Chapter 24: Chapter 5

ALPHA JORDAN

“Coralie, look at me, sweetheart.” He moves to stand in front of her, his red eyes wide and worried as he grips her shoulders, shaking her gently.

“What on earth have you done?!”

I rush to her side, my blood turning to ice as I take in her once vibrant green eyes, now a terrifying black. Darius takes her wrist, slicing it open with one of his sharp nails, her blood spilling onto the ground. Even in the dim light, I can see that the blood, which should be a rich red, is as black as her eyes and hair.

After a few moments, the blackness in her eyes fades and she collapses to her knees.

“I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry,” her voice is barely a whisper, trembling with fear.

“Why, Coralie? Why would you do this?”

She looks up at him, and my heart shatters at the desperation in her eyes.

“I couldn’t let it end like this. I had to save them.”

He pulls her into his arms, and I wish more than anything that it was me holding her.

“Alpha, tell your men to get everyone back to the pack house. We need to ensure the women and children are safe,” he says.

I quickly link with Danny, instructing him to take everyone, including the rogues, back to the pack house while Darius tries to calm Coralie.

“Everyone’s on their way back to the pack house. We should go too.”

Darius nods, his gaze never leaving Coralie.

“Coralie, how are you feeling?” he asks.

I watch as she takes a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling.

“How am I feeling? I’m fucking pissed. I’m hurt. I’m scared.”

I can’t hold back any longer. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close to me, and I feel a wave of relief when she doesn’t resist. I scoop her up in my arms, carrying her bridal style as Darius and I start the journey back to our people, Coralie cradled in my arms.

I can feel her emotions flooding our bond, but they slowly settle as she succumbs to exhaustion, falling asleep before we even reach the border. By the time we get to the pack house, word has spread about what happened in the forest, but no one seems angry or afraid of what Coralie did. If anything, the witches seem impressed.

Our people are helping the rogues and their families settle in while I carry Coralie to my room on the third floor. She slept the entire way back, but as I try to lay her down gently, her beautiful green eyes snap open, staring into mine as her emotions start to overflow. So many emotions surge through at once, but it’s the feeling of rejection that hits me like a punch to the gut. She feels rejected, and it’s my fault.

“Cora, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. You didn’t do anything wrong. You saved me, and you saved all those wolves.”

I can feel a faint warmth through our bond, but it’s being drowned out by fear, doubt, regret. What is she regretting? Is she doubting us, or our chances of winning the upcoming war?

“He was so weak.” She wraps her arms around herself protectively, curling into a ball.

“Who was?”

I have a feeling this isn’t about Laurent.

“Luca,” she chokes out his name, her voice filled with pain.

I climb into bed beside her, pulling her against me, hoping to offer her some comfort, but knowing deep down that her pain is something not even the strongest mate bond can heal.

I wake up to the feeling of the mattress shifting beneath me and turn to see Coralie climbing out of bed. I watch her with fascination as she quietly walks to the bathroom, and I hear the shower turn on. All of the emotions she was drowning in last night seem to have mostly disappeared, replaced by a sense of determination.

When she finally comes out of the bathroom, her hair wrapped in a towel, she gives me a small smile.

“You should get dressed. The sun’s about to rise and everyone’s waiting for us.”

I stretch, working out the kinks in my muscles, and sit up, looking back at her just in time to see her wave her hand over her clothes, conjuring a pair of tight black leather pants, a tight black T-shirt, and black hiking boots. I smirk at her, earning a curious look.

“What?”

I shake my head at her, pointing a finger at her while trying not to laugh.

“Cheater!”

We both burst out laughing, the light moment a welcome change from the tension of last night.

“Get dressed. I’m going to check on the others,” she says.

I nod as she leaves the room, closing the door behind her. I quickly get ready before heading downstairs to find the others, feeling more prepared for the upcoming war than I thought possible.

I nearly trip when I see the crowd gathered in the great hall, so many people that they’re spilling out into the foyer due to lack of space. I knew the others would call for reinforcements, but this is more than I could have ever expected.

I spot Alpha Michaels and stride over to him before he can disappear into the crowd.

“Alpha Michaels, you all really came through!”

He turns to me, raising an eyebrow and smirking. “While we did call in reinforcements, many of these people are from other covens and packs who wanted to help. Your luna is making waves, and everyone wants to be a part of the changes.”

His praise brings a smile to my face. My mate truly is amazing.

“Do you know where Cora is?”

He grins widely and nods. “She’s in the prison with Darius and his men. She’s found a way to remove their sensitivity to sunlight, which will be helpful since our battle will be fought in daylight.”

I thank him and rush out of the pack house, not stopping until I reach the stairs to the lower level of the prison. There are easily forty vampires here, and in the center of them stand Cora and Darius.

“You’ve all been my family for the last twenty-one years and it’s an honor to fight alongside you. These rings will neutralize the sun’s effects on you.”

Darius places a hand on her shoulder, his eyes scanning his men with a look of pride. “Today, we fight alongside those who were once our enemies. We fight for the freedom of all races. We fight for our family. Queen Cora will lead us into battle and we will not let her fall!”

The men cheer, clearly ready for the difficult task ahead. Cora whispers something to Darius and he nods before instructing his men to head to the field in front of the pack house.