Mona’s skin crawled at the mention of the deity who created her foe.
“Where are they?” She snapped.
“They are making their way back to the Romanian stronghold. They are moving quickly through the forest and it seems that Peri is able to influence the plants and animals to aid them. They are drawn to the light she and the healers represent.” Lorelle explained.
Mona’s eyes narrowed as the she bared her teeth. “Well, we will just have to remedy that, won’t we?”
Though Lorelle had allowed her selfish desires and quest for her own power to twist her intentions into something evil, she still shuttered under the feral violence that surrounded Desdemona. It enveloped her completely, leaving no space for compassion, sympathy, or regret. Even now, something in Lorelle still opposed the idea of hurting her sister. But, she could see that Mona would gladly tear the wolves, limb from limb, reveling in their screams of agony, and then casually eat a meal afterwards without a second thought to the lives she'd just destroyed.
If she were honest with herself, she would admit that she didn’t want her hate of Peri to twist her that far, but somehow honesty just wasn’t her strong suit.
Chapter 11
“I watch her sleeping. I can’t tear my eyes from her for even a second, for if I do I will see her battered, broken body. She’s so worried about me. I try to put on the smile she needs, but I know she sees through me. My desperation to touch her, taste her, and smell her are complete giveaways to what is really going on inside of me. I can feel it from the other males, even Vasile. The effects of the In-Between run much deeper than we could have ever imagined. Though we are free from the physical prison, I fear that it could still be what destroys us.” ~ Costin
Sally stood breathless from the brisk pace that Peri insisted they keep. They had been pushing through the forest for two days and still the males teetered on the edge of violence. The once unified wolves that had trusted each other were leery and edgy around one another. Their eyes darted, constantly waiting for the danger they seemed so sure would come. The males wouldn’t let their mates more than a foot from their sides, Costin included. Sally would have laughed at their ridiculous possessiveness, but the fear in their eyes crushed any humor.
Costin walked up to her. He was not out of breath she noticed, irritably. His hand reached up and brushed away hair that had escaped from her pony tail while they were running. His touch was tentative and gentle and she hated that he, who had once been so confident and bold in his pursuit of her, was now hesitant to touch her—his mate.
“Not for the reasons you think,” he told her as he held her eyes.
“Then why?”
She could feel his need to protect her and, though she appreciated it, in that moment it enraged her. She knew that she was his and he felt an unwavering, all powerful need to protect her, but he was hers too, dammit. How could she protect him, even from himself, if he didn’t let her in?
“You feel the tension, especially because you are a healer. The darkness that we all have kept at bay, the control we have kept on our wolves, is all but gone. We are fighting what we have always feared would destroy us.”
“Why? I thought your true mates balanced that darkness. I thought we helped you keep control. I know you all have been through hell. I know you have this insane need to protect us, but you have us back. The physical touch is there and the mental bond is strong. Why are you not in control?” Sally’s voice broke the silence. She was desperate for an answer, and hopefully one that she could fix. Costin, being so distant and yet possessive beyond reason, was beginning to scare her. The others turned to watch them and Costin tensed at all the attention. His head bowed as he broke eye contact with her and Sally felt shame running off of him like a turbulent rain storm, hell bent on wearing away his resolve as rain from the storm would wear away earth and rock.
“They won’t let us be what they need.” Rachel’s voice broke the pin dropping silence. Sally’s head snapped around to the other healer.
“What do you mean?” Sally asked.
Gavril stepped up beside his mate and placed a hand on her face gently pulling her to look at him.
“Don’t.” His voice was a growl though she didn’t seemed threatened by him.
Rachel shook her head at him. “This has to be said! One of you, or all of you, is going to end up killing each other. I won’t let your own pride and misplaced good intentions destroy us. We can’t go marching into a mansion full of Alphas and dominant wolves with you all so edgy. You have your friends, your closest confidants, men you trust with your lives and you are willing to die for and even with them you can’t control your possessiveness. When one of those males gets too close to your mate, how on earth do you think you will be able to keep from ripping his throat out?”
Jen’s hand flew to her mouth as she stifled as gasp. “Bloody hell,” she whispered through her hand. She hadn’t considered the other packs. She had been hoping that with each day, the males would begin to relax and trust one another again. She might as well have been hoping for world peace and all that other crap that the Miss America chicks were always spouting. The tension between the males was not lessening; it might even be getting worse. Decebel was possessive on a good day, but now that she was pregnant and he had just endured the very worst depths of hell. She didn’t even know if possessive was an adequate term for what he would be once they got back to the mansion.
“So you’re saying they are doing this to themselves?” Jacque asked, before Jen could and she nodded at her best friend for taking the words out of her shocked mouth.
Rachel met the eyes of each male briefly before she finally nodded.
“I did something that I would not normally do because I don’t like to invade someone’s privacy, not even my mates, but I’m worried.”
Gavril stiffened next to his mate and his eyes narrowed as he looked down at her.
“What did you do Rachel?” His voice was not unkind, but brokered no argument that she was to answer him.
“I searched inside of you.” Rachel hurried on before Gavril could respond. “We have been mated for centuries Gavril, centuries! We have been through much together, and in all that time, you have never drawn away from me. But now, you have. You only touch me when it gets unbearable for you not to. You only use the bond when absolutely necessary. You constantly keep your body between mine and anyone else’s. You are treating me more like a possession than the other half of your soul!” Rachel’s voice had risen to a near yell as she released the pain that had been building over the distance her mate had put between them. “I’m the light to your darkness, or have you forgotten that little detail of our mating? I was created for YOU! Do you get that? When you are hurting, I’m the one who can comfort you. When you are joyous, I am the one who can truly understand that joy. When you are raging and the wolf fights to take control, I am the one who can calm him. ME! The darkness that was consuming you when we met was breached and conquered by my light. Your need to protect me, your need to bear this pain on your own is destroying my light. The In-Between gave the darkness a place to seep through back inside of you and instead of welcoming our bond as you once did you nurture the darkness. You caress IT as a lover INSTEAD OF ME!” Rachel was gasping for breath when she finished and the air seemed to spark around her as her temper flared.
Sally’s chest was tight as she mirrored the pain and anger that surged from Rachel’s words. She had not been able to put into words what she had been feeling, but Rachel had tied it up in a rage induced bow. She looked over at Jen and Jacque and could see the realization snapping into place in their minds. Even Elle, Crina, and Alina looked stricken by the truth in the healers’ words.
“The worst part,” Rachel tried to hold back the sob that pushed out with the words, “the worst part is that you know what you’re doing, yet you don’t stop it.”
Alina stepped forward as the anger in Rachel, which had been so much more prominent than her pain, began to subside and the hurt began to take over. Alina’s face was stoic and the distance between her and Vasile shadowed the usual compassion that shined in her eyes. She took a deep breath before she spoke and the voice that came out was one of an Alpha.