Chapter 134

Helen POV

I felt my head whip with the velocity of a punch right against my cheek. I screamed, blood dribbling off my lower lip and puddling on the floor where I’m forced to lay, chained to the ground.

“I hate you,” I whispered, fighting to stay conscious, afraid if I passed out in this reality, I would be stuck here instead of waking up with Justin. “Just tell me, please. Why?”

“Because I like hearing you scream,” he replied amusingly.

“No, not that,” I barked. “You’re not the first to hurt me to get at my mate. I’m not concerned over that. I want to know why not stop there? If you wanted me dead, I would be already. But you want the whole pack dead, too. Why is that?”

His laugh filled the room but still, it wasn’t normal and kind. It wasn’t even human sounding, although I still believed that’s what he was. He looks human, has emotions like humans, and lived among them according to legend.

But now it’s different.

Now he’s human with a special sprinkle of evil that tasted bad.

Tasted like blood.

“I have a past, Luna. I have a long, dark past and without the Alpha King’s pack, I would have a past and my family. Having both would be okay, but only having the lesser of the two options is infuriating, wolf.”

“Then explain it to me,” I begged. “Tell me why you want your stupid revenge.”

Another harsh blow, more blood pooling at my knees. I fought the collar more but became even more reluctantly exhausted than the first time; the time in reality.

“Fuck you,” I snapped.

He meandered on, answering my question anyway. “I lost my wife, my kids, because of your damn pack. Your wolves had attacked and killed them all, murdering my family in vain and at random.”

“That doesn’t mean the blame is on my mate and I. I was probably back with my first mate at the time and Justin was Lycan, chained to the wall. It doesn’t make any sense! Why exact revenge now? Why not on Juden?!”

“Because, I believe in having others do my work for me.”

I rolled my eyes. “Juden got sick and he died off. No one did that for you. Now my father or Scott… that was the doing of someone else, my mate’s loyalty to me, but if you’re here for Juden, he’s gone. Sick and dead and gone.”

His voice crawled around my neck like a slithering snake. “Is he really though? Or was it all a facility.”

Swallowing hard, I knew this was trick. He had done them so many times before, it had to be a lie to get under my skin. I wouldn’t let him defeat me like this, to torment my mind and trick me like he was trying to do.

“He’s dead. Him and his beta, Randy’s father. Both dead.”

“I don’t think so, little wolfen girl. You seem to forget they had that special wizard on hand. Remember?”

The body of the wizard who forced me to betray my mate’s body flashed before my eyes recklessly. I flinched out of fear, of habit, but not feeling a hit connect.

“He is dead. I saw his body.”

“You also stabbed your mate freely.”

I lost my sense of calm just then. “NO I DIDN’T!”

“Exactly.”

He smacked me again, the sunlight of the lake streaming through my pinched eyelids and making me sick. I whimpered in pain and anguish, waling and trying to find comfort and healing. Justin’s hands found me first.

He pulled me to sit up, splashing the water to wash the hot, sticky blood off my cheek and nose and chin.

“What the—how did this happen, mate?”

I sniffled, fighting back a gag as the irony blood leaked down my throat. “It’s hard to explain. It was the Henchman but—but—”

“Tell me, please?”

I wanted to spill every word to my mate but I couldn’t. He didn’t believe me about the wizard who tricked me and I wanted to tell him that’s what the Henchman was talking about, but he wouldn’t have listened.

He’s still untrusting of me.

“It was nothing specific,” I groaned. “Just a few threats, Justin.”

“Well, come here, get out of the water. You’re shivering, baby. I need to get you dry and clean. You can sit by the fire I’m building tonight and maybe then you’ll tell me the truth on what was actually said.”

I hung my head but agreed in the end.

I didn’t want him to be upset. I wanted him to trust me though. I knew if I told him about what he said with the wizard who betrayed me, he would stop listening there and shut me out. I swallowed hard and felt the world spinning around me.

“Justin, please, just—”

He walked away, back to the tower of logs he was building and stacking. He lit a match and the entire thing erupted in warmth and light, right as the sun had decided to go down.

Justin helped me into a loose fitting dress and I sat against his chest while he held me there, hugging me closely and lovingly. It felt like normalcy, so I let my guard down, wanting to sleep but the throbs of the bruises had begun to ring back through my memory.

“I love you,” I admitted simply.

“I love you too, my dear. Now tell me the truth.”

“You wouldn’t believe me. Just like you wouldn’t believe when I said I never wanted to hurt you. I was forced, Justin, but you refused to listen. You want me to be honest, but when I am, you don’t trust that it’s the truth.”

“Unless he told you to stab me in the back, then I think I’ll believe you,” he breathed.

I pulled away in frustration but he stopped, kissing the back of my neck.

“I’m sorry. That wasn’t very nice. I didn’t mean it.”

But I’m pretty sure he did. Either way, I fought back the bought of frustration and accepted that it was just a simple slip of his words. He wasn’t trying to be mean, but he doesn’t trust me fully either.

“Fine, Justin,” I purred, closing my eyes while my mate held me by the warm fire. “He said he wants his work to be done for him.”

My mate tensed behind me. “What work?”

“Your father is alive still. He killed his family. He wants revenge, Justin.”