Chapter 27

“Do you really love me?”

My question came out of nowhere that day, but it was one that had been nagging at me for a while.

It was a gorgeous fall day, and Jekia and I had decided to spend some time with our baby twins under the trees in the secluded briar.

At that point, Rin and Rayne were only about a year old and just beginning to sit up and explore their surroundings.

Jekia looked at me with a quiet smile, as if he had been waiting for me to ask that question. It wasn’t like I hadn’t hinted at my concerns before, but never so directly.

“Don’t you trust me when I tell you I do?” he teased.

“You know why I’d ask something like that. Our relationship didn’t exactly start on the best foot, and you’ve mentioned before that you’ve lived for centuries.

“It’s only natural for me to question things, given that I can’t imagine any man going that long without satisfying his sexual desires,” I said.

Jekia laughed as a gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the tree we were sitting under. “I agree with you there, but I haven’t had much choice in my life.

“I’ve told you before that the woman I chose would be the one I’d spend my life with, and I can’t be with anyone else. You’re my choice. That’s proof of my love for you.”

“But I still don’t understand why you’d choose someone like me.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Jekia moved closer to me, looking into my eyes.

“Regardless of what has happened or will happen, you’ll always be my one and only. Don’t ever think that I’d betray you. I’d die before letting that happen.”

I woke up slowly from that dream of the past, my consciousness registering small details as my eyelashes fluttered.

I was cold, and the floor I was slumped on was hard, as were the cold bars against my bare back. I felt the pressure of two small bodies against my bare skin.

My eyes opened and focused on the scared eyes of my two little boys. They were the ones clinging to me, begging me to wake up. They both moved against me when they saw I was awake.

“Mommy! Please, wake up!” Rin pleaded.

I let out a small groan from the pain in my head and throat, trying to get my bearings. That’s when I realized that the three of us were sitting in a large cage.

The boys were still wearing the clothes they had on when I took them to the festival, but I quickly noticed they were stained with blood, just like their little hands.

That definitely got my attention.

“Oh God, did they hurt you?!” I asked frantically as I started checking them over.

“No, Mommy,” Rayne said. His eyes were filled with tears, as were Rin’s, as they looked at me. “We’re not hurt.”

“Then where did all this blood come from?” I dared to ask.

I was scared of what they might have seen while I was unconscious. They looked so terrified.

“It’s your blood, Mommy. You were bleeding a lot,” Rin said.

I blinked, then looked at myself. Now I understood why I was so cold and in so much pain. I was naked, and there was blood all over my front, as well as my shoulders and hands.

I reached up and touched my neck where the lycan had grabbed me, wincing at the sting of the wounds that were still there. I wondered how I was even alive.

With all the blood I’d lost, I would have thought I’d be dead.

Rin and Rayne hugged me tightly, both crying now. I felt terrible as I hugged them back.

This was my fault. If I hadn’t jumped to conclusions about what I’d been told, we wouldn’t have been captured so easily.

“We thought you were going to die! You kept bleeding after they put us in here!” Rin sobbed against me.

“We kept listening to your heartbeat because we were so scared!” Rayne added, tears streaming down his face.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, tears welling up in my eyes. “I know you were scared, but I promise I won’t die.”

“Not yet, at least.”

I looked up quickly, holding my boys tight as I glared at the lycan woman standing next to our cage. Kamelle had a smug smile on her beautiful but cruel face as she looked at us.

“Let us go right now!” I demanded.

I was trying to act strong, but inside I was terrified. I didn’t know if I could fight back against someone like her.

“Why would I do that?” Kamelle replied, crossing her arms under her breasts. “I’ve been waiting centuries for a moment like this.

“That Luna Dog finally slipped up and chose a woman to breed with, and on top of that, the whore turned out to be a weak human.”

I glared at her. “I’m his wife, not his whore. And you should know that he’ll destroy you for this, and anyone who follows you.

“You didn’t just attack me, you’re holding our children hostage and threatening them. I know for a fact that neither Jekia nor Sage will stand for this!” I warned her.

Kamelle laughed at that. “You really think that nine-tail cares about you anymore, or that kit? He abandoned both of you for that Luna Dog to have you!” she retorted.

I could feel Rin and Rayne looking up at me, and Rin’s grip on my shoulders tightened. Her words made my blood boil, even though I’d sometimes thought the same thing.

“You don’t speak for him, and you won’t say things like that in front of Rin! Now let us go before they come and kill you!” I ordered.

“I don’t think so,” Kamelle replied.

She looked around, and for the first time, I noticed that we weren’t the only ones in that large earthen chamber.

There were many other creatures there, all looking like wild predators from the forest. Snakes slithered along the walls, and I saw several large mantis women standing guard.

They looked similar to Edifel and Vishu, but they were much bigger, with sharp features and large black eyes, and their arms were like sickles.

