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"If you even think about shifting, this will melt your insides in seconds."
I looked back at the tense scene, satisfaction rushing through me at the sight of Sherri shoving the electric collar onto Mara. I noticed her dial it to the highest setting, making me smirk before looking back down the path.
My bare feet led us back to my old pack's territory, where I'd have to show my mate's pack the dungeons and reveal to them every secret I've been hiding since I was 6.
The walk back felt shorter than the initial run I had taken in the first place. Though maybe it was because this time I was focused on the way my mate's eyes bored into my head instead of going stir crazy focusing on trying to prevent the impending doom of my mate and his entire pack.
"These are the dungeons." I announced before groaning as I struggled to push open the door. I rolled my eyes, kicking the door open with a bang as I let out an irritated huff.
Everything has to give me problems today, huh?
"The bars are made of silver and the walls are coated with wolfsbane." I said, taking the keys and opening the large jail cell.
My mate's pack members walked in with each prisoner, shoving them in one by one. I handed the keys to a nearby pack member, giving them a gentle smile.
"Thank you, Luna." He said, bowing his head before walking off. My eyes widened slightly at the term he addressed me, shocked that he had still viewed me as his Luna. I thought quietly to myself as the conversation rang through my head.
Luna's don't abandon their pack.
I cleared my throat, quickly brushing it off, though it threw me off greatly. "We can talk in my Mom's old office."
My mate nodded silently, eyes still looking at me intensely. I turned around quickly, not able to handle the feeling of vulnerability his eyes always cast upon me.
The walk to the packhouse was short and sweet, the sun glistening on my skin and the cool air being the perfect combination. I could feel their presence just a bit behind me, making me nervous as I led them towards my Mom's office.
Their eyes roamed about the fully stocked kitchen, the CD player on the dining table, and the dozens of CDs I had spread across the counter. I cringed at the looks on their faces.
They knew I didn't plan on ever going back.
The walk up to my Mom's office was much of the same. Pictures of me and the boys were hung on the walls, courtesy of my endless free time and my Mom's bedroom door was wide open, revealing the messy sheets I had slept in for the past 2 months.
"My Mom's office." I muttered shyly, opening the door to reveal the room I had grown up in most of my childhood.
I stood in the center of the office, watching them look around the room in interest. I let out a shaky breath as I leaned back against the desk.
"Make yourselves at home." I said, my nervous hands gently fiddling with each other as I studied each of their faces.
My mate crossed his arms, leaning against the wall closest to me, his eyes boring into my head as I watched them all settle down. Johnny sat on the couch in front of the desk I was now sitting on top of, Sherri joining him soon after. Tyler simply stood beside the couch with cold eyes.
The four of them looked at me expectedly, making me let out a deep sigh. "I don't even know where to start."
"Start with why you left." Johnny deadpanned. I gulped, his tone making my nerves only that much worst but I just nodded softly as I looked down at my hands. They had every right to be angry with me.
"Okay..." I trailed off as I tried to think of where to start. "There are many parts to this story and a bunch of reasons why I did what I did. But I guess I'll just start from the beginning."
Tyler nodded, urging me to continue with the explanation. I adjusted my place on the desk, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear nervously. This story wasn't one I exactly liked to recall.
"A really long time ago, when my Mom was pregnant with me, my Dad died." I started. "He died protecting me and my Mom after someone tried to kill me."
I looked up, their blank expressions only urging me to continue, though I began to struggle slightly as the pent-up feelings I had brushed over amongst the years started to bubble to the surface.
"I was conceived and born with a gift, as my Mom always called it, though it's more of a curse to me."
"A gift?" Tyler asked in confusion.
"Like a superpower?" Johnny asked, looking at Sherri with widened eyes. She rolled her eyes at him before looking at me, giving me an encouraging smile.
"I guess so." I sighed. "It's not exactly a good thing. It's a burden and I wish it was given to anyone but me."
"Well, what is it? What can you do?" Johnny asked excitedly. Sherri giggled softly, putting her hand on his arm to ease the energy building. It was never a good thing when Johnny got too excited. I ended up with a broken finger last time.
