Page 37 of The Alpha’s Seer (The Shifters of Stormhollow #1)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

BLAIR

‘I’ll leave you to think.’

Think about what?

The reason I’ve been captured and beaten by a crowd of thugs? I don’t need to think about that. Yet… he said I’m here because of my family—no—he said ‘all of this’ was because of my family.

Okay, so maybe I do need to think.

But my head hurts, and I’m parched. I need water, and there’s no way on earth I’m drinking anything they give me. I bite back a sob when I think of Calix, knowing how much he must be hurting right now without me. Pain throbs in my chest without him near, and I know this will be killing him.

If he’s still alive.

I’m freezing, my skin prickling with goosebumps, my heart in my throat. I just heard a voice in my head I don’t recognize. But it is someone, right? Hope builds within me.

Who are you?

There isn’t an answer straight away, and I begin to wonder if I’ve imagined it. Maybe I have because it feels like forever until the voice sounds again.

Just a woman.

A woman? My head reels. A captured woman?

I lick my dry lips.

Please talk to me. I don’t know where I am or why I have been taken. What do you know?

There’s another long pause, and I wonder if the woman is still there. How does she know about Calix?

My name is Azra. I don’t know where we are, but I know why we’ve been taken. Well, us anyway. I’m not sure about you. You’re the Seer.

Tears of relief prick my eyes. I’m so glad someone can hear me. I need to know how she knows Calix.

Do you know my mate, Calix?

Another pause.

Everyone knows Calix. His mother is here.

I know this. I need more; I don’t know how long we have.

Who are these people?

I hope she can tell me.

We don’t know. We were hoping you could tell us. He seems very excited to have you here.

I close my eyes, rest my head against the stone wall, and try not to cry.

Why is he excited to have me here? Is he going to try to force me to see the future? I can’t force my visions! I have them whenever—there’s no pattern.

If it’s not to impregnate me or to use my power, what else is it?

The only thing I can think of is my family. He said it’s about my family.

Do you know anything about him? I beg, praying the woman is still there. The universe answers me, and I almost weep.

He’s a sick fuck. That’s all we know. Please help us.

It’s nothing, but at least I know I’m not alone. I need to think, but I can’t—all I can think about is those poor women, Calix, my brother—what the hell was that earlier?!

Leon wasn’t nasty—and never to Calix. I shudder at the memory of him coming for me, his teeth bared like some kind of animal.

But before I can think further about my brother, the door opens, and the man is there again, his twisted, burnt flesh making me recoil. He looms in the doorway, the hole where his mouth should be moving into what must be his best attempt at a smile.

Nausea sweeps through me.

“Have you thought about it?” He tips his head to the side, and I grimace. “Because I’m happy to fill in the gaps if you need me to.”

He moves closer, and I lift my head to his.

“Why am I here?”

He crouches, and his boots creak, but I refuse to look away from his one eye as it scrutinizes me.

“Why indeed?”

“You said…” I swallow and try to remain calm, but my senses scream at me to run or hide. I can’t—it won’t get me or the women anywhere if I do. “You said it’s because of my family. Why? What has my family done?”

His eye glints, and I think he says, ‘Aha!’ but I can’t be sure, not when he is hard to understand without lips.

“That’s the right question, Blair. What did your family do? Any guesses?” His voice is raspy, like his lungs are covered in sticky black tar…

I stare at him and shake my head, even though I know he expects me to know.

How can I possibly know?

I didn’t even know my mother and aunt were werewolves until yesterday!

“I don’t know. Did you know my mother?”

I hate asking him this. I hate talking to someone so vile and hideous about my dead mother. I hate this piece of shit. But he stiffens when I say it, and my heart leaps.

My mother. What could she have possibly done to him? How would he know her?

“Yes, although I can’t say I knew her well.” His voice has changed somewhat, and I wish I knew why. My mother would have hated this misogynistic pig. “What I do know of her, I hate.” Spit flies from his mouth, and I flinch when it lands on me.

“I’m sure the feeling would’ve been mutual,” I hiss, unable to control my anger.

His hand strikes my cheek before I can brace myself, and my head slams into the wall, more dizziness taking over. I taste copper, the telltale taste of blood—a split lip, in my case. It stings like hell, but I’m glad I made him feel my hatred.

“Stupid girl,” he grits out. “You foolish bitch! Maybe I should send you to be with the other bitches after all. Let my men have their way with you.”

I say nothing.

“Or…you can start thinking rationally. Maybe you’ll survive.”

“What do you want?” I snap, surprised I still have the energy to do so. My body aches from being in restraints for so long, but I know that compared to the other women here, I’m lucky.

Lucky.

“You.” He shrugs like it’s obvious. “I need you.”

I stare at him. “Because I’m a Seer?”

He coughs, and his whole body trembles with the force of it, pain etched across his face as he spits into the corner.

Gross.

“Yes. You will breed, too, eventually. But you’ll remain here until then.”

Breed?

My stomach twists.

I can’t… I have to find a way out. He wants me here as a Seer—maybe I can lie to him about my visions—find out what he seeks and fucking destroy it.

“As your prisoner?” I lift my chin and wince when my lip cracks, fresh blood trickling down my chin.

“Of course. I’ll get you some food and water. I’m not a complete animal.” He chuckles to himself, but it comes out wrong, thanks to his distorted face. “Well, maybe I am. You aren’t though, are you?” He shakes his head. “How unfortunate you didn’t get the wolf gene.”

I frown as he continues.

“But you are a Seer. Unlike your useless brother, who got nothing. How cruel.”

His mention of my brother sets me alight inside. I know he had something to do with Leon’s behavior; I just have to find out what.

“Leon is a human like me. You need to leave him alone,” I warn.

He throws his head back and howls with laughter, shaking his head until the door opens again behind him. He turns to it before waving whoever it is inside.

“I’ll leave you two to have a little chat, shall I?” The burned man steps back, letting the darkness swallow him as my eyes move to the figure beside him.

My breath hitches in my throat when Leon steps forward, the maniacal look I recognize from earlier still in his eyes.

“Hey, sis.”

I swallow.