by Amanda LeMay
“Rule Arawn.” Ralph’s deep voice echoed throughout the barn. “As a pack Alpha, it’s your responsibility to know our laws. If for some reason you don’t know them, didn’t bother to find them out, or know them but thought you were above that, you’ve got a problem. Ignorance don’t count for shit, and even worse, knowing the laws and breaking them anyway, that’s just fucking stupid. And again, your problem. So here’s what’s gonna happen. I’m gonna ask you a couple of questions; you’re gonna answer. I’m gonna tell you what’s gonna happen, give you a little time to say your piece, though nothing you say will change our decision.”
My mother lunged forward a step and shouted, “How dare you?” She pointed at me. “You believe her twisted lies—”
“Listen, female.” Ralph addressed my mother slow and easy. “Because Rule has secluded his pack from the rest of the wolf world, I’m gonna give you that one outburst, and because you may not realize this, Alphas can pick out a liar before they even open their damn, lying mouths. Now, we are allowing you here as a courtesy to your pack leader, so you need to step back and keep your mouth shut.”
My mother opened her mouth again, “I will not stand by and—”
“Rule,” Ralph interrupted with a growl. “You know wolf justice and if you don’t, oh well, sucks to be you, but I swear if you don’t silence that female, I will personally wrestle her down, tie her, gag her, and toss her ass out.”
Rule nodded silently, then turned his head toward my mother, who seemed to wilt under his glare. She bowed her head and stepped back without another word.
“Did you send five of your pack to kill cattle here in Comfort?”
“No, I did not.”
Truth. But I’d already known that. He’d lost control over his pack members, his sons, and that alone made Rule appear weak to the other Alphas.
“You understand that you are responsible for the actions of your pack?”
“Yes, I do.”
Ralph nodded. “Is Simone Mowbray your direct descendant, the daughter of your daughter?”
“Yes.”
“Are there any members of your pack who are not direct descendants?”
“Yes. There are three females and one male who come from other packs.”
Truth. I knew of each female, and with Blaze’s confession at the hotel, there was no mistaking he was the outside male.
“Did you at any time ask for Simone’s permission to burn three brands into her body?”
Rule closed his eyes slowly and answered. “No.” If his bowed head was from remorse, I couldn’t tell.
“Did you, in Simone’s presence, order the death of a defenseless female?”
Rule’s jaws clenched as he raised his chin. His fangs hung long over his lower lip. His dark eyes swept the barn as his hands clenched into fists at his sides.
“You have no right,” his voice rose for the first time, “to question me regarding the punishment of my pack members!” Rule ended on an angry shout.
Again, he spoke the truth, and my heart clenched. That unknown female’s death would not count against him.
Ralph cocked his head to the side. His eyes gleamed with intelligence. “Why are there no silver wolves in your pack?”
Rule’s heated gaze flicked to Gunner, then to me, and finally back to Ralph. “They were a burden on the pack and no longer necessary.” I heard the tight control he held on his voice.
Menacing growls erupted all around.
“Their deaths were quick and painless,” Rule snapped with a sneer.
Truth. Even so, the truth didn’t make all the murders Rule had committed any more acceptable.
And for the first time since I’d entered the barn, I had to turn my face away from Rule. How was it possible that this male was my father? This male who showed no remorse whatsoever for all he had done to those he should have loved? He didn’t see his pack members as family. They were little more than slaves.
Ralph fisted his hands at his sides. “Well, thanks for sharing that, but it sure as hell does not justify their deaths.”
The chorus of snarls and growls moved like a rippling wave, back and forth through the barn. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.
I sucked in a breath and no matter how much he disgusted me, I forced myself to look into Rule’s face again.
“Rule, you’ve been charged with and found guilty of torture and mutilation of a pack member, and the murders of an inconceivable number of your own pack members.” Ralph shook his head. “Fucking hell. They were your own children.” Ralph pinched the bridge of his nose then wiped his hand across his face. Not hiding any of the disgust he obviously felt, he stared straight into Rule’s face. “This tribunal will oversee the disbanding and relocation of your pack. That’s all we can offer them. At least they’ll live long lives, well into their silver years.” Ralph paused, seeming to wait for Rule to comment, but Rule only nodded silently. “You won’t be joining them. Rule Arawn, your sentence is death.”
