Chapter 41 A crazy plan
My body was frozen. Heart pounding as sweat snaked down my back.
I tried…do you know how much I bloody tried to not fall for her?
I had been gone for an hour. Just one, showing Finn my routine, dancing and twirling in the air, laughing between the lake and garden that felt like a fairy tale under the moonlight.
But I returned to find a literal war unfolding in our bedroom. I stood stiff outside the door, unable to move, unable to breathe.
You have no idea the lengths I went to, to purge her from my mind…to deny my wolf the one thing that comes most naturally to werewolves.
I staggered back, the pain crushing, like a weight plate against my chest.
At Draki’s response to Hale’s outburst, I doubled over, squeezing my chest savagely.
No, no. They cannot fight over me. I was not worth fighting over. Not when they looked at each other the way they did. Not with that love they shared.
I would take his place in hell without second thoughts.
That was not something anyone should throw away over a wretched betrayer like me.
It was all my fault. I caused it, brought chaos and disruption to Hale’s life and caused his lover so much pain.
And all for what? To pull his heart out, and stomp on it. Take a large hammer and strike at his heart over and over after laying it bare.
I backed away from the door, my gait unsteady, chest on fire. Then I turned and ran.
My tears fell like frozen blocks of ice, distorting my vision as I flew down the stairs.
I stumbled twice on my way out, but did not stop. I panted, running, crying, till I was out of the house and the cold night air hit me like a fist.
My body swayed, and I went crashing to my knees, trying to breathe, trying to shove the memories away as they flashed through my mind like an assault, the bodies, the blood, so much blood, the horrible shock on his face from being betrayed.
I still did not understand why he treated me kindly. Why he had chosen me as their woman of the decade and helped me get my body back because he, more than anyone, knew how much winning the tournament meant to me.
I did not deserve kindness.
Placing my hand on the floor, I pushed my body up. I did not even deserve the release that came from crying.
I wiped the tears off my face savagely.
The only thing I could do now was make sure history never repeated itself. I at least had control over that. Appease the only woman who right now had the power to cause as much chaos again. Gianna.
I felt in my shorts, confirming the Silverpass was still there. I had made sure to keep it in my pocket for sudden opportunities like this.
Rescuing Lucia out of the silver cage would buy me more time to handle this Fentone business before the Hearthrown Alphas found out and real chaos broke out.
And there was no better time than right now to do so.
With one last glance at the house, I took to my heels, sprinting across the lawn till I was standing, concealed in the shadows of peonies and coneflowers to the left of the house.
It was a horrible thing to take advantage of their fight like this. But this might be my only chance.
I strained my ears, listening for movements from humans or other supernatural creatures as my palms started to sweat. Nothing.
Sticking to the shadows, I half ran and half walked towards the front of the house.
I will have to teach Gianna a lesson one of these days. The only reason I held back from telling Mom and Dad all about this was that rehab. The last time they sent her to rehab for unstable werewolves had been hell for her. It was such a horrible place that it filled me with dread to be responsible for her returning there.
Just as I began descending the slope connecting the yard to the driveway, a hand shot out of the darkness and grabbed me.
My vision blurred. My heart stopped.
I opened my mouth to scream, and the hand clamped down, sealing my mouth.
Rhea, Rhea
But Rhea remained in a lax mood, sprawled beneath my ribs. She did not get defensive as she would have, just like she had not alerted me when this person came for me.
I grabbed their arm now, and spun around, bracing my knees to slam them down. But I froze.
“I could have hurt you.” I pulled away, panting.
“Did you just snap your teeth?” Finn stared at me, stunned.
I relaxed my stance and wiped the drool off my lips.
“Growl you mean? Wolves do not snap their teeth.” I glanced towards the driveway, tapping one foot impatiently.
Now this was a problem. How was I going to escape him without disclosing my destination?
“No. You sounded like Daine just now. You did not growl.”
Possessive jealousy squeezed my chest.
He had fallen hard for that man if he lived rent-free in his head like this. But I pressed my lips shut, shoving the thought down as my heart raced.
Those men could not possibly fight all night.
It was almost bedtime, and they would soon realize their new play-toy was missing.
“What are you doing, Lys?”
My head jerked around. I stared into his eyes for a second, and realized that I could not lie to him.
“Something I shouldn’t be doing,” I huffed. “But you don’t have to be involved. Just pretend you never saw me.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I actually am. Just go back in, and you don’t have to lie if the men…”
“You can’t leave.” He cut me off, his face set.
I frowned. “I have to, it’s important I do this tonight.”
My eyes traveled up to the sky. The moon won’t stay hidden for much longer now. “I’ll not take long.”
I turned away from him, and managed to take two steps before he grabbed my shoulders. He spun me around and stared down into my eyes.
“I mean you can't leave these grounds. Agents of the Night Advocate prowl the borders at night. They're the security here, and unlike other creatures, there's no negotiating with those guys..”
He frowned. “Do you realize you could have been hurt bad... if I hadn't seen you sneaking away?”
My eyes widened. “They’ll hurt me?”
“Not on purpose... I guess. But it would have been too late before they realized it was you.”
My heart kicked. The thought of having to tell a very angry Gianna I had failed made my stomach twist. She will not hesitate to ruin my life.
“Lys.” Finn’s voice rose in alarm. “You’re shaking.”