AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh, sure. Let’s go home so you can explain to me why the fuck you even considered this,” I growled. The hurt on her face would have given me pause if not for the same feeling radiating through my fucking soul. She'd taken another man into our circle without our knowledge. It felt wrong.
I was already stalking away before she could say anything else. Nyx called out that he’d stay and get the others settled in and Torryn stayed with him. That was probably for the best because if left up to me, I’d likely kill the guy.
“Leven, you have to listen to me before you go and hate me,” she begged as she caught up to my stride. The fact she was already in desperation mode didn’t bode well for us.
The silence of the house once the door closed, was deafening. I was desperately trying to find the words to start the conversation but she didn’t seem to need the prompting. She was in fight mode and refusing to let me walk away.
“I was put in a hard position, Leven. Don’t think I ran in with open arms and accepted this. He refused aid if I didn’t become his Luna. Hell, he asked me to fuck him to make it an official claim but I talked him down. That and Nyx punched him. Either way, he’s respecting my need to take it slow and that should count for something.” She continued on with several more reasons why she had to do it, but I wasn’t here for her logic.
“You didn’t have to agree, Vanya!” She flinched as my voice boomed in the room.
“Yes I did. It’s how packs merge, this isn’t a new concept, and I didn’t let him touch me. It was his stipulation and yes, I was desperate enough to fix this that I agreed on some levels. I’m so fucking sorry I hurt you, Leven, I am. But what would you have had me do? Leave Callum in the hands of that monster? Leave our pack here under Steele’s thumb? All because I didn’t give him a shot? If there’s nothing between us, then that’s how it is. But at least we’ll have the pack and hopefully Callum back.”
“I don’t fucking care what logic you use,” I said in a quieter voice this time. “Why would you consider this?” There was more to this than just the pack. I knew her well enough to notice when she danced around topics.
“Because it was Torryn asking,” she admitted. That hit me like a punch to the face. She was in love with her old alpha? The same one who had made her life hell? Then again, she’d been so tight lipped about the finer details we would never have picked up on it.
“You loved him.” It wasn’t a question but she answered with a nod.
“Not the same way I love you guys. We’ll have to build a relationship. But he meant something to me and it was the time and place that held me back. So when he put me in this position, I didn’t want to keep fighting. This solved most of our problems. Though it seems I created more problems in the process.”
The door opened and Nyx walked in without Torryn. He sat next to me on the couch and I turned to him.
“And you let this happen?”
“I argued against it at first,” he said with a sigh. “But then I saw the way she looked at him. I wouldn’t deny her something that she might regret and I don’t think you would have either. She’d made her decision for herself and I’m respecting that. She wasn’t forced or mistreated. And both of us punched the guy already.”
The thought of being in her position, and choosing the same, had me telling myself I’d never agree. But if Vanya’s life depended on the union? That might make it different. The logic didn’t make me any happier though. I knew her past was rough and now she was welcoming him back to her with open arms? Forgiving all his transgressions?
“I’m sorry,” she said. Her voice cracked and I saw how truly run-down she looked. My brave mate had snuck out and ran, fought for us, and saved our pack. I knew that somewhere deep down. The hurt over her letting Torryn be part of this group of ours wouldn’t lessen though. I felt betrayed and I needed time to process it before I truly had this conversation. Otherwise I’d say something I’d regret as well and that wouldn’t help us save Callum or ourselves. “The scars were from the alpha before him. Some from after but he was raised in that life. I thought all packs were the same before I got here. I’m not saying it’s all right, but it makes sense. I’m okay and if I can forgive him and try to move on, then you can’t hold it against him.”
“He was an alpha who lost half his pack in a battle with the Grave Pack and they were waiting on the second attack, living in constant fear,” Nyx chimed in. “He was desperate and tried to cling to the one constant he’d had in his life until then. Vanya.”
“We were best friends as kids. Of course we grew apart but I wanted more and he was being trained as an alpha. This wasn’t me trying to find a new man, it doesn’t change my feelings for you. In fact he’ll have to work even harder to get to your level. But this was something I felt I had to do. I couldn’t fucking call you and give you a head-up, Leven. I made a call and I included the mate that I had present. It wasn’t like he asked and I hopped right in his bed.”
“Fine,” I said. It was all I had to give her at the moment. Maybe tomorrow after I’d had time to breathe and process, I’d talk to her, but for now I needed space. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Without listening to even a word of protest I got up and left the house. The security building was quiet when I arrived, and Antonio was clicking away at his computer. Likely fixing all the damage he’d had to do to keep our secrets hidden.
“What happened to the guards?” I asked. He raised an eyebrow at the bite in my voice but didn’t push.
“They’re with Hades and Carlo now,” he explained. “They checked out on my end. I think this is one of those times we have to trust them and hope for the best.”
“I hope they don’t fuck us over,” I said as I sat down. “Tell me you have something good to report. We could use something that doesn’t involve death, betrayal, or the Grave Pack.”
“Well, perfect timing. Because I just accomplished the impossible.” Antonio’s proud grin had me perking up slightly, and I dropped down in the chair next to him as he pulled up something on his screen. “I found us a meeting point. An old mining warehouse that’s about twenty minutes from the location we got for the Grave Pack. It’s nestled into the cliffs so it gives us coverage, and a contact I had is giving it to us. Time for phase two, Leven.”
ChapterTwenty-One
Callum
Day after day it stays the same here. Failed bondings and being thrown around by guards, then finding solace in my cell with Holt. It seemed they took turns with us at this point. And they’d never admitted it but they had some sort of magic dampening hex in this place. My entire body was weak and tired and shifting took more and more effort as the days passed.
“Get up boys,” our usual guards called out. Even though I’d asked their names they refused so they were just assholes one and two to me. “Today is going to be fun.”
“I think we have very different ideas of fun,” Holt mumbled. They heard him but didn’t react like I assumed, instead they cackled like schoolgirls.This isn’t good.
They each grabbed one of us and led us through the normal route. Screams echoed out of one of the cabins as we passed and it took everything in me to ignore it. That was something I was struggling to come to terms with here. The screams and pain begged for me to save them but I was powerless now… a shell of the alpha I was before.
