The Unwanted Wolf
The Hunted Wolf – Chapter 48

MARK

Reyland and I slipped out of the pack house as soon as the coast was clear. It was a couple of hours driving to the prison cell we were sure Adira was being held in. I wasn’t going to go by myself, but when Reyland suggested leaving as soon as possible, I was not about to object.

Before we left, I wrote a quick note and left it in my bedroom. I wanted the others to know where I had gone when they finally realized I wasn’t around anymore. I knew Rie and Scythe would be upset with me for not listening to them, but the chance to save my mate was too overwhelming. If Adira had felt even half the pain I did when the mark was removed, I needed to get to her as soon as possible to make sure she and the baby were okay. I was not going to lose them before our life together truly started.

Reyland offered to drive, which I was grateful for. I was vibrating from the anxiety of needing to be by my mate’s side again. I wasn’t sure how well I would actually be able to focus on the driving part.

The car ride was silent for the most part. We were both in our heads about what was happening. I knew I needed to get my mate back and kill the bastards that took her in the first place, but I wondered what was going on in Reyland’s head. He and Adira had been separated for several years, and while I knew he was making an effort to repair things, it was taking Adira time, which I completely understood.

I hoped Reyland and Adira could work things out, but in the end, I would support her decision. I was just grateful that Reyland was here with me now. If things got messy trying to rescue Adira, at least I had another alpha here to help me out.

Reyland pulled the car over. “This is as far as we go in the car. It’s on foot from here.”

“Follow me,” I said, wanting to take the lead on this.

I shifted into wolf form with Reyland following suit. We began running through the forest in the direction of the prison. Every few minutes, we stopped to make sure we were going in the right direction. After a little bit, we came across a clearing and stopped along the edge of the forest. In front of us, there was a large, boxy building that was completely gray on the outside. There was nothing that distinctly screamed this was the prison, but I knew. Something deep down inside of me told me this was where Adira was being held.

Reyland and I scouted the outside of the building, and we saw there was only one entrance and exit to the building. There were two guards standing in front of the door, which should have been easy to take them out. By the scent of it, they weren’t sorcerers, nor werewolves. I didn’t know what kind of magic they had, but if we snuck up on them, we would have the advantage.

ADIRA

“Why the hesitation?” Jori asked, slowly walking towards me.

I created two balls of energy in my hands to show Jori I was serious. “I’ve already told you before, I’m not yours, and I will never be. I’m going home to my mate.”

I shifted several feet away and started running. I wasn’t going to just give in, not when I had come this far. Footsteps echoed behind me, and I heard them quickly catching up to me. Between the speed, and the number of footsteps, I knew Jori had changed into his wolf form to get to me faster.

Shadow! I shouted, reaching out to her. She didn’t hesitate to take over, changing our form to wolf form as well. Together, Shadow and I were able to pick up the pace, creating some distance between Jori and myself. I didn’t know where I was or how far I was from the pack house, but I wanted to run to get away from Jori. I didn’t want to risk fighting him, causing harm to myself or the baby. I didn’t know what he was capable of, but I knew he had years of warrior training under his belt that would put me at a severe disadvantage.

I weaved in and out of the trees, running as fast as I could, but I could still hear Jori’s footsteps following behind me. I took a sharp turn, hoping to throw him off my trail, but it didn’t seem to be working. I broke free from the trees into a small clearing in the forest. A sudden wave of fear flowed over me, and I could feel Jori’s presence shift and grow. There was a dark cloud hovering behind me, and it made me want to run faster and farther than before.

Unexpectedly, Jori appeared in front of me, stopping me in his tracks. He was still in his wolf form, but he had shifted, just like a sorcerer. My heart raced as the realization dawned on me. There was no running from Jori. Not only was he fast in wolf form, but he also had magic abilities that allowed him to shift and easily catch up to me. I didn’t have an advantage against him.

Jori changed back into his human form, and I followed suit. I couldn’t run. I knew I couldn’t fight. There was only one last option.

Jori smirked at me. “I could say that you running away is annoying, but I actually admire that about you. If you were some weak girl who just rolled over the moment something was difficult, you wouldn’t make a good queen.”

“Queen?” I repeated.

“Together we will rule this world. It’s no use pretending any more,” Jori said. “You already know the truth, anyway. You know who I am. ”

“The Son of B***d and Magic,” I said firmly.

Jori laughed at this. “Yes, such a fancy title, isn’t it? It’s not one I would have picked personally, but it has a nice ring to it.”

“Who are you exactly? Have you been Jori, pretending to be a normal werewolf this entire time?” There were so many questions I had, and he seemed to be in a particularly chatty mood, so I decided it was time to get some answers.

