I made a beeline for the open bar. I had no desire for alcohol, I asked for a large glass of water and downed it in one gulp. Then I got another and drained that, too.
“Are you all right?” Holly asked.
I shook my head. “I’m sorry I wasn’t fast enough to beat her.”
Holly’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not talking about that. You just look, I don’t know. Off somehow.”
My head swam drunkenly and my limbs felt like they were made of lead. I had no idea what was going on. Although, an idea had started to run through my brain. It was something Mason had said—about Holly being a trigger for my wolf going rogue. What if that was what was happening to me? What if the crazy symptoms were the start of my wolf fighting for control? I didn’t want to worry Holly. This was a celebration for her sister’s wedding. The last thing I wanted was ruin that for her, too.
“Yeah, that competition took it out of me, I guess.”
“It sure wasn’t a walk in the park. Let’s get you some food. Maybe that will help.”
“I’m not hungry. I feel like I need to drop into bed and sleep for a hundred years.”
She laid her hand on my arm. “That works for me. Let’s go back to your room.”
“No, Holly. You stay. I don’t want you to miss the party just because I’m being a downer.”
She shrugged. “It’s no big deal. I don’t know most of these people anyway.”
I kissed her gently on the top of her head. “Thank you for worrying about me, but I’ll be fine. Go find Zoe and get her drunk. No one should get married without a proper hangover.”
Holly smiled. “Okay. If you’re sure you don’t mind.”
“I don’t. Maybe after a nap, I’ll come back and find you. Give you the prize you were talking about.”
“That’s a deal.”
I elbowed my way through the crowd, heading towards the main house where my room was located. Each step felt like torture. It took every ounce of will to put one foot in front of the other. The world rocked on its axis, and my vision blurred.
Then everything went black.
14
Holly
I did as Chase suggested and got Zoe rip-roaring drunk. I wasn’t much better. We’d found a delightfully sweet punch that went down way too easily. True to its name, it packed one hell of a punch.
Now that I wasn’t fretting over my problems with Chase, I could let loose and have fun for the first time since I’d arrived. Things were finally looking up. It was a shame we hadn’t beat Persephone, but I wasn’t going to let that bother me.
Zoe and I talked about the wedding the following day. She was so excited and I was excited for her. Of course, I would miss her now that she was moving here, away from home, but she assured me I would always have a room at the estate if I wanted to visit. I planned on taking her up on that offer.
The party was still in full swing, when my sister and I decided to call it a night. We made our way back toward our cabin. I was looking forward to passing out into blissful, uninterrupted sleep.
As we passed by the main house, the sounds of shouting cut through the night air. In a matter of seconds, Colton came running by with my father at his side. Zoe grabbed him.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I’m not sure. Something happened in the reception hall. We’re going to check it out.”
Zoe and I followed them into the main house. As we walked through the halls, I noticed people gathered in small groups, speaking in quiet whispers together. Something had them spooked. A moment later, the towering doors to the reception hall loomed in front of us. Two tough looking male shifters stood in front of the doors guarding them. They stepped aside allowing Colton and my dad to pass and Zoe and I scooted in after them.
The scene we encountered took our breath away.
The wedding ceremony was set to take place outside in the gardens, but the reception would be held in the great hall afterward. Everything had been set up.
When Zoe and I toured the estate just after I’d arrived, tables and chairs had been laid out, covered in crisp white linens with stunning floral and lace centerpieces. Elegant flower arrangements had adorned the walls in colorful sprays. And a million other tiny little details had been attended to, making the place look fit for the wedding of an Alpha.
It no longer even resembled the same space.
The entire room was a scene of chaos and destruction, as if a tornado had swept through. Table cloths were ripped to shreds. Many of the tables themselves were broken and splintered. The flowers looked as though some giant beast had chewed them up and spit them back out.
My heart sank as I eyed the devastation.
I looked down and noticed what was left of one of the floral arrangements crumpled under my feet. Nothing could be salvaged, but it didn’t feel right that I was standing on the masticated flowers. I stepped off and had to pick pieces of pink roses, baby’s breath and blue forget-me-nots off the bottom of my shoes. My fingers were quickly covered with black, flaky dust that I realized was sprinkled all over the floor where I was standing. It looked like there was more of it near the door. I wasn’t sure what it was, but the wreckage in the rest of the room was so extreme, it could probably be from any number of things.
As Colton eyed the wreckage, his face contorted with rage. “What the hell happened here?”
One of the men from outside answered from behind us. “We don’t know. One of the staff found it like this and she informed us immediately.”
“Someone must have seen something,” Colton roared.
The man said nothing.
As Zoe eyed the disaster, her eyes filled with tears. I patted my sister’s arm to comfort her, but it felt like such a small gesture against this mad scene.
Colton noticed her distress and strode over to her. “Zoe, my love, come here.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “Who would do such a thing?” she asked.
“I don’t know, but rest assured, I’m will find out. And they will pay for what they have done. I promise you I will make them pay for ruining our wedding.”
