by Arizona Tape
I could tell Danny was trying to resist the Alpha, but it was no use. Another howl brought her to the floor and a swipe from Mother’s claws painted more red on the floor. My wolf growled deep in my chest at the sight of our wounded mate and I felt the invisible walls containing him reverberate. He was growing angry and restless and I had no way of letting him out.
With a clenched jaw, I watched as my redhead tried to cast off the Alpha’s spell, but to no use. Mother bellowed and Danny sank back to the floor. She flashed her flickering teeth to the crowd and her wolfish grin split open her cheeks. With a howl, she broke through her beast to emerge fully naked. A sight that made the bile hit the back of my throat. The amulet bounced on her chest as she turned to clad herself in a decadent robe, snickering to herself at the sight of submission.
“Yes, bow for me!” she shrieked, draping herself in blue robes and patting Alvar on his head. She was loving every moment of it and was already celebrating her victory. How untasteful, but not surprising. Mother always loved a good show.
With a menacing grin plastered on her face, she reached for one of the candleholders. She kicked the wax off and twirled the silver bar in her hands, admiring it.
“Now, now, now. It’s not a belt, but it’ll do,” she muttered to herself, glee pulling the corners of her mouth up in a twisted smile. A smile I had the privilege of witnessing many times before. With horror, I watched an all too familiar scene unfold in front of my eyes. A scene I knew far too well. A scene I had relived in my darkest nightmares, but this time it was real. And this time, it wasn’t happening to me, but to my beautiful mate.
The silver glinted as it slashed into Danny’s back. Even with the world muted, I could feel it. I could feel her and her pain.
A smile stretched on Mother’s face and I knew what would follow. Without even a flicker of mercy, she dealt out three more whippings. With each, she tore open Danny’s skin. With each, I could feel my own scars sting as the memory redrew blurred lines.
I knew what she was doing. She was forcing a shift, just like she used to do when I was still a boy. A forced shift was the most excruciating kind of shift. It was hell on earth and I couldn’t let it happen to my mate. Danny wasn’t in control of her wolf yet. There was still too much risk of her going feral and she’d definitely lose against Mother’s well-trained beast.
I needed to stop them. How could I stop them?
Another chill ran down my spine as I watched Danny’s trembling body. She was in pain, excruciating pain and I was useless. Stripped from the amulet, my wolf locked up as a wild beast, castrated from my usual power.
Mother drew a finger through Danny’s wounds, smearing the blood over her back.
“Look, my son. Isn’t she beautiful like this?” she taunted, kicking my love to expose the artwork on her back.
Bile rose from my stomach as I was forced to watch the blood drip from the open wounds. I could tell her wolf was desperately trying to mend her body, but the Alpha was holding her back. Her skin sizzled and curled around the exposed flesh and Danny’s moan of pain echoed through my ears.
Mother ground her foot down on Danny’s hand and the nauseating sound of bones snapping like twigs, brought me to my knees. I couldn’t take it any longer, I needed her to stop. If submitting to her Alpha would stop Danny’s pain, I’d bow to Mother.
“No!” Danny grunted, desperation flickering over her face. She tried to shake her head, but every little movement sent more pain through her system. I could tell. Her eyes were already flitting from human to wolf. She wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. Soon, Mother would have destroyed enough parts of her body and her instincts would kick in. No wolf could resist the broken bones and torn skin of their host, not even mine. Something I wish I hadn’t found out through many, many experiences in my childhood.
Mother jabbed the silver candlestick through Danny’s thigh and her howl cut through me. I wanted to tear my eyes away from the spectacle, deafen myself from her screams. But there was no escaping it. I could feel it, every flicker, every snap of pain. She was in excruciating pain and it was slowly corrupting her wolf, tempting the beast to ignore her host and break free.
With another loud cackle, Mother yanked Danny up by her wrist and snapped her arm slowly for me to watch.