“No, my dear. I am just borrowing this body at the moment.” He lifted his hand up and inspected his fingers. “I plan on getting a better body sooner than later, but this one has been pretty useful. It’s been interesting seeing that mate of yours get so angry, too.”

I gritted my teeth, wanting to punch him in the face. He enjoyed the pain he had been causing Mark. “Have you been in Jori’s body ever since I met him?”

“Yes and no,” the man who was using Jori’s body said. “I planted my seed in him several months ago, and it’s been slowly growing. That’s the only way I have been able to take a physical form. When you met Jori, you were drawn to him because you could sense it was really me. It took much longer than that for me to have any control over his actual body, though. He was strong and fought against me, but eventually I grew stronger.”

“Jori was never my mate, was he?” I felt strangely calm as I came to this conclusion. Mark’s childhood best friend never actually betrayed him. It wasn’t me who drove the wedge between them, either.

“No, he wasn’t. I’m your true soulmate, Adira.” He took a step towards me, holding out his hand. “Join me. Together we can grow stronger. We can unite this world and make it whatever we want to.”

I took a step back. “I can’t do that. I don’t even know your name or how you are alive. I don’t know what kind of world you want to create, and I have my own life.”

He took another step forward, closing the distance between us. His aura was strong, and his desire for me filled my every pore. “My real name is Xavier. I’m alive because what most people don’t understand is that we are more than our bodies. You see, that Council of Magic may have destroyed my body, but I have been surviving as energy in the wind, searching for the one who was destined to make me strong again, searching for you.”

“Sorcerers can cultivate and manifest this energy into magic. Vampires take energy from others to grow stronger. Werewolves absorb the energy to change their bodies into different forms. Humans are weak and pathetic, but us ‘magical creatures’ know how to use the energy and powers in this world to grow stronger, which is why the two of us together can become more powerful than any other being in this world.”

“It took longer than I anticipated,” he continued. “You weren’t even alive for many of the years I was searching. Then, when you were born, I felt a shift in the universe. I knew you were alive, but your parents had kept you much too hidden. It worked for several years, but they weren’t as clever as they thought. They still held onto the love for each other, which I was drawn to. Werewolf and sorcerer, torn apart by two worlds and a dark prophecy. It was quite the tragic love story, which made it all more delectable when I discovered the truth.” The way he looked at me gave me chills.

“You used Theron to get to me, didn’t you?” I asked.

Xavier smiled, looking up into the sky. “It was easy to manipulate that half-brother of yours. He already held such a hatred for you, and he was searching for you too, which made it easier to replace you. Him trying to kill you, that wasn’t part of my plan though. He got what he deserved for trying to take my soulmate out of the picture.”

Xavier was dark and twisted, and for the first time, I truly saw the man standing in front of me. This wasn’t Jori, Mark’s best friend, Alpha of Pack Sallow. This wasn’t a werewolf who was just trying to replace his mate. This was Xavier, half-sorcerer and half-vampire. This was a man who wanted power to become the strongest force in the world, so he could turn the world into playdough and mold it in the way he saw fit. And I was the missing piece to his puzzle.

If I wanted it, I could join this man and become just as powerful. I could get rid of the people who hated me for being mixed-blooded. I could use my powers to create a world where everyone was accepted and no one felt unwanted.

I could never do that, though. It would take away the beauty in life.

I took a few steps back, feeling light-headed from this conversation. Everything I thought I had known now looked so different. I placed a hand on my stomach, praying the baby was still okay. I had been through too much, and I didn’t even know how long I was in the pregnancy. I still hadn’t confirmed I was actually pregnant, either, but deep down I knew the truth.

“I love Mark,” I whispered.

“You’ll grow to love me so much more,” Xavier said. He closed the distance between us again. “You’ll see that I can do so much more for you than that weak wolf.”

I shook my head, taking deep breaths to keep my nausea down. “I don’t want you. I want Mark. I want to fall asleep with him by my side every night. I want to make a family with him, not you.” Tears streamed down my face. Even though I wasn’t currently mated with Mark, my deep love for him hadn’t wavered.

Xavier sighed. “I thought having that nitwit sorcerer take away your wolf mark would help with this. Adira, I know you don’t see it yet because of your feelings for the wolf, but I can make you happier than he ever will.”

He stepped forward and grabbed my wrist, and his face instantly twisted. His eyes flashed black, and he squeezed my wrist, making me cry out in pain. He slowly tilted his head, his nose snarling as anger flowed through him.

When he spoke, his voice was deeper and almost echoed with fury. “You’re going to have that mut’s baby?”