Chapter Fifty-Three

Sullen

When Sullen woke she sat straight up. The smell of earth and water slid against her skin. Blinking, she looked up at the waterfall that both boys had taken her to.

Why on earth had he brought her here? The grass was high around where he sat her down, and a headache was forming at the base of her skull. She felt like he’d dragged her over every stump in the woods.

“Beautiful place, isn’t it?”

Sullen didn’t even bother looking over her shoulder. She searched the field for someone, anyone, but no one had made it there yet. She knew Roan could smell her. Feel her. But something was keeping him from her. Was it Jacob? Had Roan not received the message she sent through the mind link?

Was Jacob sending him on a wild goose chase? She closed her eyes and tried to reach out to him but her mind was oddly blank again.

“You think I would let you mind link your little boyfriend, Sullen? Come on, you have to know me better than that.” Duke walked closer, snagging a wildflower from the ground. “I spent many years searching for ways to go unnoticed.”

Sullen glared up at his handsome face which made her sick to her stomach. “So, you’ve been planning to take over packs for your entire life? Here I thought it was a new hobby of yours,” she said. "Dream high, Duke. Ridge. Whatever your name is."

Duke squatted down in front of her and smiled. “The need to rule started when I was just a pup, ya know. I grew up in a normal pack, but I knew deep down that I was meant to be an alpha, meant to be in charge, but I wasn’t. I hated bowing down to someone, so I left my pack, became a rogue, and found the others.” He closed his eyes and smiled. “I thought we were alike,” he said.

Sullen lifted a brow. “You thought I liked to take over packs and force the survivors to join me. When did I give off that persona?”

“We're alike because you hate packs, or did some dick change your mind?”

“I hated packs. I love Roan, and I’d rather die than go against him. I never thought I had a mate, Duke. Don’t you get that? And when I stumbled upon him, I fought for us, and look where that got me. Roan is a better guy than you’ll ever be.”

“You think he hung the moon, huh, Sullen? He’s not that great. You’ll see soon.”

Sullen felt a tugging at her chest, and her attempt to mind-link Roan went dead again. “How do you mask your scent?”

“Magic,” he whispered in a low octave. “The same way I'm blocking your pathetic attempt at a mind link. There are plenty of dark witches around for trade. Some of the lonely ones just need a night alone to give you what you need. I was taking one for the team,” he said with a wink.

Sullen nearly gagged knowing he was sleeping with other people during their relationship. “So you would go to work and kill wolves?”

“Our goal is to kill the alpha, not kill the pack, we need the numbers,” he said, swiping a weed from the ground, and hanging it out of the corner of his mouth. “Most of the stubborn ones were killed, but the smart ones followed us.”

Sullen pursed her lips. “What a life, Ridge,” she said sarcastically. “You don’t look like a Ridge to me.”

He shrugged. “Can’t help what our parents name us, now can we?”

Sullen’s gaze shifted toward the woods. She thought she saw something move, but she wasn’t sure. “So, what’s the plan?” she asked. “Are we going to stay here until someone finds us? Are you looking to kill Roan? Because I’m not sure you can take him. He seems bigger than you, but I haven’t seen you in wolf form, so I can’t be for sure.”

Duke’s teeth ground together. “I know how to get Roan’s attention. She’s sitting right in front of me.” He chuckled. “Finding out that your stupid mother fell for Kevin made everything so easy. My entire plan fit together when I realized you were running from your fated mate.”

Sullen wanted to reach over and strangle the life out of him. The smug smile, the dimple on his cheek. Something about it seemed familiar. She couldn’t place it, and never noticed it until that moment, maybe because she saw him in a new light.

Another movement caught her eye, but she didn’t dare look.

She wanted Roan to swoop in and tear Duke’s head off his shoulders. Where was the popcorn when you needed it?

The bastard deserved it.

Sullen shifted when Duke looked off into the distance, drawing his attention back to her. “So what now? You fight Roan until one of you dies? I mean … what if it’s you?”

He grinned. “It won’t be, little fox.”

Abruptly, he stood up and began to pace. “See, I’m much smarter than Roan. I have my army ready to go to war. He is easily manipulated. His own Beta turned his back on him.”

Sullen stood up and dusted off her clothes. “How did you meet Jacob?”

“Oh, we go way back.” He chuckled.

Sullen felt her body purring at Roan’s closeness. He was near them, and her wolf could taste his scent.

“What did you promise him?” Sullen asked. “You don’t have a lot of money. Is he power-hungry like you?”

The corner of his eye twitched, but he ignored her, his gaze sweeping around him, searching. Sullen knew he could sense Roan as she could.

Anticipation raced her.

Did Roan bring back up? Where was Duke’s pack of rogues?

Sullen felt Roan’s gaze on her back. Without a second thought, she turned to look at him.

He stood several yards away, Naked from shifting moments before, but oddly enough he wasn’t looking at her. It looked as if he was looking through her.

His gaze was set on Duke.

When she looked back at him, there was a sinister smile on his face.

Roan’s stare knotted her stomach. She wanted to scream at him to say something. Why was Roan looking at him that way?

“You bastard,” Roan whispered.

Duke laughed and stepped beside Sullen. “Ah, it’s been a very long time, brother.”