Chapter 277: Grace
As soon as my feet hit the ground out of the portal, I was at a loss. Dead bodies littered the ground. Our people were outnumbered 5-1. The sun was going down, so we should have the advantage soon, but there was so much chaos, I wasn’t sure anyone truly knew who the enemy was. I was worried if Maizie, Bentley or I shifted, we would be attacked too.
I didn’t think about it too much. I scooped Claire up into my arms and started walking. I knew what I wanted to do, but I needed to find Adrian to do it. He was their leader... But if Kinsley was telling the truth, I was the real heir. I could command his army to stand down. I could stop them from killing each other. But I needed to talk to Adrian first for confirmation.
“Grace? Love, what are you doing?” Rhys’ frantic voice mindlinked. I could hear the worry he was feeling, but I couldn’t deal with it right now.
“I need you to trust me.” I told him as Maizie and Bentley hurried after me.
“But what are you doing?” He pressed.
I felt bad. I didn’t know how to explain what I was about to do. It was either going to work, or it was going to fail, and honestly, I didn’t know which way it would go. I was shaking with fear or exhaustion, I wasn’t sure which, but I didn’t stop.
“Cover me.” I told Rhys, and I didn’t need to look to know that he had joined my posse.
The fighting that had been going on just moments ago, slowed to a near halt. Everyone was staring at us. Those from our side joined in behind me. I didn’t know how I felt about it, but I felt my heart swell at the realization. And those not on our side, just stared. No one attacked as everyone fell in line behind me. Me. Not Rhys. Me.
“Grace?” Adrian asked in surprise when the moment finally caught up to him. He hadn’t noticed that everyone had frozen or joined me. Not until I was right in front of him.
The sun was close to being set, but the witches seemed to make an appearance, and helped create a light rain and cloud coverage, so the Vampire Queen and her people were making their way slowly onto the still battlefield. Elara didn’t even look slightly surprised by what was happening, but I was.
“What is the meaning of this?” He demanded.
“You lied to me.” I stated simply, using my powers to amplify my voice. I had never tried to before, but something inside me knew I could, and when it worked, I wasn’t surprised, even if my mate was.
Adrian chuckled slightly. He still thought he had won. He thought that all of us in one place made for an easy target. And in one breath, he was right. But in another, he was wrong.
“About what?” He questioned, playing along, just like I wanted him to. I amplified his voice too; I wanted them all to hear whatever he was about to spew out in the ‘name of the pack’. I wanted them to hear his lies. To call him out on them. As much as I might have wanted the kill shot, I wouldn’t have to be the one to take it. When all was said and done, my actions and his would speak for themselves.
“Who I am.” I answered forcing my voice to be calm.
He reeled back like I had hit him. “What?”
“Kinsley wasn’t the heir to the Red Blood pack. I am. And you knew that. You kept me around for kicks and giggles. You used me.”
Adrian scoffed at my remark, but he didn’t deny it. “And how did I use you exactly?”
I took a deep breath. “I don’t think I could name all the ways you and you mate,” The word mate left a bad taste in my mouth, but I continued, “used me. But for starters. The army you built didn’t follow her like they were supposed to, did it? The army that was supposed to follow her without any doubts, didn’t. You kept me around. Made me feel small. Tried to break me. And then realized I was the key to your army. You thought I wouldn’t go against you. That I would be broken down too much to argue. But I’m not. And I stand before you, and ALL of the Red Blood pack, and denounce your right to the pack. Your right to lead. Your plan to be the ‘strongest’. Everyone here, whether you are a part of Rhys’ pack or the Red Blood pack, you fall under ME! I have the support of the Witches, the Vampires, the Werewolves, and the Lycans. I am the true heir, and you may not use me or any other children ever again to support your agenda. There will be no more bloodshed!”
“You have no proof.” Adrian hissed. “You have nothing. I have vampires and witches on my side too.”
“You did.” I agreed. “Until you took it too far. And I have no doubt that some will choose to die with you. But you’ve already lost, Adrian.” I told him.
“I don’t agree.” He answered, and somebody shot at me, but I threw up a forcefield, knocking the bullet away without even looking.
And then I played my final card. I knew that my claim to the ‘throne’ had unsettled a lot of Adrian’s followers. People were hesitating, which was exactly what I wanted. The voice inside my head told me to show them what he had done, so I closed my eyes, and reached deep into my mind. It felt clumsy, but I figured it out.
In the future, I would work on my abilities till I mastered them all, but for now, I just cuddled Claire closer to me and focused on showing my memories.
There was Adrian trying to take advantage of me. There was where the kids were kept. The bad conditions most of them had been in. The crowd gasped. I wasn’t just sharing my memories of the kids with the soldiers, but everyone in the Red Blood pack. I showed the experiments. I showed Michael’s meetings with his dad. I showed my own torture sessions with Kinsley. I showed her final words. Her truth. How easily she had spoken about me being switched pretty much from birth, and her admitting to killing Luna Ava over fucking school. I could tell who had been a part of the Blood Moon pack before the merger, and who still sort of sided with Adrian. I could feel it all.
I then pulled my final trick out. I was already in their minds as their leader, but being tied to Rhys had given me an ability now that I had my own pack.
“Now, you can choose to defend your leadership, or you can choose to be on the right side of history. The choice is up to you.” I closed my eyes and mindlinked my pack.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
