Chapter 6 : Freeing

Onyx

I was confused, and it put me on edge. It wasn’t a feeling that I was used to. This witch confounded me at every turn. She had yet to react the way I would have predicted and now, she knew our prophecy.

What could this possibly mean?

Was she really serious when she said we have the same prophecy? It didn’t seem possible. I considered the possibility that she was messing with me, but it didn’t seem likely. She would gain nothing from that. I was sure that she knew angering me would end badly for her.

Not that she really seemed to care if she pissed me off.

The way she was glaring at me with such hatred brought back the uncomfortable feeling in my chest.

“You could try,” I responded. “But you’re the one tied up, not me.”

She scoffed. Even in such a helpless position, she was still defiant.

“This isn’t a game,” I pressed. “I need to know about this prophecy of yours. It could be the key to ending this.”

“No one can end this,” she said bitterly.

I sighed. I understood why she would feel that way, but she was wrong. Witches were killing shifters in huge numbers. We were wiping out covens as fast as we could.

Even if I wanted to recall my men and put an end to the raids, it wouldn’t stop the violence. It would only make the packs feel more desperate. We had to be proactive. We had to be on the offensive.

Despite all of this, I knew that there had to be a way to end the war. It wouldn’t be easy, but I was willing to do anything.

“What does it mean?” I asked.

“How should I know?” she replied without hesitation.

“If you’re telling the truth about this, then you must have some idea of what it means,” I said skeptically.

“If I’m telling the truth?” she asked. Her eyes went hard and she glared at me again. I’d insulted her.

“That’s what I said.” I waited to see how she would respond.

“I’m not telling you a thing,” she said with a scoff. “Kill me or let me go,” she demanded with a stony expression. “I don’t care which, just get this over with.”

I cocked my head to the side as I stared at her. She sounded completely serious. I was intrigued. She had fought me fiercely just a few minutes ago, but she seemed content with the idea of dying now. It didn’t make sense.

“I’m not going to kill you,” I told her.

For a split second, fear flashed through her eyes. Then it vanished and she tossed her hair in irritation. “Why not?” she demanded with a fierce glare.

“I think you have a pretty good idea,” I replied. There was no way she didn’t feel the mate pull between us. It was undeniably strong.

I stepped into her personal space. I could see the way she reacted to my proximity. Her pale cheeks colored prettily and she avoided my eyes.

That was confirmation enough for me. She felt it.

“Get away from me,” she said breathlessly.

“Why should I?” I teased.

Her eyes snapped back to mine and all of her nervousness seemed to vanish. “

Get away from me you bastard wolf!”

She started to struggle in the ropes again. She was going to injure herself with the frantic way she was pulling at her arms.

“Stop that!” I ordered.

She continued to pull at her arms violently with her head turned away from me. Did she think I was going to hurt her? Or something worse? I felt myself pale at the thought.

“Stop,” I ordered again, this time, low and deep.

She cursed to herself and ignored me.

I slammed my palms into the tree beside her head and growled dangerously. My nose was an inch from hers and up close I could see the dark, chocolate shade of her eyes. They were pretty, but I forced the distraction out of my mind.

I expected that look of fear to return, but it didn’t. Her head snapped up and our eyes locked.

She looked directly into my eyes without any sign of fear. I noticed that she was holding her breath, but she made no attempt to move away from me. Not that she could…

I took a half step back and looked at her closely. Her eyes were hard to read.

“You’re going to hurt yourself doing that,” I said softly.

“As if you care,” she sneered. “Playing at being nice isn’t going to make me spill my guts to you.”

“I wouldn’t expect it to,” I muttered. She wasn’t stupid, that much was obvious. I also seriously doubted that the more violent intimidation tactics would do any good with her. The look on her face when she told me to kill her was so cold, I didn’t believe that pain would motivate her much.

Frankly, she impressed me, but I was equally frustrated by her.

Most people cowered when in my presence, or fled. She had attacked me with full conviction. Now, even though she was helplessly in my power, she still kept her chin up proudly and met my gaze without hesitation. I wasn’t sure what to make of her.

“Tell me what prophecy you’re talking about,” I ordered again.

