The Traitor's Daughter

by Mary Goldberger

  “Hello, baby,” her visitor said clearly. “I have been calling you, but no one has been home. Have you been doing something you should not have been?”

  Grace’s eyes widened with shock as she recognized the man standing in her room, and her voice trembled slightly as she said, “Beta Shane?”

  “Now, now,” he said stepping closer to her. “We should not be so informal especially since we are going to be very close soon.”

  He smiled, but Grace could not help the tremble that encased her body at the look in his eyes because she had a feeling he was not really seeing her.

  That feeling was confirmed when Shane said softly, “Finally, Alyssa, you will be mine.”

  Grace’s eyes widened even more as she started to say, “But I am not…” only to be surprised as Shane backhanded her knocking her to the floor. Unfortunately, Grace hit the corner of the bed when she fell and it knocked her unconscious.

  “Now we can go where no one can bother us,” she thought she heard Shane say before darkness descended upon her.

  Damn it, her wolf growled as Grace passed out.

  Chapter 24

  The crash woke her up as her eyes flew open, and she quickly scanned the room. Then she noticed the rich, red silk sheets on the bed, which made her wince before her eyes went over the other furniture in the room. Whoever decorated the room, decorated it for a woman, but Grace found that it was not to her taste as she eased up and her jaw felt swollen as she opened her mouth gently. Her head was throbbing at the same time and she wondered how long she had been out.

  Only a few hours from what I can tell, her wolf told her slightly miffed that it was the second time that someone had caught Grace off guard.

  As I told Uncle Ted, I really need to increase my training; she told her wolf getting a howled agreement.

  Second time in almost a month, her wolf told her in a snarl, and Grace shook her head, which caused her head to throb more. A slight humorless smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she realized that her own wolf was lecturing her.

  Damn right, her wolf snarled at her again.

  Grace did not respond back as she eased to her feet because she agreed with her wolf in this instant, as she should not have let her guard down especially after listening to those last messages she received. She slowly got off the bed her eyes narrowing slightly as she scanned the room again looking for a way out only to stop when the lock turned and the door opened.

  “You are finally awake,” Shane said standing in the open doorway, and Grace could see his eyes clouded with the past.

  “Where am I?” Grace asked calmly although her heart was beating fast in her chest because he scared her more than Alistair did, which was ironic to say the least. Alistair had been delusional in his own belief of what he believed took place, but Shane; Grace could not detect any such delusions except for the fact he believed her to be her mother. Alistair had been easy to read, whereas Shane was a closed book that Grace could not guess at his intentions except for one.

  “A small cabin that I own by the lake, somewhere that we will not be interrupted,” Shane said with a smile that dimmed down as his eyes looked over her. He pursued his lips as he said thoughtfully, “Your hair used to be lighter than that, Alyssa, and I have to admit I do not like the new color on you.”

  Grace opened her mouth to tell him that she was not her mother when suddenly the look vanished and the cloudy look was back as he smiled and tossed a white gown on the bed.

  “Change into that for tonight, Alyssa,” he told her a new light entering his eyes. “As it will be your first time, I want to pamper you.”

  Grace’s eyes widened at what he was implying and he walked over to her looking down into her eyes before he grabbed her arm pulling her into his chest and kissing her roughly.

  As he pulled back, Grace saw the look of confusion that crossed his face again before he pushed her away and told her roughly, “Change before I get back.”

  Grace swayed as he let her go and her hand went to her mouth scrubbing at her lips to rid herself of his kiss, and she felt her stomach roll as if she was going to throw up.

  Grace, Shane's mind is lost in the past her wolf told her.

  Grace shivered slightly as fear went through her because she did not know what to do in this situation. With Alistair, she had rage behind her because of what he did to her parents, but now she only felt fear, a fear she did not understand, or so she told herself.

  Grace you can take him, her wolf told her softly.

