Chapter Ten

Lillian

My body is frozen, unable to move as the monster circles around me unseen in the nearby bushes. It does nothing for my pounding heart, but it is racing for an entirely different reason now.

How could I have been so careless?

I know what lurks in these woods, though my grandmother denies it. There is definitely something here, watching us in our day to day lives and just waiting for the chance to take one of us.

Now, running from Corbin is the least of my worries. I am going to become another one of the wolves who goes missing, never to be found.

I swallow the lump forming in my throat as I slowly turn to look at my surroundings. Leaves continue to crunch nearby, but nothing ever comes from the bushes.

“Nice, beast,” I say in a whisper. “I’m sorry for coming into your territory.”

A menacing growl echoes from behind the bush to my right, but the monster stays hidden.

Beads of sweat form on my brow, which I hastily wipe off. My eyes stay trained on the bushes just in case he chooses that moment to lunge. The sound of his growls are growing louder as he moves to the left.

I turn as he gets behind me to face me.

“I know you are the one I hear in my mind, though I’m not sure how it’s possible. Are you also the one who haunts my dreams?”

Lily.

His voice fills my mind, causing me to shudder. Oh, how I love how he says my name.

“What do you want from me?”

Oh, little wolf. There is so much I’d love to do with you, but now is not the time.

“I don’t know whether to be happy about that or start dreading the day you decide it is time. Why do you take people from the village, anyway?”

There’s a slight pause as I wait for the answer to the one question I’ve always longed to ask.

Have you seen me take them from the village or is that what you have been told?

He sounds so offended when he answers, which makes me think something more is going on.

“Are you not behind the disappearance? Is that what you are trying to tell me?”

Another pause. That doesn’t matter, little wolf. Shouldn’t you be running in fear away from me? You’re the one in my domain, aren’t you?

I chuckle low under my breath. “Why should I be afraid of you? Dying would be better than what I have to face daily. Maybe grandmother would finally believe me that you’re real.”

“Lillian!” Corbin screams from somewhere behind me.

Idiot .

I turn around toward where I think he is standing behind a bush. “At least we agree on that.”

A laugh escapes me as I realize he is more like me than I first thought. Maybe he is just misunderstood.

Right as I’m about to scan in the other direction to see where Corbin is, my wolf pushes her way to the surface.

When can I see you again, handsome?

My mouth falls open as I try to think of what I can say, but there is no hiding her words. The rough chuckle that comes from him tells me he heard.

“Oh, my gosh. I’m so sorry.”

Wait, why am I apologizing to him?

The monster’s voice is in my head again as he laughs. Soon, my little wolf. Soon.

Before I can ask him to wait, I hear Corbin’s footsteps coming closer.

“Oh, thank the stars I have found you. You could have been dead by now.” Corbin comes out of the bushes behind me and I’m just waiting for the beast to lunge at him.

Preferably ripping his head off, but I’ll never get that lucky.

Oddly, he never says a word.

“Corbin, what are you doing here? There is a monster in the woods. You could have died.”

“I came to rescue you. Are you insane, Lillian? Come with me. We have to go now before the monster changes his mind.”

He grabs my hand and drags me with him toward the village.

“Corbin, wait,” I say as I try to break free of his grasp.

“Lillian, there is no time to spare. That monster will get us both and you’ve already been in here for far too long. You are lucky to be alive, and so am I.”

His grip tightens on my hand as I continue to struggle to get free.

"I can walk, Corbin."

“You’re not going fast enough, Lillian. If you don’t move quicker, then I will throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of these woods,” he says without looking back.

"You wouldn't dare."

After another moment of struggle, he turns and snatches me off the ground. The last thing I see before landing over his shoulder is the smirk on his lips.

His arm pins the back of my thighs to his chest as he starts running toward the village.

“Put me down this instant!”

I continue shouting at him to put me down the entire way to the village. As soon as we break through the trees, I hear cheers from the pack.

“Oh great. Spectators.”

I hang my head even lower and bury my face in his back. This is not how I thought it would go.

Nigel’s voice is the first distinct one I hear. “Oh, my strong son. You have rescued her from the beast and made it without a scratch.”

Rescued is not the word I’d use. More like kidnapping me and keeping me from getting the answers I so desperately seek.

And now I know if he was going to kill me, he already would have. He had a perfect opportunity while I was alone and didn’t. So, now I know where I’m going later to find some things out.

My wolf purrs in response to seeing him again, but that causes Corbin to chuckle.

He must think it's about him.

“She’s so happy to be saved that I think she wants to thank her rescuer.”

