CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED & TEN
Talia’s POV
When I no longer heard Viki yelling, I left my hiding space and climbed into a tree near the cabin where Viki had been keeping me. I chose a high branch and kept my weight close to the trunk so I would not snap anything and give myself away. I needed height because I did not want them catching my scent on the ground.
“This is risky,’ my wolf grumbled.
It was, but we needed to know what Viki was up to. We needed to get as much information as possible before we contacted Nolan.
Below me, the cabin door opened.
Three rogues dragged Maggie out.
I gripped the branch harder when I saw her. Her face was covered with bruises, and she attempted to fight against them, but they held her tightly. Her arms were tied awkwardly behind her back. One rogue was yanking her along by the hair while others shoved or kicked her forward.
Viki stepped out after them. “Shut her up. All that noise she’s making will bring attention.”
One of the rogues slapped Maggie hard causing her to yelp and silence her sobs.
“All that crying will save you. All you need to do is comply,” Viki said. “Everything will go smoothly.”
“You said you wouldn’t hurt me. You never said you’d hurt Nolan,” Maggie said.
Viki laughed. “And you believed me.”
My wolf huffed inside me, ‘Fool!’
So, Viki had been telling the truth. Maggie was the reason Viki could move around Bloodmoon territory and plan something like this without being noticed. Her desire to become Luna drove her to betray her pack and Nolan.
‘Pathetic fool,’ my wolf huffed again.
“I did what you asked,” Maggie pleaded.
“And now you will do something else,” Viki replied, still calm. “You will keep cooperating.”
One of the rogues yanked Maggie forward again. She cried out, then tried to pull back, but she could not fight three grown rogues at once.
I still did not understand why they were taking her into the woods. If Maggie was their helper, why drag her out like this?
Viki stepped closer and pressed two fingers under Maggie’s chin, forcing her to lift her face.
“You wanted him,” Viki said softly. “You wanted her gone. Now you will prove you deserve what you wanted.”
Maggie’s eyes widened. “I did not agree to…”
Viki’s hand moved fast. She slapped Maggie hard enough that Maggie’s head snapped to the side. “You do not get to change your mind now,” Viki said. “You already made your choice.”
The rogues began dragging Maggie toward the darker part of the forest. I did not come down, and I am glad I didn’t.
‘I told you not to trust her. We should have told our mate,’ my wolf grumbled.
“There’s no point in discussing this now. We’re here now. We survived,’ I responded.
I did not have the energy to argue. I finally climbed down from the tree and made my way back to my original hiding spot. I kept
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my steps light and avoided dry leaves. The last thing I needed was one of those rogues doubling back because they heard me.
When I reached the cave, I crouched just inside and then I attempted to reach out through the mate bond. ‘Nolan, can you hear me?’
The bond flared instantly, so strong it almost hurt. ‘Talia? TALIA?’ His voice hit my mind hard, causing me to flinch. ‘Is that really you?’
‘Yes, yes, it’s me,’ I said. ‘I’m alive.’
There was a pause that felt like him trying to hold himself together.
‘Tell me where you are. I’ll come get you right now,’ Nolan demanded.
‘Near the northern border. I am hiding in a cave. I am safe for now.’
‘I am coming. Don’t move.’
I waited, listening for footsteps. My wolf stayed tense. She was ready to take over if we needed to fight. It only took a few minutes for Nolan to find me, but it felt like hours.
Nolan’s scent reached the cave first and then he was there.
“Nolan,” I whispered.
He ran to me and dropped to one knee in front of me. “You’re covered in blood,” he muttered. Nolan’s hands moved over me
quickly. He checked my shoulders, my arms, my face.
“Are you hurt?” he asked. “Where are they? What did they do to you?”
“The blood isn’t mine. Not all of it. I just have some bruises and cuts, but nothing is broken,” I replied.
“This is my fault,” Nolan said hoarsely. “I should have never left your side.”
He pulled me into his arms before I could answer, holding me so tightly it made my ribs ache. I pressed my face into his shoulder and breathed him in until the shaking in my body eased.
When I was calmer, I pulled back enough to look at him. “Nolan, this is not your fault.” I kissed him. He kissed back as if kissing me was breathing air into my lungs.
Nolan pulled back and said, “I need to get you home. I received a ransom letter after you were kidnapped but I think it’s fake
now.”
“It was probably from Viki,” I said.
Nolan frowned in confusion. “Viki? Viki is in Bloodmoon territory?”
“Yes,” I said. “She ordered the rogues to take me.”
Nolan’s expression morphed into pure rage. “I should have killed her, and I plan to rectify that tonight. I will meet her and put
an end to this.”
“No,” I said immediately. “It is a trap. Do not go.”
“I know it is, but that doesn’t mean she will be able to beat me,” Nolan said.
“We don’t know that,” I countered. “We have underestimated her too many times.”
Through the mate bond, I could feel Nolan fighting with his wolf to go and snap Viki’s neck right now. He exhaled slowly as he forced his wolf to calm down.
“Don’t worry. I will play along and find out what she is planning.”
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