Chapter 313: _She’s Still Mine
"Seraphina would be so... disappointed."
Lucinda’s words hit the air like poison. Damon snarled in my mind instantly, his voice dark and vicious.
’Rip her tongue out.’
My gaze didn’t waver from Lucinda’s smug face.
"Tread carefully," I said darkly, letting my tone slice. "I might tolerate the elders barging in here uninvited. But you? You’re already on thin ice."
"Oh?" she purred, stepping fully into the room as if she owned it. "Still so protective of her. Even after she’s broken coven law and after she’s embarrassed you in front of all of North America and the world? How noble."
Janelle’s head tilted, her eyes narrowing at Lucinda’s gall, but she stayed quiet. I guessed she didn’t want to involve herself much in witch politics.
Althea, however, bristled, turning her full attention to the elders.
"Coven head Arachne, you felt the magic because the Vein reacted," Althea said coolly. "And before you start throwing punishments around, remember she’s only alive to be accused at all because of that connection. Her magic stopped the wolfbane poisoning from becoming deadly."
The lips of the eldest witch, Arachne, pressed thin. "And you neglected to mention Odessa Pierce’s connection to the Vein all these months. Why? Because you knew the Council would never have approved of her walking free?"
Althea stepped forward, unflinching. "Because I knew you would twist it into something it isn’t. The girl didn’t seek the Vein... It awakened in her bloodline. Just like it did for Nyx."
The second elder gasped, her hand flying to her chest. "Nyx was a curse upon us all—"
"She was a saviour before your stories turned her into a warning," Althea snapped back.
The tension crackled in the air.
Lucinda smiled wider, feeding off it. "So it’s true then. The little powerless nobody I remember is now tethered to the most chaotic magic our kind has ever known. Tell me, Alpha King Kaelos..." she fixed her gaze on me, her voice dripping with mockery.
"How long before she loses control? Or did she already? Is that why she’s with Ryker?"
My claws slid out before I even realised it, the sound of them scraping together echoing in the small chamber. Damon was a live wire inside me, every muscle coiled.
Janelle glanced at me, her earlier warning about shifting under the blood moon still fresh in my mind.
But I didn’t need to shift to tear a limb or two to shreds.
"Say that again," I warned, my voice dropping to a lethal growl.
Lucinda’s eyes glittered with challenge. "I’m only asking the questions you should be asking yourself."
"Careful," I stepped toward her, the shadows seeming to thicken with my mood. "Because the only reason you’re still standing in this room is that I promised Odessa I’d try not to make enemies of her coven. But you..." I let my gaze drag over her slowly, "...were never worth the promise."
The elders exchanged wary glances, clearly unsure if they should rein her in.
"Enough," Janelle finally cut in, her voice sharp. "This isn’t helping us find Odessa. High Priestess Althea, did you see more than just a country?"
Althea inhaled deeply, as if grounding herself after the interruption. "Yes. It came in flashes. Snowfields... jagged cliffs along a frozen coast... no sign of human settlements nearby. It’s remote, far north and close to the Arctic Circle."
I stepped toward her. "Can you pinpoint it?"
She shook her head. "Not without another focus. The connection between the necklace and the ring gave me location energy, not coordinates. But if we move quickly, I can track again when we’re closer."
"That’s dangerous," Arachne warned. "The Vein’s magic will pull harder the closer you get. If Odessa is already compromised—"
"She’s not!" I snapped, my voice booming through the room. "And if you think I’m letting her freeze in some wasteland while you debate coven protocol, you’re worse fools than I thought."
Lucinda chuckled softly. "And what will you do when you find her, hmm? Put her on trial yourself or tuck her away so no one sees what she’s becoming?"
Damon roared inside me. ’I’m done with her. Rip her throat out or I will.’
I closed the distance between us in two strides, every instinct urging me to rip that smug expression off her face. She held her ground, but I saw the flicker in her eyes when my wolf bled through, my Alpha King aura heavy enough to make the air feel colder.
"Lucinda," I said coldly. "If you value your magic, your life, or whatever sliver of dignity you think you have left... You’ll get out of my sight before I decide neither the elders nor your coven can protect you."
For a beat, she didn’t move.
Then she smirked, stepped back, and bowed her head mockingly to the elders. "I’ll leave you to your... delicate situation."
When she swept out, the tension didn’t lift. It just shifted.
Coven head Arachne faced me squarely. "You may not want to hear this, Alpha King, but your mate’s survival isn’t the only factor here. If she’s channelling the Vein, she’s a danger to more than herself."
"And if she isn’t?" I challenged. "If she’s fighting it every second and you’re here wasting time instead of helping me bring her home?"
They didn’t answer, glancing at themselves.
How quaint...
"Then stay out of my way," I finished, turning to Althea. "Prepare whatever you need for the journey. We leave before the hour is out."
She nodded once, already moving to collect her tools.
Janelle caught my arm as I turned to leave. "Kaelos. If she’s that far north, the environment alone will be hostile. Wolves or witches aside, it’s survival out there."
I met her gaze steadily. "Then she’ll know I didn’t stop until I reached her."
And with Damon pacing in my chest, restless and ready for blood, I stepped out into the cold night to rally my people. Odessa was out there in the ice, in the dark, maybe closer to danger than I could imagine.
But she was still mine.
And I was coming for her.