Chapter 185: Begging For Help, From Ex
Zara
"Holly." She muttered something under her breath, closing my bedroom door behind her.
My half-sister, a mix of Demon and witch, was very much like me, though she lacked the devotion and strength of an entire pack behind her.
I wanted to trust her, wanted to believe I wasn’t alone in this, but I had to remain cautious. Whether I trusted her or not changes nothing. She was family, and I won’t leave her alone.
Marcus came by later that day, and I put my plan into action. I was losing patience, my anxiety growing with each passing day. The silver bracelets on my wrists separated me from Kane, though at that point, I didn’t have enough information to give him.
At worst, I would have used the shadows to contact him, but I needed to know the location of the warehouse and when they were planning to attack.
I nearly ambushed Marcus when he entered my room, begging him for any information he could. I saw the hesitation in his eyes and almost screamed when he ran out of my room. The next few days passed in the same way: I begged Marcus for help, but he ran out again and again.
Each time, I saw the hesitation blazing in his eyes. I wasn’t sure I’d ever truly trust him, but it was clear he wasn’t sure whose side he was on.
Four days later, I was on the brink of despair. I hadn’t heard from either Holly or my father, and this was becoming increasingly unsettling. Marcus, as usual, entered my room with a tray of food. I grabbed the glass of water first, downed it in one gulp, and took a deep, ragged breath.
The water rushed through my veins, making my head spin and my body tingle. Water always gave me a surge of energy, though I was still powerless against the silver cuffs on my wrists. I have to give my father credit, even though he thought my mind was under control, he was still paranoid.
"Don’t start again," he grumbled when I begged him for the fourth time.
"Marcus, if Kane doesn’t get this information, it’s all over," I sighed, rubbing my face. Even in this large room, I was a prisoner. "What do you think will happen then? He’ll attack, and the pack will be destroyed. I see it in your eyes, Marcus. You don’t want this war. So could you help me? Help me stop it."
"Let’s say I help you, and your Alpha wins; my people will suffer," Marcus replied sharply, his ocean eyes narrowing to tiny slits. "Countless of my men will be killed. Don’t think I haven’t heard of Alpha Bran. He will fight alone to exterminate my kind—our kind."
"I don’t want it any more than you do," I shook my head. I had too much time to think things through. If Marcus and Govinda both doubted the morality of my Father’s plan, how many others thought the same?
Demons weren’t inherently evil, any more than werewolves were. They all deserved a place in this new world, a world where peace was an achievable goal. "Countless lives will be lost either way; it’s war."
"Then what do you want, Zara?" Marcus asked, his voice confused and exhausted. "What outcome do you hope to achieve?"
"I want our species to live in peace, to stop trying to kill each other," I hissed. "I want peace. I want Demons and werewolves to wake up in the morning without fearing for their lives."
"I want the same, Zara," he murmured, his eyes thoughtful.
"Then help me," I pleaded, holding back all emotion. I channeled my desperation, the overwhelming desire to see my mate again, and the need to protect my little sister into my words. "Help me convey this information to Alpha Kane."
"You have to promise me something, Zara," Marcus said quietly. "Promise me that you’ll always think of the good of all species. You’re not just a werewolf, remember that."
"I promise." I swallowed, unable to shake the feeling that my words obligated me. "I want what’s best for both our species."
Marcus approached me, his eyes darkening as they met mine. The knot in my stomach, which had been tightening, tightened painfully, and I barely resisted the urge to pull away from him. Standing so close to him, I felt too close and wrong.
The threat of my heat loomed overhead. I’d been here for a week, but I still hadn’t felt the signs of it. My patience and courage were fading; I needed a way out, and I needed it now.
Marcus leaned over, his lips hovering over my ear. I clenched my teeth as his breath fanned my cheek, silently wishing it were Kane standing so close to me. His words were quiet, and I strained to hear them.
"He plans to attack your pack tomorrow evening. Your father and his squad will leave tomorrow at sunset. The main group will attack from the north, while your father and another team will move north from the west," Marcus whispered. "He’ll leave you and Holly here. He has no use for you until your Alpha’s pack is destroyed. You’re in an abandoned warehouse in Scriven, South Carolina. The warehouse is just off Morgan Street. Tell your Alpha to prepare, war is coming."
The sound of metal hitting the floor echoed through the room. I looked down sharply and noticed the silver cuffs falling from my wrists, the lock holding them open. I looked up... I met Marcus’s gaze; he had already left the room, closing the door behind him.
I rubbed my I slid my hands and bloodied wrists into the bathroom. I hissed painfully as I rinsed my skin with the running tap. Silver wounds heal much more slowly, but all I had was a painful, inflamed rash.
I couldn’t stop my racing heart, thinking about Kane and how in just a few hours I would finally be able to talk to him again.
I hid the silver shackles under the bed, curled up under the covers, and searched for Kane in my mind. At some point, I plunged into darkness.
"Zara?" a seductive, deep voice rang in my head. The voice called to my soul, tearing me from sleep with a rough hand. "Zara, are you there?"
