Fated for the Alphas: The Complete Collection (Nine Book Paranormal Romance Box Set) (60 page)

“Yes,” Dove said suspiciously.

He kissed her on the forehead. “Well, this is payback.”

The three of them set off together, laughing and arguing. Lia wished she could go with them, but her stomach felt like an unquiet sea. She frowned at her plate. For breakfast, she’d had a piece of bread, some jam, and berries. What had made her feel so ill?

“What will it be today?” Ronan asked her. “Do you want to hunt? Between the three of us, I’m sure we can bring back the largest game. It’s only fitting.”

Lia clenched a hand under the table, trying to ignore the queasiness that rolled through her. “I might stay here. I don’t think I’m in peak hunting form.”

His brows knitted together. “What’s wrong?”

But before Ronan could even finish his question, she had pushed back the bench and sprinted to the den entrance. She barely made it outside when her stomach heaved. Her bread, jam, and berry breakfast splattered on the grass.

Lia braced a hand against the stone entrance, panting. She had hoped it was just some bad berries, but the nausea continued even after they’d been expelled. Bending over, she retched again. Her stomach was empty now, and nothing came out. Straightening, she tried to swallow. The taste in her mouth made her want to vomit again.

“Here.” Sequoia was at her side, holding a cup of cool water.

Lia nodded her thanks. Taking a sip, she swirled some liquid in her mouth before spitting it out. She drank the rest. The lack of any taste tasted so good.

“What’s wrong?” Kane and Ronan ran up, both pale.

Sequoia laughed. “Didn’t you tell us yourselves?”

They all stared at her, perplexed.

She shook her head in amusement. “She’s pregnant. It’s just morning sickness. Horrible, yes, but nothing to be afraid of. Just stay here this morning, Lia. In a few hours, you’ll feel better.”

“You’re sure?” Kane asked, his voice frantic. “Is the pup okay? Should I run and get Ivy?”

Sequoia rolled her eyes. “The pup is fine, Alpha. You can’t panic every time Lia sneezes, or it’s going to be a long nine months.”

Ronan guided Lia to a bench, helping her sit.

Lark leaned over, looking worried. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Lia did her best to look it. “It just feels like some snakes are fighting inside me.”

Lark winced. “Do you want company today?”

“No. Go hunt.” Lia shooed her away. “Bring down a big buck. I’ll be extra hungry by dinner. Hopefully.”

Lark didn’t seem convinced.

“Get out of here,” Sequoia said. “She’s not a delicate flower. She’ll be better tonight. You’ll see.”

Lark set off with her mates, looking skeptical.

Ronan and Kane sat beside Lia.

“Don’t,” she said. “Don’t offer to stay. I know you don’t want to, and I don’t want to make you.”

“But we’re celebrating our pup,” Kane said. “It seems wrong to leave you here.”

Lia thought back to what Sequoia had said. “And you’re planning to stick to me like a bur for nine months? I don’t think that’s practical.”

“I’d do it, though.” He set a warm hand on her belly. “I want our pup to be protected.”

“I can stay here as sentry,” Sequoia offered. “Though I’m not sure how much protecting I’ll do. Lia can take care of herself, if you haven’t noticed.” She winked.

Lia smiled. It was good to have an ally. Besides, she didn’t know if she’d be able to stand lying around the den all morning while her Alphas fidgeted. She’d seen them like this before. They wouldn’t be calm again until they’d drawn some creature’s blood.

“You’re fine with us going to hunt?” Ronan asked cautiously.

“As long as you bring me back the biggest buck in our territory.”

He squeezed her hand. “I think we could manage that. Are you sure you’ll be okay here? I’m not sure anyone besides Sequoia is staying.”

Sequoia let out a put-upon sigh. “If you don’t trust my sentry skills, I’m sure Briar won’t mind helping keep watch.”

Briar looked up from his meal. “I’ll stay. I’m still too sore from the battle to be eager for hunting. I don’t know how Flint does it.”

Sequoia shrugged, clearing food off the table. “I’ve wondered how many legs he’d have to lose before he gave it up. Probably three, but I wouldn’t bet on it.” She headed off toward the kitchen.

“Are you happy now?” Lia asked. “I have Sequoia and Briar to babysit me. I’ll be fine. Go get my buck.”

Kane looked at Ronan, and shrugged. “I don’t see how we can have a feast without contributing something.”

