Page 92 of Forgotten Arcane

“We can help her, get her therapy and all of that, and while we can do that, if she does something like go on a rampage, she will have ruined her life,” I say with a frown.

Asher nods, “We also need to talk to the other women and see which of them are still loyal to Derek.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Neith

“Itold everyone to wait in the clearing and not leave until River gave the order to go back to the pack house,” Logan says.

River grins, “Good thinking, man. Come on, let’s get this sorted out.”

Asher grins, “Finally, a proper fucking alpha.”

A sound by the entrance to the room has us all turning to look.

“Shit, Morana,” Amari says. She glances at River and whispers quietly, “Her mind is incredibly fragile, broken. If you use your alpha voice on her, it could break her completely, and she could never heal.”

River nods, “I won’t use it then.”

Asher and Amari smile and look relieved that River’s not going to use his voice. It’s not Morana’s fault that she’s been through what she has, and has had her mind so warped and distorted by the evil that was Derek. I know that River feels the same way that I do, and if we can help her, we will.

The woman is barely able to stand, swaying on her feet, one of her eyes swollen shut, and from what I can see, the rest of her body is completely covered in cuts and bruises. One of her arms looks to be broken, along with her fingers on the same side.

Sadness and anger war for dominance inside me, this poor fucking woman.

“You took him from me,” she says. Her voice is like a robot's.

We all move forward cautiously. This is not a stable woman that we’re dealing with, and we need to handle this incredibly delicately.

As we walk, I automatically move to the front to walk beside River, and he glances down at me, giving me a quick smile.

“Stay back,” she threatens, shakily holding up a silver knife.

Fantastic, she’s armed.

We all stop, and watch her cautiously, the tunnel stretching behind her, and our only way out to freedom.

Calmly, and with my hands held up, say, “It’s okay now. You’re safe, he can’t hurt you anymore.”

There’s a flicker in her eyes that gives me hope that she hasn’t been completely broken, although she’s really fucking close.

That flicker of life goes out as she seems to automatically repeat words that have been repeated to her over and over again, “I deserve it. If I was a better mate, then he wouldn’t have hurt me.”

“Oh sweetheart,” I say, my heart breaking for her. “You did everything that you could do to be a good mate, and even if you didn’t, he had no right to hurt you. He never should have raised a fist to you.” Her eyes flicker again. I point to my men on either side of me, “You see these men, they’re mine, and they would rather die than hurt me.”

Her gaze travels over them, and they all nod.

She shakes her head rapidly from side to side, “No, no, no, no, no.” Her eyes fill with confusion and fury, and I know that I’ve lost her, but at least there is hope. She growls, looking at River, and she screams with pure rage, “You killed him!”

In a shock move, she launches the knife, and my hand snaps up, catching the hilt, the knife mere centimeters away from hitting River in his forehead. It would have killed him.

I repress the anger and the growl that wants to escape me.

“Fucking hell, that was fast,” River mutters, looking down at me.

My focus is on Morana though.

She stares wide-eyed at me, panic rushing through her. She’s going to bolt, and if she bolts, she could hurt someone else or herself.

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