That was not for you, idiot. My wolf rises to the surface to voice her own opinion.

“You’re welcome, sweet cheeks.”

His hand slaps against my backside, which makes me jerk my head upright as I reach around to claw his face. Instead of being successful, he drops me to the ground and takes a step back, away from me.

“I’d also like to announce that Lillian will become my mate on the next full moon.”

My hand becomes frozen in the air as I hear his words. “Your what?”

“Don’t play dumb, baby. It’s time that the entire pack knows what we have been discussing,” he says with a sly grin as he reaches out to stroke my cheek with a single fingertip.

My jaw drops open as I try to find words to reject him, but I fail miserably.

“See, she is so excited that I have robbed her of words. You’ll have to excuse my mate to be. All of this has been a lot to take in and plan.” He looks around the pack, seeing their approval, before turning his attention to me. “She’s exhausted, but will only be more so after our mating.”

Several of the pack laugh, but I’m still trying to figure out how I can do this without ruining my chances of ever taking over the pack.

If I deny him, then I’ll never be able to take what is rightfully mine. I have to remember what grandmother told me.

I need them on my side.

But I don’t have to say a word as Ophelia comes up from the back of the crowd, her face as red as an apple.

“Your what? What did you just say, Corbin?”

The crowd shifts their gaze from me to her and frowns as they take her in. It’s definitely not a good look.

Nigel steps in front of her before she reaches us, blocking her from coming any closer.

“So, it’s settled. Corbin will mate with Lillian and join the old bloodline with new.” He stops when he hears Ophelia scream with rage. “Take her away to cool off. She has known for a long time that they weren’t fated mates.”

As Nigel’s gaze lowers and meets mine, the smile returns. “I approve of your pairing. You are a wonderful choice for my son.”

Nigel suddenly moves again, reaching up to pat Corbin on the shoulder, before turning to face the crowd.

I still don’t know what to say to get out of this without making myself out to be the villain.

“We have three weeks to prepare for the ceremony,” Nigel announces to the pack. “Please make haste and prepare.”

The pack disperses, and once everyone is out of earshot, I turn toward Corbin. “What have you done?”

He reaches up with one hand to ruffle his messy blonde locks before leaning closer to me with a smirk planted firmly on his lips. “I told you that I would love ruining you.”

“But you don’t want me, Corbin. Why are you really doing this?”

Corbin quickly leans away, his gaze darting toward the pack, before finally landing on me again. “You can fight me and never get the pack behind you. Don’t think I don’t know what your thoughts are. Your face is too easy to read. An alpha in hiding will eventually rise and want to take over the pack.”

“So you are doing this to stop me from ever becoming alpha?”

He shrugs. “Maybe. But my family is loved by this pack and those who supported your grandfather have died or changed sides. You have no choice but to fall in line, Lillian.”

“I could still gather support. There are people who will support the old bloodline.”

Corbin’s smirk widens into a full grin. “Do you really believe that? They love my father.”

I blink a few times as I try to figure out if he really believes that or not, but after a few seconds pass, I realize he doesn’t have a clue. He truly believes their fear is love for his father. “Your plan is going to fail.”

He scoffs. “Who will make it fail? You want to save the pack from my family? Why not mate into it and keep me in line?”

I stand there for a moment, debating on what to say. It is something that has crossed my mind, but I’m not sure this is how I’m supposed to do it.

Suddenly, his fingertips caress my cheek, catching my attention. When I glance up, his face is mere inches from mine and he’s staring at my lips.

“I look forward to you becoming my mate. Long may we rule.”

As he walks away, I’m left speechless. He doesn’t want me. Not truly. The only reason he is doing this is because he wants my power and he worries that I’ll take support away from his family.

But what if he is right, and no one supports the old alpha line? What if he knows more than I do?

Maybe I’m truly blind.

“No, it’s just because of the power I hold. He fears it.”

Tears line my eyes and I automatically turn to look toward the path leading to grandmother’s cottage. Without wasting another second, I run the entire way there. Once I’m at her door, it feels like everything has been beaten out of me.

She opens the door, her eyes roaming over me. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying? What have they done?”

“Grandmother, stop them,” I say as my voice trembles with fear.

“Stop who from doing what? What is going on?”

I finally look into her deep blue eyes as shaking takes over all my movements. “In three weeks, I will be mated off to Corbin. He announced it to the pack. His father wants it to happen. I will never get the pack’s support and win a challenge.”

I collapse into her arms as she shakes her head.

“No, they wouldn’t do that. They only see you as the old alpha’s granddaughter.”

