Page 33 of The Alpha's Temptation

Blood. Magic. Princess.

Princess…

I had seen that word before. It was in that letter that had been on my windowsill. But what did the symbol mean? Why had the witches killed themselves? What was this book? A book of magic, maybe. My mind was reeling with a thousand different thoughts.

I didn’t know what it was, but maybe there were more.

So I shoved my hand down into the puddle again, letting it slide through the concrete floor with ease this time and into the hidden chamber underneath us. I fished out another book, and then another, and then even another. I wanted to submerge my entire body to see what I was missing, but I feared that I wouldn’t be able to return.

Just as I was reaching out one final time, someone grabbed my hand.

Another shriek left my mouth, and I withdrew my hand as quickly as I could.

What… was that?Whowas that? Were there people down there?

All the blood was making my eyes and my brain so hazy. I had to have imagined that.

A door behind me creaked open, and I snapped my head toward it, and my eyes widened. It wasn’t Caelan. It wasn’t Dad. It wasn’t even the witches who–who the hell knew–could’ve probably come back to life.

It was Soren, Alpha of the Whispering Pines Pack.

My stomach dropped, and I stumbled around, positioning myself between the ancient books and him, my fists balled behind my back. While Elijah had been a spitting image of him, Soren was twice Elijah’s size, taller and even more muscular.

“What… What do you want?” I asked. “Who are you?”

“You know who I am, Livia.” He stepped toward me, blocking my escape. “You killed my son.”

My heart was thumping loudly inside my chest. My throat was dry. My head was spinning. But what was worse than all of that was… I could feel my heat returning. It was very, very weak, but I could feel it.

Is this place causing me to go through something? Why is it returning now?!

Lycos, I shouldn’t have left. Or maybe Caelan should’ve marked me when he had the chance, then I wouldn’t have to go through this every month, and he’d know where I was at all times through our bond.

But Caelan hadn’t marked me because he didn’twantto mark me.

The heat rose faster than it ever had, making my bloodboilinside me. The blood on the walls glowed so brightly that I would’ve thought we were outside if I didn’t know any better. My hands began trembling.

When he stepped toward me again, I knew that I had to think quickly. I knew that I had to find a solution. Because if I didn’t? Soren would take everything he wanted from me, then kill me for slaughtering his son and embarrassing his entire bloodline.

CHAPTER 24

LIVIA

I staredwith wide eyes at the alpha of the Whispering Pines Pack, then my gaze flickered around the room as quickly as it could. Last time, when I had fought his son, I’d had a dagger. I could use it. I hadn’t been trained in weapons, but it somehow seemingly came naturally to me.

But there were no weapons here. There was only blood and two dead witches.

“There’s nowhere to go.” A low chuckle left his mouth, and he inhaled the scent of my lingering heat and stepped toward me, his canines dripping with saliva. “And Lycos, you smell so good.”

My heart pounded so loudly that I could hear it in my ears. I swallowed hard and stepped back, stumbling into the table and kicking the books behind me. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to use this magic. I couldn’t shift. What had I been thinking?

Part of me knew that there was a chance that he would find me. And I had just left? What did my pack think? That I had been taken? Did they even fucking care? No matter what anyone said, it didn’t seem like my pack wanted me there.

“There’s nothing like an unmated, unmarked she-wolf in heat.”

“Stay away,” I warned, hands out in front of me.

“Or what?” He took another step toward me, his eyes so dark they were almost black.

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