The Big, Bad…

by Nina S. Gooden

  A sense of dread tunneled up my spine, and Aldrich slammed back into my mind. Leave. Run away, Roux.

  I ignored him, feeling hidden truths skim across my mind just out of reach. He was hiding something from me. This was my chance to find out what. “By…whom?”

  The series of barks Aldrich let loose were too slow. I remembered what Mina told me about wolf pairings lasting even after death just as the sound of Aldrich’s voice reminded me I could use his power unhindered by the Wolf Moon. I remembered this as the image of Sandulf’s mate blurred with speed in front of me.

  She appeared beside me, her mouth so close to my ear I felt the breath leave her lungs. “The Splitter, my sister. The Splitter framed and killed my mate to keep his knowledge. The Splitter. The man who is trying to kill you. Your father.”

  Aldrich shoved her away from me, and she slammed against one of the pillars, slipping into unconsciousness. In one continued motion, he picked me up and ran, taking me to the safety of the trees before he let me go. “Are you whole, liebling? She did not harm you, did she?” I felt him trying to push into my mind, but I was so fragile he pulled away immediately.

  “Mate, you must tell me. Are you injured?”

  Devastated was the only word that came to my mind. “She was lying, right?” My voice broke with the unsteady words. “Even if it’s my…even if the Splitter is trying to hurt us, there’s no way that he’s my father, right?”

  My mate refused to meet my eyes. They filled with tears. Again I sensed a shadow of uncertainty flutter over his mind, but this time he didn’t hide it from me. He knew. They all knew, could smell my father with every breath I took. I shuddered, remembering the anger in Mina’s voice whenever she spoke of how he treated me. The Splitter was supposed to be…more.

  “He is the Splitter.”

  Tears of betrayal stung my nose and eyes. “How long have you known?”

  “I knew the first time I kissed you.”

  The whole time. He had told me stories of the great and powerful Splitter and knew who he was the entire time. He’d kept it from me and now…the stirring in his mind caused me to gasp between tears. “And Granny? Did you know that she was the girl?”

  He shook his head roughly. “No. Her scent was altered somehow, changed. Perhaps with…”

  He trailed off, and I couldn’t force myself to ask for any more information. “You’re wrong, Aldrich. My father would never hurt me. How could you keep something like this from me?”

  "Liebling, please try to understand. A great peace was built on the story of the Splitter. He is a paragon of good to many. What do you think would happen if the truth came out?"

  I hissed, trying to keep my panting under control. "You have all thought he was trying to kill me from the start and said nothing? So people wouldn't freak out?!"

  "No!" The sharp command of his voice made my heartbeat stutter. He immediately gentled his tone. "It never occurred to me that he would actually attempt to hurt you. He treats you poorly, yes, but it is a far cry from murder."

  My body began to shake so hard, I thought my teeth would shatter. I shook my head violently, hoping to clear his words from my memory. He continued to speak. "Only the Undecided and I have been able to scent you thus far. We thought it would spare you pain if we kept it amongst ourselves. I never meant to hurt you."

  My throat hurt from the need to scream at him. I took another step back. I knew the moment he realized I was about to flee.

  He tried to reach out, to wrap his arms around me, but I was too fast. Deep down in the hidden vast of my mind, I felt a bright light call out and beckon to me. Aldrich moved closer, trying to soothe me, but even though he was speaking, I couldn’t hear his words.

  Touch me, the light whispered. I can give you strength.

  I swallowed. “You’re wrong about him. The fact that…if my father is the Splitter, it means he’s a good man. The Splitter is a legend. He’s a hero!”

  “A good man wouldn’t have spent so many years making you feel like you don’t mean anything. You sleep in a closet, mate. A good man, a man at all, protects his treasures. You haven’t been cherished by a hero; you’ve been neglected and hurt by a coward who I believe is trying to kill us now. All things considered, he is no hero in my book, and I don’t trust him.”

  The breath I took was heavy with the light which reached for me. I let it out sharply and closed my eyes when the tunnel of wind left my lungs and hit my mate.

