Page 24 of Stolen Choices

Welcomed him into his pack.

Given him a home.

A life.

A purpose.

A promise of revenge…

He’d been played.

Ciaran had cast a spell and trapped him. It was no different to the magic that bound Katia to the brothel and Weston.

He collapsed on the floor as the realization fully dawned on him—Nuka Lincoln was using him. He meant nothing to his alpha other than as another means to an end. The polar bear desired universal domination, not revenge on the humans. He wanted the power to take over the world.

The pain blasted through his head again. His body constricted with the agony surging through him. Sharp shooting jolts followed as if someone was stabbing him with a thousand knives all at once.

He gasped for breath. The effort too painful to even bring air into his lungs.

“You have to help her,” he managed to plead as he exhaled. It sent him into a fit.

“Open the cage.” He heard Jessica order.

“No,” another one of the pack replied.

Jackson couldn’t tell who it was, but it wouldn’t surprise him if it was Zain. He’d tried to kill the woman the bear shifter loved. He’d tried to kill an innocent human who was living side by side with shifters. Katia was right—not all humans were bad. It was the spell that had blinded him. He thought back over all the instances when he’d met with humans, and they’d helped him.

He remembered the kind old lady who’d offered him food when his parents were late home from work one day. She’d given him meat because she knew what he‘d like. It hadn’t even been cooked—just the way he preferred it. How had he forgotten these memories? It wasn’t possible unless…the spell.

“Please, I made a mistake. She’s back with him.” Jackson rolled around on the floor in agony. His eyes rolling back in his head as he struggled to stay conscious.

“Who?” Kas’ voice was close to his ear. The polar bear placed a hand on Jackson’s shoulder and held him still.

“Weston,” he managed to splutter out, and he heard Kas curse.

“Get everyone ready,” the polar bear ordered as darkness crept into the edges of Jackson’s vision.

“Wait.” He was hyperventilating. The pain was unbearable. “You have to know.”

“Know what?”

He tried to speak, but he couldn’t. It wasn’t possible. His mouth opened and closed like a fish, but nothing came out. Jackson started to feel a magical warmth wrap around him. Jessica was doing something to him. Instinct told him he should fight against it. The power was too strong, though, and he could feel it removing the pain, bit by bit.

His eyes started to droop, but he persisted with his need to tell Kas a truth that could break him.

“Nuka resurrected your grandfather,” he finally managed to spit out before the most extreme pain surged through him as though a freight train was running over his body. It was too much, and the darkness of unconsciousness claimed him.

Chapter Fourteen

Kas stumbled backward at Jackson’s words. With a gasp, the polar bear exhaled all the air in his lungs, and just like Jackson a few minutes earlier, he struggled to refill them before the oxygen to his brain ran out.

Brayden, Scott, and Tyler appeared beside him, and as he began to fall, they caught him and helped lower him to the ground.

“Please tell me I didn’t hear what I thought I did just now?” Kas desperately hoped he’d misheard the words uttered by the black panther before he’d slipped into unconsciousness.

Jessica continued to stand over Jackson, using her magic to remove whatever spell he was under.

“I’m sorry, Kas. I’m certain I heard exactly the same thing you did,” Brayden replied as he held his hand out to Kas and assisted him to stand.