by Kitt Rose
Out of sight. Hiding.
But I wouldn't leave them. No matter what I'd promised.
A great boom rang out, echoing, and instinctively I dropped flat to the ground.
Greg was holding a gun. I swung my gaze back to Ash, panicking. He was standing, back straight and feet planted. But Elliot was on the ground, clutching his thigh. Selene stood over his writhing form, her stance wide like a gunslinger, missing only the pistol.
“Where's the girl?” Greg screamed.
Quickly and quietly, I moved deeper into the recess between the house and the camper.
“Where is she?” he yelled again when no one answered.
When his feet sounded on the porch, I spun, moving as quickly as I dared. By the time I hit the back of the house, Greg was screaming again, but I couldn't make out the words.
I didn't have much time. He was unstable, had a gun, and hated Ash with an intensity I never knew possible until he had destroyed my life.
Now I hated him with that same passion.
I snuck into the house, looking for a weapon. Something I could stop Greg with. Maybe I could catch him by surprise.
In the kitchen, I pulled the largest knife free from the butcher block with a faint rasp before moving deeper into the house. The first door I came to, I slipped inside.
It was the office we'd passed earlier. The closet door was half-open. A stack of sheets and towels lay on the floor in a jumble of faded colors. Someone had been in a hurry.
I sprinted to the door and yanked it open.
A howl outside made me jump and spin, the knife slipping out of my grip to bury itself into the carpet inches from my flip-flop clad foot. My heart hammered against my breast and I had to bite back a scream. A second howl cut off in a pained yelp as a second gun shot rang out. I spun back to the closet.
Faster, Libby.
My mystery voice was back.
This time it didn't sound like Justice. This time it sounded like no one I had ever known. Yet, somehow it was familiar.
Inside the cabinet, another door was nearly closed. I grabbed it and pulled.
Excitement and hope filled me with the vision of three gleaming gun stocks. I knew just enough about guns from Papa to grab a rifle and check to see if it was loaded.
It was.
I left the office and crept down the hall.
Where Greg had been hiding while we’d be looking for a way out of the house?
No, that wasn't important. I needed to focus. Ash was counting on me.
I slipped out of the flip-flops and tiptoed into the living room. It was virtually empty. An old-fashioned tube TV on the floor and a ratty recliner were the only furniture. The front door stood open at the far end of the room, the blinds closed in the two windows facing the front yard.
I snuck to one and peeked through the slats.
Greg was pointing a gun at Ash. Johnny had shifted. Both he and Elliot were on the ground. I had no idea how hurt they were.
The only thing I did know is that I had to end this. And the only way to do that was to shoot Greg.
I was going to have to kill Greg.
And I had absolutely no problem with it.
36
Ash
Greg had stopped screaming after Johnny shifted. In fact, he had stopped speaking at all. I was terrified and wasn't ashamed to admit it. Greg was unstable with a gun, and he had already shot Johnny and Elliot.
I wanted to go check on them, but the witch shook her head when I'd started to move. For whatever reason, she hadn't tried any magic either. She just warily watched Greg amble closer and closer, his casual swagger disturbing.
He'd just shot two men, and he didn't care in the least. Wasn't fazed at all.
Movement behind Greg caught my eye, and I focused on that.
My heart leaped into my throat, pounding a frantic beat behind my Adam's apple.
Libby stood in the doorway, a rifle to her shoulder. She crept forward, inching her way across the porch as quietly as she could. But old wooden porches make noise. It was only a matter of time before it gave her away.
I had to do something.
“Why,” I blurted. “Why Greg? If being Alpha was that important to you, why didn't you go to another pack. Or hell, have your father send me away?”
I hadn't really intended to ask, but now that the question was out, I really wanted to know the answer.
Greg laughed, the sound dry and brittle. “My father would never have let you go. He thought you were the best thing to happen to this pack. Ever. He told me straight out that he had only chosen me because I was convenient. He was relieved the Alpha was going to be finally out of our lineage. The stupid ass thought it was a curse. He never wanted the power that came with it, if you can believe that. Who turns down power like that?” he asked, incredulous.
