Page 62 of Cruel Alpha Beast
“Lacey,” he breathes out, pulling me into his arms.
“You’re alive,” I say. “I can’t believe you’re alive.”
He holds me for a moment, whispering that he loves me over and over again in my ear.
“I love you too, Sawyer. I love you so much,” I tell him, pulling his face closer to mine.
But before I can close in the space between our lips, I feel something hot growing in my stomach. It’s not heat from the wolf within, though. It’s something completely different. And it’s shooting its way out through my chest.
The feeling isn’t painful, but it’s one I could never imagine before. I look at Sawyer across from him and see the same thing happening to him.
We’re both surrounded in this halo of white light, and a feeling of confidence washes over me like a bath. Holding Sawyer close, we watch as the light that once surrounded us expands yet again, and then it circles the burning willow tree.
I look at Sawyer and realize he must be thinking the same thing as I am.
We can do this.
Chapter 26 - Sawyer
The light dances around the willow tree, whose limbs only serve to burn hotter against my face, and then the white energy returns to both Lacey and me. It enters our chests, and I swear I can hear a man’s distant voice speaking to me in my head.
“Sawyer, you are ready. Use this power to fight against Willow when she returns. You can do this. You were meant to do this as much as I was. When the willow is afire, wash it down with your desire.”
I look at Lacey, the object of said desire, and realize that she must be listening to a similar message in her head. I wonder if it’s the same man in my head, but there are more pressing matters to attend to.
I can ask her all of the questions I want once Willow and Violet are taken care of.
“We need to find her,” Lacey says suddenly. I go to stand up, to search for her, but then Lacey holds me down. “You need to rest. You were literally just dead.”
“Lacey, I’m fine,” I assure her. But yet again, she holds me back from standing up. “Hey, weneedto take care of Violet!”
“I know,” she says. “But I have an idea.”
I watch as she closes her eyes and concentrates for a moment. I keep my eyes on the lookout, just in case Violet comes back to finish the job. I can’t imagine she’d be happy to find me still breathing.
Next thing I know, I hear the sound of running water, and when I turn my head, I see a stream coming from Lacey’s chest, which then turns into a large ball, just as Danielle had created when Violet tried to set me on fire all those days ago.
Opening her eyes, Lacey uses her hands to direct the water up in the air. Then, as if she’s throwing a plastic beach ball to her friend, she thrusts her hands toward the willow tree’s expanding flames, dousing most of it in one fell swoop. Before she can even think of creating another ball of water, a loud, inhuman roar comes from within the tree’s trunk, and then the sky above us turns from inky blue to a menacing shade of red.
In a blink, Violet reappears before us, her face screwed up in anger. She looks rough as hell, like she’s actually been thrown off a cliff this time.
“What are you doing?” she hisses through her teeth, glancing back at the half-soaking wet, half-still burning tree. “This isn’t how it was supposed to be!”
“Violet, please, if you’re still in there,” Lacey says carefully. “Please! We’ve been able to weaken her! If you can escape Willow, now is your chance!”
“There is no Violet!” the woman in front of us shrieks, and suddenly, her hair turns dark, her body more shapely. She’s stunning, despite the fact that she looks like she’s been hit by a semi-truck. “There is only Willow now!”
“Give it up!” I scream at her. “We’re more powerful than you!”
Willow rounds on me, her eyes wide, her lips pulled into a horrifying smile. “Oh, I don’t think so. My power was strong enough to escape from this tree every hundred years or so. And with that wretched girl’s raw, untapped power, I can defeat you with ease!”
I look to my side and see that Lacey is looking at me. I grab her hand and squeeze tightly, hoping that the legend my great-grandfather told me will be enough.
“An alpha unsure of himself after years of planning parties instead offighting,” Willow continues. “And a shiftless wolf who sees pictures in her head? I can do this in my sleep.”
“Then why haven’t you done anything yet?” Lacey calls her bluff. “Oh, right, because you knowdamn wellthat a shiftless wolf and an alpha like us sealed your fate all those years ago!”
Willow takes several steps backward, unable to fake the confidence she once had any longer. I squeeze Lacey’s hand, and we both stand across from the ancient witch.
