The Alpha's Queen

Chapter 26: Bound to Run

Devany

I stood shivering beneath the pine trees, eyes trained on the lustrous moon as it marched inevitably towards its peak. Toward the moment when the horn would sound, its discordant notes echoing across the mountain range as it signaled the beginning of the most looked forward to night of the year for most wolves.

Unfortunately, I was not most wolves.

The glass vial in my hand caught the moonlight, but it did not glimmer. Instead, the green, viscous substance seemed to absorb the light. My tongue curled against the roof of my mouth as I imagined how bitter it would taste.

Ever since Leann had pressed it into my hand when I gathered with the others outside the main pack house, my instincts had been screaming at me to toss it aside. Finally, I listened and threw it at a moss-covered boulder jutting up from the earth. An acrid odor filled the air and smoke rose from the now blackened surface, quickly snatched away by the wind.

Something rustled in the trees, and I spun around, praying to see Pria or Allie. To avoid suspicion, we had separated after the Blessing of the Alphas, but they had promised to meet me here. To protect me until Beckett could reach me. I did not doubt that he was the most powerful Alpha on this mountain, and if he had to claim me against the goddess' blessing in order to stop someone like Jack from doing it, I would have no arguments.

I'm sure you wouldn't...

The thought skittered across my mind. Since I asserted my dominance over her, my wolf rarely broke through like that, and I was shocked by how much she had changed. How much she sounded just like me.

"Devany Sterling, did that rock offend you somehow?" 

Liam materialized out of the shadows, all lean muscles and arrogance as he leaned against the broad trunk of a pine tree. A tight forest green sweater stretched across his broad chest, and his designer denim fit him in the all the right places. 

Coupled with his perfectly tousled blonde waves, the man looked more model than witch, and I suspected more than a few had made the mistake of underestimating him because of his good looks. I would never make that mistake. Even from this distance, I could feel the power rolling off him in waves. 

I glanced back at the rock and flipped my braided hair over my shoulder as I shrugged. "I didn't like the way it looked at me."

The witch flashed his dimple and damn if it didn't make me a little weak in the knees. Or maybe that was just the relief coursing through me. Liam might not have been my first choice for company tonight, but I wasn't alone. That counted for something.

The dimple disappeared as his eyes swung back to the rock and the shards of glittering glass scattered around it. "You were wise not to drink that."

"You think it was poisoned?"

He pushed off the tree. "It was most definitely tainted. I smell Gelsemium. It's an unpleasant plant that causes paralysis at high enough doses."

I stumbled back with a gasp, my fingers tingling. "Why would someone want to give me that?"

Liam gave me a sad, pitying smile. "A subdued wolf certainly can't fight back when she's claimed."

"T-that's..."

I pressed my hands to my stomach to calm myself as rage and disgust erupted within. It wasn't as if I hadn't expected some sort of attack like this, but in all the scenarios I'd imagined, I had at least been able to fight back. To have been forced to experience such an assault while trapped within my own body.

"Oh gods, I'm going to be sick," I whispered as I bent over at the knees.

Liam rubbed my back and whispered soothing words I didn't quite understand. Warmth spread through my bones, and the bitter bile rising in my throat receded. I straightened, feeling almost normal.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." His hand lingered against my back, and when he realized he was still touching me, he yanked it away. Cheeks flushing, he shrugged. "For the record, I was coming to you with the antidote. I wouldn't have let them take you that way."

"Again, thank you. How are you here? I thought you would be arrested for trespassing."

"The wards are lifted during the Mate Run. The land belongs to the goddess, and the path must be open for all."

The last word hung in the air between us. "All? What does that mean?"

Liam slid his thumb along his pointed jaw as he held my gaze. "Mates are not always of the same species. Once every type of supernatural being participated in the Mate Runs, but after the war, the werewolves closed ranks. No one has enough power to keep the wards up during it, though."

"And is that why you're here?" I asked, my voice coming out raspier than I intended. "To find a mate?"

Inching closer, he tucked an escaped strand of hair behind my ear. "It wouldn't be the worst thing."

I swallowed, unsettled by his touch. Unsettled, but not unsafe. Involuntarily, my gaze slid over his shoulder, searching the darkness for someone else.

"You're looking for Beckett."

It wasn't a question. "Pria and Allie, actually. They were supposed to find me before the horn went off. Beckett is across the mountain."

Liam dropped his hand, put it back in his pocket, and stepped away. His shoulders sagged. "I'm afraid none of them are coming, and that's why I'm here."

"What do you mean?"

"Beckett is being detained but the other Alphas. Punishment for his defiance." Eyes rolled. "And some other nonsense charges that won't hold when morning breaks. All of it is designed to keep him from reaching you. Which is why they escorted Pria and Allie back to the main house as well."

"Shit. Shit. Shit." I tugged on the end of my braid. "Then I don't want to do this."

"It's too late. You signed the agreement. There's no way for you to get back to the main house without walking through all the wolves."

"I didn't drink the blessed drink or whatever it was."

Liam's lip curled and rage flashed through his green eyes. "That's usually just ceremonial. It's not binding. And honestly, none of it matters. The Law of Right means that for the next six hours, you belong to any wolf who can dominate you."

I grabbed the necklace dangling between my breasts. "To them, I'm an Omega. They'll all come for me. What am I supposed to do?"

"Take it off," he answered.

In the valley below, the horn sounded.