“No.” My mother gasped in shock and grabbed at Rule’s arm. “No. No! No! No!” Her last word ended on an ear-splitting shriek before she collapsed to the dirt floor, wrapped her arms around Rule’s ankles, and sobbed uncontrollably.
Rule stood there and sighed in annoyance, as if this tribunal was so far beneath him, he didn’t need the bother. His upper lip curled back over his fangs. His eyes narrowed as he looked down at my mother kneeling at his feet, pleading for his life.
Strange...I felt nothing for her as she lay there crying. Nothing. Both Rule and my mother had stripped any remorse or regret from me that I might have felt in the past. My mother beat it from me, whereas Rule burned it from me. Oh, there was still pain. I’d buried it deep, even though I understood it would come back to haunt me one day. But with Gunner by my side, I’d handle it. I’d be okay. Really and truly okay.
Ralph went on. “Your company will dissolve its assets. The wealth will be distributed throughout your pack so each member will go to his or her new pack with money of their own. Because of your inbreeding, your offspring will never be allowed to procreate. Ever. This law applies to all of your offspring, even those you’ve bred outside of your pack. From this day forward, if they break our law and produce offspring, this tribunal will show no mercy. The pup will be destroyed, as well as the offending offspring. Your bloodline will die out.”
My mother wailed into the dirt. Her body shook with her sobs.
Two of the Alphas closest to Rule shifted simultaneously into their human forms, slowly approached my mother and, though she struggled to keep her arms locked in place, they gently pulled her from around Rule’s ankles. Another sob tore from her as they lifted her.
Rule glared at her, his eyes dark stone, his jaw clenched tight as he spoke. “Take her away from me.”
One of the males stopped and stared at Rule. “We’re removing her for her own sake, not because you have any authority to issue orders here.” Then he turned and accompanied the other male as the large, wooden door slid to one side. Sorin and Taber stood guard outside the barn and Sorin pulled the big door closed, muffling my mother’s cries.
Rule’s dark blue stare locked on me. “You have broken your mother’s heart. You have condemned not only your Alpha, your own father, but also your entire pack.” He sneered.
Truth. Again. At least he believed what he said.
It didn’t matter. I wouldn’t take on his guilt.
Warm fingers laced between mine. I turned and looked up into Gunner’s beautifully handsome face, soft now with concern, and a question in his eyes.
“I’m okay.” The words came out automatically, but it was the truth.
Gunner’s eyebrows furrowed for just a moment as his fingers tightened around my hand.
Ralph cleared his throat. “Rule, you got anything you wanna say?”
Rule’s eyes took in each Alpha before they settled on Ralph once more. “No.”
“Simone.” Ralph turned to me, his voice gentle. “You have anything you need to say
?”
I stared at Rule and held his defiant scowl. Though I hated him for what he’d put me through, what he’d done had become a blessing. I’d found out who I really was and where I was supposed to be, and who I would spend the rest of my life with. I could thank him, acknowledge that, in a weird way, his abuse had actually done me some good. Made me stronger. I could also cross the barn and slap that smug look from his cruel face.
Instead, I let the satisfaction of knowing justice would be done fill and lighten me. I cocked my head slightly and easily held his arrogant glare.
And then, it happened. He lowered his gaze, bowed his head, and gave in.
Every Alpha in the barn swung his head my way and nodded. By maintaining my honor, I had earned their respect.
“Rule Arawn, because this decision was made by a tribunal, you have the right to choose your death. This is not a challenge. You’ve lost the right to defend yourself. You struggle, you fight back, I swear, we’ll tie your ass down and gut you slow, piece by piece. Whatever you choose, we can make it quick, but it sure as hell won’t be painless.”
“I understand.” Rule’s gaze shifted to Gunner. “I choose...Simone.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
THE WOLF IN ME JUMPED for joy, eager and ready to sink my teeth into Rule’s soft neck and bite, and crush, and tear until he breathed his last breath. And, as he bled out, I’d roll in his cooling blood, and wear it on my black fur like a crimson cloak of victory.
