Misty
“Wait, wait.” Georgia smooths her hands through her hair, riling up her curls. She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and says, “Let me get this perfectly straight.”
“Okay.” I curl my legs beneath me as I sit across from her in our bed. It’s been a few hours since Declan stupidly left the door jammed, but I haven’t made any moves yet. Instead, I told Georgia everything. I figured if I leave tonight to map the castle and get caught or killed, she’ll live on to at least tell my story.
“We’ve been kidnapped by an underground secret society, and they’re responsible for the attack on TU,” she begins, raising a finger. “Nathan not only cheated on you, but is part of the order.” She raises a second finger.
“Yep.”
She frowns. “You think the order is trying to start a war with your family.”
I nod, and she raises a third finger.
“And you’re being forced to be Prince–”
“Alpha King,” I quickly correct. She scowls.
“Alpha King Cole’s breeder?”
“Yeah, that’s really it.”
She shakes her head in disbelief. “Why the hell am I here then?”
“I have no idea!” I can’t help but laugh. This whole situation is ridiculously… scary. Heartbreaking. Absolute, utterly fucked up. If I don’t laugh, I’m going to break.
“His breeder?” She grabs my bandaged arm. “And he… did this to you?”
“He’s a… doctor.” I gently roll my arm out of her grasp and hug it to my chest. “He went to medical school in Crescent Falls.” I don’t understand why I feel suddenly defensive of this monster, but I do. I saw a different side of him today, and while it in no way makes up for his transgressions against an entire kingdom, at this point, I can’t help but feel like he… isn’t totally in control of this.
I decided to leave out the fact I’m starting to think good ol’ Dick, a.k.a. the Umbra Mortis, has some type of power he’s using on the order. The green eyed wolves remind me of the rogues Aviva and Ryan told me all about when Mom and I spent a week in Silverhide before the semester began.
Could the attack on TU and the battle in the Deadlands earlier this year be connected?
Georgia’s still talking, but I’ve zoned out completely. My stomach growls loudly, and she frowns, flopping onto her back. “Do you think they forgot to bring us dinner tonight?”
“I think something’s happening,” I say, echoing Declan’s sentiments to me hours ago when I’d had him convinced to just tell me the whole truth before we were so rudely interrupted.
My mind hovers between the present and the past. Georgia gets up to go take what she says will be the longest bath known to man while I sit in the center of the bed and pick through the memory of Cole gripping the dresser in pain I can’t fathom.
His bloody back seeps into my mind. I thought, when he’d come into our room doing his “rounds” that he’d simply been… sore. Maybe from all that pillaging and killing he’d been doing during the attack.
This is something else. He’s wounded–badly.
I press my knees to my chest as I unwind my bandage. I’m completely healed but covered in thick, medical grade sutures. Just like I thought.
Just as I start to examine my stitches and memories of Cole’s proximity start to drown out the burning questions about him, a pounding on the main door echoes through the room.
“Thank the Goddess!” Georgia chimes over the sound of running water. “They remembered to feed us!”
I swing my legs out of bed, unease licking up my spine and sending a chill over my skin. Declan and his little friends never knock. They just barge in with meals, or my summons, like this morning. It’s also nearing the middle of the night, by my estimation. I have a feeling this isn’t food.
I twist the single manacle I’m left wearing on my right hand as I near the door, worried about messing up my plan by opening it and whoever’s behind it locking it tight again, like Declan failed to do. I make a snap decision and stuff a book as far as I can beneath the left door, knowing the right side is always the one that swings open. If the door remains unlevel, it won’t lock properly. At least, I’m praying that’s the case.
I listen as keys jingle on the other side of the door and stand back, my heart hammering.
The door opens a crack, then further, revealing…
No. This is the last person I want to see right now.
“What do you want?” I manage to say. My tongue feels like lead as Nathan shoves the door open and stares at me.
“I’m taking you to see the Umbra Mortis.”
“Did Cole–The Alpha King allow you to fetch me? He seemed pretty serious about that aspect of things.”
“It doesn’t matter.” He reaches for me, but I step out of his way. “Don’t make this hard, Misty. I’m doing what I can–”
“What was her name?” I ask into the distance I’m trying to put between us.
“What?” His upper lip curls.
“Her name? The girl you probably got pregnant at the Arcane Umbra party. Remember? The night you told me you were going for drinks with the guys?” I smile cruelly at him. His face is cast in shadow, but I can see his life flashing behind his eyes. “I hope you at least got her off campus before the attack.” I look down at my nails, smiling as I let the words settle in and spread through him like a virus. “It was the least you could have done.”
He snatches me out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about. You’ve been dosed with drugs for days–”
“And that started the day you came to the dormitory, didn’t it? What did you do, Nathan? Spike our drinking fountain? Georgia has no memories of that party, and the more I think about it, the more I think you might have done something to her during her shower. Dropped a few wolfsbane tablets in her shampoo.” It sounds unlikely, but something happened to her, and I can tell, by the look on his face, that I’m right… at least about his participation.
He doesn’t look at me for a long time. I walk steadily beside him as we weave through the castle, through the maze of identical hallways. I have no idea how to even get back to Cole’s suite on my own.
It’s going to take me forever to map this place, but I have to do it, even if it’s just so I never have to see Nathan again.
He pulls us to a stop just before we’re set to cross a stone bridge hovering several stories above a wasted, sand-swept courtyard. “Misty, look. I didn’t want you getting sucked into this. I tried, okay? I tried to get you out of it–” He exhales deeply as he shoves me up against the wall, caging me in. “We have a way out. I’m going to make this better, okay? The Umbra Mortis promised that once Cole’s done with you, I can have you again. He’ll even give us our own territory–”
“What the actual fuck are you talking about?” I sneer, shoving him away.
