Chapter 74
[ 1,143 words ]
Chapter 74
Envy
Tolaris looks exactly the same and yet … nothing feels the same. I walk through the front gates with the four alphas at my side, my mates, and everything feels sharper, quieter. Like the pack itself is holding its breath. Warriors nod as we pass, some make eye contact, some don’t. The whispers follow us like shadows.
Inside, the dining room has been staged. Long table, polished silver, crystal glasses, like this is a royal fucking banquet instead of what it really is: a stand–off.
Alpha Marcus stands at the far end of the table, posture relaxed, smile polite. Too polite.
“Envy, ” he says warmly, like we’re old friends. “You’ve brought company p>
I stop halfway down the table. The quads fan out behind me. “You knew I would p>
Marcus gestures to the chairs. “Please, sit. I had the kitchen prepare your favorites p>
Xavier doesn’t move. “We didn’t come to eat p>
Marcus tsks softly. “Pity. Hospitality used to mean something p>
I stay standing. “You experimented on me as a child p>
His smile doesn’t even twitch. “That’s a bold accusation p>
“ I remember,” I say. “ You used silver and star iron. You brought in a witch to suppress my memories. ”
“Now that is quite a story,” Marcus says, folding his hands over his gut. “Do you have proof? ”
“I am the proof p>
“ You’re emotional. Understandably so, but power makes the past a dangerous place to revisit, especially when you’re still unsure of what you saw. Trauma … confuses things.
Gaslighting. Classic. Xavier steps forward, growling low. “Try another lie, Marcus. Just one. I dare you. ”
Marcus ignores him and turns back to me.
“ Envy, you’ve always been extraordinary. I only ever wanted to understand why and to protect that potential p>
“By torturing a child?” Levi snarls.
Marcus chuckles. “She survived, didn’t she? Thrived, even. You’ve grown strong, Envy. Unstoppable. But… you’re still incomplete. ”
He tilts his head. “You haven’t marked your mates yet. ”
My heart skips. “That’s none of your business. ”
“It is,” Marcus insists, tone shifting, calm veneer cracking just slightly. “You don’t understand how important it is. The moment you bind yourself to them, your full power will, unlock. The seal placed on you will unravel, and we will all finally see what you’re meant to be p>
“We? ” Xavier snaps. “There is no ‘we‘. Her power is hers p>
“You have no idea what she’s carrying,” Marcus hisses. “That girl is a weapon forged by realms older than any of us. You think I hurt her? You think I’m the danger?” He points to me now. “She’s the one you should fear. Only I know how to wield her properly p>
The room goes still. Xavier’s eyes glow with alpha fury. Haiden’s fingers twitch, ready to draw. Noah steps closer to me, shielding my side. Levi doesn’t speak, but his rage hums like a barely caged storm.
Marcus straightens his suit jacket, a smile sliding back into place. “ As you can see, you need me p>
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Chapter 74
I stare at him, pulse pounding.
“You want me to unlock my power, ” I say. “But not for me. For you. You want access to the gate p>
He doesn’t deny it, and that’s all I need.
I turn to my mates. “We’re done here p>
Marcus speaks one last time as I reach the door.
“When it happens, you will need me p>
I stop on the threshold and glance over my shoulder. “When it happens… You won’t be alive to see it p>
We barely make it down the steps of the Tolaris packhouse before a quiet voice calls out from behind us.
“Wait…Envy. ”
I turn, tense. It’s Zion. He’s standing halfway down the hall, hands raised slightly in a gesture of peace. Beside him stands Theo. He looks so much like his father, it almost hurts.
“What do you want?” Xavier steps in immediately, tone sharp.
“It’s not a trap,” Zion says quickly. “Just… come with us. There’s something you need to hear. Something we should’ve told you years ago p>
Noah growls under his breath. “Now you want to talk p>
Zion glances at me. “You were never supposed to be here this long. Everything’s unraveling p>
I hold up a hand. “One wrong move p>
“You can
kill us, ” Theo finishes solemnly. “We understand p>
They lead us through a narrow hallway to a room on the second floor. Zion’s room. The second I step inside, something in my chest tightens. The air smells like dust and… me. I stop dead. On the bed, there’s a small blanket, threadbare now, and an old pillow, faded with time, fraying at the edges. My breath catches.
“That was mine,” I whisper.
Zion nods.
Xavier steps forward, growling. “You stole her pillow? ”
Zion holds up both hands. “I didn’t take them for the reasons you think. I took them because I saw something, and I wanted to see if maybe her scent could trigger more p>
The room goes quiet. Zion swallows hard. “When you healed me as a pup, something broke open, something that replays in my dreams constantly. I saw you, older, stronger, Standing at the edge of a crumbling world, holding back a storm made of shadows and fire p>
older
Theo steps in beside him. “And he’s seen more since. Dreams, flashes, whispers. All tied to something under this pack. Something Alpha Marcus has been funneling every single last resource into p>
“The gate, Zion says.
“What does he gain from it, from opening the gate?” I ask, voice low.
Theo glances at Zion, then at me. “From my understanding, If the gate opens, the boundary between the underworld and our realm tears. Permanently. Souls will spill out, magic, chaos, creatures that belong in hell, but more importantly p>
“He believes he will become the one to control the new world,” Zion says grimly. “The first mortal host to wield divine magic. He thinks if he uses you, your blood, your power, he’ll inherit the gift meant for you p>
“That’s insane,” Levi mutters.
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Chapter 74
“No,” I whisper. “It tracks p>
Theo steps forward. “The witch who worked for him, her name is Salira. She’s also a seer. Banished from her coven years ago. She deals in forbidden memory work, and she’s been grooming Marcus with pieces of prophecy, feeding him half–truths to shape his obsession p>
“Why?” Noah asks.
“Because she thinks she’s serving balance, either that or she’s just as bat shit crazy as him,” Theo replies.
“They think they can control something. Something that I’ve seen turns into one big fucking tragedy.” Zion finishes.
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