Page 91 of Wolf's Providence

They put my parents at the bottom of the pile.

Like they were garbage.

I’d taken the ring, so careful not to touch my mother’s hand, knowing that it would have broken me too soon. I’d felt the anger of the fallen rise up and surround me that day, and I had carried their thirst for vengeance into the hall where the killerscelebratedtheir murderous victory. I’d used my Will and told them all tohold. There was no need to rush, I had taken my time, there was no one coming to save them, and I knew none of them would break my Will.

Because I was an alpha, and they were no match for me.

Each shifter had felt the cut of the blade as I drew it slowly along their throat. Each one’s body had convulsed as I forced them to stay on their feet, and each one of them had died gasping for breath in a body whose lungs would never fill with air again.

I’d watched each one die before I turned to the next. It took hours.

I left their pack leader to the end, ensuring he had seen how I broughthispack down. Then I made him watch as I killed his wife. His son. His daughter. He died in the same way. He’d wanted his bloodline on this mountain, and I gave him what he wanted. His blood would never leave this mountain because I left none of them alive. The blood of him and his children soaked the floor of the hall, seeping into the dirt to the concrete foundation of the hall, but no further. Cristone blood would not pass that foundation and seep into the heart of the mountain; it would not tarnish this land.

My land.

And when the final breath had left his body, when the blood had dried on his dead skin, only then had I turned to Jonah. His death took longer. It wasn’t only his throat I slit that day or the days that followed. First, I had let him scream.

I had let him scream and beg and plead. I had let him do it all, knowing no one was coming for him. No one was left alive to hear him.

He had cried for his Goddess. She hadn’t answered him.

The memories stirred the shadows more, making the whispers in my ear sound more like voices I once knew.

Closing my eyes, fighting the feeling of fatigue, I saw the image of another whose blood had spilled on this mountain. Willow bleeding out in my arms was an image I knew I would never forget. The pain and panic at the thought of losing her was still fresh. I had called to my Goddess for mercy, much like Jonah had done, and like Jonah, there was no answer to my call. In desperation, I’d called for the Goddess again, through an old magic.

Forbidden magic.

Blood magic.

Magic that tied the life of one to another. Willow was already bound to me by the Will of the Goddess. Now, she was bound to me by the rite of blood.

An unbreakable bond.

An unforgivable act.

Hearing that shifter hint at knowing what I had done, I knew I would have to tell Willow. And I knew that in doing so, she would never trust me again.

I didn’t blame her. I no longer trusted myself when it came to her. I would go to any lengths to protect her. To keep her safe.

It terrified me. I knew more than anyone what I was capable of. I was afraid that I’d slip back into that darkness that soughtto claim me, and in doing so, I’d lose myself again, and there was no one left to pull me back.

The sharp gust of wind pulled me out of my thoughts. Turning from the ridge, I froze mid-step, my eyes wide with disbelief.

As if she were real, I saw my mother in front of me. Her eyes were filled with love and laughter. I shifted to my human form so sure I could reach out and touch her. Dark hair spilled over her shoulders. She wore a simple T-shirt and cotton shorts. Her feet were always bare. She loved to feel Shadowridge Peak beneath her toes.

Reaching forward, I felt nothing but empty air.

I couldn’t breathe.

Had I jumped? Was this my welcome to the eternal hunt?

My eyes searched her face, memorizing every detail, seeing the laughter and love twist to sadness as she watched me. Why was she sad? She lifted her arm, her hand reaching for my face, and I would have given anything for one more feel of her hand against my cheek.

You have to let go.

Emotion choked me, my throat was too tight, and I couldn’t breathe. Pain crashed through me, crushing me, surrounding me.

I couldn’t breathe.

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