Chapter 175 A Forbidden Past
967words
"Don't look at him," Jaxon's desperate pleas filled the air around me, yet it was simply too late. I couldn't resist as I felt a piercing stare burn against my skin, as if it were searing into me. He glared at me like I was some kind of prize. If I was going to die here, if the Moon Goddess wouldn't spare my life, then I wanted to look him in the eyes and die knowing who ended me. I would show him that I wasn't afraid, even though we both knew that was a lie. I'd try to carry my dignity with me like Luna Fraya would have wanted, even if it was only a shred.
"Who betrayed you?" I asked. I couldn't hold back—I needed to know who had turned this man into such a cruel and vile creature. He smirked, and while his eyes softened, they still held a powerful intensity beyond belief.
"You did," he said in a hushed tone, low enough for only the two of us to hear.
My brows furrowed together. "Me? I don't even know you," I told him with bite in my voice. I had never seen this man before, yet he was accusing me of betrayal. He shook his head, but I could sense his anger in his gaze.
"Of course you don't remember," he said as he drew a finger up my neck. I gasped for air as his cold touch settled against my bare skin. It was as if I knew this touch—the memory was slowly creeping back into my mind. It was familiar, yet still so distant that I struggled to place it.
I swallowed hard and stiffened as tingles ran through my body like a live wire.
"You left me for dead. You left me when the Moon Goddess came to call on you centuries ago. She said it would be you. She said you would save them all. I was your mate, Clarissa. Or should I say, Adeline," he explained. My chest stung as I felt my heart calling out for him. I knew he was telling me the truth—there was no doubt in that. My wolf was even silent for once; it was like she remembered him from lifetimes ago.
I inhaled sharply as I felt myself getting lost in those purple hues dancing in his eyes. He was stunning for a rogue. He had to be well over six feet with a jaw sharp enough to cut glass and a dirty blonde crew cut. He was right—he wasn't a rogue. He was the farthest thing from it.
"You remember now," he said as his fingertips grazed my jaw and his palm cupped my cheek.
I nodded, unable to string enough words together to form a sentence.
"He won't hurt us, Addie. He loves us," my wolf said inside. She was scared as she peered through the surface, but I ignored her and pushed her down. I couldn't afford any distractions. One wrong move could mean not only my death but Alpha Jaxon's and Beta Don's too.
The smoke began to close in around me and the mysterious rogue. Its presence felt wrong—invading and bitter. The rogue raised his hand, and the black fog obeyed, retreating to fill the circle around Alpha Jaxon and Beta Don.
"I have a mate. I can't abandon him. I can't leave him behind," I explained to the rogue.
I watched as his jaw clenched tightly, and suddenly dread filled my chest. I could see the hurt playing in his eyes like I had just stabbed him repeatedly in the heart with a silver dagger.
"She's called to me. She knows what I have to do," I whispered. He stared at me, and while no words passed between us, I felt the devotion binding us.
"Just run. Get out of here before it's too late. They won't stop until they have you. You're the key they need," the rogue urged. I shook my head. I couldn't escape. I couldn't leave them behind.
"I'm sorry for everything," I told him. His eyes went wide in shock, and I wondered what about my apology was so surprising. I cocked my head, hoping he'd explain why, but instead, all I felt was my body tingling with energy. It felt like adrenaline pumping wildly through my veins, making me lightheaded.
"You can't defeat the shadows. No wolf ever has."
"I need to get to him," I whispered as I looked over to see Beta Don and Alpha Jaxon nearly unconscious, sprawled across the forest floor.
"Don't bother, sweetheart," Alpha Blake said. He stood ten feet away with a conniving smirk on his face. "You know who you belong to."
I tried to step closer to the shadows, hoping they would create a passage for me, but instead, the smoke grew larger, forcing me backward.
"There's my princess," a low voice called out. I felt the lump growing in the back of my throat when I realized who it was. Alpha Christian walked toward the rogue and shook his hand before turning to me.
"Didn't think you could actually get away, did you?" he asked, and I could hear Alpha Blake laugh along with him.
"You think you're so slick, don't you?" I challenged as I stepped forward, pushing myself up on my tiptoes to seem as tall as possible. He closed the gap between us, his lips brushing against mine.
"I'll fucking kill you," Jaxon shrieked as he watched us.
Alpha Christian laughed as his large hand reached behind me and squeezed my ass roughly. I looked over at the rogue alpha, who was fuming—much like my mate.
"Get your hands off me," I demanded, refusing to let the tears building in my eyes fall.
"Or what?" he taunted.
