Chapter 65 by Cara Anderson

Ch. 65 Lover’s Quarrel

Colton’s POV

The last few hours had been pure fucking misery. I couldn’t feel my brothers through our bond anymore. An empty, hollow feeling sat where the connection to their souls had always been. A source of strength and comfort I’d taken for granted for a lifetime ripped away in a fraction of a second.

I’d always thought of myself as selfless, the triplet most willing to sacrifice for the good of others. This whole ordeal put paid to that delusion. I was a fucking selfish bastard. That’s all there was to it.

Foolishly, I’d hoped that once I’d vanquished her enemies like the knight on the white horse I saw myself as, Mallory and I could find our way back to each other. Maybe, just maybe, she’d let me fix what I’d done, make up for all the pain I’d caused her in the name of protecting her.

Clay’s beat down had forced me to see the truth of the situation. I’d expected Cary, the hot-headed triplet, to rain hell down on me. But when my even- keeled, not easily riled middle brother came for me, I knew there was no coming back from what I’d done. I’d been a greedy, egotistical asshole to ever think otherwise.

One good thing came from getting my ass handed to me. Darcy accepted that I was too injured to continue our previous interlude. After Clay left, she flew into caretaker mode, insisting I rest and heal. I was immediately put to bed and left to contemplate the shit- show of my own making.

I wasn’t sure what the broken bond with my brother’s meant for my fated bond with Mallory. I was too chicken shit to follow the tether to its inevitable end, only to find it severed as well.

Unlike the fading bruises my brother inflicted, that would be a crushing blow I couldn’t recover from. But at least I knew for sure Darcy and I would cause her no further pain tonight.

“He’s sleeping. I think I can slip out. Just give me ten minutes.” I heard Darcy’s muffled voice carry from the other room.

“Fuck!” I groaned, my aching muscles protesting the movement as I sat up in bed.

Thank fuck I wasn’t sleeping or I might have missed an opportunity to find out what she was up to. Footsteps resounded through the hall, growing louder as they drew nearer. I threw myself back down on the bed, biting back a pained cry and forcing my face

into a placid mask of peaceful sleep seconds before the door creaked open and Darcy stuck her head inside.

Light from the hallway lit the back of my eyelids as it washed over my face, giving her a clear view of my features. I kept my breathing slow and steady, waiting for her to buy my ruse and leave. A few seconds later, the door snicked closed, the room encased in darkness again.

Following Darcy undetected was child’s play. She may be a traitorous bitch but a seasoned criminal she was not. I kept my distance, sticking to the shadows but she never once looked over her shoulder, her naivety working in my favor.

She wound her way through town on foot until she came to an abandoned car lot on the edge of the city that abutted the surrounding forest. I ducked behind an old rusted out car and prayed the wind wouldn’t change direction and give away my position. I’d coated myself in Darcy’s lotion before leaving the house but it wouldn’t totally hide my unique Alpha scent.

“Quade!” Darcy stage whispered into the deserted space. “I’m here. Where are you?”

Fucking bitch! I knew my instincts were right.

“She doesn’t leave here alive!” My wolf hissed in my head.

“Don’t do anything stupid!” I warned. ” I promise you blood for what she’s done but we use her to get what we need first.”

He snarled at me in frustration but agreed to stand down temporarily.

A growl built in my chest when Alpha Quade himself stepped through the trees and strolled toward Darcy with all the swagger of a man in love with his own self-importance. My claws slipped from my fingertips and my mouth watered as I anticipated the taste of his blood on my tongue. I fought every instinct I had to not rip him to shreds before he could implicate himself.

He didn’t stop until he stood toe to toe with Darcy. Bile rose in my throat as he reached up and stroked her jaw with so much tenderness, it could almost be interpreted as loving if it weren’t for the sneer he wore.

“Such a good girl. So obedient.” His voice was smooth as silk and she swayed into his touch.

“I-. I did what you asked.” Her voice trembled in fear, clearly not fooled by his adoring act.

Rightfully so. His hand slipped to her throat and she began to wheeze as he tightened his grip, cutting off her air supply. He wouldn’t kill her would he? Not if he still needed her help to get to Mallory.

“You didn’t warn me she’d be so heavily protected!” Terror cloaked her scent at his vicious snarl. “Now she’s locked down so tight I can’t get near her. You better find a way to get her out in the open before I really lose my fucking patience.”

He dropped her to the ground with a shove and she scrambled to her knees.

“I-, I will. I promise.” She groveled at his feet.

“Enough!” Kai roared in my head.

I was out of time. He wasn’t going to tolerate any further threats to his mate. Not that I disagreed with him. I stood from my hiding spot and slipped my hands into my pockets, forcing myself to stroll forward with an easy, unaffected grace.

