Chapter 71
Katrina's POV
My throat was sore and my voice hoarse from screaming. I banged on the locked door one more time. It would not budge. I was panting. I tossed the pitcher of water across the room sending drenching the rug near the bet. I sent the platter of cheese and wine flying causing red to splatter across the bed. I screamed again in rage but my voice had really lost its power. I clutched my throat. If that slime-ball thought I would marry him he was sadly mistaken.
I had been in this luxurious bedroom locked up for hours and hours. There were no windows. I was unsure of the passing of time. I was like a rare bird in a golden cage. The door clicked. It opened slowly. Lane, my purchaser, was standing there with a sly gleeful smile and a gleam in his eyes. He was flanked by two of his guards. They were vampire warriors who worked with my father. The last time Lane had checked on me, I had flew at him and scratched his face and neck. I noticed it had already healed. My own stepfather, Ezekiel, had betrayed me, sold me to this fiend.
"I have some grave news, I'm afraid," said Lane looking anything but sad.
My heart raced.
"Your dear brother, Lord Ezra, was stabbed by a blessed blade during all the commotion he caused when he found out you'd been promised to be! What a mean brother in law he would have been!" Lane clutched his chest as though deeply personally offended.
I held my breath. I was shaking. Ezra. No, no, no. He was lying! He had to be! Ezra was the strongest fighter in our coven. I tried to hold back my tears and be strong but my heart was breaking. Tears streamed down my face.
"Here's proof if you require it," added Lane, tossing a pouch on the bed.
I held it with shaking hands. It was heavy. I looked inside. The blessed blade was in there stained with blood. I could smell it. Ezra's blood. I dropped the pouch on the floor. I crawled backwards away from Lane and his guards. I cowered in a corner, my head in my hands.
"Oh and something else, a certain werewolf came looking for you? Um, what was it...Sabertooth?" Asked Lane with a mock quizzical look on his face.
"Fang?" I breathed. My heart almost stopped.
"Yes! That's it!" Exclaimed Lane.
As if he didn't know the name of the Marigold Beta!
"What have you done to Fang?" I whispered, trembling.
"It was ever so heroic how he barged in with a squad of werewolves to come to your rescue!" Cooed Lane.
Fang had come to save me? Even in the midst of despair I felt my heart leap a little as I pictured him storming into the castle, tall, broad-shouldered and hotbl00ded, his warm brown eyes searching for me. Lane interrupted my daydream, my brief respite, to deliver the final blow.
"Alas, bullets of silver dipped in wolfsbane were rained down on your heroic friend!"
My vision blurred at the edges. I shut my eyes tightly. I refused to speak. I wanted time to stop. If this was my present I did not want to look upon the near future.
Fang's POV
By now everyone I loved would have learnt of my treachery. I felt strangely emboldened by this. It was freeing in a sick detached sort of way. When you'd fallen short of everyone's expectations, burnt every bridge, let everyone down, it really no longer mattered what happened or what anyone thought of me. If I could wish for anything just for myself, it'd be to hold my future child, to see their little face at least once I sighed.
The estate where Lane lived loomed before me. Its walls of dark grey stone were strangely jagged and oddly angled, making the castle look like a crooked mountain. I ran towards it, silent and determined. I was in my wolf form. There was a guard booth at the gate with three armed guards sleeping. Sleeping vampires? Upon closer inspection, I realized they were human. Was there a huge budget cut in security? There was no honor in taking down a sleeping human. I leapt over the gate easily and landed soundlessly. They remained sleeping.
A rustle nearby made me flinch. I smelled them. Two vampires were approaching, both armed. They were guards doing a patrol. They were made vampires not novices but not incredibly experienced. I did not bother to hide. One saw me. He raised his gun clumsily I launched myself at his throat. The other was so shocked he had frozen. I quickly took care of him. The humans were still asleep at the gate! Good grief Being a human was probably tiring or something. Their immune systems weren't as great. Maybe they all had chronic fatigue.
I shifted, standing there, n.aked as the day I was born. I wanted to check the gun's ammunition. There were two barrels, one loaded with silver bullets dipped in wolfsbane and the other contained wooden bullets with sharpened points, like wooden stakes. These had been blessed with holy water. Wow, so this manor was anticipating retaliation from either vampires or werewolves. I thought of Ezra. He was well- liked among vampires as the Vampire Prince. If people found out of the mutiny in which he had been stabbed, they'd be furious. Some would remain loyal to their old ruler Ezekiel but many would turn away from the old ways and follow Ezra. I smiled at that. There was hope for the future yet.
