Fated for the Alphas: The Complete Collection (Nine Book Paranormal Romance Box Set) (24 page)

“I’m tired, too, Ronan. Tired of this place. Of this life. Of wolves everywhere, even when I sleep. I can’t even get away in my dreams. Do you know what that’s like, Ronan? So don’t tell me you’re tired.”

Ronan sniffled. “I’m sorry, Momma.”

“You’re only sorry for yourself, like all the rest of them. No one’s sorry for me. They don’t care that my husband is dead. They all want what’s best for the pack.” She spat out the word. “No one cares about his wife. Now that their Alpha’s dead, they don’t care if I live or die.”

Ronan was sobbing now, his chest hitching as he drew in ragged gasps. He walked into a thorny vine, howling as it raked his skin. Their momma ignored him, her mouth set in a thin line. She jerked Ronan’s arm, forcing him to keep moving.

Eventually, Ronan quieted. Kane guessed his twin was numb, and he felt a bit numb, too. Where were they going? When were they going back to the den? His momma didn’t seem in the mood to answer any questions.

Ronan wiped his nose, sniffling every few minutes. Kane wished he’d stop. Every time he made a noise, Momma tensed up. She didn’t need to be any more tense right now.

Sniff. Sniff. Sniff.

“Stop sniffling!” Momma ripped a leaf off a sycamore sapling, thrusting it at Ronan. “Blow your nose before I go insane.”

He did, tears leaking down his cheeks.

Momma sighed, leaning against a tree. Opening her locket, she took out a ring of white fur. Kane recognized it as his father’s. She held it a moment, rubbing it between her fingers. Then she let it go, watching as it floated to the ground.

Kane reached to pick it up.

“Don’t you move, Kane River. Leave that right where it is.”

He obeyed, confused. She had always kept that ring of his father’s fur. Didn’t she know she was going to lose it here?

She looked in the locket, at the picture of her parents. “They’ll like you,” she said. “I wrote to them, and they were sad they couldn’t meet you. But I couldn’t go home, could I? Not like this.” She made a fist, her knuckles turning white. “There’s no reason to stay here now. I have to go home, even if I am a monster.”

Kane tugged on her arm. “So we can go back to the den?”

“That’s not home!” She let go of them, burying her face in her hands. Claws sprouted from her nails. “It never will be. Wolves aren’t home.”

“I’m a wolf though, Momma.”

“Not for long. We’re going back to my parents. Back to humanity. We’ll find a cure. We won’t be bound to the moon anymore.”

“But I don’t want to be a human!” Kane cried.

“You want to be a brute that loses control? A beast that’s compelled to fight, and lives a short, violent life? Is that what you want?”

Kane took a step back. “I just wanna go back to the den.”

“You can’t.”

For the first time in his life, Kane wanted his father. But he wasn’t here, so maybe Della or Uncle Flash would do. But someone had to help his momma. She wasn’t well.

“Wait here, Momma,” he said. “I’m going to get help.” He looked toward the den. If he ran, he could get there in ten minutes.

“Don’t you turn your back on me! Your own mother! Just because I wasn’t born a freak.” She lunged at him, raking her claws across his back.

Kane screamed, hunkering down, trying to protect the back of his neck. Her claws kept coming, tearing his flesh and ripping him up. The pain was white hot, and it smothered him.

“Momma, stop!” Ronan jumped up, catching her arm. She jolted, as if torn from a daze.

“Kane?” Her voice was shaky. Tears rolled down her face. “Kane, baby, what have I done to you?” She looked down at her shaking hands. Blood dripped from her fingertips.

His lip quivered. “It doesn’t hurt, Momma. You can scratch me some more if that makes you feel better.”

She staggered backwards, her eyes wild. “I need to go.”

“I didn’t mean what I said earlier.” He looked at Ronan, who nodded. “We want to come with you.”

“You two stay here until I get back.”

“When will you be back?” Kane asked.

“When I can look after you.” She turned to leave.

“Momma, don’t go!”

“You stay here, Kane. Take this for me.” She gave him the locket, the one she never took off. “Keep it safe, you hear?”

“Yes, Momma.”

“You boys stay here now.” Swinging her rucksack over one shoulder, she stumbled on into the woods. She didn’t look back.

“Is she going to come back?” Ronan asked in a small voice.

