Chapter 154
Zara
Alpha linked minds with his Beta, and the two of us waited by Jesse’s body until he appeared. While I couldn’t get Jesse’s lifeless face out of my head, Alpha turned to me. His honey-colored eyes looked at me with a stern severity, laced with tension and weariness.
“Marcus used her as payment, didn’t he?” Alpha asked, recognizing the pattern of death.
“It seems so.” I frowned, my gaze lingering on the spot where Jessie had once sat.
“It’s not your fault, Zara,” Nova muttered. “You’re not responsible for everyone p>
I wasn’t sure if she knew about her heritage, and I had no way to explain. I’d long since given up trying to understand the shadows and why they demanded such… compensation, but I saw no point in killing another half-breed. Jessie was just a child, born into a world where species warred and collateral damage was high.
“Why?” Alpha winced, anger flashing in his dark eyes.
“She looked like me,” I replied simply, turning away as his piercing gaze searched mine. “Not the same blood, but she was a half-breed p>
“How long have you known that?” Alpha asked grimly.
“Recently.” I shook my head. “I met her when the attacks happened. We both smelled the human scent, though neither of us knew where it was coming from p>
“And that indicates her species?” Alpha asked, his voice amused. There was a hint of impatience in his voice.
I brushed aside the anger in his voice, knowing we were both in for a very long night. I wondered if either of us would get any sleep. My birthday was in two days, and with the race war looming, I needed to get as much sleep as possible.
“Don’t tell Sophia about this.” I sighed, knowing her mother would kill us both if she found out we were reading her personal book collection. “Sophia’s mother has a secret stash of books. We broke into her safe and read them. According to the books, the scents are almost elusive p>
“Elusive?” Alpha asked, his gaze mesmerized as I continued speaking.
“They smell sweet… very sweet.” I winced as the scent faded into the background. “Jessie smelled them too p>
“Then I suppose the shadows were asking for the half-breed’s life.” Alpha frowned. “Though he didn’t kill her himself p>
“Maybe shadows have their own preferences.” I shrugged, though an uneasy feeling still gnawed at me. “I’m no closer to solving this than I was a month ago p>
“I’m not sure I want you to solve it,” Alpha muttered under his breath, and we exchanged glances filled with vague unease.
“We need to talk to Kate, don’t we?” I sighed, realizing this night wasn’t over yet.
“We do.” Alpha nodded. “Although I’d rather talk to her sooner rather than later p>
“I know.” I frowned. “I think I should talk to Ethan p>
“Even locked in a cell, I couldn’t bear the thought of him being under the same roof with you,” Alpha growled softly, exhaling sharply as we entered the house.
Alpha Bran returned to the hangar before us and hunched over on the living room couch. A thin trickle of blood ran down his face, and a bloody wound graced his arm. The clean living room couch was splattered with blood, but none of the Alphas seemed to care.
“One of those damn things bit me,” Alpha Bran snapped, raising his hand to show the bloody wound. “Bit me like a damn sausage p>
“Did you make him regret it?” I asked, a dry smile appearing on my face as I looked at the Alpha.
“Yes, my dear.” Alpha Bran returned my grim smile with one of his own. “His remains are scattered throughout the forest p>
“What about Alpha Zeke?” Alpha asked, glaring irritably at Bran.
“Taking care of his people.” Alpha Bran chuckled.
The putrid smell was completely gone as we descended into the dungeons. My nose wrinkled at the smell, but my stomach no longer twisted in knots. I’d seen enough death and blood to last a lifetime, but the putrid stench was nothing compared to this. Reluctantly, Alpha took the left tunnel, where Kate lived, and I the right.
Unable to leave Kate and Ethan unguarded, Alpha assigned two men each to guard their cells. Isaac and one of Alpha’s men guarded Ethan’s. It was almost amusing to see Ethan’s once-best friend guarding his prison cell, though Isaac’s gaze held no sympathy for him.
“Zara,” Isaac nodded, his gaze hard as he looked at Ethan’s hunched figure. “I wanted to apologize for… earlier p>
“No need.” I shook my head, brushing off his apology. I’d long forgotten about Ethan.
“Trying to get into her pants already, Isaac?” Ethan snorted, his voice hoarse from lack of water. “Get in line, though I’m not sure you can compete with an alpha p>
Isaac didn’t respond to his bait, clearly accustomed to it. I rolled my eyes and watched him climb out of the dirt wall. He looked much more haggard than yesterday, his hair a couple of shades darker from the thick layer of dirt.
“I suppose there’s a reason for your visit?” Ethan smirked, having the nerve to smugly act like he was rotting in a silver cage. “Things aren’t going so well with your new Alpha, are they p>
The bitterness in his words reached my ears, and part of me wanted to laugh. The war between our species must have been brewing for a long time, but it was he who struck a match with Marcus and watched it all go up in flames. Did he really expect everything to work out in his favor?
“Yes, because pride clouds his judgment,” Nova muttered.
“Let’s play a game, okay?” He chuckled, though his laughter was a shadow of its former self. “Question for question p>
“Very well.” I nodded, remaining wary, in case he had something up his sleeve.
“Are you nervous, Zara?” He said quietly, his eyes shining with hidden emotion. “I suppose your birthday is coming up soon. Who could that friend of yours be p>
“That’s two questions.” I rolled my eyes. “And of course I’m nervous. You knew about…Today’s attack p>
“Tonight?” His eyes shone, almost hopeful. “I knew they were planning an attack, but I had no idea when or where it would happen. How far along were they p>
I saw no harm in answering his question, so I complied.
“Not far,” I shrugged. “They were heading toward my father’s house. Looks like they were looking for me p>
I watched silently as the light in his eyes dimmed. I realized: he was hoping they would save him. He had nothing for them, no help in their quest to completely wipe out all werewolves. They wouldn’t come for him, and now he was beginning to believe it.