“Oops,” she giggled as she let the broken wrist slip through her fingers and my mate smacked back into the ground. Danny moaned as she rolled up in a protective ball, but Mother wouldn’t have it. She dug the heel of her shoe in Danny’s tender stomach and my redhead howled in pain. My wolf trashed against his invisible bonds, but it was futile. Mother had the magic of our amulet in a tight grip and it wasn’t budging or answering. Her soul was calling for me and I couldn’t help, I couldn’t answer.
“Don’t,” she cried, but her broken voice only strengthened my resolve. I couldn’t let her shoulder this pain on her own. That was not what I promised her when I mated her, when I married her.
“Don’t you love watching her all helpless, my dear boy?” Mother sneered, tilting Danny’s head so I could see the panic flitting through my mate’s eyes. I could sense the magic and pain chipping away at the restraints. She wouldn’t be able to take much more. Mother lifted the stick and my wolf growled in rage.
No, that was enough.
I ignored Danny’s pleading eyes and brought my head down. If she wanted me to submit, I would. Nothing in this world was worth Danny’s pain.
“My dear boy, finally bowing to your mother? Took you long enough! Who would’ve thought a woman would make you so weak?” Mother cackled, discarding Danny to gloat at me.
Big mistake.
A foreign, yet familiar sensation overcame me. It almost felt like… Magic. Tendrils of magic. How was that possible? Mother was clearly still using her amulet to draw out the Alpha in her. There was no way that the magic was answering my desperate call, and yet, I could feel it chip away at the invisible boundaries around my wolf. Where did it come from? Why did it feel so different, yet, I could bond with it. I shouldn’t be able to bond with another amulet, I tried it before with Aspen and Ashleigh. Their magic just rejected me. And bonding with Danny’s was possible, but unstable. And she was definitely using hers at the moment, and there was no way that I’d—
With no real choice, I welcomed the magic and what it offered. What it always offered. Power. A rush of emotions and memories flashed through me as the tendrils curled around my wolf. The wails of a young boy and a glint of blonde hair flashed through my head. A stinging pain and a pair of hard, grey eyes. Possessive, forceful kisses and long nails clawing into skin. Old memories.
But those weren’t my memories. I didn’t know this kid, but he reminded me of someone I knew. Someone that reminded me of…
Darren.
These memories were his. But how…
A face I didn’t know rolled through my head, together with a wave of anguish and fear. Who this was, I didn’t know, but Darren feared her. Loathed her. And then another image overwrote the blonde woman. A face I would recognise everywhere and anywhere.
Danny.
Her red hair and her plump lips, her porcelain skin, and the dimples in her cheeks. A warmth and affection similar to what I felt for her made place for all the anguish Darren’s memories held and things just clicked.
Mate. My wolf whispered, but it wasn’t for me. It was for them. Darren was Danny’s second mate, there was no doubt about it anymore.
I tore my eyes away from the ground and glanced at Darren, who managed to twitch his eye in what resembled a wink. He knew what he was doing. He was sending the magic to me, urging me to bond with it. I wasn’t sure how he was able to do it, but my wolf’s call must’ve been strong enough to alert him and the magic.
Gratefully, I acknowledged him with a nod and drew in the tendrils of magic, binding it to me. It wasn’t a lot and it wasn’t nearly as strong as the connection I had to my own amulet, but it was enough.
My wolf howled as it recognised the sensat
ion, as the invisible walls that kept him captive, crumbled slowly. Without any hesitation, he threw himself against the barriers. I drew in more and more of the magic, swirling it around as I directed it towards the bubble around my wolf. With every gulp of magic, the glass grew more and more brittle.
Just a little more, just a little…
My wolf growled as he clawed at the barriers, howling loudly in the hope that Danny could hear him.
Just a…
Crash.
With no time to waste, my wolf’s spirit broke the weakened walls and burst through my chest. The familiar surge of power coursed through my veins together with Danny’s pain. I could finally feel her again and she was so hurt. I needed to help her. I couldn’t shift, the magic wasn’t strong enough for that and I was still too weakened from my earlier fight. But it was good enough to answer my wife’s call.
