Crystal Lake Pack: The Complete Series: A Reverse Harem Shifter Romance

by Candace Wondrak

  “Well,” Clay chuckled, “wasn’t that something else? My turn.” Still stuck to the tree, his eyes flashed red, causing a red fog to rise around my feet, swirling and circling me until it reached my face.

  I tried to fight it, but the instant I breathed in, the red mist flew into my mouth and my nose, bits of it seeping in through my eyes. It stole the breath out of me, filled my lungs with a foreign, alien substance. A thousand needles stabbed at my lungs, a pain I couldn’t handle. My head pounded with agony, my vision turning red. I couldn’t win, no matter what I did.

  My eyes closed as I gave into the pain and the loss of oxygen.

  It was an unforeseen amount of time later when my lungs no longer felt like razor blades were inside of them, bouncing around with each attempt at a breath. I gasped, my eyes flying open. I was back in the cabin, chained to the floor. My side and my neck hurt, and I could only check my hip.

  No wound, but why did I feel the remnants of one?

  Clay stood before me, a murderous expression on his face. “If only your magic was not so fickle, dear. Maybe then you’d be a real challenge for me.” He glanced at his left hand, whose skin had been lost, eaten away by his use of spells. All red and muscle, his fingernails out of place on his gory hand.

  After witnessing him strip before me, after seeing him as scarcely a man and mostly a skeleton with organs sitting in his stomach and chest, this was nothing. I knew now what true gore was, and this wasn’t it.

  He sighed. “Look at what you did to me. Going to have to fix that, which is fine. I’m feeling like Chinese anyway.” The way he spoke, with his history of sucking the skin and blood off people, turning them into ghastly mummies of their former selves, I knew he didn’t mean Chinese food.

  I had all of these thoughts of stopping Clay before, and now, I had nothing. I leaned back on the wall, moving my hands to my lap. If only I could use my magic here like I had in my mind. It was true—my magic was fickle, and I was as untrained as any whelp.

  He looked like he wanted to say more, but his head suddenly snapped up, his eyes clouding over. “The master calls,” he said. “Don’t move.” With a wink, he vanished, red smoke curling around his form, swallowing him whole and leaving me alone in the murder cabin.

  I hated Clay, despised what he’d done, but being alone in a place like this, after witnessing everything the death priest could do—it was the last thing I wanted. And that wink, God, that wink made me think of Maze and, by extension, Dylan and Landon.

  The dream versions of them had done them many disservices. They’d hurt me, betrayed me in countless of ways, but I knew they would never do anything remotely like that in real life. Even Landon, the asshole of the group, wouldn’t hurt me like that. I trusted them, even if I hadn’t known them for long.

  It had been long enough for feelings to develop, long enough for me to miss them with each passing moment—while I was conscious, at least. God, what I would give to be back with them, in their arms, soaking in their warmth and basking in their scents.

  I did not want to let myself think about the other wolf who’d been haunting my nightmares, but I did. A glutton for punishment, I couldn’t stop my mind from traveling to Forest. The alpha. The wolf who, I knew, regretted his actions with me. He would never love anyone like he loved Hannah, and to even suggest myself as a possible replacement—not that anyone could truly replace the dead—was laughable. I was nothing but a pup in his eyes. He’d just let his emotions take over. Hell, he’d asked me to stop him.

  But I hadn’t. I’d let him go on, knowing it was a bad idea. I still hated myself for it, whether or not the others were okay with it.

  In the end though, it didn’t matter. I was stuck here, without my mates, without hope. Tears welled in my eyes. I never thought I was a crier, but a situation like this—coupled with a brain that Clay had his black fingers in—definitely warranted it. I’d gotten myself into this mess, and now I couldn’t get myself out of it.

  Chapter Four – Addie

  I bent my head, letting the tears wash over me as if they’d be able to cleanse me, to rid my body and my mind of Clay’s touch, to forget all the horrid nightmares and the twisted versions of my guys.

