“How could you? You are supposed to be my mate.” I told him.
“That wasn’t a secret I could keep, Lucy,” Tyson said.
“It wasn’t yours to tell either!” I screamed at him, tears running down my face at the complete and utter embarrassment of this situation. This was the last thing I wanted, for everyone to know, everyone to judge me.
“They can help. Avery and Aamon needed to know Lucy. What if he does it to someone else? Could you live with that? Knowing you could have stopped it.” Tyson said, stepping toward me.
“Well, they know now, don’t they?” I told him, turning back for the bedroom, realizing I had no chance of escaping out the front door.
“Lucy, stop!” my stepfather commanded, my feet becoming suddenly glued to the floor, unable to take another step. His Alpha aura rolled over me, sending a wave of pain through me as I gritted my teeth, a whimper leaving my lips. I could hear Tyson growl.
“Drop it, brother! King or not, I will hurt you.” Tyson growled, walking over to me where I was frozen. The command dropped, and I gasped, sucking in a breath. Tyson wrapped his arms around me, his hands running up and down my arms before resting his chin on my shoulder. I relaxed against him, leaning into him, sparks running over me, making me want to step closer and live in his warmth. Not that I could get any closer to him, when he was already pressed against me.
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about, Lucy. What he did is wrong. No one deserves that. But you have to tell them,” Tyson murmured.
“I don’t want to tell them,” I whispered, horrified at the thought, my biggest shame, my weakest moment.Tell them how pathetic I was? What if they blamed me?I shut the door. I could have run, but I stupidly shut the door. I didn’t want to tell anyone that, have them look at me differently.
“You don’t have to say it, Lucy. Just let me look, let me in your head.” came Avery’s voice. I shook my head, and she got up, walking toward me, her emerald green eyes sparkling back at me as she stood before me. She always looked so regal, so strong, and I could see why she was the demon witch high priestess. She truly was a remarkable woman and had done so much to help us mutations. She helped save us, helped free us. She cupped my face in her hands, her auburn hair hanging over one shoulder to her waist as she gazed down at me.
“You don’t have to tell anyone, okay? Just let me see. I need to see Lucy. I can’t convict him if I haven’t seen the truth.”
“Convict him?” I asked. She nodded, her thumbs rubbing under my eyes when I suddenly got an idea. I touched the mark on my neck, knowing she was the only person to exist that could remove a mate bond. She was half-succubus, her father, Asmodeus, was the prince of hell, and her mother used to be the queen of the Faewood Coven before Aamon murdered her. Everyone had heard the stories of Avery and Aamon’s tragic past, yet she still loved him and brought him back from the dead after killing him for his betrayal. I envied that she loved him enough to bring him back, but I hated Ace and his mark on my neck.
“You let me see, Lucy. I promise you will never have to see him again.”
“What will happen to him?” I asked.
“I will send him back to the pits of hell where he belongs. My father will make sure he burns every day for what he did for the rest of eternity.” she said, her voice never wavering, and I knew she would do just that. I nodded, and she smiled softly.
“I will also do what you want to ask but can’t bring yourself too,” she said knowingly.
“What’s that?” I heard Tyson ask behind me.
She didn’t answer him, facing me instead. “Sometimes you gotta destroy them, to make them see the error of their ways. If he doesn’t, you will always have Tyson. He won’t go anywhere.”
“Will it be permanent?” I asked, wondering if I would regret it. Mate bonds were sacred, and even though I was not a werewolf anymore, I still didn’t want to shun the Moon Goddess.
“No. I am just giving your choice back. Something he should never have taken,” she said, and I nodded, a tear slipping down my cheek that she brushed away.
Her eyes burned brighter, and her hands warmed up before I was plunged into my memories, Avery going through and filtering through them. I watched them flash past in snippets before stopping on the worst day of my life. The memory played out, and despite knowing I was safe and it wasn’t happening, I felt fear grip me in its deadly vice, tearing me apart once again as I was forced to relive every terrifying moment. I felt myself start to panic, my breathing getting harder and harder before I was suddenly struggling to breathe.
Hands were moving up my arms, and I heard Tyson’s voice next to my ear. “I’m right here. Calm down, babe. I won’t let anyone hurt you,” he said soothingly, his hands warming me. I focused on his scent while the image flashed by before I suddenly saw Avery’s face smiling sadly at me.
“Thank you, Lucy. He will pay. I can assure you of that,” she said before her eyes flickered black. “Now, let’s take care of this. We will have company soon.” Her hand went to my neck.
“Will it hurt?” I asked.
“It won’t hurt you, child, but he will feel it,” she said.
“Lucy?” Tyson said, but I didn’t answer. Avery did.
“It isn’t permanent. But now she can choose whether or not to let him mark her again,” Avery told him, and I looked up at Tyson. He pressed his lips in a line but nodded.
Avery looked back at me before I felt her hand on my neck go spine-tingling cold. I shivered before I gasped, feeling the teether snap. A cold feeling settled over me, but it wasn’t painful, just empty, numb.
She pulled her hand away. “The foreign feeling will ease, I promise. But it will linger until you either let him mark you again or reject him,” she said, and I nodded, swallowing before looking at Tyson. Hearing a roar outside, I jumped, and Avery’s eyes darted to the door.
“And that would be Ace,” she said, her eyes flickering dangerously. The door was suddenly thrown open, smashing into my stepfather.