Libby started to inch down the stairs, her bare feet silent. She had the rifle aimed at Greg's back, holding it steady.
Dear Oceanus, did she know how to shoot that thing? I wondered, the blood thundering in my ears. What was she waiting for?
Selene murmured something I didn't catch, and Greg's attention snapped to her.
“Shut your mouth, witch. I won't hesitate to kill you,” he snarled at her, taking a menacing step.
And then Libby stepped down again and the stair let out an impossibly loud groan.
My heart stopped beating as Libby froze, panic and fear making her face turn white and her eyes go wide.
Greg spun, bringing the gun up. He fired. The rifle thundered.
The crack of a second shot rang out.
I watched, as if in slow motion, as Libby went down. Flying backward, the rifle still in her hands.
Greg dropped his gun into the grass, his hands pressing into his gut. He turned slowly to face me. Blood bloomed between his fingers, thick and dark. Pulsing from the wound to pool in the grass. Incredulous eyes stared unseeing at me, then he crashed to his knees and fell face first to the ground.
I moved, leaping over Greg's prone form and racing to my mate.
Libby blinked up at me, her expression dazed.
I patted her chest and stomach, searching for a wound. Her hands clamped down on top of mine, stopping me.
I jerked my eyes back up to hers.
She smiled slowly, tight and nervous. “I'm okay. He didn't hit me, I just wasn't ready for the recoil. Been a long time since I fired a gun,” she said, reaching up to rub at her shoulder.
I went light-headed with relief. I reached down, grabbed her, and jerked her into my arms. My mouth was on hers a second later and she kissed me back desperately.
The saline of her tears was on my tongue, I eased back, cupping her face. “It's okay, sweetheart. It's over.”
“Are Johnny and Elliot alright?” she whispered.
My face went tight and hot with embarrassment. I'd completely forgotten.
I spun to find Johnny human again. A long, angry gash marked his side. The bleeding had already stopped. He was healing.
Elliot sat beside him, his pant leg soaked in blood. My brother raised his hand into the air. “Don't mind us. We're just bleeding from gunshot wounds. No big deal.”
I exhaled. If Elliot had the energy for snark, he was going to be fine.
“You'll live, you big baby,” I said with a smirk.
Selene kneeled at Greg's side. She clutched a thin bundle of plants in her hand and was using it like it was a pencil. Or maybe a wand. Selene drew fluid symbols in the air over Greg, her voice a low burr of unfamiliar words.
“He dead?” I asked when she stopped speaking.
“No. But I am making sure he sleeps until we have decided what to do with him,” she said, glancing up. “I doubt his wound is fatal with Protean healing. I know he has done you and yours wrong, but he has broken some of the strictest covenants in our society. He stole and abused a sister, made her break sacred vows. I ask your leave to take him for judgment and punishment.”
I tilted my head to the sid
e, thinking. If Greg stayed here, he would be executed. A Protean with magical abilities could not be allowed to live.
“What would you do with him?” I asked.
“We have a ceremony. It will send his soul to Hades for judgment by King Minos, Aeacus, and Radamanthus.”
“Wait, what?” Johnny asked, wincing as he moved to help Elliot stand.
I recognized the names but could not place them.
“He is the descendant of a Titan. Should he not be sent to the Underworld for judgment and then locked in the depths of Tartarus as punishment for his crimes?”
“That's possible?” I asked, suddenly recalling the three judges who determined where a soul went after death, according to ancient Greek myth. It didn't surprise me the particular myth was true. After all, I was a part of that mythology myself.
“Of course,” Selene responded. “I am the daughter of Hecate. It is how we handle all deaths in the coven, all serious crime.”
“Do that, please,” Libby whispered, and I spun to face her, concerned.
Tears coursed down her face. Her eyes were filled with as much pain as relief.
