I push his head away from me, annoyed he bit my face. My hands tremble slightly in fear, but I force it down, knowing he didn’t mean it. But also scared because if it weren’t me, Ares and Mateo would have endured his anger for trying to protect me. Maddox ducks his head, pressing his face beneath my chin, and whines loudly.
“Give Ezra control, Maddox. I don’t want to see you right now,” I scold him, my voice is cold and emotionless. He whines, laying on my lap and rolling, but I ignore him.
“Kora?” He asks, nudging me, trying to get me to react to him.
I turn my head and look at him. Grabbing his face and pressing mine to his. “She is gone,” I tell him, and he whines, and so does Ares.
“But you have me,” I offer, though I’m not sure what use I am to them. Without Kora I’m unable to shift. As if I’m supposed to use these so-called abilities, but how can I do so without a wolf? I am back to being the wolf-less girl, the freak of the pack.
Maddox howls loudly, the sound breaking my heart when he suddenly takes off running for the forest. His giant black wolf escapes amongst the trees and into the darkness of the night.
Mateo shifts back, breathing heavily. “Is she really gone?” He asks, and I bite my lip to stop from breaking down.
“I killed her,” I confess, and he presses his lips into a line before nodding.
“It’s ok, we will figure it out,” he whispers before he picks me up in a princess carry. He stands, on a mission toward the packhouse. He gets there and sits on the stairs near the back door with me on his lap. We wait, and I can hear Maddox howling in the forest. Can feel Ares’ sadness through the bond. Mateo tightens his arms around me, pulling me closer and shielding me from the cold breeze. It feels like an eternity before I hear a noise, and I look up. The pack run ended half an hour ago, and we see everyone leaving the forest and making their way to their cars. Mateo and I keep from sight, not wanting them to ask questions.
Ezra steps out of the trees, covered in blood, and I know Maddox probably slaughtered something in the forest. He stops in front of us before reaching down and taking me from Mateo.
“I’m sorry, Kat,” he whispers, crushing me against his chest. Mateo stands, and Ezra puts his hand on his face before removing it. “I think I know someone who can help, I also have something to tell you,” Ezra confesses, glancing at Mateo, who growls looking away from us.
“Who?”
“Alpha, Andrei, but that’s not all.” Ezra admits. “Andrei has your father. That’s where I was today, I was trying to get him back.”
I push Ezra away. He knows where my father is and didn’t tell me? He knows how much I am struggling with not having my family, and he knew where my father was this entire time and kept it from me!
Ezra reaches for me, but I shake my head, pointing an accusing finger at him. “And you didn’t think to tell me?” I ask him.
“We didn’t want to worry you, my men saw him at the border and reported back to me, but your father attacked my men and slipped across into Andrei’s pack. I tried to get him back, but Andrei won’t hand him over unless….” Ezra doesn’t finish, and Mateo growls behind me when he doesn’t. But I already know what he isn’t saying. Andrei wants me.
“Unless you give him me,” I finish for him.
Ezra nods before rubbing my arms with his hands. “I won’t let him hurt you, Kat, I think he just wants to talk to you. He said he could help,” Ezra explains.
Yeah, like he helped last time. I scoff. “Help with what? He killed my mother, and now has my father?”
“Maybe we should hear him out, Kat. He seems to know what he is talking about,” Ezra explains, and I snort at his words.
So he wants me to go play friends with the man responsible for helping kill my mom? Is he insane? In what universe does he think I would be ok with that? “No, I will go just to get my father back, but I do not want to have anything to do with Andrei,” I inform him before walking off, only to stop again when he speaks.
Ezra pinches his brow and exhales loudly. “Your mother lied, Kat. She never got rid of the scrolls, she gave them to Jackson. Andrei has them,” Ezra admits.
“Why does Andrei have them, then?” I ask, turning back around to face them. It makes no sense why Andrei would have the scrolls if she gave them to Jackson.
“He made a trade. It was never about helping Jackson, or so he claims. He just wanted the scrolls.”
“Let me guess, my mother was the trade? Her life for these stupid scrolls that supposedly break the curse? Well, what a waste of time that was. The curse is broken already,” I remind him.
“Just see what he has to say.”
“No, now take me to wherever my father is, so I can get him back before Andrei kills him, too,” I order.
“He won’t just hand him over. You want your father back? Hear him out. I have known Andrei for years. He will make you earn him.”
“Earn him back?”
“Yes, Kat, why else would he take your father and the scrolls? He knows something, what I don’t know. But you go in there demanding him back? Andrei may just kill him and declare war. We can’t afford a war with them, along with Jackson’s pack. Andrei is best off as an alliance, I won’t put my pack at risk because you can’t see past your anger or because you want your father back.”
“He killed my mother, Ezra. I am not helping him do anything,” my words come out in a growl. It sounds like he’s taking Andrei’s side over mine.