Page 87 of Red's Beast

"Wait? I need more information."

The witch laughs as she pushes with her arms to keep Grandmother at bay. "Of course you do. You are wondering what I mean by the beast is gone, aren’t you? Just know, he’s somewhere far away and you’ll never find him to lift the curse. As for everything else, well, those secrets are buried within the pack here.”

"You're lying." I move closer to them and watch her facial expressions. “He’s not gone.”

"Take one good look at me. Do I look like I'm lying?"

Grandmother growls and I move closer to pat her back softly. "Then where is he?"

She laughs again. "You'll never find him, and killing me won't bring him back. So go ahead, and do with me as you wish, but this is your fate."

Her lips move as she mutters something, and when her eyes open again, she smiles. The wind picks up, but nothing else seems amiss. "Best of luck to you."

Suddenly, Grandmother's jaws clamp down hard around her neck as she rips her head from her body.

"Grandmother? I need answers from her, and you just tore her apart.”

She allows the shift to take over and sits down on the cold ground, naked and shivering. "She wasn't going to give you answers. That one was a tricky one from what I've read about her. It’s best that she died."

"I need to know where the beast is and how to get rid of an unwanted mating bite."

Grandmother eyes my throat. "It should go away, since it's not complete."

I look down to where Corbin was lying a moment ago, only to discover his body is now gone. "Grandmother, where did Corbin go?"

She turns around quickly with wide eyes. "He was just there."

I look around, but no footprints can be seen leading from where he was laying either. It's like he vanished. As I turn toward the witch, her body has turned to ash and is floating away on the breeze.

Suddenly, a sharp streak of pain runs up my spine and I fall to the ground, gasping for breath. "Help me."

She moves quickly to my side, her hands grasping both sides of my face. Once our gazes meet, her mouth drops open. "Lillian, your eyes. They're red. It looks like the rest of your power just came in.”

“What do you mean by my eyes are red, Grandmother? What does all this mean?”

The words fall silent and all the questions die as I scream out when another wave of pain washes over me, rendering me speechless. All that comes out is gasps as I lean forward and shake from all the power surging through my veins. Grandmother tries to rub my back in smoothing strokes, but it just irritates me and I feel as if my skin might peel off my bones just from being rubbed.

“Please, stop,” I beg as I finally get the words out.

“Let it flow through you, Lillian. I know it hurts and I’m so sorry for it being suppressed this long. Your wolf is dying to be fully free and now she can be. Your wolf is free to come forth and live.”

Another shrill scream escapes as my back breaks and my wolf surges forward in full force. When I shifted before, it felt awkward, but this is painful. It’s the worst feeling I have ever felt.

“Don’t fight it, Lillian.”

“No, this shouldn’t feel like this!” I bend awkwardly as my bones shift under my skin and tug to make me go on all fours. Everything in me is begging for it to stop, but the change continues and pushes me to the brink of insanity. “I can’t do this.”

“You can and you will.”

Sweat drips from my brow and lands on the dirt below as I stare at the ground. I wish I could crawl into it and die. It hurts too much. This is too much. Why is it me?

Why can’t someone else do this?

Oh, right. I’m the granddaughter of the true alpha of this pack. It is my duty to do everything. Isn’t that what I had said? Well, now I have gotten my wish.

And I never knew what I was asking for.

“Breathe, Lillian. Breathe. If you want what is yours, you’re going to make it. You’ll know when you cross that bridge, but you have to make it.”

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