Chapter Thirty-Three

F L O R E N C E

I press my hand tighter against my lips to stifle the sound of the sudden gasp that escapes me. I can’t believe what just came out of Alpha Isaac’s mouth.

For a moment I thought he was going to jump to my hiding spot and pull me out, but he just continues to pace the floor while Dad stays in his spot.

“Are we clear on that?” he asks Dad. “Am I to expect your cooperation?”

“Yes, Alpha,” Dad answers meekly. “I will try, at least. You know my daughter. She is quite strong-willed and firm on her decisions--”

“I do not care what you have to do,” Alpha Isaac interjects. “Now go along and think of a plan. I want you to be ready by tomorrow.”

“Of course.”

With that, I see Dad opening the door and leaving. Now I’m alone with Alpha Isaac with no way to leave, watching him pace the floor.

My brain is in panic mode now. I want to make him go but I have no idea how. He doesn’t seem like he has the plan to leave either, but I don’t think I want to get stuck here all night.

Slowly, he approaches the table I’m hiding in and I hear him shuffling the papers. He rolls up the map, stays there for an uncomfortable length of time, then heads towards the door and finally exits.

“Finally,” I mutter to myself, standing up.

But to my surprise, Alpha Isaac is right there, standing in front of me and smiling.

I let out a strangled scream and stumble back. I swear I saw him leave just seconds ago. How did he come back so fast? Was I hallucinating?

“I thought someone was in there,” he says as though he can read my mind. “I pretended to walk out to shake you out of your hiding place. But I didn’t expect it to be you, Florence, I must admit. And now you heard everything.”

For a second I consider lying to him, but what’s the point? I'd better confront him right here and right now. I stare him squarely in the face, taking the map from his hand and unfurling it. “What’s this about?”

“Which one?” he asks easily. When I jab a thumb at the Ombra Nera Pack, he smiles softly. “I knew this would be the first thing you'd notice—”

“Stop patronizing me,” I snap at him. A strange tightness in my throat appears, making it hard to breathe. “What are you planning?”

His eyes widen with shock like he didn’t expect me to be this direct, but he just shrugs and gently takes the map back from me. “These are my plans for alliances. You see, when my son got lost in the Sacred Grounds and you never came back, I felt like everything was my fault. I was guilty because I thought you died saving my son, but that is not the case. You were in the Ombra Nera Pack, a place that we all thought was just a myth. You proved it to be real.”

“And what are you going to do to them?” I demand, a little taken aback by the sincerity in his voice.

Still, I’m finding it hard to concentrate since the tightness in my throat has now spread to my chest. I have to put my hand on top of the table for support. My vision is starting to spin.

“Well, I wish to make them an ally and prove to every other pack that they are no threat.”

“Threat to what? How?” I sputter, gasping for air as my knees start to go weak. “Just because they’re hidden?”

“Yes, and I want to prove with your help and with your knowledge about their pack and their Alpha that they’re not bad werewolves.” Alpha Isaac meets my eyes. Then he frowns. “Florence, are you okay?”

I open my mouth to tell him that I’m fine, but then I feel something trickling down the sides of my lips and down on my chin.

I clamp a hand over my mouth, and when I hold it away, I see that my palm is covered in blood.

Alpha Isaac curses under his breath. “Florence, I have to take you to the infirmary.”

“No,” I whisper, but more blood starts to come out of my mouth.

The room is now spinning, the floor rolling in waves under my feet and making my stomach lurch. He wraps a hand around my waist to support me, asking me more questions, but I can no longer make out his words; however, I can see a hint of fascination in his eyes. Something that the worried expression doesn’t mix with very well.

Does he know about this?

Did he do this?

I push him off me, trying to activate my mind-link to call for help. The first person I think about is Niccolo, and I call his name as loud as I can, but then everything gives way and the mind-link is cut. My limbs, my lungs, my heart...all stop working.

The world turns black, and everything is gone.

* * *

N I C C O L O

I sink to my knees. My hands are shaking and my face is numb.

I want to believe so badly that all of this was just some elaborate lie, but the more it lingers in my mind, the more it makes sense.

That explains why Mom sometimes looked at me as though she was afraid, like I was going to explode any minute without warning. That explains why Dad didn’t bond with me as much, why he treated me with gentle respect but not warm love.

Not only was I not his son. I was also the spawn of the one who made everyone’s life hell by conquering lands and seeking power.

My pack is not cursed. I am.

I look up at the Moon Goddess, but she just walks closer to me and gently touches my face again.

“It’s not your fault, but a debt must be paid,” she says in a soft voice. “All hope is not lost for you, young Alpha. You have your mate. You both need each other, that is why you’ve been tied together by destiny. In fact, right now, she needs you. More than ever.”

With that, she vanishes into thin air, and I’m left alone at the side of the cliff, rising to my feet and knowing what to do.

I have to tell Florence the truth about me.

I sprint through the forest in my wolf form, unleashing pure speed and strength as I brush through the path towards the Blood Moon Pack. On and on I run, feeling an unbelievable surge of power.

I can track her scent in the air, strong and sweet, and it gives me a boost.

However, before I can come close, I suddenly get a flash in my head. A small voice. Florence’s voice.

And she’s calling my name.

But everything suddenly turns dark, like she just got cut off from telling me something.

Is Florence in trouble?

My heart starts to beat fast with dread. My mind is conjuring bad thoughts, but I just push myself faster and faster until I find myself at the gates of the Blood Moon Pack. The guards block me immediately, so I stop.

Before I can shift back to my human form and explain that I need to see Florence, the guards all raise their crossbows, firing sharp silver arrows at me, aiming for my heart.