Chapter 116: _ The Bellamy Twins
"Positions!" Alpha Boy snaps, already crouched like he’s about to jump. His authority actually helps this once, because the group obeys, forming a shaky defensive semicircle on the platform.
The rope bridge sways violently as one of the younger girls stumbles back onto it, clutching the rails.
Then, one could hear the footsteps clearly now.
"Here they come," someone breathes, and the fear in their tone sends a shiver down Heidi’s spine.
She raises her fists, willing the faint crackle of power she knows she can summon if she pushes hard enough.
Her heart is so loud she barely hears Val muttering beside her, "Great. Trapped in a treehouse and about to be horror movie extras."
The boards creak. A shadow stretches long across the platform. Heidi takes a long inhale, ready for whatever it is, only to be met with...
"Found you."
Every single one of them stiffens at the unexpected voice. It’s not just because it’s unexpected, but because it’s familiar.
Heidi sucks in her breath. Her brain scrambles to process what she’s hearing. She knows that voice. She’s heard it drip with arrogance in the academy hallways, ring with laughter whenever it is before her.
Two figures step into the moonlight, clearing her doubt. And of course, it is indeed, Morgan and Grayson Bellamy. It’s not demons or enemies. But somehow more shocking than either.
For a moment, no one moves. The tension doesn’t drain so much as it is suspended, because their presence here is impossible and unreal.
Val is the first to find her voice. "Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me. Demons playing a trick on us again, yeah?"
There’s literally no reaction to Val’s claim on Grayson and Morgan’s part... or whatever sick version of them stands before Heidi and the group. It’s as if she’s too measly to be noticed by them. They are just standing there like some kind of impossibly irritating mirage, framed by the pale ghost-glow of the tree houses.
Both look as unfairly good looking as they did back at the Academy, but that’s precisely why her stomach churns. They shouldn’t be here. They didn’t enter the portal. They had no business risking their lives on a suicide mission when they were literally Alpha heirs with a whole pack to inherit.
She can feel her pulse beating in her throat.
It’s not them, Heidi tells herself. It can’t be them. This is the demons playing their tricks again. Another mirage and trap.
Her wolf impatiently growls in her head. "No, Heidi. That’s them. I can feel them. Their wolves are right there."
Shut up, Heidi shoots back internally. We’ve both been fooled before. Those things wormed into our senses once, they’ll do it again. I’m not buying this cheap act.
The other Moon Blessed around her shift uneasily. Val stiffens beside her, half-raising her claws. The Alpha boy narrows his eyes and mutters something about "more illusions."
Heidi throws her arm out, snapping the group at alert. "Don’t trust what you see! We’ve been through this before. They want us confused. They want us lured into letting our guard down. Whatever that is... it’s not real."
Morgan and Grayson exchange a glance in classic Bellamy synchronization with the infuriatingly identical arches of dark brows before hissing in unison.
"Are you actually..." Morgan starts, voice filled with disdain.
"...calling us demons?" Grayson finishes, arms crossing over his chest.
The group shifts nervously. Some of the Moon Blessed murmur under their breaths, panic rustling through them like dry leaves. However, Heidi doesn’t waver. She takes a fighting stance with her claws already out even though her heart is pounding from dehydration and the fear that they might not be able to handle another set of demons like this.
"Drop the act," she snarls. "If you’re demons, then shed the facade. Show us what you really are."
That command of hers does it. The other seven Moon Blesseds fall into ready formation, elongating their claws and bracing their shoulders as they wait for the grotesque shift of their supposed enemies.
Morgan scoffs, stepping forward with that swagger that makes Heidi want to both claw his face off and... well, that’s not important.
"Do you want
me to knock some sense into your wolf? Because, sweetheart, I’ll do it." He growls.Oh, how dare that disgusting demon threaten her? That’s all the invitation Heidi needs. With a furious cry, she charges his way:
The distance between them collapses in the blink of an eye as she sprints his way. Her claws slice through the air—but Morgan is faster. His hand shoots out, iron-strong, catching her wrist mid-swipe. In one smooth, brutal movement, he pulls her ruddy against him with her claws caught between their chests while his grip burns against her skin.
