Chapter 67 Trying to hide the pain
Toralei appeared from nowhere, shoving Cora back as I fumbled with the slippery newborn in my arms. Handing it off to another woman, I turned and saw Tora shove Cora away. A tremble of unease rushed through me at the reality of the situation. Cora had lost her mate, Fang, in the fighting last night. Fang was my father's beta, and if Saint's people hadn't killed the bastard, I would have.
Fang was sick and twisted and got off on creating pain in others. He was one of the many men my father allowed to torture me. Unluckily, Cora had been soul-mated to the murderous prick.
"Find Lucas, and tell him to come." I growled, watching Cora, who snarled and shifted toward Toralei with a feral gleam in her eyes.
When one loses a soul mate, we didn't shift to ease the pain. We couldn't just vanish into the woods like shifters. There was no escaping the pain when we lost the other half of our soul, so the wolf within us becomes feral, and that was dangerous. The human half went silent, leaving only the predator to control the shell. If left alive, Cora would escape or murder anyone she could, needing to cause the same pain she felt at losing her mate. It was a death sentence. Expo- sure to a feral Fenrir wolf wasn't something that could be allowed, so her life would be have to be forfeited.
Cora attacked, and I slipped out of her path, and she lunged at her child. I grabbed Cora, hearing the people around us gasp as my arms wrapped around hers, holding her as Toralei bound her wrists. She bucked against me, slam- ming her face into mine, sending pain ripping through my nose. The scent of blood filled the air, pooling into my mouth.
"We can't find him," someone shouted, and I closed my eyes. Cora was Lucas's sister, the only living family he had left. My nails ex- tended, and my heart clenched as I lost my hold on the woman fueled with extra strength from her wolf. She spun around, breaking free of Tora's hold, shoving her hand into my chest as I did the same. I withdrew her heart as pain tore through me. Peering down at my chest, I inhaled as Toralei grabbed the hand that tore through my chest, prying the fingers from around my heart before Cora's body dropped to the floor.
I stood there gasping for air, pain shuddering through me. Blood dripped from my nose and chest as Toralei stood in front of me, blocking my weakness from the pack. I stepped back as a commotion stirred at the front of the room, and Lucas entered, noting the crumpled form on the ground at my feet.
Blue eyes lifted to mine, filled with accusation. Lucas crept closer, his eyes holding mine as anger fizzled through him, smothering me. He paused in front of me, staring at me with a look I'd never seen in his expressive gaze before.
"She turned feral," I explained through the chattering of my teeth. "You fucking bitch," he whispered with hatred. "They were right about you." "What?" I whispered, using everything I had to remain upright on my feet. "Who was right?"
"I should fucking challenge you right now, Braelyn," he snarled, but some- thing over my shoulder made him pause.
"She was feral, Lucas," Toralei snapped, shoving him back away from me. "Your sister turned because her mate died. That isn't on Braelyn. She fucking hesitated because of you since Cora was your fucking sister. It could have cost her greatly, and you want to be an asshole about it? Feral wolves don't get a pass, no matter who they are."
"I thought they lied, but you're a murderous whore just like your fucking father," Lucas accused, staring at me. "I thought I knew you, Braelyn. It turns out none of us do. You're a monster."
I didn't speak, turning to find Saint and his men standing behind me, silently watching the chaos unfold. Saint's eyes slid to mine as understanding slithered through me. My heart clenched, and my attention moved back to Lucas, who glared murderously at me.
"Your sister was feral, and that is a death sentence. You have a nephew that needs you now," I replied icily. "You're dismissed, Alpha Lucas. Toralei, please remove Cora's name from the pack roster and replace it with whatever Lucas names his nephew. If you'll excuse me," I stated, letting my proverbial mask slid over my features to hide the pain his accusation caused.
Lucas had been my strength when I'd lost Saint. There hadn't ever been anything sexual between us, but he'd held me up when everything else had gone adrift in rough waters. Lucas was my friend or had been until now. His chest rose and fell with his anger. But Saint standing behind me, stayed the hand Lucas would have used to end my life. It would have been a simple thing for Lucas to do in my weakened state.
Stepping back, I turned to move toward the chef's table, where steaks were still being seared. I grabbed the pan from the red hot burner and held it against the gaping hole in my chest. I gasped, whimpering softly as my flesh sizzled, sealing the wound. Taking a moment to catch my breath, I straightened and slowly walked back to my seat, sitting silently. Everyone watched me, taking in the blood that poured from my nose and the exposed flesh that Cora had revealed when she ripped through my dress to reach my heart. Saint sat in his chair, his gaze widening as it slid to the bottom of my exposed breasts.
"What the fuck," Eryx grabbed me, causing me to gasp in surprise.
"Why aren't you screaming?" Saint asked, as if at a loss for words. "What the hell is wrong with you?" "I should go clean up," I stated calmly, standing, showing no pain in my expression as everyone at the table studied me. "If you'll excuse me, I'll return shortly."