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I was startled by the term, but I knew in some packs the alpha’s mate was called a princess. That wasn’t my concern now, though. I had a few more cells to open, a mate to rescue, and a stone to find.
The cries and cheers of the incarcerated shifters echoed through the stone hallway. The noise was deafening and it sent a rush of adrenaline through me like I’d never experienced. I was a hero in this moment. Doing the right thing. Helping people. It was intoxicating. No wonder superheroes did this shit. It felt good to get the cheers and appreciation.
The happy feeling didn’t last long. As I released the final cell, the weight of reality came crashing down on me. We weren’t out of this yet. There was a significant shifter missing from the prisoners. Xander wasn’t here. I had to find him before something awful happened. And I had to hope I wasn’t too late.
“Where else would she keep a prisoner?” I asked.
“Well, until she realized I wasn’t going to cave, she kept me locked in a guest room,” Clara said. “It’s basically a prison with a nicer bed.”
“Where?” I was getting antsy. I needed to see Xander. I had to make sure he was safe.
“Does she have my brothers?” Clara asked.
“No, my other mate. An alpha wolf,” I said.
“How many mates do you have?” Clara asked.
“Three,” I said.
“Thank god I only had the one. She was bad enough as it was,” Clara said. “Follow me.”
Clara led us down the hall and back up the stone steps.
“How did you do it? Break the bond?” I asked.
“I didn’t,” she said. “Instead, I break my heart every day. But I had a choice to make. It was the right choice but it doesn’t mean it was easy.”
“I’m sorry,” I said.
Clara paused at the top of the stairs, right before the door. She turned and looked at me. “Are you going to kill her?”
In the faint light, I could make out her expression. It was flat, devoid of emotion. Broken. She looked like she’d reached some kind of resolution, but I was pretty sure that was a facade. I couldn’t imagine facing the thought of my mate’s death.
“Do you want to know the answer to that?” I asked.
“I’ve heard that there’s a level of freedom in death,” she said. “Not that your heart ever stops mourning, but I’ve heard there’s a kind of peace.”
I wasn’t sure what to say. It sounded like she was giving me permission or at least telling me she wanted to see Marcella dead. I knew that was probably impossible for her to verbalize, but this was pretty damn close.
“I don’t want to be there when it happens,” she said.
“I understand,” I said.
She pushed the door open.
Marcella was standing in the hallway waiting for us. Next to her, stood a stern faced and pissed off looking Xander.