Zoe pulled away so she could look up at him. “They didn’t ruin our wedding,” she said. “All we need for that is you and me and the people we love.” God, I loved my sister so much.
“So, you don’t want to cancel everything tomorrow?” he winked.
She shook her head. “Not a chance. I’ve waited my whole life for you. I’m not waiting any longer.”
He smiled down at her warmly. “Good. I feel the same way.” They both quietly surveyed the room.
“Whoever did this must hate us. I mean, look at it. This isn’t a prank or some kind of drunken shenanigans. This was savage. This was vicious. A monster did this. And I can’t rest comfortably knowing that someone like that is here among our guests.”
Colton nodded. “We’ll find him, my love.”
“Or her,” I said without thinking.
Zoe turned to me. “You think this was Persephone, don’t you?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
Colton snorted. “Sefi is conniving and self-centered, but she wouldn’t do something like this.”
Something stirred beneath the wreckage of a table. Without hesitation, Colton raced over, my father followed just behind him. He reached down and tugged the table cloth away to expose the cause of the movement.
My stomach dropped to my feet. My eyes must have been playing tricks on me.
Chase.
“You son of a bitch,” my father growled. He lunged at Chase, but Colton caught him and held him back. “I knew it. I knew was you,” my father spat.
“Hold on,” Colton looked baffled. “Let’s see what he has to say. Chase, buddy, you better start talking. Fast.”
Chase sat up, blinking his eyes as if he’d just awoken from a deep sleep. I wanted to go to him, but my feet felt like they were glued to the floor. “Wh—What are you talking about? What’s going on?”
M
y father growled again, and I thought he might just push Colton aside and attack Chase. I willed my legs to move closer to the men. “Chase,” my voice trembled, “Did you do this?”
“Do what?”
I gestured around the ruined reception hall. “This.”
His eyes narrowed in confusion. “What the—? No! No, of course not.”
My father barked a bitter laugh. “The exact words you used ten years ago. And this is exactly how I found you back then, passed out, claiming no memory of what happened.”
Colton looked at my father. “Ten years ago? What are you talking about?”
“He’s a goddamn rogue wolf, Colton. That’s what I’m talking about.”
Chase’s eyes met mine. The depth of pain and anguish in his gaze tore my heart out. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe. I needed to get away from the horrible sight. Without thinking, I turned and ran.
I shifted and ran into the woods alone. The image of Chase’s tortured expression was still burned in my brain. He’d said nothing, but that look conveyed everything. It spoke of shame and loss, betrayal and heartbreak, despair and guilt.
My mind was reeling. I was trapped in a nightmare. This couldn’t be real. For years after Chase had disappeared, I’d been plagued by nightmares. They would start out so perfect. I was caught up in the blissful feeling of first love. Butterflies and giggles, but they would soon turn ugly. Sometimes, I would dream that I was running through the woods calling for Chase. I would be frantically propelled by an unseen force to find him at all costs, yet I never could. Other times, I would dream of Chase telling me that he no longer cared for me and was leaving town to get away from me. In either instance, I would wake up in a cold sweat with a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach that lasted well past noon.
I was reliving things over again with only a slight twist. Moments ago, I’d been thrilled at the direction my life had taken. I didn’t believe Chase was a rogue wolf. I knew it had to be a mistake. I’d no sooner gotten my true love back, then to lose him all over again. The man I loved was a monster. He knew it; he tried to convince me, but I hadn’t believed him. I’d never seen him do anything to suggest he was dangerous. Until this.
This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not now that we’d found each other again after all these years. We’d allowed ourselves to get close again only to have it all ripped away. Were we cursed? Did fate want to keep us star crossed?
Chase had a rogue wolf inside him. It meant we could never be together. No matter how much he loved me, there would always be a chance his wolf would seize control. My dad had said it could happen at any time. And when it did, anyone around him would get hurt. Maybe even killed.
As much as I cared about Chase, I didn’t know if I could take that chance. Even if I was willing to risk my life to be with him, Chase would never allow it. It was the reason he’d left all those years ago, and now he would leave again.
It was so hard to believe he had an evil creature lurking inside him. He’d never shown any signs on the outside. The Chase I knew was gentle and kind. He had some hard edges, but those were nothing compared to the malevolent spirit we’d seen tonight.
The destruction of the reception hall was unbelievable. Only a beast could have caused that kind of devastation. I could only imagine what would have happened if he’d been around people when the change took control of him.
He’d been acting strange during the final competition, like he wasn’t himself. I’d never seen him like that. It must have been a sign that his control was slipping, that the creature inside him was trying to get out. I should have realized something was wrong, but I was too blinded by my desire to win. Maybe there was something I could have done to help him, to stop his wolf from taking control. If I’d been thinking of him instead of my own selfish goals, maybe all of this could have been avoided.
I still didn’t want to believe he was capable of that kind of violence, but there was no denying what I saw. Chase was there in the wreckage, naked and bloodied. Sure, we didn’t see him actually do it, and a part of me refused to believe he was at fault. But what I believed didn’t matter. The way we’d found him was evidence enough to damn him for the crime.
