Chapter Twenty-Five
Hours passed by and the house remained quiet. They had yet to return or call home, and Gwen was practically bouncing off the walls, feeling like she was ready to burst. She had paced around her room restlessly until the walls felt like they were closing around her and after that she had gone downstairs. She stood in front of the living room window for over an hour before Sandra forcibly dragged her into the kitchen to help prepare dinner for when everyone finally returned.
They set the table for five places, but three of them remained empty and their food quickly got cold. Gwen and Sandra ate dinner together in silence, while Gwen’s eyes kept nervously flitting to the nearest window. She kept telling herself that any minute she would hear footsteps on the front porch, or she would see Gabe’s face as he emerged from the forest. He would give her a sheepish grin and apologize for running away when he knew better than anyone how dangerous the woods were right now.
After helping put away leftovers and wash the dishes, Gwen retired early for the night so she could pace without feeling like she was worrying Sandra. She sat on the edge of her bed with her eyes fixed out the window. As the sun went down and Gabe still hadn’t returned, she felt her hopes begin to shatter. A terrible feeling washed over her; it was as if she were drowning and the surface was nowhere in sight. Her lungs constricted and began to burn while her mind raced. Her thoughts felt foggy and cluttered, like she was unable to string together two coherent thoughts.
I think I’m having a panic attack…
If she wasn’t, she was well on her way. She could never remember feeling like this, not even when they had found Ginny’s body in the woods. Something was wrong; she knew it deep in her bones. She rushed to the window as a dark figure dashed up to the house. Before she opened the window, she already knew who it was. “Skyler?” she called out, not bothering to be quiet. One look at him told her that she was right.
His breathing was harsh and sweat dripped down his forehead, as if he’d just sprinted three miles after wolfing down a large burger meal from the nearest fast food joint. His eyes were wild as he stopped beneath her open window to catch his breath. She gripped the window sill to keep from screaming at him to hurry up and speak. His presence was making her feel even worse than before.
Oh, God. What’s happened?
“I’m so sorry, Gwen. I warned you guys to get out of Brighton before it was too late. I really tried.”
“Skyler, what’s wrong? Tell me! Where’s Gabe?”
“Roman has Gabe in the woods. He’s threatening to kill him unless you give yourself up.” He looked away, his face full of shame. “I’m so sorry, Gwen. I tried to keep my promise to Ginny, but I just don’t know what to do. I can’t protect either of you from him. This wasn’t how things were supposed to turn out.”
Gwen barely heard a word he said. Fear settled in the pit of her stomach like a lead weight, anchoring her to the spot. Everything else fell away, leaving her feeling numb. If Roman had Gabe, that meant he didn’t have long to live before he died just like Ginny had. Roman was about to take away the most important person in her life…for the second time.
I can’t let that happen. I won’t lose Gabe, no matter what. If saving him means giving myself to Roman, then so be it…
She turned her back on the window, rushing from her room and taking the stairs so quickly she nearly lost her balance and tumbled head first to the ground. She only stopped long enough to yank her shoes on, not even caring that they were on the wrong feet. Sandra jumped to her feet as Gwen raced by, but she was already long gone by the time Sandra could ask her what was wrong. She left the front door wide open and raced towards the woods with Skyler hot on her heels.
He called her name more than once, demanding that she stop and return to the house. But she blocked him out, even slapping away his hand when he grabbed her wrist. He was stronger than her and could have easily stopped her if he’d wanted to, but she gave him the steeliest glare she could manage, and he quit trying to force her back to the house.
She had no idea where she was going. She was just running blindly through the dark woods, going on nothing but pure adrenaline and a feeling in her heart that she would find Gabe no matter what. Skyler steered her in the right direction, helping her through rougher patches of the woods until they came to a clearing that she’d never been in before. Skyler stopped her, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up on end.
She could tell they weren’t alone. There was nobody in sight, but that didn’t mean anything. There were plenty of places to lurk in the woods, especially at night. She looked around wildly, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever was out there. She knew it had to be Roman, and she hoped that he was alone. If the rest of his pack was with him, there was no telling what would happen next.
She was right. Roman stepped from the trees nearest to them, making her spin around. It was as if he’d been behind them the whole time, waiting and watching. “What’s this?” His eyes went to Skyler, and she found that his face was as white as a sheet, as if he’d seen a ghost. For the first time, she realized that Skyler was terrified of what Roman was and what he could do.
Roman dragged Gabe into the clearing, forcing him to his knees. His grip on Gabe’s shoulder was rough enough to cause him to cringe. Roman squeezed harder and Gabe gasped in pain, his eyes starting to roll back in his head. He nearly slumped to the ground, and the only thing that kept him on his knees was Roman’s grip.
