I didn’t. I wouldn’t.
The Montgomery pack deserved a better leader.
They deserved me.
“Who are you kidding here, Sage?” Flint finally spoke. “I know you’re angry at me, and rightly so. But you’d never kill your own brother.”
“Challenges for the position of alpha don’t have to be to the death,” I said steadily. “You can bend the knee and declare me your alpha right now, and this won’t have to get messy. Or we can fight until one of us yields. The choice is yours.”
“Or you can drop this ridiculousness, go back to your princely vampire lover over there, and let me continue leading my pack.” He snarled, glaring at Thomas. “You put her up to this, didn’t you? You’ve always been power hungry. You’ve been a bad influence on her from the start.”
“I haven’t seen Sage—the real, not demon bound Sage—since you sent Azazel to abduct her while she was hunting our demon enemies in Chicago.” Thomas remained calm as he replied to Flint. Then he smirked at me in approval. “This decision is all hers. And it’s a fine one at that. I may not have put her up to it, but I certainly approve.” He smiled at Flint, as if demonstrating that his gleaming teeth could be just as deadly as ours.
I didn’t think it was possible, but with each word Thomas spoke, I loved him even more.
I wanted to kiss him right now. But I’d have plenty of time to shower Thomas with my affections once this was sorted out.
So for now, I returned my focus to Flint. My brother looked more worried by the second.
“What’ll it be?” I tilted my head, enjoying embarrassing him after everything he’d done to me and our pack. I’d enjoy it even more once I was alpha. “Bend the knee, or fight it out?”
He narrowed his red eyes at me, growled, and shifted into his wolf form.
Looked like we’d be fighting it out.
I shifted quickly, aware that Flint could use any extra seconds to launch an attack on me before I was ready. Which he tried to do, jumping forward and swatting at me with his claws. It wasn’t a swat to kill, but it certainly would have hurt.
I dodged out of the way, and instead of getting me, he slashed at the air where I’d been standing.
Flint was bigger than me, both in human and wolf form, but especially in wolf form. And he was strong. But his size meant he had more weight to manage.
I was swift and nimble. I’d also been training with Noah while we’d been on the road together.
Growing up, Flint had always taught us how to defend—not to attack. We didn’t need to know how to attack, because no one would dare threaten the Montgomery pack. We were basically royalty in the American shifter world, and the Hollywood Hills compound was our fortress. Why learn to attack when we already had all we could ever want?
I continued dodging all of Flint’s attacks.
The first time my claw swiped his shoulder, he reared back in shock. Like it must have been a mistake.
When I managed to swipe his abdomen, he growled, fury raging further. I was fighting in a way he hadn’t expected. And I was proud of myself for it.
Now I wondered if Flint had another reason for only teaching us defensive moves. Mainly, that he didn’t want anyone challenging him for his position.
We circled each other, running toward each other to exchange blows. Everyone gasped and cheered as they watched in the circle surrounding us. I wasn’t sure which one of us they were rooting for. And I didn’t care.
Because I was in a groove now, expertly avoiding all of Flint’s swipes and attempted bites. It was like a dance I was doing perfectly. The best part was that I was faster than him. My speed, combined with Noah’s training, was giving me an advantage. Especially because Flint was getting angry.
My brother stopped thinking clearly when he got angry.
I didn’t. I got more focused and more vicious. And after everything he’d done to me, I was more than angry.
I was enraged.
The third time I got in an attack—a bite to his leg—Flint swiped his paws angrily at my head. But he was too late. I’d been expecting the move. I’d already come around to his back and used all my body weight to push him into the ground.
He landed with an oomph as his breath left his chest.
I lowered my snout to his neck, opened my mouth, and bit down.
Not hard enough to kill. But hard enough to make my mark.
If this had been a fight to death, the bite easily could have been enough to kill. But despite all the awful things Flint had done to me recently, he was my brother. So, I let go once the telling teeth marks were there, and moved away to stand up.
A man of honor would realize this was the time to yield.
Flint wasn’t a man of honor.
He launched at me to take me down.
But I’d been prepared for it. I knew my brother well. He wasn’t going to yield easily.
He thought he had me, but I was ready. He flew past me, and a second later I had him on the ground again, my sharp, deadly claws pressed against his neck. I wrapped him in a tight hold that Noah had taught me.
No matter how much he tried to use his strength to push me off him, he wasn’t going anywhere.
I dug my claws into his skin, drawing blood. Not so much blood that he’d die from it, but enough to show that I could kill him right now if that was my goal.
He still didn’t yield.
So I dug in deeper. We couldn’t speak as wolves, but as I stared down at him, I tried getting the message across with my eyes. I’d won this fight. I could hold him like this for hours. The more blood he lost, the weaker he’d become. Even with our accelerated healing, his blood would take time to replenish. He was too weak to stand a chance at a comeback.
He needed to yield. Now.
Because despite all the terrible things he’d done, I could never kill my own brother.
34
Sage
I continued to hold Flint’s gaze, willing him to stop being a stubborn idiot.
Finally, he shifted back to his human form. He stared at me in defeat, and I raised my claw from his neck.
