Chapter 22: Chapter 3

CORALIE

Darius and I spent nearly three hours laying out our plan, and to our relief, no one objected. As we exited the war room, I had one more task to complete, a secret I hadn’t shared with the others. I made sure everyone was settled before I slipped away into the woods, heading north.

As I dart past the trees and underbrush, my mind wanders to how Jordan stood just a few feet behind me yet felt miles away. Will he ever forgive me for my past mistakes? Can I forgive myself?

A smile tugs at my lips as I cross the northern border, aware of the trouble I’d be in if Darius discovered I’ve ventured into the pack lands alone. I quickly pick up the scent of the men I am seeking and follow it deep into the unfamiliar forest of the rogue’s territory.

I arrive at a small camp, which is eerily still, and I move forward with caution.

“Hello?” I call into the darkness, but there is no response.

As I move to the other side of the camp, a sickening smell fills the air, carried by the gentle night breeze. I walk toward the smell, cursing myself for doing what no sane person would. I reach a small clearing where the ground is blanketed in darkness, but my heightened senses reveal the truth.

The metallic stench of blood is overwhelming. I turn to leave when I collide with a cold, hard body, and arms wrap around me.

“Coralie, it’s okay.” He guides me back toward the camp where his men are waiting, along with Danny and Jordan, who look ready to explode.

His anger doesn’t faze me; my mind is too consumed with what I just saw.

“They…oh Goddess.” I bury my face in Darius’s chest, seeking refuge from the harsh reality. After a few minutes, I pull away, forcing myself to compartmentalize.

~I saw blood, not bodies. There could be survivors.~ I repeat this thought in my head, steeling my nerves.

“Tell me what you need me to do.” Darius’s voice is steady and his shoulders are squared.

“We need to search for survivors.”

He nods and walks over to his men, issuing orders to comb the area.

Danny approaches me, nudging me gently with his shoulder.

“We’ll have to discuss this queen thing later, but for now, let’s see if we can find anyone who made it out alive.” I can feel Jordan behind me, silent.

I lead them to the blood-soaked ground, then follow my nose west, noticing a trail of blood. We follow the trail for over five hundred yards before finding the mutilated bodies of more than a dozen rogues.

I feel my beast pushing forward, but she suddenly stops. I hear the faint sound of several heartbeats not far from us. I urge her forward, letting her lead us toward the sound, my mind focused solely on the possibility of finding survivors.

We reach a small cave shrouded in darkness, and my beast retreats, likely, to avoid scaring whoever is inside.

“My name is Coralie Velsire and I am here to help you.”

After a moment, shuffling sounds echo through the cave and five men emerge, two of whom have been part of the group that invaded the pack on Laurent’s orders.

“He…he killed them,” one of the men stammers out. They are all trembling, and all but one have significant injuries.

“Laurent?”

The man shakes his head, his eyes wide with terror.

“Altier. He’s a madman!”

I place a hand on his shoulder, channeling some of my energy into him to calm him and speed up his healing.

Once I’ve helped each of the men, I lead them back to the camp where the others are waiting. To my surprise, Darius has found more than a dozen others, all now sitting in the center of camp.

While it is heartening to have found so many alive, their collective grief casts a shadow over us, leaving everyone in quiet contemplation. I feel my neck growing warm and look down to see Luca’s amulet glowing brightly around my neck.

No one else seems to notice, except Darius. He grabs my arm and leads me away from the group to a small clearing out of earshot. I remove the amulet and place it on the ground, watching as Luca slowly materializes in front of me.

“Cora? What’s happening?”

“Luca! We’re coming for you! I have so much to tell you!”

“Cora? Cora! RUN!”

I look at Darius and see his eyes focused just beyond me. I turn to follow his gaze, spotting several wolves, their eyes glowing in the faint moonlight.

“Cora, how nice of you to save me the trouble of coming for you.” The unfamiliar man’s voice grates on my nerves as he steps forward.

“Who the hell are you?” I snarl at him.

“Oh, where are my manners?! My name is Jacob Laurent. My daughter told me a great deal about you. I have someone who will be very excited to see you. He’s been…~anxious~ to get in touch with you.”

I feel my wolf standing at the edge, but she is holding back. For once, I wish she would let loose. She sits there as if waiting for something I’m not aware of.

He takes a step closer, and that’s when I feel it. A surge of energy shoots through my feet and spreads to every cell in my body, filling me with a power unlike anything I’ve ever known. The air crackles with energy as it begins to overflow, leaving me feeling like a volcano on the verge of erupting.

Laurent motions for his wolves to move in, and my energy finally reaches its breaking point. A soul-shattering scream erupts from me. My arms fling out to the sides as countless bolts of lightning strike the ground, trees, and wolves around me.

Once the energy dissipates, Darius helps me to my feet. Laurent stares at his wolves, all laid low on the forest floor with scorched fur.

“But…but my daughter said you were some weak, covenless witch!”

I feel the familiar tingling of the person I once was resurfacing, murderous and cold.

I stalk toward him, chuckling darkly when he stumbles over the corpse of one of his wolves in his attempt to retreat. I grab him by the throat and slam him against a tree, his feet barely touching the ground.

I hear footsteps approaching quickly before a familiar dark voice calls out to me.

“Cora, stop!”

I don’t take my eyes off the repulsive man in front of me. “Why should I? Give me one good reason why I should spare this bastard.”

His emotions are palpable, a tangible force as he inches closer to me. “Cora, you don’t need to do this. This isn’t you.”

His words ignite the dying embers of my rage. I growl, low and menacing, halting his advance. But I can sense his proximity.

“Is that why you were so upset? Because this isn’t me? Or was it because you finally saw the real me? I don’t ~need~ to do this, but I sure as hell ~want~ to.”

My grip tightens, and I can’t help but smile as Laurent struggles for breath.

“You’re right. I was angry, confused, worried. Worried that if you were once this person, you might still be. Please, Cora, prove me wrong. Ease my fears. I can’t hate you or even be mad at you for your past because mine is just as murky. I love you, Cora.”

I let go, and Laurent crumples to the ground. I step back, trying to control the darkness threatening to consume me.

“You…are…weak.” Laurent manages to wheeze out the words between gasps for air.

“He should have died by her hand,” Darius mutters.

“Cora, look at me.”

I try to meet his gaze, but my eyes resist, afraid of what they might find. He gently lifts my chin, trying to turn my face toward him.

But then I see it—a blur of motion heading straight for Jordan. I push him aside, and my inner beast takes over, intercepting Laurent mid-leap as he tries to stab Jordan in the back with a silver dagger.

My beast doesn’t hesitate. She crushes his throat; his eyes bulge and his neck snaps before we let his lifeless body fall to the ground.

We look up at Jordan, and the fear in his eyes breaks us. Without waiting for the emotions to overwhelm us, she takes control, guiding us through the forest, away from the others, away from him.