"I'll get to that part." I sighed, running a hand through my hair as I avoided my mate's gaze at all costs. "When my Mom was pregnant with me, a couple of witches tried to kill me by poisoning her with Gralin."
They gasped, making me look down at my hands. "My Dad tried to drain it out of her bloodstream by sucking it out directly. By the end of it, I survived. My Mom survived. It was a miracle. That much Gralin should've killed me. It should've killed my Mom too, but we both survived completely unharmed." I let out another heavy sigh. "But my Dad didn't. He died, lost his mind just like every other victim of Gralin."
"I have Gralin running through my blood every second of the day." I said. Their eyes widened at the discovery, anger completely dissipated, and faces full of shock. "A part of the reason why I chose to run."
"Is that why...." Tyler trailed off, looking towards my mate for a split second before looking back at me. I nodded in response to the silent question. I spared a daring glance to my mate, only to see him looking at me with a plethora of different emotions. I looked back down at my hands, taking a few moments to let them process the information and allow my nerves to calm down.
"After I was born, my Mom knew there was something up with me. And one day, when I was 6, she found a new mate. A second chance mate."
"Those are real?" Sherri asked with wide eyes, making me nod with a small smile. "His name was Ronan Bates. He was a rogue turned pack member. I remember meeting him for the first time and getting super excited to finally have a Dad." A bittersweet smile tugged at my lips as I thought of the old memory. It faded as soon as I thought about the next part of the story.
"Part of my ability is to alter people's blood."
I looked back at my friends, studying each of their reactions nervously. Tyler and Johnny seemed fascinated by the discovery, albeit shocked that the girl they've known for years has been dealing with a world they can't even begin to comprehend. Sherri looked completely at peace with the knowledge, her encouraging smile and gentle eyes giving me the willpower to continue. But I couldn't dare look into my mate's eyes yet.
"I can alter peoples blood, their bloodlines, their genetics, I'm not really sure what else but in the womb when me and my Mom were poisoned with Gralin, somehow I had altered my Mom's blood so not only was I cursed with Gralin forever running through my bloodstream, but my Mom was too. All because of me. My Dad died for nothing."
My mate went to protest against my self-proclaimed accusation, but I shot him a look that begged him not to. I needed to get the truth out before I imploded.
"When my Mom and Ronan tried to mate, her blood killed his wolf."
Gasps were heard around me, but I pushed through, knowing we were only grazing over the ugly parts. "It didn't kill him as normal Gralin would. Somehow I altered her blood so that it was more unpredictable and more dangerous than regular Gralin. I don't know how I did it. But it killed not just his wolf, but the wolf gene."
"So his family bloodline no longer carries the blood of the wolf?" Tyler asked in shock, horrified by such an idea.
"It stripped him and his bloodline of every wolf gene that was ever been carried from past to future generation."
"So..." Johnny gulped, trailing off as he tried to process my words. "It killed his wolf. And now if he ever has a kid, they wouldn't have the blood of the wolf either?"
I nodded, my eyes burning with tears as I looked down at my hands. I could feel Caleb's heavy gaze on me, but I couldn't bear to look at him. I could barely fathom looking Sherri in the eye at the moment. I wouldn't be surprised if they were all terrified of me by now.
I'm a monster.
"What else?"
My head shot up at the sound of Caleb's voice, my eyes immediately locking with his. I blinked away the tears and sniffled lightly, nodding silently.
"That's when my Mom took me to see someone named Ambrosia, a witch who helped my Mom understand my ability and what to do with it." I explained. "I've been trying to track her down since my pack was slaughtered. Which is why when we were rogues, I'd bring us to a bunch of cities and when you guys would go into town, I'd search for her high and low. I never found her. Until recently, that is."
"That's where you'd go." Tyler muttered quietly to himself as he connected the dots.
"And what'd Ambrosia say?" Sherri interjected.
"There's a legend." The woman spoke ominously. "It's followed the blood of the wolves for generations, told by our ancestors and sworn by the Moon Goddess." Ambrosia said with vigor. "It's called the Legend of the Blood Siren."
"Blood Siren?" Johnny scrunched his nose up in confusion. "What the hell is that?"
