Talons

Chapter 146: The Story

Rhea’s POV

I get back to Colton’s suite where I find my aunt trying to figure out the code to get in. She must have found out where my room is from Miracle, or she sniffed me out.

By now, my scent must fill the room even when I’m not there.

“Gordita, I don’t know what's going on here, but grab your wallet and leave. We will meet later.”

“Titi, I’m bound here for another four weeks.” My aunt frowns. Clearly, she didn’t know about that oath, so I gave her the details.

“No wonder you’ve stayed for as long as you have. What was Mavis thinking?” I give my aunt a hug, and after squeezing me tightly, she once again offers to kill me.

“Titi, asking you to kill me falls under the category of killing myself, and not defending against an unprovoked attack with the intention of being killed is the same.” As a former alpha, my aunt knows more about blood oaths than the average wolf.

Most of my knowledge of how to get around oaths without breaking them was derived from my stay with her, but in this situation, Alpha Newt was clear, at least for the specified period of time.

When the time comes, my parents should be able to feel the release of the oath, just like he will, and shortly thereafter, I will arrange for my escape.

I unlock the door to Colton’s suite, inviting my aunt inside so we can have a normal conversation, but after sniffing around, she’s more focused on my living arrangements.

“Are you really not afraid of sleeping so close to him?”

“I'm terrified, but I don’t have a choice. He…” I suddenly want to ask my aunt a question that has been bothering me for a long time, and while it has nothing to do with Colton in particular, in some ways, it involves him too. “Titi, do you know why anyone would call me an abomination?” That insult has been coming up in my memories a lot. I didn’t understand the word then, but I know what it is now.

“You’ll have to talk to your mother about that one. I was still trying to establish my dominance when you were born. Your uncle Johnathan came to the states around that time, so I was pretty much on my own with all of our children to look after.” I nod, but then another question hits me.

“How did I not speak a word of English for so long?” My aunt makes a weird face, so I know she has the answer and I give her my puppy dog eyes to elicit pity.

“You better not tell your mother I’m the one who told you, but Mavis went through a very intense period of overprotectiveness. She didn’t allow many people to interact with you and those who did were forced to speak in Spanish.” I wonder how my father felt about that, but I remember him being quiet when we played together.

In hindsight, everyone was, and that may have contributed to my inability to have normal conversations with people.

“When did it end?”

“You were probably three when she let you-” My aunt winces and coughs loudly. At first, I thought she was joking, but her claws started to extend, making me panic. I get her a glass of water, and she tells me that she’s been poisoned.

“Are you okay?” I ask while rubbing her back, and my aunt slowly nods with a relieved sigh.

"Damn hunters," she groans. "Always trying to capture an alpha."

Wolf hunters are so rare that we barely hear stories of them, but in countries that are more rural or secluded, they thrive.

Brazil has the most active hunters. They believe supernatural beings' flesh has magical properties, but it doesn't.

"Should we paint them?" I say to my aunt, referring to her still extended claws and she chuckles at the joke.

I’m still rubbing her back when I notice her eyes are beginning to close, and not wanting her to sleep, I ask again.

"Do you have red?"

“With glitter,” I add, and my aunt makes the hurry up gesture.

I was only just getting back to her side with the lacquer when Colton barged into the room and lunged.

Colton's POV

I entered my suite just in time to see my mate's aunt with extended claws. I lunge for the woman, but my mate intercepts me and I take her to the ground instead.

"What are you doing?" She shouts, and I scramble up to take my weight off her body.

I’m almost certain that she guided our fall so that it wasn’t as harsh as it could’ve been, but I’m too angry to marvel at my mate's strength right now.

"I'm not an i***t Rhea, I know you want her to kill you."

"What?" My mate questions, looking at me as if I’m a fool.

“She had her claws out, so don't play dumb. I already know you don’t value your life so…” I stop talking as my mate's face completely relaxes into a neutral expression and my heart rate increases with anxiety; effectively shutting me up.

