Shifter's Revenge (Alpha Lineage) (5 page)

Kera shook her head. “I’m not looking for a career Gavin. I love Maddox and that will never change. As soon as I’m done here I’m going back to him.”

Gavin swallowed his bite, looking younger in his jeans and regular shirt. “And what exactly do you expect your life to be like after this. We know about you now and we aren’t going to let that go.” His eyes narrowed on her. “You brought Maddox into this too. You know we will be in contact with you for more answers. I won’t just let this go. We need people like you on our side.”

Kera figured as much. She didn’t want to pull Maddox and his family into that but she knew that she had already done the damage to her life. Would going back to Maddox change things? “Don’t threaten me Gavin.”

Donavan spoke as her stomach growled again. “There are perks to being an asset rather than an enemy Kera.” He motioned to her food. “Eat and get some sleep. We train first thing in the morning.”

Kera looked at him as her heart beat furiously in her chest. It took everything she had not to put on some display to show her strength and show these people that she wouldn’t be intimidated or used. Donavan seemed to sense this but Gavin continued to talk like he had the upper hand.

After a few moments Donavan leaned forward spoke really low, “Gavin you are making an enemy beside you and she will end up twisting your head off your shoulders before you have the sense to shut your ignorant mouth.”

Gavin’s anger was muted immediately when he followed the tilt Donavan’s head and caught the look on Kera’s face. After that she ate her meal and let them lead her back to the room she showered in.

Training with Donavan that morning was not what she had expected. It wasn’t a contact sport like Daniel had her and Maddox participate in. Instead he shoved a gun in her hand and had her put plugs in her ears.

He pointed to the silhouette of a torso. “Show me what you’ve got.” He called out.

Kera winced. “I can hear you fine.” She said at the same volume.

He frowned and pointed again. “Go.”

Kera aimed and
pulled the trigger. The bullet embedded in the center of the paper torso. She couldn’t help but drop the gun. “I don’t like this.” she hissed.

Killing wasn’t part of what she wanted. She needed to know how to protect herself.
Last night she had thought long and hard about what she wanted out of this. She wanted to be skilled in hand to hand combat. She also wanted to learn how to use a knife. She felt it was a more controlled weapon. Something she could use to disable her opponent rather than kill.

Fang agreed with the notion of having something comparable to claws and teeth in this form rather than a cold gun.

“If you see the person that tortured you, would you rather fight him hand to hand and hope you won or shoot him on sight?” Donavan’s question struck a chord inside of her. She hadn’t actually thought she would have to be the one to kill him. Surely the wolves would take care of that. Maybe even now, he was gone and she would never have to worry about Andrew again.

Donavan followed her line of thought. “What are you looking for out of this Kera?”

She shook her head and stared down at the gun. “I want to be normal but I don’t. I want to be safe. I want to fit in. I want to be free and to have people who would accept me for who I am.” She looked up at him. “I want to be worthy.”

Her whisper bounced around the room. It had been coming fo
r a while. The truth. Her heart squeezed as Donavan’s expression softened.

“How are you not worthy Kera? You are an amazing young girl with powers we could only dream of. You save countless lives yesterday and could do the same a million times in your life. What do you consider worth?”

She looked back down at her feet but Donavan pulled her chin up with his fingers. “Worth is what you bring into someone’s life. It’s someone who makes you better because that’s who they are. It’s someone who doesn’t cause you pain because they are weak. It’s someone you don’t have to love because they are the only girl who is like you. It’s some you love because they…” she shook her head. “…are worth it.”

“Damn it Kera.” Donavan groaned. “You need to go.”

She looked up at him.

“Don’t get me wrong. You are welcome here anytime. I can assume we will need you on occasion. You need to go find your worth. I can’t give that to you. Training won’t do it. I don’t
have the ability to make you believe in yourself.” He leaned down and picked up the gun. “You have all the power to train yourself. Why don’t you spend some time getting to know your dad again?”

Kera nodded and did just that. She said goodbye to Donavan and Gavin and met the men who had kept her father safe.
They had dropped her father off at his house and waited until her return to leave. Sam ran out to greet her. He pulled her into his arms and held her tight.