Tyler rolled his eyes and smacked Johnny in the back of the head, making me giggle softly as I stared at the both of them longingly. I missed these boys so much.
"Continue." Tyler said pointedly.
"The Legend of the Blood Siren speaks of a powerful gift born to the single soul strong enough to wield it. The heart of the siren is one of true power and purity, hand-picked and entrusted by the Moon Goddess. Thou who shall wield this gift will be faced with a dark force that will slaughter hundreds of innocents and destroy everything in its path."
"The Moon Goddess picked me?" I whispered to myself in confusion. "Blood Siren? Legends? Dark force? W-What the hell are you talking about?"
Ambrosia shut the book of legends with a plop, leaving the room silent as I thought over what she was telling me.
"You, child." She said. "You have the gift of bloodbending."
"Bloodbending?" Johnny asked slowly. His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to comprehend what it meant.
"What abilities does that come with? What dark force is she talking about?" Tyler asked as he let out a sigh, running a tired hand down his face.
"I know this is a lot to process." I said worriedly. "But please, the rest of the explanation pertains to you guys too."
They nodded, allowing me to continue. "As I told you, for years I was searching for Ambrosia. And the thing is, I wasn't the only one looking for her either."
"Other people know about all of this?" Caleb asked, making me nod at his question.
"I have no shortage of enemies, I've had enemies since before I was born. The witches that poisoned me, the people I've killed, the people who slaughtered my pack, anyone I've encountered in a negative experience is my enemy." I said truthfully. "Even people I don't know, people I've never seen and people who don't even know me, are my enemy."
"We're not." Sherri said, placing her hand on my leg comfortingly with a gentle smile. I put my hand on top of hers gratefully.
"Every time I'd track Ambrosia down, they were one step ahead of me. Every single time, they'd beat me there and if Ambrosia couldn't see the future then they would've killed her or captured her too." I said. "They'd always leave something that symbolizes their power over me. To shove it in my face and laugh at the misfortunes that kept getting thrown at me."
"What would they leave?" Johnny asked curiously.
"A lily flower." I admitted, the internal secret I had kept for years finally out in the open.
"A lily flower?" Sherri asked in confusion.
"My Mom's name was Lily." I whispered. "They're why she's dead."
"We're here now, Gray." Johnny said, placing his hand on top of me and Sherri's with a familiarly comforting smile. "To Pluto."
Tyler suddenly stepped forward with a small smile, eyes rid of the coldness I had seen before. He leaned forward, giving me a brotherly kiss on the forehead before placing his hand on top of all of ours. "To fucking Pluto." He whispered genuinely. I let out a laugh through my tears, looking up at him with grateful eyes.
"If that's all, I need to get back to the dungeons to make sure everything's going well." Caleb pushed himself off the wall, face blank as he made his way towards the door.
"Wait!" I called, standing from the desk and pushing past my friends to quickly keep him from leaving. "There's one more thing."
Caleb turned around, eyes meeting mine. I took down my wall, leaving myself vulnerable as I stripped myself bare of everything. I prayed he saw all of the love I had for him in my eyes. Just because the odds aren't in our favor doesn't mean I don't love him like he's mine.
"Th-There's one more thing." I whispered to him. His eyes softened as he studied everything I was feeling inside. I cleared my throat, conveying with my eyes a small promise that we would talk about everything in private later. The small nod of acknowledgment he gave made me let out a sigh of relief before shaking the small moment away and turning back to the rest of the group. "We have a traitor."
"Traitor?" Caleb asked hurriedly. "Who?"
"Zaine." I choked out.
I watched carefully as they processed the information, silently praying that they'd believe me. I knew I was the outsider now and it'd be hard for them to believe that their own Gamma could betray them. I just hoped they trusted me enough to take my word for it.
"Makes sense." Caleb sighed, running a tired hand down his face. My eyes widened in shock.
"He always gave me the creeps." Sherri shivered uncomfortably. "So glad I can say that now."
"We need to go now." Colin suddenly said in panic. "Unit B said they haven't heard from C in 10 minutes."
Caleb wasted no time in looking at Johnny and Tyler. "Let's go."
We all rushed out of my Mom's office, an anxious feeling erupting in my stomach as I thought of what could go wrong.
