Page 25 of Claimed By the Alpha
“Everything,” I whispered.
With a shaky breath she slowly met my gaze. “I can’t have kids, the unanswered heat destroyed me. I’m not a wolf who can heal from it, it is all because I’m human.”
No, it was because of Liam.
He tried to kill her and then destroyed her by betraying her over and over again. Knowing it would cause her harm.
I hated how broken she felt, the pain her words brought. I could hear it in her voice and feel it through our bond, but I couldn’t deny the small bit of relief.
I wouldn’t lose her.
And maybe I could heal her, if I would turn her.
No, I couldn’t. She had to beg me for it and then still I would probably say no. There was too much of a risk. And for what? So she could die carrying my child. No, she was perfect the way she was.
“It’s okay,” I said, pulling her against me. Small sobs left her lips while she buried her face in my chest.
Logan purred soothingly while I gently rubbed her back.
“I don’t want to be broken.” My ribs clenched around my lungs and my heart broke for her.
“You aren’t. You’re perfect. You’re all I need, Joanne.”
We sat in silence, the sun slowly setting, casting a beautiful hue over this ghost town, and Joanne’s sobs disappeared. Stirring in my tight hold, she inhaled deeply, settling her racing heart before asking for my truth.
“What did Emlyn say?”
My jaw clenched, even though I wanted to protect her from what I was about to say. I couldn’t keep this from her.
“He wants me to claim the throne, but it doesn’t even exist. At least, he believes it does.”
It wasn’t the whole truth, and I would still tell her, but I needed a moment. I needed to give her a moment.
“Throne?” Her brows pinched and a smile curled on my lips. This wasn’t something that she could read about when we were in the pack house.
“It is from a story we all grew up with. A fairy tale.” It came out as a mumble, still not sure what to think of the entire situation.
“Like in fire and ice?”
How did she know about that?
She peeked up, and I gently wiped away the stray tear that drifted down her cheek. “How do you know about that?” I asked.
She shrugged. “My father always told this story about a Realm where a king and queen ruled for years, in peace until the king turned on her. Taking everything for himself and because of that he was cursed, or something. I can’t remember how it ended. It doesn’t sound like a cute bedtime story now that I think about it.”
“It sounds the same, only with what I was told. The queen betrayed the king. Leaving him for another and destroying everything in the process. That is why the moon goddess created mates.”
“I didn’t get the mate thing in it,” she laughed, and I wondered what parts the truths were.Maybe the answer lies here, in this town.
I didn’t know why Joanne wanted to come here, or why her family visited this place every year. But the way Emlyn reacted to my presence here made more questions arise.
It was time for answers.
“Do you know what happened here?”
She shook her head. “It wasn’t always like this, it was a vibrant little town. I have no idea what happened to this place.”
Her eyes snapped to mine as if she realized something. “What more did he say?”