  It wasn’t enough. I knew the images, the scenes would haunt me until I died, however close my death was. Once Clay’s master was able to craft the perfect hybrid, he would have no more use for me, and Clay would be able to do with me whatever his crazy mind wanted. There would be no survival.

  God, what a mess. What a terrible way to go, too.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered, salty tears cascading down my cheeks, some of them getting in my mouth.

  Great. Tasting my own tears. A new low, even for me, and I’d attacked my professor with a floating book and sent him to the hospital.

  Time passed, and I hated that I could not tell what it was. Day or night, I had no idea. The lone door to the cabin blocked out all light from the outside, and Clay hardly ever used it, preferring to pop in and out of existence with magic, even if said magic took away parts of his life force.

  Then again, it wasn’t technically his life force to begin with. All that skin on him, all the musculature and the tendons, none of it was his. It belonged to his victims; he’d stolen it right off their bodies.

  I wished I could sleep. With Clay gone, it was my only chance to have a quiet batch of sleep, no induced nightmares. It was my chance to recharge, to mentally prepare for whatever round of craziness Clay would throw my way next. But I couldn’t sleep, could not let unconsciousness take me.

  This was a terrible existence.

  Just as I shook my head to myself, I heard the cabin door creak open. Through watery eyes, I turned to view a startlingly bright ray of light, blocked by a huge, towering figure. It wasn’t Clay who stood there, and I refused to see who it was, so I turned my head the other way, biting back more tears.

  It didn’t matter, anyway.

  I must’ve fallen into another nightmare. Maybe Clay never left, and it was all in my head. Differentiating what was real and what was not didn’t matter when I was going to die anyway.

  I felt my skin crawling when I heard the man whisper my name. He’d moved beside me, but what did it matter? He wasn’t real. None of this was real. His woodsy scent, the urgency behind his blue stare…I couldn’t bring myself to look at him.

  My alpha.

  Forest might be here, but he wasn’t really here for me. Or, if he was, it wouldn’t stay that way.

  My mind was a mess, but I had enough of myself to mutter, my voice trembling, “I’m sorry I’m not Hannah.” It broke on her name, and I squeezed my eyes shut. I did not want to see them together again, didn’t want to witness another parade of insanity when it came to my mates and the alpha I felt for. A girl’s mind could only take so much before it cracked and shattered like a mirror.

  Forest paused whatever he was doing beside me, and even though I wasn’t looking at him, I could feel his gaze digging into me. “What?” he asked, barely breathing.

  Oh, this was how he wanted to play it? Feigning ignorance? I didn’t want to play that game, so I turned to him, biting back more tears as I added, “I’m not Hannah. We both know it, so why don’t you just leave me here and go off with her?” As I spoke, I breathed him in. Musky, almost like a campfire. Inside, though I was injured, my wolf went nuts.

  Even after all that, my wolf still wanted him. How ridiculous. Well, my wolf would have to suck it up, because he would choose the dead woman every single time.

  This whole thing was cruel on so many different levels.

  “Go,” I muttered, averting my eyes. Forest would not stop staring at me like I’d grown a third eye. “I don’t want to be played with anymore.”

  His hand touched my cheek, his thumb rubbing away the trail of tears that had escaped. Forest forced me to look at him. “Whatever you’re thinking, stop. I’m here for you.” He released his hold on me, his hands working on the chains that bound me to the floor of the cab
in.

  “No,” I said, trying to get away from him. “Just don’t bother—” The chains only let me go so far, and when my green eyes flicked up to his, I froze.

  He was mad. At me. His eyebrows creased, his stare narrowed and a frown on his lips. How dare he? Who did he think he was, barging in here, acting like I mattered—

  “No matter how difficult you are, I’m getting you out of here, even if I have to drag you kicking and screaming,” Forest hissed, giving the chains a good pull, harder and stronger than I could. “I don’t know what he filled your head with, but…” Whatever he was about to say, he didn’t, but he did let out a sharp groan, along with a wince.

  I dropped my gaze, staring at the arrow suddenly poking out of his gut, all red and gooey.