“It would be bad manners,” Ronan agreed.

They gave her identical grins.

“We’ll see you soon,” Ronan promised.

“Not too soon.” Lia fastened a lid on a jar of jam to keep the smell from escaping. “I want the best buck, not the first one you stumble across.”

“Fair enough.”

They both kissed her, Kane shifting so fast that she felt his cold nose on her skin. Lia laughed as they shot out of the den. She was glad she hadn’t made them stay.

Everyone had gone by now, except the two sentries and Magnus.

“Are you going to hang around?” she asked the mage.

Sequoia, gathering dishes, looked up with interest.

“Do you need me to?” Magnus asked. “I was thinking of hunting some game of my own.”

She noticed he had a quiver and crossbow on his back. “Really? Like what?”

“A kudu.”

“A what?”

“A kudu. A huge antelope with long, curling—no, you know what?” He gave her a predatory smile. “I’ll show you.”

She stood as he strode outside. “And where are you going to get an antelope?”

“Not here, that’s for certain.” He thrust his staff into the fire, turning it bright red.

Flames roared, dancing toward the sky. In them, Lia saw an image of yellow plains stretching out toward the horizon. A huge shape obscured the view. An animal with a nose like a giant snake looked at her with one dark eye, then continued on its way. The image rippled with the flames, making her dizzy.

“I won’t bring that back,” Magnus promised. “Too big. But I’ll be back in time for the feast, that much I promise.” He walked into the fire, and was gone.

Behind her, Sequoia let out a long exhale.

“That’s not natural,” she said. “Walking into a fire.”

Lia smiled. “He just likes being dramatic.”

“If you say so.” Sequoia cleaned the table, eyeing the fire suspiciously as if it might flare bright red at any moment.

Lia walked to the dais, tracing the symbols around its base. They had survived the battle. Her story would be written here, and Lilah’s, too. Then on and on.

She laughed to herself, wondering how much trouble Lilah’s children would be.

Slowly, she wandered through the empty den. It was strange, everyone being gone. Her footsteps seemed to echo too much. She felt a bit uneasy. She didn’t know if it was because the morning sickness hadn’t passed yet, or because it was a new moon. At least there was only one of those a month. She hated having no magic, hated the fact that she wouldn’t be able to do much to protect the babe growing inside her if something happened.

Maybe she should have asked the Alphas if the feast could be moved to a different day. The new moon felt like a bad omen.

She found herself in the storage room. It was cluttered, as usual. She stepped over stacks of clothes and paper, making her way toward the chest of drawers. Carefully, she opened the top drawer. Angela’s locket was still there. Lia didn’t touch it. She just liked making sure it was safe. Assured that everything was in order, she closed the drawer again.

The bough Lizabeth had made her was in one corner. The sight of it made her chest hurt. She glanced at the tattered dress Dove had tried on one day, the photos she and Lark had gone through. Did those hold equally painful memories for whoever had left them there?

She flinched as she touched the bough, almost expecting it to burst into flames. It was cold, birch bark smooth under her palm. Maybe she should test it out, fly after her Alphas.

No. The thought of soaring over the meadow made her queasy. For now, her feet needed to remain firmly on the ground.

She sat next to a pile of papers. The top sheet was blank, the same color as the page Della had used to write her a letter. Lia picked it up, trembling. Della had sat here, written her last words in this very spot. There was even an inkpot here, and a pheasant feather quill.

Lia couldn’t help the tears that pricked her eyes. She wished Della were here. She would give anything for her to meet Lilah.

Standing abruptly, she shoved the quill and ink to one side. She walked out of the room and down the hall. She needed some fresh air. As soon as she felt better, she was going to shift. Then she would run until she reached the northern border.

She was just past the sleeping quarters when Briar stiffened. He looked up from the table sharply.

“Sequoia, do you hear that?” he asked.

“No.” Sequoia was polishing a dagger that didn’t need more polish.

“What is it?” Lia asked from the hall.

Briar held up a hand, motioning for her to stay where she was. “Someone’s coming,” he whispered. “But I don’t know who. It could be nothing—”

It was probably Cricket and Huck returning with Dove, but Briar was famous for his precautions. Lia glanced at Sequoia, who seemed totally unconcerned. Sequoia was probably used to Briar’s paranoia.

His eyes went wide. “Run, Lia!”

