Page 179 of Ensnared by the Pack: The Complete Series (Destined Realms #3)

AUDREY

Whil placed her hands on my temples, and, just like all the other times she’d checked her magic blocking the tether connecting me to Sterling, I took a breath and released it. Her warm, golden power seeped into my head, muddling my thoughts, and I sank back against Bishop.

I drifted on a golden haze, savoring the peace that came with it. For a blissful moment all my worries about what was happening to me and the pack were gone and I felt safe and loved.

Then the haze melted away and I opened my eyes.

I lay on the short, old-fashioned couch in the greenhouse, and Whil sat on the floor a few feet away surrounded by books. Bishop must have carried me out here so Whil could do research while keeping an eye on me.

The sun sat high in the sky, but that didn’t surprise me. Whenever Whil checked the block, I lost half a day. Bishop was also gone, which I’d expected. He had pack responsibilities and couldn’t sit around all morning waiting for me to wake up.

“So,” I groaned as I dragged myself up into a seated position.

Whil glanced up from her book, her expression grim.

That wasn’t good.

I focused on my mating bonds. Knox’s bond was there but emotionless since he wasn’t close enough for me to sense, and Bishop’s was muted with only a hint of determination and worry. Which didn’t tell me at all if Whil had told Bishop what she’d discovered or not.

“My magic is still blocking the tether,” Whil said. “But it’s definitely weaker.”

“And?” I asked, since still being cut off from Sterling wasn’t grounds to be grim.

“The tether has evolved. It’s now not just a link between you two, it’s also a magical power source,” Whil replied. “A dark magic power source.”

“Dark magic?” A shiver raced through me despite the humid warmth in the greenhouse.

“Yes, whatever the son of your old pack’s alpha did, it’s growing in strength.”

My stomach churned. I wasn’t just tethered to Sterling for the rest of my life, I was caught up in the spell he’d cast to gain more power from that monster.

Oh, God. The last time I’d seen Sterling, he’d had ghostly ram’s horns just like the monster. His face had also turned red, but I’d thought that was because he was angry. Now I wasn’t so sure.

In my dream, he’d actually become the monster, and that dream had felt too real as if I were witnessing Mila and Porter’s murder, not just imagining it. That menacing power had filled the air and caressed my skin, calling out to something inside me, something that rang in recognition.

Was I going to become that monster, too?

The grimalkin’s alpha power had felt similar to the power Sterling had used to send those snake shadow monsters after us, a power that had already been hanging in the air around us in Anakar and the surrounding forest.

“Can you get rid of it? Block it?” I asked even as a new horrible thought occurred to me.

I’d run into this realm a weak, pathetic shifter. And now I had power.

Was the power actually mine? Was I actually a female alpha trapped behind a curse that was starting to crumble?

Or was it because of the dark power growing inside me?

If Whil got rid of it, would I go back to being me?

“I tried strengthening the block I already put on the tether,” Whil said, “but it isn’t strong enough to stop the power from seeping into you.” She swept her hands out at the books surrounding her. “I’m researching alternatives.”

“We have to tell the guys.” As much as I didn’t want to add more to their plate, me turning into a monster was important. “I should probably be confined.”

“Bishop said you’d say that and has made it clear that’s not happening,” Whil told me. “And I agree with him. So far, you’ve only used your power to protect the pack, and the power is growing slowly. I doubt you’ll suddenly turn into a power hungry murderous monster, which means we have time to figure this out.”

“You don’t know that,” I insisted.

I didn’t want to hurt anyone. In fact, all my instincts were telling me I had to protect the pack. But that only made it more important for me to ensure I wasn’t the one the pack needed protection from.

“Audrey,” Whil said as she rose and moved to sit on the couch beside me, her expression softening. “Yes, the power is growing inside you, but it’s not woven into your soul. It might feel like it, but it’s not. Your mate bonds are protecting you. Which means you might have access to that magic, but it’s not influencing you.”

Except I could hear the “not yet” at the end of her sentence.