Gwen started forward, Gabe’s name on her lips. Before she got far, Skyler snagged her around the waist, stopping her from running to her brother. He pulled her back firmly against his chest, locking her in place. She struggled and fought to free herself from his hold, but it was useless. He was a werewolf and far stronger than she could ever hope to be. She screamed Gabe’s name, wanting nothing more than to help him.
His face was swollen and bruised, and there was a deep slash across his forehead. He looked broken and disoriented, but when he looked up and his eyes locked on Gwen’s, he came to life, struggling against Roman’s vice-like grip. “Run!” he shouted, fighting hard to get across the clearing to her. “Get out of here, Gwen!”
Even if Skyler hadn’t had a firm grasp on her, she was rooted to the spot. The sight of Gabe in such a horrible condition twisted her heart in her chest. She could never have left him, not even if her life depended on it. She knew Gabe would never have abandoned her if their situations were reversed.
“Run away and he dies,” Roman ordered, his voice flat and completely emotionless.
His eyes took in every last inch of Gwen in her pajamas, and she suddenly felt exposed and dirty, like she was standing naked in front of a boy she liked. It took every ounce of her inner strength to keep from crossing her arms over her chest and crying. His eyes felt invasive and perverted; she wanted to find the nearest bed and crawl under the blankets to escape them. Roman’s eyes went to Skyler, and she finally released the breath she’d been holding. It was as if a weight had been lifted off her chest, making her feel like she was free.
His face screwed up in disgust, and his eyes narrowed as he looked at Skyler. She could feel him tense up behind her, like he was fighting the urge to turn around and flee. “I never thought this day would come,” he said, shaking his head. “You know I expect obedience from everyone in my pack, Skyler. And here you are, disobeying my orders. I would expect this from some in my pack, but not from you. Not my own flesh and blood. Even after everything I did for you…”
Gwen felt everything fall away as she backed away from Skyler, leaving her mind racing. “Flesh and blood?” She could barely get the words out. She wanted to swallow them back down and pretend she hadn’t just heard them. Suddenly she didn’t feel so safe being with Skyler, and she began to question everything he’d ever told her. It was as if Gwen was standing next to a total stranger, or even worse.
A liar.
Skyler put his hands up as she began to slowly back away from him. His face begged he
r to listen to what he had to say, but she didn’t want to hear it. She wouldn’t know whether or not to believe a single word of it. “Gwen, please. Let me explain.”
“Explain what?” she asked, backing further away. She felt herself drifting further from Skyler and closer to Roman, and she forced herself to stop before she got too close to either of them. “You lied to me—to us. You’ve been lying this whole time. You said you were Ginny’s friend! And ours.” She couldn’t keep the hurt out of her voice, and she knew that Skyler could hear it. His eyes softened and he looked hurt by her reaction.
“He wasn’t ever Ginny’s friend,” Roman said, his voice full of humor. “He was intended to be her mate.”
She swung on Skyler, silently pleading for him to deny it, to tell her that Roman was a bold-faced liar. But he remained silent, looking away in shame.
“As are you,” Roman added, a glint in his eyes. “When things with Ginny fell through, I decided that you would be the one to take her place. You would take Ginny’s place and become Skyler’s mate, continuing our bloodline. I had high hopes for the two of you, and it seems I was right for thinking so. It appears the two of you have gotten along remarkably well since you two met.”
“Gwen, don’t listen to him. I would never have agreed to be Ginny’s mate by force. And the same goes for you. I wouldn’t have let him force either of you into anything. He knows that, even if he doesn’t wanna believe it of me.”
“Who are you?” Gwen asked, feeling like there were walls closing in on her, restricting her breathing and thoughts.
“He’s my nephew,” Roman said. “It’s quite obvious that we’re related,” he said, motioning to his arm.
Even in the dark of the woods, she could tell that their features where nearly identical. Skyler’s skin was a couple of shades lighter than Roman’s dark brown, but how hadn’t she noticed it before? Even though she had only seen Roman briefly on two previous occasions, it seemed she had managed to memorize every single one of his features. She glanced from Skyler to Roman and then back to Skyler, realizing the truth in his words.
“Skyler is the son of my late younger sister, and the only family I have left. You see, my sister was being forced by an alpha to be his mate, which isn’t a pleasant thing to endure. She was young and frightened, and she had nobody to turn to except for me. He was powerful and connected, and I didn’t stand a chance on my own. Fortunately for me, I was connected as well. And so, I called up some old friends of mine—friends that used to be like brothers to me.”
