Lucy POV
“What do you mean?” I snap, taking a step toward her. Melana steps back, but Tyson drops a hand on my shoulder, holding it firmly.
“Alpha Jamie always spoke if this place in the woods, his holiday retreat, near some small town, but you said you can’t track Beryl?” Melana asks while turning to look at Aamon. He shakes his head.
“What about Josie? Could Avery track her using my blood? We are biological sisters; I know witches need an item of the one they are tracking; would my blood be enough?” Melana asks, and we all look at Aamon.
“Possibly, but Avery is pretty weak; she can’t use magic right now,” Aamon says. Tears burned in the back of my eyes, and I couldn’t take it anymore. There was always some barrier stopping us from finding them. Instead, turning on my heel, I leave.
“Lucy, wait,” Tyson calls.
“Let her calm down; she basically lost her entire family in one day, leave her be,” I hear Aamon tell him.
I was sitting out front of the hospital on the bench seats when Melana found me, she sat beside me, and I glared over at her.
“We will get them back,” she says softly, staring out at the car park.
“They wouldn’t be missing if your sister didn’t take them,” I growled at her. Lucille presses forward, angry that she would even seek us out after everything she has done, and I push her back, trying to subdue her.
“I’m sorry, Lucy, I truly am,” she whispers before turning to look at me.
“I don’t know when my life got so out of control,” she whispers, and I sigh, sitting back. The sun was hot today, and I found it comforting’; instead of the cool crisp air-conditioning inside the hospital that made it feel extra cool inside, I welcomed the warmth and the fresh air, needing to clear my head.
“Yeah, that I can relate to,” I admit. We sat in silence for a bit; she doesn’t say anything, but it was nice not having lingering attention, Tyson watching me like he thought I was going to snap at any moment, and for a bit, I thought it would
Ace was the opposite, feeling like the weight of the world rested solely on his shoulders. He took on the burdens of dealing with both packs while worrying about his brother. His temper became shorter as the last couple of days slipped by.
I felt useless, waiting around for everyone else to make the decisions, but I was tired of waiting, tired of being expected to sit still and wait for everyone else to make up their minds on the next move. Any move was better than not moving at all. So, for once, I didn’t hate Melana’s presence beside me.
She expected nothing of me and didn’t expect me to act perfectly put together when I felt like falling apart or screaming at my lack of being able to help those I love. Melana was no one to judge, and she made her fair share of mistakes. Any I made are nothing in comparison to what she has done, and for once, it felt good not being the target of everyone’s anger.
“The place you were talking about that Jamie goes to?”
“They said to wait until Avery is better, so we aren’t chasing our own tails. They also said that if I know about it, the chances are slim they would go there, that’s what Tyson said anyway,”
“What do you think?” I ask her.
“I think Jamie isn’t as smart as they give him credit for. If he went anywhere, I believe that’s where he went,” Melana adds.
“Do you know how to get there?” I ask her. And she looks over at me.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Lucy. I know you want to help your brother’s, but we should listen to your mates,”
“My brothers are out there somewhere with some witch, one is a baby, and I am sick of sitting on my hands. You want to make up for all the shit that has happened; you want forgiveness? Then take me there,”
Melana looks over her shoulder toward the hospital entrance.
“We can’t go alone; that would be foolish. He will have men there, and what about the witch?”
“I just need you to get me in there, and I will send my brothers out,”
“You want to make a trade?” She asks.
“Jamie wants a bargaining tool, right? Ryker isn’t available to bargain with right now, so the only ones he could possibly cut a deal with is Tyson and Ace.”
“No, Lucy, you aren’t understanding. Jamie wants your brother to mark his daughter, ensure her future as the next Queen,”
“But he has no wolf to mark her with,”
“Jamie said the witch could make a blood bond, so when his wolf awakens, he won’t accept anyone else but Emily, she is forcing their fates, but I also think she will force him to shift,” Melana tells me.
“But she can’t, not without,” I look at her, horrified.
“She has to kill him; he is half mutation. Without him coming of age to shift, the only way to awaken him is to either force the shift with strong emotion or force the Hybrid gene to awaken; she will have to kill him,” Melana states.
“She does that though there is also a chance she could actually kill him,” I tell her. Melana looks away and nods in agreement. Both of us have endured that horror before. I nearly lost my wolf because of them trying to awaken my vampire side, giving us the ability to shift between at will while also giving us the perks of both species, building the army Kade wanted so desperately. I refuse to let my brothers suffer through that.
“I think that’s why Josie took, Ryden; I don’t believe Jamie will risk Rayan being killed. He will find another way to force the shift,”
“You need to get me to that house; I won’t sit around and wait for one of my brothers to drop dead before doing anything,”
“Lucy, what you’re asking of me?”
“Is what you owe me, I am done being the one sitting on the sidelines; they won’t let me help, yet are hesitant to do anything, you said you know the way, then show me,”
“And what about when we get there?”
“I’ll figure that out when we get there,” I tell her, and she purses her lips.
“I do this; when everything is over, you let my mate go. Kill me I don’t care but let him go, don’t punish him for my actions, he has suffered enough.”
“You do this for me, and I may just let you live when all this is over,” I chuckle. Melana snorts, shaking her head. She looks back at the hospital and back to me.
“When?”
“Whenever you are ready, now preferably, the sooner, the better,”
“They would be onto us instantly. Tonight when they fall asleep,” I nod.
“That will give me a chance to find a car,”
“Car I can get, but you are driving,” I tell her.
“I will meet you at the packhouse,” She whispers, getting up hastily, and I see Ace suddenly walking toward us from the car park. Melana rushed back to the hospital, and Ace stopped, watching her leave before coming over to me.
“What was that about?”
“She was apologizing,’ I tell him. He eyes me suspiciously before reaching for me.