Chapter 20

Chapter

Twenty

Destin

M y breath left my lungs in a rush, and I blinked, my eyes stinging as they adjusted to the light. I was lying on the ground next to the sacred stone. A shudder ran through me as I realized I was naked. The ground was cold against my skin, and the air bit at my exposed flesh.

I pushed myself up, my head swimming as I tried to make sense of what had just happened. The stone. The relic. Where the hell was Lana?

My heart raced, and I pushed up from the ground, searching the clearing for any sign of her. I stumbled forward, pressed my palm out toward a tree trunk, and hit solid wood. No. This wasn't the realm I'd been in. This was the real world.

I charged back to the stone, my mind racing as I slapped my palm down. "Lana?" My voice echoed in the clearing, but there was no response. Panic clawed at my throat. She was alone. She'd touched the glowing light, and now she was alone there. I let out a guttural yell, my chest so tight, I thought my ribs might splinter.

It was then that I heard it. The soft crunch of leaves underfoot. I spun, my muscles tensing as I faced the source of the sound.

A figure emerged from the shadows, and my blood ran cold. It was a man, tall and broad-shouldered, with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. His chiseled features were set in a mask of indifference, but I knew better.

James. My old Alpha.

Every instinct in my body screamed at me to run, to get the hell out of there, but my legs were like lead. Memories slammed into me, one after the other, of the nights I'd spent under his control. The humiliation, the pain, the fear. His alpha energy rolled over me in waves, pushing me back into the meek boy I'd been then.

"Destin." His voice was a low growl, and I flinched.

I forced myself to meet his gaze, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. "What are you doing here?"

James' lips curled into a cruel smile. "I could ask you the same thing, but I already know. I see you've found yourself a nice little plaything."

Rage bubbled up inside me, but I swallowed it down. I couldn't let him see how much his words affected me. I couldn't show him anything. If there was one thing I'd learned under James' thumb, it was how to be a blank slate. How to be numb.

"I visit this site for fun." I spit the last word, hoping he'd read between the lines.

James chuckled, and the sound grated against my nerves. "Oh, that doesn't surprise me." He strode to a boulder at the edge of the small clearing between the rock faces and sat.

I stood there, naked, my mind spinning in a thousand directions. Why had I been pulled out of the realm? Why then? And what was happening to Lana?

I called for her again, hoping that even if I couldn't see or hear her, she could hear me. I waited for a ripple from her dagger. For a scent that I could discern like her friend had earlier. But there was nothing.

"I'm so glad you remembered this place. I hoped it had made an impression." James smiled up at me, and the sight of him dropped me back into my life in his pack. I could still feel the sting of Marcus's hand against my cheek, the taste of blood in my mouth as he punished me for disobedience. His voice, dripping with disdain as he gave me orders I couldn't disobey.

I remembered the shame that washed over me as I watched him impose his will, making me follow orders like a trained dog. He'd forced me to submit, to bow to his authority, and I hated myself for it.

My stomach twisted. He'd forced me to attack my own pack mates. To sink my teeth into their flesh, to draw blood, to assert dominance that wasn't mine to claim. He'd reveled in watching me suffer. A sadistic pleasure, a hunger for control. He enjoyed breaking me, enjoyed watching me writhe under his thumb.

The night I left my pack had been just like this one. Cool. Autumn. My breath fogged in the cool night air, and the crunch of leaves under my paws felt like a drumbeat. I had to be silent. I had to be quick.

Every step I took away from them my family felt like a betrayal. I'd promised to protect them, to be there for them, but I couldn't do it under James. So I ran. I didn't stop until I was miles away, until the scent of my pack was a distant memory.

The forest became my home. I learned to track, to hunt, to survive on my own. I found solace in the isolation, in the silence of the trees. But I never forgot my family. I never forgot the faces of the wolves I'd left behind.

By the time I felt strong enough to go back, they'd forgotten me. Now, standing in that clearing, I felt that same sense of guilt. Of abandonment. I'd brought Lana here, and now I was powerless to protect her. To protect any of them.

And then, in an instant, those memories shattered as two figures emerged from the slot in the stone walls. The second Alpha was lean, wiry, with calculating eyes. The third was massive, towering over the others with a perpetual scowl etched into his features. But it wasn't their presence that made my blood run cold. It was who they dragged with them.

