by C. Larsen
“He’s not your brother anymore,” Vasily says, resting a heavy hand on my shoulder. “He betrayed you. Betrayed all of us. This is the only way.”
My back teeth clench together. How can Vasily say that? Those two grew up together. They were best friends. They both came over here from Russia together. How can he sentence him to death, just like that?
“Not just kill,” Ivan says, glancing at Nikolay from under his brows. “You need to make example of him.”
Vasily’s eyebrows shoot up. “A formal execution?”
“Traitor’s death.” Ivan’s icy stare bores into Nikolay’s across the room. “Like in the old country. Send a message to others: betrayal will not be tolerated.”
Thorns of fear prick the back of my neck. I’m not sure what a traitor’s execution looks like, but I’m certain that whatever it is, it won’t be pretty.
Chapter 8
OF course Nikolay isn’t content with me just witnessing the execution; he demands that I be a part of it.
The entire pack stands in the clearing, even the younger members like Max are here to bear witness.
Torches held aloft by various pack members fill the ring with flickering light. Nikolay has chosen four brothers to help him with the ritual: Vasily, Max’s father Grant, a big burly man named Robert, and of course me, his son and heir.
The five of us surround Mikhail, all having changed into our wolf forms. Vasily stands across the circle from me, the fur on the ruff of his neck standing up, ears laid back.
Mikhail whines, hunching in on himself, his movements still stiff from Saturday’s beating. Ivan and Sergei stand just outside the ring, the torch in Ivan’s hand illuminating his golden eyes and half-smile.
His wolf thrives on this sort of violence, but not mine.
I flatten my ears and growl deep in my throat, trying to work my wolf into a rage, or at least a low simmer, but he just looks out from my eyes, still and patient, waiting for them to get on with the spectacle.
I can’t believe it’s come to this. I wish my wolf would get with the program and rise to the occasion. This will be difficult enough as it is, and I rely on my wolf’s aggression to get me through moments like this. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do this without it.
The pack bonds are eerily silent, my brothers around me refusing to communicate with a traitor in such an intimate fashion, and Mikhail knows better than to try. It would just enrage the others, increasing the brutality of the execution.
We stand in grim silence, waiting to begin.
Nikolay is the first to lunge, striking Mikhail on his left flank. He yelps and tries to free himself. Nikolay releases him almost immediately, barely drawing blood.
I growl again, low in my throat. He betrayed the pack, I tell myself. He betrayed his brothers.
I feel my wolf finally stir, chuffing in response. This time when I growl, there’s some heat behind it.
Vasily is next to strike, raking his claws down Mikhail’s back, streaks of crimson welling up. Though our bodies look similar to wolves, there are several noticeable differences, like our size, and the fact that our retractable claws are dagger sharp, more like a cat’s than our canine cousins.
Grant jumps forward next, snapping at Mikhail’s back leg and forcing him forward into Robert’s open jaws. Robert bites down, tearing a rent near Mikhail’s right shoulder, then releases him, allowing Mikhail to dance away across the circle.
My turn. I dart forward, slashing at his ribs, bright red blood soaking into his pelt.
Mikhail lets out a yelp, cowering back, only to have Vasily lock his jaw around his rear leg. Mikhail scrambles to get away, the light from the torches reflecting in his wide, terrified eyes.
He drops onto his belly, rolling over and over, trying to break free. Vasily locks his jaw, unwilling to release him. A loud crack echoes through the night, then a gut-wrenching howl, full of pain and fear.
Mikhail’s eyes dart around the circle, finding enemies on all sides. Panicked eyes meet mine. He whines, begging me for help, for mercy.
He betrayed you, I growl to myself. There is no mercy.
I lunge forward, metallic blood exploding on my tongue.
WATER sluices down my body as I lean against the tiled wall, head ducked under the shower spout. With my eyes squeezed tight, I let the hot spray run over me, the reddish-brown water swirling at my feet as it gets sucked down the drain.
He took a long time to die.
After the first drop of blood touched my tongue, my wolf finally woke up and got in the game. Thank God for that. Even by pack standards, that was a hard way to go.
