towards me.
We need to know what’s been happening amongst the werewolves while we were locked away with the witches, which is what led me back here. It took us several days to get here, taking shelter in caves and under bridges as we needed to for rest. Haven wasn’t as far away as I feared it would be, but the specifics are fuzzy thanks to the strong magic over it, now reinstated after the attack. How Bates managed to find it and get in and out is a mystery to me, but I suspect he was working with someone on the inside. The way out Atlas knew about was actually him finding a specific guard and threatening him to guide us until we were led to the outside.
Closing my eyes, I tilt my head back and let my other senses take over. It doesn’t take long for me to hear movement deeper in the forest, so I know at least some of the pack members are back from the werewolf stronghold. One of the possibilities that could have awaited us here was that the pack was still being held captive by the council. During the werewolf trials, they had been kept under “protection” as a safety measure. Really, it was a way to use them as leverage against me if I decided to act out.
