EMBER
Ember ? Wake up !
I let out a gasp that turned into a cough. I can barely swallow, my throat is dry . It doesn’t take me long to realize the voice I’m hearing is in my head.
My wolf. She’s back, and she seems surprisingly lively. She’s not ready to end our lives or attack the first thing that crosses her path.
“Calm down.” A large hand grips the back of my neck, and I instantly realize who it is. His deep voice and masculine scent reassure me.
I force my eyes to one
I open my eyes, a little relieved to be able to open them this time, although I still have to fight off a crust of dried tears that the cichlids are trying to stick to me. As expected, Alpha Scopus is sitting next to me.
He brings a cup to my lips, and I open my mouth slightly as the cold water slides over my tongue and then down my throat. He only allows me a few sips before pulling it away, leaving me wanting more…
further .
I lick my lips. “Please…” I croak.
He smiles softly. “Just a little, then. The healer says that…”
“Take it easy.”
He brings the cup to my lips again, allowing me to drink a little more. This time, as I pick it up, he lowers my…
Put your head back on the pillow.
I glance to the left and see a bandage on my arm and a tube coming out of my hand, just like the IV I had in the hospital.
At least this time I know it isn’t feeding me poisonous wolfsbanc–otherwise I wouldn’t be able to feel my wolf. “How long?” I croak.
Damon looks at me thoughtfully, making me think that he doesn’t want to tell me.
Everything that happened comes rushing back as the fog in my mind lifts. My brother. Being grabbed by the other tributes. The brand, and my paralysis.
I move my fingers, relieved that they are still working. I try to move my arm, but I only manage lift it a few inches from the bed before it drops back down. It feels like lead, but at least I can move
to
- it.
Emergency calls only
Damon’s hand rests on the top of mine. “Just rest. You’re still weak.”
I glance at the bandage on my arm.
“It’s healing.” he adds. “It will just take time.”
SW82%
13:10
I close my eyes and sigh heavily. Why is he being like this? Kind. He must want something.
Panic grips me as I suddenly realize. He must know. He must know my secret, but how? No one is supposed to know.
***
FIFTEEN YEARS EARLIER
I look at the little bird on the ground. Its wing is hanging at an angle that looks wrong, and every time it tries to get up, it fall
over. I saw it when it crashed into the window, and ran outside straight
away.
I glance around to make sure there is no one there. I know I shouldn’t do this, but I want to help the
little bird.
I pick it up and cup it in my hands. Closing my eyes, I focus on taking away
I jump when I hear Mama’s scolding voice. “Ember? What are you doing?”
I spin around to face my mother. “A bird. It’s hurt.”
its pai
I open my hands to show her, and the bird flies away. I can’t help but smile as I watch it take flight. “I fixed it, Mama.”
She grips my shoulders so hard it hurts. “What have I told you, Ember?” she scolds.
A tear trickles down my cheek. “I’m sorry, Mama. I just wanted to make it better.”
She looks at me and sighs. “I know, sweetheart, but not everyone will understand. There are bad people out there who will want to hurt you if they see what you can do.
“Just promise me you won’t do this again. Promise me you will never tell a soul about your gift.” She wipes my tears away with her thumbs, her eyes beseeching me to see how serious this is.
“I promise, Mama,” I whisper.
She kisses the top of my head. “Good girl, Ember. Always remember that this is for the best, and that I love you.” She gives me a little shove toward the house. “Now, go take a nap, because you’ll be
tired.”
****
NOW
I try to push myself into a sitting position. “My wolf is back, so healing the brand won’t be a problem for me anymore.” The lie flows easily from my lips, much to my wolf’s disgust.
“He knows,” she hisses, but she doesn’t tell me how he knows or what he intends to do with the
information.
Is Alpha Scopus one of the bad people my mama warned me about?
His hand presses suddenly on my shoulder. It’s all the pressure that’s needed for me to collapse back
onto the bed.
He narrows his e eyes. “Don’t lie to me, Ember. I despise liars, and I can smell the lie on your breath. Besides, I know more about you than you realize.”
I close my eyes and swallow nervously. The softness that was in his voice when I first woke gone now. He’s back to the gruff alpha, which is exactly what I expected.
