Chapter 33

Chapter

Thirty-Three

The full moon rose in the sky, casting a silvery glow over the clearing where the Mohan Pack gathered. Orange, yellow, and red flames from the bonfire created shadows across the grass, and the scent of food infiltrated the area.

I took another sip of my lemonade as a group of wolves disappeared into the tall trees lining the perimeter to shift and run. A twinge of sadness and envy squeezed my chest. What would it be like to experience the world that way? Would I ever know, or would my shifter form forever remain dormant?

That warm, comforting sensation stirred in my center, and heat pumped through my veins, but the Infernal Sol was more dominant, keeping the wolf at bay. Maybe if I hadn't relied on the ancient demon magic so many times in the past, I'd be able to reach the shifter.

Then again, the Infernal Sol had kept me alive. I'd be dead without it.

My neck tattoo tingled, and I angled to the left to find Fane talking to none other than Marissa as she leaned against a tree, batting her lashes at him. The plastic cup in my hand crinkled as my grip tightened.

He smiled at her while she spoke and tucked her hair behind her ear. Marissa's gaze flashed in my direction, her grin gaining a cruel edge. Even though she was mated to someone else and hated Fane, she flirted with him to remind me that they would always have a connection.

When he saw Marissa at the council meeting, Fane wanted nothing to do with her, so why was he giving her attention now?

Was it because he slept in my bed last night and woke up holding me? His body had known what he needed while his mind was muddled. He couldn't deny our bond, and it terrified him. That was why he refused to allow the witches to even examine him.

Logan and Ruin wanted to concoct a plan to capture Fane and chain him down so Nadia and her friend could perform their magic, but if they couldn't break the spell, he'd hate me even more.

Invisible bands wrapped around my heart at the thought, painfully squeezing. Fane's head jerked in my direction, feeling the pangs through the bond. His face remained unreadable as he studied me, sending goose bumps across my flesh.

After a few tense moments, he turned away like I didn't matter at all.

Bastard.

If Saint were here and flirting with me, Fane wouldn't spare Marissa a glance. He'd be too busy being jealous.

I chugged the rest of my lemonade and tossed the cup into the nearest trash can, unsure of how much more of this bonfire I could endure. Cirilla and Julia claimed I needed to be around shifters, but watching Fane flirt with that skank would push me over the edge. The urge to poke the Infernal Sol awake and pull out her fears twisted through me.

Watching Marissa scream and squirm like a bug caught in a spiderweb would be so delightful.

No. I couldn't do that. If the pack members saw how dangerous I was, Camus would kick me out in a heartbeat to protect them. He should kick me out before I hurt someone, like his bitch of a daughter.

Preston had gone off with some of his friends to shift while Dylan hung out with his cute girlfriend and a bunch of other shifters his age. Females surrounded Logan who lapped up the attention.

I shook my head and chuckled. They flocked to him like flies to honey. It didn't matter that he was a high demon. Sometimes I forgot he was. The only time I saw him actually angry was when Hawk called me evil.

My throat tightened at the thought of my former best friend. He saw me at my worst, and his response felt like a kick to the gut. And he and Roxie were apparently partners now. Hopefully, she'd gotten better at watching his back.

A long sigh spilled out as I ambled around the food table, my appetite barely hanging on. My mouth pressed together at the display of brownies. Dylan ruined me with his spicy ones. Ordinary brownies didn't satisfy me anymore.

"Tate?"

I turned to my left as a male with strawberry blond hair and light gray eyes approached me. "My sister said you were back."

"Will." Mina's twin, the wolf who nearly died the night of the agrigon attack, was healed now. "You're looking much better than the last time I saw you." He'd been unconscious and broken.

He shrugged. "I clean up well."

I took a chocolate chip cookie, breaking it in half. "Seriously, I'm glad you're okay."

"Me too." He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "For a minute there, I thought I was toast. And then I woke up at the healers."

When I left, they still weren't sure he'd make it.

Will stepped closer and covertly sniffed me, cursing. "His scent is still all over you."

My brow arched. "You thought it wouldn't be?" Obviously, he was referring to Fane.

"Well, yeah, considering he's been talking to his ex all night." He tilted his head toward them. "What's up with that?"

I nibbled on the edge of the cookie, ignoring the rage and jealousy pummeling my insides. "It's a long story involving a really annoying spell."