Raelynn's POV
Thaddeus had organized a room for me on the Alpha floor but it remained unused. I used the adjacent master bathroom to shower quickly or take a bathroom break. Other than that, I stayed at Ezra's bedside in an armchair. He was still unconscious but the doctors said he was improving. His vitals were stable now and for that at least I was grateful. I sighed. I stroked his cold cheek. I kissed his forehead and the tip of his nose. I wiped a stray tear as it escaped my watery eyes.
I kept picturing Fang in his wolf form taking down all those vampires who had attacked Ezra and me. He had said he was proud of me. I had barely had a brother and then just like that he was lost to me. Friday had mind-linked me to say she was working on a plan to go after Fang and Katrina. She thought it would be too late by the time Ezra woke up. Thaddeus and Maze would send a squad for Katrina but they certainly wouldn't be seeing to Fang's safety any time soon. They had seemed furious after Friday read Fang's confession letter. I put my head in my hands.
"Raelynn," said a high-pitched voice softly. I looked up. My eyes widened. It was the little doctor who had agreed to organize the DNA test for me.
"I'm sorry to disturb you during such a difficult moment," said Dr Jo apologetically.
"No, no, it's ok. One more day until I get my paternity test results!" I exclaimed, smiling.
"Actually..." began Doc Jo.
My heart plummeted. It would be longer than forty-eight hours? I sighed.
"It's ok, Doc, I know you're all doing your best," I said smiling.
She giggled. "Don't mope yet! Let me finish! Also don't call me Dr. Just Jo is fine," she said brightly. She had a gleam in her big brown eyes. The light was fading outside. Her golden brown curls shone in the last rays of sunlight as they streamed in through the glass windows in the infirmary.
"I called in a little favour owed to me from my friend, the lab tech! He rushed the results so we got it in twenty-four hours!" Jo said.
I felt giddy. I waited with bated breath.
"Are you ready to know who your father is?" Asked Jo.
The door to the infirmary burst open startling both of us. We looked around. It was Friday! Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. I knew she was mourning Fang.
"Jo!" Exclaimed Friday, sounding surprised.
"I'm so sorry about the whole situation," said Jo, looking at Friday's puffy eyes.
Friday sniffled and shrugged, smiling sadly.
"I have the paternity test results," Jo said hesitantly to Friday.
Friday's eyes widened. She looked as though a lightbulb had just turned on in her head.
"Do you mind me staying or do you want to find out alone?" Friday asked, biting her l!p.
"Together," I insisted, taking my little sister's hand.
She smiled though there were tears in her eyes.
"Together," she agreed softly.
Jo grinned. "Friday Fenestra, your results are more of a confirmation as we already knew you and your mate, Maze, couldn't be related otherwise you wouldn't be fated. Oh that rhymed!" She smiled to herself. Jo was a little out there. She was my favorite of the pack physicians. I snorted.
"Ok, so Farris is in fact your father, Friday," confirmed Jo, looking a little apologetic.
Friday nodded. She had expected as much. She certainly didn't want to be Maze's sister anyway. I knew they hadn't done the deed because her neck wasn't marked by him or Thaddeus and the Challenge didn't allow it. However, I was pretty sure they'd done a lot. They seemed really cozy. That would be a disaster if they were related.
"Raelynn?" Said Jo.
"Yeah," I answered softly.
"Farris is not your father," said Jo with a little smile.
My breath hitched. Friday grinned at me.
Jo continued, "Malachi was a match. You're Malachi's daughter, Raelynn."
I sat down. Friday squealed. "Raelynn, Maze is gonna be so happy! He wanted a sibling so badly! Malachi is gonna be thrilled! You're gonna be his spoilt little b.rat, trust me!" Friday giggled. She h.ugged me and I held onto her tightly.
"And well, Felicity is your mom, but that was obvious. But, I checked the birth records just to be certain and thorough!" Said Jo. "Raelynn's birthday matches the date of Felicity's alleged still birth. Also, there was no post mortem report on the still birth!"
"Thank you, Jo!" I said, sniffling, tears streaming down my face.
"And I have another idea!" Jo said.
"What?!" Friday and I said in unison.
"Go beg your new big brother Maze to let you save your other brother Fang! Ask him right after you reveal you're his long lost sister and make sure you're still crying when he sees you! Friday you start crying too!"
Friday and I grinned. We had to try! There was was just one, no, two people I wanted to tell first.
