Page 19 of Curvy Alpha Bride (Wolfshade Brides-for-Hire #4)

When I hear raised voices outside, my first thought is that we’re under attack again. I’m almost ready to burrow under the blankets when I realize Xavier’s gone, and if there is danger, he’s probably outside right in the thick of it.

As I get up, I look out the window and see Xavier facing off against the entire council. Relief floods through me. He must be telling them that we’re getting out of here and there’s absolutely nothing they can do about it.

I’m so excited to be leaving that at first, Xavier’s actual words don’t register. When they finally sink in, I stand in the doorway, frozen with shock. The world wavers around me, and I have to hold on to the wall for balance.

What? He’s staying?

The small bloom of hope that began in my chest last night is torn to shreds, pulled out by the roots, poisoned, and turned to ash. Fury, driven by fear, floods my heart and makes my temples pound.

How can he do this to me?

Then Xavier turns and sees me standing behind him, listening to his every word. His face tightens with shock, and in his eyes, there is nothing but regret.

“Mabel,” he says, taking a step towards me. “You have to listen. This isn’t what you think it is.”

“You’re betraying me—again,” I spit, wrapping my arms around myself. “You promised me you’d get me out of here. Now you’re saying you’re going to stay!”

“Let me explain,” he says, taking a slow step in my direction as if he’s trying not to startle me. “It will all make sense if you just let me tell you what’s going on.”

“I don’t care!” I cry, trying to hold back my tears but not succeeding. “It doesn’t matter what the reason is—you’re letting me down. I’m just not important enough to you!”

“Mabel, that isn’t true!” he yells. “Please, just stop.”

“No!” I scream, leaping back into the cabin and slamming the door behind me. As I slide the deadlock into place, the irony is not lost on me.

I spent the last twenty-four hours trying to get out of here. Now I’m locking myself in.

“Mabel!” Xavier yells, banging on the door. “Let me in, please!”

I don’t bother to answer, just take myself over the pile of cushions on the floor and curl up in the blankets. I’m so shocked, frightened, and angry that the outburst has left me completely numb.

I’m stuck here. I’m really and truly stuck here, and the only person who can help me won’t.

Even though I know Xavier must have a good reason for doing this, and the entire town is in terrible danger, for the moment, my head can’t fathom any of that. I went to sleep last night knowing that Xavier was going to get me home, and that if he could put me first, I might be able to forgive him.

Then, the contract, the consummation, all of it becomes a thing of joy. Like we were always meant to be, and the moment of rejection was a necessary step to us finding true happiness. But he’s betrayed me again. This is just who he is. He will never put me first.

Xavier bangs on the door and yells as I just stay curled up on the floor, crying softly and trying not to think. My head is aching from stress, and I don’t know how to move forward from this.

I was always so good at planning my future. Now, every single path ends in “stay trapped in this cabin until I die.”

Wrapping the blankets more tightly around me, I look into the dancing yellow flames and give in to the horrible, empty ache in my chest. The noise outside settles down, and I’m just glad to be left alone.

I don’t care about ancient evils or mysteries. They can keep their damn secrets.

After a while, I drift off into a light sleep. I fall into a comfortable darkness, with no bad dreams, and when I wake, I actually feel well-rested.

I’ve been in a constant state of escalating stress since I first laid eyes on Xavier in the rose garden. It’s amazing I could rest at all.

I sit up slowly, listening for any noise outside. I don’t know if the elders are still out there, intent on keeping me prisoner, or if they’ve left me unguarded because they think I won’t leave.

A few options roll through my mind. I could try sneaking out right now. If Xavier’s truck is still in the driveway, I could probably get to it and haul ass out of here, keeping my foot to the floor until I hit the top of the Pass.

If I left right now, I could be home by midnight!

The image of my small, cozy room rises in my mind, so real that the memories overwhelm my senses. I can see the ordered chaos of my books and magazines, the sprawl of clothes, and the faint glow of the plastic stars stuck to the ceiling.

I want to go back there so badly, it almost feels like my feelings could teleport me if I just wished hard enough for it. I focus on my desire, trying to give myself the courage to bolt out the front door and into Xavier’s car.

They wouldn’t try to stop me, would they? Yesterday, Serra said to break Xavier’s arm… would they do that to me, too?

A shudder of horror ripples through me as I realize they might.

These people are so bug-nuts fucking crazy, they could do anything!

In my plans for escape, I’ve very carefully avoided thoughts of the mysterious evil stalking the town. Even though it’s scary, it feels pretty impersonal. I know Dove got taken by it, and it kills people, but my only experience with it has been an eerie feeling and some nightmares.

The townsfolk, the elders, and Xavier, however, hit me personally and are far more frightening.

If I stay here, I could end up locked in this cabin for the rest of my life. I have to make an attempt to escape. Even if I die, at least I tried.

I get up and head towards the door, looking out the windows to see if I’m still being watched. I can’t see anyone, but they might be hidden, so I don’t assume I’m safe.

Just get the fucking door open, then run like hell!

As I approach the door, someone knocks on it, almost making me jump out of my skin. Cursing softly, I walk over to it, wondering if whoever is out there is psychic, appearing the very moment I gathered the courage to try to leave.

“Who is it?” I ask, sounding braver than I feel.

“It’s me, dear,” a soft voice calls, and I recognize it as Finnah.

“What do you want?” I snap.

“I have some of the girls from the village with me, and we’d like to stay here with you, if you’ll let us.”

“Why?” I ask, glaring at the door and hoping she picks up on my suspicion.

