CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED & SEVEN
Talia’s POV
I panted hard as I stared at the three bodies on the basement floor.
Blood slicked the cracked concrete beneath them. The ropes that had been around my wrists lay in frayed coils near my feet. My arms were trembling so badly that I had to press my palms against my thighs to steady them.
I had killed them.
For a moment, my mind kept trying to push the truth away, as if I could deny it by refusing to look directly at what I had done. The sedative still dulled my senses, but the adrenaline pumping through my veins had cleared the haze.
‘You are not a murderer,’ my wolf reassured me. ‘They attacked you. You defended yourself.’
My throat tightened. I swallowed, then swallowed again, because my mouth had gone dry.
“I can still feel it,” I whispered. My voice sounded small in the basement. “Their hands. Their breath. I can still feel them.”
“They are dead,’ my wolf replied. ‘You did what you had to do, and you lived. No one will fault you for it.’
I looked down at my hands covered with rogues’ blood.
My claws had been out during the fight. They were longer than they had ever been before, driven by fear, rage and a power I had never fully used. I forced them back, breathing through the sting as they retracted.
My wolf nudged me hard. ‘We need to leave before Viki returns.’
That snapped me into motion.
I wiped my hands on the side of my torn dress. I turned toward the wall where the hidden side door was. I ran my hands against the wall until it opened. Then I quickly entered the passage.
The passage opened behind thick. I crouched low in an attempt to listen for anyone around, but my heart was beating so loud that it was all I could hear.
‘Run. This is our chance,’ my wolf urged.
I ran through the trees, not caring about the branches that tore at my arms or the stones that cut into the soles of my feet. My lungs burned. My ribs ached. The sedative dragged at my body like weights, but I kept moving.
After what felt like forever, I stumbled across a small cave opening hidden behind large trees. It was not deep, but it was enough to conceal me from anyone walking past.
I slipped inside and sank to the ground, pressing my back to the cold rock.
For a long minute, I did nothing but sit and breathe.
When my heartbeat finally slowed down, I wiped sweat from my forehead and looked down at my wrists. The rope burns were angry and red, with faint swelling around them. Dried blood had crusted in the grooves.
‘We are safe for the moment,’ my wolf advised.
“For the moment,” I repeated under my breath.
I carefully crawled closer to the cave entrance and pushed aside a curtain of leaves. From this angle, I could see a stretch of forest path beyond trees. I saw movement. It was a Bloodmoon patrol.
I had not crossed the border.
I was still in Bloodmoon’s northern territory.
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My wolf’s anger surged, hot and bitter. ‘She dared to do it here,’ she snarled. ‘She dared to bring rogues into our land, into our pack.’
‘How could she do that without anyone noticing?’ I asked.
My wolf did not answer, but she pushed a thought forward, Maggie.
Viki told me that Maggie was the reason I had been caught by her. Was she telling the truth? I thought back on how insistent Maggie was about getting me away to meet the pack members. Her story didn’t add up, but I didn’t think she would betray me like that.
‘She did this. It has to be her,’ my wolf growled. ‘She delivered you right to her.’
I watched the patrol pass, and I stayed silent.
If I went back now, Viki would run again and I would always be looking over my shoulder until she attacked me again. Worse, I could lead Nolan and Marco straight into whatever plan Viki had prepared next. If Maggie was involved, she could twist my return into another lie before I even reached the pack house.
‘Our mate would never believe her lies,’ my wolf said.
“That doesn’t mean the pack wouldn’t,’ I retorted and I wasn’t going to take the chance.
As Luna, it was my responsibility to deal with this. I could not ignore that Viki was operating inside Bloodmoon territory and had rogues under her control.
‘At least let our mate know we are okay,’ my wolf urged.
I closed my eyes and reached for the pack link. Again, no one answered.
My wolf hissed in frustration. “Try harder.”
‘I cannot get through,’ I told her.
I opened my eyes and stared at the trees. ‘Maybe it is good that we can’t reach him. If Viki is alerted, she will know I escaped and change plans.’
‘You cannot stay hidden forever,’ my wolf argued.
“I know,” I replied quietly, “but I need to figure out who’s backing her, and most importantly, what her next move is.”
I stayed crouched at the cave entrance, listening.
Minutes passed.
Then I heard it.
Viki’s harsh and furious scream cut through the forest from the direction I had run from.
“Where the hell is that damned Talia?!”
J Judith GW Author
Hey everyone,
Viki is really getting on our nerves, huh? I have a feeling she might be on her way out soon. What do you think? Drop a comment and let me know!
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