Текст книги "Mate"

Автор книги: Ali Hazelwood

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CHAPTER 36

She would make for the perfect Alpha’s mate.

ICAN’T BE THE ONLY ONE EXPERIENCING A STRONG SENSE OF déjà vu,” Saul says, but no one laughs.

I wouldn’t describe the Northwest seconds as the jolliest of bunches, but they usually tease each other, dish out jabs, and exchange inside jokes that go way over my head. Tonight, however, the atmosphere in Koen’s cabin is very gothic manor, mid-nineteenth century. The huddle leaders are on their way. Most of the pack leadership is in attendance, and all agree with Koen’s decision to go after the cult before Irene can strike.

“It’s the same strategy Constantine used,” he says.

“Target the Alpha and the closest seconds,” Amanda recites. “When the pack is trying to regroup, they work their way down.”

“They don’t have the insiders they had back then,” Mai points out. “Or the manpower.”

“The attack might not be as widespread,” Amanda agrees, “but if something happens to Koen?”

“That wouldn’t be ideal. There’s always a slew of cumballs with no leadership experience who decide to try the challenge at the worst possible time.” Koen leans against the counter and stares into the middle distance. “It’s not enough, getting Irene. We need to make sure that no Were related to the cult remains free. Otherwise, two years from now some fuckwaffle who happens to be Constantine’s third cousin will be back with some shitty claim and rile up all the other fuckwaffles.”

“What are the chances that the Human girl is lying about the weapons?” Jorma asks.

“None,” Koen says. “She adores Serena and wants to see her safe.”

“Easiest solution,” Elle says, “would be to lure as many of them as possible somewhere where we can easily neutralize them. Maybe we could feed them false information that we’re gathering for a leadership meeting.”

“We don’t know the extent of their weapons,” Koen points out. “Last time we underestimated them, and you know what happened.” We meaning his parents. What happened meaning mine.

“And would Irene be that easy to fool?” Colin asks.

Slowly, Koen shakes his head. “She’s deluded but not stupid. She believed that Serena would side with her over the Northwest, and that was shortsighted of her. She won’t make the same mistake twice.”

“Could we use Jess to plant false information?”

Pavel shakes his head. “She’s not being cooperative.”

“We could still use her as bait.”

“Irene doesn’t give a single fuck about her,” Amanda says.

“She cares about me, though.” It’s the first time I speak in the meeting. Everyone turns to me, and it’s like a floodlight right in my face. “I’m her niece. Constantine’s daughter.” It’s not news to anyone, but some seconds lower their eyes, like the reminder is hard to swallow. I don’t blame them one bit. “I’d be bait worth her while. I could set up a meeting with her, tell her that I changed my mind about the Favored.”

“She won’t buy it,” Amanda says. “You clearly made your choice.”

“She might even know that we’re using you to lure her there, and turn it against us,” Mai adds.

And they’re right. However. “What if they were to use me as bait?” The question gets me lots of confused stares. A couple of skeptical I think the halfling is slow glances are exchanged. “Irene wants Koen gone,” I explain. “She knows that Koen will come for me if I’m taken, because he already has. She knows that he’ll bring several of his seconds with him, too. It’s the ideal scenario for her.”

Silence. Amanda squints. “I’m not sure I follow?”

“If Irene had me at her disposal right now, she would use me to lure the Northwest leadership to a place where she could easily dispose of you. So let her do that. Let her think that she’s ambushing us, while we are ambushing her. Like you said, her manpower is limited. She’s going to have to use all her resources on the ambush– ”

“And have none left to pay attention to us.” Saul nods slowly. “This isn’t a bad idea.”

“It isn’t,” Elle concedes. “Except for the small detail that Serena is not with Irene.”

“That might be easy to fix,” Amanda says, sounding on board. “Nele told us where the hideouts are. We could parade Serena near one, someone would snatch her to please Mother Irene, and then– ”

“Enough.”

The entire room falls quiet. Every second’s gaze slips down to their toes, like they’re children being collectively reprimanded for not flushing the toilet.

I guess this is the effect it has– the Alpha’s voice. Except, Amanda’s eyes bounce back up. It doesn’t surprise me– I’ve always felt that there was something sturdier about her relationship with Koen, something that comes from her being his closest friend. Maybe that’s why she’s the one with the guts to push against him. “Koen, this is not some dumb final girl running upstairs plan. Serena knows that Irene is unlikely to harm her. She’s too important to the cult.”

“Can you guarantee it?”

Amanda looks away, but mutters, “I can’t guarantee anything. I can’t guarantee that Irene’s weapons secretly aren’t embalmed gerbils. But I can make an educated guess.”