“I yield,” he croaked, reaching for the torn part of his neck as it started to heal.
I’d been hoping to hear those words. But it was a million times more thrilling when they were actually spoken out loud.
I shifted back into my human form and stood, holding out a hand to help Flint up.
He didn’t take it. Instead he pushed himself up on his own, grunting from the pain of the injuries I’d inflicted on him as he did so. “Be alpha if you want,” he said, his wounds dripping blood onto the grass as they closed. “It doesn’t matter anyway, since the pack will be split between here and Avalon.”
I simply stared him down, ignoring his jab as he walked over to Mara. His demon mate checked over his wounds, fawning over him to make sure he was okay.
He’d survive. His pride might never recover, but after what he’d put me and our pack through, he deserved it.
I stepped to the center of the circle, ready to take on my new position as alpha. “Does anyone here oppose me as your alpha?” I looked around at my pack mates, holding each of their gazes and only moving on after they looked away first. “If so, the time to challenge me is now.”
No one spoke against me.
Which meant they accepted me as alpha.
Relief coursed through my body, although I didn’t show it. It wouldn’t do to let them see me as anything less than one hundred percent confident in this moment—and for all important moments moving forward.
Being alpha meant a lot of responsibility. But I was ready for it. Deep in my bones, I knew I’d been ready for years.
I just hadn’t made any moves against Flint because I hadn’t felt it right to take the position from him. Plus, before now, he hadn’t done anything that had warranted me doing so. At least, not anything I was aware of.
But that was in the past. Now, it was time to focus on the future.
And wit
h everyone gathered around me in a semicircle, it was time to share exactly what I had in mind for moving forward.
“Before hunting with Noah, I couldn’t imagine leaving the home I’d known forever to go to Avalon,” I started, knowing that what I was about to say needed to be said in a way that brought the pack together and didn’t separate us. “But on the hunt, I discovered a sense of purpose. Because the demons that have broken into our world aren’t going to live in the shadows forever. They have a plan. We saw a part of that plan when Azazel forced us to blood bind with him. We’re beyond lucky—and grateful—that Raven killed him and returned our free will to us. And now that I know what it’s like to have my free will taken away from me, I intend on doing everything I can to fight against the demons in the best way possible. Because we need to win this war. We cannot let the demons be victorious.
“The Earth Angel’s army is based on Avalon.” I glanced at Thomas briefly, and he nodded to assure me I had this. So I took a deep breath, and continued, “Therefore, it makes sense for everyone who wants to fight in that army—and against the demons—to go there. But if you don’t want to fight, that’s okay too. We’re not all meant to be warriors. The different positions in a pack have always made that clear to us. And while I do intend to live on Avalon—if the island will have me—I won’t abandon the Montgomery compound. I’ll be stopping by regularly to check in on those of you who choose to stay behind. But now that we’re at war with the demons for the first time in centuries, the world has become a darker, more dangerous place. So it’s time for the compound to transform from our home into something greater.” I paused and looked around again, wanting this next part to truly sink in and be as impactful as possible.
My pack—and the others from Avalon who had come to help us fight the demons—all looked at me with trusting gazes, waiting for what I had to say next.
“I want the compound to become a safe place for wild wolf shifters to come to learn how to acclimate to society,” I said, glancing at Noah and shooting him a small smile. He looked surprised, but pleased with my decision. “Now that we’re up against the demons, supernaturals need to band together—not remain apart. Yes, we’ll be banding together on Avalon, but we need strongholds on Earth as well. Wild shifters like Noah might want to help us fight. They won’t be able to do that if they’re struggling to survive and sleeping on the streets, like Noah was when I first met him.” I frowned at the memory of how lost Noah had been when I’d met him in the alley behind that supernatural dive bar in LA, and continued, “As you all know, it’s not typical for civilized shifter packs to associate with wild shifter packs. The only reason Noah was allowed to stay at the compound earlier this year was because he saved my life, and our pack owed him a debt. Otherwise, he would have been sent back onto the streets.” I paused, raising my voice to drive home my point. “That attitude ends today. Any wild wolf shifter who needs help—and who cooperates with us, of course—will be welcomed by the Montgomery wolves and will stay here for as long as they need. Understood?”
The crowd was a chorus of people saying yes. Noah’s voice was the loudest.
My heart swelled, and I smiled, proud to be the alpha of my pack.
“What about me?” a small voice asked from off to the side. Kara. She looked so lost and confused that it made my heart hurt. “I don’t want to stay here. But I was rejected from Avalon. Where do I belong now?”
I thought for a few seconds, knowing my pack was counting on me to say the right thing. “Where do you want to go?” I asked.
“Home.” She glanced down at the ground and shuffled her feet in the dirt. “But now that I’m a vampire, I know that’s not possible.” She bit her lip, and continued, “Do you think the Haven would take me back?”
I thought back to Shivani’s quick visit. Before flashing out, she’d reminded me that the Haven accepted any supernatural in need of a safe place.
Rosella must have told her that I’d need the reminder, so I’d be ready for this moment.
“I don’t just think they’ll take you back,” I said, giving the young girl a warm smile. “I know they’ll welcome you with open arms.”
