Page 49 of Unbelievable Faith
She chose her words carefully, “I didn’t ruin things between you and Leo. You weren’t fated. He broke up with you years ago. That had nothing to do withme.”
Sasha hissed, “AndMad?”
“Maddox was crazy, Sasha.” She snapped and then cringed when the woman growled ather.
“Don’t you dare say that! He wasn’t crazy. He was a visionary! His only mistake was in believing you were the key to taking control of the pack. If he’d just listened to me…” Sasha’s face fell and a look of utter despair filled her voice, “If he’d just listened he’d still bealive.”
“He only wanted one thing. Power. He didn’t care how he got it. I was nothing but a means to anend.”
“Oh, no. No, no no.” Sasha came around the end of the couch, pointing a clawed finger in Luna’s face, “You were so much more than that. He wanted you. From the moment he saw you he wanted it to be you. You!” She practically spat the word, “The submissive little DeLuca princess. Nobody else would ever have been good enough or him. He only wantedyou.”
“Well I didn’t wanthim!”
“Because you’re an idiot!” Sasha hissed. “He was amazing. Strong and powerful. Brave. He would have made an incredible pack Alpha but you ruined him just like you ruineverything.”
“He wasn’t my mate!” Luna couldn’t keep from snapping despite the danger she sensed radiating off the otherwoman.
“I know that you insipid little girl.” Sasha slapped her, hard, right across the cheek and while Luna was still reeling from that she hit her again, “He was my mate! Mine! He was mine and you took him fromme!”
Luna pressed her cut cheek against her shoulder, trying to curl into herself and avoid another lash-out. But it was the words that spun through her head and cut her wide open. Because it all made so much more sensenow.
Sasha’s hatred of her, the way she’d stood by Maddox no matter how insane he became. And most of all it explained why Sasha wasn’t healing properly. Beneath the shirt she wore, Luna could see the bandages on her side were soaking through with blood. It was the bond. Clearly, despite everything Maddox had wanted from Luna, he’d still sealed the bond with his true mate. He and Sasha had mated and now that he was dead, she wasn’t healing and would follow not far behind himnow.
Luna felt a rush of pity for this woman that she’d never even liked. She was vindictive and mean. Harsh and unnecessarily cruel. But she’d been fated to a male that had wanted more than she could give him and he’d used her to get it and then gotten himself killed. He’d sentenced her to a short and painful existence and Sasha seemed hell-bent on punishing everyone that had played a part in his death because ofit.
She was already dying. That much was obvious. Which meant she didn’t have anything left to lose. Which made her dangerous. Far more dangerous than Luna hadrealized.
“I… I’m sorry.” She tried but Sasha only sneered ather.
“I don’t want your platitudes you little bitch. I want you to suffer the way I’ve suffered. I want you to watch as everyone you love is taken away from you and then I want you to wither away withheartbreak.”
Luna felt her bottom lip tremble, “Not Michael. Please. You can hurt me. Just, leave Michael out of it.Please.”
Sasha tilted her head, as if she was considering it for a moment and then the sneer returned, “He’ll die once I kill you. Your bond is too strong for him to survive without you. We’ll see which of you I let live to deal with the pain of knowing their true mate is dead. In the meantime, I want the one that ripped Mad’s headoff.”
Luna sucked in a surprised gulp of air and barely kept the name from leaving her lips. Darius. Michael had told her the story. He’d told her how Maddox had fought them all before Darius moved in behind him. It had been Darius that ripped the crazed werewolf apart and knowing what she knew now she thought that maybe Darius hadn’t done it so much for her, or out of an obligation to his Alpha, as he had done it for Leo. Just like she knew there was no way in hell that Leo would let his Enforcer put himself in dangernow.
“Yeah, you know who it was, don’t you?” Sasha’s sneer turned feral, “So you’re going to call them. Call them and tell them to send him out to the river to meet me. Tonight, during the full moon. I may not be at one hundred percent but the moon will make me stronger. I’ll take him out as soon as he steps into view and then, then I’ll deal withyou.”
The full moon was tonight? It took Luna a moment to realize she’d been unconscious far longer than she realized. Almost an entire day. Which meant if nobody had found them yet, odds were good that they wouldn’t. Not unless Sasha wanted them to befound.
“No.”
A clawed hand gripped her hair and pulled until her neck was wrenched back, “You’ll call or I’ll kill everyone you’ve everloved.”
Sasha handed her a phone and after only a moment of hesitation, thinking of her sisters and all they’d been through already, Luna took it. She dialed the number to Michael’s office. It was the one he’d made her memorize weeks ago just in case she ever needed it. She’d argued that she wouldn’t but he’d beenright.
He usually was, as he liked tosay.
“Luna?” He picked up on the first ring and his voice, the desperation she heard there made tears form in her eyes and clog her throat. “Luna, baby, is that you? I’m coming for you. Hold on. Just hold on and I’ll find you Iswear.”
God she loved him. Loved him so much. Loved him for his strength and his softness. His intelligent and his wit. His sense of humor and the way he always, always seemed to know exactly what she needed and gave it to her. She just, loved him, and she realized in that moment that she’d never told him. Not really, she’d told him that she was falling for him but she’d never said the words and just in case this was the last time they spoke, she had to say it now, before she lost herchance.
“I love you, Michael.” Her voice was hoarse with emotion, “I love you. Don’t ever forget that. No matter what happens, don’t you do what she says. She’s going tokill…”
“Give me that.” Sasha slapped her again as she jerked the phone away from Luna and put it to her ear, “I take it I’m speaking to the Moirae PackAlpha?”
Michael’s growl was loud even through the phone line, “You are and if you’ve hurt my mate in any way you’re going to pay forit.”
“I’m the one making threats now.” Sasha hissed back at him, “I’m going to kill your mate slowly and painfully unless you send me the wolf that murdered Maddox. I wanthim.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line and Luna could imagine Michael looking from Darius to Leo and back again. They wouldn’t do it. There was no way. She didn’t want them to. She’d rather her brother be happy and her family be safe than them trade away a good man like Darius forher.
“You’ll let Luna go if I do?” Michael asked and Luna criedout.
“No! No! Don’t do itMichael!”
“Shut. Up.” Sasha raised a threatening hand again, making Luna cower and then readjusted the phone, “Maybe I’ll let her live. Once I’m done ruining her, I might send her back to you as long as you don’t try anything tonight. Just send the wolf responsible for murdering my mate to the boundary line at the river once the full moon rises. Alone. If I sense more than one wolf, I’ll gut her and send her back to you inpieces.”
Sasha hung up the phone before Luna could cry out again. She wanted to warn Michael that there was no way this crazy woman was going to let her go. Not now. Not ever. She wanted Luna dead even more than she wanted Darius for killing Maddox. Luna wasn’t going to make it out of this situation alive, not unless she figured out a way to break free and use Sasha’s injuries against her before the full moon was high in thesky.