  I know but…Grace shook her head unable to finish her sentence, and her wolf sighed because she understood more than Grace did. Grace felt sympathy for the man who was obsessed with a dead woman, and who was willing to use the daughter to deal with that obsession.

  Artur felt his stomach clench in what he recognized from his days with Lana, but he sensed no enjoyment on Grace’s part as his head snapped up and his eyes narrowed that Steve broke off what he was saying to ask, “Is something wrong, Artur?”

  He shook his head as he said, “Just a feeling, but go on with what you were saying, Alpha.”

  Steve nodded his head and although he continued, his eyes watched how Artur stiffened in the chair and his eyes became a molten gold.

  A few minutes later, the meeting was over and Artur was the first out of the room as Ted walked into the pack house.

  “Hi, Artur do you know where Grace is?” He asked as Susan and Amy came out of the living room followed by Ashley.

  Ted smiled at them as he continued, “She was suppose to meet me at her house, but when I arrived she was not there.”

  Susan frowned as she stated, “She left here over an hour ago that is why I called you because she asked me to let you know that she would be at her house. I have not seen her since she left here. Have you, Ashley, Amy?”

  Both shook their heads, and Artur felt his muscles tighten, as his wolf howled at him Grace’s wolf is upset because Grace is afraid right now.

  Why would she be afraid? Artur asked his wolf only to have the answer astonish him.

  Then he asked aloud, “Why would Shane take Grace?”

  Everyone turned and looked at him as if he had gone crazy, and Steve said slowly, “Artur, Shane has been out of the pack territory for a week now according to Tomas.”

  Ted paled as he thought about a possible answer to that question, “She has the eyes of her mother.”

  “Huh,” Susan asked confusion evident on her face.

  Amy said slowly, “Grace’s mother had those same violet eyes and I remembered once someone remarking that they were gorgeous and seemed to glow with an inner light.”

  Her head shot up as she looked at Ted, and she breathed out, “Shane said that to my father because I remember my father saying that he rather have a woman who did not talk back no matter how her pretty eyes were.”

  Ted nodded his head before he moaned, “I should have noticed it, but with Grace being shunned, or isolated by the pack, I did not think about the resemblance until now. Shane got a good look at Grace when she was at the pack house that night, and although he made the reference about Bryan’s so called mate, he may have confused the two of them.”

  “You mean Shane may really think that it is Alyssa he has with him and not her daughter,” Steve asked quietly.

  “It is possible because Shane changed a lot after his mate left him,” Ted told them causing Amy to frown slightly.

  “We heard that she had disappeared and I was assumed that Shane had something to do with it,” Amy stated bluntly.

  Ted shook his head and said with sadness, “No, Shane’s mate one day decided she did not want to be saddled with a Beta, and took off with another wolf. They died years later when the pack they crossed did not particularly care for rogues on their land. Alyssa showed up a few years after that, and she was the first woman who Shane was attracted to since his mate left.” He shook his head as he admitted, “Shane came on too strong and Alyssa, being wary after just moving here, backed a
way from him. The more she backed away the more aggressive he became, but that changed with Troy’s arrival and then Shane became a man obsessed because he saw her as his even though he never saw the fact that he scared her.”

  “So his mind is telling him that Grace is Alyssa and she is finally his for the taking,” Steve said his eyes cold with disbelief, but another question popped in his mind that he would save for later.

  Ted nodded his head as he said quietly, “Yes, I believe so.”

  “We need to find out where he would take her,” he said briskly. He needed to get to Grace before she realizes that she was wasting her sympathy on Shane. “We need to talk to Bryan about where his father would go.”

  “I seriously doubt that Bryan will talk to you,” Steve said as they followed Artur out of the house.

  “He will if he knows what it good for him,” Artur answered his eyes dark with worry and anger.

  Steve sighed as Artur climbed into the cab of his truck and Steve walked over to the driver’s side and telling the others to be ready when they get back as he climbed in.