Ivan didn’t just want Mikhail to die—he wanted him to suffer.
I lean my head back, allowing the hot spray to hit me full in the face. Rinsing my mouth out again, I grimace. It’s no use. I can’t rid myself of the taste of Mikhail’s blood.
Scrubbing my body one last time, I turn off the water and step out of the shower. Steam lays thick in the air and I have to wipe away the condensation before viewing my reflection in the mirror. Hard, silver eyes stare back.
“He was a traitor,” I tell myself. “It was necessary. He brought it on himself.”
An image of Mikhail’s broken body rises up, skin flayed to ribbons, dead eyes staring.
I twist, barely making it to the toilet in time. The arid taste of bile mixes with the metallic tang still lingering on my tongue, causing another wave of stomach contractions. Hard tile bites into my knees as my stomach kicks and contorts.
When it’s over, I wipe the clammy sweat from my face and rinse the bile from my mouth.
Walking on unsteady legs, I throw on a pair of basketball shorts and head outside for a run. Even though I’ve had less than three hours sleep in the last forty-eight hours, I know I won’t be able to close my eyes unless I first clear my head.
Jogging down the stone steps leading from the side patio, I pick up speed. I head for the tree line, intending to shift and run on all fours, but a scent on the breeze stops me.
“Isabel?” I turn, peering through the darkness, my wolf’s night vision easily picking out her light hair and luminescent skin. “What are you doing out here?”
She shrugs, almost self-conscious. “I couldn’t sleep. I was hoping you might still be up; I wanted to see how you were doing…”
“I’m fine,” I lie.
Her eyes scrutinize my face and I wonder if she knows I was just throwing up moments ago. Not giving anything away, I keep my gaze steady on hers, but I have a feeling she sees through me anyway.
“Yeah, well, I’m not,” she says bluntly.
“We did what we had to do,” I tell her, squaring my jaw.
“I know you did.” Her crystalline blue eyes stay locked on mine. “I know Nikolay didn’t give you any choice.” Her mouth twists bitterly. “I just wonder…” She looks down at the ground, the toe of her shoe prodding at a clump of grass. “Was that really necessary? I mean, he was our pack brother. Why couldn’t Nikolay just let him leave? Did he really deserve what you—what they all did to him?”
My back stiffens, a growl rising in my throat. “What’s done is done,” I say. She should know better than to rehash past decisions. Mikhail made his choice. He decided to run with his human, and Nikolay chose to execute him for it. There’s nothing I could have done to change that, and even if there was, moaning about it now won’t change anything. “What’s done is done,” I say again, more gruffly this time.
“Is it though?” I cock my head at her and she continues, “I know you couldn’t stop what happened to Mikhail. Even if you tried, Nikolay wouldn’t have listened to you. Ivan wanted Mikhail killed, and he always gets what he wants…”
“Nikolay is Alpha,” I say, my voice hard. “He gave the command. Not Ivan.” The fact that she would even question this means Ivan has been undermining him more than I thought.
She averts her eyes. “Of course. It was Nikolay’s decision.” She peeks up at me through her lashes, gauging my
expression. “But do you think that Mikhail deserved that?”
I lock my jaw and give her a hard stare. “It doesn’t matter what I think. Nikolay is Alpha.”
“But he won’t be Alpha forever.”
I freeze, every muscle locking tight. “What are you saying?”
She bites her bottom lip, but tilts her head back to meet my eyes. “If you were Alpha, would you have had him executed?”
I narrow my eyes at her, willing her to drop it. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter. You can’t bring Mikhail back, I know that. But we all say ‘what’s done is done,’ as if thinking about the past or second guessing our choices somehow weakens us. But it doesn’t. We can’t change the past, but we can learn from it. You may not be able to change anything right now, but one day you’ll be Alpha, and you’ll be able to change the rules.”