Even with the waves of power crashing over me, I could feel Danny through it. I could sense her wolf reacting to mine and the immediate effect he had on her. Colour returned to her cheeks and the wounds on her back sizzled as her skin stitched back together.
Mother frowned as she felt a renewed vigor roll from my redhead and there was no way she wouldn’t recognise my wolf. We’d finally give her a taste of what a true mated couple could do. My wolf nudged Danny’s back to her feet and I could feel how their combined power surged through her chest. My wolf was a powerhouse and together with Danny’s enhanced healing powers, they made an unbeatable combination.
Mother hissed as Danny pushed back against her Alpha. Our mated wolves in her chest drawing on and giving each other power simultaneously. They were an endless circle of ancient magic and power, power that was enough to challenge an Alpha. This is why she feared our bond and she’d been right. She couldn’t imagine the true power of a mated couple, not with Father being such a weak man. Especially with him not being her true mate. She was right to fear us.
With trembling limbs, Danny crawled up from the ground, the last wounds on her back knitting back together. I felt the exhaustion roll through her body, but she wasn’t giving in to it. Our wolves twirled together in their oldest dance, generating a different kind of magic, one that hadn’t been felt on this earth for a long time.
Mother hollered in anger and knocked Danny back down to all fours. A grin spread across her face as she unleashed another wave to assert her dominance. But it never reached Danny. The brief moment she broke through Mother’s spell was enough to break her grip on Aspen. Long enough for his Alpha to react, and he wasn’t one to back down from a challenge. I could feel it, feel him. The magic that had threatened to take my life earlier today, was bypassing me as it ran straight to the most dominant wolf in its vicinity.
Mother’s grip lessened as Aspen’s Alpha challenged her directly, and I could see the panic on her face. Instead of fighting one wolf, she was now fighting three of us in an invisible battle of spirits. With Aspen’s Alpha on our side, her grip over us quickly slipped.
She spat in disdain, her eyes blazing fire as she glared at me.
“You!” she scowled as she realised the different kinds of power I surrounded myself with. From her rage-filled voice, I could tell she was feeling the heat. She was outnumbered and she knew it.
Danny’s wolf barked and together with mine, they attacked Mother’s Alpha. With Aspen backing us up, she had no choice but to retreat back into her host and the heaviness lifted from my body.
Her Alpha was gone.
Mother growled in desperation as she clawed at the necklace, cursing as she called for more magic. But it was no use, that was not how the magic worked and we both knew it. Everyone who possessed an amulet knew it.
With bloodshot eyes, she fell to the ground, howling as the magic betrayed her. Not that it surprised me, the ancient magic was no servant or slave to anyone. Mother was greedy and crossed all the boundaries. The magic was taking over, corrupting her.
She should’ve known better, especially with her Alpha. Her connection to the Spirit was strong, much stronger than most wolves had. Which made it all the more dangerous. She’d been careless and had asked too much of Him. And now he was collecting his debt.
A howl like I never heard before echoed through ballroom as Mother clawed at her own face. Twitching and screaming, she fell to the ground as she dug her own nails deeper into her skin.
There was no doubt about it, Mother came too close to the Spirit Realm and now there was no stopping her wolf from returning. The scent of burning flesh filled the air and with loud wails, Mother thrashed on the ground. Her skin tore open like she was going into a shift again, but instead of her bones aligning, they splintered from the pressure.
Mother’s cries sent chills down my spine as the flesh from her open wounds sizzled and green flames sprang from her bones. With sheer panic in her eyes, she tried to pat out the fires, but it just spread further across her body.
“Make it stop!” Mother screamed as the skin peeled back from her face. Pus poured out of her wounds as she turned to me. “Regan, make it stop. Please!”
I’d never heard Mother beg for something in her life, but now here she was. Grovelling on her knees with the one thing she so craved, betraying her. Power.
“Regan, please,” she cried as she tried to yank the necklace from her neck. The metal burned into her hands and she squirmed in pain. “Take it, please, take it. Please, make it stop. Make it stop. Make it stop!”
