“No, what has gotten into you?” I asked, confused by her actions. Mine had been solely based on her and my mate, but Josie was only begging a few hours ago for me to not agree with Alpha Jamie and to let him kill her, saying she wouldn’t hurt Lucy anymore, practically begging me not to go through with it. She went quiet before trying to take the gun back from my hands. What happened in the few hours in the cells that she had a change of heart?
“No!” I told her, and she growled at me, but my hand whipped out, and I slapped her face. She seemed shocked for a second, tears brimming in her eyes when her face twisted in anger, and she tackled me, trying to wrestle the gun from my grip.
“I won’t fucking lose him again,” she snarled, her fist connecting with the side of my face while I tried to make sense of what she said. I shoved her off, only for her to attack again, but I sidestepped, kicking out the side of her knee and making her scream. I quickly dropped on her, covering her mouth and muffling the sound. Looking out toward the warriors, I could see their heads whipping from side to side.Shit! They heard her. Josie was thrashing on the ground underneath me, trying to shove me off.
“What did he promise you? What the fuck did he offer you, Josie?” I asked, pinning her down.
She growled at me and bit into my hand, making me jerk it back. “You may not have the balls to do it, but I fucking will! Now get off me!” she spat at me.
“No, we aren’t doing this. I will take the punishment. I accept my fate, but I won’t kill someone, not for my mistakes,” I told her. She snarled at me, glaring daggers before trying to toss me off her again.
“He did, didn’t he? He offered you something. What did the Alpha offer you, Josie?” I asked her. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and looked back between the shrubs to see them pacing up and down the river, looking for the person responsible for the scream.
“Answer me!” I told her, gripping her shirt and slamming her down on the dirt again. She laughed, and I suddenly didn’t recognize my own sister anymore. She was unhinged; she wasn’t the girl she was when she came home during the break last time.
“One last job, Melana, then I can get him back. Lucy will be out of the picture, and I will get him back.”
“Who?” I asked when it suddenly clicked.
“No, you can’t be serious. Your mate? How the fuck could you want him back after what he did?” I screeched at her.
“Once Lucy is gone, he will want me back after what she did to him. We could finally be together. He will see that,” she said, and I was stunned. Did she really think he wanted her? The man was sick, fucked in the head. How could she claim to be Lucy’s friend but also go through with this for her stupid rapist mate?
“You’re disgusting. It’s not Lucy, Josie. It’s your mate. He doesn’t want you. Why can’t you see that? No, I am telling Ace. This has gone on too long. I should never have let it get this out of hand. Jamie kills me, then so be it, but I am not killing anyone, and I am not helping you get that monster out,” I told her, shoving her back and standing.
I would hand myself in, walk over the bridge and hand myself in. Hearing a clicking noise, I froze as I went to pick up the tranquilizer gun.
“I can’t let you do that,” Josie said, and I turned to face her. She had the other gun pointed directly at me.
“I am your sister,” I told her, appalled that she would even threaten me after everything I had done for her.
“But he is my mate. Jamie’s witch will get him out for me. He promised he would. I am not losing everything because of that slut,” she yelled too loudly, and I hoped to see Floyde, but they had run off down the river.
“You have lost it, Josie. This isn’t you.”
“You may not be willing to help your mate, but I won’t lose mine.”
“He doesn’t want you!” I screamed at her.
“He does. He fucking does want me. I just need to get rid of her first. She is the problem,” Josie spat at me. The hatred in her eyes, her manic behavior—nothing made sense. One minute she wanted to be friends with Lucy, the next, she wanted her dead.
“Josie, stop, think about this for a second.”
“I am thinking about it, Melana,” she said, reaching down and grabbing the cuffs out of the front pocket of her bag that were intended for Lucy.
“Put them on,” she said.
“No!”
“Put them on, or I will fucking shoot, Melana,” she said, but I shook my head. She growled before smacking herself in the side of the head with her palm.
“You, why are you making me do this?” she asked before she started rambling, and I slowly reached down for my gun when she spun back around.
“Put them on, Melana!”
“I can’t do that, Josie. Something is wrong with you. Can’t you see how wrong this is?” I told her when she shot me in the leg. I looked down at the dart sticking out of my leg before pulling it out. I gasped, the wolfsbane spreading through my system, and I stumbled forward, gasping for breath. My veins felt like they had been set on fire, my blood boiling, and my throat felt like it was swelling shut. Josie shrieked, racing to me.
“I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry,” she gushes, patting my face. “You are alright. I will get help.”