Chapter 204

Grace

“Charles?” I asked, my voice sounding so soft and frightened.

All the fire that had been burning in me seemed to be snuffed out. My eyes burned.

“Hello?” I croaked.

The hold of voice proceedings seemed to flash behind my eyes. The silence stretched on. “Charles?”

His brow furrowed. Then, I realized that Charles wasn't listening to me. His gaze was fixed on something beyond me, his brow furrowed in concentration. His eyes started from side to side as if he was tracing something in his mind. Had he heard anything I’d said?

I blinked back, the tears pricking at my eyes. He gasped, and his head shot up as if something had dawned on him. Then, a grin started to take over his face. His eyes flashed with joy. What the hell was so funny?

“… could I… how would I….” He murmured to himself and bit his lip. Then, he snapped and grinned before heading to the door.

“I have to go.”

What?

“Wait a second! I—”

“—I can’t right now. It’s important,” He slipped close to me, kissing me briefly and stroking my cheek in a tender gesture that soothed some part of me I couldn’t even name. I was speechless. “I love you, and I'll fight with you later if you want, but I’m hoping that you’ll be more prone to listen to me, and I'll have a plan to move forward, a real one." He cupped my face. “Get some rest, eat something decent, and take a deep breath, okay? I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Before I could respond, he was rushing out the door.

“Wait a second!”

I chased after him, but he was bounding down the stairs faster than I could follow. He called out to George and rushed out the front door without even taking his coat.

My legs burned with exertion, but Charles and George were rushing down the pathway and getting into the car parked in front of me.

“Wait, damn it!”

The tires screeched as the car lurched forward, leaving me standing in the driveway, watching the car disappear with nothing but the echo of his words and a gnawing uncertainty in my gut.

What. The. Fuck?

Frustration, thick and bitter, churned in me. I felt a little lightheaded. Was that because of the Shift, or was it because I hadn’t eaten enough? Whatever it was, it only made me angrier. I snarled and stomped back into the house.

I went downstairs to where the punching bag was to draw them there, knowing that I couldn’t see Cecil or Richard like this. I screamed and started punching. Each blow Seemed to only make it worse. The thuds rang in my ears. His voice echoed in my head, whirling and burning like a raging firestorm.

No.

Until you have nothing left.

I think you should consider therapy.

I punched harder. And harder. Imagining Alpha’s Shadow’s face. Imagining Charles’s face. Imagining that woman who had approached me during the Blood Moon attack and extracted that stupid oath out of me that was now branded on my wrist. The sight of it just made me angrier—an irrational anger that wouldn’t subside. My hands were throbbing, but it wasn't enough. The anger, the fear, the confusion whirled and festered together as I punched the bag.

Then I heard Devin’s voice, laughing at me. Mocking me.

I didn’t think you were that desperate.

Aren’t you acting a bit desperate, Grace?

Shouldn’t you be worried about the kids, Grace?

Isn’t that why you turn everything to me? Because you know that you’re not equipped to deal with it.

I remembered that day. I remember signing the papers. I remember agreeing. I remember not wanting to fight. I remember deciding not to fight day after day after day. And I remember being so very comfortable in that. My chest ached. I hated it. I hated that Charles made me think of it. I hated Devin. I hated Mooncrest. I hated that my father had died and left me with this. I hated all the time I had lost being at home with the kids. I hated my stupid twenty-something-year-old self chasing after Devin like a lost puppy. I hated that I couldn’t hate her either.

I slammed my fist into the brunching bag again. I twisted a little too hard. With a sickening crack and jolt of pain, my knee buckled, sending me crashing to the ground with a screech of pain. I reached for my knee, drawing it closer to my chest. And rocking. Trying to smell the sounds. Would anyone hear me? Was anyone in the house? The world swam, and my head grew heavy. As soon as I hit the ground, new aches and pains bloomed across my body. My whole body was shaking with cold. Tears of frustration pricked my eyes, blurring the vision already swimming with exhaustion, yet all I could hear was Charles’s voice. Not comforting, but almost cold.

Until you have nothing left….

Darkness claimed me then. Moon, I was tired, but I didn’t feel like I was resting. I knew I was asleep, but this didn’t feel quite like the sleep I was used to. Was I going to see another vision of Alpha Shadow?

I waited for the fire or the voice, but nothing happened. The darkness gave way, and I found myself in a hall of mirrors, each reflecting a different version of Alpha Shadow. One smirked, pulling off the mask and revealing a beautiful but nearly unfamiliar face. She reminded me a bit of a human actress. I think I saw her once and thought she was so much prettier than I was. That same actor had been the topic of some conversation I had with Devin once, I think. I could see her face in a magazine flashing through my mind.

He had been reading it, staring at the photo in a way that he had never looked at me. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the actress looked a lot like Amy did. She couldn’t have been more than twenty-something years old. Younger than Devin. Younger than me.

I remember taking the magazine and burning it at the first chance I got. I remember dressing up, too, and feeling crushed when Devin wouldn’t even look at me for longer than a few seconds. The slow decay of our sexual relationship since Richard was born echoed through my mind.

No. That was wrong. We didn’t have sex nearly as much once we got out of college. It had been Cecil’s breath that had changed everything. Had he just not wanted children at the time? Had he simply just wanted a boy instead? Had it been something I had done?

You know, Grace, after all this time, you still don’t know how to please me. Pretty pathetic.

Alpha Shadow’s voice yanked me back into the dream.

“Pretty pathetic,” she said and snatched my children before disappearing into the darkness of the mirror. I could hear Richard’s wailing. I could hear Cecil crying for me, but I couldn’t follow or see. I pulled back.

This was just a dream. It was just a dream.

Then, I saw Devin on television with Amy, announcing to the world what a great father he would be. I saw the president. I saw the city on fire. I turned my gaze away. Not wanting to see anymore.

Then, I came to a stop in front of one mirror. Alpha Shadow cackled while leading Charles away with a sultry tilt to her lips, and his tie wrapped around her hand. I could see the bed they were falling into, a huge, sprawling thing fit for a queen. They aren’t addressed. Their hands roamed over each other the way Charles’ hands had roamed over me so many times before. He looked happy, and the mark on his chest was glowing with light.

The fury that sparked and filled me was unlike anything I had ever known. With a scream that echoed through the endless hall, I lunged at the mirrors, shattering them one by one. Each shattering surface released a burst of energy, but the reflections persisted, reforming in the shards. Alpha Shadow’s laughter grew louder, reverberating and shifting to other voices, familiar voices all mingled together, mocking and cruel.

I couldn’t breathe around it. I couldn’t stop until every shard had turned to dust.

Then, the world went completely silent around me. I panted into the silent darkness.

When I looked up, I was staring into my own reflection. My eyes were a wild, bright red. But above my heart, a faint, ominous mark pulsed with an eerie glow. I watched the light flicker for a few moments before my reflection leaned closer to the mirror, meeting my gaze with a feral, sneering smile.

I had never seen that expression on my face before. My stomach trembled out of anticipation.

Her mouth opened, and only a single word came out, resonating like thunder in the dark.

Mine.