Kael. Callista. Rowan. Evelyn. The four of them were bound, their faces contorted in pain. My wolf growled low in his throat, his hackles raised as emotions washed over me. Their fear, their confusion, and most of all, their pain.

They couldn't shift. I could see it in their eyes, the desperation as they tried to call their wolves and found nothing. It was then that I noticed the threads around their wrists. Thin. Strong. I had no doubt it was laced with the same compound I used in my traps in the forest.

Since I'd learned about it from him in the first place.

"You sick son of a bitch," I growled, the words barely a whisper.

I wanted to tear all three of them apart. To rip their throats out and watch the life drain from their eyes. Just as I was about to lunge for the wiry alpha closest to me, when two more figures emerged from the woods, their eyes glowing red.

The bone stalkers stopped on either side of Kael, and James stepped forward, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "This will all be very simple. You don't have to do a thing."

Tree branches rustled above me, and I looked up. Dark wings. Shrikes.

James leaned forward, his piercing eyes locked onto mine. "Well, I have to admit, it was almost too easy." His voice was smooth and cold.

I searched for my pack. I was starting to shiver, but I wasn't going to admit it.

James pushed up to stand, his eyes never leaving mine. "We knew Kael would come for you. It was only a matter of time." He paused, letting his words sink in. "So, we left out a few clues. We figured if he hadn't come back for the dagger, he knew what it was and probably had ideas about what else we were after."

"We weren't sure who would come here once they found the information on that slip of paper, but Kael knows your history. And you, being the dutiful protector that you are, would most likely lead whoever it was right in." He spread his arms wide, as if presenting the scene before us. "And here we are."

He sighed with satisfaction. "I am jealous, though. You succeeded where I could not." His eyes dropped to the stone. To the smooth, clean surface that didn't show any evidence of Lana's blood.

My wolf pushed forward, urging me to shift. To attack. But if I did, those bone stalkers would tear Kael apart before I could get to him. He had no defense.

James stopped a few feet in front of me, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Ironic, isn't it? That your desire to protect has brought you to this point of utter helplessness." His smile faded. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this. How many sacrifices I've made. But now, it's finally within reach."

I took a step forward, my hands curling into fists. I didn't know what information he had. He hadn't seen Lana as far as I knew. How could he know where she was? I wasn't going to give him any more information that could be used against us.

I threw my arms out wide. "I don't know what you were hoping to get. But I don't have it."

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "I can't lose, you know. If she succeeds, I'll be here to greet her when she steps out with the relic. If she fails, well . . ." He shrugged. "She has family, doesn't she? It shouldn't be too hard to find more with her bloodline."

CHAPTER 21

Lana

The light was back, and I didn't wait for it to speak. "Where is he! What did you do to him?" I was hyperventilating, imagining Destin back in his cell or with the bone stalkers.

My wolf clawed against my consciousness. Find him. Her voice rang in my head like a gong.

It is admirable that you worked together to face these tests. A Shadow Pack leader must be humble and inspire their back. But this final challenge is yours alone.

My eyes widened, and my voice broke as I demanded, "Tell me he's safe."

Daughter, the wolf is back where he belongs, and you are home. A place he cannot be. The shadow realm is a sanctuary for protectors. It is where your bloodline can be most effective, where you can fulfill your purpose. Other wolves do not belong here.

I thought of the riddles, and the truth of the Shadow Pack began to coalesce. They lived here? Beyond the veil of our world? "Why did they leave?" I asked. How had they left? I'd streaked the dagger relentlessly and barely made a tear in the fabric of this realm.

You are home. I turned in a circle, taking in the wood that had once felt comforting with Destin by my side. Now it only felt empty. Depressing.

"I don't want to be here alone—I'm not ready to be alone." My voice was barely a whisper, but there was nobody there to hear it.

The light and the voice had already vanished. My breaths came in shallow, rapid bursts, and my wolf's senses went into overdrive. She sniffed the air, her ears twitching at every creak and whisper of movement. She was desperate to find him. Desperate to protect him.

Mist again swirled around me, and a chill crawled up my spine. Final challenge. At least I knew it was ending. But how it would end . . .

The world shifted, and I barely flinched. Over the past three days, my body had adapted to the strangeness of this place.

Out of nowhere, mirrors appeared. They lined the walls, their silvery surfaces reflecting the mist and shadows. I turned in a slow circle, feeling a magnetic pull toward one of them. My feet moved on their own, carrying me closer until I stood directly in front of it.

