Alpha Divided (Alpha Girl Book 3)

They’d taken a piece of my soul.

I thought I’d die there. That I would never get to go home. I’d never see my parents again. Never see my brother.

And Dastien.

There were so many things I wished I could do. That I wished I’d done. And now, here I was. Tied up. All my powers drained. In the dark.

It was a while before my harsh gasps slowed. Before I could think clearly. It could’ve been minutes or hours, but when I did, I knew three things.

I was alive.

I had to get out of here.

And I had to stop Mr. Hoel and Luciana. No matter what. Even if I started a war. Even if it outed us all to the humans. Even if it cost me my life and the lives of others.

They were evil.

Somewhere in the dark, I found clarity. Focus.

I remembered Grams’ words from the journal.

…you that even at your darkest hour, when you’re stripped bare, I will be with you. Don’t ever lose faith.

That was how I felt now. Stripped bare. But I didn’t have faith. It was gone. I was broken. They’d already taken my powers. They’d ripped something so vital from me it was like my soul was rent in two.

I wiggled around in the space as I sobbed. Something brushed against my face and I jerked, knocking my head against the wall before I realized it was just a robe. One of the robes I’d seen in here earlier.

Something about the feeling of the cloth against my face made me calm down. I was forgetting something.

I shook as I lay there.

I should never have broken into the craft room. And I should’ve run as soon as I got the vision from that knife—

I sucked in a breath. The knife.

The tiniest spark of hope flared inside me.

It had to be in here. Please, God. Let it still be in here.

My hands were tied behind my back, but I could roll a little and feel the walls. I moved around and found a way to sit up. Sort of.

I frantically searched. Praying. Hoping. Please, let Grams be right. It was here. I knew it was.

I felt along all the walls and still nothing. Exhausted I relaxed against the floorboards.

Come on, Tessa. Keep looking. It’s got to be here.

I needed to sit up more. I wiggled until my back was against the wall, and then rolled until I was sitting. My head clunked into a shelf, and something rattled.

I froze. Was that the knife?

Something else Grams had written came to mind.

The thing that will set you free is just above your head. Don’t be afraid to break through.

I hit my head against the shelf harder, and the rattle came again.

I didn’t want to hurt myself, but I’d heal. I was still a werewolf, even if Mr. Hoel had a hold on my alpha powers. I wasn’t afraid.

I positioned myself just under the shelf, right where I heard the rattle.

One. Two. Three.

I slammed my head into it, and the wood splintered. Pain flared across my forehead and I smelled my own blood, but something cool and metal landed in my lap.

I managed to get an awkward grip and sawed at the bonds at my wrist. As soon as I got the ones off of my arms, I ripped off the mask over my eyes, then the gag.

“Fuck.”

After freeing my legs I held my breath and listened.

I wanted to run out of the house, but what if Luciana and Mr. Hoel were still here? What if they were waiting?

I’d been dumb enough. I needed to be smarter now.

I counted to sixty three times, taking care not to rush.

Not a sound in the house.

They were gone. Using my powers in whatever way they wanted. But not for long.

I opened the closet door. I was still in the craft room.

The bowl on the altar was gone. In its place were two mason jars. They glowed with a light so bright, so pure, it dimmed the shadows even in this room of darkness and evil.

I wasn’t scared of crossing the circle anymore. I knew what was in those jars, and it belonged to me.

There was a faint smell of sulfur as I crossed the circle. It was hot. At least twenty degrees hotter than the temperature outside the boundary.

I wanted to break the jars right then and there, but Luciana would know I was out and that her plan had failed. I couldn’t afford that yet.

I gritted my teeth. I had to deal with the empty feeling for a little bit longer. Not much longer, I promised myself. Just enough time to take these motherfuckers down.

I grabbed the jars, cradling them to my chest, and ran as fast as I could to my cousins’ house.

***

Claudia flew out from the kitchen as soon as I stepped through her front door. “Where have you been? What’s in those jars? Are you bleeding?”

The cut on my head had already healed, but I wiped at it anyway. “I’m not bleeding anymore. My powers are in these.” I held up the jars. “Luciana did some spell on me. I need to go. Right now. I’m getting my keys and my things. When I leave, I want nothing here that they can use to spell me again. Not a single piece of hair. Nothing.”