“You callous bastard,” I hissed, fists clenching. Weariness no longer tugged at me. I wanted to punch him until the anger inside me burned out. “My death wasn’t a worry, but me not attracting the vampires was. You’re a fucking peach, you know that?”
“My pack is my concern; your feelings are not.” His gaze swept down and softened. “I will do anything to keep her—them—safe. Even mate with you.”
“That’s not ever gonna happen. You’re as bad as Isaac.” Disgust thickened my voice. His old alpha had attacked a child out of revenge, changing my life irrevocably. Cole had used me to further his own agenda without once caring how it’d affect me. I could never be normal and after this, trust would be near impossible.
Cole surged to his feet, a low growl rumbling in his throat. “I’m nothing like him. I protect my pack and treat them fairly. He wanted everyone grovelling at his feet.”
“That’s not how Omar saw it. He was a disease, wasn’t he? An Infected who dared become alpha.” I’d ignored my instincts, wishing I’d found a home and family, but the werewolves would never accept me and I didn’t want them to. “If you’d turned me, I would’ve been treated the same way, as an interloper.”
Cole blinked and his demeanour changed. All anger vanished, leaving behind the carefree lady’s man. A slow grin lit up his eyes. “We had a good thing, didn’t we, ma petite chérie? Fighting vampires, keeping the city safe. Why walk away from all that? Stay with us, protect humanity.”
I harrumphed, dismissing his sugary words. “I see behind your masks. Years of fighting have made you a monster and I won’t follow your path.”
He gave a soft, sad chuckle. I couldn’t keep up with his mercurial personas. I’d expected anger at my words, not sorrow. “Some days it feels like it’s been an eternity and other days a blink of an eye. Truth be told, I’ve been fighting vampires for about a century now. And it’s dragged my soul down. It made me blind to what was in front of me.”
His gaze again flicked to Jacy.
I took a step. Three more would have me right by the bed. I wanted to close the gap and yet I couldn’t. My feet turned to lead. I would give anything to be able to march out the front door and never see Cole and his pack again, but I couldn’t leave the werewolves until I knew she’d live. Yet I couldn’t face her disappointment in me either. If I’d been strong enough, if I’d resisted Maxwell’s mind control, Jacy wouldn’t have suffered.
She let out a ragged breath, her entire body shaking with the force of her exhale. Cole dropped to his knees and gripped her fingers tightly. His shoulders were tense and his back ramrod straight. I’d never seen him on edge before. His laid-back, careless demeanour had disappeared underneath the weight of grief.
Myself, I was barely keeping it together. She was the reason I’d remained in this hellhole, why I’d never left Belleville even though it was in my better interest to do so.
“Will she live?” I didn’t have it in me to soften the words. I needed to know.
Cole slowly nodded, though he refused to look at me. His fingers tightened on Jacy’s hand, his knuckles turning white. Was he lying to me? Or was he lying to himself? I took another step. Only two more lay between me and Jacy.
“I’ve given her as much energy from myself as I can. I’ve also drawn heavily from my pack. Even the other packs shared with me. She will survive.”
I took the last two steps and crouched next to the bed.
“I’ll be leaving soon. I can’t stay here after what I’ve done.” Now wasn’t the time for me to heap more troubles on him, but I couldn’t stay. And speaking of trouble . . . “Omar’s dead. He wanted me to be queen of the vampires and ally with him.”
“Why?” Cole’s tone gave nothing away, not even surprise. He’d expected Omar to rebel. And fail.
Through narrowed eyes, I studied him. How little I’d known the man before me. “He hated how he was treated by the purebloods.”
“He wasn’t wrong. The other alphas treated him like dirt beneath their feet. Some have lived for hundreds of years, and they’re stuck in their ways. They don’t agree with alphas mating with omegas or welcoming the Infected into our ranks.” He kept his head down, as if it was easier to admit his shameful secret without glancing at me.
“Are you gonna tell them to fuck off and claim Jacy like she deserves?” I asked, my gaze flicking to her face, and I managed to contain my gasp when I met her open eyes. Wonder flooded her sweet face.
“I said I’d mate you,” Cole said, his uncertainty foreign to me. “I can’t break my vow to you.”
“The fuck you say!” I whipped my head around and glared daggers at the top of his head. “I told you I wouldn’t mate with you and that hasn’t changed at all. You don’t love me and I don’t love you. There is no way in hell I’m saddling myself with a man I don’t love.”
“You don’t understand. I can’t go against trad—”
I lost it. I was just too tired and soul-sick and stupid to stop myself, and I smacked him upside his goddamn head. “Don’t you dare tell me you’ll toss away your chance with Jacy because of some fucked-up, stupid tradition.”
To my intense surprise, I got to keep the hand. Cole just stared at his hands on Jacy’s.
I gentled my tone. “Say you don’t love her. Say it, and I’ll leave you alone.”
“I can’t say that. I almost died when I saw her on the ground, blood pooling around her. What if I hadn’t saved her?”