  They took off heading to Shane’ private residence away from the pack house, and as the pulled into the driveway they noted the Mercedes-Benz parked crookedly.

  “I guess Bryan has moved on,” Steve observed as they climbed out, and Artur just grunted as they walked up to the door.

  “Let’s be nice, Artur, and ring the doorbell,” Steve said, and did just that as Artur scowled his hands clenched into fists.

  It took Bryan ten minutes to come to the door, and Artur was fuming when he finally opened it.

  “Well, look who it is,” Bryan taunted leaning against the door in a pair of jeans and nothing else.

  “Where is your father, Bryan?” Artur asked in a voice cold as ice.

  Bryan flinched, but otherwise said calmly, “I do not know, and if I did, I would not tell you so get lost.”

  He went to close the door in their faces, which was a bad move on his part as Artur snarled deep in his throat and lunged at Bryan forcing the door open with a loud crash.

  “Let me ask you again,” Artur stated in a deadly soft voice. “Where is your father?”

  Bryan swallowed nervously as he answered, “Why do you need to know where my father is at?”

  “We believe he has Grace,” Steve answered, and Bryan looked incredulous for a second until he started laughing.

  “My father wanted nothing to do with the bitch so why would he take her?” Bryan asked merriment threaded throughout his tone.

  “Bryan, just answer the question,” Steve said in a frustrated tone, but his eyes were hard.

  “Fine, but you are way off with this one. The b…” he began to say only to be cut off by a threatening growl from Artur. He rephrased, “Grace probably just took off, but if you really want to know, we own a cabin down by the lake and my father has been spending a lot of time out there lately.” Bryan shrugged as he told them with a smug smile, “My father is not going to appreciate the interruption with his current lover, but you can deal with his temper, can’t you?”

  He laughed as Artur stepped away and turned his back heading back outside, and Steve merely stated, “I hope that you are right, Bryan, and that is all we find. Enjoy your new lady friend.”

  Steve did not say another word as he left going to his truck where Artur was waiting, and they drove back to the house.

  Once there, they decided to take the vehicles until the road ended and from there, they would shift into their wolves. Artur would have preferred shifting and then heading out because it would take less time, but he could see where Steve was coming with this suggestion.

  Once in the area around the lake, Artur easily picked up Grace’s scent leading him to the cabin that sat right next to the lake.

  She is in there, he relayed to the others as his eyes focused on the cabin.

  We need to found out if Shane is by himself, or if he has company, Steve commented.

  Artur nodded his head as his eyes scanned the cabin, but he could not detect anyone else around although he could smell two different scents besides Grace’s scent.

  There are three people in that cabin, Artur said, and he got a grunt in agreement.

  Artur’s eyes narrowed, but he did not say another word as they cautiously began to approach the cabin.

  Grace stood by the window looking at over the lake when there was a sound outside her door followed by a sharp expletive, and Grace frowned as she turned around to face the door.

  “Oh, Alyssa,” Shane said as he entered the room followed by a young woman carrying a tray. Grace’s eyes were on the young woman that she missed the harsh frown that crossed Shane’s face before he said, “You have not changed.”

  “It is not my size,” Grace said without thinking, and Shane snarled as he knocked the tray out of the young woman’s hands causing it to crash to the floor.

  Grace watched as the young woman dropped to the floor to pick up the mess and Grace immediately dropped down to help as she asked softly, “Are you okay?”

  The woman looked up at her with cold, dead eyes, and Grace had to stop herself from gasping because the young woman looked as if someone beaten her within an inch of her life.

  “Leave it,” Shane ordered in a hard voice, and the young woman scrambled to her feet at his tone.

  Grace’s eyes started to narrow as she slowly came to her feet and she asked quietly, “Who is she?”

  Shane laughed as he told her without actually answering her question, “She has been taking the punishment that you should have been taking for denying me.” Then he growled his eyes going cold, “Instead you chose to mate with that bastard who just wondered in our territory. I should have had him killed immediately, but I recognized him as a loner and figured he would be on his way soon.”

