Chapter Forty-Seven

Celina

I look down at my balled-up fists. My perfectly white skirt is a disturbing background to the imaginary red on my hands. That horrible image lives within my mind with every blink of my eyes. I’ve never seen someone’s face so horribly disfigured, just to show pure mutilization. Damian took his time to carve my name into that victim. I know the victim. I recognize his scent from one of my investigations. He was there to assist while I inspected the destruction of a neighboring pack. He is the alpha of the Lunar Pack. This victim wasn’t random. Damian wanted to show me that he still has his strength after my little broadcast. I’ve successfully unleashed a monster when I stripped away his anonymity.

I blink again, still seeing blood stains on my fists. Forever, the lives of this fallen pack will be on my hands. I couldn’t save them from that demented narcissist. However, I can stop others from falling in their steps.

Finding a newfound strength, I grab hold of the knife Leroy gifted me and open the door. A slight breeze greets me, clearing some sweat to help settle my uneasy stomach, and to help carry the image of Alpha Jorgan’s corpse from my mind.

“Celina, get back in the car,” Leroy tells me as he opens his car door.

After rolling my eyes at him I slam my door shut. “That doesn’t sound like something I’d do.”

“Are you insane,” Leroy hisses, falling into step next to me and grabbing my arm to stop me. “He could still be here.”

“Then, at least, I have a knife that will slit his throat pretty effortlessly,” I tell him, pulling my arm free. “That man is going to pay for what he did to the Lunar Pack, and Alpha Jorgan.”

“Alpha who,” Leroy demands, still chasing after me. He bumps into me as I stop moving, slammed into an insanely familiar scent. Amber, raspberries, and vanilla. It’s mouthwatering but it’s pulling at an old memory.

Nothing is triggering, so I follow the scent, trailing it to an ugly couch, a bathroom, and then to my worst nightmare. I take an automatic step back as I recoil at what I see; stepping right into Leroy. He steadies me quickly then sharply gasps, realizing what I have just seen.

“What the hell is this,” he demands while I take a step forward.

My heart is racing while Mara is frozen in sheer shock. It’s unnerving to see so many pictures of us styled in what can only be described as a shrine; placed on the only non-destroyed wall in this room. It’s unnerving that pictures were managed to be taken of her. Mara’s senses are uncanny, and nothing can escape her notice; especially when someone is close enough to take a picture.

Blood drains from my face when I see a picture of someone I had hoped to never see again. The zombified Celina of my past. Why is this up here? How- When was this even taken? I step closer to the wall, my eyes skimming over the never-ending images of me. This is a picture that painfully stuns me, and makes even Mara flinch.

I put my finger on the corner of a different photo; ready for it to burn me or something that will jar me back to having some control over my body. The picture is of me in my dark blue gown for the Moonlit Ball. I had my hand slung around Jenna’s waist and was smiling into the camera with a bunch of other contestants from the previous year. Next to me, I see his silver hair, his hand on my back, with him wearing a white mask and white bowtie to hide his marks. His head is turned to focus on the diamond collar I wore to protect my neck. Just underneath his top smiling lip, I can see his canine.

I shiver and pull my hand back immediately as if I’m expecting him to emerge from the picture and bite me. I don’t even remember meeting him. I was in hostess mode. Taking photos at that stupid ball is so common I don’t even notice cameras half the time. The fact that I talked to him and that he touched me, brings bile to the back of my throat. This whole wall pays homage to his skills in stalking his prey, and his actions are more than proof to show the lengths he’ll take to get it.

“Celina,” Leroy starts, motioning to a picture of me waltzing out of the Alpha King’s mansion the day of the Claiming Ceremony. It’s a side view of me glancing over my shoulder, right into the camera. My hands are behind my back and I have a challenging smile on my face. The angle this was taken at has to be from inside the house. He was there the next morning. Why didn’t he come after me himself? Maybe Chris’s presence warded him off. Ruben’s and Exzecial’s probably kept him back as well.

I stiffen when I realize something. Randaul was there at some point as well. He was there to go after Jenna the moment I left the mansion. That doesn’t mean he was there during the ceremony, but it doesn’t mean Damian and Randaul weren’t there at the same time. Were they planning something back then? If so, what? The perfect time for the coup would have been when I was sedated and the royals were preoccupied with Chris’s trial. Why was Damian even at the ceremony?