She shook her head and wiped her face with the backs of her hands. “I'm fine,” she said.
“You can take him.” It went against my instincts to allow others to handle what was my responsibility, but a true leader knew when to let go, and how to delegate.
Greg's crimes were too close to home, too personal. I knew how I wanted Greg to die, screaming and in pain, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself. And I doubted that Libby would approve.
I put an arm around my mate and helped her to her feet. “Now I don't know about the rest of you, but I really want to go home.”
Elliot laughed. “I might need a few stitches first.”
“Seconded,” Johnny mumbled.
Libby grimaced, clutching at my shirt. “And I think someone needs to look at my knee. I might have torn some stitches myself.”
I looked down at her, seeing her lips compress, and swept her into my arms. My energy had returned almost entirely with the relief that it was finally over. Sure, I was pretty confident that after a shower, a meal, and sex, I would sleep for about a week, but for now, I was fine.
Libby yelped, swatting at my chest. “I can walk.”
I shrugged, carrying her toward the trees. I paused and turned back to the witch. She stood, brushing the seat of her pants off with her hands. Selene zipped the pocket on her fanny pack and jerked her head toward Elliot and Johnny.
“Would you be so kind as to throw this sack of shit in the back? If you'll drop me at my car, I'll take him off your hands.”
“Will you let us know when it’s… When it's done?” Libby asked.
Selene nodded, but her face was thoughtful. “I think you will know. The one who watches out for you will tell you.”
Libby gasped and Selene nodded again.
“Yes, the voice you hear… When you are ready to learn more about it, come see me and I will explain what I know. It isn't much, but perhaps more than you know now.”
Libby bit her lip and nodded. Then she buried her face into Ash's neck, wrapping her arms around him.
“It's over,” she whispered, looking back up.
I looked down at her as Johnny and Elliot passed by, carrying the inert form of her tormentor. “It really is, Lib.”
She swallowed thickly, reaching up to smooth a hand down my cheek. “I love you, Asher.”
My heart clenched in my chest. I didn't think I would ever get tired of hearing those words out of her mouth.
“I love you too, Liberty. Now, how about that wedding?”
Epilogue
Libby
It took nearly a month for Ash to formally assume the role of pack Alpha. Apparently, there had never been a murdered Alpha before, and no one was quite sure about the protocol.
Another Alpha was required to officiate the transfer of power, so the nearest Protean Alpha came. It just happened to be the Marked Ash had been sent to in California.
I wanted to hate Pierre. After all, he had taken Ash away from me all those years ago. But it was impossible not to like him. He was constantly smiling and genuinely seemed happy for Ash and me.
Surprisingly, the formal ceremony was held behind closed doors. Afterwards, half the town showed up to Ash's house, flooding his backyard, to wish him well and celebrate.
I recognized so many faces from all those years ago, including most of my classmates from high school. They were all Proteans. Part of the Pack. It momentarily made me sad that I had grown up with such secrets.
My dad was in the front of the crowd, standing with Johnny. He still wore a patch over his eye, claiming it was too light-sensitive. But I wondered if the real reason was the scar that bisected his eyebrow and went straight down to his cheekbone. It was still red and raw looking.
He'd kept his sight, was alive and healthy, and that was the important part. Even better, our relationship was improving every day.
It was Ash's doing. From the stupid smile on my face to the growing closeness with my father. Being with Ash had anchored something inside of me.
I slept soundly every night, wrapped around my mate. And I'd never been happier.
Pierre pulled Ash and I onto the deck. Ash's hand was wrapped around mine, a secretive smile curving his perfect mouth. I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering what he had up his sleeve because that smile…
Pierre moved to stand behind us, placing a hand on each of our shoulders. In a loud voice that carried and silenced the crowd instantly, he said, “Proteus blesses us on this day. Today you welcome a new Alpha. A Marked One. To protect and guide your pack. Asher Thomas, son of Tobias and Lila Stefan of the wolves, who will you choose as your beta. To guard your back and help guide you in times of need?”
