The vision faded just as Mathias raised a crow bar over Rayden’s head. “Nooo!” Violet yelled and lunged forward, taking Hannah down onto the grass they still sat upon. She looked for her to be bloodied or dead when she realized where they were. Tiredness pulled at her, but she shook it off.

  “You were there?” Violet questioned Hannah. “You really saw everything, didn’t you? You saw everything?” Other Shadows and wolves were running toward them. And they didn’t have much time.

  “I promise, Violet. Not a word of what we saw. The last part. Not a word.”

  She nodded, never questioning her loyalty. “We have to get to Rayden and the rest of the enforcers.”

  “Why?”

  “We have to tell them how to win a war, and I think I know when they’re coming.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Coordinating the largest pack of Shadows in known existence was a monumental task. Add in awkward tension, Violet was positive it still spawned from her and Rayden, and that made it almost impossible.

  It had been three nights since they’d been together.

  Three horrible nights.

  Hot. In pain. Crying out for him, but she’d forbade Hannah from going to him.

  He approached from behind her somewhere, and her body screamed for him. Her wolf paced inside, a snarl on her lips, wanting nothing more than to pin him down and take what she needed from him.

  Schooling her curled lip was easier said than done.

  “How are you?” he asked as they waited for Hannah to arrive so they could go over the plan one more time.

  “Fine. Tired.”

  What else could she say?

  I’m completely miserable because all you want me for is sex, which I miss, and I need you, and you smell so damn lickable.

  “Fine,” she reiterated again. “What does Mathias have so against you that he’s literally willing to go to the ends of the known world to get you? I know Caro was his sister, but he really doesn’t seem the family man to me.”

  “Funny you should mention family. We used to think he was quite the family man. Doting even.”

  “Doting.” She rolled the word around in her head and finally shook it free. “Doesn’t equate with the maniac I saw in my vision. Wait. You said ‘we.’”

  He nodded once and looked away. “He was part of this pack. A very important member for quite a while. He fooled all of us.”

  “How did he fool you?” He wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Rule number one still applies,” she reminded him.

  Folding his arms across his chest only bought him a few more seconds. Then he dropped a bombshell. “He made us all believe he loved the Alpha. And we truly thought he was in love with her. Then he went a bit crazy. We had to push him out because we feared what he would do next. What he’d become was something evil. Something awful.”

  Warning bells started going off in her head. “The Alpha. He loved the Alpha.” She didn’t ask it like a question, but he nodded anyway. “But you said my mother was the…” She trailed off, trying desperately not to put two and two together.

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Can’t possibly mean he loved her.”

  “What he felt for her I don’t think we’ll ever know.”

  “But then it means I’m his… No. He’s not my…” She shook her head again already knowing it was true. He was her father. She knew it the moment he appeared in her last vision. It was her eyes staring back at her even if the color was off. The same full lips.

  Some emotion bled off Rayden. Tasted sharp and strong. Anger maybe.

  “Why didn’t you tell me? Especially after I told you my mother was missing and she’s more than likely been kidnapped by him.”

  “I’ve wanted to, but I’m glad I didn’t.”

  “Why?” It came out harsher than she meant, but she couldn’t wrap her head around the fact so many things she accepted as truth just weren’t accurate anymore. Never had been actually, but she was too naïve to see it.

  “Because I didn’t want you to be hurt.”

  It wasn’t the answer she expected, and she didn’t think he could say anything to make her feel better, but…it did. Not wanting to focus on it too much because she had no idea how they were going to find some middle ground she decided knowledge was power.

  “He loved my mother—“

  “He used your mother. Probably more accurate.”

  “So he used her.” Made her feel dirty just to say it. “But what good did it do? He’d never rise to power, would he? He’s not female. Was never going to be the Alpha.”

  “He sure thought he would, and if not, at least the next best thing.”

  “Which was?”

  “His special power was reading genetics. Could see what people could do. Could become. But the operative word is could.”

  “What’s so important about could?”

  “Someone’s genome could predispose them to certain illnesses let’s say. Heart disease, arthritis, bad eyesight, etc. You with me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Doesn’t mean they’re going to get it. Just means it’s possible. The same applies for certain abilities. If one person was to make a child with another person with incredible genetics, the child could certainly be destined for greatness.”

  “So…you’re saying, he more than likely didn’t love my mother at all. He thought she looked like a good brood mare to screw over. Literally. To see if he could strike it rich on the genetics lottery?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  “Which means what?”

  “He knew the Alpha prophecy just as all the rest of us did. And Alphas have been known to run in families.”

  “But he still wouldn’t be in power.”

  “He sure thought he would be. As did the people he convinced to follow him. Married to the Alpha and helping raise the next one—the one destined for such greatness. He wanted to take over, and he was certain he could do it.”

  Just as she opened her mouth to ask more questions, a hush fell over the assembled Shadows.

  Hannah stepped into the room with her eyes closed and a worried expression pulling her eyebrows low.

  “Hannah? You okay?” No response. As soon as Violet touched her shoulder, Hannah’s eyelids popped open.

  Not Hannah.

  The Oracle.

  White eyes. Completely white. And they glowed as she held Violet in her gaze.

