Chapter 150
CLAUDIA.
I want to blame myself for not listening to Aristea, but the thing is, I did listen to her. I tried to get back to the surface when she told me. I didn’t get too deep myself, and now that the truth is out, I have a feeling that this is all just a big plan for Tristan. He knew what he was doing, and he was pulling me in deeper and deeper into his memories until there’s no way for me to get out.
But there has to be a way, right? I got away before. I can get away now.
Tristan walks closer to me, and my anger flares as well as the fear. I find myself staggering away from him even though I told myself to be as calm as possible so he won’t taunt me further. But the first step I take away from him makes him smile even wider. It’s as though he can smell my fear and he loves it.
Contrary to what’s written all over his face, he says, “You don’t need to be afraid of me. You know very well I would not do anything to hurt you—”
“Really?” I can’t help but interjecting. I know I should probably keep my mouth shut, and that would give me the best chance to survive, but right now I can’t help but feel incredulous. “You have done all you can to hurt me and my family. I have a child, and you have put me in danger so many times that I can’t count it on my fingers!”
“Well, it’s all just a part of the role, I’m afraid.” He reaches out to touch my cheek before I can swerve, and to my horror, I feel the warmth and roughness on his skin against mine as though we’re really face to face. “As you saw very well, I was the first one to know who you were. What you were. I have to admit that I have never been able to take you off my mind ever since.”
My skin rolls with disgust. What is he doing? Is he really trying to make it sound like a profession of love?
“You make me sick,” I spit at him.
He clucks his tongue. “Come on now, that is not the way to go, Claudia. That is not the way to treat me. I could have killed you so many times now. You know I had so many opportunities. If I don’t feel for you the way I claim, then why would you be alive now?”
My heart skips a beat. I take a step back from him but he just closes the distance between us by moving closer to me. “Is that your idea of affection? Keeping me alive? I was led to think that that is the barest minimum—”
“Don’t be snarky now, Claudia.” Tristan stares into my eyes, reaching for me again. This time, I feel like I’m backed into a corner. I can’t move. I don’t know if it’s just him controlling the environment we’re in or if it’s me, paralyzed with fear and disgust and all the negative feelings. “I recognize your power and I respect you for it. I revere you for it. Can you say the same with Achilles?”
“Yes,” I say immediately. “He loves me.”
“But he also fears you,” he replies instantly. “Do you not feel that? He sees your true potential, alright. But it’s not like you and him will ever be equals and he knows that. I think that’s why he knocked you up. He believed that once you are carrying his child, you would hold back and let him shine under his own spotlight again.”
I want to laugh in his face. No one would believe what he’s saying about Achilles, especially not me. Achilles has never made me feel like he’s outshined by me. He never tried to steal credit that belongs to me. He only wanted me to be safe and happy. He would protect me with his own life, even when we were just kids. That says a lot about his character.
I just stare blankly at Tristan. “Whatever you’re trying to do… it’s not working.”
Something about his expression changes. The calm, loving demeanor is now gone, revealing the true monster inside. He lunges forward and tries to grab me by the throat, but I step aside and avoid his blow. I swat his hand away and try to run into the scene of the forest, frozen in time with his memories, but the more I run the farther it seems to get. I can feel the air in my lungs struggling to get in and out, and my knees are weak now. Still, I run.
But it doesn’t take long for Tristan to find me.
He grabs me by the waist, spinning me around. As soon as we’re face to face to face, he leans in and tries to capture my lips.
At the same time, he wraps his hand around my neck and squeezes hard until I can feel myself slipping away.
* * *
ACHILLES.
“We will gather enough forces to burn that mountain to the ground,” I say. “We will start today. We will go around the packs and tell them the truth—”
“They might not believe us,” Henry says. “When I tried to tell the people before, they thought I was crazy. They said that the Rogues couldn’t be possibly made. They are nature’s abominations, and I was crazy.”
“I know that might be the case,” I say. “But that is the reason why we have a powerful Siren Wolf by our side. Claudia will help us. She will help us show the people the truth. We would be able to convince them with her at our side.”
That seems to boost the morale of the small group. I can see them nodding at the plan now. I know that I make it sound too easy and things always, always go wrong for us for some reason, but I feel confident because we have Claudia on our side, and she has never failed before. She truly is amazing like that.
I start to feel more energized too. I pick up the schematics to review it and discuss a more detailed strategy, but that’s when I feel an ache in my heart. A pinch, but it’s so strong and so potent that I drop the paper on the floor.
“Alpha!” Carlos tries to support me. “Are you alright?”
“I feel something,” I tell him, frowning as the pain grows more intense. I don’t know why, but it feels intense. It feels like the kind of pain that is telling me something. My heart rate grows faster and faster in response to it, and I have to sit just to stay conscious. “My chest hurts and I….”
I trail off when I hear a faint voice in my head. The voice of Claudia. I can’t make out what she’s saying, but the hint of distress in her voice is enough to make me stand up.
“Claudia,” I whisper. “I need to see her.”
I burst out of the room, and the rest of them follow me, also sensing trouble. I make my way around the halls and arrive in front of the room Aristea stays in. Without knocking, I push open the door.
“Where is she?” I ask, and my heart drops when I see Aristea alone in the room crying. “What happened? Where is she?”
“She disappeared.” Aristea looks up at me. “She was dreaming, and she just disappeared. Tristan has her.”