Page 76 of Locke

“Now that his twin has left the living plane, he will unlock the alpha blood within himself,” the woman said. “He will take all her strength and multiply it by two.”

“Oh my god,” I gasped, covering my mouth. “Did—did their father know that?” I pointed to the alpha who stood off at the edge of the fighting ring, with his arms crossed. There was a twitch in his lips.

“Yes,” she said angrily. “He did. But he made sure that her death looked like an accident.”

The alpha stomped over to the opponent who had fought against Amaryllis. The male had a smile on his face and bowed to his alpha. “I have beaten the alpha’s daughter, I have earned—” The alpha gripped the teenager by the neck, his hand wrapping around his throat, and squeezed. A crack echoed through the crowd, and the people stood back in shock, watching the lifeless body fall to the dirt.

“This was hand-to-hand combat. No knives were to be used. You break the rules, you suffer the consequences.” His glare went around the ring. “And let this be a lesson to you all. Never turn your back on an opponent, even when they are down.”

The alpha’s expression remained cold and impassive as he silently made his way towards his wife and his only remaining child. His gaze fixated on his son, deliberately avoiding the sight of his lifeless daughter lying nearby.

“Stand,” he commanded Locke.

Locke’s eyes narrowed, and the grip on his sister tightened.

“I said stand,” he snarled. “Your training starts today.”

I hadn’t had a chance to look up close at Locke’s father, but he was a terrifying male. Tribal tattoos littered his entire body, bulging muscles and a face that was not at all handsome. Luckily, a beard covered most of his face, that held beads and shells.

Locke still did not waver. Instead, his father had to pull Locke away from his sister’s body by the arm.

His mother cried out, catching Amaryllis in her embrace.

Locke’s face contorted in anger; his lips curled back as he snarled. With a swift, forceful motion, he yanked his arm away from his father’s grasp. The gathered crowd stood frozen, their eyes fixed on the intense standoff, their anticipation palpable in the air. The atmosphere was charged with tension, as if a storm was brewing just beneath the surface.

“As I thought,” the alpha whispered. “You will be the strongest alpha to lead this pack, once you are old enough. Now,” he purred, “you best listen, or your mother will be next.”

Locke glanced at his mother, who was still rocking Amaryllis in her arms, crying silently. Locke swallowed and nodded once in confirmation.

The alpha turned to the crowd and held up his hand. “Blood Rose, I give you your future alpha. A powerfulmalethat will be worthy of your protection. Koen. His name meaning bold and brave. What this pack will need in the coming years to be in favor to the king.”

The crowd cheered, long forgetting Amaryllis, the former alpha heir.

The crowd dispersed, and I stood there watching Locke’s mother cry for the dead child in her arms.

I wiped away the tears and still felt the woman beside me. “I didn’t need to see this. Locke could have just told me.”

“He wouldn’t have told you about it. And if he had, would you had believed him? Would you have trusted him enough?” She said with a smooth, velvet voice.

The surrounding area disappeared, and we found ourselves in a meadow. Darkness fell and the large moon rose above us.

“I have shown you thebeginningof your mate’s pain. He only suffered more throughout his adolescent and young adult years.” The woman walked in front of me and I followed behind her.

I gritted my teeth, trying to listen and not interrupt. I’d been alone for days it seemed and at least I was getting answers. I could not believe I was thrown into this shit show.

“Locke has told you he has claimed you, but I don’t believe you realize what that means. Locke can get ahead of himself, especially since his mind was half rabid.”

“Half rabid? You mean crazy? I think we both know he has problems, but I’m guessing it was because of his shitty childhood.”

I rubbed my hand up and down my arm. I felt so damn bad for him, but I had a feeling that Locke didn’t like pity, and I would not give it to him. I would be fucking pissed for him though. He lost his family, and I had a feeling he also lost his mother.

“No, rabid is when your soul is too broken and you begin to die.” She looked into the distance. “That is a story for him to tell you about later, but I am just telling you that—you are on the path to mend his soul.” The woman turned back to me. She was shockingly beautiful, with skin as pale as the moon itself.

I tilted my head. “Me? How do I mend him?”

“You are his soul mate. You’ve heard him say that before. You’ve even heard his mother speak about it.”

I bit my lip. The way his mother said what soul mates were was so poetic. Did Locke feel all those feelings when he saw me? Or was it simply lust and desire? There was no doubt I felt a pull, but I tried to force any sort of romantic feelings away. Romance, feelings— just didn’t work in the real world.

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