Marked by the Alphas

Chapter 83: Chapter 83

Katie POV

I walk down to breakfast arm-in-arm with Mason. I did some serious retrospection, and I am still none the wiser. If anything, I am more confused than before. It feels like I must force myself to be physical with Mason, and I do not get it. He was everything I wanted twenty-four hours ago.

And in a sense, he still is, but ... Kane and Axel. Dear Goddess, I am yearning for them.

I blame my visions. They are painful and terrifying, and I have no one I can discuss them with. Mason is the only person I know here, and he will flip out if I tell him.

“You ready for this?” Mason asks, squeezing my hand.

“I’m with you, so I’m good,” I smile, but truthfully, I have just a pinch of anxiety. I nearly fainted when Mason told me Luna Gabriela had arranged breakfast for everyone. She is an intimidating but impressive woman. What if I spill my drink or eat with the wrong cutlery?

“Good,” he leans over and kisses my cheek, before we step into the dining room.

As I feared, the room is intimidatingly grand, with huge windows looking out at the forest. Kane and Axel are already sitting around the giant table, and they look at me with hesitant expressions.

“Good morning,” I say mildly.

Luna Gabriela spins around so fast, she drops the glass of orange juice she was holding, and it shatters on the floor.

“Shit,” she mumbles under her breath, but she recovers quickly and flashes Mason and me a smile.

“Good morning!” She says in a harried tone. “Sorry, I must clean this up.”

She rushes out of the room with the broken glass, and I frown when we sit across from Kane and Axel. Why is the Luna cleaning up? Is that not an Omega’s job? Hell, should I offer help?

“What’s up with Gabriela?” Mason nods his head toward the door. “Or is she always that jumpy?”

“Nah,” Kane replies. “She hasn’t been the same since ... I guess since Alice died, and Father’s shenanigans came to light.”

My stomach lurches. Mason told me about Alice, but I did not think they were at the point where they would openly discuss her without ripping each other apart. Yesterday’s meeting must have had an impact.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” I say quietly. “That’s so hard, losing a mate and the mother of your children.”

“It’s terrible.” Luna Gabriela says, entering the room and starting to clean up the juice on the floor.

“What were the twins’ names?” I ask, trying to change the subject.

“Oh yeah, you were passed out for that part,” Mason smiles, patting my shoulder.

“Isaac and Lanie,” Axel replies proudly.

“I think Lanie will look just like Alice with her blond hair and blue eyes,” Kane adds.

I press my hands to the table as the room starts spinning. Alice, blond hair, blue eyes. Why does it feel like I know exactly how Alice looked? I have only heard her name once.

“Katie?” Mason asks concerned, and I try to look at him, but my vision is swimming, and a searing pain is ripping through my skull.

“My head,” I groan, pressing my fingers to my temples. “It’s killing me.”

“Come on,” Mason says, standing up and picking me out of my chair.

“I have painkillers,” Gabriella adds. “I’ll bring it to your room.”

I do not protest when Mason carries me to my quarters. My head is pounding. It feels almost like a brain ripple, like my mind is working so hard to dig up a memory that it is physically painful.

Gabriela enters my room just as Mason lays me down on the bed. I close my eyes and cover my face with my hands.

“Mason, close the curtains,” Gabriela orders. “And then you should join my sons. I’ll look after Katie.”

“Yes, Luna,” he replies, and I listen to his footsteps leaving.

“I brought you a cup of herbal tea,” she says softly. “It will help.”

“Thank you,” I croak, sitting up and accepting the tea.

“How long have you been sick?” She asks politely, sitting beside me.

“Sick?” I frown. “I’m not, it’s just a headache.”

“Yes,” she nods. “You fainted yesterday, and now this.”

“Luna, I promise I’m not sick,” I smile weakly. “I can honestly say I cannot remember the last time I was sick or took any medications.”

“Okay,” she nods. “When was the last time you shifted and went for a run?”

“I don’t know,” I shrug. “Before my baby was born ... I think.”

“Give the medication a moment to kick in, and then you should go for a run with your wolf,” she suggests.

“Oh, that’s very kind, but I can’t,” I reply. “Stella needs ...”

“I’ll watch Stella,” she cuts in. “The guys are off doing who knows what. You should take some time for yourself.”

She pats my knee, stands up and walks away. But she pauses at the door, turns around and studies me carefully. She opens her mouth to say something else, but then closes it and walks away.

Gabriela’s idea sounds good, so I decided to stand up. The fresh air and activity might be just what I need to clear my head of these visions.

I walk outside, and the sun is warm and welcoming on my skin. I breathe in the fresh mountain air, soothing my soul.

I walk into the woods until I am out of sight, and strip down. Lily immediately surges to the surface and breaks free.

She sprints through the woods, and the feeling is honestly miraculous. The soft ground on my feet, the wind whipping through my fur, and the feeling that I can go anywhere I want. I never remember having it, and yet I still feel like I missed it more than anything. I am grounded, I am strong, and I am so damn fast.

I watch the trees whip past, and suddenly the hair on the back of my neck is standing up. There it is again. Déjà vu. Even my wolf is feeling it.

“What are you doing?” I demand when Lily takes over completely. “Where are you taking us?”

“I know where we need to go,” is her response.

“But how?” I ask, but she does not answer. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

We run until we reach a lake on the other side of the forest. Lily takes me to a patch of dirt on the lake’s edge and paws at it roughly. My nostrils flare. What is that scent?

It is so different from the scents that I am used to, and yet it was so familiar. The trees beyond the lake rustle ominously, and I jerk my head up.

“We’ve been here before,” Lily growls, still pawing at the patch of dirt. “When were we here?”

But I am too busy trying to see who has followed me into the woods. Another branch cracked, and this time Lily paid attention. We backed up, hackles raised. Suddenly, they leap from the trees, straight at me. Three of the biggest wolves I have ever seen.