Page 44 of Owned By Four Alphas

She had wanted to kill them.

They had threatened her baby. Insulted her. She had been so angry, so furious, so protective. She wanted them to suffer.And so her magic made it happen, and once it was released, she could not control it.

It had taken every ounce of strength she had left to get it back under control once she had fled. She was so tired of fighting it, so tired of constantly having to keep it in check. But she didn’t know what else she could possibly do.

The shadows were growing long, and her exhaustion was threatening to overwhelm her. Malek shifted her slightly, calling out to Ronan, “I think we should make camp soon.”

Ronan glanced back, his eyes narrowing when he looked at her, and nodded. Kaelen didn’t say anything.

They walked for perhaps half an hour more, and Selena felt her eyelids grow heavy. Just a bit. She could sleep for just a bit.

A cool breeze hit her face, and she awoke with a start, gasping.

It was night, the summer stars gleaming brightly above them, and they had just walked into a clearing.

Selena’s blood froze over.

Pushing out of Malek’s arms, she staggered forward a few steps, her legs wobbly.

A clearing, empty, save for a large silver birch at its center, the leaves gleaming in the moonlight. At its base, looped around the trunk, the decaying remains of rope.

It was here.

Where everything began.

The clearing that the village pack had taken her to nearly a year ago. They’d tied her to that tree and left her as a sacrifice to the forest.

Fresh tears welled up in her eyes.

A loud calling came from the skies, and she glanced up to see an enormous golden hawk swoop down and land in the branches of the tree. Elian was back.

“Well, isn’t this a dose of nostalgia,” he said, his tone bright.

The tears fell freely down her cheeks now, and she couldn’t fight back a sob. Malek and Ronan were instantly at her side, Ronan snarling at the hawk.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, Benellane?”

Elian jumped down, smoothly shifting back into his Fae form, irritation clear, “What? I’m just trying to lighten the mood. You all seem so glum.”

“Where have you been?” Kaelen asked, his voice tired, his eyes mournful as he looked at her.

Elian shrugged, “Here, there, and everywhere. Making progress. Laying plans to get us out of this mess.”

Selena scoffed, pushing away from Ronan and Malek, walking towards the tree. As she passed Elian, his head dipped to scent her, and she bared her teeth at him.

“How many days have you got left, little dove? Ten? Fifteen?”

“Eighteen,” growled Ronan.

Selena ignored them.

She reached out, her fingertips brushing the rough bark, sighing as a cool trickle of magic slipped from the tree into her hand.

She had been so scared, so naive. Convinced that whatever beasts lurked in the forest would rip her to shreds. Butinstead, they had mated her, with promises to heal the magic and restore the realm.

Another sob choked from her. They had failed. She had failed.

And now, what defense could they possibly have against Theldir? The prophecy promised he would rise, and they would be helpless against him. She couldn’t control her magic, her mates were close to killing each other, and her child wouldn’t have a home. Was her baby destined to grow up as she did, lonely and shunned? Would her baby face down a god of fire and death and decide that joining him was better than defending the people that actively wanted them dead?

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