JADE POV
"You're going to end up dead in the next two days" the girl that had burst into the room's voice rang through the void, the sound of it eerily haunting.
Dearil had almost killed her and I could still see the faint marks of his claws on her neck. Well, for the records, mine looked far worse than hers did, I also felt worse than she did. Being swept up in the euphoria of sex dulled my senses, making me unaware of how hard he gripped my skin or how vicious his kisses had been. My body ached all over and I was sure that even if I didn't die in two days, I might before I got out of the pack house.
It also didn't help that I didn't care about that little aspect, and although I had freaked out at the end of our tryst, I wanted to relieve the passion of being in his arms once again, I wanted to revel in the feeling of being dominated by someone without caring that my life was in danger, because somewhere in my mind, there was a voice that whispered that I was safe, even tho the circumstances all screamed that I wasn't. I wanted to play games with Dearil, but he'd succeeded in messing with my head. He'd broken something within me, and I didn't even know what it was.
Dearil was death himself, and I'd embraced him gladly. Like a moth to the flame, I was drawn, and no matter how much I got burned, I kept flying closer to the dangerous flames. It was a vicious circle, and I could see it getting worse.
Regarding the girl carefully, I tried to read her. Was she someone I could trust and why was she so sure that I was going to get killed? The council had called for a meeting immediately after they saw the body of the dead wolf. I could still picture the shock on their faces and I'd never been prouder of Dearil because he refused to look or feel sorry for killing the wolf.
Watching the interaction between him and the council, I could already tell that they hated him and that little knowledge made me angry. They belittled them, spoke to him as if he wasn't an Alpha, and I could see the triumphant look in their eyes because they thought they finally had something to get rid of him.
The scenario reminded me of my life and the bitter taste it left even though I'd killed off almost everyone who hurt me. The pain never went away, it festered, and it build until it turned into a horrible ache that consumed my soul.
Dearil held back, I saw it. I felt it, and I wanted to do nothing more than destroy them all for their acts. If I had the power to kill them all, I would not hesitate for a second.
I was not a good person, but that didn't stop me from ridding the world of those who were worst than I was. It was the classic evil taking out evil.
Watching Dearil's clenched jaw as he glanced at me to grit out the words that I would be fine, and that he would handle everything before he followed the other off made something tug in my chest. I had planned to destroy him, so why did I want to protect him all of a sudden?
The silence lingered and the girl watched me trying to gauge my reaction but I'd been trained never to show emotions. Never let the enemies know what it was that you thought about, so all she got was a blank look.
"Why are you so sure that I'll meet my demise in two days".
"Because Dearil's your owner. He's going to lose his senses one of these days and it will be your head rolling on the floor".
Scoffing, I stepped into her space, not caring that she had almost equal strength to Dearil. "Thanks for your little observation but it wasn't needed. I'll worry about myself, why don't you do the same, because the way I see it, you might end up dead before I do".
Her lips tilted in a smile. "You have guts. No wonder you've managed to last these long with Dearil, but have you looked into the mirror lately." Her dainty finger made a swiping motion over my body. "You're bruised little human. How much more can you take before you break".
This bitch knew nothing about me if she thought her words would make any impact.
"I can take a lot more than you can imagine. I'm not a doll made of glass, in case you haven't noticed, I've got thicker skin and I will survive".
The smile on her face stretched as she reached to grab my chin. I pulled back in time with a grimace.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Dearil doesn't like vermin touching what is his"
The anger that cloaked her expression made her pretty face look ugly. "If you keep this up, you'll really die, Jade Alvarez. I am not part of the council, although I am an Alpha, they see me as a rogue first, hence why my voice doesn't matter and I'm not there with them right now, judging the crime of Dearil".
I crossed my arms. The girl knew my name, and she'd said it like she knew who I was. "What do you want," I asked going straight to the point. She wanted something from me and was beating around the bush instead of just hitting the nail on the head.
"There will be a moon festival that would hold in two days. You have to make sure you attend with your Master".
"That's a given... " I paused, fishing for her name and hoping that she would fill me in. She got the memo and rolled her eyes.
"Ariel".
"That's a given, Ariel. Dearil was not going to leave me behind in the first place." I didn't mean to sound too pleased, but I'd already done it and there was no going back. Dearil wasn't that bad of a Master. I knew I was a lot to handle, and most of the time it was my fault he went off the rails.
"He will this time and when he does, you have to do everything it takes to come to the festival".
Getting curious, I watched her skeptically. "Why should I, and why are you so sure Dearil would not let me attend the ceremony".
"Because the ceremony will coincide with every wolf's heat, and you're unclaimed, unmated, you'll be fair game to everyone".
The words felt like huge bricks of blocks being tossed at me with brutal force. What did that mean, that everyone could have me? One wolf was already hard to handle and now I had more to worry about.
"Wait, if that is the case, then shouldn't I stay hidden like Dearil would want me to".
Ariel stepped closer until we were face to face, the space between us almost nonexistent. I could feel her breath on my skin, her voice pitched as if she was whispering her words in my ear. "No. If you ever want to survive, you need to make him mark you. You have to be there when the heat starts, he'd be out of control, unable to tame his lust or his urge to claim. You have to get him to bite you, that is the only way you can become as strong as he is. Isn't that what you crave, a chance to leave this place, a chance to put him in his place, a chance to go back to the life you left behind".
She was bloody persuasive and It was all that I wanted, yet I hesitated because no one offered so much for nothing. What was her plan, what did she get out of me becoming stronger? The promise of power was tempting tho, if I had half his strength, I'd be unstoppable, and once I combined that with my brains, there would be no contender that would be able to stand in my way.
Becoming stronger was also the only way I could ever escape, and what better time to disappear than when my heart was still intact and his spell, or whatever it was he'd placed on me hadn't taken took yet- although It was already messing with my head.
"And what will you get out of all this".
"A chance at revenge. Vaughn and his son, with the rest of the pack disrespect and belittle me, and Dearil, he always knew I wanted to be with him but he broke my heart, he shattered it into a million pieces and almost killed me a while back right in front of you. It's a shock to my system but he actually seems to care a lot about you, and that is why I am sure that there'll be nothing that would shatter his heart more other than the fact that you're gone and out of reach, forever".
Her words were lies. I felt it even tho her demeanor indicated that she spoke the truth, but it didn't matter what her motive was, I needed his power if I ever wanted to get out of the cursed Etral forest and take over the syndicate before Vaughn took control of what I'd worked hard for. Father was going to take the first chance he got to cast me away, so there was no other choice to make. I was going to take the only way out. I was going to make Dearil Vaughn, my new Master who made me question my sanity bite me.