Page 58 of Knot Cursed

"Do any of you know about this place?" Rook asked.

"Nothing more than it was abandoned before I moved here," I explained. “A few locals call it haunted but we’ve never seen anything. In fact, they patrol over there all the time.”

"I'm still new in town, my wolf and I haven't scouted it out yet," Dorian said, his ears already sprouting as he considered it.

"I've been through there hiding. Some homeless people and a lot of blind corners," Merrick admitted.

"Dorian?" Rook started to question.

"On it," he said as the tail appeared and he headed out the door, already starting to shift.

"You're sending him alone?" I asked, alarmed now. That was not a good plan.

"He’ll stay in the shadows and report back," he promised. "Until then… need to tell the magistrate."

“Is that a good idea?” I asked, stunned that he’d even trust them to handle this. “They’ve never been on our side.”

“No, they haven’t,” he agreed. “But they also know damn well a missing cursed omega doesn’t look good.”

“True,” I admitted reluctantly. “But if this is my brother, I’d like to face it first. You’re by my side. I’ll be safe.”

“I don’t want you anywhere near that psycho,” Merrick finally chimed in, stopping Rook and I from descending into a full argument.

“Me, either, but what choice do I have? He took her because of me. He shot at Dorian also because of me if I had to guess.”

“That doesn’t make sense now, but why would he go to these lengths?”

I sat down heavily. “With him, it’s hard to tell. Sometimes, he’d get pissed off because I ‘gave him a bad name’ other times he’d blame me for not solving his problems. My parents worshipped the ground he walked on and I doubt that’s changed. So, in his mind, he found a reason and this is his revenge. He’s always been a bit… unsettling. With my parents not there to stop him, who knows what he’s done.”

Merrick pulled me into his lap, his nose nuzzling into my hair as his sweet candy corn scent surrounded me. This time his beta calm couldn’t touch me. Not when every time I closed my eyes I pictured Blake’s terrified face and heard her screams.

Dorian was gone for nearly an hour before he came back. I heard him rustling outside then he ducked under the vines. He shifted back, but he was agitated, his ears and tail visible still. Both were twitching with unease.

“What did you find?” I demanded, hopping off of Merrick and rushing over.

“He’s there,” he said, his voice grim. “She’s alive, I don’t know if I’d say ‘safe’ but from what I could hear echoing out he was ranting about you.”

“Me?” I asked, not surprised, but a little confused on what I could have done to make him this angry.

“You, apparently, have ruined his life and reputation by being cursed. He thinks if he kills you he’ll be free of it,” Dorian summarized on a growl. He was livid and honestly my brother was lucky to still be alive.

“See, we need reinforcements,” Rook pointed out. “At least let me get a few guards on board.”

“No,” I said firmly. “If you do, you’re ruining any chance we have at finding real answers.”

He sighed and ran a hand over his face.

“We should move. She’s not safe,” Dorian said before turning to me. “And you, my dear witch, are going to stick by your mates.”

“Let me go in first. I can pretend to be you,” Merrick said. He closed his eyes and his form rippled before shifting into an identical copy of me.

“You’ve never looked better, beta,” Rook teased but I shook my head.

“Absolutely not. I’d never forgive myself if he hurt you.”

They all gave me a look. I knew what they were conveying. That I was willing to let myself get hurt which they’d hate just the same.

“Let’s move,” I said instead, rushing out of the room.