The surface rippled like water, and I was enveloped in cool air. Like I was being sucked below the surface of a lake.

I stood in my childhood home. In the living room, to be exact. The familiar beige couch and dark wood coffee table sat in front of me, and the smell of my mother's lavender air freshener filled my nostrils. I heard footsteps, and my father's voice boomed from the hallway.

"Lana, what is this?" He held up a slip of paper, his face a mask of disappointment. I knew what it was before he even said it. My report card.

I swallowed hard. "I tried my best, Dad. It's just one grade?—"

"One grade? One grade can be the difference between success and failure, Lana. You need to work harder." His eyes bore into mine, and I felt that familiar pit open up in my stomach.

"I'm sorry, I?—"

"Your brother never has these issues. He brings home straight A's. Why can't you be more like him?"

I clenched my fists. I wanted to scream that I was trying, that I was doing everything I could to make him proud. But the words caught in my throat.

My father turned and walked away, leaving me standing there, my heart in pieces.

This wasn't real. I swallowed the lump in my throat, finding comfort in the details. The framed photos on the mantel, the patterned rug under my feet, the curtains my mother had sewn herself.

Then I slammed back into my body and staggered, struggling to catch my breath. The mist around me thickened, and I was dragged like iron filings to a magnet toward another mirror. I tried to resist, but it was like fighting a strong current.

My fingers brushed the glass, and the world shifted again. This time, I was standing in the middle of a crowded room. Music pounded through my skull, the bass reverberating in my chest. Strobe lights flickered, and I looked down to find a red Solo cup in my hand, the liquid inside sloshing as I moved. The scent of alcohol and sweat filled my nostrils, the buzz of the drink coursing through my veins. I was at a college party. One of many I'd attended during those years.

A laugh bubbled up from my throat, and I found myself grinning at a joke I couldn't remember hearing. My eyes were unfocused, my vision hazy from the combination of alcohol and the swirling lights. I turned and saw a guy standing next to me, his arm draped over my shoulders. His breath was hot against my ear as he whispered something I couldn't make out over the music.

My skin prickled as his hand slid down my arm, his fingers brushing against my hip. I didn't flinch. Didn't pull away. In that moment, I didn't care. I was numb. That was the whole point of going to those parties, wasn't it? To forget.

I wanted to forget everything. Who I was. What I was capable. The voice inside my head.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I ignored it. It was probably my pack mates wondering where I was. Wondering why I wasn't at the latest training session or pack meeting. I told myself I didn't care. That I needed a break, that I was allowed to have fun.

The guy's hand slipped lower, resting on my thigh, and I still didn't move. My wolf stirred, but I pushed her down. I didn't want to think about what she wanted. What I should've been doing instead of getting drunk and letting some guy grope me in the middle of a crowded room.

My phone buzzed again. And again. I frowned and pulled it out, squinting at the screen. The words blurred together, and I had to blink several times before they came into focus.

Lana, it's your brother. He's in the hospital.

The room spun around me, the music fading to a dull throb in the background. I read the message again, my brain struggling to process the words. Hospital. Brother. The guy next to me said something, but his voice was muffled, like I was underwater.

I stumbled back, the cup slipping from my fingers and spilling its contents on the sticky floor. The guy's hand fell away, and I pushed through the crowd, my heart pounding in my ears. I needed to get out. I needed to breathe.

I burst through the front door, the cool night air hitting my face like a slap. I leaned against the railing, my mind racing. My brother. In the hospital. I hadn't even known he was sick. How could I not know? What kind of sister was I?

I drew a shaky breath, my eyes stinging with tears. I'd been so wrapped up in my own world, in my own pain, that I'd neglected the people who mattered most.

The music faded as I dropped back into myself. I shook as I stared at my reflection. So tough, Lana. So strong. Nothing ever fazed her. She was the Black Lake third. She was?—

I wanted to scream as a third mirror came into view. I was sucked into a dimly lit room, the curtains drawn to block out the harsh afternoon sun. I sat on the edge of the bed, my brother's hand limp in my grasp. The air was thick with the scent of antiseptic and something metallic and sterile that clung to the back of my throat.