  The voice Violet had heard in her dreams for so long, filled her head. The disembodied quality sent shivers up her spine, but she refused to walk away from her friend.

  “Five prophesies come together to reunite a family and show you the power of one. To save yourself you must seek the shadow of death. To save your mate you must be willing to give up the one thing you hold most dear. And to save your pack you must truly believe the impossible.”

  Her prophecy.

  Violet’s.

  Without asking she knew somehow no one else could hear it.

  It was meant for her and her alone.

  The one thing I hold most dear?

  Immediately, she looked at Rayden, knowing without a doubt he was her mate and she had to protect him. Whether he believed it or wanted it or would ever accept it meant nothing. It wouldn’t change anything. The sky was still blue, no matter if you couldn’t see it.

  Water was still wet whether you skimmed the surface or dove right in.

  It was inevitable.

  Fate.

  She looked around at all the Shadows watching her with respect. Hope. And she knew exactly what she’d be willing to give up to protect Rayden. To protect them all.

  Belonging.

  It’s all she’d ever wished and hoped for.

  Dreamed of. Giving them up. Giving up the acceptance she’d craved for so long would be worth it. As long as they survived and so did Rayden.

  It meant everything.

  A tear slid down The Oracle’s cheek, and Violet brushed it away. She took her hand and they both gasped.

  They both appeared in a bright white room. Empty. Peaceful. They faced each other, and this time Hannah stood in front of her, staring with surprise clear on her face.

  “What’s happen—”

  The shadow of one of the pack members stepped closer. And his prophecy filtered into Violet’s head. “Love and hate will find you in the same burst of light. Shying away from the light is just as dangerous as hiding in the dark. But she will find you. When you least expect it…she will find you”.

  The shadow faded into the white, and Violet tried to process what she was seeing. Feeling. Hearing. Hannah’s mouth never moved other than her licking the corner of her mouth. And the voice was different too. More masculine. Harsher maybe?

  Then before Violet peppered her with questions on what was happening, another sensation raced across their link.

  “This is it,” Violet whispered. “This connection was what you were expecting when you touched me the first time, wasn’t it? At first, you were devastated, but you covered it quickly.”

  Hannah nodded, swallowing what looked like a huge amount of emotion. “I’ve been alone for so long. Lost in this world of white, but then it’s gone as soon as I leave. My prophecy is the only one I’ve ever been able to remember. And it speaks of you. My violet-eyed friend.”

  Violet wiped a tear from Hannah’s cheek, almost exactly how she’d done it a few minutes before for the Oracle. “Neither of us will be alone anymore. No more. No matter what.”

  It came out, not as a statement, but as a decree.

  But how long would they have together? How long until they were both lost again?

  Something rumbled in the distance. Hannah looked over Violet’s shoulder and stepped away, pulling Violet with her. Trying to protect her from something.

  Swiveling around, the entire scene changed, and it was Violet’s turn for a vision. The white faded away, revealing the edge of the mountain and forest as dozens of Shadows from Mathias’ pack appeared.

  “Rayden? Can you hear me?” She tried the connection she shared with him before she could second-guess herself.

  “Yes. I’m here. What the hell is going on? Your eyes are white like Hannah’s.”

  “No time to explain. The mountain. They’re there. Coming closer. Moving fast. Something’s different this time. They know where they’re going. They know how to find us.”

  “Fuck. Stay here. In the compound. With Hannah. Protect yourselves. You’re the two most important of us. You have to survive.”

  She couldn’t make that promise. “Go, Rayden. I’ll be careful. I promise. Please hurry.”

  His growl along her neck was felt as well as heard in some kind of mate stereo.

  She felt a lot of the Shadows change into wolves and then shade to the mountain. Violet focused on the scene again. “No Mathias. Where is he?”

  “There.” Hannah pointed with her free hand.

  Violet squinted and made out a figure—no—two figures in the distance. The scene changed as if magnified.

  “Oh. Fuck.” She let go of Hannah’s hand, so much information pouring into her head, her legs gave out beneath her.

  “Violet!” Rayden yelled.

  Instantly, he was next to her, again in the compound. Sitting in the middle of the great room surrounded by several of the enforcers. His presence and hand on her spine kept her grounded in a world flipped upside down again. Hannah lay on the floor, and Sofia knelt beside her.

  “My mother. They have her. Mathias. His mouth covered in blood. As if he’s been…”

  “Ripping throats out.” A statement. Not a question.

  “He has her. On the mountain. With a gun to her head.”

  “How the fuck did they get her? And here. She swore when she left she’d never come here. Only Alpha who’s ever left. Ever.” He looked at the other enforcers. Collins, Freeman, Vinson. “Go wipe them out. Save the Alpha and Mathias. Bring them to me.”

  They disappeared from the shadows and went to the mountaintop. She could feel them. Each of them. Each Shadow fought to save their home. Their freedom. Their Alpha.