“Stefan. Wolves. Stefan wolf. Steppenwolf?” I muttered under my breath. “Born to Be Wild?”
Pierre's eyes snapped to mine right as the first hiccupping laugh lodged in my throat. I covered my mouth with one hand, waving my other in front of my face in a dismissive gesture, trying desperately to cover my snort. “Sorry. Just hit me.”
The California Alpha winked. “I always thought it was pretty funny myself.”
In the silence that followed, Ash grabbed my hand and squeezed. Then in that Alpha voice that was filled with power and command, he said, “I choose John James Dahl as my beta.”
I watched my uncle startle. This was a big honor. Johnny would be Ash's second in command, and everyone expected him to pick his brother, Elliot. But Ash had talked to me about it at length, and we both agreed that Elliot wouldn't be right for the role.
For as good as Elliot was, he had too much growing up to do still. And a history of resentment and jealousy that might come out at unfortunate times. Like when they disagreed.
Additionally, Johnny had shown himself to be a leader when Ash and I had been kidnapped.
I was proud of my uncle.
He climbed the steps to the deck to stand next to Ash, looking a little dazed. Ash released my hand and turned toward him.
Johnny instantly dropped to one knee in front of him, his head bowed. “I am honored,” he murmured.
The three of them, Johnny, Ash, and Pierre, disappeared into the house to complete the ceremony, leaving me on the deck alone.
Gigi broke from the crowd to come to stand with me. She slipped an arm around my shoulders, leaning in. “You look happy.”
“I am,” I murmured.
Finally, as it's supposed to be. That voice whispered in my mind.
My smile grew. Strange as it was to admit, I'd missed that voice.
“It's only going to get better,” Gigi promised.
And oddly enough, I believed her.
Nearly an hour passed before Ash, looking happy and relaxed, exited the house with Johnny and Pierre trailing behind him. He came straight to me and wrapped his arms around me, kissing the top of my head.
“Need to make a speec
h,” he said into my hair. “Then I have a surprise for you.”
He nodded to Gigi, who beamed back at him.
I narrowed my eyes at the two of them.
“Can I hug my niece?” Johnny asked, prying me from Ash.
I laughed, throwing my arms around my uncle.
“I'm glad you came home, Lib.”
“Me too,” I said with complete honesty, watching Ash walk to the edge of the deck.
He raised his arms above his head and the crowd grew quiet.
“Some pretty awful things went down in this pack, coming to a head last month. I know that there's been a lot of talk and gossip. I know you are curious and frightened. I'm going to give you the facts.
“Greg Clayton murdered his father, trying to get to my mate,” Ash gestured to me, and I crossed the deck to take his hand. “Liberty Dahl Johnston's life was terrorized by Greg Clayton because in his sick twisted mind, he thought that hurting her would somehow keep me from becoming Alpha. He thought he was the rightful Alpha. Last month he kidnapped Libby and me. It was only the quick thinking of Johnny and my brother, Elliot, as well as help from the Grand Forks coven of witches, that saved us.
“The Clayton family has been good to Homeplace. Good to this pack. They are not to blame for what occurred. They are not to blame for the actions of one man.” Ash pointed to Joshua Clayton's widow and his surviving sons. “I thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for Joshua's service and sacrifice. We may not have always seen eye to eye, but Joshua was a good man, a good Alpha, and a good Protean. We will hold a memorial for him at the next full moon.
“Now, I thank you all for coming. I am honored to be your Alpha and promise to protect this pack from harm, from outside and in. I invite you all to stay; my mother and sister have prepared a feast.”
Indeed, they had.
“Ma,” Ash called.
Lila and Izzy rushed up, grabbing me. Gigi tittered, and the three of them pulled me into the house while Ash smirked.
“What's going on?” I asked, stumbling as I tried to keep up with them as they propelled me up the stairs to Ash's room. My and Ash's room now.