“Adrianna!”
The voice outside the door and the sharp rapping made her cry out, making her hand slip. “Ow! Fucking hell!” The pointed tip of the scissors sliced down her arm and blood poured out of the gash.
The door flew open, and Mika rushed inside. “Adrianna! Are you okay? What happ—” Her cousin’s green eyes doubled in size. “You’re hurt! What did you do?”
“It’s not what—” The flesh on her arm tingled, making her gasp. She watched in shock as the wound sealed up in seconds.
“Adrianna?” Mika took two steps forward and grabbed her arm. “Did I just see what I think I saw?”
Her lungs squeezed out all the available air in her body and made it difficult to speak. But she didn’t have to explain to her cousin what was going on. Mika, of all people, knew what this meant. Her parents, Alynna and Alex Westbrooke were the first True Mate pairing of their time. Indeed, at that point, most Lycans thought True Mates were a myth. Everyone knew the story of how their parents had discovered they were True Mates and how that seemed to send off a chain reaction of True Mate pairings that haven’t been seen since.
“You’re pregnant,” Mika said in awe. “And Darius is—”
“Don’t say it,” she said woefully. “I can’t do this right now. We have more important things to worry about.”
“I—” Her cousin’s face turned serious. “I understand. What can I do?”
“I just—” A deep sob escaped out of her throat. “I just don’t want to feel this way anymore.”
When she burst into tears, her cousin opened her arms and she found herself enveloped in a tight, warm hug. Good old dependable Mika. When they were kids, she’d been a sassy troublemaker, but she had turned out to be most responsible and level-headed out of all of the Anderson–Westbrooke cousins. She was everyone’s big sister, always ready to help, while still keeping that mischievous side she had when they were younger. Of course, she was more subdued these days, but it was understandable given the tragedy she had experienced less than a year ago.
“It’ll be all right, Adrianna,” she said, rubbing a hand down her back. “You’ll see. Everything will be all right.”
“I just don’t—”
“Adrianna! Mika!” Julianna halted to a stop outside the bathroom doorway. “You have—what’s going on?”
“Adrianna just needed some time to herself,” Mika explained. “Don’t worry, letting it out helps.”
“The pressure was getting to me,” Adrianna quickly explained. “I’ve never dealt with this before. I don’t know how Mama and Papa do this.”
Julianna’s expression faltered. “I’m sorry, Adrianna. This is my fault.”
“What?” She searched her sister’s face. “What are you talking about?”
“That … that scumbag! I shouldn’t have … I mean …” Julianna gulped hard and hot tears fell down her cheek.
“No, no!” Adrianna embraced her sister. “It’s okay. I was the stupid one. I should have listened to you.”
“I hate that you’re hurting like this, Adrianna,” Julianna cried. “I would do anything to make this all go away and have things go back to the way they were, before that bastard ruined it all.”
“Oh, Julianna—”
“Oh, fuck!” Julianna’s expression shifted, and she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. “I came up here because Mama asked me to get you.”
“Why?” Mika asked.
“They’re coming,” she said in a quiet voice.
“The mages are here?”
“We don’t know who they are, but our security system is picking up a big group coming our way.”
“How many?” Mika asked.
“A lot.”
There was no time to waste.
“Mama!” Adrianna called as they hurried down the stairs. Frankie was already by the front door, looking out of the side windows. The grave expression on her face made Adrianna’s heart stop. “Mama?”
“They’re here. Outside.” There was a hard glint in her mother’s eyes.
Adrianna gently pushed her mother aside so she could see out the window. Her heart sank. She counted at least twenty men—no, Lycans, she could tell by the way her she-wolf bristled—out on their front lawn. In the middle was Anatoli Corvinus. But there was someone else with him. She felt all the blood in her face drain out. “Mama, is that—?”
“Yes,” Frankie said through gritted teeth.
“How—no!”
She couldn’t stop her mother from opening the door and stepping out onto the porch. She followed Frankie, as did Mika and Julianna.
“Traitor!” Frankie shouted. “Anatoli Corvinus, you will pay for betraying your kind. How could you side with our sworn enemy? The mages mean to destroy every last one of us. Do you think they will spare you for doing their dirty work?”
“You bitch,” Anatoli spat. “Too long you’ve held us underfoot. The Lycan territorial system is broken, made only to benefit those who rule at the top. Unlike you, my family had to work for everything we had, paid for in blood, sweat, and tears. And now I will take what is rightfully ours.”
“What do you want?” Frankie’s eyes glowed bright. “Do you want me to surrender my territory in exchange for our lives?”
“You should know by now this is not a negotiation.” Anatoli smiled cruelly. “You are outnumbered, and you will die.”
Adrianna’s blood pumped in her veins and her wolf howled with rage. “I will take down as many of your men as I can before I die.” She did have an ace up her sleeve—she was indestructible and she could take down Corvinus. However, there was one hitch to this plan—her mother, Julianna, and Mika were not. They could still die. She had to think of a way to get to Corvinus first before they got killed.
He turned his gaze on her. “Oh, no, my dear, you’re not going to die. Not tonight at least. So, how about we