I gaze at her, unable to find my voice. Most of the time, I try to block out this sort of thinking. It’s easier to follow Nikolay’s commands if I don’t think too deeply about them. About how wrong some of them seem. Trying to ignore that knot in the pit of my stomach, the one that tells me this is wrong, that I shouldn’t be doing this. For some reason, I always thought I was the only one in the pack to have misgivings about the laws we’re forced to live by, the orders we are forced to obey. But Isabel is right. The day will come when Nikolay is no longer around to give those orders, and then I’ll be the one to enforce our laws. Or to change them.
But this is dangerous thinking. Nikolay is still in his prime. It will be decades before he steps down. Look at Ivan—as old as he is, he still holds the Alpha position, and it’s not for lack of challenges. Nikolay was forced to move halfway across the world to form his own pack before he could take an Alpha position.
I could always challenge Nikolay to a dominance fight.
I immediately shut that thought down. Even thinking it is treason. Besides, I may be cocky, but I know I’d have no chance against him. Maybe one day, once I have more experience under my belt. One day I will be able to lead the pack. Enforce the laws. Change them.
One day. Not now. Not any time soon.
“Have you talked to Derek?” Isabel asks, changing the subject after I’ve been silent too long. “About Alexis?” Her normally sharp eyes are soft with worry. “He can’t keep seeing her. Not after what happened with Mikhail. It’s too dangerous.”
“I talked to him. He’s gonna break it off.” I make my voice reassuring, though my gut tightens and I hope she can’t smell the lie in my scent. I remember the way he and Alexis looked at school earlier. Their heads bent close together. Intimate. Almost conspiratorial. I hope he’s not planning on doing anything stupid. After tonight, he has to see how dangerous that is.
Chapter 9
I get up early the next morning, my sleep interrupted by flashes of Mikhail’s flayed body, his dead eyes glaring at me in accusation. Every once in a while, Mikhail’s face would morph into Derek’s, and then it would be his skin shredded by my claws, his blood in the back of my throat, so thick I choke.
Giving up any attempt to sleep after yet another nightmare—this one of myself transforming into Ivan and dancing in a shower of Derek’s blood—I dress as soon as the sky begins to lighten and set out to find the source of my anxiety.
Derek is still sleeping when I tap on his window. He jumps, fear crossing his face for a moment before he schools his features and unlatches the window.
“What happened? Is everyone okay?” Derek asks, gaze flicking over my shoulder, searching the woods behind me as if expecting an armed guard.
“Everything’s fine, for now. But we need to talk.” I fix him with a gimlet-eyed stare. He glances away. He knows what I want to discuss. Or rather, who. Pulling on a pair of jeans, he follows me out into the woods where we won’t be overheard.
Keeping my face blank, I cross my arms and lean back against a large oak tree and try to hide the fear that has plagued me all night. “You have to do it, you know.”
“You don’t understand, Gray. It’s not that simple.”
“It is that simple. She’s a human. You know you can’t have anything long-term with her. You have a responsibility to your pack. To your Alpha. To me.” His glare bores into mine. He opens his mouth to say something, but I cut him off. “Don’t make me do to you what I did to Mikhail.”
The ire in his scent dissipates, replaced by grief, and a hint of guilt. “Gray…”
I study his expression and the smell of guilt grows. “You’re running away, aren’t you?”
His silence is all the answer I need.
No. No, no, no. This can’t happen. He can’t do this.
“Does she know about you, Derek? Does she know what you are?” Dread pools in my stomach. How much has he told her? Will Nikolay have to kill her as well? Will I?
He looks down, avoiding my gaze. “She knows who I am,” he says, sidestepping the question. “That’s all that matters.”
Relief flares for a brief moment. He didn’t tell her he’s a werewolf. Maybe I can still salvage the situation. “You can’t run. Did you learn nothing from last night? Do you honestly think Nikolay isn’t going to find you? And what happens when she discovers what you are? Do you really think she’s still going to want to be with you?”
“Yeah, I do. She loves me. And I love her.” His defiant gaze meets mine. “Besides, none of that matters right now. She’s pregnant.”
Shocked silence meets this pronouncement. I can’t find my voice. Frenzied buzzing fills my head like static.