“In three weeks, I’ll be mated to Corbin,” I say, my voice a mere whisper.

She holds onto me tighter. “First, Nigel took your grandfather from me during a challenge. We had to move here. Then my daughter disappeared with her mate and they claimed they were killed and they couldn’t retrieve the body because of the monster. Now, they wish you to mate with Corbin?”

Her entire body shakes, causing me to pull away and wipe my eyes with the palms of my hands. “Grandmother, are you okay? What big teeth you have. Are you shifting?”

The cane she sometimes uses for support clatters to the ground. Her eyes turn bright red as the alpha comes out in her. “I will not tolerate this anymore. This is the last straw and I’m going to do what I should have done all those years ago. Your grandfather wasn’t the only alpha.”

Ripping fabric is all I hear as she pulls away from me and brushes past. I blink and she is already in the yard. She shakes out her white fur. There’s a small black patch on her chest.

Then she looks up, and I meet her cold red gaze.

“Oh, grandmother, what big red eyes you have.”

Grandmother lets out a growl before darting off down the path between the trees. It’s then I realize what is about to happen.

I run at full speed to catch up with her, but am not quite fast enough in my human form.

When I get to the village, grandmother already has Nigel cornered against one side of the alpha house.

As I catch up, Nigel looks at me with his hands still raised. His bright orange eyes meet mine.

“Lillian, what is the meaning of this? Who is this wolf?” Nigel glances down at the wolf again, when grandmother allows her scent to fill the air. “No, you can’t be her.”

“It’s my grandmother.”

He glances back and forth, unsure of who to look at. “Why is she cornering me?”

I don’t have time to say a word before he shakes his head, like she’s talking to him and telling him why.

“So, that’s why you have me like this, Hazel. I thought you, of all people, would be happy that this is happening. It puts your line back in the position of alpha. Your great grandchild will be an alpha of the pack.”

He tries to reason with her, but I’m too surprised by her use of the pack bonds. She outright rejected them and wouldn’t use them since Nigel took over.

“I understand that you are upset, but this is the best thing I can do for her. Do you not understand that I’m making up for the past and righting the wrongs? She will be respected. Isn’t that what you want? If she mates with my son, then she will be the pack’s Luna and will never be without.”

Grandmother snarls low in her throat, which sounds a lot like disagreement.

“Now, Hazel, there is nothing I can do now. It’s already been declared in front of the pack and it is final. In three weeks, we will hold the ceremony.”

I scoff. “You can call this whole thing off. It’s your pack, so I don’t know why you keep saying there is nothing you can do.”

Nigel’s eyes dart between my grandmother’s eyes and mine. He opens his mouth a few times and then shuts it before he finally speaks. “She needs to know.”

His words capture my attention. “Know what? Grandmother, what is he talking about?”

Suddenly, a scream erupts from somewhere on the other side of the village. I turn toward the sound and try to find who is making all the noise.

Nigel moves around grandmother and leaves, without another word.

“It’s always something with this pack,” I say as I look at Grandmother. Her eyes are still red. “What are you not telling me? I thought you were going to stop the mating, but the last part didn’t sound like it.”

She only nods, then motions for me to follow her. As she begins running, I try to follow, only to realize where we are headed.

Directly to the chaos.

The closer we get, the more the cries intensify. I quickly scan the area for any signs of anyone with injuries, but everyone seems fine until I look down.

Ophelia is lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood. Her eyes are lifeless.

“My baby!” Her mother screams as she holds her in her arms.

I take in her paleness and realize that she is too far gone for anyone to save her.

“It has always been you. You are the problem!” She screams out, but it takes me a few seconds to realize it’s me who she is talking to.

“Me?” I ask as I point to myself.

She cackles with tears wildly pouring down her face. “Don’t play dumb with me. We all know what you are and you have caused this. You are that beast!”

Nigel steps between us, blocking me from view. “Take her away. She is spouting nonsense.”

“I haven’t done anything, and I wasn’t even around her or anyone, for that matter. Deaths have happened often since before I was born, so how can it be me?”

I look around at the pack, but realize some believe what she says.

Nigel turns around, smiling softly. “I know you have nothing to do with it. There is no way you could have done this, especially since it has gone on for years. She is just upset by her daughter’s abrupt passing. Please overlook her as she grieves.”

I move around the alpha just to look down at Ophelia’s broken body. Her mother had been blocking her stomach and now I see long claw marks that mark her flesh. What in the world happened to her? Did the beast in the woods truly do this?

Why would he?

And more importantly, why does Ophelia’s mother claim the beast is me?