There were a few lycans in there too, seeming to be in control of the creatures.

“What…what is this? How did you get these creatures in here?” I managed to stammer out.

“It wasn’t too difficult. Control is all about knowing what to use to keep them in line. Jekia knew this too, which is why no one ever messed with him or those he protected.

“But I’ve found it quite useful to have them under my control. They make a formidable guard, not to mention loyal followers for when ~we~ take over the leadership here,” Kamelle explained.

“But our father is the leader! You can’t just take that from him!” Rayne protested.

“Yeah! Dad is way stronger than any of you!” Rin chimed in.

“Such innocent little ones, but that’s to be expected given their age,” Kamelle sighed. “You’ll learn today that strength only gets you so far.

“To win wars, sometimes all you need to do is break your opponent down.

“And as my dearly departed alpha once said, what better way to do that than to destroy everything they love right in front of them?”

I tried to stay strong for the boys as she walked away, laughing, but I was scared out of my mind.

Looking around at the creatures guarding us, I knew our chances of escaping were slim.

Even if I could somehow get the cage open, I doubted we could get past all those ferals.

Rin looked up at me as we sat there. “Can we escape, Mommy?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Things don’t look good for us.”

“If we get out of here, they might eat us. They look like they want to,” Rayne said, shivering as he looked at the creatures.

I held both boys close, trying to ignore my pain and think of a way out.

Rayne was right. If we tried to escape, those creatures would probably be set loose on us, and they would kill us.

I didn’t even know how to get us out of the cage. The padlock looked sturdy, and I’d never picked a lock before, nor did I have anything to use to try.

I hung my head, feeling defeated. I should never have let myself believe, even for a moment, that Jekia would turn to other women.

It left me vulnerable to being tricked and put all our lives in danger.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

“Mommy?” Rayne said.

“This is my fault. If I hadn’t been so suspicious of your father and had just talked to him, we wouldn’t be here,” I apologized.

“But they tricked you. This isn’t your fault,” Rin insisted.

“Dad will come too. He’ll get us out, and then we can go home. I know he will,” Rayne reassured me.

I wished I could share their optimism.

While I wanted to believe that Jekia would come and save us, I also knew that Kamelle was right. A man’s heart can easily override his strength.

I was pulled from my thoughts by Rin and Rayne hugging me and wrapping their little tails around me.

“You’re cold, Mommy. They took your clothes, and it’s cold in here, so we can help warm you up,” Rin said.

I let out a long breath and hugged them back. My sweet little boys. If there was any way we could survive this, I needed to figure it out.

Maybe, if Jekia did show up as everyone expected, I could come up with a plan then.

Time seemed to crawl as the three of us sat there. I stayed curled up with my sons, listening to the terrifying growls of the creatures around us.

The remaining male lycans were also there, and I saw Kamelle walking around, flirting with them and then taking her pick.

I scowled to myself. I knew exactly what she was doing. And she had the nerve to call me an alpha’s whore. She was no better than a lowly beta, even if she was a strong one.

My mind was wandering as the boys fell into a restless sleep against me, when suddenly, howls echoed through the room.

I sat up quickly, Rin and Rayne doing the same. The howls seemed to come from somewhere outside, like a warning.

Rin and Rayne’s ears perked up as the howls died down, and I could hear determined footsteps approaching the chamber.

“Dad’s here,” Rayne whispered.

Even though I didn’t have their heightened senses, I was sure they were right. Something deep inside me knew that Jekia had come for us.

But he wasn’t charging in. He probably knew the dangers of us being held captive.

I kept the boys quiet as he finally entered from an entrance to our far right. There was a determined look in Jekia’s golden eyes as he approached the throne Kamelle had set up.

I noticed him glance at us out of the corner of his eye. I stayed still, holding the boys and hoping he would keep his composure.

I didn’t miss the flash of anger in his eyes when he saw us.

Kamelle looked at him with a smug smile as he stopped about ten feet from her, her gray tail swinging lazily as she lounged on the throne.

“Welcome, Jekia. You didn’t waste any time following the clues I left,” she said, sounding as smug as she looked.

“And you’ve been wasting my time for years. Do you think I’m not tired of chasing the shadows you’ve been distracting me with?” Jekia retorted.

I could tell he was trying to keep his voice steady, but the anger still seeped through.

“Of course,” Kamelle chuckled. “But it’s been fun watching you, especially when it worked to drive a wedge between you and your whore.

“Did you really think lying to her would keep her safe from me?

“She’s just a human woman, and they get all kinds of crazy ideas in their heads when their men aren’t around enough.”

Jekia exhaled sharply, frustration clear in his voice. “So that was your game, huh? You tried to plant seeds of doubt about me in my beautiful omega’s mind to draw her out.

“Where’s that damned fairy you roped into this? I know she was the one who led her to you.”

