Page 95 of Red's Beast

I look through the next page and a few pages after that, but they’re not giving me much information. The only thing I notice is that Emily took a mate named Randal, but it never says what happened to the Ryan family.

I slam the book shut out of frustration. Why does he seem so familiar and why does it feel like I know him? Are some of his descendants in the pack?

“Grandmother, when did the Ryan’s move out of this house?”

She only shrugs as she finally looks up. “This house was vacant for over a hundred years before I came out here. No one lived in it after the Ryans.”

"What happened to the Ryans? Why wouldn’t Emily be with Lucian or Logan? They were the next strongest, with their father being an alpha. It would only make sense for the two families to join together.”

She sighs. “One day they were here and the next they weren’t. The beast showed up right after their disappearance and rumors spread that he killed them. That is the only thing I can tell you. But I think you and I both know what that means.”

“The beast in the woods is Lucian or Logan, but I don’t know which one.” It’s like a candle flickering until it grows into a blaze. Everything makes sense. “He told me about Natalia and she has a sister, Emmeline. They wanted Logan and Lucian.”

Grandmother nods. “What else have you figured out?”

“The story my parents told me about the wolf who loved a woman so much that he asked to become one. It was the reverse. It was her who hunted him and begged to become a wolf or to know how to be mates with one.”

Grandmother reaches over, taking my hand in hers. “You are on the right path, but the past is very shrouded with secrets and curses that still run through our blood today. This entire pack has been cursed.”

“It’s because of Natalia. She couldn’t have one of them, so she made the beast and then cursed the pack. That’s why everyone forgot them and then our family could never speak of it as the alphas. But where does this leave Corbin’s family? What part do they play in it?”

They are the only piece I can’t figure out, but I know Corbin has witch blood. He’s resistant to silver, which should have been a dead giveaway, but I thought the witches of this pack had long been gone and the magic had been bred out.

“You will need to find Corbin to figure that out, but he is also missing.”

I give her a soft smile and place my other hand over hers, leaving the book in my lap. “We will figure this out together.”

As we return to our research, time ticks by. We eat, sleep, and start again the next day.

Sadly, more unbearable moments come with each minute that passes by. Each time I feel the mating heat, it seems to get worse.

Grandmother tries to tell me they will pass, but I don’t know if I can keep this up. I know I’m on the right path and have it narrowed down, but how can I find the beast?

We finally take a break to have some lunch. Once I’m sitting at the table with a spoon in a bowl, I look down at the soup. Grandmother tried to make me something that wouldn’t upset my stomach, but looking at it makes it sour.

“You need to eat. You look like walking death,” she says as she eyes me again, looking more concerned than before.

“How many more times will it force my shift and make me feel like this? My skin feels too tight and like I might burst out at any moment. I thought you said it will get better, but this isn’t better,” I mumble.

Each breath between words feels heavy, but I keep pushing on.

“Your body is making up for all the times it hasn’t shifted along with that stupid mating heat. It’s worse because you are an alpha.”

“Was it really wise to stop my shifts, then?”

She nods. “We had to so you could grow up and not become tied to Corbin. We knew what Nigel would want.”

I reach across the table and take a cloth off of it to wipe the sweat from my brow again. Fur prickles through my skin and vanishes just as fast. “Looks like it may be calming down, but I still feel awful.”

After we finish lunch, we return to the books until it’s time for bed. The rest of the night is uneventful, and it seems like things might finally calm down.

When I open my eyes, the morning light is streaming through the window. My vision is weird and almost sharper somehow. I glance around at the ceiling, watching the dust particles float by. I can make out all the fine details and notice swirling intricate patterns in the wood. Has it always been this way?

The scent of Grandmother’s cooking hits my nostrils and I inhale deeply. Why does everything smell savory and make my mouth water? Food has never smelled like this.

I slowly get out of the bed and make it to the kitchen, my mouth pooling with drool. She has an entire table laid out with so many dishes that it makes my head spin. Meats, eggs, and plenty of vegetables are on their own little plates, just waiting for me.

“Your wolf may not like vegetables at the moment, but you need balance. Are you hungry?” She turns toward me, her eyes locking onto my mouth as drool drips down my chin. “That answers my question. Nevermind.”

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