Chapter 517: Old Wounds, New Wounds
One by one, their eyes shot open, and Nedra and Penelope sprung up in surprise to get a closer look at the vampire with the beating heart.
"We did it!" Nedra exclaimed. "Goddess, we really did it."
"That was amazing! And it was so easy. Did you feel that, too? The Veiled rushing in to him like he was some kind of vacuum? Flooding him the moment it had the chance?" Penelope asked, staring at the vampire in shock until Nedra grabbed her and started jumping up and down, squealing with joy.
She had spent so long trying to bring Zagan to life, trying to find a way to do just this. It was the most frustrating, defeating thing to have so much power and ability and yet not be able to do the one thing that would overcome his hold on her. And they had just accomplished it together with a different vampire. It wasn’t Zagan, but it was just as satisfying.
"Goddess, that really just happened," Nedra squealed.
August chuckled as Graeme helped her to her feet. He pulled her into his chest and kissed the top of her head, swaying with her back and forth. "You are amazing," he whispered against her.
"Is this what it was like when Zagan’s heart started?" Nedra asked Penelope, laughing as she did.
"Shhh," Penelope smacked her on the shoulder and glanced back down at the vampire who was still clutching his chest, clawing at himself, a look of pure terror in his eyes.
"He can’t hear anything right now but his own heartbeat. I bet you anything," Nedra said in response.
"You are like a different person," Penelope said, shaking her head with a smile.
Nedra felt so light and carefree now. The walls she had up before when Penelope met her—the private, protective Nedra who shielded herself from others—had come down completely. Now she was smiling like she had been given a second chance at life. And the reason for that emerged from the woods now in the form of three people, one who was running straight for her.
Sage bounded toward his mother, jumping into her arms and squeezing her against him. "Did you do it, mommy?"
Nedra nuzzled him, holding him against her warmth with only the satisfied purr of a mother escaping her. Holding him was the best thing. She could die happy just holding her children in her arms. It was something she had not been able to do. It was the simplest thing, and yet it was so powerful... feeling the physicality of his being tucked safely into hers.
August tugged Graeme closer to her as she watched the reunion, hoping he could appreciate what this moment signified for Sage and his family. He may not be able to understand the sacrifices that Nedra had made, but hopefully he could be happy for them and let go of the past.
Instead, Graeme saw Seth approaching and a new tension rippled through him. This was not just any male lycan. Seth was a stray. And if Graeme guessed correctly, he was not just any stray. He was one of those responsible for his parents’ murders.
A growl puttered in his throat, and August froze. Everyone else froze, too as their attention snapped to the Alpha who was glaring at Nedra’s mate.
Seth whispered something to Selah and pushed her gently to join to her mother. Then he squared his shoulders and prepared for the attack that was likely coming.
"Graeme," August grabbed his shirt, trying to snap him out of the instinctual rage that had risen when his eyes alighted on one of those responsible for killing his parents. But he didn’t respond.
"Come on," Seth said, inviting him to attack with a wave of his hands.
He understood what this was about, and he wasn’t going to shy away from the altercation. He had this coming. He had done a lot for Zagan over the years that he was not proud of, and being involved in the attack on this male’s parents was one of them.
"You killed the Alpha and Luna of Hallowell," Graeme said so low, it sent a shiver down even August’s spine.
"Yes," Seth said. "I did that. I don’t deny it."
"He was ordered to do it," Nedra said quickly, but Seth raised a hand to hush her.
"I am truly sorry," Seth continued. "I wish there was something I could have done differently."
"You’re sorry?" Graeme scoffed, snorting air from his nose in disgust as he prowled forward, a deadly glare fixed on the male in front of him.
Seth nodded, folding his hands behind his back. "Yes."
Nedra’s eyes darted to August’s in a silent plea to do something to stop her mate, but then Graeme sprang and the two males were instantly rolling over each other on the ground. The momentum of their roll ended with Seth on top, dodging punches and then attempting to pin Graeme’s arms to the ground.
But the Alpha was much stronger than him, and soon Graeme was on top, hitting the male with the blind rage that overcame him when he imagined his parents’ bodies that day. They were ambushed. They were utterly destroyed, his father unable to even protect his mate from the number of wolves that attacked. They had died fighting together.
What if that had been him and August? What if they were ambushed and he was unable to protect her? Suddenly Seth’s face became a threat to his mate, and he roared with each successful hit that his father had been unable to make.
"Fight back!" He snarled, pulling Seth up and shoving him back into the ground.
"Stop!" Sage jumped out of his mom’s arms and stumbled against the ground as he watched his father getting hurt. No! He just got his father back, there was no way he was going to lose him!
A hand wrapped around his ankle and pulled him back so quickly, he fell flat on his stomach and instinctively clawed at the ground.
"Sage!" Selah shrieked, and everyone stopped.
Seth sat up from under Graeme, fresh blood dripping from his mouth and nose and a cut above his eye, which was quickly swelling. But both males forgot the fight and scrambled to their feet when they saw what had happened. The boy had stumbled into the cage with the vampire.
