“Somewhere no one will think to look. My people are very thorough.” She remained hidden, only her voice giving away her presence.
“Damon will find me. He’ll...” The protest died as another wave of dizziness crashed over me.
“Damon is too busy saving his political career to notice you’re gone. I made sure of that.” Satisfaction dripped from every word.
The chains rattled as I tried to move, testing their strength. Professional work. Whoever had installed them knew what theywere doing. My wolf stirred weakly beneath the drugs, unable to mount any real defense. The twins shifted slightly, their movements far too sluggish for my comfort. Whatever cocktail Lucinda had used was affecting all three of us.
I forced myself to focus through the chemical fog. The warehouse stretched around me, vast and empty except for concrete pillars disappearing into darkness. Boarded windows let in slivers of light. Enough to see by but not enough to determine time of day. The air tasted of rust and abandonment, the kind of place that had been forgotten by everyone except those who needed shadows for their work.
“Why?” The single word was all I could manage, but it encompassed everything. Why take me, why this elaborate scheme, why the hatred that radiated from her even hidden in darkness.
“You need to ask?” Her laugh was bitter, echoing off concrete walls. “You’ve taken everything from me.”
“I didn’t take anything. I was chosen as Damon’s mate. And you know as well as any other wolf that we cannot choose our mates.”
“Spare me your lies.” Finally, she moved into view, and I had to blink several times to reconcile this woman with the perfectly composed matriarch I knew.
Lucinda stepped into the dim light filtering through boarded windows. She looked nothing like the composed matriarch who’d presided over pack functions. Her usually perfect hair hung loose around her shoulders, silver strands catching what little light existed. Her designer clothes had been replaced withpractical black. Pants, boots, a jacket that could hide weapons. But it was her eyes that chilled me. Completely lucid, utterly cold. This wasn’t grief-driven madness. This was calculated hatred given form.
She began pacing, each step measured and deliberate. The warehouse floor was scattered with debris but she navigated it without looking, suggesting familiarity with the space. How long had she been planning this? How many times had she walked this route, perfecting her scheme?
“Two weeks,” she said, as if reading my thoughts. “Two weeks since my son stood in front of the pack and admitted to killing his brother over you. Two weeks of planning every detail while he destroyed everything our family built.”
“Damon told the truth. That took courage.”
“Courage?” She whirled on me, perfectly composed mask cracking. “He confessed to being a kinslayer! Do you know what that means for our bloodline? For our legacy?”
“He confessed to protecting me. To give me back my honor.”
“Your honor?” The laugh that escaped her held no humor. “An omega’s honor isn’t worth the dirt beneath my shoes. You destroyed my family with your very existence.”
She resumed pacing, and I caught glimpses of the woman who’d raised Damon. Controlled, methodical, always ten steps ahead. But now that intelligence was bent toward my destruction.
“First, you corrupted Laziel with your wiles. He was obsessed with you, convinced you were meant for him instead of hisbrother. Then you made Damon kill him in jealous rage. And now?” She gestured at my swollen belly with disgust. “Now you carry spawn that will dilute the pure Kildare bloodline. Mongrels with omega blood polluting centuries of alpha heritage.”
“They’re your grandchildren,” I protested weakly, hand moving protectively over my bump.
“They’re nothing to me. Just like their father.” The casual dismissal hit harder than any physical blow. “I loved Laziel. He was my true son. Damon was just... an obligation.”
“What are you talking about?” Confusion cut through the drug haze momentarily.
But she was already moving on, her rant gaining momentum. Every word painted me as some kind of succubus who’d enchanted both brothers, destroyed their family through calculated manipulation. The twins moved weakly in response to my distress, and fresh panic shot through me. Whatever drug she’d used was affecting them too, making them sluggish when they should be active.
“The guards you had reassigned? All my people. The food that tasted different? Small doses to build tolerance for tonight. The political chaos? Carefully orchestrated to keep Damon distracted.” She smiled, cold and satisfied. “I’ve been moving pieces for days while you played house with Damon.”
“You’re insane.” The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Her hand cracked across my face, the slap echoing in the empty space. “I’m a mother who lost everything to your manipulation. Just like before.”
“Before?” But she was already turning away, dismissing my question.
“You think you’re special because you’re his mate? Because you carry his children?” She laughed again, the sound like breaking glass. “You’re just another whore who spreads her legs for power. The only difference is you succeeded where others failed.”
“I never wanted power. I wanted to be left alone.”
“Lies. All omegas lie. It’s in your nature, just like spreading your legs is in your nature.” The venom in her voice could have melted steel. “But I’m going to fix that. Remove you from the equation and let Damon find a proper alpha mate. Someone worthy of the Kildare name.”
“He won’t. We’re fated.”
