Chapter 142

The first thing I notice when lucidity returns is the searing pain in my wrists. Blinking through the haze, I take in my surroundings: damp leaves beneath me and goosebumps on my skin, a tightness around my limbs.

My body feels weak and my senses dulled. I hardly register the sounds and smells around me, as though my nose and ears were muffled by something. Panic sets in as I try to move, realizing my hands and ankles are bound, and I'm unable to shift into my wolf form.

"Wolfsbane."

My head swivels rapidly to the sound of her voice.

Susan.

She's leaning against a tree. Her fingernails are splashed with ruby red to match her lips, and her hand is wrapped around a Starbucks cup. She smiles while she brings it delicately to her mouth to take a sip. The queen of England might have been impressed with her grace.

She's always been the master of the feminine, but I think what hooked Kadeem most was her guise as a fragile thing - an innocent waif for him to rescue. Anger sparks at the painful memories.

My mind is spiraling, but I do my best to hide it. "You've gone to a lot of trouble over me," I say coyly.

"Just like old times, right? You and me, fighting over Kadeem." Susan's voice is coated in amusement. "Hey, remember when I sent you on a death-defying quest for a medicinal cure for him? Good times."

I grit my teeth. "How long have you known who I am?"

She shrugs. "Does it matter?"

I struggle against the bindings around my wrists, but it's made all the more futile by my weakened, sluggish state.

Susan smiles. "Honestly, you should just save your energy," she says. "You're not getting out of those."

"What- what do you want with me?"

"You're small potatoes compared to your sweetie, but I do enjoy making you suffer."

It's a trap. My brain races, trying to piece together her plan.

"What about Kadeem? What do you want with him?"

"Ardal, this isn't the part of the movie where I spill all my evil plans. This is the part where we have some girl talk while we wait for Kadeem to arrive. And let's just say that by the time he does, you won't be too thrilled to see him."

A chill runs down my spine at her cryptic words.

"What are you talking about?"

My favorite 'gotcha' you still don't know about."

I feel my stomach lurch.

"Fun fact," Susan leans in closer with a wicked grin. "Your darling Kadeem was screwing my brains out every night, way before his accident and all that confusion over poisoning."

It's as though all the color is draining from the world. My heart cracks like shattered glass. I bite my lip, trying to hold back an ocean of emotion.

Susan sighs girlishly. "God, he's good, isn't he? Not that I couldn't match him." She takes a quick sip of her over-priced, union-busting coffee. "I took him to Nirvana every time I rode h-"

"Shut UP!" My entire body is shaky with rage and disbelief. "You're nothing but a liar." But I can scarcely get the last word out.

She laughs, knowing full-well she's crushed me.

My brain is whirring at the speed of a jet engine, examining every nook and cranny of my memories. It easily clicks into place as truth - all the things I wanted to deny at the time, all the questions I suppressed, the doubts that nagged at me, little moments where I felt like I caught Kadeem in a lie, tiny details that didn't add up.

"Can you really blame him?"

My gaze shoots fiercely towards hers, but my body is drained of its usual fire. Whether it's the draining effects of wolfsbane or the crippling weight of defeat sinking into my bones, I am rendered speechless.

"I was there for him," Susan says. "And I heard it all. Good men don't cheat just for fun. There's always a reason. Otherwise, they're just lazy dogs. They'll fuck the bitch they're with and be done with it - if she doesn't make him miserable."

"You're disgusting."

"Face it, Ardal, you're a train wreck." Susan laughs. "I mean, the entire time we've been talking, have you wondered, even once, if your children are safe?"

My blood runs ice cold at her words.

"Wha-what?"

"Well, have you?"

I struggle wildly to get up from the ground. "What did you do," I shriek at her.

"Nothing you didn't deserve," Susan spats.

"Don't you dare," I scream, "Touch or lay a finger on my kids! Or you will rue the fucking day, you jealous c-"

Susan kicks me square in the face. The metallic tang of blood fills my mouth.

"None of this would have been half as easy," she hisses, "If you weren't the most reckless, unstable, worthless Were I've ever known. Why he loves you, I'll never understand."

I scramble to get back up, but she hurls another kick at me, this time at my side. It catches me in the ribs, the force of it knocking all the air from my lungs.

"You don't know," Susan says, "How long I've wanted to do that."

I wheeze, unable to defend myself from a third blow to my knees. I let out a cry, hating myself for it. I don't want to give her the satisfaction, but on her face, it's all I see - pure, sadistic pleasure.

I spit out a mouthful of blood into the dirt where I lay panting. Horror is gripping me.

"Listen," I gasp, "You want Kadeem, you got it. You want me to leave the pack, go anywhere, do anything, I'll do it. Just please don't hurt our kids." I fight in vain to stop the tears that come.

"You don't get it, Ardal," Susan snaps, "I could care less about your little brats, and I don't give one, single fuck about you. You're pawns in a bigger game. All you need to do is sit back, be wounded and sad." She beams at me. "You're doing great, actually. Keep it up."

We're probably just a stone's throw from where I left Kadeem. He could be here any moment now. It should give me hope, but alarm bells are ringing in my head.

She can't overpower him physically, but I'm starting to see the way the pieces are lining the board in this deadly game we're playing.

"You're going to kill him," I choke out.

"'Kill' is such a ugly word," a low voice says.

My eyes snap over to a male figure coming upon us, wearing a crisp polo and chinos. His hair is slicked back, and even to my dulled nose, he stinks of musk and sandalwood.

"The preferred term is, 'coup,'" His eyes are bright. His tone is professorial. "This is a coup we're staging."

The one, the only...

"Bob," I whisper, heart sinking.

"Hi kitten," he says. "You ready for a showdown?"

Before I can even utter a single syllable, he snatches me from the ground and into his grip. One arm holds me tight. In the other, he flicks open a knife.