Page 15 of Ethereal Shifters

“What a strange turn of events. My son has been saved by his guilty mate!” The alpha’s shout echoes and the crowds cheer, stomping their feet so hard it feels like the ground might give under us. Onyx slowly lowers his hands, his teeth gritted.

Hollis slides down the wall and goes straight after me, gripping my upper arm as he pulls me to my feet, hissing in my ear. “I swear I’ve never met anyone with a death wish like you.”

“I’m special. Aren’t you lucky to be bound to me?” I retort. Hollis doesn’t laugh, and neither does Onyx. “Let me go before my Nexus gets pissed and I don’t bother holding her back. She hates you as much as I do right now! You were going to let Onyx fucking die!”

Hollis doesn’t let me go. In fact, he tightens his grip. “If I let you go, the alpha’s rangers will take you into custody, and they will hurt you for this. So shut up.”

I ignore Hollis and focus on Onyx, who is staring at me like he needs to memorise everything about my face, about me. Like he is going to walk away again, but that can’t be true. I’m takingthe rite so he can see me again, right? Why does he look so broken still? Why can I feel his pain like it’s mine too? “How did you know?”

“My Nexus,” I admit. “Come back with me and?—”

The crowds are shouting, but I still hear the frantic beta’s nearby and their commands. One of them is louder than the others. “Take her down below. We’ll have to talk away from the crowds for questioning.”

“You’re not taking me anywhere.” I turn to face him.

“Gwenieve, for fuck’s sake. Just go. I’ll follow you.” Onyx’s hand touches my hip softly for a second. “Go with Hollis. Please.”

I reluctantly listen and Hollis leads me to the staircase in the centre, leading me down the illuminated, deep set of stairs that seems to never end before we get to an open room. Hollis shakes me the second we get to an empty, stone-walled room with many doors. “You’re going to die. Do you fucking get that?”

“Like you care. It’s not your responsibility this time. You don’t have to dive into somewhere to save me. It’s my choice. I was never going to let Onyx die for me. If I knew about it, I never would have allowed it.” I get into his face. “I would have made sure you died too if this had gone ahead and you didn’t tell me!” I slam my hands into his chest. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Me?” He laughs, getting closer, and his eyes are filled with fury. “Don’t you realise if you die in there, he’s going to die, anyway? His heart will crack open when you fucking die. He’s in love with you. So will Finn, so will Alek, so will Rhodes. You’ll bring everyone down with the mistake that you just made in there. That was selfish. I didn’t tell you because I was trying to save my brothers, my family, from the disaster that is you!” He laughs, but it’s empty. As empty as I feel as his words hit my heart and slam it onto the ground as it dies. I’m going to killthem all, just like I feared. “This was his choice, and you’ve just ripped it from him.”

“At least you’ll be okay. Your precious heart has never felt anything for me, anyway,” I bite.

“You rejected it first and crushed it.” He touches my chest, my heart. “I had a heart, and it was yours once. Just for a moment, and it died with you.”

My heart is racing. “I’m sorry for rejecting you that day. I really am sorry I hurt you. It hurt me just as much, and I’ve been broken ever since.”

He blinks in surprise, like he never expected me to say sorry for it. I didn’t expect to say it either. Whatever he was going to say next is lost as the alpha steps onto the bottom of the staircase, Onyx at his side and his guard on the other.

“You’re dead now, Miss Autumn. I can’t say I didn’t see this coming.”

Chapter

Eight

“You’re underestimating her, as usual,” Onyx smoothly replies, closing the distance between us, glancing at Hollis, who stays close to my other side, a silent agreement passing between them to protect me, I’m sure. But I’m not sure what to think of it when they both were working together to hide this madness from me. Alpha Paavo’s lips tighten, and I brush my shoulder against Onyx, just for a moment, just for a single touch. I want to touch his hand, reach out for him, but not with his father glaring at me. The alpha’s new ranger guard, a beefy man, moves to stand by one of the doors like a shadow. “Can I have a moment alone with her? A few minutes. I need to explain what the Rite of Freedom is because she didn’t grow up learning about it. It’s only fair she understands.”

“No. You know our deal. The Rite of Freedom was part of it, yes, but the other part of our deal was you marrying a woman of my choice and forgetting the bond.” Alpha Paavo might as well stab me in the chest and be done with it. “A rich woman of high-class breeding, furthering our bloodline and making sure this nonsense with Miss Autumn is done with. The Gods are rarelywrong, but in this case, they were. She is not yours and she brings nothing but trouble. Today has worked out exactly how I wanted it to. I knew her Nexus would never allow this to happen, and now she will die, just like she was meant to.”

Onyx steps forward, but I catch his hand. He looks at me as I turn to face his father. “I’m not scared of you, and it bothers you, doesn’t it? That you can’t control me. You can’t keep us apart. The Gods bound us, and not even you can shatter that.”

“The Gods have sent another mate into your path, as far as I understand. I don’t know if my son feels the connection yet, but clearly the Gods are not on the side of keeping you all together.” He smiles at the pain I can’t keep off my face. “She sounds delightful. I can’t wait to meet her, but nothing about today changes my agreement with my son. You should be thanking me, stupid girl, because without my power and my affection for my son, you would be dead. I would have been forced to make the executioner rip your Nexus from your soul.”

I shiver.

My Nexus pushes to the surface. “Weak men die painfully.” Wrestling back control, I blink as his face turns red. I wonder if my one remaining blue eye changed to grey too when she took over. “That was?—”

“Your Nexus is on a power trip!” Alpha Paavo snarls and turns to Onyx. “Don’t push your luck, or she’ll end up locked up on death rowifshe survives the Rite of Freedom. She doesn’t need to be free in the academy and, apparently, in the city she is banned from. I could keep her locked up, fed nothing, and covered in painful runes. Who knows what happens to her when she’s locked up and who might get in.”

“Fuck—”

I stop Onyx before he goes too far. “You mean like the Vian that you have deals with and just allow into the city?” I narrow my eyes at the alpha.

“I have never allowed a Vian into the city, nor have I sided with them. I am the Supreme Alpha. I should have you locked up for making such allegations against me.”

I laugh and he just turns redder. Onyx looks down at me. “Take her to the car, Hollis.”

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