  Dizzied, I stepped back, watching him take to the air. His body smacked into the trunk of a tree. A rush of concern sliced through me, but Aldrich was up and coming toward me before I could worry too much.

  “You are being unreasonable, liebling,” he whispered.

  “No, you’re wrong. You’re so wrong, and I’m going to prove it.” I pulled hard on the light, which was Aldrich’s power, and crouched low, shooting myself into the air. He called to me, shouted my name, but I flew high above the treetops.

  He’d chase me, but I knew there was no way he’d be fast enough to catch me. In the back of my mind, I heard his voice fading as I moved away. I know why you feel you must do this but…be careful.

  Pushed with a mixture of fear and desperation, I reached town with more speed than seemed possible. Dodging my neighbors was also surprisingly easy…I simply moved faster than they could see.

  And so, I found myself standing in front of the place I called home so quickly I hadn’t given myself enough time to cope with…well, everything. The walls I had left not too long ago seemed cold and unappealing. The same sense of foreboding I experienced at Grandma’s cottage snuck up my spine, but I pushed it away as swiftly as I recognized it.

  “Daddy! I’m sorry I was out all night, but I’m back now!” I stepped across the threshold with a huge smile plastered on my face, expecting to be met with my father’s usual preoccupied silence. What I was met with chilled me all the way to my marrow.

  Instead, he glanced over his shoulder and met my gaze. For the first time I could remember, this man who called himself my father met my eyes with his own. In those painfully still seconds, I found out where I got my stubborn chin and my straight nose. I recognized those features as if I were looking in a mirror. And yet…I stared into the blazing eyes of a stranger. A stranger who felt no love for me. “You’re still alive.”

  I flinched at the ice in his voice; the tears I had fought back by sheer disbelief came rushing forward and gathered. The burn in my nose slid down my throat and settled as a dull ache in my breast. “W-why wouldn’t I be?”

  My father stood up from his desk and turned to face me. The smile he tossed me caused me to tremble. “Well, after I sent the Hunters after you, I figured they could follow simple enough kill-on-sight orders. Perhaps I overestimated them. They don’t make Hunters like they used to.”

  A high, keening noise choked my throat and escaped along with my tears. The years I’d spent desperately seeking his approval, hoping he would love me, went up in flames. My father, my own parent, wanted me dead.

  The pain I felt made my voice strained and high. I sounded like the forlorn child I was when I whispered, “I thought you loved me.”

  Cruel, icy laughter flew across the room and pierced my skin like arrows. “The only person I’ve ever loved betrayed me and stuck me with a constant reminder of what I’d lost.” I didn’t hear him moving, but when I lifted my head, I found him leaning casually against the door frame of the closet that had been my room. I saw all of my things had already been removed.

  He never wanted me. “Why, then,” I gasped thought my tears. “Why not just g-get rid of me years ago?”

  The Splitter shrugged lazily. “I thought about it. I even took you out in that little boat to do it, but then I remembered something that dog said before I cut him into bloody chunks. He said I needed a woman to find the Blut-kette."

  My knees gave out, and I hit the floor hard. It had all been a lie. Every ounce of it had been a twisted game to him.

  He cont
inued talking, ignoring my whimper of pain. "I would have had one, too, if not for that whore sympathizer. You see, I have a little bit of a temper. When the girl refused to tell me what I needed to know, I accidently killed the mutt before I was ready. I intended to use the Blut-kette on him. As an experiment to ensure the little slut gave me what I wanted, but he just couldn't recover after so many slices. Pity."

  I forced myself to focus on what he was saying and part of what he said caught my attention. “Sympathizer?”

  Dark rage passed by the Splitter’s face. “I made the mistake of trusting your whore of a mother, and she ended up betraying me. She tried to save the worthless bitch from me, me. It was because of her that the girl got away. It took me all these years to find her again. She made me so angry I lost sight of my goals. I wasted precious time wiping her from existence. She is why we had to spend those years in that shitty little harbor town. I couldn't have anyone remembering me or finding her body, so we pulled a little disappearing act. Just long enough for memories to lessen. Skeletons to be buried, so to say.” He laughed at his sick joke.

