Profound Devotion

Chapter 23

July 30th
Monaia

I prayed to the goddess to allow the ground to open beneath me and swallow me whole.

Atticus, dusting off the dirt from his clothes, scrambled to the front of the group with Lance at his side, frantic to welcome the visiting Alpha my father had graciously accepted into our territory without a prior warning. My sister, Seraphina, beamed a blinding smile as she took in the familiar acres around her, nimble hands clinging to the bowed arm of her mate.

Cass stretched to his full height, collecting my elbows into his hands to lift me to my feet. I couldn't draw myself out of the clouded terror as I swayed and used his hold as a lifeline.

All the pain Jackson enacted trickled back into my body like a stream of molten lava, a pulsing ache radiating from my scar that was hidden beneath my shirt. Every scream, every desperate cry for mercy, replayed like a broken record through my mind as his toxic scent wafted through the soft breeze and into my nose.

He was here, and his familiar glare was aimed toward the parts of my body that were in contact with Cassius as he remained at my side for as long as I needed him to.

"Alpha Jackson, welcome. We weren't expecting you until this afternoon." Atticus did his best to draw the man's attention away from the Lycan, unaware of the true reason he seemed ready to shift and eradicate every wolf within the vicinity.

Seraphina managed to pry herself away from her mate long enough to engulf our brother in a lingering hug. "You know me. I just had to get here as soon as possible." Her bubbling excitement was infectious, and the warriors that had once surrounded us now greeted her with the same energy.

Atticus lifted Sera off her feet and squeezed her into him as if struggling to believe she were real, her squeal causing a few of our men to flinch and lower their heads.

"It's great to have you back. I'm sure mother is excited to see you again."

Her mate returned to her side only when she was safely rested back onto the ground, his eyes scanning the strange new faces as if calculating the eminent danger she was in.

Cassius' grip on my elbows tightened as Jackson looked him over with a heated stare, a growl vibrating through the chest that was mere inches away from my shoulder.

"You don't smell of Crescent Valley." The visiting Alpha's steeled eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

Atticus dismissed himself from our sister and placed his body between the two men to minimize Cass's presence, sucking in a deep breath to calm his racing heart.

I stumbled away once his hands were forced from me, managing to catch my footing before I ended up back on the ground.

"This is Cassius. He was sent here by Midnight Dawn in hopes of finding his mate." My brother smacked the Lycan on the arm, laughing off the suffocating tension that radiated off both of them in waves. Jackson only nodded with a scowl and flickered his intense stare between them and me. "Why don't I show you all where you will be staying? Just follow me."

Seraphina clapped her hands excitedly as she gushed over the feeling of being home again. Her mate, Byron, followed closely behind them.

Jackson, however, seemed hesitant to leave his spot. "Are you coming, Alpha?" Byron called over his shoulder, dipping his chin out of respect and slowing his steps once he had yet to acknowledge him.

After a moment of stale silence, Jackson raked his eyes over me and nodded with a grunt. "Yes." He barked, his voice rough as if he were restraining himself. A shiver racked my shoulders, and I took another calculated step backward to increase the distance between us.