Page 36 of A Crown of Fates

His dark laughter echoes through me.“You pathetic excuse for an alpha. Did you think you were spared for your own sake? No. I needed you—broken, without hope. Now, as you’ve already admitted, you are mine to command. You’re going to be the king I’ve created you to be, and Estee is going to give us an heir. There’s no getting out of this. The two of you are mine now and I will get what I want. One way or another, even if that means impregnating your mate myself.”

I’m spiraling, lost in the darkness Orix has trapped me in, when I suddenly hear Estee’s voice, fierce and unyielding. “Theo!” She shakes me hard, gripping my arms. “Wake up.”

Her words pierce the fog, and I blink, the world coming back into focus, but I’m still paralyzed. Estee’s face is inches from mine, her eyes blazing with concern and something else—something deeper, fiercer.

“I’m not above punching you, Theo,” she warns, her voice shaking. “Fight whatever this is before I do it myself.”

“I… I’m sorry,” I finally murmur, my throat dry and voice hoarse. “It was Orix. He threatened to…” My gaze hardens and locks onto Estee. “I won’t live like this anymore. We deserve better, and we will have better.”

Orix has pushed me too far. Giving me Estee, taking her away, saying he’s going to take my future child and if I don’t cooperate, he’ll take care of that himself as well? No more. I won’t let him take anything else from me. Not when Estee gives me every reason to fight, to overcome the mess Orix has made of my mind and my heart.

I don’t know how, but as my mate smiles up at me, believing in my strength, I know I have to find a way to move forward once and for all. Continuing to allow the darkness to suck me back in, taking all that I am with it, isn’t an option any longer.

“Who is Orix, and what the hell did he just do to you?” Asher demands, looking between Estee and me.

I’m surprised Isla didn’t already fill him in, but maybe Estee hasn’t revealed everything I’ve done. I’m not sure if that’s because she’s ashamed of me or something else, but I’m done hiding.

“He’s a god who sent a group of wolves to kill my pack,” I admit to Asher. “That night broke me in more ways than one, leaving me susceptible to his lies. Something he took advantage of, but no more.” I look up at my mate again and hope she can see the depth of my determination. “He won’t take anything else from me.”

Isla moves to take her place next to Asher and looks up at him. “We need to contact her.”

“Absolutely not,” he snarls. “Owing her one favor is enough. We won’t owe her two when we don’t know how she intends to collect.”

“She won’t let us through to any of the other gods and you know it,” Isla presses. “They need us. We have no choice.”

“There’s always a choice,” he grumbles but then looks at me. “Is Orix blocking you from reaching the other gods like Aurora is for me?”

I’d thought that maybe I couldn’t reach them because of how I became king, but maybe it’s been Orix this whole time. “Possibly. I’ve yet to be able to complete the ceremony.”

Asher mutters something under his breath then nods toward the door. “Maybe we should take this conversation elsewhere. It seems we have a lot more to discuss than my mate saw fit to tell me.”

Isla glares at him. “My sister only just told me how dire things are. Believe me, I’ve been screaming inside her head every second since she walked into this room.”

Asher’s lips thin, but I, for one, can’t help being glad that Estee’s kept what I’ve shared between us until she had no choice.

Still, Asher is right that we need privacy, so I grab my mate’s hand without thinking, and when she doesn’t pull away, I lead us out of the room and toward the stairs to go back up to my office.

She looks over at me, and for the first time since her arrival, I see pride in her eyes.

“You’re going to regret this, Theodore.”

No, I don’t think I am.

Orix’s presence is gone before I get the words across, but that doesn’t make them any less true. I won’t cower from his threats ever again. I can’t.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

ESTEE

Between the shared kiss with Theo, my sister’s arrival, and the looming challenge of facing Orix, I’m being pulled in too many directions. Exhilarated, nervous, determined—I don’t know where to land. And yet, a quiet fear stirs beneath it all.

Not that I’m afraid of going against a god when there’s every reason to stand up to him, but I’d be a fool not to acknowledge how dangerous Orix is—an ancient being of power beyond our understanding. That much, I can’t ignore. We need to tread carefully. One wrong move, and the consequences could be fatal. Freedom from Orix’s grip on Theo is the goal, but staying alive long enough to achieve it is just as crucial.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you,”Isla’s voice slides into my mind through our mental link.“Seeing you with him now, I understand. I just wish I could have been here for you this whole time.”

“It’s okay. We’re going to figure this out.”I normally loved having a mental connection to my sister, but after I practically tackled her with my hug, she immediately began questioning me. I should have known I couldn’t keep anything from her

Our gazes quickly meet and she grins.“Yes, we are and I hope you know how proud I am of you right now. You might be the older sister, but you’ve always forged your own path, doing as you pleased. Seeing you already settling in here, making a difference with the people, it looks good on you.”

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