26. Sloane

Ver pulled me out of the room his hand on my arm tense. Almost like he was fighting to urge to turn back around and never leave Raines side. Once the door closed behind us he seemed to calm down. His reaction made me think that everything Raine said was true. Something was pulling him towards her and it was far stronger then the mate bond. I stared at him searching for any sign of the trance like state he seemed to be in when I first found him downstairs.

"Sloane stop it."

"I can't help it Ver you can't deny that what she said makes sense."

Ver growled at me obviously unwilling to except the fact that if she was telling the truth it would mean unless we figured out a way to get whatever was in her head out he could never touch her. Now that I had made my own mate bond stronger with Cora I knew how hard this must be for him.

"We can't say that for sure yet it could just be some trick to make us release her."

"You mean Raine?"

We both turned just as Owen walked down the hall headed for the basement. Ver told him what had happened and what Raine had said about Driak manipulating her genes.

Owen listened his hand rubbing his chin as he thought.

"Well it's entirely possible there are sups that can steal power. If he did somehow manage to give that power to Raine I suppose the idea is to steal his power back from you then give it back to Driak."

Ver shook his head.

"But if that was was even possible why would he even need Raine? Why wouldn't he just give himself that power?"

Owen shrugged.

"Well there's a couple possibilities. First let's say he did manage to manipulate someone's genes if he wanted to do it to himself he would then have to teach someone else giving them the same knowledge. Since he probably wanted to be the only one who could do it that way he would be the only one with the knowledge to reverse it."

It made sense if the knowledge got out that any sups power could be increased by changing their genes there would be an all out power strangle for the position of king.

"What's the second option?"

Owen faced me his doctor tone getting thicker.

"Well when your dealing with a beings genes, the very thing that makes them it's not an exact science. There are so many variables, so many things that could go wrong. What if he died in the process? Even if he was immortal he is still human. Your talking about changing the very foundation that makes up your entire body. Then there's the other aspects of rejection. There's every possibility that the power you implant will be rejected by your other cells. It's hard to tell what would happen to you if your cells rejected what was added. You could become a whole new monster."

This was all very complicated. Driak must have been working on this for a Millenia or longer. Ver was the one to ask the next question.

"Let's say all this was true and Driak made Raine his go between to gain back his power how did she survive?"

"Your all forgetting one thing."

All of us spun as Roake looked down at us from the stairs we were talking near. Sounding tired Ver sighed.

"Why don't you tell us what we're forgetting then?"

Roake chuckled as he descended the stairs til he was level with us.

"Raine is part Goddess her power given to her by the moon goddess herself. If anyone could survive such experiments it would be her. Clearly Driak didn't steal Raine as a child merely to steal his reincarnated brothers mate but because he knew she was the only one the could withstand his experiments getting him what he's wanted for thousands of years. The fact that she was your mate was probably just a bonus."

Vers clawed fist penetrated the wall.

"VER!"

He spun on me canines out growling as his eyes glowed.

"NO! I CANT LISTEN TO ANY MORE OF THIS! ITS JUST ANOTHER REASON WHY I CANT BE WITH HER! IM SICK OF IT! WHY MUST WE BE THE ONES TO SUFFER? WHY MUST IT ALWAYS BE US WHO MUST BARE THE WEIGHT OF ALL OF THIS!"

He was panting his wolf begging to be free. His next words were spoken through gritted teeth.

"Why must it always be her that suffers the most? She didn't deserve any of this. Even in her first life as a human she did nothing wrong. Why must she be punished just for being my mate. Driak isn't the one that's cursed it's her. She's right her mate bond to me is a curse it always has been."

He growled as he burst into his wolf and ran for the door.

"Vericus!"

Owen went to go after him but Roake stopped him.

"Leave him be."

I turned to Owen his forehead creased as he ran his hand through his hair. He was worried not that he didn't have a reason to be.

It was true Vericus seemed to get the raw end of all this. after thousands of years of kings being born and nothing going wrong to disrupt the peace the moon goddess wanted this had to have happen during Vericus's life. I growled to myself if not Vericus then it would have been the next red eye king that was born. Considering the last king was five hundred years ago maybe the gap was what gave Driak the chance to put his plans into motion. It was true no one knew when the king would be born just that when he did he ruled over all.

But none of that helped us now. Driak had life times to plan for this we were only just catching up now. There had to be something we could do for him.

"Owen please is there any way we can reverse what Driak has done? Some way to make it so they can at least be together. I realise it won't make her want to be his mate but at least Ver won't have to fear loosing his power to Driak through her."

Owen frowned letting out a deep breath his hand running through his hair again. A sign that he was even more worried.

"It's hard to say. I mean I'm not saying I won't try but for me to even attempt to find out what Driak did I'd need to examine her, take tests."

