“There’s nothing to tell,” Alarick said. “Except that he’s always all over you, and you’re my mate.”
“What was your history before I came to Ravenwood?”
“Nothing,” Alarick said, glowering at Viktor as he loped back to join Svana.
I turned to Viktor. “You hated the Wolf brothers when I got to Ravenwood. You told me to stay away from them.”
“Because I knew they had to be behind the girls disappearing,” he said sourly. “And I didn’t want you to be one.”
“Why?” I demanded.
“Because,” he said, dropping his gaze to the ground. “I… I hoped…”
“She chose,” Alarick growled, wrapping a possessive arm around me. “There’s no hope for you, buddy. So get lost.”
“Is that what you were going to say?” I asked Viktor, swallowing hard. I’d always thought there was bad blood between them already. I couldn’t believe it was that simple, that it all started with me. Had their history really started when I stepped between them?
Viktor glanced up at me through his lashes, every inch the shy boy I knew and loved so much. It killed me that I couldn’t love him the way he wanted, the way he deserved to be loved.
“Yes,” he muttered. “I hoped for once someone would pick me instead of falling all over yourself for one of them.”
“Viktor…” I said, stepping forward, my heart squeezing so hard I thought I’d cry.
Svana cleared her throat. “Listen, you have to come with us, Timberlyn.” She shot a panicked look at the rapidly dwindling number of fighters retreating toward the woods, away from the mountaintop with the heavily damaged lighthouse that had seen at least half a dozen bodies thrown through the walls. Some fighters in the clearing were dead, others injured, and still more trapped in whatever spells the witches were casting.
“No,” I said. “I made my choice. I’m Alarick’s. You need to get the vampires out of here. Take Mr. Ravenwood past the wards. Once he’s gone, he won’t be able to find his way back.”
“He’ll find you,” Viktor said, unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it off. He stepped forward, gently wrapping it around my shoulder and easing my arm into it like a sling before tying it snugly against me. His eyes searched mine as he spoke. “You didn’t tell us you’d had his blood. He says he’s your maker.”
“You’re my maker,” I said fiercely. But I couldn’t lie to them. “But yes, I did take some of his blood when he was trying to kill me.”
“Then he’ll always find you,” Svana said. “Do you want this to keep happening? Or do you want to go with us? We’re your friends, Timberlyn. You know we’ll take care of you.”
I swallowed hard, my eyes falling on a wolf whose side was barely rising and falling with shallow breaths as blood spread around him. My stomach turned with horror, and I recognized the familiar wolf I’d known for the past three years. Jose. He’d wanted a mate so badly, and he’d barely met her before his life ended. My heart broke for him, and I knew she was right.
“I’m sorry,” Viktor said. “But you’re bound to us now. And this is how we live. We don’t get the freedoms wolves have.”
“You don’t have any freedoms,” I blurted. “Not if you don’t have a choice in where you go.”
“Timberlyn,” Alarick said. “You can’t go with them.”
“I can’t stay with you,” I said, my throat tightening with the ache of not wanting to let go. “He’ll find us. He’ll always find me, Alarick. And he’ll kill you. I can’t let that happen. I can’t put you in danger.”
“I don’t care,” he said, wrapping his arms around me and holding on like he’d never let go. “I’m not leaving you. You’re my mate. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I said, tears flowing down my cheeks as I reached up to kiss him. “Which is why I have to do this.”
“No,” he said. “I won’t let you go.”
I cupped his cheek in my palm, trying to swallow back the choking tears in my throat. “You’re my one true love, Alarick Wolf,” I whispered. “But I always knew I’d have to let you go. I thought it would be to let you be with your mate, but I always knew it would happen. I chose to love you, anyway. I chose to love you because I know that if I really do love you, I’d be happy when you’re happy, even if that was with someone else.”
“There will never be anyone else,” he said, his voice rough with emotion.
I nodded, gathering myself. “I know,” I said. “Because I know you love me. Which is why you have to let me go. The only thing that will make me happy is knowing you’re safe. I could never be happy knowing I’m bringing danger to you. It will follow me wherever I go as long as I live.”
“I’ll go with you,” he said. “I’ll kill Ravenwood.”
I shook my head, swallowing back the sob. “You can’t. I can’t let you. And he won’t let me bring a werewolf along. He only let you live as long as he did because he was tricking me. I’d rather you live here where he can’t find you again, and be safe, and hate me, then to go with me and get hurt. So go. Please.”
A sob tore from me, and Alarick slowly released his grip, stepping back with a look on his face that I couldn’t bear. I dropped my eyes, forcing myself to turn away and cover my face as another sob tore through my body.
Svana took my elbow and guided me away as pieces of my heart fell at my feet. I didn’t break in some beautiful way,