Even if I hated my Mother, nobody deserved to be in that much pain. I pushed myself up from the ground and climbed into the ring, but Danny was faster. She sprinted to the howling figure and wrapped her fingers around the amulet. She screamed in pain as she tore the locket from Mother’s neck. and it briefly burned into her skin. With pain flitting through her eyes, she thwarted it towards me. She ignored the blisters forming on the palm of her hand as she unsheathed the hidden dagger from her side. With a roar, she drew the blade through Mother’s throat, ending the pain and suffering once and for all. Blood splattered out from the severed veins as she gurgled and clawed at the wound. She sent me one last glare before her eyeballs rolled back into her skull and her lifeless body fell to the ground.
A collective sighed emerged from the crowd as her wolf rejoined the Spirit. The duel was over. We won.
With trembling hands, I swiped the amulet from the floor. Greedily, the magic extended its tendrils to me as I gladly bound with it again. The all too familiar tingling ran through me and my wolf howled as he regained his former power. He nipped at Danny, giving her a quick wolf’s kiss before he left her chest. The remains of the barriers crumbled as he jumped back into me and happily, he curled himself up on his usual spot.
Relief flooded me as I regained some of my strength that I lost with fighting Aspen. Being with Danny’s wolf definitely recharged mine and I welcomed my former power.
Trumpets boomed through the hall, drawing my attention back to what was actually happening. With the excruciating sights, I had almost forgotten why we were here for.
“The duel is over. I declare the challenger as the victor. All hail Lord Regan, Master of the castle!” Alvar shouted happily. With a strange glint in his eyes, he bowed respectfully. A murmur ran through the crowd and the unmistakable clinking as more coins exchanged hands. A whole set of people probably lost a lot of money betting on Mother. And they witnessed horrors beyond their wildest nightmares, but they didn’t even care. It’d been a good show and they had no trouble adjusting their mindset. That was village life. They kept their head down and just prayed that the next Lord was better than one before. And now it was up to me to prove I wasn’t like my parents.
I glanced at my weasel of a father and the corpse of my mother. They were horrible people and even worse parents. I would never become like them and I’d make sure I wouldn’t.
I touched Alvar’s shoulder and returned his bow with one of my own. Even if he was supposed to be my servant, he was an old friend and he had my respect. I pushed the thoughts of Mother’s l
ast moments out of my head and carefully took Danny’s head in mine. The bones were still brittle, but she was healing. Mother’s abuse wouldn’t leave any scars on her skin, but I couldn’t gauge what kind of scars they left on the inside.
Danny smiled gratefully as she lightly pressed herself into me.
“We did it,” she whispered, her voice raw and raspy.
“Yes.”
“Let’s never do that again,” she muttered through gritted teeth.
“I agree,” I nodded, pulling her softly towards the raised thrones. Father scowled as two guards escorted him away from the platform and he spat at my feet.
“You ungrateful bastard, how dare you!” he bellowed, but nothing he said could touch me again.
“Take him away,” I ordered, amazed at how quickly the staff changed their alliance. I figured it would’ve taken them longer, but as it seemed, they were all keen on serving me.
Alvar held up the ridiculous scepter Father always carried around and presented it to me. “My Lord.”
Ready to get the whole ceremony over with, I accepted the stupid ornament and brushed it through the air. The crowd hastily bowed to me, but I waved it away.
“Rise.”
Danny cracked the fingers in her hand and I saw relief cross her face as the bones were fully mended.
“You okay?” I whispered, desperately needing some privacy with her. This whole show was exhausting and unnecessary. I wanted my mate to curl up against me with our wolves dancing between our chests. I needed to feel her so I could affirm and reaffirm that she was really okay after what Mother put her through. But here I was stuck playing Lord instead of taking proper care of my lady. But before I could open my mouth, Darren stepped up next to us.
“As you can see, your Lord and Lady are immensely tired. As such, please excuse them as they retreat to their chambers.”
Alvar held up a hand in protest, but JP shot him daggers with his eyes.