A deep, rumbling growl rose up from Gunner. “No. Fucking. Way.”
What? No!
I turned to face Gunner, and forced myself to remain calm, kept my voice low and level. “I want to do this. This is my justice.” My chance to give back some of the pain Rule forced upon me. My turn to leave scars he’d never recover from.
Gunner stepped closer, his chest touching my breasts, his eyes soft. Calloused fingers brushed my cheek. His lips parted and he whispered, “Sakana...” He shook his head slowly.
“Gun...” He would block my claim. And to stand and argue with him openly, in front of the tribunal, I would only embarrass myself.
“Sakana.” Gunner’s deep, whispered voice flowed over me, soothed me. “I know this is your justice, but it’s my duty, my privilege, my honor.” He lifted his head and spoke to the assembly, his Alpha power filling the barn. “Simone is a member of my pack, my female, my mate. It’s my right to stand in her place.”
I understood there were excellent advantages to being the mate of an Alpha male, but at the moment, having to resign myself to Gunner’s wishes irked my inner wolf to no end. I let out a long exhale and swallowed hard.
Neeta shifted into her human form and stepped to block Rule from our sight, facing us as her lips moved to form two silent words: “Collateral damage.”
Brenin appeared at my side, his gaze locked on his father. He nodded, as if he and Gunner had wordlessly agreed upon something they might have discussed beforehand. I glared around Neeta’s shoulder. Rule cocked an eyebrow at me, an evil grin curving his thin lips.
This was a trap. Rule had chosen me because he knew Gunner would step in. Being the Comfort pack Alpha, he was the only one who could.
Gunner gazed down at me and murmured, “Keep her safe. Keep them both safe.”
“Gun...” I reached for him. My hand slid over the silky fur that suddenly spread down his thick arm.
Everything happened so fast.
Every Alpha in the barn shifted into his Breeder form, surrounding me in a cage of fur and muscle and bone. My two nameless brothers had also shifted, though only into small, black wolves, and centered their sudden attack on Neeta, who had also taken on her Breeder form. Her jaws clamped around the neck of one male, and with one, bone-crushing bite, he dropped lifeless to the barn floor. The other male lunged. Neeru grabbed him in her huge claws, spun, and threw him half the length of the barn. A sudden crack of bones echoed through the air as he hit a wooden post. He flopped to the ground and didn’t move again. With the speed at which Neeta and Neeru put them down, it was obvious those two males had no natural instincts or fight training whatsoever. By keeping his pack secluded, Rule had left every one of his offspring defenseless.
The wall of Alphas closed in tighter around me. Brenin, who had also taken on his Breeder form, wrapped his long arms around me. Vicious snarls rose up in a chorus, accompanied by the hard crack of snapping teeth.
“I can’t see. I need to see!” I cried as I pulled myself up at Brenin’s shoulders. “Please, I need to see!”
Brenin growled, but lifted me up just the same.
Rule stood in his Breeder form, coal black with streaks of gray through his face and ears. He was at least six inches shorter than any other Alpha. He lifted his muzzle to the sky, and opened his arms wide as if he were welcoming death with honor.
It was too good to be true.
Gunner moved lightning-fast. Rule was ready, and swung out his left arm. Gunner blocked it easily. Rule jabbed in with his right. Gunner swatted him away. Rule’s sharp claws swiped across Gunner’s neck, opening a long, deep gash. Gunner’s hand-like paws wrapped around Rule’s throat, but instead of killing him, Gunner hesitated. His gaze caught mine. He didn’t want me to watch. I could feel it. He wanted me to look away. But I’d seen death. I knew what it looked like, sounded like, and I needed to see this death to know it was real.