  Forest’s jaw clenched, the veins along his arms bulging. His skin flushed, and without saying another word, he collapsed to the floor beside me, unable to move or do much of anything.

  A sick feeling rose in my gut, and I snapped to attention when I smelled metal in the air. This…this wasn’t a lifelike dream, was it? This was real. Forest was really here, and now…

  Standing behind us both, Clay lowered his hunting bow, grinning ear to ear as he exclaimed triumphantly, “I love hunting me some wolves.” The bow vanished in a thick, red mist, and his eyes flashed red as he used magic to close the cabin’s door. He moved beside Forest, the alpha unable to move. “Wolfsbane. Affects both humans and shifters alike, although I hear the effects are a bit more drawn out in your kind.”

  I couldn’t speak. This was real. Forest had come for me, found me somehow, and Clay shot him. Now we were both going to die.

  Well, right when I thought this day couldn’t take a turn for the worse, it did just that.

  Clay moved to stand before me, glancing between us, a mocking glint in his stare. “Oh, how precious. I wish I had a camera. Forbidden lovers, together again. Maybe I should’ve let you two have some alone time before coming back—my master didn’t call me, by the way—”

  Forest, though he could barely move, started to smile, which instantly earned Clay’s wrath.

  “What are you laughing at, alpha? Do you even know what I’ve done to your precious little girl here?”

  Not addressing his words, Forest muttered, breathing in painfully, “His power must be great, if you can’t feel him.” When Clay only stared at him, he added after a blood-splattered, gooey cough, “Did you think I came here alone, death priest?”

  My eyes widened as I put two and two together. A shifter by himself could not find a barrier; they’d only discovered Clay’s existence because I was with them. That meant Forest had help, but who—

  The door to the cabin broke off its hinges as an invisible force swept inside with gale force winds. I watched as another man entered, unfamiliar in every way. Not really imposing in the same way shifter males were, but he radiated power nonetheless. His hair was a light brown, coiffed to the side and trimmed short. His eyes were a deep green. He wore an inconspicuous grey jacket, along with dark jeans—not exactly a kickass outfit, but it was more than clear the man had magic by the boatload.

  Beside me, Forest winced. “He always did like to make an entrance,” he muttered, mostly to himself.

  “No,” Clay muttered, eyes flashing red. “No, you can’t—” The death priest was able to say nothing more, for the other man rose a hand, lifting him in the air like he was some kind of Darth Vader wannabe. With a flick of the man’s wrist, Clay’s neck broke, a loud crack echoing in the cabin, the death priest’s head bent at nearly a ninety-degree angle.

  The man dropped Clay’s body, and the corpse fell to the floor in a heap. With another flick of his wrist, the manacles holding my wrists unlocked. I rubbed them, tearing my eyes from Forest, bringing them to the man. I’d never once seen him before. “Who are you?” I asked.

  Clay had never made me dream up strangers; this was real.

  “There will be time for that later,” the man spoke. He knelt beside Forest, behind his back, while I huddle near his front. “Wolfsbane. I told you not to go barging in, didn’t I?”

  “Yes, well, forgive me,” Forest spat, sitting up only with our help. Sweat pooled on his brow line, and he shot the other man a glare. “I didn’t want to sit around and let any more time pass while the death priest had her.”

  “What a hero,” the man muttered, sarcasm laced heavily with his words. “Can you walk, or do you need me to carry you?”

  “I—”

  The man glared at Forest. “I wasn’t talking to you, wolf. I was talking to Adeline.”

  Okay, it was more than obvious these two did not like each other, but now wasn’t the time for their macho contest. I threw the man an annoyed look. “Help him,” I said.

  Honestly, I shouldn’t have to say it. Forest was hurt; he had an arrow protruding from his gut, for crying out loud. Now was not the time for whatever pissing contest they had going on between them.

  A muscle in the man’s jaw twitched. He couldn’t have been more than forty years old, handsome in a clean-shaven way. “Fine,” he said. “We should go, before he comes to.” Begrudgingly, he helped Forest to his feet, allowing the alpha to lean on him for support.

