Chapter 85: The Twist, The Caveat

Chapter 85: The Twist, The Caveat
Just as Alexander and Georgia were finally getting closer, there was a loud knock on their door.
Alexander went to open it to find Pierce standing there out of breath shirtless and very disheveled.
“Goddess, man! What happened?” Alexander asked. 
Georgia came over to the door and gasped at Pierce’s appearance. She noticed blood stains on his shorts and his right side. “Are you hurt?”
“No.” Pierce answered. “But we’ve been attacked by rogues. They killed three of the patrolmen already. It looks like most of them have left but I’m worried some might still be lurking about.”
“It was Stark, wasn’t it?” Alexander asked.
“We just need to secure the castle for now. After that, we’ll figure out what’s going on. Alex, come with me. Georgia, you stay here and don’t leave this room.”
“But I can help…”
“I said, don’t leave this room.” Pierce stated sternly.
She froze from his alpha voice and nodded. But it didn’t sound like Pierce talking.
Alexander put his shoes on and stopped to kiss Georgia.
“I’ll be right back, Baby.” He saw the panic in her eyes. “It’s going to be alright.”
“Alexander…” Georgia started to speak as he hugged her. She got a glimpse of Pierce’s face and could have sworn he was smiling. She had a bad feeling about this.
“We have to go, Alex. Now!” Pierce interrupted her.
“Don’t go.” Georgia whispered. “Something’s not right.”
“It’s going to be okay.” He comforted her then let go and headed out the door with Pierce.
She grabbed his hand, and he turned to look at her.
“Alexander, I don’t think that’s…”
“Come on, Alex. Let’s go.” Pierce hurried him along. “Stay in this room Georgia. Don’t leave.” He spoke to her harshly as he closed the door.
She stood alone in their suite without moving for a moment trying to process what just happened. She called out to Frankie in their mind link, but there was no answer. 
“What just happened?” She asked out loud. 
And then she heard it.
Complete silence.
The breeze had stopped, the trees were no longer rustling, and the crickets were no longer chirping. She went to the balcony and looked outside to find a completely still scene. It was as though time had stopped.
“No.” She went to the door and opened it to find Pierce standing there alone. 
He stepped into her suite towards her, and she backed away from him.
“I told you not to leave this room.” He slammed the door behind him and continued to walk towards her as she kept walking backwards away from him.
“Where’s Alexander?” She asked him braver than expected.
“It doesn’t matter.” His voice started changing and he stopped walking and smiled as Georgia bumped herself against the wall. “He’ll be gone once time reanimates.” Starks voice came through the body that looked like Pierce. He took two steps forward and the façade came off as he changed into himself. “Finally. It was horrible trying to be that idiot.”
“How did you?”
“Your toads weren’t able to get everything, Georgia. I found one of your notebooks. It came in pretty handy. And with all you taught me…” He smiled as he sat on the couch. “You were right. I don’t need Rosemary. I only need you.”
Georgia shook her head speechless. Her hands pressed firmly against the wall.
“I should have listened to you.” He crossed his legs nonchalantly. “But I didn’t. And now you’ve met your mate, and I have to take you from him.”
“Where is Alexander?” She asked again.
“He’s not here. He’s back at the castle.” He swung his leg like a child with a secret.
She furrowed her brows and looked at him in confusion.
“I told you not to leave this room.” He smiled.
She walked to the door and opened it to see a completely different but familiar hall, then to the balcony to see the familiar stream next to the packhouse on Starks land.
“What did you do?”
“What I should have done a long time ago. And now, you won’t be able to leave this room at all. Well, until we are mated of course. We’ll have a small ceremony this evening under that tree you love so much. And now that everyone remembers you, they’ll be so happy to see you back and us finally together.” Stark smiled like a mad man and stood up.
“But Alexander…”
“Oh, he’ll be fine. Well… he has a chance at being fine. He might not die. But it doesn’t matter because we’ll be together and everything will be as it should.” He took two steps towards her.
“He’s my mate.” She was in too much of a shock.
“All the more reason for me to kill him, Georgia. You see, after you died that night, I realized that I missed you. And most importantly, how much I needed you. So, naturally, I had to get you back.” He took three more steps towards her and was in arm’s length.
“You killed me. I didn’t just die!” Her eyes felt heated from the tears she tried not to let fall.
“You didn’t recognize the wolf, did you? The one you saved me from. No, my dear. I didn’t kill you. I mourned your death most dreadfully. It was Adelphos who killed you that night.   You know, Alexanders wolf? He was the one who killed you.”
“On your command. You ordered him to do it using the chip you implanted in him.”
“On the contrary. His chip didn’t work. No… he killed you. He was going for me. But he got you instead. And I would have been dead if it wasn’t for passersby who helped get Adelphos off of me.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“I’m telling you the truth.”
“No. He wouldn’t have done this to me.”
“But, he did.” Stark was very calm.
“You’re lying.” Georgia was trying not to get too worked up.
“Reach into your memories. You’ve seen him since then and I know you saw him that night. But we can forget all this ugliness. Push it all behind us and you and I can finally be together and start anew. Just the way you wanted.”
“I won’t come back to you. I will never come back to you!” She screamed, hoping someone, anyone would hear her. But she didn’t move away.
“Oh, Georgia. My good girl. Yes. You will.” He quickly pulled her to him, took a damp handkerchief out of his pocket and firmly place it over her face until she fell limp in his arms.