Chapter 3
I woke screaming, my body drenched in sweat. The arena materialized around me—rogues circling, their yellow eyes hungry, the crowd's roars pounding against my skull. I could smell blood, taste fear.
"Ellie! Ellie, you're safe."
Marcus's voice broke through the nightmare. His hands gripped my shoulders, anchoring me to reality. The luxurious bedroom of his Northern Mountain sanctuary slowly came into focus, moonlight spilling through the windows.
Then it happened.
A thousand voices crashed into my mind at once—snarls, whimpers, howls. Some ordered, some pleaded, others simply existed in primal states of hunger or contentment. The cacophony was deafening.
"Make it stop," I gasped, clutching my head. "They're all talking at once!"
Marcus's face changed from concern to shock. "Who's talking?"
"The wolves—all of them." I curled into myself as the voices intensified. "I can hear them thinking... feeling... so many..."
His eyes widened. "That's impossible. You shouldn't be able to—"
"I shouldn't be able to do a lot of things!" I snapped, then winced as a particularly aggressive thought-voice cut through the others. A territorial dispute somewhere in the forest. A female protecting her den. A young wolf's excitement over a fresh scent.
Marcus placed his hands on either side of my face, forcing me to look at him. "Focus on my voice, Ellie. Just mine. Push the others away."
"I can't—"
"You can." His voice was firm but gentle. "You're a healer. You know how to channel energy. This is just another form of energy. Focus."
I stared into his eyes, trying to use them as an anchor. Gradually, I imagined walls rising around my mind, blocking the flood of wolf-voices. One by one, they faded until only a distant murmur remained.
"There," Marcus whispered, his thumbs brushing away tears I hadn't realized I'd shed. "Better?"
I nodded weakly. "What's happening to me?"
"I don't know." His honesty was refreshing after years of Jason's lies. "But we'll figure it out together."
Dawn found us in his study, a pot of herbal tea between us. I cradled my cup, watching steam rise in the early light. The voices were quiet now, just whispers at the edge of my consciousness.
"The pendant," I said finally, touching the silver moon at my throat. "You gave it to me at the academy. You said it was to annoy me."
Marcus's mouth quirked in a half-smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I lied."
"I figured that part out." I set my cup down. "What I don't understand is why you came for me now. After all these years."
He stared into his tea for a long moment before meeting my gaze. "The pendant is enchanted. It's tuned to your life force—specifically to moments when you're in mortal danger."
Understanding dawned. "You've been monitoring me."
"Yes." His voice was rough with emotion. "For three years, I've felt every spike of fear, every moment your life hung in the balance."
"Then why wait? Why not come sooner?" My voice broke. "Do you have any idea what he did to me?"
Marcus's hands tightened around his cup until I feared it might shatter. "I do. And living with that knowledge—hearing your pain through the pendant and being unable to act—has been my personal hell."
"Unable or unwilling?" I challenged.
"Unable." His eyes flashed with suppressed rage. "Jason has powerful connections on the Alpha Council. His territory is protected by ancient laws that forbid interference from other Alphas. Breaking those laws means war—not just against Eastern Ridge, but against every pack allied with the Council."
"So what changed?"
"The arena." Marcus set his cup down with controlled precision. "That crossed a line even the Council can't ignore. Using a mate—any mate, but especially one with your gifts—as rogue bait is an abomination. It gave me the legal grounds to intervene."
A knock interrupted us. Sarah, Marcus's Beta, entered with a leather portfolio. Her eyes assessed me quickly—professional, but not unkind.
"The intelligence you requested, Alpha," she said, placing the portfolio before Marcus. "Everything we've gathered on Jason Bennett's operations."
Marcus nodded. "Thank you, Sarah. That will be all."
When she'd gone, he opened the portfolio and spread its contents before me. Ledgers. Photographs. Correspondence. My stomach turned as I recognized Jason's handwriting.
"What is this?" I whispered, though I already knew.
"Evidence." Marcus's voice was cold as winter. "Jason wasn't just using your fertility gift for his pack. He was selling access to it on the black market. Desperate Alphas paid fortunes for the chance at healthy heirs."
I stared at a photograph of Jason accepting payment from an Alpha I didn't recognize. Another showed Vanessa performing what appeared to be a blessing ceremony, her hands glowing with false light.
"She's a fraud," I breathed.
"Completely." Marcus nodded grimly. "She's been running scams across multiple territories, claiming to have Luna blessing powers. Between your real abilities and her fake ones, they've built quite the empire."
My fingers trembled as I touched the documents—proof that my suffering had been even more calculated than I'd imagined. The wolf-voices stirred at the edges of my mind, responding to my distress.
And among them, one voice stood out—clearer, stronger than the rest. My own wolf, awakening with newfound strength and a single, burning thought:
*Revenge.*
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