Malachi's POV
My Felicity was beside herself with
grief over Fang's confession letter. She felt as though her eldest son was already dead. Although, many comparisons were being made between Farks and Fang. I could not help but feel that Fang had much more honour than his father. What he had almost done to Friday was unforgivable yet Friday seemed to be the quickest to want to forgive him. I sighed. Felicity was, in my arms. We had not left the bed all day. Usually I would be thrilled but she had been crying and I had been comforting her, so it was not that kind of day. I only had one son, just one child, and I would rather die myself than lose him. I could not imagine how she must feel. She was not just mourning Fang, she was questioning how she had raised him because of what his betrayal of his own little sister.
She was also feeling immensely guilty for mourning someone who had almost handed her youngest over to vampires. Felicity had always felt as though she had neglected Friday. My heart went out to little Friday. I hoped Maze was being sensitive towards her. I knew my own son and sensitivity was not his forte. It wasn't really mine either but I was trying.
There was a knock on the door.
Before I could answer, the person burst in, breathless. It was Raelynn! Friday came peeping in after her
with a strange look on her face at
a
though she were suppressing h.uge grin. Both girls caught sight of Felicity and I under the covers
tégether and they blushed simultaneously. The resemblance between them was uncanny. They
both looked like my beautiful Felicity.
Felicity had also been speculating
about Farris' behaviour in the past. She had been thinking about the still birth she had experience before Friday was born but after the twins. As soon as she left the hospital, ske had asked me to meet her. It had been very much like this, me holding her for hours while she cried. I had had no idea where Farris had gone off to back then. He had not been at work. My Gamma at the time had told me he was missing in action. He had been a shady Beta at times but I had known I was sleeping with his wife so I had not picked extra fights. with him though I had made him work long hours.
"Mo..." said Raelynn before pausing, and backing away. Friday backed away too. They both looked mortified. I realised why. I sat up and pulled the covers off me and Felicity. They had thought we were
n.aked. I chuckled. Felicity and I were both in pyjamas still.
"What's wrong, girls?" I asked.
Felicity sat up, attempting to dry her eyes. The front of my shirt was drenched in her tears. I took out my handkerchief to help her dry her eyes. I kissed her forehead.
“Hi, girls,” said Felicity softly, managing a small smile.
Friday nudged Raelynn forwards a little.
"I...I..." Raelynn began and then she burst into tears.
"Hey! Hey!" I said, getting another handkerchief from my top drawer and going over to Raelynn to wipe her eyes.
"What is it? Everything isn't it? Fang's letter, Katrina being missing, Ezra your mate being unwell," I said softly.
She threw her arms around me and I held her. I kissed the top of her head. "Ezra will be ok. I got shot you know," I told her.
She squeaked in surprise.
"Yeah," I said. "With a silver bullet dipped in wolfsbane. Ezra is a highborn. That's like a vampire alpha isn't it?”
Raelynn giggled, sniffling.
"Yep," I said. "And uh, Fang and Katrina," I said, sighing. "If it were up to me, I think we should bring both of them here. Farris is here. Bring Fang here. He's a wolf. He should be under wolf law not left for the vampires to deal with. He should be brought here and we'll decide what to do next. I understand why you girls are upset. Fang has done some good also..."
I looked at Friday who was crying too and I pulled her to me. "I know you girls want Fang pardoned," I said, k!ssing both of their heads.
I was tired of watching girls cry.
"Of course you do, Friday," I murmured into her hair. "Fang did something heinous, but he's your brother and you love..."
"I stole your DNA!" Said Friday suddenly.
Raelynn nodded fervently as though grateful for Friday's confession. My DNA?
"I took some of your hairs from the towel my Mom used to dry your hair," Friday admitted, looking up at me with her doe eyes.
"That's...ok," I said, confused.
"Fang's my brother, too," blurted Raelynn. Friday grinned.
I felt my heart rate quicken a little. Felicity was just staring at all of us.
Raelynn looked up at me. "Fang is my brother and so is Maze!" She said.
Felicity covered her mouth with trembling hands. I felt tremulous too.
"Mr...uh Alpha... Malachi," Raelynn said, unsure of herself. I cupped her cheeks in my hands and t!tled her face upwards so I could look at her closely.
"We did a paternity test, sorry for not asking, but we really wanted to know," mumbled Friday.
My breathing hitched. I ruffled Friday's wavy hair. I still had one hand against Raelynn's cheek. She cupped that hand with her own to hold it to her cheek. She blinked back tears. "Felicity and Malachi, I'm your
daughter," said Raelynn.