“I bet you do. Your mage has a knack for finding things out, doesn’t he?

“But to answer your question, I did put her under a lot of pressure for my own purposes, and I gave her what she wanted, just like I said I would.

“She got to join her husband and her daughters in the afterlife,” Kamelle replied.

I had to fight to keep the gasp from escaping my sore throat. She’d already killed Lucia’s family and used her before killing her too.

Jekia took a deep breath, then glanced back at us. It was strange, but I had this feeling that he was also looking at something else. But he didn’t give any hint of what it was.

After a moment, he turned back to face Kamelle.

“I know you want something from me before you’ll even think about giving Lana and my sons back. I can’t even say unharmed, with the blood I see on them.

“So, if you have something to say, then say it,” he demanded.

“You know what I want,” Kamelle growled, now standing.

“I want you to step down as the ruler of these lands. Once you do, you will hand them over to me and the remaining lycans.”

“And if I don’t?” Jekia challenged quietly.

“You’d be wise to comply. After all, you’ve seen what they look like already, though I admit that it’s only the woman who has bled so far.

“But there are plenty here who wouldn’t hesitate to spill the blood of those little ones. It’s bad enough that one is a despised Luna Dog like you.”

By then, Kamelle had stood and was slowly circling him as she spoke. I kept looking around us, and for the first time, I noticed that there didn’t seem to be as many creatures as before.

At first I thought I was imagining things, but after counting again, I realized that most of the snakes were gone. They’d just vanished.

Something else was happening here. Jekia was doing something that no one else seemed to notice.

Rin tugged on my shoulder, and I discreetly leaned down to let him whisper in my ear. His words immediately grabbed my attention.

“Papa is here.”

When he said Papa, he meant Sage. Now I understood Jekia’s plan. He’d enlisted Sage to help him save us. I should have known he’d do something like that.

In the past four years, I’d learned that Jekia wasn’t the type to just charge into a situation without thinking.

If he could come up with a plan that would keep others safe, he would.

I looked up as Jekia spoke.

“You must know that I won’t go down without a fight, and I won’t let you hurt them anymore. I already owe you a lot of pain for what you’ve done to my Lana.”

“And what will you do?” Kamelle challenged him. “That woman and those children are under my control, so you’re at my mercy!”

“So you say,” Jekia glanced back at us again. “Fine. I’ll give in to you, but only if I can say goodbye to my wife and children, and you let them go before me.”

Kamelle looked thoughtful as she took a step back from him. “Really? Do you think I’m stupid, Jekia? If I let them go now, you might attack me when you see an opening,” she pointed out.

I followed Rin’s gaze as she spoke, noticing that now all of the snakes were gone.

Looking at the floor, I saw a quick shape dart from the shadows, and the lycan controlling the largest mantis was pulled back into them.

The mantis moved a few steps forward as she was released, hissing. My blood ran cold as she spotted us and started moving quickly toward the cage we were in.

But she never got the chance to strike at the cage. Instead, her head was cut off in an instant, and she fell to the ground dead.

The lycans all started growling and snarling as Sage stood over her, but he didn’t seem scared at all.

Kamelle glared at Jekia as she took a step back. Now it was Jekia’s turn to make his own demands as he glared back at her, raising his claws toward her.

“Didn’t I warn all of you not to underestimate me?!” he growled.

“The ones who were considered for the ruling position in these lands were the most powerful alphas to ever exist, and I proved myself to be the best of them.

“I don’t hold this position just because of my physical strength. You can’t beat my mental strength when it comes to making decisions, or the strength of my alliances!”

By then, chaos was breaking out. The lycans immediately attacked Sage and Jekia, also releasing the remaining mantises they had.

I held onto the boys, moving to the middle of the cage to keep us away from where we could be reached.

It felt like we were kneeling in there forever before the door of the cage was pried open. I looked up to see Sage reaching in to pull us out.

“Come on! Stay close to me!” he ordered as we got out.

By now, he and Jekia had taken out the mantises, but the lycans were proving to be much faster and more vicious.

Sage moved us to a far corner, taking off his overcoat and wrapping it around me to cover me while keeping an eye on Jekia to make sure no lycans got close to us.

“Just stay here. We’ll handle this and get you out,” he instructed me.

I reluctantly agreed and made sure that Rin and Rayne were safe behind me.

Holding onto the overcoat around me, I watched as Jekia took down most of the lycans one by one with almost effortless movements. But as I did, I realized something.

Kamelle was nowhere to be seen.

I scanned the room, my heart pounding. Had she managed to escape in the midst of the chaos? That would be a disaster. It meant this nightmare wasn't over.

Jekia seemed to realize this too. He paused, just after he'd thrown one of the last lycans into a nearby wall. The creature left an imprint in the concrete before slumping to the floor, unconscious and bleeding.