“No, you can’t. Not in my pack.” Koen’s voice is harsh, and a hollow, terrible silence follows, in which everyone, including Amanda, performs one of those weird eye genuflections.

I rise to my feet, cross the room, and walk up to him. “It wasn’t Amanda’s idea. It was mine. So if you have something against– ”

“You fucking know I do, killer.”

We’re the only two in the kitchen area, which gives an illusion of privacy. But that’s just it– an illusion. Everyone can listen in. Everyone is. “Do you have a better plan?”

He glares. My heart flutters with fondness, and a bit of sorrow for what I’m about to do to him.

“Clearly, you don’t. This is the best way to keep the pack safe.”

“I’m not letting you– ”

“That’s the thing, Koen. You don’t have to let me. I can do whatever I want. I could walk across the Human border right now, and you couldn’t stop me.”

His jaw tenses. “I am the Alpha of this pack.”

“You are. And everyone else in this room is going to follow your orders. But I won’t.”

Suddenly, he seems larger. Angrier. He towers over me in a new, unfamiliar way, and hisses through clenched teeth, “You are under my command. If I say that I want you here, you’ll fucking stay here. Your plan would put you in danger and out of my protection, and that’s unacceptable.”

“Koen.” I smile.

He leans forward. I should be scared. I’m just not.

“I love you,” I say simply.

His eyes close. “You are mine. My mate. My– ”

“More importantly, you love me. And that’s why you have no authority over me.” I reach up to caress his face with the back of my hand. Let my arm fall limp at my side, suddenly cold.

When I turn around, I meet Amanda’s eyes, and we nod at each other.

THE PLAN FALLS INTO PLACE LIKE A WELL-CHOREOGRAPHED DANCE.

The following day, Amanda and I are escorted to the territory of the easternmost huddle. Anneke, its leader, meets us under the tall trees on the riverside and welcomes me with a curious tilt of her head. “I hope you know what you got yourself into,” she tells me. When Koen and Saul get out of the front seats, she bows her head. “Alpha. I’ll take her from here.”

“Yeah. Give us a minute.”

Anneke and Amanda take a step back, and Saul feels my upper arm for the GPS tracker embedded in my flesh. “Still doesn’t hurt?”

I shake my head.

“Good. It’s a little bit reddened, but that’s for the best, since it’ll make it easier to notice for Irene. If it hurts– ”

“Shut it, Saul,” Koen grumbles. “She’s an adult Were and doesn’t need you fussing over her.”

Saul’s eyebrow perks up. “Excuse me, Alpha. I must have misheard when you threatened to chain her to the radiator to prevent her from stubbing her toe.”

“She is my mate,” Koen snarls. “I get to treat her like she’s made of mother– of– pearl. You do not.”

Saul hugs me, wishes me good luck, and disappears from Koen’s sight at record speed. Then it’s just us. Across the sky, a bird of prey calls in a loud, descending pitch.

“I should have,” Koen mutters. In the sunlight, his eyes look darker than usual.

“What?”

“Chained you to my fucking radiator. I still could. I will.”

I laugh. “No, you won’t. But I’ll be all right. They don’t know I can shift again. If things get dangerous, I can always run.”

He clenches his teeth. “If anything happens to you, I’m going to– ”

“Kill me, yes. I know the drill by now.” I would love to hug him, but Anneke is right behind me, and she’s part of the Assembly. I don’t want to make things harder for him. “I think it’s gonna work, Koen. We’ll get rid of this threat, and we’ll . . . move on.” I smile. More or less. “Consider it my parting gift to the Northwest.”

“You already gave the Northwest enough.”

I swallow thickly. “I like to think that I simply didn’t take away one of its most attractive features.” It’s not funny. Neither of us is laughing. The pangs in my chest feel more like stab wounds.

“Sure.” He exhales. “I have to go, Serena. Before I chain you somewhere for real.”

I nod, willing away the full, prickling feeling at the back of my throat. Watch Koen spin around and put some distance between us.

But he stops.

Takes a deep, shoulder-heaving breath.

Turns again and marches back to me, taking my face in his palms and pressing our lips together.

It’s a simple, bruising, marking kiss. My fingers grip his wrists, and he smells like we never left his cabin. We’re still in our nest, measuring each other’s breathing. Marveling at how quickly we fall into rhythm.

“Whatever you need, you have to come to me. It’s a fucking order.” His voice is strained. “I don’t care where you are. I don’t care what it is. I want you to promise me that for anything you– ”

“I promise, Koen.”

