Page 140 of Red's Beast

“It doesn’t matter. I still won.” She snaps, flipping her hair back over her shoulder. “The blood in your family ends all curses. You're next just to be certain that it works.”

Grandmother scoffs. “Won what? A man who despises you for what you did to his mate? Wow, that’s true love. If Lucian had mated, then it would have satisfied the curse, because her blood would have flowed into his mouth during the mating bite.”

I turn, wanting to ask her how she knows about the rest of the curse, but I refrain. That is something I’ll find out once I’m dead.

When I turn back around, Natalia’s mouth is wide open as she goes into a state of shock. Emmeline even looks at her with disdain.

“What have you done, sister?”

“I have done what is necessary. She had to die for us to truly be free.” Natalia assures her, but the look on her face says otherwise. “That’s the only way their magic works.”

“No, you did what you wanted because you had your eyes set on Lucian. If it was really about breaking the curse, then you would have let Lucian go, but you’re greedy and wanted him for yourself and the only way to do that was to take his mate from him and wipe his mind of her before they claimed each other. You are selfish and look what it has gotten you.” Grandmother stands strong in front of Lillian’s body. “It’s time for all of this to end. Enough people have been hurt or have given their lives because of you.”

My wolf can’t agree more. Without a word, I lunge for her, shifting midair, but she catches me with her magic. The black tendrils wrap around me and squeeze. I struggle in her grasp, but she holds me there.

“So, now that you all are free of the binding, you become brave enough to stand against me. Is that it?”

Grandmother chuckles low.. “You are so delusional. We stood against you, bound and all. Now, we can just be vocal about why we do.”

She shifts into her white wolf and barrels toward her. My parents shift and so does my brother. If she thinks she can escape this time, then she has another thing coming. Today, this witch dies once and for all.

Grandmother lands on her before the magic tendrils wrap around her. Natalia screams as Grandmother’s wolf sinks its teeth into her arm. Her magic drops me to the ground and I’m able to move again.

I lunge for her, and this time I don’t miss. Grandmother moves over and allows me to stand over her.

“Please, Lucian. All I wanted was to have someone. You don’t know about my past life or what they did to me.” She reaches up, her hand almost touching my face, but I pull away from her.

For what you’ve done, you don’t deserve to be happy.

She smirks. “I knew you’d say that, but neither do you and you won’t ever be happy because I took the one thing that would make your life enjoyable.”

My teeth sink into her throat, biting clean through. Emmeline screams and rushes toward me, but stops as I raise up, my jaws covered in blood.

“Easy. I want to ensure she doesn’t come back ever again. Is that okay?”

I shift into my human form, and her eyes widen.

“What is your problem?” I bite out. “How are you not dead?”

She looks at my neck and shakes her head in disbelief. “Your neck. The bite has scarred over. It means the mating worked and our curse ended with yours. I’m no longer her bonded coven mate.” Tears line her eyes and fall down her cheeks as she sinks to her knees. “Natalia is really gone. I thought I could send her to the realm, and we’d just stay there forever, but she’s really gone and now I’ll live.”

“What are you babbling about?” Grandmother says, wiping her mouth. “We thought she was gone the first time, but there she was. She’s probably already piecing back together.”

Emmeline cries out, her head tilted back as if she’s howling at the sky. “No, Natalia is really dead. Lucian’s free of the curse, so we are, too. It means our longevity is gone and we’ll finally be able to die.”

I look down as Natalia’s body disintegrates into a pile of ash, which makes Emmeline cry harder. Her reign of terror is truly over and I’m finally free.

I walk over toward Lillian, my feet dragging against the ground and leaving a trail behind me. Blood is dribbling down my jaw onto my chest, though I’ve tried to clean it up. My mother has my mate’s head pulled into her lap and caresses her hair. “I always wanted a daughter.”

Logan and Pa look broken as they stare at her.

I fall to my knees beside her, reaching to take her from my mother. Of all the hopes and dreams I had for us, none of themwill ever happen. “My last wish is for everyone to leave me alone with her. When I’m gone, then come back and retrieve us. Put us in the family plot.”

“Lucian, no, you can’t do this. If you were going to follow her into death, you would have already.” Ma reaches out, but freezes. Her eyes land on the side of my neck. “I know you’re hurting, and you let her claim you, but you have to fight through it. She wouldn’t want you to die just because she did.”

“I’ve waited two hundred years for her. Those woods were so lonely until she arrived. I watched over her, and then once I knew she was my mate, that was it for me. A life without her is nothing. If I live, then I’m dooming myself to a life of misery.”

Corbin huffs out a breath. I know he is here, but he’s been so quiet I almost had forgotten about him.

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