Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 137871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 689(@200wpm)___ 551(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 689(@200wpm)___ 551(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)
The next page showed the boy healed and the father deceased. “This doesn’t make sense. The Order believed in one God. The shadow-wolves believe in many. So how are they divinely called if they worship separate deities?”
“The shadow-wolves are very careful not to anger the gods since they exist at their mercy. Faith is only a story we tell ourselves. It changes like secrets stretched over generations. But the bones are all the same. Immortals—even the atheists—will eventually be called. It has absolutely nothing to do with how they pray and everything to do with what the universe decides.”
The Universe, Gods, The Bible… It was all colliding into chaos. “How long do lycan live?”
“Close to two thousand years. They’re said to feed off the essence of mortals.”
“They drink blood?”
“I believe their feeding habits are slightly different than ours.” He tapped his temple. “Remember, sacrifice. Everything they do must somehow serve the gods.”
Tension clamped down on his shoulders and neck as he thought about Grace. “Are they cruel?”
“Cruelty exists in every species. It’s an individual trait, not a predisposed one.” He removed the book from the desk and closed it. “Regardless, we cannot change destiny. It’s clear you care for the female who followed us to the cave, and I’m sorry for that. Chances are, the mating is done. There’s nothing anyone can do to sever such a bond.”
Dane couldn’t catch his breath. Seething, he got up and paced. The thought of that thing putting his hands on Grace…
He stared out the window at the black night. Had it happened already? Was Gracie’s innocence gone? Was she okay?
“I should have stayed.” Regret weighed him down like iron chains.
“There was nothing you could do.”
“She’s innocent.”
“They all are, at some point.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because lies are what monsters are made of. Real men face the truth. They own it, overcome it, and certainly do not fear it.”
Dane wanted to be stronger than he felt, but life had a way of cutting him down five feet every time he grew an inch. “I’m working on acceptance.”
“You have time. It’s my understanding that, once the bonding is done, she’ll go through a pack orientation with the others. If you hear from her, it won’t be for some time.”
He stilled. “Pack orientation? What does that mean?” When he purposely didn’t answer, Dane scowled. “Lazarus, tell me.”
“They are dogs, Dane. Their loyalty is to the gods and their pack, nothing else. They’ll do whatever is necessary to keep their bloodlines alive. Unlike immortals, they only have a small window to mate.”
“But Gracie is immortal. She’s not a wolf.”
“But they are, and she now belongs to their pack. They are one. What belongs to one brother belongs to all of them. They’ll expect a litter. It’s how they diversify their species and outlive extinction.”
“What?” He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t see past the blinding rage clouding his mind. “Why are you saying they? Mates don’t share.”
“Immortal mates don’t.”
There was no escaping the volcanic rage building inside of him. He was going to explode. “I have to save her.”
“You can’t.”
“She’s not like them! You don’t understand! She’s innocent! Litters? Packs? None of this is right!”
“Except it is. She accepted her fate, Dane. There was no compulsion in that cave when she left with him.”
“She doesn’t know what she’s consenting to!”
“He protected her the way a mate should. They will work out their differences in time, like all mates. Do not think to interfere, Dane. They will kill to protect their own, and Gracie is now one of theirs.”
But she wasn’t. She was his. His Gracie. “I need to…” He shook his head, certain there was no place he could go to outrun the sick feeling inside of him.
Lazarus clamped a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Self-control, Dane. Steer your energy where it’s most useful. Do not waste it on that which you cannot change.”
His fist closed around a small shell set on the windowsill. He squeezed it until it shattered into dust. He thought about Abilene, Gracie’s mother.
“What if she can’t get pregnant?”
“She’s immortal. Of course she can. Our females are in impeccable health.”
He shook his head. “Her mother had miscarriages. A lot of them.”
Lazarus frowned. “With her mate?”
His gaze dropped. “No. Her father was called to another.”
“There’s your answer. That’s not the case for Gracie.”
Was it that simple? It couldn’t be. “They have five other kids together.”
“Five children in how many years? Our females are eternally fertile, Dane. My wife is far from finished bearing young. When her grief passes, we will try again. And our next will be our twelfth.”
How sad it was that they had twelve kids and only one survived. “How do you do it? How do you manage not to lose your mind after what he took from you?”
“Like I said, we’re all capable of becoming monsters. Humanity comes down to self-control.”