"I see." He pursed his lips, his gaze brightening. "Do I have a shot with you? I don't want to piss him off, but if he's stupid enough to leave you alone, he deserves to lose you."

A snort slipped out. "I'm not sure you want to test that."

"Maybe I do." Will closed the gap between us, grinning as he flicked shaggy hair out of his face.

Rage whipped through the cord connecting Fane and me, and when I angled in his direction, the demon shifter glowered at Will with murder searing those contrasting irises.

Will noticed the death glare and stepped back, swallowing hard. "Well, I had to try." He peeked at Fane who still bore that murderous expression. "I hope he's not angry enough to come after me. "

If he cared, he would have stormed over here and told Will to get lost. Instead, he was still listening to Marissa yap.

"Where's Dorian?" I asked. "Wouldn't he be pissed that his mate was chatting up her ex?"

Will shrugged. "He's been laying low ever since Alpha Camus stripped the beta title from him."

Marissa's laughter stabbed my eardrums, loud and clear as if a speaker had been turned on. "Let's shift and run together, Fane," she said. "Like we used to." The obvious sexual hint to her words had acid oozing up my esophagus.

Fane's smile cut right through my heart like a jagged blade.

"You lead the way." He allowed her to grab his hand and tow him toward the tree line.

A mix of fury and heartache spiraled around my throat like a noose, cutting off my airways. Fane flinched and slowed for a moment as he felt it, but he continued into the woods with Marissa.

My hand curled around the cookie, demolishing it into crumbs. I wanted nothing more than to run after them and rip her throat out.

"You okay?" Will asked, his voice barely audible over the blood pounding in my ears.

"Not really." I brushed the crumbs from my hands and marched away. "I need to take a walk and clear my head." I sped into the woods on the opposite side of the clearing. If I stumbled on them hooking up, no one would be able to stop me from killing her, not even Fane.

Rage simmered in my bloodstream, provoking that dark, twisted power inside. The Infernal Sol stretched and yawned, waiting for the slightest thing to lash out after not having fed on any fears since Vlehull .

I licked my lips and shivered at the memories of feasting on all those demons at Venna's party. Even sucking down their life forces had felt like bliss. The Infernal Sol could probably draw energy and life from anything to satiate its hunger.

Leaves crunched and twigs snapped beneath my boots as I stomped through the forest, not caring if the entire world heard me.

How could Fane go off with her after what she did? She rejected him. She hurt him. I'd felt his pain as if it were my own and took it into me. That was not something you forgave. But he would rather spend time with her than me.

My fingers curled into fists as I imagined crushing them into skin and bone. I should remind Marissa who Fane belonged to. He was mine .

I halted as intense feelings of possessiveness flooded my muscles, and the warmth radiating in my center registered. The wolf within bubbled toward the surface as the fear of another woman stealing Fane made her howl.

She wanted to claim him and ensure that the mate who rejected him knew she'd lost him forever.

My head tilted toward the sky, stars spotting the black heavens beyond the trees. Even though I couldn't see the moon, I felt its mystical pull tugging at my shifter side.

Maybe Julia and Cirilla were right, and spending more time with the pack during full moons would draw out my wolf. I didn't necessarily want to be a shifter, but it was better than becoming some freaky demon thing with the Infernal Sol at the helm.

"I heard you were back." Dorian leaned against a tree, his usual perfection destroyed by his disheveled state.

"You look like shit. "

His sharp, barking laugh echoed through the forest. "I have you to thank for that." He pushed messy, pale blond locks out of his face and lifted a flask to his mouth. "My life was perfect until you came along."

"Don't blame me for your cowardice." I crossed my arms. "You shouldn't have run when your pack needed you and then blamed your losses on me when all I did was try to help."

Dorian scoffed. "I saw the evil in you that night. Hell, even some of those sub-demons were afraid of you. You're no hero."

"I never claimed to be, but I didn't abandon anyone when they needed help." My mouth curled into a sneer at the drunk wolf. "This pack deserves better than you as their future alpha. It would fall apart within a year."

"You never should have come here." Dorian pushed off the tree and stalked forward, his blue eyes glassy and bloodshot. "You and Fane ruined all of my plans. That mutt motherfucker is off with my mate even as we speak."

Hot fury slid through my veins, boiling my blood. "Maybe you shouldn't have picked a horrible, selfish slut as a mate."

His teeth bared as a growl burst up his throat. "Shut your mouth."