  Before he comes to? My mind echoed, and I glanced to Clay’s crumpled body on the floor. Was he not dead? No, with a neck at an angle like that, he had to be. Did death priests not stay dead? If they served death, it would make a little sense, as much sense as something like that could make, where magic was concerned.

  Getting to my feet was hard, for I hadn’t truly stood on my own in what felt like ages. My knees were rusty, my bones seeming to rub against each other with each step. I was doing better than Forest, where walking was concerned, though.

  I followed the men out of the cabin, into a forest that was unfamiliar to me. These were not the trees behind Crystal Lake. Where were we? Tall evergreens, one hundred or more feet high, their leaves a bright green. The sun streaming through the branches was almost too bright; my eyes took too long to adjust, having spent so long in the cabin.

  “What about the arrow?” I asked, studying Forest’s wound. The arrowhead had made it through; it’d be easy enough to yank the shaft through fully.

  The other man shook his head. “If we pull it out, the toxins in the wolfsbane will work faster.” We walked through the woods, coming onto a dirt road, where a red Jeep sat. “The death priest aimed well. It hit a lot of his organs, I’m sure.” Using magic, he opened the backseat and helped Forest in. Numerous groans escaped the injured alpha.

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  The man shut the door once Forest was fully inside. “It means he doesn’t have much time. We’ll be lucky if we make it back to Crystal Lake before he…” His gaze studied me, watching my reaction as he trailed off.

  I swallowed, straightening my back as much I could. “You’re saying he’s going to die.” The words felt hollow in my throat.

  All he did was nod, heading to the driver’s side. When I got in the front beside him, I turned to look at the alpha in the back seat. Uncomfortable and in agony with the arrow still lodged in his gut, Forest definitely had looked better. His skin was pale, though his eyes were still lively.

  “No,” I whispered as the other man drove us off, away from that blasted cabin. “No, there has to be a way. The whole point was to not let anyone else die for me—”

  “Touching,” the stranger said, sending a glare Forest’s way. “But I don’t know what else to tell you. I’m sure Forest is ready. He’s seen a lot in his many years.”

  I was not so sure I liked the way the man was talking. “You have magic,” I said. “Can you heal him?”

  “Healing is not my specialty. I can heal a papercut, but that’s about it.”

  “Then I’ll try.”

  “Right, because your magic worked so well against the death priest.” He turned the Jeep onto a paved road. “Best to leave healing to the professionals.”

  “Then let
’s find a professional!” I rose my voice, shouting in the car, startling both men by my outburst. Was it so wrong to want Forest to live? Was it so wrong to want him to be happy? I sunk lower in my seat, wishing myself out of existence. This could not be happening. I wouldn’t let it.

  The man driving shot me a knowing look, as if he could see straight into my head. “You seem to care a lot about him.” There was a heaviness to his words, and though it was not spoken as a question, it kind of sounded like one.

  I frowned. “He’s my alpha.” That was putting it lightly—and pretending a lot of confusing feelings didn’t exist.

  “That damn well better be all,” the man muttered. When I shot him a look of angry shock, he quickly added, “I only mean you have three mates at home, waiting for you to come back to them. They wanted to come, but Forest refused them.”

  The way this man talked, as if he knew them all. It got on my nerves, which Clay had made sure to fry completely. As I stared at the man, I asked, “Who the hell are you, anyway?” Now that we were on the road, away from the murder cabin, surely he’d tell me. “How’d you get here? How do you know Forest and the shifters?”

  He leaned his elbow on the open window, muttering a single sentence that sent my mind tumbling: “Your mother called me.”

  Well, shit. That wasn’t good.

  Chapter Five – Addie

  The car ride was full of awkward silence, along with a few pain-filled groans every few moments from Forest. The alpha was normally tough, so the importance and the severity of the situation only weighed more heavily on me. I hardly looked at either man, because every time I did, I spotted them flinging hateful glares at each other. Whatever their beef with one another was, couldn’t they set it aside? There was a lot at stake here.

  I would think up a way to save Forest. I would. I had to.