My heart squeezed at the open anguish in his voice and the memory of my best friend sprawled in the dirt smashed into my brain. Tears gathered in my eyes.
“You did save her. And now you should put all your efforts to good use and let her know how you feel.”
Jacy tugged her hand from Cole’s and he surged to his feet, hope and fear written plainly across his face. Her gazed locked with mine, my heart pounding while I waited for her to condemn me, and she grabbed my wrist, tugging me closer.
“I don’t blame you,” she whispered, her voice scratchy. “You aren’t at fault.”
I wanted to believe her, but it was my hand, my knife. I should’ve fought harder against Maxwell’s mental control. My love for her meant nothing if it couldn’t overcome his hatred. Weakness pervaded me.
“I didn’t fight—”
Her grip tightened on my wrist. “Don’t.”
“A sire’s mind control is potent and almost impossible to break,” Cole said, still hovering next to the bed. Nervous tension radiated from him. Worried about how much Jacy had heard? Or working up the courage to tell her?
My gaze remained glued on Jacy, too selfish to care about his troubles. I wouldn’t forgive myself for a long time, but knowing I had Jacy’s forgiveness lessened the knot around my heart.
“I saw you struggle against his control.” She closed her eyes, weariness bracketing her lips, and released her grip on me, though I didn’t move my arm. A soft exhale assured me she remained with us.
Cole’s expression was tight and shuttered as he reached out for Jacy, trailing a finger along her cheek. The intimacy was potent. I was an intruder in such a private moment. But I refused to leave, selfishness keeping me rooted. If Jacy wasn’t happy, then I wasn’t happy.
She turned into his touch, the weariness easing from her face.
“I, uh . . .” Cole trailed off, shifted his weight, though he didn’t break his connection to Jacy. He cleared his throat. “When you were— What I mean is . . . Fuck, I can’t do this.”
She flinched from him and I growled, a sound that’d do a werewolf proud. Should’ve known he’d screw it up. The arrogant alpha wasn’t used to uncertainty and vulnerability. He’d rather let Jacy slip through his fingers than lay his heart out for her.
“You’re an idiot,” I said, disgust thick in my voice. “She almost died and you’re gonna stay quiet about how you feel? What happens when someone else realizes how amazing Jacy is and snatches her up? She ain’t gonna wait around forever for you. Hell, I wouldn’t have wai
ted this long. I would’ve told you where to sti—”
“Pearle!” Jacy cut me off, her eyes wide with horror, and she shook her head, a move that made her moan with nausea. One hand covered her mouth and the other settled on her stomach. Cole shifted closer, smoothing hair from her face. Tenderness softened his gaze.
“Pearle’s right, I’ve been an idiot.”
I harrumphed. Jacy shushed me, then blushed at her own boldness.
I liked her feisty side. Still crouched by the bed, I mimed zipping my mouth shut.
“As I was saying,” Cole said, tossing me an exasperated look before switching his attention back to Jacy, “I let tradition dictate my actions. The mating ceremony with Pearle was designed to cement my leadership over the packs and had nothing to do with love.”
I couldn’t help my muttered “No kidding.”
Jacy smacked my hand without even glancing my way.
“Will you be my mate?” Cole knelt, his eyes solemn, and his free hand clenched on the blanket while the rest of him remained still as a statue.
The oddest look passed over her face, a wide grin infused with triumph and something . . . ugly. “After all my efforts to make you see me as worthy, yes, I’ll be your mate.” She barked out a laugh, her eyes wide. “God, this took years, you know. I found Pearle and became her friend after you raved so much about her. I wanted to see why you liked her better.”
“That’s why we ‘ran’ into each other. You engineered it?” I cocked my head, playing back our initial meeting so long ago. I’d assumed I was playing hero to a shy woman.
“Of course. It took me months to work up the courage to do so. But you made it so easy afterwards.” Jacy shook her head. “The hardest part was finding the sire. That took me years. And then I had to convince him I could deliver you to him. I knew you’d kill him the moment you could. I was so proud of you.”
Her words smashed into me. The sire? Maxwell?
“You did all this? You killed Lena and lured Pearle to Maxwell?” Alpha Cole was out in full force, no trace of softness left. I tensed.
Jacy lifted her chin, not with bravado, but with pride. She was proud of what she’d done. “Yes, I did. I’m an omega, the lowest of the low, yet I helped bring down a sire. And killing Lena was embarrassingly easy. She assumed, like everyone else, that I’m weak.”
I couldn’t read Cole’s expression. Myself, I was stunned. How could she kill another pack member? How could she betray me and confess to it so casually? I fought against the nausea and dug my fingernails into my thighs. Where had my friend gone?
Jacy didn’t even glance my way. She only had eyes for Cole, who remained quiet.
“What about Omar?” I whispered. “He was the traitor.”
Jacy’s gaze landed on me and I flinched at the hardness there. Nothing of my sweet friend remained. “A backup plan, in case I needed someone to blame. His anger made him ripe for manipulation.”
“You used me. This whole time, I was a means to an end.”
