LEINDRA'S P.O.V.
Faye took the seat and dragged it over so she was seated directly in front of me. There was a rueful look on her face as if she couldn't bear to think up the memories. Her body was the epitome of ease but I could see the worry and the sadness that was etched deep in her eyes. I couldn't help but feel bad for her because that sadness was raw and although it wasn't mine, I could feel it deep in my throat.
"My mate was a human," she began slowly and my brows scrunched in confusion. I had no idea that she had a mate. "I didn't always want to be the Alpha. I just wanted to live in peace with my mate but your parents had to die. We were planning to run away together when I shifted. I couldn't control myself and I killed him right in this very room."
"I'm sorry."
"That isn't even the best part," she cackled maniacally. "I called Amaris because I had no idea what to do. She helped me clean it up and I told her I wanted the curse back. She told me she would help me talk to Darius. I waited for weeks hoping to get an answer from them but I never did. Neither of them helped me. They left me to wallow in my grief alone and I swore that I would do anything to ensure that the curse came back."
I hated to admit it but I understood her reasoning. Her methods may have been wrong but her heart was truly in the right place. I tried to imagine what I would do if Darius died and the thought alone was devastating but there was something about her story that didn't quite sit right with me. If Darius knew that this was her reasoning, he would have told us. He said she was doing it because she wanted to be Alpha.
"Are you sure Darius knows?" I asked and her eyes snapped to mine. "I'm not saying you're a liar but I don't think Darius knows. He would have said something or at least tried to help you."
"Allow me to let you in on a little secret, Leindra. Men don't always like to admit when they're wrong. Do you think Darius would tell everyone that he was the reason?"
Yes, I did but I couldn't say that out loud because I didn't want to upset her. I was still her prisoner and I was still under her control. I needed to be careful with what I said so she didn't flip out.
"What happens now?" I asked deciding to change the subject. "How are you going to reinstate the curse? My parents are dead and the seal died with them There is nothing you can do."
"But there is," she clapped her hands in glee. "Why do you think I chose to attack now? I finally found a way to fix things and take them back to how they should be."
She paused for dramatic effect and from the way she was looking, I knew I was not going to like what she said. Still, I waited for her to speak.
"You have to die," there was silence followed by evil laughter from her end. "If the Turner line dies out then the curse comes back into place. It is a win-win situation."
"I don't see how it is. I don't want to die."
She turned to me with a scowl. "Don't be selfish Leindra. Don't you want the pain gone? Don't you want Darius to be happy? If you die then he never has to bear another painful shift again."
"But he said if I married him then no one would bear another painful shift.
"It is a fable," I wasn't sure if I should believe her but she looked so sincere as she spoke that I couldn't help but listen. "The only way to help Darius and the other wolves is to die. What do you say Leindra?"
Before I could speak, she brought out a dagger. It was long with jagged edges and my heart caught in my throat as I took it in. I swallowed deeply and watched with bated breath as she stood up from her seat and made her way over to me. She squatted directly in front of me and before I could think, he rammed the dagger into my thigh.
I let out a blood-curdling scream as the pain ran up my entire body. She pulled it out and blood-soaked the shorts that she had given me. I thought she would leave me to bleed out but to my surprise, she cut a piece of fabric from the shirt and tied it around my leg. It was obvious she didn't want me to die so easily.
She lifted the dagger again and this time before she could stab me, there was a knock on the door. She muttered a small curse under her breath and went to open it. One of her men was standing there and he looked completely panicked.
"Whatever it is that you disturbed me for had better be important," she growled.
"Darius and his team are on their way here," through the pain, I felt immense relief. "We might be able to hold them off for a while but we are grossly outnumbered."
Faye was quiet for a split second. "Hold them off for as long as you can."
The men in the room with us went out in a single file. Faye looked frustrated that her plans had been spoiled as she made her way over to me. I expected her to kill me immediately and get it over with but to my shock, she stood behind me and held the dagger against my neck.
"Do you know what's better than just killing you?" she asked. "Killing you in front of Darius so he can feel exactly what I felt when my mate died in my arms."
At that moment, I prayed harder than I had in my entire life. My prayers however seemed to fall on deaf ears because less than five minutes later, the door flew open and Darius and Amaris walked in. There were blood splatters on both of them but Darius looked like he had just escaped a blood bath.
"I don't want to hurt you," he began keeping his eyes squared on Faye. "Let Leindra go and we can discuss this like adults. You're my sister, do not make me hurt you."
"You already hurt me when you didn't help me all those years ago," she spat and I saw Darius' brows furrow. "How does it feel to know that you're standing in the same room where Frederic died?"
Darius looked confused and it confirmed my earlier suspicions. He didn't know about her human mate/ Amy on the other hand had a very guilty expression on her face and
I knew that the miscommunication came from her. I didn't know why but I made a mental note to ask her about it later.
"You will feel exactly how I felt that day."
She moved to slice my throat but Darius tackled her to the ground. As they fought, Amy rushed over and worked on the bindings holding me. Once I was free, she hooked one of my hands over her neck and helped me to my feet. I turned to see what was happening and saw that Darius had both of Faye's hands pinned behind her and her dagger was in his other hand.
She leaned over and whispered something in his ears. I saw something like regret and pain flash in his eyes before he stabbed her square in the chest. There was a scream and it took me a second to realize that it came from me. I tried to rush to Faye but my legs gave out and Amy had to hold me tighter so I wouldn't fall.
"She's dead,â she whispered to me but I didn't want to believe it. "It is for the best, Leindra. We are safe now."
My heart shattered and a foreign feeling crawled up my chest. It was loathing but it wasn't directed at anyone, it was directed at me. I could not believe that Darius had killed his own sister to save me. I could not bear to look Darius in the face especially when he came over and lifted me into his arms bridal style.
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I wanted to ask him to put me down, I wanted to ask him to stay away but my mouth wouldn't move. Darius walked out of the room with me in his arms and there were bodies for as far as the eye could see. I couldn't help but wonder how many of them were Darius' men and how many were Faye's. Too many people were dead and it was all my fault.
As we got out of the cave, I had to shield my eyes from the bright light. It took me a minute to adjust and when I did, I noticed Jared and Ian standing there smiling at me. I tried to return the smile but I was sure it looked more like a grimace.
Darius led me towards a car and he got into the back seat with me. He placed my legs over his thighs to examine the extent of the damage and I fought the urge to pull my legs away from him. The haunted look hadn't left his eyes yet and the more I looked at him, the more I felt guilty.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even realize we had reached the hospital. Some nurses were already waiting for me and I saw one of them wince when she saw how bloody my leg was.
"This will take some time to heal," she said more to Darius than me. "But, if you were to donate some blood to her then your wolf genes might help her heal faster. "I'll do whatever it takes."
That was all she needed to hear before she walked out of the room. Darius reached out and pushed my hair off my forehead. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my head and I had to shut my eyes in order to accept it.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there quicker," he said softly, "I'm sorry you had to get hurt."
"No, I'm sorry you had to kill your sister."
I could not imagine having to kill Chris. It would absolutely wreck me to pieces.
Darius gave me a wry smile. "Don't worry about that, just focus on getting better."
He looked like he wanted to say more but the nurse walked into the room with a small smile. "We're ready for you."