My brother's chest rose and fell with labored breaths, each one a battle against the muscles that refused to cooperate. His skin clung to his bones, stretched taut like a drum. I could see the outline of his ribs, the way his collarbone jutted out from his neck. His eyes, once so full of life, now stared up at the ceiling with a dull resignation.

I reached over and adjusted his pillow, trying to make him more comfortable. His head lolled to the side, and I winced at the sight of the feeding tube inserted into his nostril. "Do you need water?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

He shook his head, and I felt a pang of guilt for even asking. Of course, he didn't need water. He didn't need anything. His body was shutting down, piece by piece, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Shouldn't his magic save him? Heal him from this? A tear slipped down my cheek, and I quickly brushed it away. I didn't want him to see me cry. He'd seen enough pain already. "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner." My voice trembled. "I should've been here. I should've known."

His fingers twitched in mine, and I looked up to see his eyes on me. "It's not your fault," he croaked, his voice barely audible.

I shook my head, unable to accept his forgiveness. "It is my fault. I was too wrapped up in my own shit."

He squeezed my hand with what little strength he had left. "Lana, it's not your fault."

I swallowed hard, my throat constricting. I wanted to tell him it wasn't fair. That he deserved better. But the words felt hollow. Empty.

He closed his eyes, a tear slipping down his cheek. "I don't want to die, Lana." The raw emotion in his voice shattered me.

I leaned in, pressing my forehead to his. "I know. I know." My voice cracked, and I felt his breath warm against my skin. "But you're not alone, okay? I'm here. Mom and Dad are here. We're all here."

He nodded, his breath ragged. "I'm scared."

I pulled back, my eyes locking onto his. "You're the bravest person I know. You always have been."

He tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. "I don't feel brave."

"You don't have to feel it to be it." I squeezed his hand, my heart aching. "And when it's time, I'll be right here with you. I promise."

He nodded again, his eyes fluttering closed. I watched him, my chest tight with grief and love and a thousand other emotions I couldn't name. I wanted to take his pain away. To give him a future. But all I could do was sit there and hold his hand as he slipped away.

The memory faded like the others, and I was left standing in the mist, my heart in pieces. I wanted to scream at the injustice of it all, to demand answers from the universe. My wolf howled in my chest, her grief and rage mirroring my own. She wanted to hunt, to kill. But there was no enemy to fight, no prey to bring down.

The air grew colder, the mist thickening, and I hugged my arms around myself. The silence was deafening, pressing in on me from all sides. Then, like a whisper carried on the wind, I heard it.

Shadow pack blood has always been hidden in weakness.

I spun around, searching for the light, but saw only the swirling haze. A broken sob ripped from my chest. "Show yourself!"

When I got no response, I fell to my knees, burying my face in my hands. I couldn't save him. Our magic couldn't save him.

What if I told you, Lana, that you could save him now?

The world seemed to grind to a halt. I sucked in a breath, my heart clenching. "He's gone."

The mist swirled around me, closing in. Shadow Pack is never truly gone.

For a moment, I couldn't breathe. My wolf's ears perked up, and she stopped pacing, her eyes fixed on a point in the distance. The voice was coming from everywhere and nowhere, wrapping around us like a shroud.

You could bring him back. Bring him to you.

My wolf whined, and I felt her longing, her desperation to reach out and grasp what the muse was offering. I wanted it. I wanted it so badly.

I rose to my feet, wiping my cheeks. Yes. I wanted to scream the words out loud, but before my mouth opened, I stilled.

This was a test.

Why show me the mirrors? Why force me to relive these memories? "You're lying."

Cool air swirled around me. I am bound by truth.

Shadow pack blood has always been hidden in weakness. The words repeated in my mind, and a chill ran down my spine. My brother had been weak. He'd been vulnerable. And now I could fix that?

The surface of the mirror shimmered, and there he was. Standing in front of me. My brother, strong, standing straight. I rushed forward and pressed my hand against the glass.

The mate of Thorne Moreau, once stricken with disease, then revived with wine from the everlasting goblet.

I blinked. Those were words from my storybook.

The alpha and the crown. No wolf's mind is his or her own.

Something tickled the back of my mind. One wolf. No, lone wolf? Words sat on the edge of my tongue, then finally sprung into perfect, impossible clarity.

In the forest deep, a choice must be made,

One wolf stands alone, in shadow, afraid.

The pack howls a call, their strength in the night,

But the lone wolf's cry tugs at your heart's light.

