Nemesis

RORY

The wolves begin to creep out from the woods, knowing they’ve been made by the powerful goddess. And Everett is quick to join my side.

Our hands interlock, reassuring each other that everything will be fine, even though this goddess has my mama in her clutches.

I had hoped that my mama had just gotten away from Red Moon—a very toxic pack, particularly to her. She was treated like dirt on their shoes, a slave, cleaning and cooking for the pack.

I just wanted her to be free and happy, what she deserves.

My mama’s eyes connect with mine and I watch her visibly relax, eyeing the protective Alpha beside me with his mark imprinted on me.

How did Nemesis know this would be a trap? How did she know? This would have been a good plan if only she hadn’t known.

“Wolves are hard to control. They’re impulsive, they have two identities that can take control: their wolves or their human forms. It makes them less suggestible than humans.

“And of course, I can’t cross into pack territories, especially with all those wolf guards. But humans, well, they are incredibly suggestible.

“Put one idea in their heads and it will take the second time. Their minds are less complex, their motives simple. And especially when one of them already cared for you.”

What is she talking about?

“Eddie’s sweet. It didn’t take much to brainwash him into trying to ruin your relationship. Jax was harder, as was Oliver. Then when I realized that they were getting nowhere, I had to raise the stakes.

“That whole touching thing that got you run over, I just had to get there fast enough, but Achlys always tries to one-up me.

“Then Eddie declared his undying love in a last attempt to break you away from your protective Alpha mate. I had to settle for them sneaking into your pack and hearing your plan.”

Oh no. This is on me. All of it. It’s actually incredibly ironic, since they continuously said ~I~ was brainwashed. I don’t know what was them and what wasn’t.

I’ve only known Jax since I went back to school, so was all of it fake? I consider him a friend, but maybe he would want nothing to do with me without Nemesis’s influence.

I knew something was up with Oliver though—and with Eddie when he declared his love to me. And that’s probably how all three of them found the pack.

“The Omega wolf you love so much is with me. How much do you care about her? Your life for hers,” she declares.

“And even if you don’t take that deal, all these titans behind me are going to hurt your pack, the wolves you’re supposed to protect.”

I start to move toward her, accepting my fate. We can’t beat her without wolves getting hurt, and she’s right. I’m their Luna. To sacrifice my life for all of theirs is my duty and my purpose.

And she doesn’t even need to threaten me. Just having my mama ends the entire game.

She is the woman who saved me, who brought me up among wolves against all protests, who tried to protect me. I have to give up my life for hers. I owe her everything and I love her.

But Everett halts me, grabbing my arm and pulling me back roughly.

“You want a fight, you have one,” he yells to her, which makes me give him a sharp look.

“No, she has my mama. I have to go, Everett,” I tell him and everyone else. “If me giving in keeps you all safe, that’s what I must do. I can’t hurt my mama.”

“I’m not letting you just go. You’re fucking insane if you think I’ll let you sacrifice yourself,” he growls, tugging me back.

“If she wants to go, she wants to go,” Nemesis says with a devilish smirk.

“What if I make this fair? The little girl, and she alone, can fight me. She has a chance to win. I’m giving you a chance, Aurora. I suggest you take it. Goddess against goddess.”

“Fine. You and me,” I accept, shaking off Everett’s grip.

I hear him growl and try to take me back, but I step up to Nemesis. She tosses my mama to the side and some wolves help her.

“No!” Everett growls louder than he ever has before.

Which is the exact moment everything goes into chaos. Everett tries to get to me, but is rushed by a couple of titans from Nemesis’s army.

And an attack on their Alpha sends the rest of the pack, ally packs, and rogues that have emerged from the woods into a full-out war.

But Nemesis continues toward me, with everything around us in uproar. Her hand shoots out to grab my neck, her power of burning me carried over into her human form.

Searing my neck, her other hand grabs a knife from my pocket; she is about to use it when Ace, in wolf form, jumps onto her.

I want to clutch my neck to ease my suffering, but that would probably make the pain all too real. Ace protects me, standing in front and growling loudly at Nemesis.

“You want him to get killed for you, Aurora? You did save him in rogue territory once. If you wanted him dead, why save him?” she sneers, squeezing the knife in her hand.

A titan pounces onto Ace’s back, busying Ace and leaving me open once again to her attack.

“Maybe your pack won’t be unharmed now, but at least your mama is safe. Give yourself up and you can prevent more harm from coming to these wolves,” she states.

I don’t even notice the knife that plunges into my gut and twists, producing a throbbing sharp pain that courses through my whole body.

Along with my burns that are screeching at me like a teenage girl yelling at her parents, the excruciating pain becomes unbearable.

My knees give way and I just give in to her, watching her pull the knife back and waiting for the plunge that will end me.

I’m already weak and I barely have any life left. But it’s not enough to kill me.

It’s enough to hurt and weaken me, but I need the final blow to end it all. I just want Everett to know I love him, and I want to protect him and the pack.

I wait for death to come, finally. I don’t know what it will be like. Will I go back to limbo and see Achlys? Will I stay there forever, or is there somewhere else, somewhere worse?

Is death peaceful or full of suffering? Even though I’ve died several times, I don’t know anything about it.

But it doesn’t come. Instead, something much worse happens.

Everett dives in front of the knife, letting it plunge right into his heart and render him powerless.

No! No! Please, he can’t… Why did he do this? Please. I can’t let him die for me. I can’t live without him.

Nemesis appears to be taken aback, dropping the knife in shock and eyeing my dying mate.

My mate who sacrificed himself for me. A mate who is the best, most dutiful Alpha and is needed by his pack, by me. I need him. I really need him.

All the fighting halts as the wolves in the pack feel their Alpha slowly slipping away. Tears flow down my face, dripping onto Everett’s body as I press my hands against his wound and try to save him.

But I’m too weak. I know it. I just don’t want to believe it. The aching in my gut is draining me as blood oozes out of the gash. And I can’t save him. He’s the only one I need to save and I can’t do it.

What’s the point of being a goddess with the ability to save people from death when I can’t even save my own mate?

“Please don’t leave me,” I whisper to him, my voice breaking along with my heart and soul.

And our mate bond wanes, I feel it. It’s horrifying.

Losing the connection slowly feels worse than any physical pain I have ever felt. This must have been what he felt, twice, when I got run over and outside the citadel.

I can’t lose him. I really can’t lose him. I can’t do any of this without him. I can’t lead the pack.

Who will be the Alpha? Will I even stay in the pack? I won’t ever be happy without him. He’s my light, my life.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Nemesis picking up the knife again and coming for me. I grab Everett tightly, gather all my strength to avenge him, and grasp her hand with the knife in it.

Although it burns, I welcome the pain of it all, having already gone past my pain threshold. I hold tight to Nemesis, not letting her go.

I want her dead. I want to destroy her. She is the reason I never met my birth parents. She’s the reason why I can never meet my mom. She’s the one who kidnapped my mama.

She’s the one who brainwashed my friends and tried to take me away from Everett. And she’s the one who has stabbed Everett with a deadly blow.

When she starts to grab her neck, gasping for air, I just watch, unsure of what’s happening. As is everyone. They all just watch. My tears blur my sight, but I still watch the scene play out.

She falls to her knees like she can no longer stand, and she attempts to remove her hand from mine weakly. But I keep my hold, squeezing her scalding hand even harder.

“What are you doing to me?” she breathes out, collapsing to the ground.

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