Page 17 of Cruel Alpha Beast
“The stories of witches stealing children in the night? Putting spells on shifters? Never happened,” Lacey challenges. “And trust me, shifters don’t have a great reputation in the coven, either. They think we’re all bloodthirsty brutes. Well, except for me. Mostly because I can’t shift.”
My jaw hangs open. I’m still trying to make sense of Lacey having visions. Now, knowing that our mortal enemies are just a stone’s throw away, and that my wife and child have been living among them for years, it’s a lot to take in all at once.
“Shea and I have been living with my two best friends,” Lacey adds. “Danielle and Monroe. Danielle has been amazing at helping me make sense of my visions.”
“Right,” I sigh, unsure what else to say. “And your last vision was of a burning willow tree?”
“And some other stuff,” Lacey tells me. “But I have no idea what it’s all supposed to mean. There are so many other layers to it than just the images in my head. Sometimes it’s symbolic. Sometimes it’s prophetic. I just…”
She meets my eyes again, and this time, her gaze is pleading rather than icy cold. My stomach churns in anticipation of what she’s about to say.
“I need to see Danielle,” Lacey tells me. “But now that we’re married, I can’t leave the valley without your permission.”
My throat is tight at the thought of Lacey approaching a coven of witches, even if they’re ones she’s trusted—even if they’ve kept her and Shea safe all of these years. She’s said the stories are just that, stories, but I can’t shake the feeling that she shouldn’t go alone.
“Fine,” I say to her. “I’ll go with you.”
Chapter 7 - Lacey
After five years away, it feels so strange to be walking through the valley like this, especially with Sawyer at my side.
An older woman tending her garden looks at us from under her floppy sun hat. Her eyes narrow on me, but when she sees her alpha standing with me, her face softens into one of confusion, then resignation that maybe I’m someone to be respected now.
I have always been someone who should be respected, but at least people are realizing that now.
Our walk to the outskirts of town is silent, just like much of our breakfast this morning was. Sawyer tried his damnedest to make small talk, but I was not into it. It’s too soon for me to talk to him like we’re friends. And him forcing me to marry him definitely set that back quite a few steps.
I can tell that he wants to say something, but he’s biting his tongue. It’s fine by me. I don’t really want to hear anything from him, anyway except for maybe an apology, or any sort of acknowledgment that he did something wrong.
As our feet touch the earth and we travel to the edge of the forest, I sense Sawyer slowing down to a stop. He pauses and stares out at the trees.
“I’ve been coming here a lot,” he tells me, glancing down at the worn-down patch of earth below his sneakers. “For years, Lacey. I never knew why…”
I sigh heavily. “We must have made a connection when Shea was conceived.”
Sawyer’s eyes snap to mine. There’s a soft look in his eyes. Thoughtful. A rare sight, if you ask me.
“Have you felt it?” he asks.
“Not really.” I swallow hard, looking back at the path ahead of us. “I must have buried it deep inside of me ages ago.”
He stares at me for a long time before asking a simple, powerful question.
“Why?”
My chest burns at this. He knows. How can he not know? Is this self-preservation making him ask this? Does he not want to admit that he treated me so poorly for so long?
Instead of lashing out like I want to, I catch his eye and make sure he listens.
“You really hurt me, Sawyer,” I tell him.
“I know,” he says, surprising me. “And I’m sorry.”
There it is. The apology. The acknowledgment I’ve been wanting all of this time. But why does it not feel as good as I want it to?
“Come on,” I mutter, turning away.
As I travel the same path I ran down the night he shattered my heart into a million pieces, I can’t help wondering if Sawyer is being completely honest with me. If he were really sorry, I feel like he would have said something earlier. It wouldn’t have just been an easy response to me simply telling him how his actions affected me.