“Of course she is.” Kane held up the locket. “She’ll come back for this.” Crouching down, he picked up the ring of white fur she had tossed aside. She’d want it back someday, just like the locket. He was sure of it.

Kane held the locket in his hand, gripping it until the clasp dug into his palm. He would keep it safe for her, like he promised. If he kept it safe, she had to come back.

They stayed in the grove, waiting, until purples and blues crept into the sky. Momma told them to stay here. Kane didn’t want to disobey. He didn’t want to do anything to upset his momma. He did his best to ignore his throbbing back, the twinge of his empty belly. They heard the pack calling their names, but he and Ronan kept silent. Curled up between the roots of the sycamore, they huddled together as the night grew cold.

Ronan’s eyelids began to droop.

“Momma will be back tomorrow, won’t she?” he asked.

Kane tried to think of a response, but before he could, Ronan had drifted away. He pulled his brother closer, determined to keep him warm. He did know one thing. He could never tell Ronan now. If Kane had called out during the battle, their father wouldn’t have died. And if their father hadn’t died, then Momma wouldn’t have gone. It was all Kane’s fault, and the wounds on his back were far less than he deserved.

Thunder boomed across the valley, and Kane whimpered. He knew it was his father, cursing him for what he had done. Holding the locket to his chest, he wept.

***

“Della found us there five days later,” Kane said. “We didn’t want to go back to the den, but she carried us, one over each shoulder.”

“I’m so sorry, Kane,” Lia said.

“Angela never came back,” he said, his voice cracking. “In case you were wondering.” He cradled the locket, rubbing the engraved letter with his thumb.

“You know that wasn’t your fault,” she said. “You weren’t even supposed to be at that battle.”

“But I was.” His eyes burned into her. “I could have saved them all. My parents. The pack. I could have spared Ronan the pain.”

She laid a hand on his arm. “There was nothing you could have done.”

“Come back to me after you’ve slaughtered your parents.”

Thunder rumbled, and Kane sighed. “Sorry. That was uncalled for.”

“My mother abandoned me, too,” Lia said. “She left me on the witches’ doorstep with nothing but a scrap of paper with my name on it. Who would do that to a babe? I always wished that she would come for me, but maybe I was better off without someone who could do that. At this point, I’m not even sure I’d want to meet her.”

The sky let loose, rain pouring down. It soaked into her hair, her skin, her very bones.

Kane reached out to take her hand. “I’m here.”

“So am I.”

He pulled her close, kissing her as the rain fell all around.

Chapter Five

“I just don’t understand how she could do that.” Lia rubbed the bedding furs over the washboard, much more roughly than necessary. “How could anyone abandon their children like that?”

Beside her, Della dipped a shirt into the stream. “I can’t judge her, Lia.”

“But you took care of Kane and Ronan after Angela made them orphans.
She
should have been looking after them. Instead she just disappeared.”

Della hung the shirts over a branch to dry. They would in no time, as the noonday sun was beating down.

“I did take care of Kane and Ronan,” Della said, “but partly to try to balance out some of the black marks on my ledger. Don’t make the mistake of thinking I’m a good person, chickpea.”

“But you would never do something like that,” Lia said. “Abandoning your own children. That’s awful. Unimaginable.”

Della was silent. Then again, she had been Angela’s friend. It must be difficult, knowing that someone you loved was capable of something so terrible.

“I hope she found her peace,” Della said softly. “However unlikely that may be.”

Lia attacked the furs again. Kane’s scars looked a hundred times uglier now that she knew their origin. If Angela had found peace, she didn’t deserve it.

“I think that fur is clean now,” Della said.

She looked down at the stream, where hairs were floating away. If she rubbed any more, there’d be nothing but skin left.

“I’ll get these back to the den.” Della took the fur, rescuing it from Lia’s ministrations. “Why don’t you climb in one of the pools and soak awhile? It’ll do you good.”

“Della… I’m sorry about what I said. About Angela, I mean.”

She sighed. “She deserves it all, and more, Lia. Worst of all, I think she knew that.” Della gathered the shirts and headed back toward the meadow, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Lia sank into a pool, resting her head on the rock ledge. As much as she wanted to relax, she felt on edge, restless. But the sun was warm, and the water cool, and soon she slipped into a dream.

