Chapter Twenty-Four

SASHA

I’m watching in horror as he collapses to the ground. A disgruntled scream of agonizing pain pierces my chest as I feel his pain like never before, and it’s as if I’m feeling him die right in front of my eyes.

I cry out to him, thrashing against Lisbon with all my might; I’m trying desperately to free myself from her vise grip around my arm. I need to get to him to make it stop. I can’t take the pain any longer; it’s ripping my soul apart as I cry out his name repeatedly, sobbing as my body begins to shake uncontrollably under the weight of it all.

“No! No!” I scream for him, “You’re killing him, stop it, please, stop it,” I whimper, feeling like I can’t breathe as the pain of my mate suffocates me.

“You can stop it if you want to; his life is in your hands, Sasha; if he dies, it’s because you didn’t care enough to keep him alive,”

I suddenly feel it; her words infuriate my wolf when a deep growl explodes up my throat as something so deeply hidden inside myself pushes to the surface. It begins to pulsate through my entire body like a deafening solid heartbeat, the heat filtering through my veins as it tingles down my arms and my legs. It feels familiar to a time when I felt it the strongest when I was a little girl. It bubbles up from the core of my stomach, unable to contain the darkness I’ve spent my entire life trying to suppress. An earsplitting scream erupts from my soul, and a remote and dangerous part of myself I’ve tried so hard to hide explodes from me in a sonic boom cloud of power blue haze.

My heart ripped open at that moment, and as it lingers like a death sentence, my father told me it would bring me one day; all I could think about was Wolf.

It all stays there for a while, and the moment before it finally and ever so slowly begins to fade away; panting heavily, my ears are ringing as I slowly refocus my eyes on everything around me.

No one is left standing; everyone is lying flat against the ground, scattered and staring at me in shock. Even nearby small trees have been snapped in half, scattered further back into the forest.

What did I do?

The bewildered and shocked faces of everyone around me should be freaking me out because I did this. Don’t ask me how, but that explosion came from deep inside me. But instead of feeling scared, the only thing that matters to me is Wolf.

I finally manage to shrug myself out of Lisbon’s tight grip; I expect her to pull me back and away from Wolf, but she lets me go. I instantly rush over to him, and I fall to my knees right in front of him; my heart is pounding behind my chest, my eyes blurry with tears, and they won’t stop falling as I cup his face in my hands, the blood against his cheek mixed with the bewildered look of confusion imminent on his face has everything shattering inside of me, my heart breaks the moment I watch as his eyes tear up,

“Sash- I...” He gulps, but he’s totally out of it; he can’t even push himself up off the ground,

“Wolf- Wolf... please don’t leave me, please don’t...” He suddenly crashes his lips to mine as he grips me tightly against his form, and it’s as if everything around us stops instantly.

My arms wind around his neck as I pull him to me, our chests both pounding chaotically against one another as our hearts thump louder and louder with every passing second.

I hear her in the distance, the voice of Lisbon echoing behind us as she sniggers,

“Well, Caius, you were saying?”

I block her out because Wolf and I are this close right now, creating something deeper than ever; he’s healing faster; I can feel it. But what is more, it’s as if the closer we are, the more the power inside of me strengthens; he’s the one awakening what’s inside me. I don’t understand how, but I need more.

I’ve still got my arms around Wolf’s neck when someone grips me hard against my shoulders, yanking me back with force, and I scream for him, my limbs flying around frantically as I scramble to get back to Wolf. I claw at the ground, desperately trying to get back to him with all my might, my wolf growling and snarling behind my chest as I scream,

“No! No! Let me go!” I’m deliriously scrambling, clawing, screaming, and yelling when more arms fold over me, the rogues helping to pull me away from my mate while he holds his arms out to me, his eyes locked on mine when he breathes,

“Sasha, Sash...” He loses consciousness as he falls back against the ground. I scream, instantly feeling the power within me growing within my veins when electric blue begins glowing from my arms and body.

I feel like a woman possessed; I’m thrashing like a madwoman when Lisbon pushes a finger against my forehead and glares at me as she whispers,

“Spavati,” and within a split second, everything goes silent. It falls into the darkness around me as my eyes fall closed, and I lose consciousness.

~

My eyes still feel heavy as I slowly manage to open them; trying to focus, I quickly sit up and scan the room I’m in.

Is it Wolf’s room?

I can smell his strong, woodsy scent; the covers are all around me, and my body instantly aches for him, but he isn’t here.

I jump up and stumble to the door, yanking at it; it won’t budge; it’s locked.

I feel like I’m going to have a panic attack, my breathing becoming labored when I suddenly remember the mind link thing; closing my eyes, I try and envision Wolf in my head, calling his name over and over as my bottom lip wobbles.

Nothing.

I gulp, tears stinging behind my eyes when I try again, this time putting full alpha she-wolf command behind it,

“Wolf! Wolf! It’s me; it’s Sasha; please answer me, please!” I plead, as tears well up behind my eyes, when suddenly- I hear him...