“Hi
, daddy.”

“Kera.” He murmured.

“Have you heard from Maddox?” she asked him.

Sam shook his head. “I know you need to see him soon but just spend the rest of the day with me.”

Kera walked back into her home and was shocked at the changes she saw. Nothing was the same as she remembered only a few months ago. “You said you were cleaning.”

“I knew you would be upset.” He brushed her hair from her eyes and smiled. “This is good for both of us Kera. I want to show you something.”

Sam left the room and brought a shoebox to the sofa. He sat down and patted the chair next to him. “These pictures were too hard to look at for a long time. I think now is as good a time as any.”

Kera sat beside her father for hours and looked at pictures of her childhood. Memories she’d buried began to surface and tears slipped from her eyes.
Fang sat at attention soaking it all in like it was the first time. Her conflict inside her mind exhausted her, but she allowed it. Her father was patient with her as well thinking that she just wanted to savor the pictures of her mother. The memories of her normal childhood were very painful. She had such promise.

Pictures of her at five years old starting gymnastics made her want to weep for a team competition. Her friends were always cheering for her. She remembered calling out their praises when they took the mat. Small towns were highly competitive. There were a few girls, including her, who were really good. As she reached junior high she had chosen to be a baton twirler. She and her friend Amber had grown close and both had crushes on
boys in the football team. Twirling was much more appealing to her than cheering.

Feeling the tears spill from her eyes, Kera continued to look through the pictures. She felt the absolute devotion her mother and father had shown her just by looking at the memories they chose to keep. Her father began to tear up as well when he told stories about how he was feeling and what he and her mother were talking about at the time of each picture. His memory was amazing. He quoted what her mother said and how she said it. He made faces to mimic her and spoke in a high voice. Kera started laughing so hard her sides hurt.

After the last picture was placed back in the shoe box her father set it on her lap. “You keep them with you Kera. Your mother would have wanted you to have them.”

The tears in his eyes reminded her of the connection she had with her father. He had been her rock for so long. She threw her arms around
him and they cried together. The tears of grief they both shared for her mother made her realize that she never really grieved the first time. Not the right way. She remembered the dreams and memories she had reconciled with her other half. Fang had been devastated to never properly meet her mother. It was so strange but made so much sense. She wasn’t two people, she was one person with more mental capability than she ever imagined. The instinct was part of her.

Kera took the box to her room and lay down on her bed. She brought her phone to her ear and started listening to the voicemails she had neglected.

Kera, I’m sorry I pushed you. Please come home. I gave you a few hours. Please don’t make me worry longer than I have to. ~ Maddox

Honey, I know you said you were ready but they won’t let me talk to you. Please call me.
~ Dad

I don’t know where you are. If anything happens to you I wouldn’t be able to live with myself for what I did to you. I called your father and he was lying through his teeth. I’m heading that way now. If you’re there, please come home with me.
~ Maddox

Kera, Maddox collapsed. He made it all the way to the house but I had to take him back to his father. It doesn’t look good. I have no idea what could have caused something like him to fall apart like that.
~ Dad

Kera
its Jason. I need you to come heal him. If he could do it to you then you have to come back and take care of him. He needs you. ~ Jason

The next few messages were nothing but silence. Kera deleted them one by one as she hoped something would give her a clue as to how Maddox was healed. Her heart raced. Finally Maddox voice came from the phone.

If you didn’t want this you should have told me. ~ Maddox

The line went dead and the next message came one.

I thought you might want to know Rayland got in contact with us asking for a meeting. He wants you there Kera and if you are caught by him first we can’t control the situation.
There was a lengthy silence as the sounds in the background came through the phone. The reporter interviewed a woman who had been a hostage at the football field.

“She moved faster than anything I’ve ever seen. She saved us.”

Maddox’s growl cut off the rest of the news report.