"You are right Colton. I tried to kill myself, but it was never because I didn't value my life." I study Rhea's face and see hurt tears welling in her eyes.

“What did we miss?” Orlin questions, but I truly can’t think of anything. All I did was state a fact.

Miracle comes and helps her mother out of my suite, and it’s then that I notice her claws haven’t retracted.

I link Dolton who tells me that the woman is prone to spontaneous shifting, and the look on his face when he shut the door behind him tells me that I have crossed a line, not just with my mate, but with him.

“Rhea, you can’t blame me for this. I just know what you’re capable of and I-”

"Yes," she interjects. "I tried to kill myself.... Do you want to know why?” I really don’t, but I find myself nodding anyway. “It was because I was so obsessed with one specific wolf that even after General warned me, I kept trying to find him."

My mate goes on to tell me that she actively sought out rogues, looking for the wolf who saved her, but could never find him.

“She was looking for me,” Orlin excitedly states, but as my mate continues speaking, his mood becomes sullen.

"General became suspicious of what I was doing, so he lined up every rogue who ever said anything to me and ripped their tongues out." I grimace at the thought and knowing that my mate hadn't had her first shift at that time, she was defenseless.

"I don’t know why, but none of them tried to defend themselves. It was only after he threatened me that they reacted harshly…"

Seeing what worked, General bound her in chains, and made her watch him kill fifteen innocent people in front of their children.

My mate chuckles, but I know she isn't laughing; she's having a breakdown brought on by my actions.

"Rhea I-"

"I wasn't finished telling you my story Colton." Her tone is serious, so I close my mouth to listen. "He then took the children and broke a finger from each of their hands until I promised to stop looking for you." My mate is shaking so I step forward to hug her, but she steps back.

"I didn't know," I say dumbly, and my mate laughs cynically.

"Of course you didn’t know. This is the first time I’m telling anyone this story.” Rhea pauses and takes a deep breath. “The only thing that stopped General from violating me that night was the fact that I kept vomiting. Afterward, I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, and as soon as I could, I tried to take my freedom back." I rush forward and grab my mate pulling her into a tight hug that I hope is comforting.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Rhea pulls away and wipes her face before putting on a tough expression.

"Only one of us has ever seen my life as worthless, and it isn't me. What I did was stupid, and if it weren't for the fear that the council would attack my family, I would’ve killed that evil man and all the people who work for him."

“If you want, I will challenge him on your behalf. He isn’t that strong-”

“Don’t you think I know that?!” Rhea shouts. “I just told you why I didn’t kill him, I never said that I couldn’t.”

“Damn…” Orlin and I are shocked by the statement, but we believe her.

“Since it seems you’ve forgotten; my parents are under oath and having someone kill me is the same as killing myself. If I were willing to sacrifice my family, I wouldn’t be here right now.

Rhea's POV

I go into my room slamming the door behind me before pacing the area. Sylvia and I have tried so hard to block out those terrible memories, but we have never been able to fully forget.

General was reprimanded shortly after his actions, but his sentence was light because rogue adults have little rights. He was only disciplined for hurting the children, and even then, his punishment was suspended when news of my hospitalization made it to him.

I was so angry with Jamie back then that I stopped talking to her, but I later realized that dying wouldn't have protected my family from the man.

He would have killed them simply because he was angry, and I would’ve been powerless to stop him.

Everyone thinks that I tried to end my life because I was weak and afraid, but weakness had nothing to do with my decision, just like it has nothing to do with who I am now.

Putting that knife to my skin was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but at the time, I was convinced that my selfishness had caused lives to be lost and because I still harbored feelings for the rogue, I now know is Colton, I felt like I deserved death.

"You shouldn't have told him," Sylvia says. "We were suffering while he was making promises to someone else."

"Would he even have cared?" I reply. "We were only seventeen, not yet his mate, he would’ve done just like everyone else and looked the other way."

I wash my face and make myself look presentable before leaving the room. Right now, I want to check on my aunt and make sure she doesn't need me.

I may be stuck on Iron territory, but money is a powerful tool and I have plenty at my disposal.