A hard knot in my stomach tells me exactly why he was there. Damian was there for me that night. If Jenna hadn’t poisoned herself, I would have been asleep in my room. Yes, it would have been guarded, but not nearly as secure as the single female she-wolves. Likely something he wouldn’t have even cased out. I wasn’t supposed to make it to the Claiming Ceremony. He didn’t want to risk me being marked by another, but he couldn’t risk revealing himself. That’s why he was there that night. He was going to mark me as I had slept. If he wasn’t willing to show himself, part of his plan wasn’t ready. The timing of the Claiming Ceremony, and Chris marking me, might have made him tip his hand before he was ready.

“Celina,” Leroy starts while putting a hand on my shoulder, “perhaps it’s best if you wait outside.”

I look over my shoulder to see what has caused the shift in his tone. I cock my head when I notice the phone in his hand. “What is it?”

He bites his lip before answering. “Chris thinks it’s best not to show you. Just trust me when I tell you that this is tame compared to what he found.”

I put my hand up, “For once, I’ll listen to his warning. I don’t think I can take another surprise from my little stalker.”

“It’s insane, isn’t it,” Leroy muses as he puts his hand on my back to steer me out of the house. “It’s insane that someone would put so much effort into dedicating their life to someone else that they’ve never even spoken with.”

“I don’t think it’s me personally,” I tell him as I muse out loud; thinking of Damian’s actions. “I think it’s more about pouring himself into something that he thinks was stolen from him. He’s going for the throne since he thinks it’s rightfully his. He’s going after me because I’m the mate of Danny and Christopher; his younger brothers. The strongest lycan is getting paired with the strongest werewolf; a right that he feels should have been his. He was robbed of his destined life, at least that’s how he feels.”

“That still doesn’t explain that shrine of you on his wall in there,” Leroy argues, pushing me into the entryway wall while more palace soldiers enter the house of my nightmares.

“I’m not a shrink,” I hiss under my breath to him. “It’s my theory. It could be that the boy is obsessed with what he can’t have. Or it could simply be that he’s drawn to power and I’m just one of the shiny things that happened to say no to him. That man has so many red flags all over him, that I can’t find an exact sense of him. Then again, every time I meet him, he’s trying to sink his teeth into me, so it’s not like we’ve exactly had time to sit down and talk it out over dinner or something.”

Leroy opens his mouth to respond, but I cover his mouth to stop him. I caught a whiff of something. Slowly, I put my finger to my lips, and take a deep breath in through my nose. Amber, raspberries, and vanilla. Damian.

“Damian,” I mouth to him.

He nods as he texts Chris. “Either way, for your safety, I think it best we return to the palace. Prince Ruben can assist me here, though I thank you for your help, Queen Celina.”

I grimace. “I hate that title,” I tell him as I step closer to the door. It’s coming from outside. When I step onto the porch, I hear the fakest bird whistle I have ever heard. When I look over my shoulder, I see absolutely nothing. His scent still smells fresh, like blood.

“Leroy,” I start before hearing the distinct sound of glass breaking. I turn and run toward the sound with Leroy right at my heels. We round the corner to find Damian breaking the glass of one of the SUVs with his elbow, and a cat-like smile on his face.He’s covered in blood, sweat, and mud. He’s not wearing clothes, and that’s something he’s not shy about. He’s not a grower, that’s for sure. Oh stop it, Celina.

He looks me over, “You’re too easy Celina. A little bit of my blood, and you come running to me.” He cocks his head; looking at Leroy. “You’re still around? I’d thought the mutt prince would have killed you by now. I mean, you were almost as obsessed with Celina as Declan was.”

Leroy growls. “I have a mate now. Now get down on your feet, and put your hands behind your head.”

Damian chuckles, “It’s so cute how you have them trained, Celina. It’s amazing that he thinks he’s in charge. Do you notice not a single guard is coming to see where their precious little royal has gone? Or have come to see what that noise is about?”

Leroy stiffens when I do, before stepping in front of me. “You didn’t just work on the Councilmen, did you?”

He grins. “Now I see why Celina keeps you around. You’re much smarter than you look.” His sarcasm is marred just by the small blood-producing cough that follows. He shakes his head. “Get rid of the mutt servant, Celina. This is just supposed to be between me and you.”

“You’re not getting her alone,” Leroy growls, his body vibrating as he tries to resist his shift.

He smirks, “If she doesn’t want any more casualties, she will dismiss you.”

“What are you talking about?” I demand from him.

“In the cellar of the packhouse, I have every child that belongs to this pack locked inside there. If you don’t want me to cut their lifelines, you’ll send your mutt away. If you stay with me, and talk with me, I’ll release them from their blood bond.”