Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
“Why make him pay tribute?”
“You know why.”
Cole nodded. “Because he owed you.”
“That’s right,” Matthias confirmed, then smiled, and right then, I saw the madness in his narrowed eyes. “I made him alpha and he gave me nothing. So for the rest of his life, I would receive money, every month, without fail.”
“And what else?”
“Blood. Innocent blood. Abel told us which of his young to take. He picked them and we murdered them, taking them away from your pack forever.”
Abel had sacrificed his wolves. Members of his pack that he had sworn to protect, and in some cases, the smallest, the youngest, the most vulnerable. The man was a horror, and the idea that I could let him or Matthias live was not to be borne. Already I could feel my power rising.
“What the hell do you expect to gain by making that confession?” Cole asked, his voice hard and cold.
“I want what was promised all those years ago,” Matthias said slowly, staring at Cole like he was a piece of meat. “I want the firstborn son of an alpha.”
“Why would I ever go anywhere with you?”
It hurt to hear the pain in Cole’s voice, all the revelations of the day absolutely gutting him. He had prepared for an honorable contest, but he wouldn’t be given that at all.
“Because we have your little brother. He’s already seen the woman disemboweled, and he knows he’s next.”
Cole’s breath hitched, and he turned to look at me, absolutely broken.
“No,” was all I said.
But he was scared. I understood that, and I’d answered too fast for him.
“Mere,” he pleaded, needing more.
“No,” I answered again, slower, letting him hear the certainty in my voice.
His sigh was deep before he turned back to Matthias. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“I will gut him.”
“You won’t,” Cole declared, and I could hear his conviction.
“Is this him? Your fucking mate?” Matthias asked snidely, moving over to stand in front of me. “I understand you’re formidable. You must be—you killed eight of my men. There’s no one in the pack other than Cole who could have.”
I squinted at him. “I have a question.”
He smiled at me, seemingly amused. Obviously, he hadn’t expected us to have a conversation. “Please.”
“When Tuss was here the first time, demanding tribute, why did he ask for Cole or Justin? If you specifically need alpha sperm,” I said crudely, “what was the point of that? I mean, that day, if Tuss had threatened to kill everyone, of course Cole would have gone with him. Sacrificing himself for his pack is second nature for an alpha. He would have done that in a heartbeat, and all this would have been over.”
“You son of a whore,” Tuss muttered under his breath.
“Did you want Justin?” I asked Tuss. “I mean, you’re wolves, so gender is meaningless, but still… Your father wanted Cole, but you screwed up, and now you can’t have him anymore.”
“And why can’t I have him?” Matthias asked, the amusement clear in his voice.
“Because he’s mine,” I said flatly, taking several steps back and letting my eyes begin to glow.
“They’re going to kill Evan,” Abel yelled at me. “Didn’t you hear them?”
“I heard everything,” I replied calmly, getting ready to change my form as Cole prepared to do the same. But at the moment that Cole’s eyes went gold, Matthias lifted his hand.
“Up!” he shouted, and all the men behind him reached into their coats and withdrew handguns, with a couple in the back even having assault rifles. All of which were immediately pointed directly at us.
I took a moment to contemplate the new situation we found ourselves in. If I were alone, the firearms would mean nothing. But with Cole standing beside me, they meant everything.
“What exactly were you expecting to happen here? That you’d shift and everyone, including me, would brawl with machetes and knives? Why would I do that?” Matthias mocked Cole. “You think you’re dealing with my son, whelp, but now you’re facing the sire.”
Cole froze. No matter how strong the wolf, in the end, they were mortal. Enough bullets, and they would die. On his own, Cole could probably escape, even being shot several times. But Reggie and the others, who weren’t as powerful, would definitely die.
I could see him thinking about the members of his pack as he turned toward me, so much pain there, his gaze beseeching me to save them.
I was a big believer in prevention. Set the boundary, keep the bad out, and protect what was good. The problem was, every now and then, just like the previous week when I’d had no choice but to kill the two men Tuss had ordered to kidnap the children…prevention failed. Now the same thing was happening again. Evil threatened my mate and his pack, and there was no other path forward to protect them. I turned to face Matthias and his men as I steeled myself for what was about to happen.