A Gift from the Goddess

Book Two – Ch.# 30 “…Never mind. I’ve got to go,” I said quietly into the phone. “Rae, wait. What’s-.”

But I hung up before Zac could finish his sentence.

Sterling’s eyes looked from my face… to where I held the phone in my hands, and slowly clicked his tongue in disapproval. “That would be a cellular device, I assume?” he asked, gradually approaching.” Are you aware that it’s quite a serious offence to use that here? A crime punishable by permanent banishment from the pack… or worse.”

I swallowed back the bile in my throat, feeling sick from just looking at Sterling. And yet he had the audacity to threaten me. I wasn’t the one who’d been selling illegal drugs for years. “I know it was you,” I said. “I know you were the one selling the suppressors to my father.”

And his approach then came to a stop, his head nodding in understanding.

“Ah… I see,” he said. “Then I suppose you’ll be wanting an explanation? A reason for why I did what I did? Maybe then you’ll be able to see this from my perspective. How… I’m not entirely the bad guy in all of this.”

I didn’t reply. It seemed too good to be true for him to just start telling me what surely had to be his darkest secret. Did he believe he had leverage over me now, knowing I had used the phone here? Or was this something else? “I wouldn’t expect you to know this, but Victor and I are actually twins. Fraternal, of course,” he started. “Our mother had a complicated birth and, as a result, the two of us were delivered by C-section. Do you know what that means?”

I hesitated but shook my head. I wasn’t sure where he was going with this or how it related to the drugs, but I thought it best to just go along with it. “It means that the doctor who ripped my brother out first was the one who decided which of us would become Alpha. A fact that has plagued me my entire life. I was always not quite good enough in the eyes of everyone else.”

Right… because only the eldest was given the title. I’d been told that ranks were based on birth, not merit. “It’s due to that unfortunate reality that I’ve coveted many of the things denied to me, things only bestowed upon my brother and nephew,” he continued,

looking away as if in deep thought. “I watched as my brother was praised as a strong leader, saw his success, his victory in battles. I saw as he brought stability and peace to, not only this pack, but to an entire nation that had previously been divided by war for almost a century. And when he was finished, his work finally done… I found myself happy. Not for his accomplishments or his triumphs No, 1 was happy… because his mate then fell into a coma… and eventually died. It was due to his actions that ultimately led to her demise, reminding the world that the perfect man did in fact have flaws. And it was on that day I realised I could carve my own destiny, my own future. I could… create my own pack. One where I would be the Alpha. Just as I always should have been.”

His own pack? It was clear that he’d been wallowing in his own envy for so long that he couldn’t see what he already had. A pack and family who I was certain loved him. A place to call home. Things that were denied to me for almost my whole life.

“…So I got to work immediately. Of course, I needed my own money to be able to fund such a feat and, as a result, I started selling the very drugs my brother had outlawed. This is what I did for years, working hard on establishing a small black market network that specialised in suppressors, a secret formula known only to our pack. But, at the end of the day, it still wasn’t enough money.” He then paused, his eyes moving back over to meet my own. “It wasn’t enough… until one day, I was approached by a smuggler, one looking to acquire some customised silver suppressors on behalf of a wealthy human businessman.”

…Miles. That had to be Miles, working as a smuggler on behalf of my father. “Of course, I was wary; after all, blessed silver is not an easy thing to get your hands on,” he said. “But he’d found the right man for the job. Because it’s not completely impossible when you’re the son of the previous Alpha, ranked or not. Luckily, I’d grown up surrounded by the very people in charge of the resource’s management.” “So you decided to poison me?” I asked.

He chuckled darkly. “I didn’t know who you were, little bird,” he said. “I dug only so deep as to discover Eric Reid had a secret daughter and I put the pieces together. My information stopped at basically your name and, ultimately, I didn’t care to look further. The deal was for the money and nothing more. It wasn’t… personal. Truthfully, I thought you’d be dead in a month anyway from the silver. So imagine my surprise when you, not only survived all these years, but then also somehow found your way here, mated to my nephew no less.” “I don’t understand… wliy are you telllug me all of this now?” I asked, still

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confused about why he was being so candid. There was only one explanation I could think of for why he would tell me… and it wasn’t pleasant. No, it was one that made my eyes dart to where I’d concealed my dagger, only a few feet away under the mattress of my bed. I focused my mind, quickly preparing myself to move… and asked the question. “…Are you planning to kill me?” However, instead of a fight instantly breaking out like I anticipated, he simply laughed instead. I jumped in surprise, the abrupt noise making my chest race. “Like I said… I’m a man who has always coveted the things I couldn’t have,” he smiled. “Truthfully, I had planned to kill you the day we met. When I realised who you were and the threat of information you posed, I knew it would be important to cut off the loose end. But… but then everything changed.”

TILTE

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changed?” I

was about to regret asking when the way he looked at me then changed. His gaze scanned over me as if he were undressing me with his eyes,

I tried, it was then that I conceded that, when I did create my new pack, I would be in need of a Luna. One to continue my legacy.” I stared at him incredulously, in disbelief I was really hearing this right now. That he actually thought I would ever consider going with him.

this very situation. …And I spat at the ground by his feet. “You’re disgusting,” I hissed, taking a step backwards.

find a way to love me too.” “You’re insane. You don’t love me. You just love the idea of screwing a girl who is already mated to your nephew; the future alplia,” I snapped. “This is just some

I

perturbed by my words in the slightest, as if he didn’t see

no mark upon your neck,” he said. “He has yet to claim you as his.

I matched his step backwards, confused by what he was saying. Another example of my lack of

away, walking until I eventually felt the wall behind me. There was nowhere

I was trapped.

solidifying a mate bond,” he explained. “Think like human marriages where it’s a vow between two people… except, instead of being able to divorce one day, a marked mate can only be parted by death. As opposed to the conventional method of

they would be seen as crazy. So I could only imagine how serious a mark would be. “Don’t fight it,” Sterling said, still moving towards me. “Come quietly and I’ll be gentle. I have everything ready for the new pack; my suitcase is

nowhere else to go, I could only react on instinct when he reached

slapped

I warned. But

me again, I instantly shoved him backwards. Just hard enough for his legs

don’t make me regret that sentiment. If you don’t come with me, you’ll be kicked out of Ashwood for the phone anyway. Really, I’m

you, Sterling.

1

1

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And when he tried to move towards me again, aiming to grab at me more forcibly this time, I made sure he got the

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