Chapter 150
RYDEN
Waking up to an empty bed was the same thing as waking up alone and feeling empty.
I didn’t have to find out where she might be. We shared the same bond, we were mates. I was overwhelmed with dread— a surge of adrenaline flooded me and my whole body began to shake as everything confirmed with his call.
I had no doubt that Amelia loved me, but I also knew that Lucius was a threat to our relationship. Since she met him, a lot of things happened. He put our lives in greater danger than we already were. He was bad news, but I couldn’t ignore the fact that he could help us take down the director.
After I asked Zarah to portal me back to the pack, Ren, Nora, and Theia came with me as well.
Coming home alone was painful to me, but I also trusted Amelia, and whatever she decided, I had to accept it even if it would break my heart.
“I need to know who is Lucius.” I intended for everyone to listen.
“I’m already on that,” Ren spoke. “I wanted to make sure whatever story he made, checked out.”
“And?”
He showed me his phone screen. I picked it up and stared in confusion. I felt the instant harrowing pain of an arrow through my chest.
I narrowed my eyes at him, showing him back the image on his phone. “Are you fucking with me, Raito?”
“What is it?” Nora was the first to ask as she saw the look on my face and took the phone from me. “What the hell? Is this image photoshopped or something?”
“I wish it was, but I talked to Dr. Gallagher earlier. He showed me that picture. Nirvana’s grandfather confirmed this information. Alpha Lucius came from a long line of a noble family from the House of Vassilakos, an ancient werewolf clan that originated in Greece. Case Woodrow is his distant relative. He’s a son of a werewolf alpha and a witch. That makes him powerful. Case thought Lucius was dead as he’d not seen him in a long time. He went off the grid and came back as the alpha king.”
“Wait. Hold on.” I remembered something. “Case mentioned someone when we were on a Zoom meeting. So he was talking about Lucius? I didn’t hear back from Case after that.”
“And he missed to mention this to us. I know that man has so many secrets. I can feel it. And now you’re telling me he’s a lord of some sort?” Theia joined the conversation as she looked at the old picture of Lucius and a woman who looked exactly like Amelia, only in bronze hair. “Still, that doesn’t explain why he has a picture with my best friend.”
“Dr. Gallagher explained that Amelia died twenty years ago.”
“Stop!” I raised my hand. My chest heaved in both anger and fear. “I can’t listen to this bullshit anymore. This is not real.” Before I could walk away, Ren caught me on the arm.
“Alpha, please. You need to listen to this. I’m so sorry. I know it may be painful to hear, but it may answer our questions, and what matters is, that you’re Amelia’s present and future.”
“No!” My voice broke, filled with fear and anguish. “That could be her look alike. Maybe her aunt or—”
“A doppelganger,” Theia backed me up. “We always have a doppelganger somewhere in a part of the earth or other dimensions. I agree with Alpha Ryden.”
“Just hear him out, Ryden.” Nora put her hand on my shoulder, gripping it. “You don’t have to believe it, and I know how much Amelia loves you. Whatever sick twisted fate it is, Lucius is not her mate. It’s you.”
I felt all my strength was gone. My knees weakened. I went to the sofa and sat down, propping my elbows on my knees and my hands cupping my face. I still denied all the facts even if they were possible.
“I can’t believe this is happening.” I shook my head in disbelief, refusing to accept all the facts that slowly enlightening and coming out clear. “This is why she’s so drawn to that motherfucker.”
“Twenty years ago, Lucius met Amelia. Two months later, they got engaged. They eventually got married. Before they completed the mating rituals, their pack was under siege and slaughtered. Everyone died, except Lucius and his wounded mother.”
“Wait. Amelia died? Then who is the woman, my best friend is?”
“Let me finish, Theia. Don’t interrupt.” Ren looked at me. “Imagine Lucius’ pain of holding Amelia’s lifeless body in his arms on the night of their wedding. He knew Amelia was not a normal human. He met her father, too. Since Lucius’ mother was a witch and her mate was dead, she sacrificed herself for Amelia. Amelia was reborn.”
“Then why did she never mention about Lucius? She seems like she never even met him.” Nora made a point.
“She’s not reincarnated, but reborn into a child.”
“Okay. My head is gonna explode.” Nora began pacing. “Don’t they have the same meaning? Reincarnation is the reborn of a soul to another body. Aren’t rebirth and reborn the same? In the case of Amelia, she was born without the same memory. Is that what you’re trying to explain? Because I’m starting to get a headache.”
“Her mother was dead before she was even born,” Theia said, “She can’t be born to the same mother.”
“Exactly,” Ren agreed. “And she was reborn after her death by a witch ritual in an old laboratory of Dr. Gallagher.”
“Ah. That makes perfect sense.” Theia looked at Ren. “Are you sure Dr. Gallagher is telling the truth?”
“He has no reason to lie,” I told them. “I don’t know, but I trust that old man. He knew Amelia’s parents. What I didn’t know was what happened before twenty years ago.”
“Here’s the most terrifying part,” Ren continued. So there was more terrifying than finding out my mate had another mate before me and extremely dangerous?
“Great. Just fucking great.”
“Amelia’s father, the angel founded Enochian Institute, now the SEO. The Director’s father was a Nephilim, who was the assistant director at the time. He and his father found out that the daughter of Seraphim survived and tried to kill her for the second time. Only that time, they succeeded, but Lucius survived.”
“Wasn’t Lucius an SEO member?” Theia asked.
“Yes.”
“And do you know how Amelia was killed?”
I looked up at Ren. “The sword.”
He nodded in silence.
I stood up. “I’m going to take my mate away from that soul sucker asshole.”
Thankfully, Zarah didn’t ask too many questions before she portaled us to Lucius territory, and since his people had seen me before and they probably knew Amelia was with Lucius, they allowed us into the house.
I instantly caught her scent, and not only her scent but a strong scent of arousal that made my heart turn stone cold— a stone that shattered inside my chest into a million pieces.
I hadn’t reached the hallway when a door flew towards us. With my heart leaped into my throat, I ducked before it slammed into my face.
Amelia marched outside, her face was crimson, her eyes glazed with anger and red with tears.
An intense pain speared through my chest an uncontrollable jealousy settled within me, and I felt helpless to control the boiling rage in my system.
“Ryden?” She was even shocked to see me. Behind him was Lucius stalking her.
“What the fuck did you do to her?” I snarled at angry Lucius.
Before I even realized what I was doing, my wolf took over. I shifted in the air. My clothes were torn to shreds. I lunged into Lucius who also shifted smoothly. His big black wolf was obviously bigger than mine.
Everything happened so fast. We brawled. Growls erupted, echoing inside the house. Fangs snarled out.
We fought like rabid dogs, colliding, falling, rolling downstairs. Then he brought the fight outside the house as he jumped through the window. Glass broke, shattering on the floor.
We tumbled to the ground sounded like rolling in the dirt, and no one had the courage and attempt to come in between to stop us, not even his people. They might have known this would happen.
He charged at me, throwing me a few feet away. Then he shifted smoothly back to human form, furious and breathing hard.
I shifted, too. Breathing hard, I positioned my stance. He was more bulky than me in terms of muscles, height, and body mass, but I would take my chances. “You want to fight in human form. Fine. Your people should stay back.”
“Oh, that’s not a problem. They know what to do. You attacked me in my territory, in my house, you signed your death warrant, Braxton. And now you just give me a reason to take what’s rightfully mine.”