Page 1 of Woven Souls

Chapter1

THEODON

Everything in my life has fallen apart.

My life as a Ghost. My pact with my brothers. My morals.

The inevitable collapse of the world I’ve created didn’t end due to one poor decision. There have been many made along the way that would have eventually led to the destruction of everything I held close to my heart. But there is a singular mistake so great that it destroyed the illusion I’d created for myself that this life could continue despite the many other mistakes.

The note we found at the last safehouse weighs heavily in my pocket.

Three have Fallen and hide in this world. Windom. Glenwig. Fowlmor. Do what needs to be done.

This note should have been what broke me.

Remaining in good standing with the Brotherhood, despite our absence at our post, has been the guiding factor in all my decisions leading up to this point. Yet, as devastating as this news is, it doesn’t hurt as bad as betraying the woman who trusted me to keep her safe.

I lean against the door to the bedroom where Kwil is resting. Soon the tranquilizer will wear off, and he’ll wake. I hate that we had to sedate him, but once we captured Willow and Jonah three hours ago, he tried to take her and run.

Now that Kwil has his mate, I hope he can get himself under control. I wipe my hand down my face. Hismate… Once I’d gotten out of the infirmary the afternoon after that fateful night, he confronted me about the incident with Willow. When he learnedwhyI chose to shove my dagger into Willow’s gut, he calmed down enough to tell me what she was to him. As if I didn’t already hate myself enough, I’d taken a blade to my brother’smate.

AGhost’s only eternal bond may be with the Brotherhood.

So much forthatvow.

What’s worse, some sick perversion has made me a bit resentful. Why has fate brought Willow together with Kwil, and not with me? Why can’t I just be relieved that she’s not dead and that he found a small sliver of happiness? How fucking twisted have I become over the years?

Thinking of Willow causes my stomach to twist painfully. Her beautiful smile, the confidence with which she holds herself, and an unending supply of patience for three men who’ve kept putting themselves before her… How did I become so smitten with a woman and not even know it? It took stabbing her to realize that the only thing I wanted more than to protect my family, Kwil and Viktor included, was to make this woman a part of it.

I try to figure out when my indifference morphed into something else for this woman. Could it have happened when she gave Viktor a new sense of sight to combat his blindness? Her kindness as she discussed his situation with him, even after what he’d done to her, had been touching. Or had it been up on the rafters in that abandoned stable, reminding me to appreciate where I’ve come so I can continue to find a reason to press on?

I don’t know.

The only thing I do know is that I have to make this right.

The woman, sleeping off the sedative in her system in the basement, deserves so much better than what I’ve done. I send a quick prayer, something I haven’t done since Kwil’s half-transition, that Willow will forgive me. The look of horror on her face has haunted me whenever I try to sleep. Sometimes, I think I can still see her blood staining my hands.

Well, there’s no time like the present to start begging for forgiveness.

Straightening, I push away from the door to walk down the hall and head downstairs. As I enter the living room, the front door opens and Viktor strolls in.

He nods in greeting as he shuts the door behind him.

“The coast is clear. You were right. This place will keep us safe for a bit,” he says.

I don’t miss the way he can’t look me in the eyes.

“Good. I’m glad.” Without stopping, I move to the kitchen. The clock on the microwave says it’s nearly six o’clock at night.

Willow should be waking any minute. Jonah, on the other hand, will be out for a few more hours. We based his dosage upon the monster he is, not the scrawny man he appears to be. I walk over to the cabinets and pull out a glass. As I fill it with tap water, Viktor joins me.

“What are you going to do?”

My back stiffens. Viktor never questioned me before the incident last week. It’s bothersome to hear him do it so much recently. While he manages to keep his tone even, there’s no mistaking the reason behind the question. I wait until the glass is full, and I turn off the faucet before answering him.

“I’m just going to try to have a conversation with her, Viktor.” I turn around to face him.

Viktor’s hemp-colored eyes flash with some unnamed emotion. It’s not ire or annoyance, like it once would be. This, whateverthis is, is piercing. It makes me uneasy.

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