Caleb wasted no time rushing into the dungeons, the rest of us following quickly in suit though Tyler and Johnny decided to shove me and Sherri behind them.
As soon as I walked in, I barely had any time to blink before the barrel of a gun was immediately shoved against my head, my eyes widening as I watched them force Tyler and Johnny on their knees. My mate was standing there, the gun pressed against the back of his head with an enraged look on his face.
Zaine was nowhere to be seen, but the door to the cell was now wide open and completely empty, the open back door telling us all we needed to know about where they were going. The few prisoners still around had us held at gunpoint.
I let out a yelp as the man pushed me and Sherri onto the ground, forcing us onto our knees. I looked at her with fear-filled eyes, not wanting the situation that happened outside to happen once again. She only gave me the same look in return, grabbing my hand tightly. The man let out a deep chuckle as he grabbed my hair, forcing my head backward. He ran his finger over my jawline, smirking as he looked down at me.
"Don't fucking touch her." My mate growled, eyes now pitch black. His elbow swung back, knocking the guy behind him out in seconds. Tyler and Johnny used the distraction to their advantage, swiping their legs to knock their captors to the ground. Before I could even think to try and fight back, my captor grabbed my hair and forced me up, making me cringe at the pain.
He pulled me roughly back into his chest, holding the gun against my head as he wrapped his arm around my neck.
"Move and she dies."
My mate's eyes darkened even more at the threat, hands clenched and body nearly shaking with anger. I looked at Tyler pleadingly, the look of anger on his face as he glared at my captor only making me more nervous. There was only a handful of ways this could go and by the looks of it, I'd have to step in and do something I vowed I never would do again.
"Just let her go, man." Johnny tried to reason as he held Sherri closely behind him.
"I will once you guys lock yourselves in that cell." The man smirked.
"You're the only one here, man. It's 5 against 1 and don't you think we've called for backup already?" Tyler asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Am I the only one here?" The man retorted. "Is backup really coming? How long ago did you call for them?"
He knew something we didn't.
"By the end of this, you'll be the one with a bullet between your eyes and I'll be the one walking away." My mate said through gritted teeth.
His eyes finally met my pleading ones, his face softening slightly at the look on my face, though it also looked like his eyes hardened even more. He was angrier than I've ever seen, I could even feel it through the mate bond. I just hoped that he had a plan to get us out of this.
"That's an interesting sentiment."
My captor turned to look towards the new voice, dragging me along with him to see Zaine standing against the frame of the back door with a smirk on his face. I glared at him with pure hatred.
He raised his gun, pointing it at my friends with a creepily excited smile. "Get in the cell or I'll blow your head off."
Caleb refused to move an inch, eyes stuck on Zaine with the scariest look I had ever seen.
"C'mon." Sherri said in fear of the gun pointed directly at them. Her, Johnny, and Tyler stepped into the cell hesitantly, leaving my mate standing stubbornly outside of it.
"Caleb." I whispered pleadingly, knowing Zaine wouldn't be afraid to murder his Alpha in cold blood.
Caleb looked to me for reassurance, the fear I was feeling through the mate bond only spurring on my own fear. I nodded at him, telling him with my eyes that I was going to be okay. He was hesitant to leave, not wanting me to be by myself but I could see and feel that he trusted me and that's all that mattered.
Zaine closed the cell behind Caleb with a bang. He seemed all too disappointed that he didn't get to use the weapon in his hand on his Alpha.
"And now for you." Zaine turned to me with a big smile. "Nice to see you again, old pal."
I simply looked at him in boredom, not caring enough to play along. "Where are the rest of Caleb's pack members?"
"Good question." Zaine nodded. "Some were doing a perimeter run, some were guarding both entrances of the prison, some were interrogating and getting information out of the prisoners and now some of them are dead." He said casually.
I thrashed from my place against my captor's hold, rage rushing through me as I ached to grab ahold of the retched being in front of me and choke him to death. My captor instead forced me back against his chest, holding his arm tighter around my neck.
"I will destroy you." I growled angrily with narrowed eyes. I could feel my wolf fighting to get to the surface, her primal instinct of protecting the pack coming out.
