Page 12 of Chosen Destiny

Evil woman,Jack linked to Lucas, Miles, and me as he beamed.It’s going to kill him to be excluded from talks.

Hopefully,I replied. “Carl, Phil, and Dan, will you please take Zeke to the witch? Make sure the human’s ready to be released, and let’s deal with Zeke. The witch needs to do whatever she can to ensure Zeke doesn’t hear a damn word. I don’t care if she knocks him out or busts his eardrums.”

Zeke’s face turned scarlet. “You need my—”

I shoved past Miles and Jack, knocking them both to the side. I got in Zeke’s face, allowing my wolf to surge forward. “I don’t need, nor do I want,anythingfrom you. I blame you foreverythingthat’s happened since the moment you killed my parents.”

His bottom lip quivered. “She wasn’t supposed to die! Onlyhim. We were supposed to be together, but you had to be in the study. She went to save you.Youkilled her.”

I punched him in the face so hard that my knuckles throbbed, but seeing his head snap back and his face contort in anguish was worth possibly breaking my hand.

“She didn’twantyou.” I sneered. “And I’m not the one who cut the gas line to the fireplace.”

Zeke flinched as if I’d struck him again.

“I still don’t understand how you all didn’t smell it.” Samuel shook his head, his face twisted in pain.

Phil wrinkled his nose. “Because the house was originally built before gas companies had to add the smell. Even wolf shifters couldn’t smell gas leaks before then.”

Call—Caroline, I know you’re upset, but we need to focus on Queen Kel and saving Bodey,Michael linked, again grounding me.

I was letting my emotions take control, and Bodey would pay for my mistake. “Take him out of here. Samuel and I need time to calm down and decide how to handle Zeke. We all need to focus on saving my mate.”

The three older men nodded, walking past their sons and forcing Zeke to his feet. Zeke didn’t fight, but that could’ve been because of the knife lodged in his chest.

I moved next to the chair he’d been sitting in and leaned against the wall where I could see everyone.

Losing Bodey had taken a toll on Michael. Dark circles lined his eyes, and his face was taut. Despite that, he was still focused on the goal while I was allowing my pain and anger to take over. I had to rein in my emotions.

My gaze landed on Jasmine, and my heart broke. Guilt wafted off her through our regular pack link. I wanted to say something but now wasn’t the time. Not in front of everyone.

Theo’s eyes were narrowed. “I’m so sorry. If I’d known aboutanyof that…” He rubbed a hand through his hair, making it even shaggier.

“Don’t.” I lifted a hand. “You were just a child. There’s nothing you need to apologize for.” I was glad to see him taking it this hard. If he had been involved in my parents’ deaths, I would have questioned everything.

When the three men returned, Carl said, “The witch put him to sleep. He can’t hear anything, and she’s leading the human outside.”

Good. Now we could focus on what mattered most. My gaze landed back on Jasmine. “Do you think your friend’s pack might be willing to help?”

She mashed her lips together. “I don’t know, but I can call them and ask. What’s the worst they can say?”

“The worst isn’t what they could say.” Samuel tilted his head as he took the spot next to me. “They could attack us while we’re focused on Queen Kel.”

My chest tightened. They both had a point.

“They’re not like that.” Jasmine placed a hand on her chest. “Katelin is a great person, and when she took me home with her for a long weekend, I met her dad, Russell, and her other pack members. They’re just like us—they support and care about each other. They wouldn’t take advantage of us.”

Michael sighed and ran his hands over his jeans. “Russell might not, but what if King Sutton does? None of us have met with him since King Richard’s, Queen Mila’s, and Princess…” He trailed off, his gaze landing on me. He coughed and continued, “Since the king and queen’s memorial.”

A chill ran through me. I hadn’t considered that I’d been given a memorial, and for some reason, that didn’t sit well with me. All those people saying goodbye, only for me to be alive and hidden from them. Fury bubbled up again, but I tamped it down. “What type of person was he then?”

Phil bit his bottom lip. “He’d only been ruling for about seven years then, but he seemed confident and steady.”

“King Richard had hoped you and he could bridge the gap between the territories in a few years,” Dan added, a small smile on his face. “King Sutton’s mate had just gotten pregnant, and he thought that children might be another way to bring us closer, as the royal families could relate to each other in more ways than just running a kingdom.”

An alpha is as strong as the family and friends they surround themselves with. My dad’s voice replayed in my head.And King Sutton seems to have good people around him.Dad had been right regarding his concerns about Kel, so I had no reason to doubt his judgment now.

Samuel waved a hand. “Which neverhappened, so I’m not sure we should trust a stranger none of us has seen in seventeen years.” Unease flowed off him in waves.

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