"You shouldn’t," Storm mutters, still hunched over. "You really shouldn’t. I… I pierced one of them straight through with my spikes…" His lips are pale blue.
I stare at him for a long moment. I know he’s a purple alpha. Dear Fate. For the first time in my life, I envy him for it. He has a defense system that I lack.
"I want to see it," I mutter. "I have to."
My teeth clench, but a wave of anger pulls me back to my senses a little.
I push Skye away when he tries to stop me and stagger out onto the patio. I take deep breaths, black spots swirling at the edge of my vision. To snap myself out of it, I pour the water from the flower vase on the table over my head.
Then I make my way down toward the lake like a machine, knees stiff, moving through the brush and over the fence. When I clumsily land on the other side, I see from a distance, between the trees of the small grove, the solitary figure of my dad standing there, frozen to the ground like a statue.
I want to run, but my legs feel like lead. Shaking all over, I move toward him, barely breathing, my lungs refusing to work.
Dad slowly lifts his head. His face is pale, but strangely calm.
"Bay. You shouldn’t be here. Go back to the house and wait for Father."
But I don’t listen. I walk closer and see two bloody bodies lying on the ground.
Those alphas.
My head spins so violently that I have to lean against a tree trunk. I feel like I might faint again.
"Go home, Bay," my dad repeats quietly, still holding the gun pointed toward the ground. His calmness shocks me.
"Did they hurt my brothers?"
"Luckily, they didn’t have time. I heard the screams, and because you told me to keep the gun close, I got there just in time. Thank you for warning me… about those animals."
"Don’t insult animals," I blurt out.
"Right. Let’s not insult animals."
I stare at them.
I stare at those two carcasses.
I stare at those two pieces of filth.
Suddenly, Dad jerks his head up, like he just realized something.
"This warning… was it because you saw something in the bushes, or because you ran into them? Is that why you were so shaken?"
I blink. Damn, I can’t tell him the truth, it would crush him. I have to protect him from this, it’s my duty.
"I saw something in the bushes. I didn’t know what it was, so I thought it’d be safer to warn you," I say, forcing myself to keep my voice calm.
Dad closes his eyes and exhales.
I decide to change the subject.
"They hurt you before, didn’t they?" I force the words out.
Dad goes rigid. His eyelids lower slowly. "Yes."
"Before you met Father."
"They bought my contract at an illegal auction."