Gwen had an odd feeling in her chest, like she was betraying her father and uncle by listening to their story as told by Roman. They should have been the ones to explain their history, cause she doubted Roman was going to tell it truthfully. She’d had enough lies to last her a lifetime, but now that she had her hands on the truth, she was unsure about whether she should know it or not. Wouldn’t it be easier for her life to go back to normal if she was kept in the dark as much as possible?
Is there really any going back at this point?
“When I needed them the most, they turned their backs on me. They both told me they were too busy with their own families and couldn’t risk them getting hurt, but where did that leave me? I was no mate for this alpha, but I tried my best to free my sister from him. When it was all done, he walked away the victor, and my sister was dead. Skyler was left all alone, and I took him in, giving my sister my word that I would take care of him as long as I lived.
“I tried my best to raise Skyler the way my sister would have wanted, but I couldn’t let go of my sister’s death. When I would look at Skyler, who was forced to grow up too fast, it was all I could do not to kill Grant and Geoffrey for what they’d allowed to happen. It was all their fault, and I knew I was going to have to make them pay if I was ever going to move on from her death. I couldn’t be what Skyler needed with my mind and heart in such a dark place. I owed it to him to avenge his mother and make everything okay.”
“Revenge isn’t what a kid needs,” Gwen heard herself say. Roman seemed shocked that she could even speak, but his expression quickly turned to amusement.
“And what would you know about what a kid needs?”
“I know kids need love and honesty, not anger and secrets. Believe me, that’s how our dad raised us. He was a terrible father, just like you.” It killed her inside to say the words, but she’d known it for awhile now. The thoughts had been creeping up on her no matter how hard she tried to force them back. Their father wasn’t a good man or a good father, and she’d pretended not to notice or believe it for years. But the last two weeks had brought out the absolute worst in him, and Gwen wondered if the man she’d known for years was just a mask.
He’d been angry all the time before this happened, but he’s been even worse since coming here. Which Grant is the real one? The one that would do anything for his family, or the one that destroyed his family?
“Ah yes, Grant has always been a selfish human being. It only makes sense that he would be a horrible father, too. I’m truly sorry the two of you were stuck with him as the guiding force in your lives.”
“As opposed to you?” She looked over at Skyler, who refused to meet her eyes. “I can only imagine what you did to Skyler while he was growing up. I thought my father was bad, but being angry doesn’t automatically make him a monster. He still loves us and does his best, unlike you.”
“Everything I’ve ever done was for Skyler and his mother.”
“No, it was for you. If you wanted to do something for Skyler, you would have given him a good life full of all the normal things boys need. You would have taught him to play sports and instruments, helped him with homework, guided him and taught him how to be a man. Instead, you’ve focused your life on revenge, and in doing so, you’ve stolen Skyler’s life from him. You gave him an empty life, with none of the love and affection he deserved. You’re an animal.”
Roman shook his head. “You’re too young to understand what this is all about. You’re too new to our world and the way things are done. Werewolves have a code that we follow among ourselves, and the highest tenet is our most simple one: always be there for one of our own. Your father and uncle broke that tenet, and now they’re paying for it. I’m going to make sure of that. I promise you.”
“How are you going to do that?”
“I thought I made myself clear,” Roman said, his eyes looking her up and down. “Someone born into a family of werewolves has a much higher chance of surviving the change. Once you’ve made that change, you’ll be better than you ever were before. And then, you’ll be ready to become part of my pack, and you’ll make us stronger and greater than I thought possible. You and Skyler will be the start of our expanding pack, and in time nobody will be able to hurt us again.”
Gwen spat on the ground, narrowing her eyes at Roman. “That’ll never happen.”
“You’re right,” he said, as four more men came out of the trees, all of them eyeing Gwen with obvious longing. She felt Skyler bristle beside her at their boldness, and he moved closer to her, putting himself directly in Roman’s path of destruction. “You and Skyler will never happen. He’s made his choice abundantly clear, but there are plenty of men in my pack that would kill to have his opportunities.”
Two of the men moved closer, their gazes locked on Gwen. She felt paralyzed by their intensive, piercing stare, like she could see all of their plans for her. Before they made their way across the clearing, a third figure moved from the shadows, rushing so fast he seemed little more than a blur. But as he gripped one of Roman’s men around his throat, throwing him to the ground, there was no mistaking her father’s face.
“You think I would let you hurt another one of my children?” Grant asked. He brought his foot up and slammed it down on the guy’s face, causing blood to spurt over the ground with a sickening crunch. The other guy had stopped in his tracks and he eyed Grant with apprehension, unsure of what his next move should be. He looked at his friend, lying
on the ground choking on his own blood and saliva, and seemed to think better of attacking. He edged closer to Roman and the protection his alpha offered.
