Page 55 of The Alpha Wolf Defying Fate

Rory stepped back into my view. Our eyes locked as she forced me to focus on her.

“You. Are. Not. Evil.” She said, each word punctuated into the air between us. “You’re a protector. For not just those you care personally for, but for the entire world. That is the truth and the reason we are here now. Even if you might have some darkness inside you, it’s not enough to block out the light that shines within your heart and illuminates that beautiful soul. A soul that shows everyone exactly who you are.”

I stared back at her, my arms loosening over my chest as her words settled in my heart. She smiled as she seemed to recognize that she struck a chord in me, her hands outstretched to me in an invitation.

“If you want proof that you are a fighter, then fight those dark thoughts. Fight like an alpha.”

I fell into her embrace, smiling as a stray tear fell down my cheek and Ayden’s words that had carried the same message now joined my cousin’s. Funny how hearing them from my cousin now seemed to burn a new fire inside me.

I was a goddamned warrior princess, and I would fight my demons off like the alpha I was.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Ayden

Baerwalkedintotheroom, Rory not in sight as he grabbed something that resembled a pear from the table across the room. It didn’t take much to guess that she was comforting Sasha.

Again.

“What did you do this time?” Baer asked, half amusement in his voice. “Did you call her an evil witch again? Because I thought we squashed that little theory of yours.”

“No,” I answered flatly as I turned the page of my book.

I thought about how heartbroken she had been that day I told her the harsh words. That same day, as Baer worked as a middleman to our bond, he shared a secret with me that I was pretty sure that even his own mate didn’t know yet. Or maybe she did, but she didn’t speak it out loud.

It was that secret that revealed just how far I had jumped in the conclusion of Sasha and the so-called future we thought we would share. A future far different than the one most fated pairs look forward to.

“Well then, why is she so upset? She hadn’t left your side all week. But the minute you wake up and have a one-on-one conversation she has to leave. Suddenly she has to be outside basking in the sun with a sour look on her face.” He pressed, the humor in his tone hiding the clear annoyance of being some self-appointed middleman.

“I criticized her for not fighting and putting herself in a vulnerable position that required me to be her savior,’ I said. My tone was deep even as I saw his eye twitch from the corner of my own.

“Did anyone ever teach you not to kick someone while they’re down? What the hell is wrong with you, Dude?”

“What’s wrong with me?” I looked back up at him skeptically. “She could have died! She refused to fight and let her fear get the better of her instead of having it fuel her survival instinct like it was intended for.”

“Yeah, she could have died, but she didn’t. Just like you could have died, and she knows that. While you were unconscious, she was beating herself up for putting you in this predicament. She is fully aware of what freezing up could have cost her. Which brings us right back to the first question. Has anyone ever taught you not to kick someone while they’re down?”

I growled and turned my gaze back to the book. The words and images on the page blurred as I stared at it. My focus retreating to my thoughts as Baer’s words settled around me.

“What are you finding in that book anyway?” Baer asked after a moment of watching me pretend to read.

I looked up at him, then back to the page as it came into focus.

“Seems to be a history book for this city. Or, rather, the island this city used to dwell on. Apparently it was a hub for everyone who lived around the sea. It also was home to some of the brightest witches and shifters, which is part of why they have the crystal technology we see.”

Baer looked over at the light shining from the ceiling, then back to me. “That does make sense. They do resemble some of those crystals your mom showed us when we were kids. Does the book give a name?”

I shook my head. “Annoyingly no. It’s very vague about the name of the city and its island. Just mostly seems to focus on the history of the people who lived here. Seems that magic saturates its entire existence. ‘A city built by gods’ is the title.”

Baer leaned forward and stared down at the book. “Hold on,” he frowned. “Why is this all in English? Nothing in this place so far has been in English.”

I shook my head. “It would seem something or someone in that library wanted me to find and read this book. It fell off the shelf and when I inspected it I found that it was already translated.”

Baer looked at the book with more reluctance. “You sure it was to help us?”

I gave a shrug and turned the page. “I have yet to find anything that would hinder us in the book.”

He still seemed suspicious as he watched me turn the page again. I sighed and sat the book down.

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