The Price They Paid: Imprinted Mates Series

echoed throughout the forest. The silence around us was deafening and all movement ceased.
Slowly, she lowered her head all the way to the ground while her tail moved from side to side happily. Then she shifted back to her human self. I was surprised to see that the beautiful white wolf was Ms. Cordell. The other wolves closed in around us following her lead. Anna, Beth, Tina, Ree, Ms. Kento, Lisa, and a woman I hadn’t met before, all appeared one by one. They were unashamed of their beautiful bodies on display, and they had no reason to be. I couldn’t explain the amount of power I felt in this moment with the right words. It was humbling.
My chest rose and fell hard from the exertion of the run, but I was hyper aware of my surroundings. I could smell the change in the season upon the air. It smelled like fall. The grass smelled greener, the wind felt moist, and the clouds hid the brightness of the sunrays. I stood still taking in the world with heighten senses while these women paid homage.
Understanding that they were choosing me as the Alpha woman, I wanted to choose them back. I stood straighter and roared again louder than before. Talk about exhilarating. I sat down allowing the others to relax and follow suit.
“God, that felt amazing!” I admitted.
Ms. Cordell smiled at me before she spoke. “You could feel us approaching, couldn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“You weren’t afraid that there were eight of us?” She tilted her head to the side in wonder.
“No. It only energized my efforts. I knew you guys were pack as you approached. It feels the same way that it does when I feel Seuss.” It was the best way that I could explain it.
“Through your bond?” Ms. Cordell was trying to read the truth without overstretching.
“No. I can feel his emotions and his energy.”
Ms. Cordell smiled. “You’re a special Alpha mate.”
“Special?”
“You’re not fully mated to Seuss yet because of the accident, right?”
“Yes.” I didn’t inform her that I wouldn’t be completing that process either.
“Once you’re bonded, abilities that you have will become stronger because you’ll be feeding off his energy as well.” Ms. Cordell appeared excited, but the thought of having any “abilities” as she called it, was off putting. I thought it was because of him that it was even possible.
“Understood.”
“Now would be the time to tell you the real reason why we are here,” Ree said.
“What exactly is that?” I turned toward her.
“To fulfill our destiny. We’ve been waiting for you.”
“For me?” I looked at each of them in wonder.
“We’re your guardians of nine. Your father left us to ensure your safety.”
“My father?”
“King Yosef was the ruler of the north. He was a fine ruler before he passed on. He was challenged by an outsider for his throne. Dark magic was used during the spar, and he was murdered in cold blood.”
“Was he mated?” I wondered.
“Yes, to an element walker.”
I started to speak but didn’t know where to start.
“An element walker is someone who can not only control one of the five elements, they can also summon it. Your mother’s element was fire,” Ms. Cordell explained.
“What—what happened to her?”
“After King Yosef was killed, she fled with you here. If she hadn’t, she would have been forced to mate with the new king. It took us forever to track her. When we finally did, she was going mad from the fact that she’d lost her mate. Their connection was deep, and she was drinking heavily to drown her sorrows.” Ree wiped a tear away, and I knew where this story was going immediately.
“I tried to give her reasons to live. I gave her all the reasons why she needed to live for you. But the way her mate was taken from her, it was too hard. She kept telling me that she was hearing voices and that they haunted her. There was no doubt that it was from the dark magic. She was strong and fearless, very unlike her state before she died,” Ms. Cordell explained.
“On the night that she died, I could feel the doom. It was like a silent echo as I approached her room.” Ree couldn’t control the tears as they licked at her face. “As I entered, I saw her pour something into her glass, but I’d missed the vial as she’d put it out of sight. You were in your crib crying, but she didn’t seem to notice. She drank the liquid in her glass in one long continuous drink. Tears streamed down her face, and when she was done she dropped the glass to the ground. She pointed to the crib as a sob broke free and then she collapsed. I tried to revive her, but nothing worked. I tried to find that damn vial but never did.”
Grief for a woman I’d hated all this time filled me. She wasn’t what I’d thought she was at all. She was a victim of true love and cursed by something bigger than us all. Magic.
“What happened to the new Alpha?” The need to settle a score rose in my stomach.
“Did you think we’d let him rule?” Ms. Cordell asked. “Once we knew that you were safe, we went back to avenge our king. Queen Simi was in no condition to rule so we declared one in her place. A descendent from the king’s family.”
“How’d I end up with the Everette’s?”
“When your mother pointed at the crib, she’d left instructions for you. There was an address and the name of a couple that couldn’t conceive. She’d watched them for weeks she said. She’d left them money to take care of you. When they’d died, we removed the money from the account, created a college fund for you, and put the rest back into your trust.” Lisa spoke this time.
It was too much information. Too much feeling. Just too damn much.
“We should head back. I think we’ve given you too much to think about,” Ree said.
I stood,