Alpha Divided (Alpha Girl Book 3)

My breath caught. “Grams.” Her long black hair was streaked with white, and loosely braided. She was wearing a traditional Mexican embroidered dress, and smelled of roses.

“Sí, amor. I sat here a long time ago, in the hopes that I could link with you one day. I’m sorry that I couldn’t stop this from happening. I fought it, but every path I uncovered seemed to lead to the same place.” She smiled, and I ached to sit up and hold her, but I didn’t want to destroy the illusion. “It’s time for you to wake up and fight. You know what you want, but you’ve been catering too much to everyone else. I know why—you didn’t understand the way things were. The way it worked. You have to know the rules to know when to break them.” She paused. “Break them. Fight. Or lose everything you love.”

The image of Dastien cowering in the feral cages, upset and alone, filled my mind. Of his broken spirit. Of him withering.

I’d been wrong. As always. I’d tried to do the right thing, and I’d ended up hurting those around me.

I’d tried to help Meredith and it’d almost killed her.

Now, I’d tried to help the pack, and it was only hurting my mate.

“That’s right, amor. Time to wake.” She clapped her hands, and I blinked. “Wake! Before you lose it all!”

She clapped her hands again. And I jolted awake.

***

The scent of cloves burned in my nostrils. I tried to sit up, but couldn’t.

My hands were tied. My legs were tied. I was chained to the floor, blindfolded. Gagged.

And then I smelled it. The faint scent of blood. The decay of the chicken.

I was in Luciana’s craft room.

I’d woken too late.





Chapter Twenty



The strangest things occurred to me as I lay there against the cool floor. Like the fact that the last time the pack was in danger, it was Dastien and the others who’d been tied up and left to die. But I’d been there to get Dastien. I’d seen him go. I’d seen him be taken. My abilities and determination had saved him and the others.

No one knew I was gone. Dastien wouldn’t be coming for me. Neither would Claudia or Raphael. No one in this coven would stand up to Luciana for me.

As I waited for whatever was to come next, I knew that I’d cut myself off from my mate. There was no way to reach him. There was nothing I could do. I was stuck until I figured a way to get myself free.

It was almost funny how bad my luck was. I hadn’t gotten a vision telling me that something bad was going to happen, so I’d figured it was okay. Except that I’d ignored the gut feeling telling me to get the hell out of the compound.

This was why I hadn’t wanted to trust the visions. I didn’t want to depend on seeing something, because right when I needed help the most, they’d failed me. I could only trust what I could hold on to with my hands.

So why had I ever let myself be separated from Dastien? We were a team. Infinitely more powerful together than we were apart.

The floor moaned as someone walked toward me.

“She’s awake.”

Mr. Hoel. If I could say anything, I would’ve ordered him to let me go. I was more alpha than him. No matter what he tried, I could’ve overridden it.

Silent spells worked with my witchy stuff, but could I do the same with my alpha powers? I reached for the wolf inside me and pushed my demand toward Mr. Hoel—Set me free!

Nothing happened. No one moved. I bit back a wave of despair.

“Did you bind her yet?”

“Yes. Of course,” Luciana said. “We’ll start now.”

Someone struck a match. The faint smell of wood burning filled the room.

I could feel the magic before Luciana said anything. Her spell seeped under my skin and my back bowed in pain, and I screamed through the cotton stuffed in my mouth.

I struggled against the bonds, but whatever they were made of was too strong for a Were—or at least this Were—to break.

It was like slime was sliding under my skin. Oily. Dirty.

I screamed again as I struggled. It felt like I was getting bit by a million fire ants all at once.

The chanting started and then it was all I could do to breathe.

I was being sucked dry. All my power was draining away. Separating.

A hand held each of my shoulders. One was bigger, stronger than the other.

I didn’t understand the words, but I could feel my power being absorbed by them. My alpha powers were going to Mr. Hoel. My bruja to Luciana.

The hands let go of me and I thrashed as much as my bonds would allow. I didn’t care as they bit into my skin.

The smell of sulfur choked the room and the chanting got louder.

Tears rolled down my cheeks. Something was burning under my skin. Like I was on fire inside.

I screamed until my voice was hoarse, but it didn’t do any good. The sound was muffled against the cloth. Overrun by the chanting. But I couldn’t stop. So much pain.

Suddenly the room was quiet except for my screams and breathing.

Hands unchained me from the ground, and I was dragged across the floor. A door shut, and I was sobbing. Unable to stop.

My powers were gone. I could feel them missing. Like they’d chopped off my arm. I felt dead inside. Drained. No more.