He looked towards the door of the basement where even now Raine was probably planning her escape.

"Somehow I don't see her agreeing to that and I'm hesitant to force it on her. She's already filled with hate from Driak forcing his will on her if we do it too we're no better then he is."

I had to agree with him, as much as I didn't quite know where I stood with her now that I knew she had a part in my parents death it technically wasn't her fault. Though she did seem to respond better to me then she did Ver perhaps that was our way in. Maybe her time as Kandra and our friendship meant she still felt some kind of friendship towards me. I couldn't guarantee that I could ever look at her the same after everything I had learnt but for Vericus I would at least try.

"Leave it to me. I think...no! I know Ill be able to get through to her. I'll make her agree to let you at least try to change her back to normal."

Owen nodded his hand in my shoulder. His trust in me to do this was comforting. I only wish it wasn't unfounded. If I fail I know there's no way she'll ever let any of us near her again.

Since Vericus was obviously not able to deal with this right now I stepped into role of alpha while he was gone. Turning to Roake I started that first step.

"Thank you Roake for coming here and telling us all that you know. Can we count on you and your pack to continue to help us with Driak?"

Roake stared at me a slight smile on his face almost like he was sizing me up.

"What's in it for me and mine?"

I grinned widely.

"Free rein in the forest around the pack house and all the finest bourbon you could ever want while your here."

Roake laughed clapping me on the back obviously pleased with my offer.

"I think I prefer your leadership over your brothers. Very well but be warned my pack are not like your tamed wolves. They're wild and unpredictable so keep your wolves clear if they don't want an unnecessary fight on their hands."

I nodded as Roake left to gather his pack to move them closer.

"Owen I'll need time to convince Raine to help in the meantime increase the patrols in every town of North Carolina. Make sure everyone who's able to shift helps. I also want to start searching every warded safe house in North Carolina. We know Driak has been using them to hide in maybe he left something behind. At any rate if they can't use them we might even flush them out."

Owen stared at me his eyes shining as he smiled. I growled at him nervous from the looks he was giving me.

"What?"

Owen laughed shaking his head.

"Nothing it's just nice to see the alpha side come out in you. It reminds me so much of your father."

Red coloured my cheeks. I turned embarrassed as I waved behind me.

"Let me know when Ver gets back so I can fill him in."

I headed back to the basement as Owen walked away, I looked back just as he disappeared down the hall. I let out a breath relieved that was over. Staring at the door before me I took a moment to gather my thoughts then turned the handle and headed downstairs to once again face Raine.

Opening the door I headed downstairs. Raine was sitting on the floor against the bars her hands resting on her knees. She appeared to be asleep but I wasn't fooled even if she could even out her breathing like she was. The plate of food she had been given was left untouched on the floor next to her.

"Not hungry?"

Her eyes snapped open as her head lifted to meet mine her eyes taking me in. The scar on her face so much like Vers just made her look more dangerous.

"I figure if I'm going to waste away in here I might as well do it properly."

I shook my head stepping in further to sit in the chair Ver had sat in the night she'd been found beaten and alone. Her eyes tracked my every move watching me with those calculating eyes. Scheming, waiting for me to make a mistake. Roake was right this was in no way the Kandra I knew but Raine Valdier. A trained killer powerful beyond measure. There was nothing left of the Kan I knew. Not even a hint of what I saw when I stopped Vericus only moments ago. Was she really that far gone? Was Kandra just I ghost of what this hard trained killer with the potential to break my neck in less then a second of I got too close was?

"What no snappy come back? No heart felt words that'll pull at a lost friendship that never would've happened if I hadn't lost my memories?"

No my friend was gone and in her place was a monster. A wolf with no heart who'd killed without a second thought. A murderer who cared for no one but herself.

She grinned a small chuckle parting her lips now made just the tiny bit crooked from the scar that ran down her face. Her eyes staring into me read every thought.

"You see now don't you? You feel the hate, the anger burning inside you. You want to kill me, make me pay for killing so many of your pack, your family. Feel the power that anger gives you. It consumes you, eats at you til you can't breath."

A low growl started in my throat, my hands fists at my sides. The wolf inside me getting stronger as my eyes glowed. Her words were getting to me making me want to kill her. Tear her apart for what she'd done. Make her pay for all the lives she had taken.

I watched her as she approached the bars now only a metre apart her eyes drew me in just as her words did. She growled.

"Do you feel that Slo? That cold fury? Times that by a thousand and that is what I feel every second of every day. You know you can't save me, can't get your friend back. It's in your eyes in the fact that when you look at me you see death."

Turning she lay on the ground with her back to me.

"Go away Slo your not ready to take me on and you never will be."