He nods. Fills his lungs with air. Shakes his head. “Fucking nuisance,” he mutters, and then he’s walking, driving away.

Amanda and I enter Anneke’s car.

MY GRANDFATHER’S HOUSE HAS BEEN EMPTY FOR NEARLY FIVE DECADES. The outside, however, looks surprisingly intact, and no one seems to have initiated a stone-throwing contest toward the living room windows.

“Could I claim this property?” I ask, standing on the balcony. “Does it belong to me?”

“Technically, everything on pack territory belongs to the pack itself,” Anneke’s assistant tells me, a little pedantic. We should introduce her to Jorma, Amanda whispered to me earlier, after she offered us a croissant and pronounced it like we were fine dining in Toulouse.

“Is anyone taking care of this place?”

“Yes. People will stay here occasionally, mostly when they are between residences. They would be welcome to move in, but . . .”

“They know it’s the house where Constantine’s father was born and don’t want to commit?”

She nods.

“Fair enough. There’s probably lots of black mold in those walls.” It would certainly explain the family history.

“It’s also very close to the border,” she points out. “Over there, that line of trees? That’s Human territory. Very well patrolled, and we haven’t had issues in a long time. But . . .”

“Interesting.” I pretend to be learning something new. “Thank you for showing me.”

“No problem. I have to say, I was surprised when Anneke said you’d want to visit your grandfather’s home, but . . . I guess it makes sense.”

I smile. Ten minutes later, I lie in the grass with Amanda, staring up at the cloudy sky. My fingers play with my mother’s necklace. Put it on, Saul suggested before I left. It’ll make the lie that you’re all about reconnecting with your ancestors even more believable.

“This place gives me the creeps,” Amanda says, but my mind is on something else.

Someone else.

“Did I ruin it for him?”

She glances at me. “What? Who?”

“Did I irreparably undermine Koen’s authority?” When I publicly stood up to him, his seconds’ faces covered the not-small gamut from shocked to scandalized.

Amanda laughs. “Oh my God, no. Believe me, we’re all very clear on our respective roles in Koen’s life. No one would dream to assume that because you get away with bitching at the Alpha, so would they.”

“I don’t want to make things complicated for him, now that I’m leaving.”

She is silent for a long beat. When I turn to face her, I find her staring. “Thank you, Serena,” she tells me. Serious, and uncharacteristically heartfelt.

“For what?”

“For not taking him from us.”

“Oh.” I rub a hand down my jeans. “How do you know that he . . . ?”

“I didn’t. Or maybe I did, but not because he told me. I knew from the start that it would come to this. From the moment he returned from the Southwest and told me that he’d found you.” She chuckles, shaking her head. “He was so mad, Serena, for actually liking you so much. And I took Saul aside and said, this is how we lose Koen. He doesn’t know it yet. And if I told him, he’d ask me to fuck off and call me a . . . a prickhound, or something. But I knew it.” Her expression sobers. “I would have forgiven him if he’d left the Northwest. But I don’t think he’d have forgiven himself. So thank you.”

That’s when her phone rings, as planned, and Amanda walks inside the house to take the call, leaving me alone.

As planned.

THIS TIME AROUND THERE ARE NO DRUGS INVOLVED, AND WHEN I find myself bound and gagged in front of Irene, I’m feeling grateful.

Honestly? I set the bar too low. I need to start asking more of my abductors.

And then there is a hideout about eight miles from there, Nele told me yesterday, pointing at a map. It’s inconvenient, because it’s so close to pack territory, the risk of being caught during patrols is high. But Irene never gave it up.

Because of its proximity to her father’s home?

She nodded. There were rumors that the previous huddle leader wanted to tear the house down, and Irene decided to keep an eye on it to make sure it was still standing. We don’t really have a burial place for Constantine, so it’s like a memorial. It inspires us.

I looked at Koen. It would make sense for me to take a trip there, since I just found out about my family. Someone like Irene, who’s spent her entire life upholding Constantine’s legacy, wouldn’t find it weird.

I took Koen’s gritted teeth as assent, and here I am. Blinking at Irene as she kneels in front of me. Trying to avoid her touch as she cups my face with her thin, soft hands, and tells me, “You made a mistake, choosing the Northwest over your people. I know you are young and untrained, but you should have known better.”

I thrash around a little, mostly for show, but this is cathartic. I’ve never had a family to disappoint before, and it’s a bit of a power trip. Lots of fun. I don’t understand what Misery has been going on about.

“I’m not giving up on you, not if I can help it. You are Constantine’s only direct descendant, and my only blood relative.”

