Page 33 of The Wolf's Bullied Pregnant Mate
Brother, Zane called.There you are, brother.
But then his face turned to rage, hands turning into claws that reached for my throat. Behind him was a red-headed witch—thewitch who had killed him—and her own nails stained with his blood. Then I noticed my brother’s wound, the trail of blood seeping into the water.
“Zane,” I screamed, but all that came out were bubbles. I tried to grab for my brother, to save him, to protect him, but this was a memory—a memory brought to life, and I could only watch as the witch’s claws plunged into his chest.
Blood flooded my mouth until I realized I had bitten my tongue. The water spun around me, and I was flung away fromthe memory, and by the time it stilled, my brother and the witch were gone. I kicked to the surface, finding only one witch left.
I did not even give myself a chance to take a deep enough breath in.
I lunged.
But her smile grew wider as she snapped her fingers. On either side of me, the water rose, a tunnel of water that I expected to drown me once again, but instead, it only clamped around my body, forming another vice. I fought against her magic in the water as it held me back, diminishing me as a threat to her.
“Is this you proving yourself to me?” I spat. “It’s useless, Adalyn. A demon will slip right through these binds.”
“I don’t care about demons,” she answered, her voice ricocheting off the cavern. “I care aboutyouand your disrespect in my home. I care about you laughing off vandalizing this cave. I care about you and the cold ignorance and the mocking and the teasing.”
“Adalyn—”
The water began to bubble as if it was boiling. It warmed up almost uncomfortably, like standing out in the sun for too long.
“Adalyn,” I growled.
“Do you know what this place is, Zephyr?” She gestured around her, water droplets sliding down her slender arms.
Heat flickered over my skin, leaving pink marks where it was getting too much. What was supposed to be a tormenting of Adalyn had swiftly turned onto me. I hated it. She was outsmarting me, only ever fuelling my name to take back control. I wanted to dominate her—not to suppress her but tohave her tomywhim, to find a way where everything she threw at me didn’t work against me butforme.
Where Adalyn’s eyes were usually black, now they sparked with silver, like tiny stars erupting.
It was the first time I was afraid of a witch as the water dripped off Adalyn’s arms, her palms raised to the cavern's ceiling, and the water bent to her whim. I didn’t know the extent of her powers, but I called her everything I could to diminish them. But here… Here, she wasn’t just flimsy shields and defensive tactics. She was powerful, all the power of this sanctuary of hers flowing through her.
“Adalyn—”
“No.” She shook her head, her voice echoing off the cave. “I’m done with this. I’m done with enduring you tormenting me, belittling me, doing everything you can to make me seem weak. I hone my powers, limit them when I need to, and know when to fight and when not to protect. Do not think I’m weak, Zephyr, because itwillbe your last mistake.” Her eyes shined—not with only power but with tears. While she held herself rigidly powerful, therewassome sort of admittance to her posture. As if she was carrying a weight around.
A weight I had put there.
“I’m done with your bullying,” she said. “Your petty mockery, your disregard for anything I do or possess. I do not deserve your hatred, Zephyr.”
“Yes, you do,” I spat. “You and every last filthy witch does.”
She shook her head. I wasn’t ready to talk about why I hated them so vehemently, but she didn’t ask.
“Stop the attacks, Zephyr,” she warned. I struggled against the burning water. “Verbal and physical. We’re both down here. We can’t change that yet. Trust me, as soon as we can escape here, I want to be as far away from you as physically possible, but I can’t yet.Youcan’t escape me, yet.”
I fought against the binds. “I’ll tear you and this place apart, stone by stone, I swear to—” I bit back a shout as the water got hotter. “Adalyn.” She could kill me—she really could truly end me, just like I had made sure she’d known that same fact the night I’d chased her through the woods.
“Apologize,” she hissed.
“No.”
“Is it really so hard? Apologize andmeanit, and I’ll release you. You wanted to dare to enter this pool? Face the consequences. You need to understand and pay for your actions. I hate you, Zephyr. I despise you, and I wish you had never infiltrated this island—”
“Ibelonghere,” I yelled.
“No, you don’t,” she cried. “Because I have spent so many hours, sleepless nights, and energy into protecting this island, no matter what. You don’tcare. You could walk away tomorrow, and your life would go as normal, but I would still be here, loving this place, loving every person I know in it, and protecting them all. Butyou.” Her voice was a snarl, accusing. “You’re draining me. Provoking me. All I do is try to prove I’m not worth your comments but it's taking too much of my energy. I can’t physically defend myself, as you keep pointing out. All I have is my magic, and it is not endless.”
She shook her head. “I can’t keep doing it, Zephyr.” There was a new sort of helplessness in her eyes. “It needs to stop.”
