Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 152666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 763(@200wpm)___ 611(@250wpm)___ 509(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 763(@200wpm)___ 611(@250wpm)___ 509(@300wpm)
He nodded slowly. “Did you ever show her your art?”
My gut tightened. I needed to look away, suddenly wishing I hadn’t sat down with him. “No. The art was just for me. I didn’t show that to anyone. She respected my privacy, getting me what I needed without asking why.”
“You were the enemy, Aurelia. The drug maker. I needed to see what you had stored in your house.”
“And now?”
“And now . . .” He cleared his throat. “Now you’re the prisoner.”
“You like to dive right into the fire, I see.” Hadriel sat down next to me, forming a line rather than a circle, Weston on my other side. “This chili is fucking divine, my love. My asshole is puckering with how good it is.”
“That’s not—” I giggled helplessly. “That’s not normal, I don’t think?”
“It’s certainly a strange compliment,” Weston murmured, sitting forward and taking my empty bowl. “I’ll leave you to your night. Hadriel, bring her to the tent when she’s ready. Don’t stay out too late. We have an early start.”
The crowd parted as he walked through, everyone going a little quiet and nodding at him respectfully. He placed the bowls down in the dirty dish area, said a couple things to those close by, and excused himself. He stopped by the tent, shed his clothes, shifted, and drifted off into the night, presumably to check in with the pack still working. Maybe to relieve some of them so they could eat.
“He doesn’t take time to relax?” I asked Hadriel.
“No. All work and no play makes Alpha a very dull boy.”
“Before I forget.” I pushed to one side and dug into my pocket, feeling what was there and choosing the item I was after. I put out my hand, the item cupped in my palm. “I swiped this for you last night. Don’t get caught.”
His brow knit as he took what I offered. Upon seeing it, a smile spread across his face and he slipped it into his pocket.
“It’s the hallucinogen,” I explained. “Yes, you’ll be fine. No, you won’t get addicted. You’ll see things, though. Take it with caution. If you get into trouble, curl into a small, dark space or just come find me, preferably without the alpha being present.”
“I cannot . . . fucking . . .wait!”
I rubbed my temples and just decided to put it out there.
“Did you know?”
He paused in eating.
“Did you know I had magic?” I elaborated, choking up a little with emotion. It was such a big deal for so, so many reasons.
He lowered his spoon slowly. “Do you want a comfortable lie or the truth?”
“The truth. Always.” I furrowed my brow. “Why would someone ask if they wanted a lie?”
“To feel better about a shitty situation. Yes, I knew. Even Tanix can feel it and he’s not an alpha. Before you ask, the reason I didn’t say anything is because it is between you and the alpha. This is his show. I’m just a stage hand.”
Now I put my face in my hands, wanting to cry again in frustration, or joy, or just overall fatigue with this awful and life-altering journey.
“I don’t know how to feel,” I finally murmured.
“Bittersweet, I imagine. Right? Happy and relieved to have it, sad that so much of your life was spent being told you didn’t.”
It felt like those words speared my heart, sending blood seeping down in the wake of destruction. Tears welled in my eyes. That was a pretty succinct summary.
“And then mad, probably,” he went on, resuming his dinner, “because now that you know you have it, and after finding out in mostly a bullshit kind of way, the guy who could help you . . . won’t.”
Another very succinct summary.
“You know what they say,” I murmured. “If it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.”
He bumped my shoulder in support. “What do you plan to do?”
“What do you mean? I’m a captive. What can I do?”
He huffed and said very quietly, so low I could barely hear, “You don’t fool me, love. Just don’t kill him. The kingdom greatly needs him. He brought all the animal shifters together in a way they hadn’t been before. He’s a good man who sometimes has questionable judgment.”
“You think that excuses him?”
“No, so I’m asking as a favor. Beat the shit out of him? Fine. Nearly end his life? More power to you. But as a gift to me, please don’t kill him.”
A while later, when a few people had come to join us, everyone laughing and chatting, telling me how much they liked dinner, I noticed Weston slip into the clearing again. He hugged the tree line, mostly, his great wolf head swinging my way for a moment. When he reached the tent, he shifted into his human form and ducked inside, leaving the flap open. A small pool of light flickered on, spilling across the ground. The invitation was clear: he was waiting for me.