“You lied to him, but he still cares for us. He still wants us,” my wolf huffs.
up is
She’s not usually this talkative–or at least, she never has been until now. We’ve always had a tense relationship, which worsened after our mate rejected us.
I roll my eyes at her. “He doesn’t care for us,” I scoff. “He just wants us for our gift.”
She growls at me like that’s my fault.
I don’t know why I missed her, but I did. She’s such a temperamental bag of bones. It would be nice, just once, if we were on the same page.
“He does want us,“my wolf snaps. “At least, his wolf does. He’s chosen us. We’re his now.”
Realization suddenly hits me. Stupid wolf. She’d do anything for a mate. Just because Damon’s wolf flirted with her a little, she spilled all our secrets.
“You told him, didn’t you? You told his wolf what we are.
“How could you be so stupid? What possible use could they have for our gift? They’re a warrior pack. All they want is strength and power. He’ll use us, just like our mama warned,” I hiss.
She glares at me. “I keep my promises,” she huffs. “I never told him.”
We don’t have the best relationship, but my wolf wouldn’t lie to me. I don’t think she could, even if she wanted to, since we share each other’s thoughts.
But if she didn’t tell my secret, that leaves only one other person: my brother.
Lo habría perdonado por lo que hizo en el comedor. La forma en que me dejó de lado cuando encontró a su pareja. ¿Pero esto? Nunca lo perdonaré. Eligió a su pareja por encima de su propia sangre.
Damon le advirtió a Crystal sobre lo que pasaría si me lastimaban. Y me lastimé. Le rogué que no se desquitara con Crystal, pero obviamente no fue suficiente. Así que mi hermano me arrojó a los lobos, literalmente, para proteger a su pareja.
Yo era solo un cachorro cuando mamá murió. Oliver y papá intentaron decirme que la habían matado unos renegados. Pensaron que no podría soportar la verdad, que nuestro alfa la asesinó cuando descubrió su don.
Puede que sea pequeño y débil, pero no hay nada malo con mis coches ni con mi nariz. Podía oler sus mentiras. No estoy seguro de que mi relación con Oliver haya vuelto a ser la misma desde aquel día.
Pero a pesar de sus mentiras, Oliver sabe lo que le pasó a Mamá. Sabe exactamente qué hará Alpha Scopus ahora que Oliver me ha traicionado.
El alfa me usará como criadora. Me obligará a aparearme y a tener cachorros con él, con la esperanza de que produzca una loba poderosa para que él la use.
No puedo permitir que eso pase. Pero ahora que Alpha Scopus sabe de mí, no sé cómo detenerlo.
No puedo expresar mis temores sobre esto al Rey Alfa, ni al consejo gobernante que se supone debe asegurarse de que todas las manadas traten a sus miembros apropiadamente.
Incluso si pudiera llegar allí, solo empeorarían las cosas. Una vez que supieran quién soy,…
Me usaría también.
Nuestras opciones son limitadas. Sé que mi lobo no estará contento, pero ¿qué más puedo hacer?
Sé que crees que nos quiere , pero solo quiere a nuestros cachorros . ¿ De verdad quieres que tus cachorros sean esclavizados ? ¿ Usados por su poder? —la desafío.
Ella gruñe al pensarlo.
—No podemos quedarnos aquí —añado— . En cuanto me recupere , tenemos que irnos . Huir de aquí .
Ella se retira a lo más profundo de mi mente, insatisfecha con mi afirmación, pero sabe que tengo razón.
Mi mamá tuvo suerte al encontrar a mi padre. Fue amable con ella, un compañero comprensivo y un compañero igualitario. Pero era la excepción, no la regla.
Alfa Scopus es impredecible. Un minuto es amable, y al siguiente se vuelve todo un alfa conmigo. No confío en él, y sé que incluso ahora, unas palabras tiernas de su lobo a la mía la harán revolcarse por él.
No me convertiré en la herramienta de ningún alfa ávido de poder. Y ahora que mi hermano me ha traicionado, no queda nada que me retenga aquí.
She breathed more slowly so the alpha would think she was asleep. I need to play the role of the submissive wolf for now, at least until I come up with a plan to get out of here.
