Page 36

Miranda

Colt was...magnificent.

I don’t know if he did it on purpose, but I saw everything he pulled from that Beta asshole’s mind.

Fucking monster.

And I know Rai and Aubrey saw it all, too, because my hands are still held tightly in theirs as we all stare at Colt with awe and admiration.

When he turns to us, I leap at him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and squeezing, kissing his neck as I whisper how much I love him. Then Aubrey and Rai are at my back, their arms around us both, natural and loving.

But there’s still more to do as we separate and pass through the small crowd that had amassed around us, and head into the academy. Most of the crowd follows when a voice calls out, “What do we do with him?”

When I turn, I see a young man I don’t recognize pointing at the Beta Councilman, who twitches on the ground every so often.

“Leave him,” Colt tells him, and we turn back to the academy.

Inside, Willow and Caius are in the center of the foyer. Around them are several Beta soldiers I recognize, their uniform badges and patches torn off in defiance, some wounded by obvious gunfire.

“Yarr,” Aubrey calls and rushes to the combat instructor, who’s leaning against the wall, breathing heavily. There’s blood on his torso, and I think it’s coming from a wound in his shoulder.

“I’ll be fine, Modumo,” he replies with effort. Then he looks at him quizzically. “You’re talking.”

Aubrey shakes his head. “And you’re bleeding.”

The older man laughs, then groans in pain.

A woman I don’t recognize approaches from the back of the small crowd and crouches in front of Yarr. “I’ll help,” she says quietly.

“Mira!”

I turn toward the chorus of cries to find Nyx and Arlowe running at me just before they wrap me tight in their arms.

“I knew you’d make it back,” Nyx whispers, emotion welling in her tone.

“She wouldn’t shut up about it.” Arlowe’s tone is sarcastic yet watery when she steps back and smacks my upper arm.

My smile is automatic, my eyes swimming as I look at my friends. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” My voice cracks. “I knew you’d fight when you were able.”

“This one,” Arlowe smacks Nyx’s arm this time, “has fried all sorts of Beta assholes.” She grins proudly.

Nyx rolls her eyes. “I didn’t have much of a choice.” I follow her gaze over her shoulder where Headmaster Laurant stands, fidgeting and shellshocked, beside a young man whose pale blue eyes are locked on Nyx. His once-styled hair is mussed from battle, tribal tattoos peek from beneath the neck of his shirt like black flames. There’s a ring in one of his nostrils and a barbell in his opposite eyebrow.

I turn wide eyes to a smirking Arlowe. “That would be Erich.”

I stifle an even bigger smile when Nyx turns back to us in a huff. Then, her face goes pale as a familiar voice sings from behind me.

“Well, well.” I turn to find lilac eyes above me, but they’re honed in on Nyx; that wild and unhinged smile is settled on Zephyr’s face. “This is the most pleased I’ve been to escape my life as a lab rat.”

My lips part, but nothing comes out, my brows furrowing as I look back and forth between Zephyr and Nyx.

Arlowe lets out a huge laugh, gripping her middle as she bends over with the force of it. “I don’t know whether to hate or pity you,” she says between laughs.

“Attention, if you please!”

The room sobers and we all turn toward Willow, who stands alone in the center.

“First, I want to congratulate you all, not only on a job well done, but because you fought for your freedom today.” She proudly looks around the room. “Our fight is not over, but yours can be. We would never force anyone to join our cause. If you choose not to fight, you can leave any time. Our people will help you find safety.” Her hands clasp. “If you choose to stay and fight, know that what we fight for is not only retribution, but to change the entire world.”

When she moves about the room, most are captivated, but some look disbelieving. “I have a pack,” she gestures to Jory and Caius. “And we will fight for pack freedom as well. If you have found your mates, there’s no longer any reason to hide. We will protect you, and help you protect yourselves.”

The energy in the room changes as if there’s a collective sigh of relief.

More people file in from the back entrance, and murmurs build.

“Also, we’ve taken the juvenile facility. Our leader is there now, and all the children are safe.”

There are gasps from some people, including Arlowe, whose hand flies to her throat. I put my palm on her back, but she doesn’t react.

“If any of you have family there, you can see them tomorrow morning. If you’re unsure if you do, the registries are open for you to search. Your tablets and all the computers have been unlocked, and you all have unrestricted access.” She looks right at Rai, who gives a small nod.

“Now that we’ve received the all-clear,” Willow gestures to Colt, who also nods in confirmation, “we will begin the process of healing and cleaning.”

