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In the somber silence that followed, Gavin handed me the bouquet of flowers. I carefully placed them before the cairn, and we all stood back as I uttered a prayer to Welkin to take my mother’s spirit into the sky, where she could watch over us for all eternity. And when it was done, Colt put his hands on my shoulders and drew me into a hug.

I appreciated the gesture, but as everyone else sniffled and wiped away tears, I held firm. I had already grieved my mother in solitude. As heavy as my heart had become, I knew I had to move on and remain strong.

By that evening, we were at Everett’s house again. Two vehicles belonging to the Mythguard pulled into the driveway, and Sebastian Hicks entered the living room with a few of his operatives.

“Tomorrow night, the full moon will rise. The Mythguard is certain that this is the night David and Lothair will perform the Lycan ritual,” said Sebastian with his arms crossed.

Everett and Gavin both stood on the other side of the coffee table while I sat beside Colt on the sectional. Aislin and Billie sat on the other side of the couch. Familiar fire burned in my chest. I had set my sorrow for the loss of my mother aside, and now what raged most powerfully within me was my hunger for vengeance.

“There are three possible scenarios that we must be prepared for: one, that they have harvested Muriel’s unicorn horn, and David and Lothair will become Lycan. Two, that they didn’t get to harvest her horn before she died as a human, and that they will attempt to capture Kiara. Or three, that they didn’t harvest the horn and will wait until the next full moon, but this seems the least likely of all options. Their time is running out. We believe that they will act tonight or tomorrow in order to complete the ritual as soon as possible. For that reason, we strongly urge you to allow us to take Kiara out of the Gunnison area,” said Sebastian.

Gavin and Everett looked at me. Colt reached for me, taking my hand, but I pulled away and sat up straight. “I want to be here to fight the Lycans,” I insisted.

“Exposure to blood will only weaken you. Please leave the fighting to the Mythguard,” said Sebastian. “You’re more useful to us in good health. We’ll have need of your healing magic later.”

Grumbling, I knew he had a point. I did want to fight. Welkin implored me to avenge my mother! But I would be useless if I came into contact with too much blood, and I sensed that the consequences of the Lycan ritual would be a very gory affair. “Where will you take me, then? Will I come right back after it’s all done?”

“We’ll take you into the city of Gunnison. It’s only thirty minutes away from here. As soon as we receive confirmation that the Lycans have been exterminated, we’ll bring you back.”

“Okay. When do we go?”

“As soon as possible.”

The Alphas nodded their approval. If everyone agreed that it was the best option, then I would be foolish to deny it. I didn’t have anything to bring with me except the clothes on my back, but before I left with the Mythguard, Colt took my arm and led me to a quiet corner where nobody could overhear us.

“Let me mark you,” he said.

A conflicting storm of feelings gripped me. “I’m not ready for that.”

“We’ll be able to communicate if I can mark you.”

I shook my head. “You won’t need to communicate with me.”

Colt’s face darkened with worry, clearly unwilling to separate from me so soon after I had just begun to accept his presence. “I promised that I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. I want to protect you.”

“Then come with us.”

“They won’t let me.”

“Well… I’m sorry, Colt. I can’t let you mark me.”

He had to understand my reservations. There was just too much going on for me to undergo the marking ritual in earnest. I didn’t want to rush into it—I still barely knew Colt, let alone trusted him as much as I wanted to. Knowing it pained him, I cupped his cheek and leaned in. “I’ll be back. But you have something you need to do, and so do I. Okay?”

Colt sighed. “Okay.”

I held his gaze for a moment longer before craning my neck, brushing my nose against his. The gentle touch of his lips led to a kiss that I couldn’t help. I wanted him to know I meant it when I said I would be back.

Colt melted into the kiss. I had to pull away, leaving him with the memory of my touch as I joined the Mythguard out the door. I gave Colt one last look, and his smile lit me up—not in anger, but affection.

I wanted him to overcome this. I hoped he would.

Chapter 22: Colt

A

s I watched Kiara leave, the taste of her kiss lingered on my lips. She would be all I’d think about for the next couple of days. Was it selfish of me to have wanted to mark her so soon after she’d lost her mother? I meant it when I suggested that it was just to be able to communicate telepathically because the Mythguard taking her away from me made me feel useless—like, despite all my promises to protect her, I would once again be reduced to just watching everything happen from the sidelines. 

But I would respect her wishes.

I stood by the window and watched the cars pull away. Through their tinted windows, I couldn’t even see Kiara, and with each yard of mounting distance, my fated mate bond thinned like an elastic band until I knew inevitably Kiara would come crashing back into me. I just had to be patient. Turning around, I found Everett, Gavin, Aislin, and Billie looking at me with varying degrees of judgment.

“You really asked to mark her,” Aislin accused.

The hair on my arms stood up. “Because I wanted us to have the mate connection so I could keep her safe.”

“I would’ve sworn it was because you’d want to control her or know where she was at all times so you could deliver her to your nasty dad.”

“Ais,” Everett warned lowly.

“No, really. This asshole is always up to something,” she said, thrusting a finger at me. “I’m surprised she had your wrists freed and that you didn’t try to drag her back to the mine in the middle of the night.”

“I don’t want to hurt her, okay? I’m done trying to please my father. I’ll never stand by his side again. Protecting my fated mate comes before everything else. You know what I’m talking about, you have to know—Gavin, you found peace when you accepted Billie into your life. Everett must have felt some kind of zest or appreciation for life when he got with you, Aislin. The fated bond changes everything.” I shook my head, worried that I was grasping at straws, but there had to be some way I could relate to them! “When I lost Billie and Catrina, I lost a part of myself. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, and I had no direction other than what my father told me to do. None of you wanted to have anything to do with me, and then I found Kiara. And sure, she didn’t want anything to do with me either, but at least then I knew what I had to do. She gave me a reason to break away from David. I know now that I have to prove myself worthy of her. That’s why I’m here. You don’t have to give me a chance. But whether or not you do, it’s not going to change what side I fight for. I fight for Kiara.”

Aislin’s face gradually scrunched up as I spoke. Everett’s brows sunk as I imagined him internally vacillating between being angry and trying to understand me. I didn’t think I could get through to them, but Gavin and Billie both seemed to soften, so I sought their eyes instead. “Billie… You know I’m not a villain.”

All this time, there had been a wall between my sister and me. She put it up to protect herself, of that I was certain. I hurt her too, like I’d hurt everyone as a reaction to losing Billie and Catrina, and she probably recognized that I manipulated her just like my father, but she had to know me well enough to realize I never did anything out of malice. My entire body sank, imploring her to dismantle that wall.