He roughly grabs me and pins me to the wall again. “And just so you’re aware, I had to cheat on you. It wasn’t even about you, Misty. Fuck, I have needs, okay? We’ve been together for two years and never even made it past second-base.”
My jaw literally drops. “Get away from me. This is over.”
“No, baby,” he whispers. “Don’t be like that. Everything’s going to be okay. I’m going to fix it.”
I shove him, but he’s leaning in, pressing me against the wall so hard I can’t catch my breath. “Get off me, now!”
His hands grip my waist. “I hate the fact you have to sleep with him. I want you for myself. I could fucking kill that guy.” He leans down, brushing the words over my neck. “I’m just going to take you right here so King Cole gets my scraps–”
I grunt with effort, using all of my strength to bust out from his hold and rake my nails across his cheek. He shouts, stumbling backward. “What the fuck, Misty?”
I’m already halfway across the bridge. I have no idea where I’m going, but wherever it is, it’s far away from him, for sure. I whirl to face him, shouting, “If you ever even look in my direction again, I’ll kill you. I’m being dead serious, Nathan. Don’t ever touch me. Don’t look at me, don’t try to speak to me.”
“But we’re mates–”
“We are notmates,” I grind out then continue stalking across the bridge. There’s a single set of doors at the end. It’s my only option. I throw them open and walk straight into a den of order members. “What?” I snarl at them as the doors close behind me. “What the fuck are you looking at?”
Several of them look away, hanging their heads. Others are giving me curious, somewhat entertained expressions as I float through the center of the room, right up to Richard.
Cole stands nearby, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes follow my progress, one brow raised ever so slightly in curiosity about my foul mood, but I don’t care.
His eyes dart to the door, however, when Nathan rushes in behind me, and I swear to the Goddess, Cole sees red when he notices my nail marks peppering Nathan’s face.
I’m probably imagining that, though.
“What the fuck do you want now?” I snarl at Richard, the Umbra, whatever he’s called. I point my finger at him, coming to a rest only six feet from where he’s standing.
I’m sure this place is a ballroom or throne room or formal sitting room. It’s big, with massive windows overlooking the desert and star filled sky. I don’t care. My heart is racing, and I’m absolutely furious, ready to take that pent up anger out on this motherfucker instead of killing Nathan in front of all his little friends.
“Princess, thank you for joining us.”
“It’s not like I had a choice,” I snarl. “What do you want? Do you want me to fight another wolf? Maybe do a little dance for your sick, twisted order’s entertainment?”
He stalks toward me, smiling. I allow him to come close enough to me to smell the sharp, herbal scent of his robes. He grabs my arm, clapping the silver manacle back in place. “You forgot this. I’m only trying to keep my order safe from unruly witches and their untrained magic.”
“I’m a wolf, not a witch.” I try to yank my hand from his grasp, but his filthy fingernails dig into my still tender skin. “If this is all, I’m going to go back to bed. Bring us some food, you fucking monster.”
He tightens his grip, staring down at my sutures. “Interesting.”
Finally, he lightens up on his hold, and I pull my arm back as he briefly turns to Cole, staring him down. Cole gives him an equally serious stare, like he’s challenging him to say something.
“As you all are aware,” Richard booms, directing his words at the assembled crowd, “our dear, fearless leader must return to Oasis in the coming days to oversee the brewing conflict at the border.”
My eyes flick to Cole. He’s watching Richard like a hawk, though.
He continues, “In the meantime, we will be returning to headquarters to prepare for the next stage in my plan. I want you all to get to know the princess better from now on. Her room will be open for you to explore as you will–”
“She’s coming to Oasis with me,” Cole rasps, his eyes going dark and deadly.
“Oh.” Richard turns on his heel to face Cole. “I thought you’d changed your mind about making her your breeder, based on the fact you’ve been playing doctorinstead of bedding her. I think my men will enjoy her company more than you, anyway.”
“She’s mine,” Cole reiterates. “That was our deal.” He drops his voice so only the Umbra, and me, can hear.
Nervous shuffling sounds throughout the crowd, but I ignore everyone else and watch Cole, perplexed.
“Then do it,” Richard hisses. “Like I said, the clock is ticking. Hold up your end of the bargain.”
“I plan to.”
“Tonight,” he says, arching a brow.
“She’s not in heat for another few days. I confirmed it.” Cole briefly looks at me while I narrow my eyes at him.
That’s not true. Plus, I don’t have a wolf for another few weeks, and heat isn’t really a thing I’ve had to deal with yet. I don’t have a mate who could sense that in me through our bond. My moon cycles are regular, though. I find myself doing desperate internal math that feels impossible given I don’t know the date or time.
Cole’s lyingto Richard… for my sake. Why?
“I don’t care. Tomorrow then. Tomorrow night, you bed her. And I want witnesses in the room.”
Cole lets go of a breath, obviously at an impasse. He looks so tired, so pale. I realize with a start that Richard has his hand curled around Cole’s wrist, a ring glinting on his finger. It swirls with that same, green magic.
“I choose the witness.”
“Not any of your loyalist little dogs. No.”
Cole straightens, calmly removing Richard’s hand from his arm. He walks toward me but doesn’t look at me as he scans the crowd. “Him,” he says, and I swear I see a sick kind of smile touching the corner of his mouth.
I whirl to see who he’s looking at, and my heart skips a beat.
Nathan turns red with fury, grinding his teeth.
Suddenly, I’m all right with this breeder business.