Page 45 of Cursed Beasts

“I’m fine,” I said, trying to push the guilt away.

“What the hell happened?” His voice was angry, but I could see the annoyance and hurt in his expression too.

“Does it matter?” I snapped, feeling awful, but I couldn’t help the anger that always won out against all my other emotions.

Being stuck here for two hundred years was making my anger worse, unbearable, and I knew I was awful to be around. Looking at the destruction, a part of me mourned all the hard work we had put into this room for our mate, but two hundred years later it looked like that wouldn’t be in the cards for us.

“Yes, it does, this was supposed to be for our—”

“You really think one day we will have a mate?” I sneered. “Look around you, Aeon. It doesn’t look like we will leave soon.”

He said nothing as he glared at me.

“If you think there is a possibility, you’re delusional. I didn’t expect you to be as naïve as Lucien with his stupid hopes and dreams.”

“Watch it,” he snapped at me. “Leave Lu out of your emotional self-loathing.”

A mocking laugh escaped my lips.

“Don’t be all high and mighty about emotional damage, at one point in time we suffered in the same pain.” I dropped the hammer, hating that he had someone to lose himself in for all these years. “Not all of us have been lucky enough to feel a fraction of still being a part of a pack.”

“You’ve pushed us away, your anger—”

“You’ve left me to suffer alone,” I growled, as he walked to me.

“Zev—”

“Don’t, I don’t care.” I side stepped him, walking out of the room, but before I could leave, he grabbed my upper arm.

“Look, I know it’s been hard. You are not the only one who’s suffered. Don’t push us further away because this isn’t how this works. We are a pack—”

“I said, don’t.” My wolf pushed forward making my voice guttural.

His eyes flashed brighter, showing me his wolf didn’t appreciate my tone, but I was the Alpha, and I couldn’t give two shits what his wolf thought.

Yanking my arm back, I left him in my room as I made my way down the stairs. My wolf was pushing forward, making my arms ripple with fur, my body was trembling, and my wrath was at the tipping point. I couldn’t hold back my wolf anymore and shifted before I made it to the bottom.

Blinded by my anger, I needed a fight. Looking back up the stairs, I thought if I could find Lucien, he would give me a fight.

The smell of the Belladonna snapped my head to the side as I took a lung in of her, easing my rage. My wolf stalked to the east side, following her natural perfume, salivating at finding her.

It wasn’t until we were at the front of the doors that I realized we had come to the library. My wolf didn’t care about being seen, but I knew we were close to four am and once I lost consciousness, I didn’t know what my wolf would do.

At this point he was a traitor and if finding myself by her room earlier was any indication, I’d be afraid she was trying to domesticate my wolf. Stalking slowly inside, keeping close to the shadows, I spotted her sitting at a table next to a window that let the soft moonlight in.

She was wearing colors of the summer solstice, blue, yellow, and green. She had a crown of flowers, with more weaving in and out of a braid she had to the side.

She was ethereal.

She was statuesque.

She was breathtaking.

I needed to hate her.

While I fought my wolf for dominance, she looked up, searching the room like she knew she was being watched. It wasn’t long before we locked eyes, making me growl. Her violet eyes captured my attention, not just my wolf’s but of mine too.

I felt her allure, and if I wasn’t careful, I knew she’d blindside me. Her innocent act was just an act. Nothing good ever came from a Belladonna. I growled, louder this time. She flinched, looking panicked, and the smell of her fear excited me.

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