Chapter 26: 26: Lifting the Veil

ALEX

~My heart races as I stand next to the altar of the Royal Pack chapel, watching my soon-to-be mate walk down the aisle toward me.~

~I can’t believe this is happening…~

~She wears a dazzling white wedding dress with a long train, and her face is completely covered by a white veil.~

~Everything is eerily silent except for the loud click of her heels on the stone tile.~

~As she approaches, I feel the urge to run, but my feet seem glued to the ground.~

~When she reaches me, I lift up the veil to see Lola staring at me.~

~“Are you ready?” she asks, grabbing my hands forcefully.~

~I open my mouth, but no words come out.~

~Her purple eyes flash with anger before changing to blue, then green, then amber, and finally a deep yellow.~

~The color of sunflowers.~

***

I open my eyes and jolt upright.

My heart is racing, and a cold sweat chills my skin.

~Again?~

It’s the same dream I’ve had every night for the past six days, but this time it was even more vivid and intense.

And I can understand why…

Today’s the day.

My mating ceremony.

I should be excited, but just thinking about it hurts my stomach.

In the past few days, every time Lola tried to discuss details of the ceremony, my mind wandered…

I can’t stop thinking about Ariel—what I said to her, how I kicked her out of the pack.

I keep watching the forest, wondering where she is…

If she’s safe…

I still care about her and above all, I wish I could apologize…

But I had to make a decision, and I was under enough pressure without Ariel’s jealousy and the insane accusations she was making against Lola.

~It’s for the good of the pack~, I remind myself.

But I can’t help thinking I did the wrong thing…

Doing my best to push these thoughts away, I pull back the sheets and get out of bed.

I’ve got a big day ahead.

ARIEL

I stalk through the woods, leaves and twigs crunching underfoot.

It’s been six days since Alex exiled me.

And today’s his mating ceremony.

~Which means I’m running out of time.~

I’ve been tracking these rogues since I left, and I’m definitely getting closer. I know that whatever Lola has up her sleeve, they’re involved.

Even though I’m no longer in the pack, I’m still a warrior.

And I will do everything I can to stop her from becoming Alex’s mate.

Sure, I once entertained the idea of a future with Alex…

But this isn’t about jealousy. The Moon Goddess herself instructed me to protect him.

I stop at a stream to refill my canteen. The water reflects my wild brown hair; my blood-and-dirt-stained face, clothes, and hands.

I look like a rogue myself…

I finished the meals from Steve and Louisa two days ago. I’ve been hunting for my food since then. I eat it raw in my wolf form to avoid betraying my position with a fire, and I use the blood to mask my scent.

The wind picks up from the east, and the scent of rogues fills my nose.

I also smell smoke and burning flesh… They’re cooking something over a fire.

I smile. They won’t scent me coming.

***

I silently climb up into the branches of a giant oak, looking down on the four ragged rogues sitting around a campfire.

~Finally.~

~I’ve found the bastards.~

The obvious leader is a big one with shiny black hair and a scarred face. My blood boils when I recognize him.

~He’s the one who stabbed Helena.~

“Zeke,” a young blond guy says. “When do we get the signal?”

~Nice to meet you, Zeke.~

“When the ceremony starts. Be cool,” Zeke says.

“We’ve lost most of our pack, man!” says Blondie. “How the hell am I supposed to be cool?”

“Don’t worry,” says another, who appears to be missing an eye. “Those royals can’t fight for shit.”

“Lola said the ceremony begins at sunset and the reception is in the gardens near the forest,” says Zeke. “The palace will be empty when we sneak in.”

~Fucking Lola! I knew it!~

“We hide and wait until everything is quiet for the night, then we slit their throats while they’re sleeping.” Zeke grins. “First the king, then his beta, then good ole Mom and Dad.”

“What about the beta’s mate?” asks rogue number four, an older guy with graying hair.

Zeke laughs. “Easy. That bitch is still in a coma. We’ll hit up the hospital on the way out.”

Red seeps into my vision.

I want to tear this dog’s throat out.

~Breathe, Ariel.~

~Don’t kill the only proof of Lola’s plan.~

Calming myself, I strain to hear the rest.

“And you really think you can just stroll in and people will accept you as their new alpha?” One-Eye asks.

“Lola will be the only surviving member of the royal family,” Zeke says. “She and I will take over as the new king and queen. Simple.”

“Yeah, simple,” retorts Grandpa. “Lola’s doing all the work. Maybe you should put your mate in charge of this pack too.”

~Lola is his MATE?!?~

Everything suddenly clicks together—from the rogue attacks to Helena’s stabbing.

I was right. It’s all been Lola this whole time.

~That evil bitch.~

My pulse starts to race, and I sense the darkness creeping in again.

Something inside me wants to leap down and tear these filthy rogues apart.

It feels like I have no choice but to let it out.

Then the Moon Goddess’s words echo in my head…

“You always have a choice, Ariel.”

~Heal or harm.~

With all my might, I push the darkness away, and the red starts to fade.

Hands shaking, I struggle to stop my claws from extending.

I take a deep breath.

~No.~

We’ll do this ~my~ way.

I leap from the tree directly onto Blondie’s back, knocking him unconscious.

~One down.~

“Shit!” One-Eye growls, grabbing his knife while Grandpa scrambles up and tries to get at me from behind.