My father was convinced, and Colton surely believed Chase was rogue, too. It seemed like the Sky Wolves had tried to keep the destruction of the reception hall quiet, but word would spread. By morning, everyone would know what Chase had done.
Colton would be forced to do something about it.
But what? My father said rogue wolves had to be killed to keep them from passing on the tainted blood. Just like the Blood Fangs had done to Chase’s pack when he was a child. Was that the punishment awaiting Chase now? Was he to be put down for something that wasn’t even his fault?
Maybe Chase and I could never be together, but there was no way in hell I would let them hurt him. Somehow, I had to save him.
15
Chase
“I’ve heard the stories,” Colton said. “But I’ve never seen a rogue wolf in person.”
“Well, now you have,” Mason replied.
I sat with my head in my hands, listening to them talk about me like I wasn’t even there. They’d taken me from the reception hall to a side room, away from prying eyes. I appreciated the kindness. I couldn’t bear the shame of what I’d done. I didn’t want anyone to see me like this.
I was also sick that Holly had been a witness to what I’d done. The look in her eyes would haunt me for the rest of my life. She was scared of me, so scared she’d turned and ran away. I couldn’t blame her. Not after what I’d done. Not after the monster inside me had been revealed.
Colton laid a hand on my shoulder. “Chase, I need you to tell me everything that happened. Help me understand what’s going on here.”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Colton. I don’t remember a thing. It’s all a blank.”
“What about earlier in the night? Was there any indication that something like this might happen? Did you feel your wolf trying to break free?”
My head still felt foggy, making it hard to concentrate. I thought back to the events of the night, trying to formulate a clearer picture.
“I’m not sure. Things were fine all day. Holly and I were having a good time. Then, Mason showed up.”
“Don’t you try to blame this on me,” Mason said.
“Let him talk,” Colton said.
“I’m not blaming anyone else. I’m just trying to put everything in order. You showed up. We argued. I told Holly about why I left without saying goodbye ten years ago.”
Colton frowned. “What are you talking about?”
As I filled him in on the story, he listened quietly, taking it all in. When I finished, he said nothing for a time, just sat silently in thought.
“So, this has happened before?” he asked.
I nodded. “Just that once. Well, twice now, I guess. I thought I was better. That’s why I thought it was okay to come to the wedding. I swear to you if I had any idea that anything like this could have happened, I never would have risked it. I’m so sorry.”
“Okay,” Colton said. “So, you argued with Mason earlier and told Holly the truth. Did that upset you? Do you think that’s what triggered the transformation?”
I considered it for a moment. “No, I don’t think so. I mean, yeah, I was upset at first, but Holly didn’t turn her back on me. She understood. She still wanted to be with me. I was actually happy for a change.”
Mason scowled. “I told her to stay away from you. I’m gonna have a long talk with that girl.”
I looked up at Mason. “Leave her alone. She’s been through enough. And there’s no chance we’ll be together now. So just drop it.”
“You don’t tell me what to do,” he said.
Colton stepped in between us. “Enough. We’ll never sort this out with the two of you snapping at each other.” He turned to me again. “So, you didn’t go rogue because you were upset. Was there anything else?”
; I nodded. “During the last event, I started feeling weird. Dizzy. Disoriented. Like I wasn’t myself. I didn’t think anything of it. I mean, yes, it was odd, but this has been a crazy week. I just thought it was all catching up with me. I had no idea it meant my wolf was about to take over.”
Colton nodded. “What about when you changed? Do you remember that?”
“No. I don’t remember shifting at all. I remember heading back to my room, feeling like I was going to pass out. And that’s the last thing I remember. Everything between then and when you found me under that damned table is gone. Like it never happened. But we all know what happened.”
Colton paced the room, his lips pursed in thought. “What about the last time you went rogue? Ten years ago. Do you remember anything from that day? Was it the same as tonight?”
“It was the same. I don’t remember shifting. I don’t remember attacking anyone. I just remember waking up when Mason found me.”
“And before that? Was there anything that happened that might have set your wolf off? Anything at all?”
“I don’t see the point of this,” Mason interrupted. “We all know what has to happen now.”
Colton turned on Mason. “If you keep interrupting, I’m going to ask you to leave.”
“There are rules, Colton. Rogue wolves are too dangerous. They have to be put down. I made a mistake ten years ago. I let him live and I now feel that I’m partially responsible for this.”
“This is my house, Mason, my territory. Chase is a friend. I’ll decide what happens. If he needs to be put down, that’s what will be done. But, if there’s a way to help him…well, we’ll just see.”
Mason snorted. “You’re prolonging the inevitable. You’ll see.” He looked down at me. “You know, I’m right, Chase. Even if Colton is too blind to see it. You know what must be done.”
With that, he turned on his heel and left the room, slamming the door behind him. Colton ran a hand through his hair.
Rogue Wolf Page 9
