Chapter 10: The First Sacrifice
1163 Words
POV: Thelma
The words tasted like poison in my mouth, but I forced them out anyway. "I'll come with you willingly. I'll go through with the Luna ceremony. But Xavier goes free."
Neon's massive wolf form tilted its head, studying me with those glowing eyes. I could practically see the wheels turning in his mind as he considered my offer.
"No deal," he growled finally. "You don't get to make demands, little princess. You're coming with us either way."
"Then you'll have to drag me kicking and screaming every step of the way," I said, crossing my arms. "And good luck getting me to cooperate with anything you want after that."
Xavier grabbed my shoulder. "Thelma, don't do this. Don't sacrifice yourself for me."
I turned to look at him, trying to memorize every detail of his face. The concern in his dark eyes, the stubborn set of his jaw, the way his hair fell across his forehead. If this was the last time I saw him alive, I wanted to remember everything.
"It's not a sacrifice if it saves you," I whispered.
Neon shifted back to his human form, his naked body gleaming with sweat in the torchlight. One of his men quickly handed him a pair of pants, which he pulled on without taking his eyes off me.
"You know what?" he said, a cruel smile spreading across his face. "I think I like this new version of you, Thelma. So much more... spirited than before."
"Do we have a deal or not?"
"Oh, we have a deal," Neon said. "But not the one you think. You're coming with us, yes. You're going through with the ceremony, absolutely. But your boyfriend here?" He jerked his head toward Xavier. "He's coming too. As insurance."
My heart sank. "That wasn't the agreement."
"I'm changing the agreement," Neon said simply. "You see, I don't trust you not to try something stupid. But if we have your mate locked up somewhere safe, you'll be much more motivated to behave yourself."
"You bastard," Xavier snarled, taking a step toward Neon. Two of the other pack members immediately moved to block him, shifting partially so their claws extended. Xavier was outnumbered and outmatched, but I could see he was still planning to fight.
"Don't," I said quickly. "Xavier, please. Don't make this worse."
He looked at me with anguish in his eyes. "I can't just let them take you."
"You can and you will," I said firmly. "Because if you fight them now, you'll die. And then your pack will never know the truth about what happened to my parents."
That stopped him cold. I saw the moment when duty warred with his desire to protect me, and duty won. He let his shoulders slump in defeat.
"Smart girl," Neon said approvingly. "Now, shall we go? Your father is very anxious to see you again."
The journey back through the tunnels felt like a death march. Xavier and I were surrounded by Neon's men, our hands bound behind our backs with silver-laced rope that burned against our skin. Every step took us closer to whatever fate Marcus and Elena had planned for us.
"You know they're going to kill us both eventually," Xavier murmured to me when the guards weren't paying attention.
"I know," I whispered back. "But eventually gives us time to figure out another plan."
"What if there isn't another plan? What if this is it?"
I didn't answer because I didn't have an answer. All I knew was that watching him die in that tunnel would have destroyed something inside me that I might never have gotten back.
When we finally emerged from the underground passages, the sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of red and gold. It would have been beautiful if I wasn't walking toward what might be my own execution.
The pack house loomed ahead of us, its windows glowing with warm light. It looked so normal, so peaceful. No one looking at it would guess the kinds of monsters who lived inside.
"Take him to the old storage building," Neon ordered his men. "Lock him in the basement. I want guards on him at all times."
"No!" I struggled against my bonds as they started to drag Xavier away. "You said he'd be safe!"
"I said he'd be insured," Neon corrected. "Insurance is only valuable if it's kept secure."
Xavier caught my eyes as they pulled him toward a building I'd never paid attention to before. "Remember what I told you," he called out. "Remember who you really are!"
Then he was gone, disappeared into the darkness between two guards who looked like they'd enjoy any excuse to hurt him.
"And you," Neon said, grabbing my arm roughly, "get to go home. I'm sure your family is very worried about you."
The pack house felt different when we walked inside. Darker somehow, despite all the lights. Several pack members watched us with curious eyes as Neon marched me through the hallways, but no one dared to question what was happening.
My adoptive father was waiting in his study, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. When we walked in, he stopped and stared at me with a mixture of relief and rage.
"Thelma," he said, his voice carefully controlled. "Thank the Moon Goddess you're safe."
"Am I?" I asked. "Because I don't feel very safe right now."
His jaw tightened. "You were kidn*pped by a dangerous man. Of course you don't feel safe. But you're home now, with your family. That's what matters."
"My family," I repeated flatly. "Is that what we're calling it?"
Elena appeared in the doorway, her face a mask of motherly concern. "Darling, you must be exhausted. And traumatized. Let's get you cleaned up and fed, and then we can talk about what that horrible man did to you."
"He didn't do anything to me," I said. "Except tell me the truth."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. Marcus and Elena exchanged a look that confirmed everything Xavier had told me.
"What truth would that be?" Marcus asked carefully.
"Oh, I think you know exactly what truth I'm talking about, Father."
Neon stepped forward. "She's been brainwashed. The kidnapper filled her head with lies and nonsense. She's not thinking clearly."
"Is that what happened, Thelma?" Elena asked softly. "Did that man confuse you with his lies?"
I looked at her, this woman who had raised me, who I had called mother for twenty-three years. She looked genuinely concerned, genuinely loving. If I hadn't overheard her conversation with Marcus in my previous life, if Xavier hadn't shown me those photographs, I might have actually believed her.
"I'm tired," I said instead of answering. "I want to go to my room."
"Of course, darling," Elena said immediately. "You need rest. We can talk more tomorrow, after you've had time to recover."
But as I turned to leave, Marcus's voice stopped me.
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