"Insult Fane again, and I'll do more than talk shit about Marissa." I couldn't stop defending him even though he was being a total prick.

Dorian drained the rest of the liquor from his flask and tossed it on the ground. "Both of you hybrid freaks need to leave Mohan Wilds."

I flipped him off. "Are you going to make us leave, pretty boy?"

"Maybe I'll challenge you. Right here, right now." He spread his arms wide in a come-get-me motion .

I tried to tamper down the Infernal Sol's excitement. Hell, even the shifter in me salivated to fight the douche king. If I did, I'd probably take it too far. I might end up doing more than kicking his ass.

The former beta scoffed. "You're too scared. Just admit it, Tate."

He was the one who should be scared, especially provoking me right now when I was already upset over Fane. "I know you love to hear yourself talk but stop." I stormed by him. "I'm walking away before I do something regrettable."

Dorian's unhinged laugh reverberated as he followed me. "You're really going to turn tail and run after I challenged you? You definitely don't have shifter instincts. If you did, you'd face me."

"Only a coward would take your challenge and fight you while you're drunk. And we already know who the coward is." I motioned to him and his haggard state. "It's you."

Gold flashed over his irises, and his lips curled back, revealing his teeth. "I can't wait to see you get what you deserve."

I dismissively waved my hand and pivoted, trying to put more space between us as the dark urges intensified. "Stay away. I mean it."

Dorian didn't listen. His footsteps continued, and the hair on my nape prickled as movement stirred directly behind me. I spun just as he lifted a knife to stab me.

I angled, catching the blade in my shoulder instead of the chest. Stinging surged from the shallow stab wound, and blood bubbled down my tank top.

Silver. I felt the burn of it, but because Fane had turned me, I didn't experience anything like a full shifter would. It did, however, shove my shifter farther below and fully wake the demon amulet. Sinister tendrils of power laced through my system, and my senses heightened as my pupils transformed into ebony slits.

Dorian's sharp intake of air sounded when he noticed the change come over me, and a string of curses spilled from his mouth.

"If you were going to stab me, you should have made sure to hit a sweet spot." I snatched the knife right out of his hand, and he stumbled back. "What's a shifter doing with silver?"

His nostrils flared. "You should have died that night. My life would still be perfect if you had."

A wild, manic hint sharpened my laughter. "A silver knife won't kill me." I sliced my finger along the edge, smiling at the sting from the cut. "Oh, that tickles."

"You are such a freak."

I flipped the knife around and threw it into a tree trunk, the hit ringing through the forest like a hammer to steel. "You haven't seen anything yet, pretty boy. But you're about to."

Dorian scrambled back as I approached him, fear streaking his baby blues as he realized the threat I presented. As he turned to run, I snatched the back of his neck and swung him around.

"You're not getting away that easily, wolf." A wicked smile twisted my lips as I inhaled the terror pulsating off him. My body hummed and blood sang, hungry for his worst fears.

His jaw elongated as his wolf tried to emerge to fight.

"Nope." Black talons grew on my fingers, and I pressed them into his throat to halt his transformation. "I'd like to keep you in this form to hear your pleas for mercy—mercy that I won't grant. "

The color drained from his cheeks, and a dribble of sweat glided down his temple. "Get off me! The council will punish you for this."

"They hold no power over me. I will crush them all while I smile." The Infernal Sol had leaked into my voice, deepening and twisting it. Even Dorian noticed the difference.

"What is wrong with you?"

Lots.

"Nothing," I said, stroking his jaw with my other hand. "I'm perfectly fine."

No, I wasn't. I was perfectly evil and certifiable.

"Let's see what frightens you most." My head tilted, and I pressed my palm against his cheek. By now, I didn't need physical contact to pull out fears, but it did bring them to the forefront faster. "Show me what you're afraid of. You stink of fright."

I burrowed into his mind while he squirmed beneath me. As an image of him and Marissa materialized, hot pain exploded in my back and through my chest.

A scream burst out of my mouth, and I dropped my hold on Dorian, staggering away. Blood oozed down my front, and more coated my back. The Infernal Sol shrieked, scurrying down inside with the shifter.

I stumbled around to find Dominic clutching the hilt of a bloody dagger, his nostrils flaring. The blade was silver, but there was something else causing the anguish twisting through my veins.

"Demise." Dominic twirled the knife in the air. "We weren't sure if silver would do the trick since Fane made you, so we doubled down on a silver blade coated in Demise."