One of the Favored, a male Were, approaches to whisper something into her ear. Irene nods, looking pleased, and he leaves. I wonder where we are. We drove about five hours south.

“The thing is, Eva.” She lowers her voice. Her smile is wistful and threatening. “I might simply not be able to help it. If you refuse your birthright and don’t allow me to elevate you to the symbol you should be . . . I’m going to have to turn you into a martyr.”

She glances at my arm, where the tracker is implanted.

I pretend not to notice the gleam in her eyes.

MY EYES WIDEN WHEN I SEE THE WEAPONS THEY HAVE AMASSED, and it’s not another example of award-winning acting. I was prepared for the firearms, but not for the explosives.

This has clearly been a while in the making. When night comes, I pretend to fall asleep, and gather snippets from conversations floating around. They were almost ready to strike, and my presence is just an opportunity to expedite the proceedings.

We don’t have a long time, but . . .

. . . that tracker? They can see her location, are probably on their way . . .

. . . ideal situation, but we need to hurry . . .

. . . might not come. He left her alone close to the border, after all, not the act of someone who cares.

. . . nonsense. He had his closest second guarding her. The woman. She screwed up.

. . . is very attached to the girl . . .

Poor Koen is probably grinding his teeth to stubs. I wonder if he’s called Amanda a testicle yet, just for siding with me about the plan. I wonder if this is shaving a couple of years off his life. I wonder if it’ll be better for him, once I’m back in the Southwest. Out of sight, out of mind will never be our thing, but maybe not knowing whether I’m in danger will save the lining of his esophagus?

I should talk to Jorma. Make sure that someone is there to take care of him, even if I can’t.

“Eva,” a voice calls, and my eyes pop open. It’s a Human man, holding something sharp. “I’m sorry. This won’t hurt.”

I’m out before I can wonder what he’s referring to.

MY NEXT MOMENT OF AWARENESS IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. I’m groggy and confused, in the same safe house where I fell asleep. Except, it’s no longer bustling with activity.

It’s just me and two Human guards.

My upper arm, where the tracker was, hurts like an open wound. Dried blood clings to my biceps, pools in the inside of my elbow.

And that’s when I realize that I may have underestimated Irene.

CHAPTER 37

She’s a small wolf. Cream and white colored, with the same dark brown eyes as her human form, and pale yellow ears that are large for her body and more pointed than most. Her thick tail and delicate muzzle have a few light markings that make her utterly unique. So pretty, he thinks that if she were the last thing he saw, he wouldn’t mind. Not at all.

THEY TOOK MY TRACKER AND LEFT ME BEHIND, WHICH IS NOT how I thought it would go. Irene must know that the Northwest is going to notice that it’s no longer attached to my body, which could mean a handful of things. At best, she’s aware that something might be off and decided to be cautious. At worst, she knows exactly what our plan is and opted for using a less valuable bait, outfit it with my tracker, and let it be a casualty of the fight that will break out.

It, because I don’t want to believe that Irene would sacrifice one of the Favored.

The moment I’m fully awake, I yell into my gag. Writhe. Make a scene. One guard, a man with gray hair and a long beard, watches me for a few minutes. Then he sighs, comes closer, and frees my mouth. “What is it?”

Where the fuck did they go? would be my conversation starter of choice, but I settle for “I have to go to the bathroom.” It’s not even a lie.

He and the younger guard share a look. “Just . . . go.”

“Where?”

They seem confused.

“You want me to just piss myself?”

“I mean . . . yeah.”

I consider pulling a Do you know who my father is? but decide to go a little subtler. “Irene would let me keep my dignity.” Classy, if I say so myself.

“Would she?” Beard seems doubtful. He glances at the gun next to his right hand, then at the younger man, who’s clearly not in charge. Unlike Beard, he looks properly intimidated by the idea of being on Irene’s shit list. “Maybe. But I’ve watched enough TV to predict how the take me to the bathroom, untie me for just a second shebang always ends.”

“Have you?”

He nods, proud of his clairvoyance.

I sigh. “Okay, listen– don’t untie me. Don’t even take me outside. How about you just lower my pants and underwear so I don’t have to sit in my own urine for the foreseeable future? Your buddy can hold me at gunpoint so I don’t try anything. Not that I could, since my arms and my feet are tied up.”

Beard thinks it through, finds no objections, and the rest is easy enough. Not very smart of them, to assume that I’d need someone else to untie me. Then again, they have no idea I can shift.