When I don’t respond, Derek continues, anxiety filling his eyes. “I just found out; that's why she came by Sunday. She was going to tell me then. Since I sent her away, she told me yesterday at school instead. Thank god she didn't tell me when Ivan was around or he’d have overheard. You know what this means. You know what Nikolay will do if he finds out. I can’t ‘dilute’ the pack. He’ll kill her, Gray.” His voice cracks. “He’ll kill Lexi and my baby.”
When I find my voice, it’s sharp with rage. “I told you to stay away from her. How could you be so reckless?” My voice drops dangerously. “I told you to break it off. I warned you. You should have listened.”
Unable to look at him another moment, I storm away. I have to get out of here. If I stay, I might seriously hurt him.
I hardly pay attention in classes all day. I’m sure my inattention is noticed, but I don’t care. How can Derek be thinking of running? He just saw what happens to traitors; we all did. He has to know he’ll be caught. Executed. Him and Alexis both.
I’m still torn over my decision about Derek, even though I’ve thought of little else all day. Am I doing the right thing? If I don’t turn him in to Nikolay, then not only will I be betraying my pack, my Alpha, my family, but I might be signing Derek’s death warrant as well. If I do nothing, and he’s caught trying to run away, then he’ll be executed the same as Mikhail. Maybe worse. Ivan will push to have an example made of him, and knowing Ivan, he will get his way.
If I do turn him in, then Derek will be punished, and I’ll be the one doing the punishing. But at least he won’t be executed. Derek will live. But Alexis… If Ivan or Nikolay find out that she’s pregnant, Alexis will most certainly be killed. She won’t be allowed to carry a half-breed to term.
I steel my spine. This is the only way. No use in putting it off any longer. Jaw clenched, I set off to find Alexis.
THE interior of the Hummer is quiet on the way home from school. I focus on driving, trying not to let my emotions leak out into my scent. Derek isn’t as successful. Fear and worry permeate the air. No one says anything, but they can all smell it, and they know something’s going on.
Zak looks back and forth between us, suspicion written all over his face. Isabel worries her bottom lip, but keeps her thoughts to herself. Miles stares out the window the whole way, refusing to look at either of us, afraid of having to choose sides, I guess. Veronika is the only one who doesn’t seem overly interested in the
drama as she busily texts away on her phone, bobbing along to the radio.
The silence stretches out, persisting the entire way home. I drop everyone off at their houses, dreading the night to come. Before Derek gets out, his eyes lock with mine, somber. Resigned. I wonder if Alexis told him about our conversation. I hope not. I warned her. I told her what would happen if she did, but that doesn’t count for much. You can never trust a human.
My stare is hard, expressionless. Refusing to give anything away. With a sigh, he heaves himself out of the vehicle.
Isabel is the last stop. She tries to ask me about Derek, but I shake my head. I can’t tell her anything. I’m afraid she might talk me out of my decision.
Finally, I pull up to Silver Ridge Manor. Throwing the car into park, I leap out. I have to move fast, before Derek tries to run. As I enter, I’m relieved to hear Nikolay’s voice coming from down the hall.
“We have to talk,” I say as soon as I’m within hearing distance. His gold eyes flash at being issued a command. “It’s about Derek,” I clarify, hoping to forestall any reprimand.
“I thought you had that handled?” Ivan says, stepping out from the open doorway leading to the dining hall.
Refusing to look at Ivan, I keep my gaze on Nikolay, waiting for his response. With a nod, he indicates I follow him into his office. Unsurprisingly, Ivan tags along.
“What’s the problem?” Nikolay says as the door shuts.
“Derek is still seeing the human, despite my orders.”
“I knew you couldn’t handle it. Pups think they can walk all over you,” Ivan says, a sneer twisting his mouth.
“What are you going to do about it?” Nikolay asks, ignoring Ivan.
“I ask for the right to punish him myself. Tonight. He needs to be taught a lesson.”
“And what if the lesson fails, as it did with Mikhail?” Nikolay’s stare bores into mine, demanding I give the correct answer.