If you run to the one, the many will fall,

If you stand with the pack, you answer the call.

What will you choose when the paths split in two?

The love of the one, or the pack that is true?

The one or the many. That was the test. But just like in the second challenge, I didn't know what answer I was supposed to choose.

Both options felt right—and wrong.

The weight of the decision pressed down on me. The lone wolf, isolated and afraid, called to something primal within me. Alone . How could I leave someone behind in the dark when I had the power to help them? If I chose the pack over the one, wouldn't I be betraying the very essence of what it meant to lead? Weren't we supposed to protect those who needed us most?

But then there was the pack. A wolf without a pack was as good as dead. Strength came in numbers, and the safety of the whole outweighed the safety of one. That was the harsh truth we were taught as pups: the pack must always come first, because when the pack fell, everyone did. If I gave in to my desire to save the lone wolf, the many would suffer—and how could I live with that?

I closed my eyes, breathing deeply. I imagined both outcomes playing out. Running toward the lone wolf meant leaving the pack vulnerable. But ignoring the lone wolf felt just as monstrous.

My wolf stirred uneasily inside me, conflicted.

It was my brother. Truth washed over me. I'd go to him every time. But that terrified me because it wasn't what a pack wolf would do. It was what a lone wolf—an outsider—would do.

I gritted my teeth, frustration twisting in my gut. This wasn't just about the riddle. It was about what kind of wolf I wanted to be. What kind of wolf I was.

There once was a man named Thorne Moreau . . .

I stepped back from the mirror, my hand shaking. "No. This power, the relics, none can be used selfishly." If I used the goblet to save one wolf I loved, when would it stop? I would be just as bad as Thorne. Using the relics to play god, to get whatever I wanted.

That couldn't have been why they were created.

The mirror's surface swirled, and a fourth time, I was dragged forward. The mist around me thickened, and I was drawn in like a leaf caught in a whirlpool.

This time, when I emerged on the other side, the air was different. Thicker. Heavier.

And then I saw them. My friends. Evelyn, Kael, Callista, Rowan, and?—

I gasped. Destin. Bone stalkers. They stood in the gap between the rock faces, the stone at Destin's back. He was nude. Shaking. Three men I didn't recognize faced him.

This wasn't real. The words felt hollow when I thought them. There were our packs. Evelyn was wearing the same shirt she'd had on in the building.

How much time had passed? We'd moved through this realm in short bursts, but what had happened beyond this veil?

Callista winced, and my eyes shot to her wrists, tied behind her back. The trap. That tie looked exactly like the trap at Destin's.

My wolf howled inside me, a cry of anguish that echoed through my bones. She wanted to run to them, to wrap herself around their legs and press her muzzle into their hands. She wanted to take Destin's pack to him, to guard him while he dressed.

Why were they here? Why did they look like this? I wanted to scream, to tear at the veil between us and pull them into my arms. But I couldn't move. My legs were leaden, my feet rooted to the ground.

You can save him.

This was the test, I was sure of it. I'd answered correctly with my brother, and now I was forced to look at another person I loved in trouble. Loved? The word pulsed through me. It wasn't love what we had. It couldn't be. We'd known each other for a matter of days, and Destin . . . he was nothing like the mate I needed.

Alone. Living in shadows. I clenched my hands into fists. "What will happen to them?"

That is not for me to decide.

Of course it damn well wasn't. In the forest deep, a choice must be made. I wanted to save him. I wanted to save all of them. That voice said I had the power to do so. But where would it stop?

My lips trembled. I forced myself back, as far as I could go before the air snapped around me, forcing me to stay in that moment. "I will protect the pack," I whispered.

My wolf howled again, and it was a sound of pure agony. She wanted to leap through the mist, to tear down whatever barrier was keeping us apart. I wanted to join her, to let the rage and sorrow consume me.

And then, like a whisper on the wind, the voice. Once an alpha used the power to save those he loved, only to see his pack crumble because of it . . .

My breath hitched. This was the test. The ultimate challenge. To sacrifice my own desires. To wield the power of the shadow pack selflessly, or to succumb to the same fate as the alpha in the legend.

Destin was strong. My friends were strong. They could do this on their own, couldn't they?

My eyes dropped to the bone stalkers. To the three men.

I wanted to hold him. I wanted to feel his lips on my skin.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I took a step back. "I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I'm so sorry."