Page 61 of Soul Fated

Kael shook his head, and Bill’s hand reached up to rest on Kael’s arm. “It’s okay, pup. It’s okay.” His eyes closed for a moment.

Lana watched on in disbelief. She was shaking, tears streaming down her face. "It accepted him but not me."

I shook my head, confused. "What do you mean?"

Lana squeezed her eyes shut. "Something went wrong. When it touched my blood, it didn’t accept it. The dark power surged through it—surged into me."

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. Lana’s blood was supposed to satiate the dagger, not provide a more deadly vehicle. But what did we know? We’d based our plan on an elementary understanding of the relics. Of course we’d misunderstood the power it held. The link that Lana had with the Shadow Pack.

Lana crawled forward, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Why didn’t you tell us?" She stared directly at Bill.

Bill’s eyelids shuttered. His breath coming in quick bursts.

Lana's eyes locked onto mine. "When the dagger touched me, I saw things. Memories that weren't mine. A pack, the Shadow Pack." Her voice wavered. "I saw them before the curse, before the relics. And I can see him now. I can see his wolf."

I stared at her, my mind racing. "Bill. He's Shadow Pack?"

Lana nodded, her hands clenched into fists. "The dagger wasn’t satisfied with a taste. It still required a life. If I had given more?—”

Bill coughed, and Lana's head jerked up. She scrambled to his side, her hands hovering over him. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Bill turned his head to look at her, his eyes glassy. "It's not your fault, Lana."

She shook her head, and a sob broke free of her lips.

Bill reached up and grabbed her hand. "This was my fate." His voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper. "You have to fulfill the legends. You need to reunite the pack." Bill's grip on her hand tightened. "The Shadow Pack. It's the only way the packs will be strong again. The only way to protect what's coming."

Lana paled. "What's coming?"

Bill's eyes fluttered closed. "You have to find the others, Lana. You have to—" His grip weakened, and his hand fell to Kael’s lap.

Lana's breath came in ragged gasps as she watched the life drain from his eyes. "Bill, please. Please don't go."

He didn't respond. His eyes were vacant. His chest still.

Chapter

Thirty

Callista

Lana swiped at her cheeks as she pushed up from the grass.

Kael cleared his throat. “Lana?—”

“Don’t.” Her fingers trembled as she pulled her phone from her pocket and swiped open the screen. She stalked into the trees, and I followed. She didn’t seem like she wanted moral support, but she was shaking like a leaf.

I glanced back at Kael. He’d shifted so Bill’s body was flat on the ground. He was already starting to fade. There was never a need for a burial with shifters. The earth knew where we came from and was eager to take us back.

“Rowan?” Lana sniffed, and I turned, trying to give her space but keep her in my line of sight. “She’s fine. Yes, I’m fine.”

I could only imagine Rowan’s anxiety with all this. It had been a leap of faith for him to give the task over to Lana. He never would’ve done it had he not had a new mother and pup to care for.

Lana paced. “It’s done.” She paused. “I don’t know, but it’s not going after her. The wound is healed.” She glanced up at my arm. I waited as she listened and nodded, then finally hung up the phone.

“Let’s go.” Lana’s shoulders were tense as we turned and strode back to the pools. The second we left the trees, my heart sank.

“What the hell?” Lana growled.

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