Heidi gasps, the air punched right out of her lungs.
W-what is this rush of need she suddenly feels?
Morgan leans down with his mouth dangerously close to her ear as he speaks against her skin. "Ungrateful little thing. We drag ourselves into this hellscape to save your ass, and this is how you welcome us?"
Her wolf all but melts, whining in recognition, and literally wagging her tail. "See? It’s them. It’s him."
It definitely isn’t them. Heidi is logical enough to remember how she met the twins’ gaze before stepping into the portal, and how they remained rooted to a spot, not seeming or looking like they’d like to come with.
Moreover, the school wouldn’t let them do that. This is bullshit if the demons think adopting the form of two of her mates would sway her attention.
Hence, she ignores the feeling of Morgan’s breath down her neck and continues to struggle against his grip. Her claws scrape uselessly against his chest, her face burning from his nearness.
"Get off me, demon!" she hisses. "I’m not falling for your tricks."
"Oh, you’ll fall," Morgan murmurs, tightening his hold so she can’t wriggle free. His lips brush the shell of her ear, the heat of his breath spilling down her neck. "But not the way you think."
Her stomach does a wild, treacherous flip.
Behind them, Grayson sighs heavily, like he’s already exhausted by the dramatics.
"Okay, okay. Listen, we ARE real. And unless you want the Alpha sons to drag your entire sorry group back to the Academy with teeth and claws, you’d better start listening." He addresses the seven other Moon Blessed.
One can almost see the palpable hesitation passing through the Moon Blessed. Some lower their claws. Some exchange glances.
A few whisper, "Alpha sons? Are they really Morgan and Grayson?"
But Heidi isn’t buying it. Her wolf might be sold, but she isn’t.
"Why?" she spits, jerking her head up at Morgan. "Why would you even be here? You had no reason to come. You had no need to come. What game are you playing?"
This time, it’s Grayson who moves. His patience is clearly shredded. In a flash, he yanks her right out of Morgan’s grip, spinning her and pinning her against his own chest.
The shift is dizzying; Morgan’s heat to Grayson’s cool hardness. His hands circle around her waist like a vice as his voice comes deadly against her hair. "Bold of you to assume we’d let you die tagging you as ours. Our slave. You think that tag was just for show?"
What in the freaking hell?!
Heidi freezes. Her chest is heaving. His words snakes right under her skin, coil around her heart.
Her wolf is screaming. "They came for us. They came because they care."
No, Heidi thinks furiously. If this is truly them, then they came because they’re control freaks. Because they like watching me squirm.
But the weight of his body against hers, the undeniable possessiveness in his grip... none of it feels like indifference.
Val, who turned a reckless little soul since their arrival in the labyrinth blurts the question before anyone else can. "So... wait—you risked your lives for her? Just because you still want to torture her?"
The silence that follows is suffocating.
Morgan narrows his eyes, gnashing his teeth. Then, in one fluid motion, he flicks his wrists and his aether blade comes free, materializing. The weapon hums with a dangerous green light. He flicks it on a whim, aiming deliberately close... so close it whistles right past Val’s ear, kissing the edge of her hair.
She yelps, stumbling back.
"I missed on purpose. But I won’t next time. So keep your mouth shut." Morgan spits, eyeing her with disdain.
The Moon Blessed all fall silent at that little dominant move. C-could it really be them? Oh, shit, it’s them! Heidi rambles internally. The fucking Bellamy twins entered the horrifying grounds of the labyrinth because of her... because their "slave" doesn’t dare die on them?
Her jaw drops so quickly, she can’t explain it. Who risks their lives to make a statement? A rather unnecessary, childish, and cruel one that is.
Make that make fucking sense...
And still, Morgan and Grayson’s eyes are fixated on her. Like the world is burning, like everything else is smoke and ruin, and she’s the only thing solid left standing.