Page 125 of Rescued By the Beast
"No, Ted. It's worse than I thought. There's more..."
My mind spins with so much information, making connections.
"My duel with Liam..." I continue, clenching my jaw. "I expected him to cheat. His feud with me was personal. But wolves in general follow the lupine code. After I won, they didn't submit, they didn't respect the hierarchy."
"So they tried to kill you too?" Ted's voice is tense.
"That's what it looked like. At most, another wolf from the clan could challenge me for the title of leader, but instead, they all surrounded me and tried to attack me as a pack," I say, recalling the details of that night. "The wolves seemed out of control, and you yourself said that the wendigos acted as if they were being manipulated..."
Ted curses.
"Whoever is behind this knows you well. They knew about your feud with Liam and may have encouraged the duel, taking advantage of the opportunity to weaken you and keep you busy during the attacks. And now this competition coming out of nowhere..."
Rage boils inside me. My claws extend reflexively, the beast inside me roaring to be released.
"And my Kitten..." My voice comes out deep, heavy with concern. "Damn it, Ted, she's been cursed. Not only was she attacked by a wendigo... Who's trying to get to my people? Who hurt my partner?"
"If even I didn't know you had a thing for her, and Ethan didn't tell anyone, it could be a coincidence." His voice tries to sound reassuring, but the tension is still clear. "But it could be connected in some way, yes. The question is: who has a motive to want to take you down like this?
"Lots of people, Ted. Family or friends of those I destroyed to save our community... people who want revenge."
"Mark?" Sandra's sleepy voice echoes from the stairs.
When I look, there she is, wrapped in a sheet, her hair messy from her recent transformation.
From what you've told me, you haven't been in this form for very long.
And I need answers now.
"Who cursed you?" She freezes in place. Her eyes become more lucid when she notices my tone, the urgency in it.
I walk over to her and cup her face in my hands, being careful of her claws.
"Do you know who it was?"
"Yes..." She swallows hard.
"Who? Did they give you a reason? Or was it unexpected?"
"It was a witch..." She lowers her gaze, her face flushed with shame. "The wife of the man who deceived me, and with whom I... almost slept."
My muscles tense, a wave of anger consuming me as I think of the bastard who did this to her. The hatred grows, not only for what he did, but for knowing that someone treated Sandra with so little consideration, as if she were not worthy of all the respect and reverence she deserves.
She senses my tension and looks up at me with tear-filled eyes.
"She caught us together, but I swear I didn't know he was married." She sobs quietly, trying to hide her face in my chest. "His wife blamed me and threatened me to stay away from him. I apologised and walked away, but one night, she showed up in front of my building and..."
"You don't have to continue, my love." I hold her chin firmly, forcing her to face me. "Just tell me her name. Any information that will help us find her."
Sandra hesitates, a heavy sigh escaping her lips before she speaks.
"I don't know her name, but you know her, Mark. Her husband was the supernatural killed by the wendigo that attacked me. He was a rabbit shapeshifter."
"Holy shit," Ted's voice echoes in myheadset. I had forgotten that the call was still connected. "We know where she lives, Beast."
"Give me the address, Ted." My growl echoes through the room. "I'm going there right now."
"No way, you're not going alone. Not after you almost died and are still recovering. We need to meet first, plan everything."