I had to get to the bottom of this. Even if it didn’t help me fulfill our prophecy, it could give me some insight into what the witches may be trying to accomplish. Any intel about my enemies was a benefit to my men.

For that exact reason, I knew she wouldn’t tell me.

Her eyes were fixed on a point over my shoulder, but there was nothing there. She seemed to be in deep thought. I opened my mouth to repeat the order, but before I could she sighed deeply.

She dropped her head suddenly and a sad look came into her eyes.

“The one with the magic to save their heart, will stop the war at the start,” she recited.

I was startled by how suddenly she had changed her mind, and by how familiar her words were.

How could it be that we had such similar prophecies?

“You’re lying,” I said automatically. It was the only explanation. At some point the witches must have heard our prophecy and warped it to meet their own ends.

She glared at me. “Don’t call me a liar,” she seethed.

“Not you,” I said. “At least, not you, specifically. That isn’t a prophecy about witches. One of your lot must have heard it from us and changed the wording.”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s ridiculous,” she replied. “We’ve been sharing this prophecy for generations.”

“So have we,” I informed her. “Shifters will be the ones to stop the war. I will stop the war.”

She laughed. She looked me in the face and laughed. It was a sudden, harsh sound that seemed to jump out of her without warning. She looked almost startled by it.

Rage filled me in an instant, but I managed to control it. The level of disrespect this woman was showing me was unacceptable. In her position, she should be contrite and cooperative. Did she not realize that I could kill her easily? Or did she really not care?”

I didn’t know why, but the thought that she really wanted to die made my stomach twist. I hated how she seemed to be affecting me already.

I took a few steps away from her and focused on my breathing. I had to keep control of my emotions. This situation was already turning into a mess. I couldn’t afford to let my emotions get the better of me. I had to think logically. This prophecy could be the secret we had been looking for for so long. I had to figure it out.

But she wasn’t going to be of any more help. Besides, the strength of the pull and the whining of my wolf was becoming too much to ignore. Staying focused was becoming difficult. Why would the goddess choose a witch? This was a complication that I really didn't have the time nor energy to deal with.

“I can’t believe you’re my mate,” I muttered under my breath.

“Neither can I,” she answered. Distaste was clear on her face and it made me angry again.

“As if you could do better,” I spat. “I am a King, you’re nothing but a covenless outcast.”

She kept insulting me and it got under my skin every time. I had to learn to ignore her sharp words.

Her mocking smile turned into a glare. “And you’re the one to blame for it!” she yelled so loud that her voice cracked. “You and your kind are the ones that killed my family and destroyed my home!”

“Don’t play innocent with me!” I shouted back. “You witches are slaughtering entire packs!”

“Because you are wiping out entire covens!” There were unshed tears in her eyes, but her voice was clear and strong.

I took a step back and inhaled sharply through my nose. Her scent was getting to me, that must be the reason her sadness was bothering me.

I shook my head for a moment, then turned my back to her and sighed. This was getting us nowhere. I didn’t want to argue with her. Not if she was going to look at me with that miserable expression.

I needed to get to the bottom of this prophecy business. It was too coincidental that they had a version, too. There must be some common thread to it, some connection that I just couldn’t see yet.

I needed to return home to consult the seers and priestesses.

Rydel was probably freaking out that I had been gone all day, anyway. I told him I just needed some air, but that was hours ago. I didn’t have any meetings arranged for the day, but I ordinarily didn’t go anywhere without filling him in.

It was best for the pack if he knew my movements, that way if something went wrong, he could step in right away. I was being irresponsible today. I had to get back.

But what was I going to do about her? I couldn’t just leave her here. She was my mate, whether I like it or not. And if I was right about her being the key to the prophecy, then I needed to keep her nearby. It wouldn't exactly be safe for her in the pack, but what other choice did I have?

She was being oddly silent after the shouting she’d just been doing.

I turned to her and was met with the sight of a tree.

A twig snapped nearby and I whipped around to see it. She was fleeing into the forest. She hadn’t spoken a word, so how the hell did she get out of the ropes? I glanced down at them and saw that the rope was singed and smoking.

Damn it! I forgot about her little magic bolt.

I took off after her.