Exile Empire, Exile The Second

Chapter 14 - Sorin

Wolf hated the wood witch as much as I did.

More, he added whenever I thought about it. Way more.

Okay then, wolf hated the wood witch way more than I did.

I wasn't sure she knew about wolf, or how he made me different from other shifters, but I was certain she picked something up. Her people had come after us specifically because of the wolf entities some of us possessed. It gave that person so much more power if they had a wolf inside.

And I wasn't sure if the witch Missy understood that sometimes wolf muttered at her under my breath, speaking perfect English, by the way. That was surprising to me.

I'm not stupid, wolf bristled inside.

I didn't say you were, I thought back.

I don't like her, he added.

And I knew. I felt his temper flare every time my guard relaxed, and he had the chance to seize my tongue. Normally he wasn't able to control any part of me this far from the moon time, but simmering resentment and a centuries-long grudge fueled his power.

I'd never spoken to wolf about it all, hell, I'd barely even spoken to him about what he was or where he came from. I wasn't about to start an open dialogue with him about the nuances of being almost wiped out by a gang of magic-hungry hags from the forests of western Europe.

I just knew his hatred bubbled over and spilled into my heart. It left me breathless at times and wary of the creature calling herself Missy who sat across from us now.

I hadn't detected any lies from her, none of the usual telltale signs of deception. This could be from her honesty, or it could be from her being past the point of humanity.

It was hard to tell.

Wolf finally had enough, and I let him. I joined in, despite never hurting a woman or anybody smaller than me.

But this witch was no woman, and she wasn't powerless. I gripped her throat and fought the images wolf sent me of us tearing it out, blood spurting and her life finally draining away even as her magic faded.

Kairos saved her life. My mate's insistence that I don't kill the witch was the one thing keeping wolf at bay. Inside, he whined and obeyed Kairos like a well-trained dog.

Not dog. Wolf! he protested.

But the both of us gave up any sort of illusion that we weren't beholden to Kairos the moment my fingers loosened on the witch's throat.

We were in her thrall, good and deep. We were her alpha, her pack mate, her leader and her equal.

But ultimately, she was able to control us because we loved her so deeply.

She had our heart, my heart, and that was all it took for me to lay down at her feet.