Forbidden

|20|

Mason

I held the Elder by her throat, her feet just barely touching the floor. How had I missed it all these years?! The same woman who destroyed the happy home of Marx's mother and our father. The same woman who decided to leave me behind like I was nothing!

"Mason, let her go please. We need to talk with her to find out what's going on." I looked into Edens eyes and inhaled a deep breath, very well, I would let the woman be for now, for Eden. I released her and Aria dropped to her knees, greedily gulping air back into her lungs. I smacked my teeth at her exaggeration and went over to a lily pad shaped cushion, sitting down and letting my anger calm.

"Start talking, I don't know if I can keep him from hurting you, even if I have no idea what's going on with you two. Nor is that important right now, I just want to know what you were talking about in the room before. What does my father have planned for me?"
Eden asked, her voice calm but I knew the truth. I knew Eden better than anyone and I knew how much the child in her still yearned for her fathers love and how much it destroyed her everyday to know it will never come again.

Aria got back up and rolled her shoulders, trying to avoid eye contact with me. Like I fucking cared, the bitch could rot in the ground for the rest of my days.

"Okay, I want you to take in mind that with me telling you this, I'm not only betraying the Alpha and the Elders, but I'm basically also defecting from the pack. I need assurance that you will tell no one of this cottage or that you even know if I breathe, okay?"
Aria asked, her gaze mostly focused on Eden.

"Of course Aria, you have my word."
Eden promised and I saw both eye sets rest on me. I suppressed the snarl threatening to break loose and I cut my eyes at the Elder.

"Very well, if Eden promises then I do as well. Though I could care less if the pack finds you and rips your traitorous body to shreds." I growled through clenched teeth, my anger rising back up. Eden gave me a exaggerated sigh and Aria curtly nodded.

"I suppose I deserve that and I understand that's all I will get. Very well, I will inform you of your fathers plan. Have you both ever heard of the Sirens Seduction?" Eden shook her head no and I racked my brain for information on the familiar words but was coming up empty. A narrowing of my eyes was the only answer Aria would get.

Wiping her hands clean on the blue apron she wore over a daisy yellow maxi dress, Aria took a deep breath and went into explanation.

"Okay, the Sirens Seduction is a spell. A very powerful spell that only breaks if the one it was cast on fights it themselves and are strong enough mentally to destroy its effects. Now, if the victim does not fight it or is not strong enough, they become hopelessly and utterly in love with the caster of the spell. This spell was given to Marx and another by Erick, so that they may keep the ones they desire under their control long enough to perform the marking. Effectively making you no more than a drone." Aria finished and stared at us, expecting something, anything but the silence that met her. Full on rage coursed through me and I was battling the beast down, the phase form ripping its way through to the surface. I knew exactly who the other mutt would be, no wonder the bitch had been so happy when she got back to the encampment.

"How would they do this without a witch? Shifters cannot perform magic." Eden whispered, her voice small and defeated. I had to get it together to comfort her.

"This is true child, we shifters cannot but you forget the wolves of Raiven contract with the forest witch. She can easily prepare the spell and give the concoction to the two wolves with no problem, as long as she got her payment." Aria did not finish off that sentence and it was better that she didn't, Eden didn't need to know of the child payment the witch always required. She was too innocent to know of the harsh world the wolves of Raiven truly lived in the shadows.

"The other wolf, was a woman?" Eden asked, I could hear the hope that Aria would say no but I knew better.

"Yes, one of aboriginal nature with locks of brown. She was quite receiving of the spell and had no problem agreeing to help Marx, to get you Eden." I heard the sharp intake of breath Eden took and I just shook my head, what the hell was wrong with Marx? His behavior had hit obsessive over the years and it was weird, when we were younger he had a crush on Eden but hell, he had a crush on all the women in the pack. What had happened in the years that caused his crush to become so twisted to the point he would make her his slave instead of just his wife? I couldn't think of anything dramatic that happened so I was at a lost. Perhaps I should bring the subject up to Eden, maybe she would have some type of understanding or know how of it.

Plopping down next to me, something akin to broken sadness was radiating from Eden and I had no idea what to say to cheer her up. Deciding that we should probably be on our way back to the encampment, especially since Eden didn't even know that Val was back there now, I got up and told her lets go. Following me at a snails pace, I made it to the door when a dainty hand wrapped around my wrist.

"Won't you even give your mother a chance to explain herself Mason?"
Aria begged, her eyes pleading for me to let her speak and I just yanked my hand back as though her touch seared the poor flesh.

"Explain what Aria?! How you just left me there or how you let my sister die because of your cowardice?! I want no explanation from you, you can drop dead right now and I wouldn't bat an lash at the shit. Fuck off Aria!"
I yelled, keeping the closed off emotions that were my past locked deep inside and away from the situation. She had done enough damage and to know that she had always been around and just watched me struggle to adjust, showed she cared nothing for me and I wouldn't care anything for her.

She could keep her half ass apologies,
I had a brother to deal with.