Damn it
, Kera. ~ Maddox

Kera wiped the tears from her eyes and rested the phone on her chest. She knew he was going to be mad at her. She figured that because of their mating she wouldn’t have to worry about them not being able to work through it. She couldn’t continue to be the weak one who was always being saved. Kera closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

For the first time in a very long time she remembered her mother alive. She remembered the lullabies her mother would sing in different languages. She ran them through in her mind even after the next dream started.

When she woke, it was dark outside. She looked at her phone and her heart sunk when there were no new messages or texts from Maddox. She needed to prove herself to him, but not at the cost of his trust.

Kera went to her window and opened it. She crawled out and took the same path to the forest she had the day her mother had died on her sixteenth birthday.

Her feet were
lead weights. Her arms were crossed over her chest, defending her heart from beating out of her body. She entered the forest and noticed the overgrowth. Everything had changed. From the time she was first introduced to this world to today, nothing had remained exactly the same except for the key her mother gave her. It had been locked away in time hiding in her jewelry box and was now sitting in Maddox’s room stuffed in a drawer the same way.

She pushed through the forest to the spot she first shifted. Deep groves were left in the wood from her claws. She shook her head. It had taken her so long to accept what had happened to her.
Even now she wanted to make excuses but this time Fang was right there with her adding to her memories.

Closing her eyes, Kera
remembered the sound of metal crunching and let the dream Fang showed her guide her through the motions. She fell to her knees as memories assaulted her. When the memories became too real she ran to the road remembering the birds and animals that had scurried past her in an effort to flee the sound.

A white car drove past and Kera pulled to a stop just inside the tree lines. She leaned against a tree to catch her breath.
She watched someone race past her. She was on her knees the next moment looking around for the person she saw. Chills spread up her arms as Fang showed her a scent she didn’t want to believe. Was it another vision that knocked her to the ground? Kera shook her head to clear it.

Kera
stood up and walked to the other side of the road. Just like Maddox’s accident the tree was embedded with paint but it was cherry red instead of midnight black. She reached out and touched the fallen tree which had long since been pulled off the middle of the road.

Muttering beside her caught her attention.

Kera’s mother sat in the driver’s seat. She looked around, as she spoke to herself in a different language. She recognized some words and the magick began to pool around her sucking the breath from her lungs.

“Mom.” Kera whispered. Fang rushed to the forefront of her mind and happiness soared through her. She took in every scent and every tone in her mother’s voice as she sped down the road.

Her mother turned to her
eyes widened in fear. “Don’t let him take you.” She whispered feverishly. “Kera, you….”

Her heart rate doubled as she realized her mother could see her. She reached out and touched her as tears streamed down her face.
“What is it?”

Her mother turned to the front
and pursed her lips. The realization donned on her quickly. “I’m already dead aren’t I?” She shook her head at the thought. “Get the key I gave you today. It will protect you from those who mean you harm. You have to stay safe. There will come a time when you will need to seek out my old friend. His name is Jason Howell. He has a bit of me in him. He will be able to protect you like no one else will. There is a book under my bed. I have it wrapped for your birthday but decided it wasn’t time to give it to you yet. On page seventy seven there is a spell that you will need to lead you to a way to teach you how to use your powers.”

Her
mother looked at her begging with her eyes. “After I am gone, things will get bad.” Her eyes welled up with tears. “You will have to keep the balance Kera. There is no one else left.”

Kera watched the tree being ripped out by its roots by a massive wolf. Her mother was still looking at her. “Mom, watch out.”
The scream tore from her throat and filled the small car. She felt a sob rip through her chest when she realized it was too late. The front end of the car slammed into the tree with such force that a branch busted through the windshield on impact. It mutilated her mother.

Kera lay on her side,
her door facing the earth as her mother’s blood dripped warm and sticky onto her. She looked up as the driver’s side door was ripped off its hinges. She knew who it was just by the resemblance. He looked into the car and cursed.

Kera started repeating the words she had heard coming from her mother’s lips.

Rayland Howell started to separate from his body. Suddenly her mother’s spirit was beside her, joining in. He groaned as his wolf formed beside him a writhing visual of pain. The threads were almost severed when he turned and ran.