Page 104 of Psycho Pack
"Ah, yes," I interrupt, my smile sharp enough to cut. "My great betrayal. Tell me, Whiskey, have you bothered to ask our little wildcat what actually happened during our time together? Or are you content to wallow in your assumptions?"
Ivy tenses, her sea-green eyes sharpening at me.
"That's enough," Thane snaps, rising to his feet. He towers over us all, a mountain of muscle and barely contained rage. Justa big fucking caveman. "We're not doing this now. We need to stay focused, stay united?—"
A bark of laughter escapes me, sharp and bitter. "Oh, you must be feelingveryunited after what you just did with your brother."
The words hang in the air like a live grenade, and for a moment, I think Thane might actually kill me. His eyes blaze with a fury I haven't seen outside the battlefield.
But then something shifts in his gaze.
The anger doesn't fade entirely, but it's tempered by something else. Something that looks dangerously like understanding.
"You're trying to divide us," he says quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Why?"
I lean back in my seat, spreading my arms wide. "Why not? We're already fractured. Broken. A pack of rabid dogs pretending to be a family. I'm just saying out loud what you're all thinking."
My eyes find Ivy's, holding her gaze as I continue. "We're walking into a trap. All of us. And one of our 'brotherhood' knows exactly what's waiting for us on the other side."
As if on cue, the train begins to slow, the landscape outside blurring into a sea of white stone and a sparkling blue lake that stretches on for miles.
We're here.
The point of no return.
The final fuckening has begun.
Chapter
Eighteen
IVY
The train lurches slightly as it begins to slow, jolting me out of my anxious thoughts. I move closer to the window, drinking in the sight of our mysterious destination coming into view.
Pristine white stone stretches as far as I can see, the buildings rising like ivory towers against a backdrop of impossibly blue sky. The structures are unlike anything I've ever encountered. All graceful arches and shining glass and delicate spires that seem to defy gravity. Intricate gold filigree adorns every surface, catching the sunlight and making the whole city shimmer like a mirage against the crystal-clear lake spreading out toward the horizon.
It takes me a moment to realize the entire city is built into the side of a cliff jutting up from the edge of the lake. No wonder it's all white stone. The equally pristine shoreline is dotted with lush gardens bursting with vibrant flowers I've never seen before. The contrast of the colorful blooms against the stark white stone is breathtaking.
"Holy shit," Whiskey breathes beside me.
I nod mutely. I can't tear my eyes away from the gleaming white city sprawling before us, a stark contrast to the harsh world we left behind. The delicate spires and graceful arches look like something out of a fairy tale, not the brutal reality I've come to expect. It's beautiful.
Too beautiful.
My fingers tighten on the plush fabric of my borrowed robe as an uneasy feeling settles in my gut. Nothing this perfect comes without a price. I've learned that lesson the hard way, over and over again.
The compartment door slides open with a soft hiss, and I turn to see Wraith's massive frame filling the doorway. He's wrapped a pristine white scarf around the scarred lower half of his face, his blue eyes brightening when our gazes meet in spite of the stressful circumstances. He moves into the compartment with that fluid predatory grace that never fails to amaze me, given his size.
"Is Plague…?" I begin to ask.
He doesn't need to respond. Plague slips in behind him a moment later, unable to meet my gaze.
He looks... lost.
Haunted in a way I've never seen before.
My heart aches at the sight of this alpha—myalpha—in visible emotional pain, even as alarm bells start ringing in the back of my mind.