"Aw." Zaine pouted sarcastically. "The little pup wants to fight with the big dogs. Hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but you're just a trophy at this point." He said, leaning down to look me in the eye. "You know, I really thought when I met you that you'd be this big tough warrior, the Blood Siren of Legend..." He trailed off, looking at me in displeasure. "But all you are is this small weak little girl. Probably cries for her dead Mommy."
Zaine cocked the gun, aiming it directly at Caleb with a smirk. "Now you can cry for your mate too."
Just as he pulled the trigger, the smirk on his face as wide and smug as ever, silence filled the room. The complacent look on his face fell immediately, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked down at his hand, suddenly realizing that he could no longer move his fingers. Panic became of his face as his eyes looked up and down, suddenly realizing that he couldn't move his head either. He let out a cry as he tried to understand what was happening, only to realize that he was completely stuck with no control over any limb on his body. His body trembled as the blood rushing through his veins was now bent at my will, fear now clear on his face. Without moving a single finger, I watched smugly as his own hand unwillingly turned to point the gun against his forehead.
My body coursed with electricity as that familiar tingle in my palms controlled every movement he made.
"W-What the hell are you doing to him?" My captor choked out in fear, but it was already too late for him.
He let out a cry as he unwillingly began to unravel his arm from around my neck, releasing me from his grasp. I turned around, simply flicking my head so that he was forced onto his knees, now pressing the gun against his head.
They looked up at me with eyes full of fear, silently pleading for me to end my reign of terror but I merely looked at them and flicked my head once more, forcing both of their bodies to lie on their stomachs with their hands behind their back.
I quickly grabbed the keys, rushing to the cell door so I could open it before anyone else decided to join us. Tyler swept me into a hug as soon as I opened the cell, relief washing over me as I realized that we were all safe. Johnny followed soon after, holding both of us tightly as we finally reunited as one.
"So, you really do have superpowers." Johnny said with wide eyes. "It was kind of terrifying."
I cringed at his words, the feeling I got in my body every time I used my powers suddenly hitting me full force. I turned away from them as tears burned in my eyes, that weight on my chest as heavy as ever. "I-I'm going to get some fresh air." I muttered, watching as Tyler and Johnny took ahold of both of them before I rushed out the back door, slamming it behind me. I looked around, sniffing for any nearby scents that the other prisoners could've left, but their scent was stale.
They escaped.
I leaned against the wall, sliding down it slowly as I tried to catch the breath that seemed to keep escaping from me. I couldn't seem to focus on anything other than the horrid feeling I got whenever using my ability. I've only used it to that extent a small number of times before and every time I did, the feeling haunted me for days on end. I vowed that I never would use my power in that way again, even in life-threatening circumstances, but I have done exactly that.
"You saved us."
I looked up in shock at my mate through swollen eyes, my hands quickly reaching up to wipe the few tears that trickled down my cheeks. "Yeah." Was all I could choke out.
"Thank you."
I chuckled through my tears, turning away so he couldn't see my face. "There is absolutely nothing you should thank me for. I just fixed a situation I got you guys stuck in."
"You're wrong."
I looked up at him in confusion, not seeing how I could possibly be wrong in this situation. "Without you, we wouldn't have known for sure that Zaine is a traitor. He could've slaughtered the pack beneath our noses and we never would've known."
"Well, you guys saved me first." I said. "Thank you for getting there before it got worst."
Caleb's eyes darkened at the mention of the horrid incident they had initially found me in. "We should've got there sooner."
"I'm thankful you guys came at all." I admitted. "For a while, I didn't think I'd ever see you guys again."
"We looked for you every day while you were gone." Caleb said softly as he sat down with me on the floor, looking out in the distance. "None of us could get ourselves to give up looking for you."
I teared up at the confession, my heart breaking as I thought of my mate and the boys doing everything they could to find me.
"Last resort was finding where your old pack resided. Johnny didn't think you'd ever come back here again, but Tyler said that it wouldn't hurt to check. So we planned the expedition and set off. Then we found you."
"Was it worth it?" I asked quietly, turning to look up at him. He turned his head so his eyes met mine, the adoration in his gaze making my heart explode.
"You'll always be worth the chase."