Chapter 38 38
Venessa’s POV
“Why not just tell Denzel outright and let him figure out how to catch them himself?” Nyla suggested.
I didn’t answer her immediately. I wasn’t sure that would be wise. Jalisa’s removal would benefit me more than anyone, and blurting everything out could ruin that advantage. More importantly, Denzel wouldn’t believe me not without proof.
I was still wrestling with my thoughts when a familiar scent reached me.
Denzel.
I froze by the lake, my breath hitching. I hadn’t expected him. When I turned, he was already there, smiling softly as if he’d found me exactly where he’d hoped to.
“I suppose this is your new sanctuary,” he said.
I nodded. He squatted beside me near the water, and I could tell immediately that something was troubling him. I braced myself.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re hiding something, Venessa?” he asked.
I sighed and lowered myself to the ground. My knees were already aching from squatting.
“And why would you think that?” I asked, forcing a smile.
He studied me for a moment before speaking.
“How easily you let go when I told you Jalisa was pregnant. The look on your face it was like you already knew. You ended things with Rayon without a fight. It’s almost as if you don’t want to be tied to anyone. And I think it has something to do with your mother… and the reason Lycans are after you.”
My smile slipped instantly.
Lycans? I hadn’t known they were after me but I had to think fast. I couldn’t tell him the truth about my past life. Being hunted by Lycans was the safer story.
“Lycans?” I echoed.
He nodded.
“Tyrell did some digging.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Anything involving Tyrell was never good news.
“And what did he find?” I asked, feigning interest.
“He located your mother’s cabin in the woods. Her name was Danisha Gordon.”
I was stunned by how thorough Tyrell had been.
“Danisha was Alpha Carlton Gordon’s younger sister,” Denzel continued. “She worked with the Lycans and got into trouble. Instead of being executed, she was exiled. The Lycans kept searching for her. After they killed her, they traced you here. They’re lingering around my borders now, waiting for you to make a mistake.”
Suddenly, the Lycans I’d seen near the border while gathering herbs for the foxglove treatment made horrifying sense.
“Do you know what your mother took from them?” he asked. “Or what she did?”
I shook my head. I truly didn’t know. My mother had always been vague, secretive. She used to say ignorance was bliss that her silence was the only thing keeping me alive. Now she was gone, and her protection with her.
“Honestly, Alpha,” I said quietly, “she never told me anything. She hid her past from me. I’m only just learning about Alpha Carlton now. I knew she was an Alpha… but that was all.”
I paused, then met his gaze.
“I have eight months left, Alpha. If they’re still here by then, I’ll surrender myself. I won’t let anyone die for me.”
He shook his head immediately and reached for my hand. I almost pulled away, but at the last second, I didn’t.
“I didn’t tell you this to scare you, Venessa,” he said, his voice tight. “I wanted to understand the situation. Blood Moon Pack is your home. I will protect you with everything I have.”
Fear flickered in his eyes, and it stole my voice.
“Please,” he continued, “I’m working on it. I’m searching the laws, trying to see how I can”
I shook my head. There was no point. I was leaving regardless. Success or failure didn’t change my fate. I had been given one year, and four months were already gone. I couldn’t let him get attached.
“I’ll leave after eight months, Alpha,” I said softly.
I felt his fear rise instantly sharp and raw. He was sad, conflicted, struggling to understand. I couldn’t explain. I wished he had done all this earlier, before he was poisoned, when I still had time. But now I was living on borrowed moments, and fate rarely granted extensions.
I wanted to cry. I forced myself not to.
“Then I’ll make the most of those eight months,” he said, resolve hardening in his voice. “And maybe by then… you’ll change your mind.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks.
Of course I would stay if the choice were mine.
But it wasn’t.
I was racing against time, and the clock was ticking far too fast.