Page 67 of Wolf Touched

Wow. I’d heard her talk like this only once before, when Raffe had been hurt that I’d questioned him about pictures the Veiled Circle had shown me—pictures of him—right after I’d escaped. She’d put him in his place, telling him to think about it from my perspective and pointing out what a jerk he’d been when we’d met. That I hadn’t been in the wrong for my questions.

“This wasmydecision. No one else’s,” Priestess Caroline stated.

My body tensed as understanding sank in.Shewashere,and mybrotherhad known what would happen and hadn’t warned anyone. I pulled out of Raffe’s embrace.We were back in the bedroom we’d slept in at my biological parents’ house. “That bitch needs to pay.” But as I put my feet on the floor to stand, I still felt tired. Dammit, I thought I’d gotten over this, but clearly, that had been wishful thinking.

“Easy.” Raffe moved to the edge of the bed next to me and placed an arm around my shoulders. He linked,I’m all for killing her and hurting him, but my biggest concern is you and your safety. When the rest of our pack got there, twenty coven members we hadn’t noticed because of their insane shenanigans stepped out and held them off. Between that and me trying to get you away from them, we all came back here. She showed up a few minutes ago, but I didn’t want you to wake up alone. When you passed out like that, it scared me.

The last time I’d gotten to that point was when the two of us had broken up, and I’d almost imploded at the tree line outside my campus apartment.

I shook my head, the room spinning ever so slightly. “It was the same thing. After I made the apple explode and saw them release you, I collapsed.” Even though it hadn’t been long since last time, with all the shit that had happened in such a short amount of time, it felt like months. The worst part was being unable to stay alert during a horrible situation.

“You threatened our alpha and alpha’s mate,” Keith snarled. “And you expect us to sit here and not punish you for what you did?”

Now that I had my bearings, I could tell they were in the living room, so not that far away. I untaped the needle in my arm and pulled it out, wanting to get in there and have my own say to the witch.

“Don’t you think, if there had been a better way, I would’ve done it?” Priestess Caroline bit back. “I do believein the mantra ‘do no harm,’ unlike most of today’s coven members, so it sickened me to do what we did.”

I had a hard time believing that. She hadn’t flinched or appeared remorseful.

My power jolted, but that was the extent of it. I was still drained, which made my wolf inch forward in my chest. She wanted to be unleashed and get retribution.

Standing, I waited a moment, making sure I got my balance. Raffe mirrored my movements, hovering close. I could feel his worry and noticed the way his hand kept reaching for mine, but he finally relaxed it at his side.

My heart warmed, and I pushed my love and affection toward him. He understood that I needed to go in there looking as strong as possible, and that reconfirmed he was the man I’d always sensed inside of him. He just hadn’t figured out who he was going to become, and I loved watching us grow as a couple.

“That wasn’t your call to make,” Octavia’s voice rang out as I opened the door.

The pain etched in her words caused my stomach to sour. The only thing keeping me together was Raffe standing close behind me so I could feel his warmth on my back. The two of us walked down the hallway, and I lifted my head high as we entered the living room. I might have appeared tired, but I wanted to give the illusion of strength.

“Your actions threatened the very delicate relationship we have with our daughter.” Octavia stood in the middle of the room, right in front of Priestess Caroline, pointing a finger at the priestess’s face.

Priestess Caroline stood ramrod straight with an indifferent expression.

I wished I could get a read on others’ emotions when mypower wasn’t at a high level. I’d love to sense exactly how the priestess was feeling.

Dru stepped behind his wife, placing his hands on her shoulders, and rasped, “Wetrustedyou, and we told them they could too. Now we look like liars.”

Adam and Keith stood near the windows. Adam was looking out, likely searching for signs of threats, while Keith homed in on the threat inside.

Dave, still not back to full health, was sitting on the couch, and Josie towered in front of him, blocking him from the priestess’s view.

I brushed past Lucy, who stood a few feet behind my biological parents. She tore her gaze from Fane, who stood next to her and looked at me. Her face softened as she scanned me and linked,I’m glad you’re awake. We were worried.

“And she completed the task and is standing here.” Priestess Caroline gestured at me. “None of which would’ve happened if we hadn’t done what we did.”

I growled but held back my wolf. If I shifted, I wouldn’t be able to speak to her, and I needed her to hear every damn word. “If you’re expecting me to say thank you, then you’ll be waiting a long damn while. I won’t repeat why since everyone here already has pretty damn effectively. But let me be clear—if you so much as pointanythingat my mate again, I will fucking end you. The only reason I’m not is because you let him go like you promised, but this is where my kindness ends. It’s taking everything inside me not to kill you.”

Why? Let’s kill her sorry ass.Keith pouted.She’s old. This might be her way of asking us to kill her.

Raffe stepped to my side, his alpha magic pulsing off him. “She might have decided to grant you leniency,but I’m not sure myself.” His jaw twitched from how tightly he clenched his teeth. He then linked,As much as I want to kill her, she has a sizable coven, and they’ll retaliate if we do something to her.

“I didn’t do anything to her.” Priestess Caroline lifted her hands, palms facing her. “She got tired from having to control the power that was ravaging her and the earth. She was feral and had to use control. That’s what exhausted her. Not me.”

Unfortunately, that was exactly how I felt. Tired. “But why? I didn’t feel anything until I blew up the apple. My power didn’t change.”

“It didn’t, but you had to focus and rein it in. Your power is unruly—that’s what you’re used to. Now that you’re a supernatural and bound to a strong alpha, you can handle its strength. But making it obey and do your bidding takes a whole different skill set you haven’t mastered, which is why we had to do what we did. To get your power to ignite, we had to put something dear to you at risk and force you to accomplish the task. The stakes had to be the highest we could get. Otherwise, our help would have been on par with Supreme Priestess Olwyn and her minions. Worthless and futile.”

Her words were like a punch to the gut, but my anger from what they’d done to my mate still held on tightly. Unfortunately, I understood her point, but that didn’t mean I liked it. “My mate, family, and friends are off-limits. Even one threatening glance, and I don’t care how many coven members you have, I will fucking end you even if it takes me out with you.”

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