A white wolf was fighting two brown ones while a black wolf snuck up behind him. This time, it was Kane’s life that hung in the balance. He would die if he wasn’t warned.

“Kane!” Lia cried.

He whipped around to look at her, and the black wolf took the opening to attack. There was a horrible crack of bone as Kane went down. Lia screamed.

Wake up, No Name,
Hecuba whispered.
He’s here.

Lia sat up, breathing heavily. She rose from the pool, dripping water on the moss. Her heart hammered in her chest. She had that same, awful sensation that someone was watching her.

The wind shifted, bringing with it the familiar scent of old ash. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. She was nowhere near a fire.

Lia turned to find a wolf behind her, grinning. His black fur showed hints of browns and blues in the sunlight. He had three claw marks across one half of his face. She felt like she had seen him before, in a nightmare she had long forgotten.

He shifted, and stood before her as a handsome man with black hair. The scars were the only thing that marred his perfect features. They felt like a warning.

“Hello, Lia,” he said, his voice like silk and darkness. “I’m Shade. Alpha of the Shadow pack. I’ve come to claim you.”

Part Four

Chapter One

Shade circled around her, cutting off the path to the den. Ash covered his muscled chest, as well as his hands and feet. His eyes raked across Lia’s body, studying her like a doe he was calculating how to bring down.

“Not very tall,” he murmured to himself. “Or strong. That’s all right. Easier to control. Nice, wide hips, good for bearing pups. Yes, you’ll definitely do.”

Lia’s throat had gone dry. She wondered if she could outrun him in wolf form. That is, if she could even remember how to shift.

“You’re probably thinking of running,” Shade said, his voice like honey. “Or shouting. Neither of which are very polite, I must say. I just want to get to know you.”

He ran the back of his hand down her cheek. Lia flinched away.

Shade chuckled. “I see you’re going to make me work for you. No matter. I like a challenge. Kane and Ronan have been soft with you. I assure you, I won’t be.”

Lia looked around, hoping for a fallen branch, or a sharp rock. There was nothing but moss and water. And deep inside her, where her magic used to be, it felt cold and dull. She was alone.

“Why so anxious, pet?” He cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him. “I’m offering you the chance of a lifetime. You will be the mate of the Shadow pack’s Alpha. Do you know how many women would die for that honor? Some already have, of course,” he waved this thought away, “but they didn’t please me.” Shade stared at her breasts, his eyes scorching her. “You look like you would please me all night long, and then some.”

She backed away, nearly slipping on the wet rocks. “Stay away from me.”

“But I can’t.” He advanced, never faltering. “I smelled you on the wind. I’m drawn to you. I need you. And mark my words, I will have you.” He flashed his teeth in a predatory smile. “I don’t make idle threats. You will be my mate, willingly or not.”

“Maybe you haven’t noticed, but I already have mates.” Lia held up her banded arms defiantly. “Two of them. And if you don’t want them to tear you to shreds, I suggest you leave now.”

The corner of Shade’s mouth quirked up. “Are you referring to Kane and Ronan? Those mangy curs? Is that who you want to be bound to?”

“I’m already bound to them.”

“We can fix that.” Moving forward, Shade pressed her to the water’s edge. “I can bind you to me right now. We won’t use clay, of course, that’s not nearly permanent enough.” He grinned, showing off his canines. “We’ll just have to do it the old fashioned way.”

Lia clenched her fists. “Why would I even want to be bound to you?”

His brow furrowed. “Why wouldn’t you? Your Alphas, if you can really call them that, can barely keep their pack together. Between them, they only manage to survive. Kane is stupid, Ronan is weak. You know this. They cannot hope to stop someone like me from taking the territory that is rightfully mine. And I will. My patience with them is growing thin.”

“You can’t attack us,” Lia said. “What about the treaty?”

Shade laughed. It was a very cold sound. “I signed that thing out of pity. Look, I understand that you may have made some friends here. You might even have grown fond of Kane and Ronan, like you might grow fond of two overgrown Labradors. If you come with me willingly, I won’t have to hurt any of them.”

He advanced, and she had nowhere to go. “I am your destiny, Lia, not those yapping dogs. You’re perfect for me in every way. Your fur even matches mine.”

Lia’s blood ran cold. “How do you know I’m a black wolf?”