Page 26 of Red's Beast

Maybe I’m truly blind.

“No, it’s just because of the power I hold. He fears it.”

Tears line my eyes and I automatically turn to look toward the path leading to grandmother’s cottage. Without wasting another second, I run the entire way there. Once I’m at her door, it feels like everything has been beaten out of me.

She opens the door, her eyes roaming over me. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying? What have they done?”

“Grandmother, stop them,” I say as my voice trembles with fear.

“Stop who from doing what? What is going on?”

I finally look into her deep blue eyes as shaking takes over all my movements. “In three weeks, I will be mated off to Corbin. He announced it to the pack. His father wants it to happen. I will never get the pack’s support and win a challenge.”

I collapse into her arms as she shakes her head.

“No, they wouldn’t do that. They only see you as the old alpha’s granddaughter.”

“In three weeks, I’ll be mated to Corbin,” I say, my voice a mere whisper.

She holds onto me tighter. “First, Nigel took your grandfather from me during a challenge. We had to move here. Then my daughter disappeared with her mate and they claimed they were killed and they couldn’t retrieve the body because of the monster. Now, they wish you to mate with Corbin?”

Her entire body shakes, causing me to pull away and wipe my eyes with the palms of my hands. “Grandmother, are you okay? What big teeth you have. Are you shifting?”

The cane she sometimes uses for support clatters to the ground. Her eyes turn bright red as the alpha comes out in her. “I will not tolerate this anymore. This is the last straw and I’m going to do what I should have done all those years ago. Your grandfather wasn’t the only alpha.”

Ripping fabric is all I hear as she pulls away from me and brushes past. I blink and she is already in the yard. She shakes out her white fur. There’s a small black patch on her chest.

Then she looks up, and I meet her cold red gaze.

“Oh, grandmother, what big red eyes you have.”

Grandmother lets out a growl before darting off down the path between the trees. It’s then I realize what is about to happen.

I run at full speed to catch up with her, but am not quite fast enough in my human form.

When I get to the village, grandmother already has Nigel cornered against one side of the alpha house.

As I catch up, Nigel looks at me with his hands still raised. His bright orange eyes meet mine.

“Lillian, what is the meaning of this? Who is this wolf?” Nigel glances down at the wolf again, when grandmother allows her scent to fill the air. “No, you can’t be her.”

“It’s my grandmother.”

He glances back and forth, unsure of who to look at. “Why is she cornering me?”

I don’t have time to say a word before he shakes his head, like she’s talking to him and telling him why.

“So, that’s why you have me like this, Hazel. I thought you, of all people, would be happy that this is happening. It puts your line back in the position of alpha. Your great grandchild will be an alpha of the pack.”

He tries to reason with her, but I’m too surprised by her use of the pack bonds. She outright rejected them and wouldn’t use them since Nigel took over.

“I understand that you are upset, but this is the best thing I can do for her. Do you not understand that I’m making up for the past and righting the wrongs? She will be respected. Isn’t that what you want? If she mates with my son, then she will be the pack’s Luna and will never be without.”

Grandmother snarls low in her throat, which sounds a lot like disagreement.

“Now, Hazel, there is nothing I can do now. It’s already been declared in front of the pack and it is final. In three weeks, we will hold the ceremony.”

I scoff. “You can call this whole thing off. It’s your pack, so I don’t know why you keep saying there is nothing you can do.”

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