I feel the rush of power, of rightness, as my fingers sharpen into claws. In Were form, my wrists are slim enough that I can easily angle them to tear into the rope. Beard comes closer to help me with my bathroom emergency, and overpowering him is a matter of a couple of blows. As I suspected, his young buddy is far too intimidated by the situation to shoot the gun and kill Constantine’s prodigal kid. Once Beard is groaning on the floor, he tosses the weapon and runs away.

I savor the delicious pain in my bones as I shift into my wolf form. It’s been a long time, too long. Every single one of my cells welcomes me as I settle into them.

Whatever’s left of my Human mind feels a bit guilty about tackling the boy and leaving him out of commission, remembering what Koen said about the cult and its habit to shield Weres with Humans. A bit, but not enough to stop me.

The forest is my home. She beckons me. Urges me forward. Embraces me like I’m worthy of her, always will be. I set off after the cult, tracking their scent, following every trace of their passage. Humans, in particular, are easy to stalk. Tire marks. Shoe prints. The occasional littering. They didn’t bother concealing their trail, the forest whispers. I’ll tell you everything you need to know. I will lead you to them.

I lope for ten minutes. Or hours. I can’t tell time in this form, only sequences. Events. Cause and effect. My hindbrain is larger, and everything is instinct, clear cut. Either good or bad. Want or fuck, no. Friend or foe. There is no compromise, because I’m the undiluted essence of myself. I am insignificant. I am hunger and love and joy. I am the pack, and the pack is me.

Then I spot flames.

Hear screams and shots.

Smell smoke.

My wolf brain doesn’t understand. All it sees is chaos and hurt, adrenaline and anger. I gallop toward the battleground, leaving behind the thickest part of the forest. There is a fire, one that started in the clearing and is rapidly spreading to the trees. I can barely breathe. The heat is so intense, my fur feels singed.

Leave, my instincts scream at me. Leave.

But I spot Pavel. His neck is almost entirely in the powerful jaws of another wolf, a fawn-colored one I don’t recognize. When Pavel unsuccessfully tries to free himself, I race toward him and sink my fangs into the vulnerable side of the other wolf ’s belly.

No one has taught me how to fight in this form, but I know anyway. I know.

The fawn wolf manages to throw me off. By Were standards I’m not a fearsome creature, but I puff myself up, trying to appear larger. I growl. I raise my tail. When he crouches, ready to charge, I do the same– and then howl in triumph as Pavel takes him by surprise and pins him to the ground.

Around me, Humans scream, firing their weapons. A glance tells me that the cult is overwhelmed and rapidly losing ground. That’s when I spot Koen and learn what real fear is.

He’s still in human form. I growl– What the hell is he waiting for?– but he cannot hear me. Unlike everyone else, he’s running toward the source of the fire. I dart after him, ready to hook my teeth in his neck and pull him away. Then I realize what his goal is.

A girl. A Human girl that I can barely make out through the flames– except for her auburn hair. She’s on the ground, unconscious, and he’s trying to rescue her.

Nele’s sister.

Waves of heat lick at me, and I watch Koen disappear through the blaze. I let out a soft whine, running around the perimeter of the fire, turning away to cough. I snarl. I bark. I wait for him to reappear for several seconds. Or years.

Then, like the idiot that I am, I follow him in.

Stupid, a voice yells at me. But it adds, Help! Him!

It’s impossible to breathe. Jaw open wide, tongue lolling, I track his steps and leap in relief when I see him exiting the fire from another direction, carrying the girl’s unconscious body. I chase after him, trying to keep the smoke out of my lungs. Koen runs past the flames, lays the girl down on the grass, and puts his ear by her mouth, looking for a sign of life.

I’m trotting to him, and that’s when I see Irene.

She’s naked and barefoot. Doesn’t notice me, because Koen and the girl are right between us. Unfortunately, I’m almost sure Koen doesn’t notice her, either. He’s focused on giving CPR to Nele’s sister, and he never turns around, not even as Irene lifts something that looks a lot like a rifle.

My fur bristles along my spine. In an instant, my fear explodes into pure, roaring rage.

Not on my fucking watch, Auntie.

I clack my teeth, meaning to warn Koen. The problem is, he turns toward me and instantly recognizes me, despite never having seen my wolf form. I feel his relief and joy and everything else like a shock wave, reverberating through me.

Behind him, though, Irene is taking aim.

My next move is primal instinct, something beyond reason and thought. I watch her adjust the mouth of the barrel, and sprint toward her as fast as I can. I leap above Koen and the girl, careening toward the rifle, ready to rip into Irene’s throat.

Someone yells my name.

The wind blows the fire toward us.

A sharp, loud crack reverberates throughout the forest.

That’s the last thing I remember.