In that small hesitation, Rule took another swipe, a claw connecting at Gunner’s shoulder and running the length of his torso, splitting his skin and muscle as Gunner grunted in pain. Gunner’s long claws disappeared into Rule’s flesh. Rule arched his back, opened his jaws, and seemed to drown as a gurgling howl sprayed dark red all over Gunner’s face. Gunner cocked his elbows and pulled. The sound of snapping tendons, ripping ligaments, and tearing muscles filled the barn, along with a heady, copper smell. Rule’s body stood for only a moment more, his dark eyes staring into Gunner’s face, before he finally collapsed to the dirt floor. A long, high-pitched wheeze came from Rule’s mouth as his last breath left him.
Bloody, grisly handfuls of Rule’s throat hit the dirt floor of the barn with sickening plops. Dark red liquid dripped from Gunner’s claws, as well as from the wound in his neck and the long gash running down his torso. His bright green eyes locked on to mine. Rule’s blood dripped from his chin. I had the overwhelming urge to smear it all over my body. Gunner took a step toward me, then collapsed to his knees.
“Gun...Gun...” My throat was so tight, his name came out as a squeaky whisper. “Gun, oh, Gun.”
I shoved at Brenin’s arms. He lowered me to the ground as the Alphas surrounding us parted to let us through.
“Gun, please.” I ran the few steps that separated us. He fell to his side, grunting in pain as he hit the ground. “Gun, no, no, no. Stay with me. Oh please, Gun, stay with me.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
LOW, DEEP VOICES, ANXIOUS and concerned, filled the barn.
“Where’s Kern?” Neeta asked as she knelt at Gunner’s other side. “Dammit, he was supposed to be here.”
The barn door slid open. Someone ran out while others ran in.
“Somebody get Kern here now!” Brenin shouted from beside me.
“He’s on his way,” Taber said as he knelt next to Neeta.
I focused on Gunner, holding his hand as I stared into his eyes. “You’ll be fine. You’ll be fine. Kern will be here soon. You’re an Alpha. You’ll heal quickly. Just lie still.” I leaned in and touched my lips to his, tasting Rule’s blood. I couldn’t help myself. I rubbed my cheek against Gunner’s goatee, smearing the blood of my enemy over my face and, oh, it felt so right.
Gunner grabbed my hair and yanked my mouth back to his, kissing me hard and deep as he growled down my throat. He let out a sharp howled as his wounds pulled and a new flow of blood seeped out of his neck and chest and into the dirt.
Though a horrified shriek threatened to burst from my lips, I shoved the panic away and managed a little smile.
&nbs
p; “What are you doing? Anything more than kissing will have to wait.” With shaking hands, I gently rolled him flat on his back.
“Damn, that hurts.” He grimaced, but pulled my lips back to his. “You have no idea how much I want to fuck you right now,” he whispered against my mouth.
“You have no idea how much I want you to do just that.” I smiled into our next kiss. “Don’t worry, you’ll get your chance.” I stroked my fingers through the blood painted on his forehead. “Must be one of those natural-instinct things from back in ancient times.” If he didn’t lie still and wait for Kern, he might not get the chance to do much of anything.
Maygan’s scent floated into the barn, along with Derry’s. “Five minutes. Maybe three,” Maygan said as Neeta and Taber moved out of her way. She knelt next to Gunner and opened a large case Derry laid on the ground beside her. Maygan’s eyes flashed up and down Gunner’s body before she grabbed a few items from the case. “Um, Derry, where’s that sheet? I think Gunner needs it a little more than Rule.”
“Yep, I can see that.” Before Derry flipped the sheet out to cover Gunner’s lower half, I glanced down. Gunner’s fully erect cock pointed straight at me.
My face heated and my mouth watered. A cascade of emotions warred inside of me—love and lust, possessiveness and jealousy, protectiveness and pride. Gunner was mine. My male. My mate.
“Baby,” Gunner whispered as his fingers tugged lightly at my hair. “Can’t help it.”
“Simone.” Maygan held a gauze compress out to me. “You need to clean him up as best you can until Kern gets here.”
Gunner smiled and released my hair. I took the compress from Maygan and began wiping the worst of the blood away. Neither Derry nor Maygan made a move to touch him, which at that moment, was a very good thing. Even though I knew they would only reach out to help him, with the possessive way I felt, I might have bitten their hand off if they tried.