“Sasha? Where the fuck are you?” He’s frantic, growling inside my head as his beast pushes through the link,

“I’m fine; I’m in your room; the door is locked. Where are you?” I link back frantically.

“I’m fine; they’ve stuck me in the same cage they wanted to put you in,”

“What!?” I link back in a panic as my entire body tenses up,

“Shh, baby girl, it’s fine, I’m okay, calm down, I’m here,”

“I’m scared, Wolf.”

“I know; I’ll get you out of this, I promise,”

“And what if you can’t?” I link him,

“Doubting me already?” He links with a teasing tone to his voice,

“No,” I link back quickly.

There’s a moment of silence that stretches out far too long between us, which instantly has me feeling panicky, but before I can link him, he links me instead,

“I love you, Sasha,” my heart constricts as my bottom lip wobbles,

“I love you too, Wolf,” I link him back in a whisper.

Everything goes silent then, and my heart sinks into the pit of my stomach as I sit down on the bed. I’m so scared, but I need to be brave; how am I meant to be brave when I’ve never been in this situation before?

I take a few deep breaths, hoping and praying for a miracle.

Please, please, someone help us.

I lift my arms out in front of me, staring down at my hands as I will them to glow with blue beams of that same power from earlier, but nothing happens. Feeling disheartened, I let out a disgruntled groan of frustration as my hands flew into my hair. What’s the point of having this ability if I can’t use it when I need it the most?

I’m still sitting on the bed, not knowing what to do, when I suddenly remember the cell phone.

I hid it under the mattress before we ran out. Jumping up, I quickly go to dig it out; oh please, be there, please, please, please-

Yes! Lisbon and Caius didn’t find it.

Pulling it out, I quickly swipe the screen when I find the number I’m looking for. I smile with a slight triumphant feeling washing over me when I make the call.

It rings twice when she answers, and instant relief washes over me when I whisper,

“Edith...”

“Sasha, thank goddess. I felt your power explode from you earlier. Are you alright?” My brows furrow in response when I croak out,

“Wait, you felt it- how?”

“There’s no time to explain, my dear girl; just know that help is coming.” Before I can respond, the call ends, and my jaw goes slack as I stare at the black screen in confusion.

She felt it? What is that supposed to mean?

I’m still trying to figure it out when I suddenly hear the door being unlocked from the other side.

I gulp in panic when I quickly hide the phone under the pillow.

The door swings open, and Caius stands in the doorway, staring at me with a smug grin plastered against his hard face.

“I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable; the scent of you’re mate in here should do it, right? It should help your powers to strengthen.”

I only glare at him, narrowing my eyes before looking away. I don’t want to talk to him; he’s a monster.

“Oh, before I forget. Lisbon made you a pretty little necklace...”

Looking down at my chest, I instantly frown; a green stone hangs around my neck off a thin rope.

“What is this?” I grumble irritably, smirking. Caius cocks a grin at me when he shrugs,

“That little girl is a potent stone, called a Maldovite stone,”

Narrowing my eyes into a full-on scowl, I grip it tightly in my hand, and I’m about to rip it off when Caius shoots me a hard glare,

“I wouldn’t do that, see, if you pull that off, it will kill you,”

“I don’t care if it kills me,” I growl,

“Well,” He scoffs, “It will also kill your mate. Did you know that? Do you wanna bullshit me and say you don’t care about his life?”

I clench my jaw, swallowing hard, but I don’t answer him, and that only has him smirking even more with a sinister grin forming against his hard lines when he knows that he’s got me.

“What do you want with me?” I finally grit out, and he scoffs as she shakes his head,

“Three more days, little girl, just three more days, and you’ll find out.”

With those threatening words lingering in the air, Caius slowly turns away and lets out a laugh with an icy cold feeling slicing down my spine; as he closes the door, he locks it, and I’m left sitting there feeling shaky inside.

How did everything get this way so fast?

How are we going to get out of this alive? We’re alone; it’s not like someone’s coming to save us, my dad- my brother- gulping. I cup a hand over my mouth when I begin to sob.

That feeling of dread is so heavy in the pit of my stomach that it’s weighing me down; I physically feel drained from all energy the moment I curl up into the fetal position on the bed, hugging myself tightly, I try and link Wolf again, but there’s no answer.

Whimpering, I shut my eyes tight when I start to feel the full effects of my loss; I haven’t had a moment to myself to really process anything since it all started, since my pack lost my dad and brother, along with so many others that died, all because of me.

What is this thing inside me?

Lisbon said my real mother was a witch, and I don’t know why that didn’t surprise me. It should have shocked me, yet it’s the only thing that makes sense as to why I’m so different from other wolves.

Sniffing back more tears, I go to wipe them away when I whisper,

“Please, someone help us.”