Page 84 of A Wolf in the Garden

“He is your son! I wish that for once, you could just switch off your alpha competitiveness and love him the way a father should. He doesn’t deserve the way you treat him.”

“You think I like it? You think I wanted this! I didn’t wantany of this!”

“Calm down. People will hear.”

“Wipe the memory, Bronte. There is no other choice.”

Both of them look up suddenly, staring off into the distance. Their stillness, the alertness in their muscular frames, reminds me of predators.Of course it does. He turns into a wolf. She must do too.

Does that mean Lacey does? And Van? And Seth and little Jenny?

“What-what are you?”

My voice sounds so small, as small as I feel right now. Bronte looks down at me, her eyes filling with tears. “It doesn’t matter, darling. You’re not going to remember any of this, anyway.”

“No—”

“Shhh.” Her hand is back over my mouth, Weston’s harsh grip taking hold of my arms, pinning me down. His hands feel burning hot.I’m going to die.

“Do it,” he says. “I have to deal with that corpse before anyone comes down here. Lucky the tide is coming in.”

I try to squirm, try to cry out, but I can’t. Warm light surrounds me, glowing gold, and then Bronte is saying something in that same strange language that I don’t recognise. She stops, bending to whisper in my ear.

“Forget.”

Sixteen

VAN

Ellie sits quietly, eyes closed, a small crease between her brows as she practises her magic with Nerilina. “That’s not the ward,” Nerilina says, violet eyes opening to frown at Ellie. Her look of confusion morphs to one of shock and disgust. “Ellie,stop.Ellie!” But whatever Ellie is doing, it’s too late. “Shit!” Nerilina curses, and my stomach drops.

Ellie’s eyes open wide, her face contorting in horror, and the most awful, keening wail comes out of her mouth. “Ellie!” I yell, reaching for her, and she scrambles back from me across the grass, mouth open in a soundless scream, tears already beginning to stream down her face. “What —”

“Dark magic, fuckingdark magic,” Nerilina is cursing. “Ellie, sweetheart, it’s okay. Shh. It’s okay. It’s okay.” The elf crouches in front of Ellie’s sprawled form, gathering her up, giving me a stern look meant to hold me back. Fuck that. I get to my feet. Ellie is my mate, and I’ll —

Ellie whimpers, looking terrified as she catches sight of me, as if she is terrified ofme, and I stumble backwards, confused and hurt and, “What the fuck is going on?” I snap at Nerilina,snarling, losing control of my howling wolves and losing my shit in the process. “What have you done to my mate?”

“I’ve done nothing! Someone put a block on her memory. They hid something they didn’t want her to see.”

“What?Who?WHO?”

“Shhh! Calmdown,wolf!Your anger is not helping here.”

Ellie sobs louder, her body trembling, and I feel like my heart is being torn in two. There is nothing worse,nothing worse, than seeing a loved one hurt, injured…

Dead.

I suck in a deep breath, forcing myself to find any semblance, any tiny thread of calm to cling to, forcing myself away fromthose thoughtsof a different time, of a tragedy that willneverbe repeated. My shifter wolf paws at me, desperate to get out, and I curl my fists, nails biting into my palms, shaking with the effort of holding him back.

“Ellie, baby,” I beg. “Ellieplease,let me help you.”

“Van,” she sobs, reaching out a hand, and I rush to her, falling to my knees, gathering her into my arms. She buries her face against my neck, her fingers digging into my back, clinging to me, and I squeeze her tight.

“Baby, tell me what’s wrong so I can help you,” I whisper into her hair, and she sobs louder. “Ellie, baby —”

“Just give her time to compose herself —”

“Just mind your ownfucking business!” I snap with a full on alpha growl, and any wolf in my own pack would have fallen to the ground, crushed under the weight of the order. As it is, Nerilina rises to her feet, staring down at me with pursed lips, and a moment later I shake my head, remorse hitting me in a wave that further churns my gut. “Fuck,I’m sorry, it’s my wolves, they’re very upset and —”

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