  That stopped her in her tracks. “My mom was Alpha here? She’s the one who abandoned you? She’s the one who stole…”

  “You. She stole you. When she had you, Mathias was already off his rocker. She took one look at you and said you looked just like your father. She loved him so much, but he was already too far past redeemable. Then she hemorrhaged. Before you’d even opened your eyes, she was unconscious. She never knew what color your eyes were when you were born. But we all saw. And she knew the prophecy. Why she ran with you? Putting you both in danger? We may never know.”

  Already knowing the color of her eyes as a baby, he would have known she was potentially his mate. Complicated layer upon layer stacked on top of one another. One last vision slammed into Violet before she could process anything else he’d said.

  Mathias. Her mother. Rayden. Her. Cora. What a tangled web.

  “Mathias. He was such a…monster.”

  “Yes, he was. Is. But fate will catch up to him sometime. Sooner or later his luck will run out and karma will bite him in the ass. Today is the day I don’t leave his fate to chance.”

  “No one has the ability to change fate. Not even you. No amount of determination will change it. It’s called fate for a reason. It takes the guesswork out of the equation. Maybe something only happens because you know about it. And I’m a firm believer of things happening for a reason.”

  “Oh yeah. Then why did Caro die? She was innocent. Totally free from—”

  “How do you think Mathias knew of all of the pack secrets all those years ago?”

  “Your mother. That’s how.”

  “Do you truly believe what you just said? Truly?” She let the question hang in the air. “And why did you tell me you were responsible for Caro’s death?”

  “Because I was.”

  “She committed suicide.” She let the truth hang in the air for a moment. “Her killing herself is hardly your fault.”

  Rayden stood and helped her to her feet. He stomped away and then retraced his steps.

  “You don’t understand.”

  “No. You don’t. She was damaged.”

  “Damaged? You didn’t even know her,” he spat at her.

  “Neither did you.” She wanted to tell him the rest of the story, but she had no doubt he wouldn’t believe her. But there would be time to tell him, before the end. She knew it. She’d seen it so she took a deep breath and—

  “Rayden. Get to the mountain.” A vision of Vinson, a copper-coated wolf, being attacked, killed, clawed at her insides. “Vinson.” She blinked, focusing on Rayden as he started to shimmer. “Save Vinson. Go. Now!”

  With no questions, nothing but blind faith, in the next instant he was gone.

  Sofia helped Hannah to her feet, and Morgan moved closer, the last of the enforcers left to protect them. Violet closed her eyes and for the first time sought out a vision. A specific vision.

  Vinson. Would he make it?

  The other pack descended on him, clearly outnumbered ten to one, and then Rayden was there. Tearing the other wolves apart. They gained the advantage, with a little help of a few very precisely placed lightning bolts.

  Morrison howled and sank his teeth into the flank of a rival Shadow.

  And then the scene changed.

  Mathias’ pack on the edge of the compound. Laughing. Then they started shading directly to the playground. Shading there. Into the shadows.

  But how?

  Then, all of a sudden, Violet saw herself. Dead. There. In the middle of the courtyard.

  “I have to go,” she whispered to the women in front of her.

  Sofia shook her head. “No. You don’t have to go anywhere. You’re staying right here where you’re safe.”

  “Have to protect the pack.”

  “It’s our job to protect you. That’s what we signed on for,” Morgan confirmed.

  “Not this time.”

  They lunged for her. Probably intending to tackle her to the ground to keep her out of the shadows so she couldn’t shade.

  But the strangest thing happened.

  She drew the shadow to her and shaded to the courtyard in broad daylight and directly to the middle where no shadows were located.

  Huh? With no time to think about it she decided to give herself a fist pump later.

  Chaos greeted her. Shadows of both packs fought, hand-to-hand combat. But the other Shadows didn’t fight fair. They fought dirty, hell-bent on destroying them to take over their home.

  Women and children had been caught unaware and were scrambling to the safety of the shadows so they could get away. Hide.

  Shading. But it was…impossible.

  The knowledge of what she needed to do struck her with a clarity she’d been aching for. Of what she could do to save the pack and their home.

  Use the shadows.

  Not to shade herself, but to shade others.

  To shade the baddies into the shadow. And keep them there. Trapped. Like a genie in a bottle, but with no weekend furloughs to grant wishes.

  An asshole with a huge machete charged a small group of Shadows as they tried to flee. The sneer and bloodlust on his face made Violet sick to her stomach. She focused on the space between him and the group of Shadows trying to get away.

  The space became real to her. As if it were fabric of some kind.

  She created a shadow out of thin air.

  “What the fuck?” Sofia’s voice tickled her head from somewhere behind her, but she didn’t lose her concentration. Everything was clearer at the moment and she knew exactly why she was there. Who she was. What she was there to do.

  Saving the pack. It’s exactly what she was there to do.

  The other Shadow had his arm raised, ready to slash the nearest member of her pack. He yelled and then saw it. He must have caught the shimmer of what was in front of him. Trying to pause did no good. Violet moved the shadow and swallowed his ass whole.

  Gone.

  He was gone.

  The other Shadows stared around. Looking for him, then faced Violet.

  She smiled and yipped, finally giving into the desire to fist pump.

  “Oh, my God. The prophecy is true. You are the Alpha sent to save us.” Morgan whispered it, a tear rolling down her cheek unchecked as she openly stared at Violet.

 

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