“So this is the famous Alpha Quade.” I maintained my relaxed demeanor when both their heads snapped in my direction. “And my sweet, innocent chosen mate knew him all along and didn’t even offer to introduce us.”

I relished the way Darcy’s face crumpled at my words, realizing my illusion of her was shattered and she’d never be able to put the pieces together again. My eyes were trained on her when a flash of movement caught the corner of my eye. Quade had Darcy’s back pinned to his chest, his claws at her throat before I could blink. But if he thought I gave two fucks about her life, he was more delusional than I thought.

“Colton.” Darcy whimpered, but I didn’t spare her another glance, too busy glowering at the Alpha who threatened my mate.

“Colton is it?” He sneered. “Well Colton, I can be reasonable. I’m more than willing to make a trade. My mate for yours.”

What the fuck? He must have seen the question flash through my eyes because he launched into an explanation.

“Oh, Didn’t she tell you? Sweet little Darcy here reached out to me a few weeks ago, you see.” He confirmed my assumption.

“I just wanted-,” Darcy cut in but snapped her mouth shut when he sunk his claws deeper into her throat, a drop of blood dribbling down her neck.

“Hush, little mate.” He breathed in her ear, making her shiver. “We all know what you wanted, to get rid of the competition. But as fate would have it, you got so much more than you bargained for. You got me.

“And we both know you’d do anything to please me, your fated mate, don’t we. A plot twist I couldn’t have dreamed up if I tried. Unfortunately, the Goddess gifted me an incompetent whore!” 2

He growled the last part while Darcy shook in his hold. Her human fingers clawed at the hand gripping her, a crazed attempt to free herself, but his grasp was unrelenting. I folded my arms over my chest in a move calculated to prove how unaffected I was by her impending doom.

“Please. Colton! I never meant for this to happen!” She cried, crocodile tears sliding down her cheeks.

“You pathetic little cunt! You took advantage of my trust and invited danger into our lives” I growled, turning my furious glare on her. “It’s sickening enough that you would so callously sell out Mallory. Did you spare a single thought to who else might have gotten hurt in the process?

“Those warriors you let walk into a trap with Mallory had families, mates and children. You could have come to me, told me what you’d done, put a stop to his plans before anyone got hurt. But you chose yourself over everyone else. You were willing to risk innocent lives to get what you wanted.

“You’re not the woman I thought you were. Do you truly believe there is anything you can say to earn my forgiveness? You wanted to be a Luna so bad? Looks like you got your wish. I

hope it’s everything you dreamed it would be.”

“I didn’t know!” She wailed, still defending herself like I gave a shit. “I thought maybe the rumors were exaggerated. Then Mallory would let it go and we could all go back to our lives. I tried to reject him! I swear I did! But he wouldn’t accept it. He said if I wanted a rejection I had to help him first. I’m so sorry!”

“Such a beautiful little liar.” Quade cooed to her, running his nose across her cheek. “You didn’t really want a rejection. You think I couldn’t smell the way your body responded to me, little mate? You only tried to reject me because you thought it was what you should want. I just saved you from making a terrible mistake.”

Darcy squirmed in his arms but he held her tight. He traced his tongue over the shell of her ear and I could see the disgust written all over her face. But I couldn’t care less about her predicament.

“I could give fuck all about your little lover’s quarrel. What I do care about is MY MATE and I’m not stupid enough to think she’ll be safe as long as you’re allowed to keep breathing.” I loosed my claws and took one menacing step in his direction.

“If you thought it would be that easy, you’re exactly as dumb as I thought you were.” Quade’s dark chuckle grated on my nerves. “You didn’t really believe I trusted her not to fuck this up, did you? I wasn’t about to take a chance she’d be followed.”

Five men stepped out of the woods behind him, marching up to surround him like the loyal soldiers I was sure he trained them to be. I might have been able to take down Quade on my own but I wouldn’t stand a chance with six against one. It didn’t stop the frustrated roar from erupting into the night though.

“Such menacing posturing, Alpha Colton.” Quade chuckled again. “I suggest you stand down before I’m forced to rip her pretty throat out and let my men tear you to pieces.”

“Do you think I give a fuck what happens to her anymore?” I asked him the question but my hateful stare was fixed on Darcy. “You can have the bitch. She’s all yours.”

Kai took over my skin in a heartbeat, his heels digging into the dirt beneath his paws and carrying us away from the danger we couldn’t hope to defeat no matter how much our instincts drove us to fight.

“Colton!” Darcy shrieked my name as we tore through the night, but neither my wolf nor I even considered slowing down.

Only one thought occupied our minds, one consuming need.

“Mate!”