“That’s the point,” I continued, repeating the legend that had been passed down for centuries. “The witches wanted them to hate themselves and to hate their loved ones just as they had hated their sister, and they did.”
She hung onto every word that came out of my mouth.
“Only ninety percent of the cursed ones survived themselves. Most killed their friends and family in order to put them out of their misery,” I spat the words as anger rose inside me. I never understood how anyone could murder someone they treasured. “The other portion killed themselves. There were five different families who banded together and survived it all. My village is what’s left of it. My kinddespisehumans and feel for the witches who had their loved ones ripped from them. We may have started as humans, but every werewolf alive was born that way. We’ve rid humans from our DNA.”
“There’s so much hatred in your voice.” Her gaze hardened as she laced her fingers together and leaned in. “What happened?”
Pain rattled my lungs as our breath mingled. “My little sister,” I croaked. “She was actually my twin, but I was born first.”
Her bottom lip quivered, and I reached between us to press my thumb against it.So soft.
“I’m sure you two were close.”
“We were.” I flattened my palm against the cold skin of her cheek, and she leaned against it.
Her eyelids fluttered closed. “You don’t have to talk about it, Lachlan. I recognize that pain.”
“I haven’t talked about it in fourteen years. I want to talk about her outside of my head,” I admitted, and she nodded.
“Then I’m listening.”
With one hand on her cheek and the other on her lower back, I leaned forward and pressed a small kiss to her nose, making her gasp. She kept her eyes closed, and I stared at her lips before leaning back a bit. “We were playing in the valley that sat between the werewolves’ village and the vampires. Out of nowhere, a group of about six humans ambushed us. We both fought so fucking hard, but they captured us in wolfsbane-coated nets. They injected us with some liquid. I think it was wolfsbane, but I’m not sure.”
Her eyes popped open, and she pulled me into a hug. I rested both hands on her back as she stroked my hair. “How did you get away?”
“I didn’t.” The back of my throat burned as I held back a sob. “I woke up in that net on the edge of the witch and warlock territory. A necromancer had found me, and when I told him what happened, he alerted all of Cursinia of the breach and took me into the werewolf village unharmed. I still don’t know what happened to Lilly. Nobody ever went in search of them.”
“Oh, Lachlan.” Her voice broke as she held me closer. “I’m so sorry.”
“She could still be alive somewhere. Humans keep werewolves to turn other humans for war, or so I’ve been told. The thought of her being kept and forced to turn humans…” My stomach rolled at the thought. “I don’t know why they took her and not me. Kalista, how I wish it were me.”
She pulled back, grabbing my face and forcing me to look at her. “Don’t you dare say something like that. The Fates make the worst decisions, but there has to be a reason for it. If not, then why are we put through so much? Don’t blame yourself for something you couldn’t prevent as a child.”
Tears swam in my eyes, blurring her beautiful face as I shook my head. “If I had just—”
“Just what?” she interrupted. “Fought harder? Gotten yourself killed? If you had done that, you wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t have met you, and you wouldn’t have a chance to figure out what happened to her. If she’s still out there, we’ll find her. Somehow. I’ll help you find her.”
My heart stuttered to a stop as tears streamed down my face in front of the woman I had just fallen for.
In all these years, I knew I’d try to chase the trail to find Lilly—but never did I think someone would want to go down that crazy road with me. And yet this woman just told me she would without me even having to ask her.
I knew at that moment; the Fates were just waiting for the right time to bond us together. She had to be my mate, and if I had to share her, so be it. I’d be happy too.
“Am I interrupting something?” a deep voice asked, causing Wren to jerk back and lose her balance.
Snaking my arms around her waist, I pulled her into me and stood up on the rock, aware of the slipperiness of the moss as I jumped into the grass.
“Isn’t that obvious?” I asked as Grayson stepped out from behind a tree with jealousy blazing in his eyes.
“Clearly,” he growled, and I wrapped my arm around Wren, pulling her close to my side.
“What I do with Wren is none of your business.” I glared at him, and he shifted his attention to the little fox nestled to my side, trembling like a fucking leaf.
“I need to speak with you,” he told her expectantly, like she’d just obediently do as he asked. The beast inside me was foaming at the mouth.
“I have nothing left to say to you.” Her voice came out strong and matter-of-fact, despite the way her body was reacting.
“You heard her.” We walked forward, and she shook more as we passed him and didn’t stop until we were a few steps away.