“Because it’s a safehouse. The creature can’t get in, and we’re worried about the integrity of the other bunkers. These few girls with me are very vulnerable, and we think the beast will try very hard to get them.”

I stare at the door, coming close enough to it to touch the wood. I don’t want to open it and let them in—especially Finnah.

It’s a trick, it has to be. Xavier’s waiting out there, and I’ll have to look into his traitorous eyes and listen to his excuses again!

“Please?” a very soft voice calls. “We’re scared, Luna. It took Dove right out of her bed. It will be coming for us next. Please let us stay with you.”

A groan of defeat rattles through my chest. The image of Dove holding my hand, hugging me, looking up at me with her big, innocent eyes, pushes all other thoughts from my mind.

She trusted me. She said that I saved them all, and I let her down. I can’t let that happen again.

Reluctantly, I turn the deadbolt and swing the door open. There are three young girls on the porch, with Finnah behind them.

“Thank you, Mabel,” Finnah says with what sounds like genuine relief. “The town is locking itself down, but we don’t know if the bunkers will even be of any use now.”

“What makes you think the cabin is safe?” I ask.

“My brother survived here for twenty years,” she answers. “And the thing was right on top of him the whole time. If it could have gotten in, it would have.”

“The cabin is protected by old magics,” one of the girls says. “Among our first settlers were witches and wizards, and one of those wizards mixed his blood with the mortar. The witch cannot breach the bounds.”

“Lyssa,” Finnah replies, shaking her head. “That’s just a story.”

“Stories are all we have,” Lyssa says, a serious look on her face.

“Ain’t that the truth,” I mutter, stepping back from the doorway. “Come in, girls, and ah… make yourself at home, I guess?”

“Would you like to go outside for a while?” Finnah asks as the other girls head into the living area. “We should get some wood in while the sun is high, and if you need to stretch your legs, now would be the time.”

“I thought I was confined to these walls,” I say, arching an eyebrow.

“We’ve heard nothing all day,” Finnah says. “I believe we are safe for now, and you might not get another chance.”

The impact of her words slowly sinks into me. She didn’t add a time frame.

She’s implying I’ll never get another chance... ever.

“Okay,” I say, stepping onto the porch. “I’ll go for a walk.”

“I’ll be keeping an eye on you,” Finnah says. Even though it could be taken as a threat, it really sounds like she wants to keep me safe.

I shift into my wolf shape and start to run across the yard, but I immediately feel so exposed and vulnerable that I go back to the house. I’m not far from the cars parked in the driveway, but my instincts are screaming at me that I’m not safe out here.

Fighting the sensation, I walk to the edge of the lake and look out across it. A breeze rustles through the forest and whips across the water, ruffling my fur. I put my nose to it, expecting the scent of fresh pine, game, and clean snow.

Instead, a horrible, coppery stench fills my nostrils. Like pools of clotted blood left on a barely alive corpse, too thick and warm to dry, percolating into an unnamable pestilence while the poor animal it came from slowly dies.

As I turn and run back to the house, I hear a faint cackle in the wind. It sends shivers of fear running through me that chill my blood and shrink my chest.

Okay, I get it. Whatever’s out here is really bad, and I don’t want to fuck with it.

I leap across the porch and through the door, shifting back into my human shape so I can slam it shut and press my back to it.

The girls are busy in the living room, stacking wood and arranging their things, and don’t pay me much attention.

But Finnah is sitting at the kitchen table, watching me with a knowing glare.

“You can feel it, can’t you?” she whispers.

I nod, still too afraid to speak.

“It’s okay,” Lyssa says, coming over with a blanket and wrapping me in it. “We’ll be safe here together, I promise you!”

She puts an arm around me, and I hug her back, grateful for the company. She grips me even tighter, and a soft sound like a sob escapes from her lips.

“Lyssa, are you okay?” I ask.

She shakes her head a little. “We all just feel so selfish. I’m so sorry, lady luna.”

“Why?” I ask, confused.

“Because we wanted a luna so badly!” she almost wails, keeping an arm around me.

“The power of the pack is not complete without a luna, and it had been so long since we had one. We really believed the danger was past, and that you’d lead us into our true strength.

Now you’re in danger, and so is the entire Range. ”

“That’s why everyone was so weird when I first arrived,” I mutter, stroking her hair comfortingly. Lyssa nods.

“The moment you were wed, all of us could feel it. It was the turning point for us, that we were finally safe, and free—ready to live normal lives!” Lyssa says.

“But the witch felt it, too,” Finnah mutters. “She must have been biding her time, keeping the very last spark of her consciousness alive so she could attack the moment we let our guard down.”

“And now you’re trapped,” Lyssa says, softly. “We’re so sorry, all of us. We just wanted a normal life.”

My heart breaks a little for her and every other person in this pack. I hug her even more tightly, fighting tears.

“And you should have one,” I tell her. “You weren’t selfish, okay? I know you were protecting yourselves and me. There was no reason to talk about the witch, because you were all just hoping so much that she was gone for good. I understand what you did, and I don’t blame you.”

“My dear girl,” Finnah says. “On that note, you should know that Xavier didn’t mean to—”

“Don’t!” I say, pointing my finger at her in warning.

I can understand the actions of these poor young girls, and even the desperate townsfolk, but Xavier is another matter entirely! He makes promises that he has no intention of keeping!

“He did the only thing he could—”

“I will not talk about it!” I say, my voice rising uncontrollably. Turning my back on Finnah, I let Lyssa lead me over to the fire, where the girls are toasting marshmallows and setting up for the evening.

I get it. I really do. There are things going on here that are bigger than my feelings. But it doesn’t change the fact that this is the second time Xavier has betrayed me.