Nik didn’t take his eyes off Alara. He didn’t even fucking blink. “Alara?” he asked quietly.

“For the most part,” came her response, in that same monotone voice that’d come out of the mouth of the murderous paramedic.

And, come to think of it, out of the mouth of that girl they’d thrown in the dungeon. The one who’d been possessed by the doppelgänger.

He thought back to the corpse they’d found in the woods. She’d spelled out E-Y-E-S in the dirt.

That silvery glint he’d been seeing…

E-Y-E-S.

It had been a warning.

“Son of a bitch!” he roared, thrashing on the stretcher. The metal railings groaned, and the whole thing threatened to tip over. Glaring at those damnable silver eyes, he growled, “Get the hell out of my mate!”

Alara didn’t move, still smiling down at him as if she were privy to some secret he wasn’t. “In due time, young pup. I have use for her first.”

The thought of that thing living inside of her, controlling her and making her do God knew what… Nik would rather rip his own heart out before subjecting Alara to that.

Suddenly, her strange behavior made sense. The food processing plant, the dagger, the fleeting glimpses of terror in her eyes…

Damn it! Why did he have to be such a blockhead? Why the hell hadn’t he seen this sooner?

Because you’ve been preoccupied with the DPI and trying to keep your pack from revolting.

He stopped. “Wait a second…” he breathed, gears turning in his head. He looked around at the crowd, at the shifting, silvery sheen in the many lifeless eyes staring back at him. “You’re inside all their heads. You used them to distract me, to keep me from looking too closely at Alara so you could do with her as you wanted.”

“You’re only partially correct,” the doppelgänger said, strolling over to his side. “I did use them as a distraction, yes. Close as you werewolves tend to be to your mates, I knew you’d be a problem. But I can’t be inside more than one head at once—that’s impossible for my kind. I did, however, use the hypnotic powers of a very special witch.”

“The corpse we found in the woods,” he said flatly.

“Yes.”

“What about the paramedics?”

“I stole that witch’s power and used it on them too.” No remorse, not even a blink. His Alara would have been mortified. God, it was so hard to look at her, those silver eyes a reminder that he had failed to protect her.

She’s still in there. I know she is. And I swear, if it costs me my life, I’m going to free her.

“You’ve been planning this for a while,” Nik said.

“Of course. I knew once I got inside your pack and you realized what I was, you’d call the DPI first. I infiltrated them weeks ago. Then I silently made my rounds in your woods, courtesy of a shadow and cloaking spell, and hypnotized your perimeter guards.”

Thus why they hadn’t reported any disturbances to him. Fuck.

“All it took was a single word to activate the hypnosis. Imagine my delight when Penelope turned out to be decent enough at that trick that I could hypnotize the rest of your pack.”

“You were inside Penelope too?” He paused. “The backfired spell… you got inside her then.”

“Opening up a tunnel of magic to someone’s mind is one of the easiest ways for my kind to infiltrate another host. Luckily for us we’re so rare that the lore surrounding us is sketchy at best.”

He glanced at the dagger. The doppelgänger had strapped it to Alara’s hip. “What’s your endgame? Why us, and why go to all this trouble?”

“You’ll see soon enough. You’re not the only one trying to save the world.”

“Except you’ve hurt a hell of a lot more people.”

“In every war, there are sacrifices,” it said coldly. “It doesn’t make the cause any less noble.” It glanced at its watch—or rather, Alara’s watch—and snapped its fingers. “Take him to the dungeon.”

Nik growled low as it stroked his face, like petting a favorite dog. “It’ll all be over soon. And then this world will finally be safe.”

The touch of Alara’s skin, so cold and clammy, haunted him as they carted him away on the stretcher toward the manor.

Alara screamed inwardly as she watched her mate being taken away to rot in the dungeon of his own home. Her soul punched, kicked, and bit, howling like a wild animal, and still the doppelgänger’s hold on her hadn’t eased.

You’ll only waste your strength, Secret said. You need to recuperate—otherwise you might not be strong enough to take back possession of your body once I release you.

Wasn’t that your plan all along? she said bitterly. To ensure I’m beaten down enough that I can’t possibly resist you?

Perhaps.

Chills went through Alara. This thing was evil, pure and simple.

Why hadn’t she gone with her gut? Why hadn’t she fought harder? Had she missed opportunities? Had she just not tried hard enough?

Because you were weak, Izzy’s voice whispered. You wanted someone else to take over, and they did. Now look at where you are.

It was time for Alara to stop ghosting through her life and start living it. She couldn’t continue to live in the past. Doing so was literally destroying her future.

She had to save herself. And not just for her own well-being but also her pack’s and her mate’s.

But how?

Despair threatened to crush her. No, she told herself firmly. You will not give in. You are strong, far stronger than you give yourself credit for.

And she was. Hadn’t that strength helped her survive the trials and backstabbing at Court? Hadn’t it helped her get out of bed every morning after she’d left Crescent Castle for good, even though all she’d wanted to do was sleep forever?

No, she was strong. Strong enough to weather the courtiers’ ridicule, strong enough to keep breathing after she’d lost her family, strong enough to keep on living.

She was ready, finally. Ready to fight for her own damn life.

The wolf joined her, growling, silently waiting for its prey to slip up…

Secret snapped her fingers at Ralph, too busy coordinating its troops to pay much attention to Alara’s inner monologue. The gruff man strutted over to them, eyes glowing with an eerie silvery light. “Go with them to the dungeon. Make sure our pup behaves himself.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ralph said, without any inflection, and strode toward the manor.