At that precise moment—likely because of Rosella’s future sight—Shivani teleported back onto the yard. She searched the group for Kara and walked toward the young vampire.
“I hear you’re interested in returning to the Haven?” she asked.
Kara simply nodded. She still looked lost, with a grief I knew would never truly pass because of the loss of her brother and because she’d never be able to return home.
But at least she had a new home now.
“Good. Because we’d love to have you back.” Shivani lowered herself down so she was eye level with the girl and held out her hand. “Are you ready?”
Kara took the witch’s hand, and Shivani teleported her back to the Haven.
I prayed Kara would eventually find happiness there. It would take time, but I believed she would.
Once they were gone, I refocused on the others standing in the yard. It was time to get back to business.
“With that taken care of, I need to know who’s going to try going to Avalon, and who’s going to remain here,” I said. “I’ll choose someone who’s staying here to act as leader of the compound while I’m away. And then, those of us who want to join the Earth Angel’s army will see if we’re worthy of being accepted onto Avalon.”
35
Annika
I was happy to welcome the new arrivals from the Montgomery pack to Avalon—including Raven’s mom Skylar and the vampire Derrick. It was especially exciting to meet Sage, after how much Thomas, Raven, and Noah had raved about her.
I trusted King Arthur’s simulation. I really, truly did.
But I also couldn’t help being skeptical that a demon had been accepted onto Avalon. It just wasn’t normal that the very creature we were fighting was being allowed onto our sacred island. And the daughter of Azazel, no less. I’d heard all about how she’d gained a conscience after mating with the former alpha of the Montgomery pack. The entire island had heard the story by now, including the part where Mara had helped Skylar defeat her own father.
But I needed to see it to believe it.
Which was why after Darra’s funeral pyre—a chilling ceremony where the witches sent her soul to the Beyond—I called for a meeting with Mara.
I wanted to make the demon girl comfortable, so I held the meeting in my quarters instead of the big round table in the throne room. But along with the guards stationed at the door, I had Jacen and Jessica there as well. Jacen for the emotional strength he gave me. Jessica because of her gift of sensing lies and getting people to tell the truth.
Mara curtseyed when she entered, and the four of us situated ourselves at the small table in my private dining room. Mara looked surprisingly unthreatening. She was petite, with long blonde hair and big eyes. If her eyes weren’t demonic red, I might have said she looked innocent.
“Welcome to Avalon,” I said, being diplomatic, as expected. “I hope you’re finding it comfortable here.”
“Very much so.” She nodded and rested a hand on the teacup full of tea made with holy water. There was mana on the table as well, but none of us were eating. “Flint and I are grateful that Avalon accepted us, and I’m happy to be of assistance in any way you might need.”
“That’s good.” I eyed her up, since this was the moment of truth. “Because I have some questions for you.”
“I figured as much.” She straightened, ready for whatever was coming her way. It was impressive, considering how much pressure she must have been feeling right now.
I started with the basics, which consisted of confirming the story I’d been told so far. This also served to ease Mara into talking with me.
Jessica listened attentively, ready to jump in and ask a further question if Mara told a lie. That was going to be her signal to me that the demon wasn’t being honest.
But Jessica was silent so far, whic
h meant Mara was telling the truth.
Mara was now sipping her tea, apparently more comfortable now that we’d been chatting for a bit. Which meant it was time for the big question—the one we’d been wondering since the reconnaissance mission to the bunker.
“We discovered a container full of gifted vampire blood above the bunker where the gifted humans were being kept,” I said. “We know the operation at the bunker was run by your father. What we want to know now is—why was he turning gifted humans into vampires and taking their blood?”
“I don’t know.” Mara shrugged and glanced down at her tea. “I’m sorry.”
I looked to Jessica.
She nodded. Mara was telling the truth.
“I don’t understand,” I prodded Mara further. “You mean to tell me that Azazel didn’t tell you—his own daughter—what he was planning?”
“That’s exactly what I mean,” Mara said, her gaze sharper now. “My father didn’t trust many people. After I imprinted on Flint, he kept a tighter tongue around me than usual. All I know is that whatever he was doing with the gifted humans, he was planning it with Lavinia Foster and my aunt Lilith.”
“Lilith?” I repeated the name, dread swirling in my stomach. “I know that name from the Bible.”
“That’s the one,” Mara confirmed. “The greater demon Lilith—sister to my father Azazel. She’s out there, planning something. And before you ask me where she is, the answer is that I don’t know. She kept her location hidden from everyone but my father and Lavinia. And if you thought my father was bad… well, he had nothing on my aunt.”
Jessica remained silent.
Mara was telling the truth.
And it served as a reminder that while we’d won the battle with Azazel, the war against the demons was still far from over.
36
Annika
Since Mara didn’t have the information I needed, I sent her back to continue getting situated in her room with Flint. The Montgomery pack was living in one of the wooden cabins near the academy manor house. The cabins were large, but nowhere near as big as the mansions on the Montgomery compound. I hoped the Montgomery wolves were adjusting as well as Mara claimed they were.
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