“His pack didn’t resist keeping you? Since you were a witch, too.” Finn’s jaw clenched, a quick look Hollis’s way told her he regretted asking the question. But it was too late, he’d asked and she would answer.
These memories were all too sharp. “I had power he wanted to exploit. He said he could control me as his mate.” Her teeth clenched. “A silver collar weakens the body but not the spirit. I made it clear that would never happen.” That’s when she’d visited the hole for the first time.
“Motherfucker.” Hollis pushed out of his chair and stalked the length of the room, his growl tearing at her calm. “You don’t have to do this.”
Hearing this hurt him. If the roles were reversed—she didn’t want to think about it. But she straightened, refusing to buckle under the weight of the pack’s gaze. Hers was a story of shame. But it would not define her.
“I’m guessing he wasn’t happy about that?” Mal asked, his smile hard and mean. “I’d have loved to see that—you pissing him off. And there was nothing he could do about it.”
Cyrus had done plenty. Her skin was covered in the scars to prove it. But she didn’t want to share more than she had to.
“Once his pack started to weaken and die, he wanted me to cure them. Their females could not breed. Those who did deliver, lost their infants within days of birth.” She swallowed, heat scorching her skin. She’d no love for the pack, but the loss of those children haunted her dreams. “There was nothing I could do.” She cleared her throat, trying to distance herself from the shame that boiled up inside of her. “I was weak from imprisonment but even when I grew stronger, I was useless.” She wrapped her arms around her waist. “Their sickness had no cause or cure, nothing to treat.”
“They’re dying?” Dante asked. “We can’t just wait them out?”
“Not all of them. Only those Cyrus has turned the last few years.” She paused.
“What do you think? What does your wolf say?” Finn asked.
Ellen had spent hours pondering the cause. “Wolves are loyal, noble, and strong. Their pack—their family—is what makes them so. Your pack is strong and united. They seek to protect and defend—as Mal did for Olivia. The Others are none of those things. Because their Alpha has forgotten what it is to be a true wolf.”
“Being a wolf is pretty fucking awesome.” Anders chuckled.
&
nbsp; There was a rumble of overall approval—surprising her. Perhaps not all of the pack was eager for a cure. It was heartening to know.
“Why keep you then? If you couldn’t cure the pack?” Dante was still skeptical.
She swallowed. “My blood. It made him more powerful. And as his pack weakened, he craved strength more than anything. He needed me for that. According to Tess, still needs me.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Mal asked.
“Jesus.” Anders covered his face with his hands.
“He drank your blood?” Dante was up, rolling his neck and staring at the ceiling.
“I’m so sorry, Ellen,” Olivia spoke softly. “And I’m angry—for you. I wish there was something I could do.”
“We will do something.” Finn’s words were a promise. “We will kill him.”
“Not like this. Not full of anger—prone to mistakes. He’d like that. He’d have the advantage.” She shook her head, hating the guilt and shame her past stirred. “I will kill him. It is my right. A promise I made, a promise I must keep.”
All eyes were on her then, but no one said a word. What could they say? Her wolf was on alert, challenging them to argue with her. She’d bared her soul to them, but they’d be foolish to think that made her weak. Her past made her—her wolf—fierce and strong. And now they understood why.
“This is really some pissing match for him? The one with the biggest dick wins?” Anders asked.
“Yes. Not that I’d ever say it that way.” She smiled, in spite of the tension stiffening her spine.
“Why target Jessa and the children?” Olivia asked. “Just to get to Finn?”
Ellen didn’t want to answer that question. Olivia was still naive to know just how dark this world could be.
“For breeding,” Finn ground out.
“You said your blood made him strong?” Hollis spun to look at her, his eyes full of rage—his wolf’s eyes. “Because you’re a born wolf.”
The moment Finn understood, he sagged forward. His hands stiffened, his fingers gripping the edge of his desk until the wood splintered and the sides collapsed in.