Rejected by Blood

Chapter 7: Uncle Jeremy’s Plan

Jeremy’s POV

The cold air bit through my coat as I made my way toward the old stone circle deep in the woods. Every step I took felt heavier than the last, like the earth itself was trying to hold me back. Maybe it was guilt. Maybe it was fear. But I couldn’t stop. I wouldn’t.

Everything depended on tonight.

I gripped the leather pouch in my hand—a gift from the witch I’d trusted with my life. Inside were the things I needed to disappear… for good. Wolfsbane root, nightshade blossom, salt from the sacred springs. And the vial. The damn vial.

This wasn’t just about me anymore. It never had been.

If Donnavon figured out I was still alive, he wouldn’t just come for me. He’d destroy Isla. He’d crush Dakota. And he’d burn everything I’d tried to protect to the ground.

No, I told myself. Not if I get this right. Not if I vanish.

The forest opened to the stone circle. There she was—the witch. Cloaked in black, her eyes glowing like embers under the moonlight. I didn’t know her real name. Didn’t want to. The less I knew, the better. Safer for Isla. Safer for everyone.

“It’s done,” she said softly. “The rogue will look, smell, even bleed like you. No one will question his death.”

I exhaled slowly. “That’s what I need. If Donnavon senses even a thread of doubt, he’ll follow it to the ends of the earth.”

She handed me a small glass vial. The liquid inside was thick and black. It glimmered like oil but smelled like copper and ash.

“When the time comes, give this to the rogue,” she continued. “It’ll bind your essence to his form just long enough to fool even the pack elders.”

From the shadows, a figure emerged. Naked. Shifting. The rogue was my mirror—down to the scar above my left eyebrow. The resemblance sent a chill down my spine.

“You ready for this?” I asked him.

He nodded. Didn’t speak. Probably for the best. One wrong word could unravel everything.

I hope your soul finds peace, I thought. You’re dying for a cause you don’t even understand.

Later That Night

The clearing was packed. The mourners surrounded the pyre. I kept to the edge, cloaked and hidden in the shadows of the trees.

My fake corpse—his body—was laid out on the platform. My ring. My clothes. My blood.

And there was Isla. My Isla. Her eyes were swollen. Hands trembling. She reached toward the body with the same hands I used to hold when she's of thunderstorms.

“I… I don’t understand,” she whispered. “Why him? Why now?”

Dakota stood beside her, jaw clenched tight. Anger radiated from him, even as his voice shook. “He was the only good one left. And they took him.”

I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Every sob, every whisper of grief, was a dagger. But I didn’t cry. Couldn’t afford to. Emotion would make me reckless.

I turned away from them, heart heavy with grief and fury.

You made me do this, Donnavon, I thought. You forced me into the shadows. But I swear to every moon above, I will take everything from you. One secret at a time.

Present Time – Years later

I watched from afar, hiding in the treeline as Isla left the school grounds. She didn’t see me. She wasn’t supposed to. But I kept my distance, making sure she was safe. Making sure Donnavon hadn’t gotten to her.

I’d been feeding her tips—coded warnings. She was smart, like her mother. Sharp enough to catch on. And now she was starting to trust Axel. That was good. He’d keep her alive.

But I couldn’t get close. Not yet. Not until Donnavon’s empire fell apart from the inside.

And so I waited. Alone. Cold. Forgotten.

But I had a plan. And I had time.

And when the time was right, I would burn everything Donnavon ever built to the ground.

For Isla. For Dakota. For Jeremy Black—the man I used to be.