Lead Me Astray is now published as a Wattpad Book! As a Wattpad reader, you can access Wattpad Books Edition upon purchase and the Original Edition for free.
"Ambitious and fiercely original. Sondi Warner is the exciting new voice we've all been wai...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
September 11 | Late Noon
"What have you done?" I choked out.
Only, I knew he would do anything for Mum, even something as misguided as this. I glowered at Yazeed with barely checked fury, squinting as pine needles and debris flew past my face. I vaguely heard the screen door slam around back and registered Aurie and Mys were fleeing the cabin. Good. We had planned meticulously for every worst-case scenario. They knew what to do. Even without help from Tegan.
"You led them here?" I accused Yazeed.
My brother dropped his head. "Believe me, it was the only way."
The sky darkened, and the wind picked up, but it wasn't the coming storm. It was a helicopter emblazoned with the gold crest of Overlay Affairs Security buzzing over the clearing. The violent gusts whipped by the blades battered the tall, spindly trees. Combined with Yazeed's blasting radio noise, the din made my ears ring.
Flashes of insanity snatched at me. I twisted my neck to shake it off. Now wasn't the time to lose grip. Nonetheless, excitement and adrenaline pumped through my veins for a showdown. Not against the vampire, but against my own flesh and blood. Yah looked like fresh prey, and my claws came out of their own accord, but I forced them to retract. My brother wasn't the enemy. He was being used.
Somehow Cyprian had convinced the Council of Overlay Affairs I was the real threat. For the first time, I considered the possibility this wasn't about my sister, Yalina Ravani. Perhaps it had never been about her. Was Darcy Cyprian trying to destroy my whole family? My deteriorating thoughts congealed around one crazy revelation: If he was, I was the reason he had gotten this far.
Cyprian had used my instincts against me. Though my mother had warned me not to be blinded by hubris, I realized too late the things I had missed. I had dropped the Alpha title and weakened the pack, pursuing revenge. I hadn't recognized the vampire's mercenaries because I expected to smell his henchmen coming. I had even let down my guard at seeing Yazeed in the jeep.
Every step of the way, I had played into Darcy Cyprian's hands.
From the helicopter, someone with a loudspeaker ordered me to drop my weapon. I let the gun fall from numb fingers and clenched my teeth as I held up my hands, but surrender was the furthest thing from my mind.
Yazeed waved at the chopper. "Please, give me time to get him to surrender," he shouted.
Shaking my head in wry amusement, I figured the poor kid honestly believed he was here to talk me into turning myself in. "They played you," I growled. "They're not taking me without a fight. Worse, you led them to the one piece of Ravani property they didn't already know about. Now this place will be dispersed to whoever earns the title of Alpha during the October elections, along with the rest of the family holdings."
"You think a patch of land matters more to me than you or Mum?" Yazeed reached an open hand to me. "I don't want anything to happen to you. Please!"