“Where's Kamelle?!” Jekia's voice echoed through the room, his gaze landing on Sage, who had just finished off the last mantis.

Sage looked around, but there was no sign of her. “Damn it! She's trying to bolt!” he exclaimed.

Jekia glanced at him, then back at me, huddled with the children.

He seemed to be weighing his options. He knew as well as I did that if Kamelle got away, our troubles with her would only continue.

“Chase her down, Sage. I'll get Lana and the boys to safety, then I'll be right behind you,” he finally said.

“Wait!” Rin's voice cut through the tension. He pulled away from me and ran over to Sage, tugging on his pants. “Please, don't leave yet! I've missed you, Papa!”

Sage paused, looking down at him before kneeling to his level.

“It's going to be okay,” he reassured Rin, gently stroking his head and ears. “I won't leave without spending time with you. I promise. I just need to make sure she can't hurt you anymore.”

“You won't leave before that?” Rin asked, his eyes wide and hopeful.

Sage gave him a warm smile. “I swear it to you.”

By then, Jekia had reached Rayne and me. I leaned on him for support, my body weak from the ordeal.

“Easy now,” Jekia murmured, holding me steady. “You're going to be okay.”

Sage stood, bringing Rin over to us. “Stay here. Your Mommy needs you, and I'm going to make sure that woman can't hurt you anymore,” he told him.

We watched as Sage took off after Kamelle. I forced myself to stand straight, despite the pain. I couldn't give in to my injuries. Not yet.

“Is this why you were gone so much? Because you were hunting her down?” I asked softly.

“It is,” Jekia confirmed, pulling me into a gentle hug.

“I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just wanted to keep you and the boys out of this. It was a mistake.”

“I've asked you before not to keep things from me. Will you honor that promise this time?” I asked.

“Yes. I swear it to you,” Jekia promised.

He made sure I could stand on my own, then knelt down to the boys. “I need you both to hold onto me. We're going to get you and your mother outside where Emelio can take you home.”

“What about you? Aren't you coming?” Rayne asked.

“I'll be there soon. But first, we need to make sure that woman can't get away,” Jekia replied.

Reluctantly, the boys did as he asked, clinging to his shoulders as he picked them up.

My strength was slowly returning, so I walked beside them as we left the chamber, Jekia keeping a steady hand on my arm.

We emerged into a long tunnel, and it felt like an eternity before we finally reached the outside.

I didn't recognize the area. We were on the edge of a vast forest I'd never seen before. It was eerily quiet.

Jekia set the boys down, helping me to sit on the ground. He knelt in front of me, gently examining the wounds on my head and neck.

“Most of these are superficial, but you should still take it easy. You've lost a lot of blood, and the one on your head could have caused more damage. You'll need time to recover,” he said.

“I'm surprised I'm not dead. Humans aren't as resilient as your kind,” I murmured.

“You're right, but you're also my omega. You've gained a lot from me, especially after giving birth to our children,” Jekia said.

He kissed my forehead, then stood. I took in the sight of his blood-stained clothes and hands. I'd never seen Jekia like this before, but there was something awe-inspiring about it.

He was so fast, so strong. He didn't hesitate to do what needed to be done, even if it was fueled by anger.

Rin and Rayne moved to him, hugging his legs. They looked shaken, as if the reality of the situation was finally sinking in. Jekia's eyes softened, and he knelt down to hold them.

“It's okay. I'm here, and you're safe,” he whispered.

But as he spoke, a gust of wind blew behind me. Suddenly, I was yanked backward, a sharp claw pressed against my throat.

Jekia stood slowly, the boys hiding behind him, their eyes wide with fear.

“Did you really think I'd let this end so easily?!” Kamelle's voice was a harsh whisper in my ear.

Jekia's voice was steady, but his eyes were hard. “Let her go, Kamelle! This fight is between you and me!” he demanded.

“Oh no,” Kamelle growled. I could feel her shaking her head. “You brought her into this. You took my Bastial from me! An eye for an eye, you damn Luna Dog! I'm going to take what you love most, just like I should have done when I first caught her!”

Panic surged through me as I desperately searched for a way out. I wasn't going to die here. Not now. Not in front of my boys and the man I loved.

I felt it then. A hardness in the pocket of the overcoat as I shifted. I remembered a slight weight when Sage had draped it over me.

I slid my left hand into the pocket, trying to be as subtle as possible as I retrieved the object. It was an onyx stone of medium size.

I lowered my hand, the stone hidden in my palm, and to my surprise, it seemed to morph.

Suddenly, I was gripping a firm handle. I forced my mind to stay steady, focused on what I had to do next.

Survival meant taking a life. It was a reality I never wanted to face, but I had no other option. So, I gathered every ounce of strength I had left.

And I plunged the dagger's blade into Kamelle.