Chosen Destiny

4

Of course Michael would be almost as frantic as me. Bodey was his son, and of all the former advisors, Michael knew how crucial it was to retrieve him. If Queen Kel had taken my mate captive, I’d do anything to get him back.

I connected with my wolf, trying to urge her forward, but pain flared in my head again, and my surroundings shifted as I fell back into the past.

The sky was a faint orange as if the sun were rising. My skin still burned. I opened my eyes to find another man in the car, sitting in the passenger seat.

He glanced back at me. Unlike Zeke, this man’s dark eyes were warm with kindness. He scratched at his cinnamon-colored beard and shook his head. “We need to take her to our coven, not meet some random witch near the mansion. She’s hurt and needs protection—she’s our future queen.”

“She’s going to be protected.” Zeke spat out the word with hatred behind it that was all too familiar to this day. “She’s Mila’s daughter, for gods’ sake.”

The man’s expression softened. “I’m sorry. This has to be a hard night for you too. You lost the love of your life.”

Love of your life.

Those words had young me confused but sickened adult me even more. That was Zeke’s motivation. He hadn’t just been enamored of my mother—he’d truly believed they were meant to be together. My skin crawled, though my body didn’t move since I was trapped inside the memory of my five-year-old self.

“You don’t know what I’m feeling,” Zeke said coldly. “So please be quiet.”

The passenger nodded, and I suspected this was the best friend Zeke never spoke of. I tried to remember his name, but it eluded me.

The man turned and stared at me again. “She must look like him. She looks nothing like Mila.”

“Believe me.” Zeke scoffed. “She does.” Bitterness dripped from each word.

“That must be hard—”

“Dammit, Nick. Shut up. I don’t want to talk about Mila or Caroline anymore. I need to get her to this witch, and I need you to keep an eye out to make sure no one sees us here.”

Silence descended, and my eyes grew heavy as pain engulfed me.

The car jerked to a stop, and my eyes fluttered open. The burning pain was horrible, which meant my body must have taken one hell of a hit despite Mom blocking me from the worst of the blast.

Even though I wanted to turn my head to see my arms, my body remained still.

“Let’s get this over with,” Zeke bit out as the driver’s door swung open.

Nick sighed. “You act as if this is difficult, but it’s not. The witch will heal her, that’s all. Though I don’t understand why we’re doing this in secret.”

I knew why. He was going to have my memories erased. I wondered if that was why his best friend had died—he’d learned the truth and tried to stop Zeke.

The door by my head opened, and Zeke popped inside, leaning over me. “If the other royal advisors learn about this, they’ll try to take her from me. You know alphas always want control over the most powerful.”

A laugh bubbled in my throat, but my kid version was frozen in terror. Even then, I’d known I couldn’t defend myself and that Zeke was involved in what had happened to my parents.

“No,” I murmured, but Zeke already had his arms underneath me, pulling me out. My skin felt as if it were on fire as I was jostled and cradled against his chest.

He murmured in my ear, “Say another word and your parents won’t be the only ones you mourn. Samuel is still alive.”

I swallowed hard and focused on the connection I knew was Samuel. After Zeke did whatever, I would find my brother and tell Michael about the strange fight between my parents and Zeke moments before the explosion.

My heart panged. That wouldn’t happen. Adult me knew the outcome: I’d lose seventeen years with my brother and Bodey.

Bodey.

I needed to snap myself out of this memory so I could find him. But Fate was being a b***h, keeping the very thing I wanted most desperately in life just out of my grasp.

“So where—” Nick started, but the soft sound of approaching feet cut him off.

“Where is he?” a woman’s voice asked from behind Zeke.

Zeke turned to her, and the world swirled around me. My body throbbed from every spot he touched, and my skin burned from the chilly breeze that wafted across me. Zeke’s chest rumbled as he replied, “He’s here. You’ll get him once you do what you promised.”

The woman took in a shaky breath. “Fine. Bring the girl to me.”

“Are you sure about this?” Nick asked from his spot beside the car. “Maybe—”

“Go check on the witch and make sure she doesn’t have something that will hurt Caroline,” Zeke commanded, but his arms tightened around me and shook faintly.

The hair on the nape of my neck rose.

“Fine.” Nick sighed. “I can do that.”

I heard Nick walk past us, and Zeke’s heartbeat quickened.

Something was about to go down.

As the man approached the witch, the woman said, “On your knees.”

The wind picked up, rushing past us toward Nick, and forced him to his knees.

“Zeke!” Nick yelled, but Zeke stood still.

Something wet hit my face, and I opened my eyes to see a tear drip off Zeke’s chin and fall on me.

He was crying.

“Take this sacrifice to bind the girl’s wolf,” the woman chanted. “Bring the girl to me.”

Zeke moved forward without hesitation as more tears hit my face. He laid me on the ground, and Nick’s eyes were so wide that the whites showed all around.

The witch’s dark-blue hair hung in her face, and her dark skin glistened from the magic churning within. She held out a hand. “I need the knife.”

“Knife?” Nick’s voice quivered. “Zeke, what the f**k is going on? Tell her to let me go.” The wind continually whipped around him, causing him to stay frozen on all fours with his head raised, staring at us.

Something sharp lodged in my throat. When she met me, Dina had said I had blood magic all over me. This had to be it.

I watched the witch, who had to be Salem, take the knife from Zeke and yank Nick’s head up with her free hand. Her face twisted, and she murmured to Nick, “Please forgive me.” Then she slit his throat. “With this sacrifice, lock down the girl’s wolf until a mutual exchange of blood occurs between her and her mate.” She lifted the knife, the blood dripping off the end onto her fingertips.

Blood trickled from the corners of Nick’s mouth, his skin already pale from the knife’s direct blow.

Salem walked over to me and rubbed a b****y finger over my forehead. Her bottom lip quivered. “This seals the sacrifice, and the wolf will be bound from now until the exchange of blood happens.”

The warmth I now knew was my wolf burrowed deep inside, and something cold covered it like a blanket. I wished I were old enough to shift and pack link with everyone, but all I could do was scream, “No! Please.”

But it was done, and I knew it would take me seventeen years to feel her again.

“Now heal her and make her forget everything,” Zeke commanded.

My eyes were already closing, the agony of losing my wolf and the pain of my injuries taking me under.

I woke up in the present, inside the real estate office. Michael, Dan, Phil, and Carl were pacing in front of me, and a woman I didn’t know was standing in front of the human, touching her fingers to his forehead.

When I sat up straight in the chair they’d placed me in, Michael turned to me. He looked relieved. “Thank gods you’re awake. We were worried.” Michael’s chestnut hair had a bit of gray coming in on the sides, and his jade eyes were darker than normal from everything that had gone on.

“I remember everything.” I stood, wanting to find Zeke. Rage charged through me. “Where’s Zeke?”

“He’s in the kitchen.” Carl gestured toward the door behind me. His blond hair was messier than usual, giving him a younger appearance.

Phil took a few steps closer to me. His dark-bronze skin hid the faint scars of his wounds, which had mostly healed, and he rubbed his ebony beard. “What did Zeke do? For you to beat him up like that—”