Page 48 of Captive Witch

“And my dad?”

Eri scoffs. “Monique made sure he never even left the country.”

“What does that even mean?” I ask, my stomach roiling.

“It means she’s been working with wolves for a very long time, and she made sure one was strong enough to defeat him in an alpha challenge. She had him murdered.” Her voice cuts through the quiet like a knife, harsh and dripping with hatred.

A headache pulses behind my eyes, and I rub a finger to my temples.

“Don’t you think it’s strange how she’s always been able to find you?”

Glancing up at her, my brows furrow.

“Finding you at Gideon’s bar, knowing you’d been out of the house ‘on a walk?’” She throws her hands up. “She knew you had that money in the duffle bags, Adara. I’ve been watching over you, hoping your wolf would awaken itself through the suppressed magic. Thank the fates Gideon bit you and woke your wolf that way.”

“Gideon… woke my wolf? I…”

“Were a wolf already? Yeah, you were a lycan witch from birth.” Moving toward the stones, she reaches in and lifts a small cup from inside. “I want you to drink this.” Sitting beside me, she pushes the cup into my hands and lifts it to my mouth.

Inhaling through my nose, the smell of a winter rainstorm invades my senses, and I close my eyes. Fresh morning dew when the sun has just begun shining on snow covered trees and mist still clings to their branches. Cold enough to chill yourlungs, but crisp enough to breathe life into every cell of your body.

“Drink it,” she says, pressing the cup to my lips.

The icy water slips past my lips, and I swallow. My hand comes up to clutch at my throat, ice coating my veins and splicing down into my stomach. Pain explodes behind my eyes and across my forehead as I cry out. Cradling my head in my hands, I double over onto the dirt below.

Chapter twenty

Gideon

The sun dips behind the trees, the sky darkening to dusk as stars start to shine in the sky above. I curse myself for leaving my phone at home in my rush to get out here. I didn’t even bother to read that damn journal Juliana gave me.

It’s been three hours chasing a scent I think exists more in my head than on the air.

What, are you giving up?my wolf growls.Who knows what’s happening to her, and you’re just going to—

I’m not doing anything,I snap back at him, stopping when I pick up another trail of Adara’s forest perfume. I got halfway to the academy before picking up her scent, leading in a different direction from the shield, and now I’m closer to my house than the academy.It just doesn’t feel right. Why would they bring her here?

Sniffing at the air, I turn in a circle. Every time I catch her scent, it disappears. I close my eyes, focusing on the mate bond, but it’s the same as before—a strong pull in no certain direction.

I try to push back the panicked rage pulsing at the edges of my mind. What does it mean to not be able to find her—to feel her?

Shaking my head, I run in the direction I last picked up her scent. The trees part as I stumble through brush and onto the grassy bank of the lake. Her scent is the strongest here, but there are no tracks. Nearing the water’s edge, I shift.

“Adara!” I yell, my voice reverberating through the trees. “Aramin, if you hurt her, I—”

My voice cuts off as a searing pain cuts through me—again. It flashes from my throat to my head, pulsing through the mate bond. Clutching at my chest, I crash to my knees, the warm water spraying up around me. Adara’s scream echoes in my mind.

“Adara,” I say, forcing my eyes to stay open.

Do not pass out, you fool! Stay awake! Stay—

“I am,” I growl, irritated with how soft and raspy my voice comes out. The heavier my eyes feel, the angrier I become. What the hell is happening to me?

I fall forward onto my hands, crawling from the water to collapse on the grass. After a few deep breaths, I shift and lean into the weight of the mate bond, bounding against my ribs. I skirt cautiously around the edge of the lake, slipping into the tree line. A woman screams, the sound piercing the air and making me flinch.

“Adara,”I call out to her, letting go of my control and allowing my wolf to propel me forward, paws pounding against the forest floor. Wind rustles my fur as I chase after her voice, her scent strong but mixed with something… wrong. Ashy. Blackened.

Dark magic,my wolf offers, growling.

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