Secret then ordered the DPI to set up a perimeter along with the normal perimeter guards and to let her know if anyone crossed over into its land.

Its land. Not Alara’s, not Nik’s, not the pack’s.

This damn thing was planning on putting down roots.

Not if I can stop it, Alara thought darkly. Her energy might be weak, but her anger was strong. It could fuel her, as it had those long weeks following her family’s murders.

“I’m going to rest,” Secret announced. “Do not disturb me unless it’s an emergency.”

The crowd bowed and dispersed, and Secret strolled toward the manor, its gait easy.

What are you up to? Alara demanded.

You’ll see—

Don’t feed me that bullshit line! I’m done entertaining your cryptic messages. You’ll give me straight answers from now on.

Or you’ll what?

Alara slammed on the brakes, and her body came to an abrupt halt.

Secret startled and then laughed. I see you still have a few tricks up your sleeve.

Alara silently fumed, waiting.

Secret cocked a brow. May I continue, Your Highness?

There was no mockery to the title. If anything, it sounded as though Secret respected Alara more for what she’d just done.

And Alara had learned something. Secret was becoming more comfortable in her body. Which meant she was getting careless.

Good.

Alara gave Secret back control, lurking just below the surface of her body’s consciousness, ready to fight if need be.

I’m—we’re—performing a ceremony, Secret said, continuing their walk.

The word “ceremony” sent ice-cold dread through her. She thought of an altar, a room filled with candles and magic, and her father standing over her, holding a dagger over her heart.

It was suddenly difficult to swallow. What kind of ceremony?

The kind where we break the spell that’s been slowly resurrecting Mistress Black, Secret said, tapping the dagger. These daggers were given to high-ranking members of the Order. They’re enchanted so any life they take ships the soul straight to Mistress Black.

What does she use the souls for?

To piece together her own soul, which was fractured hundreds of years ago when Mistress Black was captured, killed, and cursed so her body could never be resurrected for her to unleash her vengeance upon the world. Somehow she found a way around that.

So my family’s souls are a part of Mistress Black now? Alara asked, mortified.

Afraid so.

How do I release them?

By killing Mistress Black. That, by the way, I can assist with, if you’ll let me stay in your body once the ceremony is done.

She’s baiting you, trying to trick you, Alara thought to herself. No, thanks, Alara thought aloud to Secret. I’ll take my chances.

Suit yourself. As you can see, I can be a valuable ally in battle.

It could. The doppelgänger’s knowledge of fighting techniques and magical prowess were vast. That kind of firepower would come in handy against one of the most powerful witches the Underworld had ever seen.

But at what cost? Did she honestly expect Secret to use her body “for the greater good” and immediately vacate after they’d won?

No way in hell.

She entered the manor and immediately went upstairs to the master suite Nik and Alara shared. The same two guards as before stood sentinel. “I’m not to be disturbed unless it’s an emergency,” Secret said to them.

They nodded, and Secret entered the suite, shutting and locking the door.

The room was the same as they’d left it. Alara wondered if, when this was all over, she’d ever be able to sleep soundly in here again. This was where she was taken over, where her free will was chained…

Where her life became the stuff of nightmares.

A shudder rolled through her.

I always keep my word, you know, Secret said quietly. The Fey cannot break promises. Once we have performed the final rite, I will vacate your body.

The ceremony you were talking about while we were walking here.

Yes, exactly. Secret took off Alara’s shoes and stretched her legs. Alara’s whole body felt as if she’d just run a marathon without any prep work. Every muscle was sore, and whenever she took a step, needle-like pain shot through the sole of her right foot, and her knee popped. Yes, she’d definitely “fucked some things up,” as Nik would put it.

Nik.

What are you planning on doing with my mate?

Just keeping him in a safe place, for now.

Alara caught the hidden warning. If she didn’t behave, the doppelgänger would use him as leverage.

Damn Secret.

So you honestly believe the ceremony, this final rite, will stop Mistress Black once and for all? Alara asked.

Yes. The ceremony will break the spell that sends souls to repair hers, preventing her from being resurrected.

But won’t she just be able to cast another spell to finish the job?

Not with what we’re about to do. This should also release all those souls so they may find peace, rendering her powerless.

Alara raised a brow, surprised the ancient Fey would care anything for others’ spiritual well-being.

Secret glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It’ll be dark in a few hours. At dusk, we perform the rite. We’ll need to rest this body before then if we’re to have enough energy to fuel my magic. They went to the bathroom to shower. Alara hesitated to strip, suddenly very shy, despite the fact that she’d been naked earlier after Shifting. I’ll let you wash in private. Don’t worry, Secret said.

Alara stared at the steamy water longingly.

Don’t you want to get the grime and blood off? Secret said.

Blood. Somehow her mind had pushed the image of all those dead guards out of her head, a self-defense mechanism perhaps to keep her from unraveling. But the word “blood” sent those images hurtling forward in her mind’s eye, tearing through her conscience and making her guilt feel like iron chains wrapped around her heart.

Alara’s lip trembled as Secret undressed them and climbed into the shower. As the hot water hit her face and steam perforated the air, Alara felt Secret’s presence fade, and she began to sob.

For the family she couldn’t protect.

For the men whose lives she’d taken in cold blood.

And, most of all, for the last bit of innocence in her that had died when she’d done it.