  By the time he finished spewing his hatred, I was trembling with the need to throw up. This monster had killed my mother. He’d taken my chance to be loved without a care and then kept me as a pawn. He continued talking, his moss green eyes darkening with perverted pleasure. I could tell he was only telling me to cause me pain. He enjoyed it.

  “To be honest, that mongrel was never part of the plan, but I like to have backups. What was his name? Aldrich, of course. Well, old habits die hard, I suppose. Framing the first was so easy, why not try another? Not to mention I was itching for a good hunt. I wasn’t going to kill him immediately, no, but can you imagine what those flea-bitten dogs would have given to have the one thing that would save their precious Prince from a good old-fashioned burning?”

  I steeled myself against his hatred. Against the thought of what he planned for my mate. “The Blut-kette. You murdered three people for some stupid legend? For greed?”

  The Splitter twisted his face into a mask of rage. “I murdered no one. I put down an animal and euthanized two faithless sluts.”

  Black venom tainted the green of his eyes. Muscles corded at the base of his throat as he spoke, and one eyelid ticked frantically. Spittle flew from his mouth and his crazed eyes darted about the room, but I needed him to talk. I needed to understand why. “What did Granny ever do to you?”

  He took a step toward me. “She had it. She had it the whole time, but she wouldn’t tell me where it was. She wouldn’t give it to me no matter what I tried!” He panted under the weight of his rage. “Her death was her own fault. If she’d just given me the damned thing, I would have let her go.”

  A small breath came out of me in the form of words. "So why…why kill me now?"

  "What can I say? In addition to my temper, I possess a certain lack of patience. I was getting tired of waiting for you to find it. Quite frankly, dear, I'm sick of you. I hate everything about you, and I didn't think I could stand to be in your presence for another day."

  Disgust, shock, and loss wove themselves through me with thick, heavy chains. The Splitter moved closer to me and all I could do was stare, frozen in one spot by a terror born of my broken heart.

  He sank down on his haunches and wound a finger in the curtains of my red hair. His voice sang a deceptively gentle song. “Well, my little Roux? When you escaped my Hunters, I assumed the beast had taken you. The monster didn’t tear you apart, so you must have…” He trailed off and jerked back and away from me. Sinking deeper into thick, black despair, I heard his words but couldn’t make sense of what he was saying.

  “Tarnished. Another whore.” He kept moving backward, and when he ground to a stop, I saw the glint of metal in his hands. “You let that monster have you!"

  I stared down the barrel of his gun uncomprehendingly. In the back of my mind, I knew he was talking about my mate. My eyes fluttered closed as the sky began its blends of pink and orange that signaled sunset. Aldrich.

  The shot rang out, and I jerked at the sound, expecting pain. Instead, all my body registered was a rush of air as something stepped between the bullet and me. Time slowed to a crawl as I heard the crunch of metal, and I opened my eyes to meet the warm gaze of my mate.

  “I told you I’d protect you, liebling,” he whispered. Fur bloomed down his back, and he twisted to face the Splitter, a snarl on his anthromorphic face. I gasped aloud when the monster who claimed to be my father turned and ran toward the back door, the gun Aldrich had broken lying useless on the floor.

  “Don’t worry, I will not allow him to escape.” Aldrich growled, not understanding my shock.

  He went to give chase, but I held onto his tail, refusing to allow him to move. “No, Aldrich. We have to find you help.”

  Impatient, he swung around to face me again, but whatever he was going to say was lost in the cry of pain that ripped through him. "Urgh!"

  His unfinished Alpha form shuddered and fell from his body. Moments later he hit the ground hard, his muscles straining as the silver poison worked through his body.

  After the first cry, he lay silent, shivering like a leaf in a tornado while sweat dampened his skin.

  I was acutely aware of when he realized I was all but screaming in his face. Frantic is a gloriously descriptive word and the one I would have to use to explain what was going on with me. “I don’t know what to do. Should I suck the poison out?”

