Page 53 of Their Mate
Edward coughed roughly as he stood. “From what we’ve seen so far, I can only imagine it’ll get worse.”
We continued slowly, even more wary now, watching carefully for further traps. The nonstop tension was exhausting. Finally, ahead, the corridor widened abruptly, opening into a massive set of heavy double doors. Tarnished brass handles glinted dullybeneath flickering yellow lights, the faded lettering above the doors reading clearly despite decades of dirt and grime.
Auditorium
We halted, exchanging cautious glances.
“Feels like exactly where he wants us,” Aidan whispered.
Logan blew out a breath. “A final trap? A confrontation?”
Edward’s voice was thoughtful. “Both are equally likely.”
I stared grimly at the ominous auditorium doors, every instinct warning of danger lurking behind them. I drew a shaky breath, tightening my grip on my weapon.
“Whatever’s behind those doors, we face it together.”
CHAPTER 19
Aidan
The heavy doors groaned loudly, the sound echoing like a death knell. A cold sweat broke across my neck, my pulse thudding painfully as the vast auditorium stretched out before us. My injured leg throbbed brutally hard, but that pain paled in comparison to the cold dread tightening around my heart.
There, standing alone on the old, worn stage at the front of the room, was Declan. His head hung low, thick ropes binding his wrists, shoulders slumped forward. My chest seized painfully at the sight. Declan—my closest friend, my brother in everything but blood—looked broken and defeated, nothing like the fierce, stubborn man I knew.
“Declan,” I breathed, stepping forward instinctively.
He slowly raised his head, eyes clouded with exhaustion and pain, recognition flickering faintly as he saw us. Relief warred furiously with horror inside me. He was alive, but clearly weakened and in pain. Declan’s bruised face twisted faintly into a grimace, but beneath it was a faint spark of determination.
He tried to speak, his voice weak and hoarse. “Aidan… don’t.”
Then a figure stepped smoothly from the darkness behind Declan, huge and horrifyingly familiar. I recoiled backwards in disgust and fear. The Elder Lycan, massive and grotesque, stood silently beside Declan, eyes glowing with cunning intelligence beneath monstrous brows.
“Welcome,” he rasped softly, his voice echoing with malignant amusement. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Logan moved protectively closer beside me. “Let him go. Now.”
The Elder Lycan tilted his mutated head slowly, cruel eyes glittering dangerously. “Oh, I will—in due time. But first, I wanted you to see what you’ve lost.”
In one swift, ruthless motion, he reached down and tore open Declan’s already ragged sleeve, revealing his forearm. My heart froze as I stared in silent horror at the bloodied, unmistakable bite mark scored violently into Declan’s flesh. My breath caught in the back of my throat, shock crashing through me like ice water.
“Why?” I finally managed, voice raw and shaking. “What the hell do you want from him?”
The Elder Lycan’s grotesque lips curled slowly into a cruel, monstrous smile. “Declan is a message. A warning. Proof of what happens to those who challenge me. He wasn’t the first and he won’t be the last.”
My pulse thundered, anger rising hotly, burning away the fear. “You bastard,” I snarled fiercely, rage trembling in my voice. “I’ll kill you for this.”
He chuckled softly, delight glinting in his feral gaze. “Perhaps you’ll try, but I doubt you’ll succeed. None have before, and you don’t strike me as special.”
Beside me, Edward remained tense and alert with his weapon drawn. Logan radiated quiet fury, his steady strength bolstering mine. Jamie stood at the ready, while Sera watched in silent horror, blade grasped tightly in her fist.
“Release him,” Logan repeated his lethal warning.
The Elder Lycan tilted his head slowly, eyes darkening and completely devoid of empathy. “I don’t think I will. This is only the beginning. You can’t stop what’s coming.”
My breath caught, anguish giving way completely to blazing, uncontrollable rage. Pain forgotten, fear obliterated, I lunged forward, snarling furiously. “I will rip you apart.”
“Aidan, stop!” Logan commanded, catching my arm. “It’s what he wants.”