Roman handed Gabe off to him and stepped forward, unafraid to get closer to Grant. The two of them seemed to be sizing the other up, possibly looking for any signs of weakness that could be exploited. Or maybe they’re seeing how far the other is willing to go tonight. She didn’t want to think about any of the possibilities the night could hold--none of them were particularly good. Even if Roman was killed or at the very least chased away, Gabe was still cursed to become a werewolf in the very near future.
And there was no changing that. No matter who won.
Without taking his eyes from Roman’s, Grant called out to Gwen, his voice sounding more steady and stronger than she felt. “Are you alright? He hasn’t hurt you, has he?”
“Not yet,” Roman said, his voice carrying the promise of a threat behind it.
“Let my son go, Roman. This is between you and me; they’ve got nothing to do with this.”
“To me, they have everything to do with it. You’ve been reduced to a family man,” Roman said, sneering. “You don’t remember how it is to be one with us. If you did, you’d know there’s no letting Gabe go, not from this. His life is bound to mine permanently. That’s our way, Grant. Even if you hadn’t wronged me, I wouldn’t have freed him from his obligations. I hope you know that.”
Grant squared his shoulders, but he didn’t manage to look as intimidating as Roman did. With him, it was something that came naturally and effortlessly, whereas Grant seemed almost like an imposter. “Whatever happened between us, I find it hard to believe the man I once knew would stoop so low as to harm my children.” There was something in his voice, and Gwen wasn’t sure, but she thought it might be genuine disbelief. Was there a part of him that still held dear to fonder memories of the man in front of him?
“I’ve only harmed one of your children,” Roman said. A glint in his eye told Gwen he absolutely knew the truth and how it would affect Grant. “Ginny was your niece, not your daughter. That’s the way she wanted it.” Grant bristled, and if he had been a dog, his hackles would have been up. “She never wanted you to be her father. You were nothing compared to her real father, the one that mattered to her.”
Grant shuddered, and by the light of the moon, she could see strange changes taking place over his body. She felt herself take a step back and Skyler wrap his arms protectively around her shoulders as her father’s skin began to ripple. The muscles were writhing like wicked snakes and Gwen thought she could see hair sprouting from his bare arms and the back of his neck. If she hadn’t already come to the conclusion that werewolves were real on her own, that would have been more than enough to convince her.
She couldn’t see his face, but from the look on Gabe’s, she imagined the changes were horrific. She expected him to change into a wolf right in front of her eyes, but he took a deep breath and managed to calm himself. If her father had the state of mind to restrain his anger and control himself, their situation had just changed from dangerous to dire.
If he knows he has to remain calm, we’re in serious trouble. Dad and Uncle Geoffrey fight all the time, but deep down, they’re still brothers and they’d never wanna kill each other. If it comes down to a life or death fight, can he hold his own against someone like Roman?
“Roman, this is my last warning to you. Get out of Brighton and leave my family alone.”
Roman snorted. “Do you honestly expect me to believe you’d ever consider letting me leave here alive? You and I both know that you don’t have it in you to be merciful to anyone you think has wronged you. One of us is going to kill the other, Grant. It’s sad our friendship has come to this, but there’s no other option. Is there?” There was an evil glint in Roman’s eyes, and she knew that he would kill her father in a heartbeat, with no remorse or doubt.
If Dad wins, this nightmare has a chance to end. Gabe would have to learn to live as a werewolf, but Dad and Uncle Geoffrey could help him get used to it. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad without the threat of Roman hanging over him. He might even come to enjoy it like Dad.
“You’re right, Roman. Allowing you to live for one more minute on the same Earth as my children would kill me, but the sanity of my children mean more to me than vengeance. I don’t want them involved in this and I don’t want them anymore scarred than they already have been. Walk away from this with your life, and the Grady family will do its best to go back to normal, learning to live with Ginny’s absence.”
Roman threw back his head and laughed, making the hairs on the back of Gwen’s neck stand up. It was a terrifying sound, one that grated her eardrums and had her blood turning to ice in her veins. It wasn’t that his laugh was psychotic or even really scary, it was that he sounded so sane and normal, like he actually found Grant’s words to be humorous. She might have been able to handle a psychopath like she’d seen in her movies and read in her books, but Roman seemed so normal that it had caught her off guard.
“Grant, have you gone soft in your older age? Has being a family man turned you weak? There was a time you would have ripped my throat out for less than what I’ve done to you and your family. I wonder, do you fear me? Are you afraid that I would win a fight?” Her father bristled angrily beside her, but he remained silent. “Are you afraid you’ll leave your children without a father? I guess I should say your remaining children, shouldn’t I?”
Before Gwen even knew what was happening, Grant had lunged across the clearing with murder in his eyes and in his heart.