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I’m happy to take a break, but I’m so on edge that I’m constantly worrying that we’re going to be discovered. Our only advantage at the moment is the element of surprise, and we could lose that at any time.
You need to look after yourself if you want to save your father, I tell myself firmly, taking a bottle of water out of my bag. The cool liquid helps as I take several long pulls from the plastic. Feeling eyes on me, I glance over and find Syn watching me intently. Swallowing my mouthful, I smile at him and offer him the bottle. His expression doesn’t change, but he shakes his head slowly. I return the bottle to my bag and check on the others, well aware of Syn’s eyes on me the whole time. Something just feels… off, yet I can’t work out what it is, so I put it down to nerves and make myself useful.
Once I’ve checked everyone is okay, I turn to look at the end of the alley and see Syn still leaning against the wall, keeping watch. He looks disturbed, and I hate seeing him like this.
“Syn,” I call softly, moving over to his side and placing a hand on his arm. “I know that being back here is tough for you and a reminder of your past. I loved you then and now, but don’t let them take away this part of yourself that you’ve discovered.” My words come straight from my heart, and I hope he can feel how sincere I am. “You’ve worked so hard to become the male you are today, and you are one of the bravest and strongest people I’ve ever known.” My affection for him pours down the bond, and although his end is closed down, I know he can feel it.
His expression finally cracks, and something that looks like devastation takes over. His dark eyes glisten, and he turns to face me, pulling away from the wall and placing his hands on my shoulders. My eyes are wide as I stare up at him, his expression scaring me. I’m not afraid of him, but whatever is causing him to look so broken sends a cold wave of dread through me.
“Laelia,” he starts, his eyes flicking across my face as though memorising every inch of it, “whatever happens next, I need you to know—”
“Well, well, well.”
The voice startles all of us as a figure steps into the mouth of the alley. How they snuck up on us, I have no idea, but we all fall into defensive positions, growls and warning snarls echoing off the brick walls. The male is dressed in the dark, loose clothes and cloak of the council, and he wears a mesh-like mask to hide his identity as per their rules. However, as other council members fan out behind him, I already know who stands in front of me, instantly recognising his voice without needing to see the precious stone on his arm to identify him.
Councilman Ruby.
“Our prodigal son returns,” the councilman croons, opening his arms wide. Despite the mask that’s hiding his expression, I can hear the smile in his voice. He’s enjoying this. Tilting his head to one side, he seems to be looking at each of us in turn. “It seems he also brought us a gift.”
I risk a glance at the others to see if they understand what’s happening here. He doesn’t seem surprised in the least that we’re here. In fact, it’s almost like he was expecting us. A tiny part of my mind is screaming in denial as I piece together his words and how easy it was for us to get into the centre of the city.
Prodigal son.
Joel spent a lot of time here, but the only one who actually lived and worked here was…
Syn moves forward with swagger in his step, a smug smirk pulling at his lips as he drops into an elaborate bow.
“Just as you asked,” he drawls, flinging out his arm to gesture at me. “Laelia and her mates, hand delivered as promised.”
ChapterTwenty-Four
My stomach drops, and my heart clenches so hard in my chest that I gasp at the pain, pressing my hand against it in an attempt to ease it. Stumbling back a step, I stare at my mate in horror, my ears ringing.
No, this can’t be real.I’m so shocked by what’s happening that I feel frozen in place. I’m half expecting him to snort and say he was joking and then attack the councilmen, but he doesn’t. Worse, he throws his arm around the councilman’s shoulders and smirks at Ruby’s obvious displeasure of the physical contact.
“Syn?” I hadn’t meant for his name to sound so wounded. In fact, I hadn’t even meant to speak aloud.
My heart feels like it’s shattering in my chest as I look on with wide eyes. I’ve experienced a lot in my life that’s caused me pain, but other than when Nicolai died, nothing else has come close to the pain I’m experiencing now. The connection I have with my mates is soul deep, and lying shouldn’t be possible. If Syn was planning to betray me all along, then I would have felt it, especially when he was losing his battle against the madness that threatened to take over his mind. Right? The hurt part of me wants to question everything, including my other mate bonds, but my mind is such a mess that I shut that thought down before it can grow. I’m going to need them to help me get through this.
Syn’s mask flickers as he both hears and feels my pain, automatically stepping towards me as if to offer comfort.
This is too much for Joel, who has been silent until now. In the blink of an eye, he steps between Syn and me, my other mates surrounding me, trying to protect me physically where they are unable to fix the mental betrayal I’m feeling.
“You traitorous piece of filth,” Joel roars in a voice I’ve never heard him use before, my calm alpha flying over and punching the other male in the jaw.
Syn could have easily avoided it, yet he takes the hit, knocked back by the force of the blow. For a second, I feel our bond flicker with a brief wave of regret and apology before it’s quickly shut down. He shoves Joel away, putting some space between the two of them, watching the larger male carefully.
Why is he doing this? What do they have against him that’s forcing him into doing this? He hates the life he had here, believing that this was his only path after he lost his pack. Alpha males without a pack don’t tend to do well on their own, and his mind had been twisted from loss before the council stepped in and offered him work. Something about working for them helped keep the madness at bay until I came along, and he started to realise that he had another option—a life with me and my other mates, where he was loved and would never be looked at shamefully or with disgust ever again. That’s what my love offered him, and he flourished. Why would he give all of that up? If anything happens to me, it will literally kill him. His life is tied to mine, so why betray us?
Syn shut down his end of the bond when we arrived here, but he’s always been open with me before, and I know he’d never betray me.
At least… I did until this happened.
Was that the reason he closed off the bond, to put distance between us so it was easier for him to betray me? To make sure that I didn’t realise what he was about to do?No, this is Syn, he would never hurt me, I tell myself fiercely, remembering what he was trying to say to me before the councilmen arrived.“Whatever happens next, I need you to know…”Those were the words he whispered to me and never had the chance to finish. Was he going to tell me the truth and explain what was about to happen?
A grunt of pain brings me back to the present, and I flinch as Joel swings at Syn again, knocking him back into the wall. He slams his knee into Syn’s abdomen, causing him to double over in pain. Joel seems determined to beat my other mate into a bloody pulp, and despite everything that’s happened, Syn isn’t fighting back. None of my group seem inclined to stop the fight, and I’m going to need to do something. While I understand why Joel is acting this way, I don’t want Syn to get hurt. We still don’t know what’s happening, and I hope that this is all some great big misunderstanding.
Before I can do anything, Councilman Ruby clears his throat and snaps his fingers. “Call off your guard dog, or I’ll be forced to find another way to incapacitate him.”
