Resisting the Moon (Royal Shifters #2)(25)

“It’s not your fault. I didn’t know it was going to be Finn.”

“He’s the alpha you spoke of, isn’t he?” I nodded and hissed when he touched my wound again. “Were you lovers?”

Sighing, I nodded again. “It was a long time ago, Sebastian.”

“It doesn’t matter. You loved him. Just the thought of you being with him makes me so goddamned furious I can barely see straight.” The smell of his blood unexpectedly permeated the room and I felt its warmth drip onto my wound.

“What are you doing?” I asked, before I realized the answer. The pain subsided and I could feel the flesh mending back together. He kissed my shoulder and smoothed a hand over it.

“My blood can heal you. It’s one of the benefits of being true mates.” I’d known that, but never thought it would work so quickly.

I turned around and kissed him. He saw Finn as a threat and I could feel it. He needed to know there was nothing to worry about. “I know you’re my mate, Sebastian, and he’s not going to take me away from you. But, I need to know what happened over the last thirty years. In order to do that, I have to talk to him. You need to let me go to him.”

Jaw tense, he cursed under his breath. “You better hope he doesn’t try to take you away from me. If he does, I won’t hesitate in ripping him apart. That I can promise.”

I nodded. “I just need answers, nothing more.” He moved out of the way so I could grab another T-shirt from my bag. It didn’t even hurt when I lifted my shoulders to put it on. Before walking out the door, I glanced over my shoulder. “Thank you.”

He lifted his gaze and nodded.

Hurrying downstairs, I found Finn standing just outside. As I stepped out of the door, he scooped me into his arms.

“When I caught your scent in the woods, I thought I was in a f*cking dream. I never thought I’d see you again.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks. “I thought you were dead. Why didn’t you come for me?”

He pulled back, eyes wide. “I had been, until Sarah and Benjamin told me you never made it out alive.”

Gasping, I clutched a hand to my chest. “Why would they tell you that? They knew I was alive. Did Amelie tell you that as well?”

He shook his head. “I haven’t seen her since the attack. I passed through this way many years ago on my search for you and found Sarah and Benjamin. That’s when they told me.”

I felt sick, betrayed. Why the hell would they do that? “What about the rest of our pack? What happened to them?”

Sighing, he grabbed my hands and squeezed. “There are some who still follow me, but over the years, most have turned up dead or missing. So when I was passing through and smelled the dead wolves at Amelie’s, I knew something was wrong. That’s when I went searching through the woods and found you.”

“Why are our people showing up dead?”

He huffed. “I don’t know. That’s why I wanted to check on your family, to make sure they were okay.”

“Amelie’s gone, we believe she’s been kidnapped. That’s why we’re here. She called and said she needed help. When we showed up, she was missing and we found my aunt and uncle dead in the woods. I don’t know who took her.” Then I thought of Jaret. “Do you know of a wolf named Jaret Bleddyn?”

He shook his head. “Doesn’t sound familiar, why?”

I shrugged. “I think Amelie’s mated to him. I had a cop friend search for him, but the name doesn’t show up anywhere.”

“Have you found anything else that could help?” he asked.

I glanced back into the house, where I knew the stone was hidden. “There is one way, but it doesn’t come without a price.” I faced him again. “We found a moonstone on Amelie’s journal. When I touch it, it thrusts me into her memories. But when I use it for a long period of time, it zaps my energy. If we were attacked, I’d be too vulnerable.”

“Fuck,” he grumbled. “I don’t like the sound of this. You’re not safe here.”

“I know. We’ve already been attacked once. Those are the wolves you found at Amelie’s. They’d said they were instructed to kill anyone who showed up over there. I don’t know what that means.”

Letting my hands go, he ran them angrily through his hair. “I don’t either, but I’m going to help. We’ll find Amelie and bring our pack together.”

My heart hurt at hearing his words. I wasn’t a part of his pack anymore. He pulled me into his arms and I pulled out of his embrace.

“Sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“You didn’t hurt me. It’s just . . . he’s my mate now,” I murmured.

“You were supposed to be mine.”

“I know, and it would’ve been a mistake.” It hurt to say it, but it was the truth.

“But you’re not mated yet. Why?”

The thought made me smile. For the longest time, I’d thought I was cursed. Everyone I’d loved died on me, or at least I thought they had. Finn was alive and well. “I didn’t want to lose him like I’d lost you. I never got over it, Finn. I loved you then, and I always will. But I’m not a part of your pack anymore. I haven’t been for a long time. If you don’t want to help me find Amelie, that’s fine. I’ll understand.”