Chapter 23: Chapter 4

ALPHA JORDAN

Cora’s sudden shove took me by surprise. But when I saw Laurent hurtling toward me, dagger in hand, I realized he had accepted his fate. Yet, I didn’t anticipate Cora’s beast to finish him off so brutally.

I was taken aback, to put it mildly. When our eyes locked, I knew she saw the flicker of fear in mine. I wanted to reassure her that my fear was for her safety, that I was scared of losing her.

But that would have been a lie, and she didn’t stick around long enough for me to clarify. I stand there, staring at the trees where Cora vanished, when I feel a cold hand on my shoulder.

“Alpha, you’re being foolish. She’s been alive for nearly 183 years, 140 of those spent serving the council. How many witches have your pack executed for crimes they were manipulated into believing were real?

“We’ve all committed sins in the name of protection, for people who didn’t deserve it. The darkness from our sins never fades, but hers is better managed than anyone I’ve ever known.

“She’s a beautiful chaos. I’m going to find her. You should stay here and figure out if you’re worthy of her. If you’re not, you need to let her go. She may not be the mate you want, but she’s definitely the monster we need.”

His words make my heart ache.

“I couldn’t let her go even if I wanted to. She’s my mate.”

He smirks, making him look even more menacing. “I know. I saw it the moment you two were together in the courtyard. Regardless of being mates, she doesn’t deserve to be treated like a monster, even if one resides within her. She’s more than her sins.”

I watch as Darius disappears, leaving me alone to ponder if I would ever be worthy of her.

“I hate to admit it, but the vampire has a point. She let him go, and he attacked you. She was just protecting her mate.” Danny’s voice is heavy with concern and irritation.

“That’s not what’s bothering me. Did you see the look in her eyes? She relished killing him.”

He drapes his arm over my shoulders and laughs heartily.

“Wouldn’t you have? He tried to destroy our pack by kidnapping the mates and children of rogues, then sending them to attack us. He sent his daughter to gather intel and seduce you. He has Cora’s brother.

“He ordered the massacre of the rogues he forced into helping him, then tried to attack her mate. Why shouldn’t she enjoy it? Yes, she may have killed innocents in the past, but she changed. She didn’t stop because she had to, she stopped because she realized it was wrong.

“And she spent her time on the run helping those in need, regardless of their race. Without her need to atone for her sins, how many of those people at the pack house would be there right now? How many would offer their lives and their people to help us?”

His words hit me hard, and I know he is right.

“We need to find her.”

Danny’s grip on my shoulder tightens. “The vampire already did.” He points toward the trees where Darius and Cora are emerging from the darkness.

I approach her, trying to pull her close, but she evades me and continues walking until she reaches the gathering of rogues and our people.

“Change of plans. We need to get back and inform the others. We move at dawn.” Her voice trembles, and Darius stands beside her, his pale face grave.

“What about the rogues?” Dante, one of Darius’s men, asks, pointing at the group of rogue wolves to his left.

“This is their fight, now more than ever, if they choose to seek justice.” The pain in her voice and the emotions flooding our bond are overwhelming.

She walks toward the group of rogues, and I wonder what she saw in the woods that has shaken her so much. But my curiosity quickly turns to anger when she addresses the men.

“I will help you with a proper send-off. If you choose not to fight, I will understand. But if you do, I will be honored to fight and, if necessary, die at your side.”

All the men nod, and we follow her into the woods. Darius holds back my men and me, letting the others get a head start.

“Alpha, if you go with them now, you won’t be able to unsee what lies ahead.”

I furrow my brow and meet his gaze.

“I’m not leaving until she’s done with whatever this task is.” I don’t know exactly what is coming, but I assume it has to do with the dead rogues we saw in the woods.

“You’re about to see what made her a monster, Alpha. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

We follow him, catching up with the others quickly, and just as quickly, wishing we heeded his warning. We reach a small clearing, and under the moonlight, dozens of bodies are strewn about.

Women and children, the ones Laurent took and used for leverage, all reduced to a bloody mess of exposed flesh, blood, and bone. I watch in horror as the vampires help the rogues and my mate carry the bodies and line them up.

My heart breaks as I see Cora cradle the small body of a child, no more than two years old, to the line of bodies. Tears stream down her face as one of the rogues takes the child from her arms. He collapses to the ground, screaming into the night, his grief suffocating us all.

Cora kneels beside him, speaking in a low voice that I barely hear, but I do.

“This isn’t right. I can’t let this happen, I won’t.”

She gently places her hands on the small child’s head, murmuring words that are foreign to my ears. A brilliant blue light started to seep from her fingertips into the child, filling the clearing with an almost blinding radiance.

With her left hand extended toward the lifeless bodies scattered across the clearing, she keeps her right hand firmly on the child. The silence of the clearing is abruptly broken by a series of high-pitched screams as the bodies jerk back to life, gasping for air that hasn’t filled their lungs in what feels like an eternity.

The men rush toward their revived family members, their sobs of grief transforming into tears of joy. Cora rises to her feet, turning her back on the miraculous scene, and heads back toward the woods, in the direction of our camp.

Darius, Danny, and I trail behind her, following her to the site where more mutilated bodies lie. She repeats the same mysterious incantation, and we watch in awe as the dismembered bodies slowly start to mend themselves.

Flesh knits back together, and the men eventually rise, their wounds completely healed. Danny escorts them back to their overjoyed families while Darius and I stay with Cora.

She stands there, her gaze fixed on something in the distance, her expression blank.

“What are you looking at?” he asks, stepping closer.

She doesn’t respond immediately. “I’m not sure,” she finally says, her voice barely above a whisper.

He follows her gaze but sees nothing unusual. “Are you okay?” he asked, concern evident in his tone.

“I think so.” She turns to face him, her eyes searching his. “It’s just… I feel like I’ve been here before.”

He frowns. “But you’ve never been to this place, right?”

“No, never.” She shakes her head. “It’s strange, like a déjà vu.”

He takes her hand gently. “Maybe it’s just your mind playing tricks on you.”

“Maybe,” she agrees, though her expression remains troubled.