  Almost immediately, Aldrich burst into life, sitting up and gritting his teeth. “You have…used my power. The silver will harm you as well. Worse so.” He hissed in pain but remained upright. “Remember what I said. All the risks and none of the benefits.”

  His normally golden complexion was clammy with pain, and I reached out to hold him when he doubled over again. “I have to get you somewhere safe. We have to dig out those bullets or something.”

  It’s too late,” he rasped. “The sun has set and the Wolf Moon is already in the sky. I can’t shift. No one will be able to. Leave me, liebling. Leave.”

  I ignored him, a sob of frustration falling out of my mouth. There had to be something; I couldn’t just watch him die. “I won’t.” Standing, I pulled on his power. Pain shot through me, and I heard him hiss for me to stop, but I continued with the whole ignoring him thing. Bending down, I lifted him as best as I could, but even with his abilities helping me, he was all but dead weight.

  “What are you doing?” His voice was shaky and laced with pain, but he gritted out the question.

  “I told you already. I’m not going to leave without you, so stop struggling or we’ll both get caught.”

  I was surprised when he stopped, but he had only passed out from the pain. “All right, then. Let’s get moving.”

  I had no way of knowing if Mina would be home or not, but she was the only option I had at this point. I ran faster than I ever dreamed possible. It felt like I was flying on wings of fear and worry, barely noticing my feet touch the ground. I burst through her back door and almost immediately, Ulric appeared.

  “Thank God you’re here, Rick. What can I do? He’s been shot. He was shot with silver just as the sun set.” Ulric swore heavily and called for Mina while muscling me out of the way so he could lift Aldrich onto his back. Even as a mortal, he had more strength than me, and I was getting tired from pulling on so much energy at once.

  Mina rushed into the kitchen and assessed the situation with one look. “We have to get him to the Elders. Now!”

  I all but screamed my refusal. “He needs a medic, not the Elders. He’s mortal.”

  “And so are they.” Mina shoved me out the back door forcefully while Ulric followed.

  The moon hung high above us, and I prayed that the bright orb was watching over us and not mocking our attempts. I kept silent as we marched, knowing each minute that passed brought my mate closer to death. I didn’t know where the Pack was situated, no human did, and the few who had tried to find out were always
…dealt with. It occurred to me that, as I was not officially mated to Aldrich, I may be walking my last steps, but somehow the possibility was acceptable.

  I collided with Mina’s back when she stopped. “We’re here.”

  I realized we were in the woods. So many forests surrounded Harmony, so I wasn’t surprised, but this one was different somehow. A huge, lone tree stood before Mina. It was as if the other trees moved away to give this one a respectful berth.

  “The Wolf Pack lives in an enormous tree?” It’d been a rhetorical question, but the tree undulated in response. Low hanging branches banded together to form a net above our heads and then righted themselves, leaving a stunning woman in its wake. Chestnut curls shimmered in the radiant light of the moon, and she crossed her arms over her rather impressive bosom before glaring down at us. I immediately disliked her, but I swallowed down my displeasure. “We need to see the Elders. It’s an emergency.”

  The buxom woman raised an eyebrow and answered with so much disinterest I considered hopping up that tree and snatching out her hair. “You must be a human. You have no care for the traditions of the Wolf.”

  I grit my teeth and took a step into the light. I felt Aldrich shudder in pain and snarled, “Yes, I am human and do you think I would be here if it weren’t important? I must speak with the Elders. Right now.” My temper flared. “Or do you care so little for your Alphas you would let them die before your eyes over some petty traditions?”

  Her eyes widened, and I watched her seek out the shadows under her. The instant she found Aldrich, her entire demeanor changed. “Al!”

  I thought she was going to jump down and go to him, but the tree breathed a sigh again, and she clenched her fist. “The gate will not open for just anyone. If you had closed your trap and let someone else ask for entrance, you would already be inside, but now only the Speaker may ask to be let inside the Hall. Prove yourself and do it quickly.”