Her eyes softened and she reached out to me. I skittered back. “In the beginning, yes. But after we spent time together, I saw why Cole enjoyed your company. Stay with us, Pearle. Join our pack.” She struggled to sit up, and I remained rooted, fighting against my desire to help. Cole levered his hand behind her back to support her. “I don’t want to lose your friendship.”
“You lost it the moment you betrayed me.”
“I’m sorry,” Cole murmured, pain warring with steely resolve. But before Jacy could do more than raise an eyebrow, he slammed his fist into her chest, the horrific crunch of bone shocking me into stillness. “I can’t forgive you either.”
Yanking out his gore-covered hand, he opened his fist to show me Jacy’s heart as she slumped forward, a look of surprised etched forever on her features.
“You killed her.” I’d expected leniency because he loved her, not a swift, irreversible punishment. A muscle ticked in my cheek and my teeth threatened to crack from the pressure. My hand drifted towards my knife handle. One well-aimed stab should avenge Jacy.
A ragged shot of pain from my neck quieted the rage as self-preservation kicked in.
“She betrayed the pack for her own gain.” Cole gently laid her down on his bed and brushed a stray hair from her face with his clean hand. He glanced up, hatred staring back at me. “I should’ve let you die. Let the vampire drain you. Another dead human no one would’ve missed.”
The cruelty cut deep, slicing hidden parts of me, the scared child who missed her dad, the adult who belonged nowhere.
I lifted my chin, bravado stiffening my spine.
“What’ll you tell the pack?” Would I spend my life looking over my shoulder for werewolves as well as vampires? I inched closer to the door, keeping a wary eye on the furious man. One jump over the bed and he could be on me.
He laughed, a harsh ugly sound.
“Afraid I’ll let loose the wolves? You should be.” Cole raised his hand, Jacy’s heart glistening red on his palm. “This. This is your fault. Her blood is on your hands. She’d still be alive if it weren’t for you.”
I shook my head. Jacy had had a lifetime of bigotry heaped on her. No one had stopped it or protected her. That wasn’t on me. She’d manipulated me, used me, but even after everything, I couldn’t fully blame her for her twisted views.
“I—” I closed my mouth with a click as Cole’s eyes turned amber. His lip curled upwards to reveal wicked canines. Defending myself and putting the blame where it belonged would push him further into grief and rage, a dangerous combination for me, since I was still weak from my fight with Omar. I wouldn’t survive a fight with Cole in his current mood.
“Our partnership is now at an end. Speak of this to no one. Leave,” he snarled, raising the hairs on my neck. The claw marks on my back burned like acid.
I nodded, unable to trust my voice, and my hand stayed on the knife handle. I was a glaring reminder to him of everything he’d just lost. It’d take years to heal that wound and I wasn’t the person to help him.
I left the room without a backwards glance.
Epilogue
“So is it true, the vampires will follow me as their queen?” I asked Halvar, unsure which answer I preferred.
He laughed, the sound rattling my bones. “No, it’s not true. I figured we had an eavesdropper. I wanted to convince him you’d be an asset and then he’d try to get you to his side. The vampires will rip you apart for what you’ve done to Maxwell. They don’t forget a blood vendetta.”
“Well fuck. I need to disappear from here.”
Nekane stepped out of the “abandoned” house, though soon it would be properly abandoned. With its location compromised, the hunters couldn’t remain in town.
“Vampire’s taken care of.” Nekane joined us, her attention on her cell phone. “Well, have you asked her yet? We need to head out. The others are anxious to hear about our new weapon.”
I raised an eyebrow, again unable to decipher Halvar’s expression. A neon sign declaring his moods would be great. Or hell, if he’d just tell me. “What’s going on?”
“Wanna join the hunters? We could always use a person like you.” He grinned at me, this expression easy to read. He thought I’d jump at the chance to join a bunch of psychotic humans who hunted vampires on a nightly basis.
And he was right. I needed to learn everything I could about my enemies.
“Hell yeah, I wanna join. It’s about damn time you asked me.” I tucked my arm into the crook of his elbow, a smile pasted on my face, and steered him towards his SUV. “And let me guess, I’m the new weapon. Me and my ability to sense vampires?”
“Yeah, you are. And it’s so cool!” Nekane lit up and she showed me her phone, where texts kept popping up. “We’re headed to our Toronto headquarters and you’re gonna blow their fucking minds. I can’t wait.”
I laughed, the sound a little jagged, and jumped into the backseat. Nekane wisely took the front.
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More Books by Veronica Del Rosa
Enforcers and Coterie
Throwing Away the Good (Novella 0.5)
Magic Resistant (Book 1)
Sylvia’s Torment (Book 2)
Unexpected Werewolf (Novella 2.5)
Dawn’s Keeper (Book 3)
Assassinated Love (Novella 3.5)
Chained in Desire (Book 4)
The Love of a Good Fae (Novella 4.5)
Dabbling in Magic (Novella 4.6)
Poisoned Message (Book 5)
Standalones
Splintered Nights
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