Willow directs anyone who’s greatly injured to a group of rebellion members who have the power to heal, and anyone with minor injuries to be examined by Dr. Gayle, whose face is somber but determined.

So many who aren’t Cursed decided to stand against the GBE. To stand for what’s right.

A tear of gratitude slips from my eye.

When Willow seeks volunteers with power to help clean up the hundreds of bodies strewn across the campus, Zephyr claps his hands, making the three of us jump. “Well, that’s my cue, ladies!” And he’s gone, joining a large group by Caius, including the Alpha named Erich, who eyes him warily.

I’m about to ask Arlowe about the juvenile facility when Willow comes by, her smile bright, eyes crinkled in the corners.

“Miranda!” she sings kindly before addressing my friends. “I’m Willow. Miranda and her pack found us escaping here.”

Nyx and Arlowe turn big eyes from Willow to me and back again.

“They were right where Colt thought they’d be,” I supply.

“That would be my doing.” Major Tomlin— Jory —joins Willow’s side and puts his arm around her. “I knew some of the kids here could read thoughts, so I did everything I could to feed information to them. About the rebellion’s existence and location.” He frowns. “All I wanted was to take this place down with you, but I had to set other things in motion first.”

“So you further endangered my daughter and her pack.”

My father comes up from behind Willow and Jory, his gaunt face severe.

As I look at him in question, Nyx and Arlowe get closer to me, protectively. I feel my Alphas look at me, reach out through our mental bond, and I send them a silent message to stay where they are.

I don’t know what my father’s hostility is about, but adding more Alphas to the conversation will only make things worse.

“Your daughter is a very capable warrior,” Jory tells him, his tone very calm. “I’ve seen what she is capable of. I believed in her, even if I couldn’t be honest with her.” He turns to me then, his voice and steel eyes soft. “I’m sorry about that.”

“You let them risk their lives, not knowing the truth!” my father shouts. “For what? To save me? To save all Cursed everywhere? What is the plan here?”

I open my mouth to protest against his absurd behavior when Colt shouts from behind us, “You’re one to talk about secrets, Isaac.” All eyes whip to him, and my heart races.

There’s something...something inside Colt’s mind...something he’s been hiding from me.

His pained, mismatched eyes turn to me, but he addresses my father. “I don’t care if this is the right time or not. I can’t take this anymore. Either you tell her, or I will.”

I look at my stricken father, the man I always thought the world of. The man I’d do anything to save, anything to never part with. “Tell me what?”

But I already know.

I look at my father, his silver eyes like mine, then to Willow, her fingers pressed to her trembling mouth. A mouth and face so like mine. Hair like mine. And I know.

I swallow, my voice coming out like air as I look at the woman before me. “Your sister was…”

Tears stream from her eyes, dropping off her jaw and chin. “Miranda,” she whispers. “My sister’s name was Miranda.”

The world around me goes dark. I faintly hear the gasps of my friends at my side, feel the grip of one of their hands tight on my forearm.

My Alphas are coming closer now, and I know I can’t stop them.

I turn tear and rage-filled eyes on my father. “You lied to me.” My body shakes, my mind numbs. “You lied to me about everything. My entire life, every fucking thing you told me was a lie since the day I was born.”

“Miranda—” he reaches for me, and I step away in fury.

“You let me believe I killed my mother.”

“I never said—”

“It doesn’t matter what you said!” I scream. “I believed it. Then I killed the woman who raised me with my curse, and I carried the weight of both their deaths.” My fists clench, ice crackling along my skin as I stare at the man who called himself my father.

“You had a choice,” I croak. “You knew you and my mother were both Cursed. You knew I was going to be, too!”

His voice is broken, defeated. “It’s never a sure—”

“ Bullshit,” I seethe. “You knew and you chose a life of comfort for as long as you could, instead of joining Willow and the rebellion.”

“I thought you would be able to hide your curse, like me. Like your mother.”

“You thought wrong, though,” I say on a humorless laugh. “I must have been such a disappointment to you. The dirty, Cursed secret you couldn’t hide.”

“That’s not true!” he shouts.

“No? I made it impossible for you to keep hiding and living your beautiful life. And your plan was what? To run forever? Until you died and left me alone to keep running?” I shake my head in disbelief at him.

His wary silver eyes flick across the room at the people around us. “Maybe we should—”

“They are the last people you should be worried about right now.” I snap my ice claw in front of his face, and he flinches, eliciting a modicum of satisfaction inside me.

“Do me a favor,” I say, stepping away from him and the others. “Stay far away from me.”