Chapter Twenty-Two

Rylan

As soon as Pearl touched my cousin’s head, her body froze like she was suddenly made of stone. She wasn’t breathing, and her body grew colder and colder with every passing minute that felt like an eternity.

I paced behind her and Estella, waiting for any sort of sign that they were in trouble and needed help. Estella seemed to be aware of her surroundings, plus she wasn’t completely frozen like Pearl was. She still breathed and blinked, but her eyes were unfocused like she was seeing something that Deacon and I couldn’t.

“What’s taking so long?” Deacon growled, frustrated by the lack of any clues.

“How long have they been like this?” I made a mental note to enforce a time limit if there ever was a next time.

“Maybe ten minutes.” His gaze bore into the side of Estella’s head, like he could will her back just by looking at her.

“That’s a long time,” I murmured, approaching Pearl so I could check on her again. No change.

‘How long will this continue for?’My wolf was just as antsy.

‘Who knows.’

He didn’t like my response very much but didn’t say anything.

I tried reaching through our bond, attempting to get any sort of sense about what was going on. The bond was silent, empty. Like Pearl had pressed pause then never returned. It was intact though, which was the only consolation I had.

Sighing, I did my best not to obsess over everything, but that was easier said than done. The truth was, I was utterly obsessed with my mate to the point of distraction. The only thing that had existed in that secret place had been us, but now, I needed to think of others.

I was ashamed to admit that I wasn’t looking forward to the pack monopolizing my attention. Things were easier when it was just Pearl and me. However, I couldn’t ignore the pack since I was the one who technically created it. I had a responsibility to each and every one of them. For the time being, they were safe and protected, but who knew how long it would last?

Another ten minutes went by, and my wolf was now pacing in my mind. I kept Pearl in my line of sight, my senses tuned to any changes she might make.

Without warning, all three of them gasped. I was suddenly by Pearl’s side, gathering her in my arms when her body went limp. Deacon caught Estella as she too went limp. Movement in my peripheral drew my attention. Ledger’s head moved sluggishly, rolling on his neck like he’d forgotten how to lift it on his own.

Pearl shivered, jerking my focus back to her. Her skin wasn’t as cold as it had been, but she was definitely chilled. There was a pile of blankets by the door, so I grabbed one and tossed another to Deacon. I wrapped the warm material around my mate then squeezed her against me, sharing my body heat.

Deacon did the same thing. We needed to help them while they regained what they had lost.

“You’re so warm,” Pearl murmured, her head resting on my chest while her eyes blinked sleepily. “Did I do it?”

“Yes.” I turned my body so she could see that Ledger was awake and looking around.

“Oh good.” She let out a relieved sigh, and my chest tightened with worry.

“What happened?”

“A lot.” Pearl suppressed a yawn and snuggled against me. “I’m exhausted.”

“It took a toll on me last time,” Estella said, her voice muffled slightly from the blanket that she was wrapped up in.

“True,” Pearl agreed, and I remembered how Estella arrived then immediately fell unconscious.

“We should take them back to the house.” I slid my arm under my mate’s knees.

“I think that’s a good idea.” Deacon mirrored my movements.

“Wait. No. I have questions,” Pearl protested.

“You can get them later.” I stood quickly, ready to get her to a warm place.

“No, I want them now.” Her persistence was endearing most of the time, but I was losing patience the more she argued.

“You need to rest first,” I commanded, not taking her no as an answer.

“I can rest later.” Her cheeks grew red as her chin jutted out.

“Best listen to her, cousin,” Ledger chimed in, making my wolf’s hackles raise.

“You shut up,” I growled, not in the mood for any of his ribbing. “I’m the alpha, and it’s my duty to take care of my pack.”

“Are you going to order me to rest too?” Estella asked coolly.

I glanced at Deacon for help, but all I found was him biting his lip to keep from grinning ear to ear. Damn him.

“A couple of questions, then you’ll rest,” I conceded, mentally smiling as Pearl reluctantly agreed.

“Fine.” Pearl scowled at me, but I felt through the bond that she didn’t really mean it.

“Tell us what happened first.” I changed the subject so she wouldn’t dwell on her irritation.

“The first thing I noticed was the tunnel,” Pearl began, quickly filling me and Deacon in on all that had happened inside Ledger’s mind.

“That’s…” Deacon trailed off, seemingly lost for words.

“I don’t even know where to start,” I agreed, puzzled by her explanation.

When I’d brought her and Estella back from the Between before, I remembered walking through my mind. It was dark, but there weren’t any tunnels. I remembered my wolf walking beside us, my chest clenching at the thought of him or myself in cages.

I guess that was what it looked like when you’d been manipulated your whole life. As much as I disliked my cousin, I couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. Had he ever had a private thought? Had my aunt controlled everything he did?

“So, light shone from your arm, showing you the way,” I reiterated, concluding that it had to have been the Moon Spirit lending its light. “Tell me again about the room with the wolf in it.”

Pearl repeated the story from when she stepped into the room. I couldn’t make sense of who or what the voice of the darkness had been. All wolf shifters had darkness inside from the wildness of the animal we were bonded with. I could feel it in my head right this second, but it had never spoken to me. I knew from experience the urge and hunger for more power, but that was completely different from what Pearl had witnessed.

I turned to address my cousin. “Why was your wolf locked up?”

“It was a failsafe in case I ever became compromised.” Ledger met my eyes and didn’t flinch and looked away like most wolves would have done.

“And the plan was to… lock you and your wolf away until one or both of you died?”

“Pretty much.” He shrugged, like having a dark entity inside your head holding you and your bonded hostage was normal.

“How long has it been like this?” Deacon asked the question I wasn’t prepared to have answered.

“As long as I can remember. I take it from your facial expression that this isn’t normal or what you have experienced?”

“Nope,” Deacon and I said together.

“Interesting,” Ledger mused, his eyebrows scrunched thoughtfully.

“The darkness spoke to you?” I asked Pearl, wanting to make sure that I’d heard her right.

“Yeah. It was terrifying.” She shuddered, snuggling against my warm chest.

“I wonder what it could be,” Deacon said as he absently rubbed Estella’s back.

“I can answer that,” Estella chimed in. Her face was paler than it had been, and I noticed that her hands were shaking.

A scratching sound came from the door, and I suspected it was the wolf version of Estella. The guard outside knocked before opening it a crack, which was all the invitation that the white wolf needed. She beelined for her human half, lying beside Deacon and rubbing her head on her human’s shoulder then resting its head on her lap.

“I think you should rest first,” Deacon interjected, looking worried.

“It can’t wait.” Estella shook her head. The trembling in her hands had spread to the rest of her body.

Deacon nodded, conceding quicker than I would have. He grabbed one of her hands and placed her palm over his heart, covering it with his own. Her shaking slowed as she felt his heartbeat, her breathing evening out.

“It’s time I tell you all about my death.”