She froze, fear clutching her heart.

“Sequoia, protect Lia! I’ll hold them off.” He ran to the entrance, throwing himself at an unseen enemy with a snarl.

Sequoia strolled over. She patted Lia’s arm, not noticing or not caring that it was shaking. “I’m sorry, Lia, but he made me. He always makes me, in the end.”

“Who?” Lia whispered.

Sequoia looked at her like she was stupid. “My brother. You can run, you can hide, you can join another pack, but he’ll find you sooner or later. He’ll bend you to his will, before he breaks you.”

“You knew he was coming? You planned this?”

She flipped her red hair over one shoulder. “I told you. He made me. I didn’t have a choice.”

“Of course you had a choice.” Her arms and legs felt numb.

From the entryway, she heard snarls, then laughter.

“How many of them are there,” Lia spat, “all against Briar? He’s going to die, Sequoia. Do you not care?”

Her gaze was a thousand miles away. “He shouldn’t have stayed.”

Briar’s furious howl was cut off. Then there was silence. Lia backed away, her feet taking her down the hall.

Sequoia scoffed. “Don’t bother hiding. It’ll only make him mad.”

A black wolf stepped into the den. Shade’s eyes gleamed red. His head swung around as he found her.

Lia stumbled back, sprinting toward the storage room. Shade roared his fury, charging after her. Her feet thudded on the stone. It felt like she was moving through butter. She could swear she felt his hot breath on the back of her neck.

Ducking inside, she hit the button Ronan had showed her. The boulder swung forth, blocking the doorway.

Shade howled in frustration.

Lia slid to the ground, her muscles a quaking mass. Shade was in the den. The rest of the pack was gone. She was alone.

The boulder rocked.

She buried her face in her hands, trying not to scream.

It rocked again. Shade bellowed.

“Can you not move it?” Sequoia’s voice was muffled, but Lia could still make it out. “Kane and Ronan don’t seem to have much trouble with it.”

“I’m tired,” Shade growled.

A sliver of light came through where the boulder met the wall. Lia looked out as a shadow passed over it. She whipped back, lying still against the stone. Shade’s eye had appeared in the crack.

“I know you’re in there, pet.” His silky voice was calm. “I can smell your fear. Come out, and I promise not to kill you.”

Her pulse hammered in her throat.

“I know you can hear me. Don’t make me drag you out of there. It won’t be pleasant.”

She shuddered. With her eyes closed, it sounded like he was right beside her.

The boulder scraped against stone. Lia jumped. Shade had moved it only a fraction, but the warning was clear.

“Why not just roll it back?” Sequoia asked. “I know you can.”

“Because I want to savor this. Also… my future mate could use a lesson.”

“Forget about her,” Sequoia snapped. “What about me?”

“What about you?” The silk was laced with darkness.

“I did it. Just like you asked.”

“You did. After you failed, and failed, and made me look like a fool, and made me taste defeat. If you’ve earned anything, it’s that black eye I gave you. I should have given you far worse.”

“I told you,” Sequoia whined, “I didn’t have a chance to warn you she’d brought Ronan back to life. You can’t blame me for that. I got her for you, in the end. Not even the witches could do that. You should be proud of me.”

“Proud? Of a traitor?” He scoffed. “Who’s to say you won’t betray me next?”

“I would never. You know that.”

“You’ve been with this pack for too long. I can never trust you again.”

Sequoia made a stifled gurgling sound. Lia looked through the sliver. Shade’s hand was on her throat.

She clawed at her brother’s hand, pulling it away from her windpipe.

“Say you love me,” she gasped. “Dad never did. I want to hear you say it.”

He clamped his hand on her throat, and this time nothing she did could shake him. Her efforts to free herself grew weaker and weaker.

Sequoia’s lips moved, though no sound emerged.
Say you love me.

Shade’s hand tightened. “No.”

Sequoia stopped struggling. Her lips turned blue. Shade let go, and she fell against the boulder, gasping.

“Rise, sister. Only insects crawl.”

She struggled to her feet, massaging her neck. The imprint of Shade’s hand was still on her skin.

Run
, Lia thought.
He’ll kill you.

“You can’t leave me, can you?” Shade whispered. “You wanted to, once.”

“I can’t,” Sequoia mewled. “I need you.”

“Yes. Because I made you need me.” His eyes met Lia’s through the crack. “And now I own you.”