He pulls me into a headlock, but I throw my head back hard into his nose.

He stumbles backward covering his face as One-Eye charges with his blade. I kick it out of his hand and give him a palm thrust to the face before kicking him in the balls.

He shrieks and falls to the ground.

~Two.~

Gramps dives for the knife, but I kick it away, then pull him into a headlock as he struggles to stand.

He slowly loses consciousness, and I let him drop to the grass.

~Three.~

I turn to where Zeke was standing, expecting the largest of the rogues to come charging at me.

But he’s nowhere to be seen.

ALEX

~It feels just like in the dream…~

~Only worse.~

I try to ignore the sick feeling in my stomach as I stand at the altar watching Lola walk down the aisle toward me.

The chapel is filled with the whole pack. I see my mother beaming from the front row.

I have to admit, Lola looks gorgeous in her long, full ceremony dress, with the heirloom moonstone necklace glistening around her neck.

Beneath her veil, she smiles at me as she takes her final steps up to the altar, and I try to smile back.

Dom, presiding over the ceremony, stands between us looking tired and sad. With Helena still in a coma, it’s a wonder he’s even here.

~As always, the ever-loyal beta.~

He opens the ancient text and begins reciting our sacred passages, and I look into Lola’s purple eyes.

The eyes I’m going to look into for the rest of my life.

But they now seem different from Olivia’s bright purple eyes.

They look flat and empty… Like there’s nothing behind them.

ARIEL

I run through the forest, following Zeke’s scent.

~He’s my only chance at proving Lola’s plan.~

He may be big, but I’m fast, and I catch up to him in no time.

“Zeke!” I scream when I see him running into a clearing. He turns, partially shifted, just like the day he stabbed Helena.

He’s even holding the same knife he used to stab her.

I’m panting heavily, and my muscles ache.

But I won’t rest until I’m done.

I charge at him, and he holds up his knife, preparing to slash out at me.

But at the last second, I drop down and slide into his legs.

He grunts in pain as he topples over, and I scramble up and stomp on his hand holding the knife, ripping it from his fingers and dropping my knee into his throat to keep him pinned down.

“What the fuck do you want?” he hisses.

“You,” I say as I rip off a piece of his shirt.

He struggles, then seems to recognize that with a bit more pressure I can crush his windpipe.

I pull his hands in front of him, securing them tightly with the fabric from his shirt. Once he’s bound, I pick up the knife and hold it to his throat.

I look past his defeated face to the setting sun.

~Shit.~

~Alex’s ceremony has already started.~

~I’m running out of time.~

“Let’s go,” I say.

“Where are we going?” He glares at me.

“We’re gonna crash a wedding.”

ALEX

“It is now time for the alpha king to give his vows,” Dom says.

Lola takes my hands, beaming at me.

I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.

I know the words by heart.

“I, Alexander…”

I look at Lola’s face.

~This feels all wrong.~

“Um… I, Alexander…take you…”

~I… I can’t do this.~

Lola’s eyes widen in anticipation. Her head tilts forward as if to encourage me to go on.

“I, Alexander, take you to be my—”

~BAM!~

The chapel door flies open, and all the guests turn their heads, gasping at the sight before them.

I hardly recognize the woman standing in the doorway. She looks wild, covered with dirt and dried blood.

But those yellow eyes I would recognize anywhere.

“Members of the Royal Pack,” Ariel yells hoarsely, “this is the rogue who stabbed Beta Princess Helena!”

Behind her, she drags a beaten rogue into the chapel and forces him to his knees.

I step down from the altar, away from Lola.

~What the hell…~

“This woman,” she continues, pointing with a knife at Lola, “has deceived you. This rogue is her mate!”

Everyone gasps and turns toward Lola, who is seething in anger.

“Lola, what is going on?” I ask.

“Guards!” she shrieks. “Get this filthy, crazy, lying rogue out of ~my~ wedding!”

Dave and the pack warriors move quickly toward Ariel, hands on their weapons.

I turn back to Ariel, my heart sinking. She looks almost like the first time I met her.

Yet somehow, still completely beautiful.

“Tell them,” Ariel yells at the rogue in her grasp. “Tell them your plan!”

The rogue stares at Lola, but keeps his mouth shut.

Ariel looks at me, her eyes pleading as the warriors close in and hopelessness falls over her face.

ARIEL

It looks like Alex wants to help me, but with Lola screaming and the warriors marching toward me, it’s too late.

I have to protect him, even if it means letting the monster inside me win.

All at once, I allow my suppressed rage to fill my body.

I would normally try to push away the darkness—the anger and fear that the hunters gave me.

The Moon Goddess says I always have a choice.

But right now, I have to choose the darkness.

Within a split second, I take my knife and slit Zeke’s throat.

People in the crowd let out screams, but none so loud as Lola’s.

“No!” she shrieks, falling to the floor with the excruciating pain of her severed mating bond.

“Zeke! No! You bitch, you’ve killed my mate!”

The darkness consumes me, and the smell of Zeke’s blood pouring out onto the floor becomes intoxicating.

I feel myself wanting to shift, to kill more, to let it all go.

But I don’t want to harm any innocent people.

~I have to go. NOW.~

I drop the knife and turn, running as fast as I can toward the forest.

Away from the Royal Pack.

Forever.