  Grace’s face snapped up to him at his words for at that moment, she knew how the rogues knew her father was here. The sympathy she had for him dissolved in that instant without a second thought.

  Shane watched her every movement, and his eyes flared with malicious and violent lust that Grace could not control the shudder that went through her body.

  Shane laughed with triumphant, “I always knew that you wanted me even though you mated with him. Yes, I was the one who told the rogues about Troy being here for they were asking questions about him, as they wanted to make sure that they had the right individual. I latched on especially when I realized that the leader wanted to kill him.” Grace listened to him talk, and like before with Alistair, her mind started the movie on its own. Unlike Alistair, though, Shane did not edit his actions. Everything he said was the truth according to the playing in her mind, but it got cloudy as he frowned. “But I saw you die with Troy. I was positive it was you before we left.”

  Grace could see the emotion in him as he tried to come to terms with the past and the woman standing in front of him now.

  Then he smiled again, and this time Grace knew that madness had completely taken over Shane.

  “But when I saw you at the party when the Moon Star Pack arrived, I knew I had been given a second chance with you, and this time I was not going to lose it. Then I learned that my son’s mate was your daughter although he rejected her, and I was proud of him for doing that even though I knew that if he hadn’t, I would have been able to get to you sooner.”

  He is really convinced that I am my mom; Grace told her wolf while not letting her eyes leave Shane.

  The man has completely lost it. He is confusing the past and present together, her wolf said no sympathy evident in her voice, and Grace glanced over at the young woman just standing there with her head lowered. Grace shook her head as she turned back to Shane her violet eyes narrowed into slits.

  “Shane,” Grace said sternly and she swallowed as he narrowed his eyes at her, “I am not Alyssa, but her daughter, Grace.” He frowned for a moment before that sickly smile came again and he shook his head.

  “I am not lying to you. I am Grace, Troy and Alyss
a’s daughter,” she tried again, and this time she stepped back a little as a growl escaped his lips. He moved fast but instead of going towards Grace, he went to the girl who had not moved from her standing position. He picked her up and Grace watched in horror as he grinned down at her, and said with menace, “You have a fulfilled my desires,” before snapping her neck as if she was nothing. He tossed her to the side, and Grace’s eyes followed her as she landed in a heap against the wall.

  “Now,” he said, “let’s have some fun.” He grinned devilishly, but winced when they heard screaming, and Grace realized it was her screaming as she crumbled to the floor.

  “NO!” she cried out in horror, and she heard her wolf reciting he is here.

  Grace heard her wolf’s words but her mind and body froze in shock as she looked at the young girl lying on the floor with her sky blue eyes still open and looking directly into her own violet ones. Tears fell from her eyes as she sat there unable to think of anything else except for her; the young woman who apparently did not have a name.

  Chapter 25

  Artur froze as the cry echoed through the air, and he growled as he increased his speed to get to the cabin. Grace is hurting, his wolf informed with a growl.

  What happened? Artur asked as he pounded forward to the cabin feeling his mate's pain and grief at what had occurred. His eyes narrowed as his wolf told him what Grace’s wolf was telling him, and when Artur busted into the house his eyes went cold as he shifted back into his human and headed for the room he knew Grace was in…with Shane.

  “Why,” Grace whispered tears sliding down her cheeks, and she lifted her tear-drenched face to his, “Why did you kill her?”

  Shane stopped at her words and laughed as he placed his hands on his hips and told her, “She was merely a tool. I found her about five months ago, lost and lonely because her parents had tossed her out when they realized she was different. I took her in and she looked up to me, gave me everything I wanted until I saw you again. Then I still used her but I was imagining you as I used her. I call you before or after we had sex, and it would be so thrilling, but she had outlasted her usefulness when she tried to run away the other day, and that I cannot allow.”