by TJ Klune
“How is that possible?” Carter asked, frowning. “They wouldn’t have had an Alpha.”
Pappas shrugged. “We don’t know. Bonds were formed, frayed and rotten though they were. It slowed down the descent into becoming feral. And then someone like Richard comes along, an abnormally strong Beta in his own descent who could almost be an Alpha, and they gathered behind him. They needed someone to follow. He was a light in the dark, and they swarmed around him. Michelle wasn’t wrong when she told you that when he became an Alpha, if only for a moment, they all felt it. And then that was taken away. Of course they would be drawn here.”
“We didn’t see hunters on the road,” Carter said. “Aside from David King, there was no one else.”
“That’s because, like wolves, their numbers were thinned,” Pappas said. “Age or death or fear of reprisal. Revenge, if you will.” He glanced at me and then looked back at the Alphas. “It’s why David King was on the run, after all.”
“They won’t come here,” Joe said, sounding sure of himself. “The hunters. Whatever’s left of them. They know better.”
I said, “I don’t think that’s—”
Ox said, “What happened to the others? The Omegas you took from here. Eight of them over the last six months.” He knew. I’d told him already. He was testing Pappas.
“Dead,” Pappas said without hesitation. “All of them. We had no choice. They were already too far gone.”
“And I assume you did everything you could. That Michelle did everything she could.”
“She did.”
“He’s not lying,” I said quietly.
Ox looked at me. He was angry. I could feel that, a wave of blue and red washing through the thread that bound me to him. It came as why and gordo and i don’t know what to do he’ll take her kill her she’s going to die.
“She could hurt someone,” I told him, trying to ignore his anguish. I needed him to keep a level head. “Maybe she won’t want to, but by the time it happens, what she wants won’t matter. She’ll be gone. Nothing will be left but claws and fangs and a desire to hunt. You’ve tried. Joe has too. You can’t keep her here. She could hurt someone. What if it’s Jessie? Or Tanner? Chris or Rico? They won’t be able to fight her off if they don’t see her coming. She’ll be an animal.”
He ground his teeth as Joe put his hand on top of his. “Is Michelle stronger than I am? Stronger than Joe?”
Pappas looked wary. “Why?”
“Because if we couldn’t do anything, then how can we expect her to?”
“Shit,” Carter breathed. “You can’t be thinking of—”
“No,” Pappas said bluntly. “She’s not. And if you tell her I said that, I’ll deny it until the day I die. But that’s not what this is about. This is a formality, nothing more. A courtesy to you. And if this Omega has deteriorated as much as you say she has, then it’s already too late.”
Ox nodded before he pushed himself up from the chair. “Gordo.”
“Dude,” Carter said, sounding alarmed. “Wait, Ox, hold on a minute, you can’t just—”
“Carter,” Joe said, and his brother fell silent.
Ox left the room. I did the only thing I could.
I followed him.
She was in one of the spare rooms at the top of the stairs. Kelly stood near the door, watching over his mother as she hummed quietly on the bed, the Omega in the corner, growling low in her throat. Her hair hung loosely around her face, and she was half-shifted, her eyes shining violet, her face covered in gray fur. Her right hand was a paw. Her left was still mostly human.
She saw Ox and her eyes widened. She opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was an animalistic grunt. Her eyes darted to me and narrowed to slits before she looked back to Ox.
“What’s going on?” Kelly asked nervously, picking up the waves of blue pouring off Ox. “What happened?”
He said, “Take your mother downstairs.”
“But—”
“Kelly.”
He nodded. Elizabeth didn’t fight him as he helped her up from the bed. She paused next to Ox, taking his face in her hands. “Is there no other way?”
He shook his head.
“The others. They….” She didn’t need to finish her question.
“Yes.”
She sighed. “Can you show her mercy?”
“Yes.”
“Can you keep her from hurting anymore?”
“Yes.”
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the forehead. “Be her Alpha, Ox,” she whispered. “She would thank you for it, if she could.”
Then she was gone.
Kelly gave us one last look before he followed his mother, shutting the door behind him.
The Omega whined, spittle dripping down her chin.
“I’ll do it,” I told him. “I’ve done it before. This doesn’t have to be on you. You don’t have to do this, Ox.”
He was watching the Omega. “My father told me I was going to get shit all my life.”
“I know.” If he wasn’t already dead, I would have hunted him down and killed him myself.
“That people would never understand me.”
“Yeah, Ox.”
“That I would never be able to do the right thing.”
“He was wrong.”
Ox looked at me. “He was. Because I have you. And Joe. The pack. I have a family. People who don’t give me shit. People who understand me.”
“You still don’t have to do this.”
The Omega snarled in my direction. For a moment I thought she was going to launch herself at me, but Ox growled at her, and she cowered back into the corner.
His hands were in fists at his sides. “Do you think it hurts? Losing your mind.”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t?”
“Do you?”
“My mother.”
Ah. “It wasn’t the same for me. I didn’t—my mother wasn’t the same as Maggie.”
“No. I don’t expect anyone was the same as her. She was… special.”
“I know, Ox.”
“I felt cold. Like I had ice in my head. Everything was frozen. It ached, and I couldn’t find a way to stop it. All I wanted was revenge, even if I didn’t mean it. I made mistakes.”
I didn’t know if we’d ever get past the decisions that followed the coming of the beast. “Joe would have gone even if you hadn’t said anything.”
“Maybe. You lost your pack once.”
Twice, but who was counting. “I did.”
“They died.”
“Yeah.”
“It must have been like losing your mind. The bonds breaking.”
And I hesitated.
He nodded, this wonderfully strange young man seeing everything I couldn’t say out loud. “I wonder what you would have done to stop it.”
Anything. I would have done anything.
He moved then. He’d been that kid once hiding behind his daddy’s leg, staring shyly up at me as I asked him if he wanted a pop from the machine. He’d gotten a root beer. He’d laughed after he’d taken the first drink, telling me he’d never had one before and the bubbles tickled his nose.
He wasn’t that kid anymore. He was a big guy now. An Alpha. Strong and brave and powerful, so much more that I’d ever thought possible. I’d seen him angry. I’d seen the rage behind his eyes when monsters came from the trees to take what was his. I’d seen him deal death with his hands.
This wasn’t that.
The Omega didn’t have time to react before he was on her, his hands on either side of her head, a grotesque parody of how Elizabeth had held him just minutes before.
But he wasn’t angry.
All I felt was blue.
He was sad.
This hurt him.
He snapped her head viciously to the right.
The bones cracked and popped, the sound sharp in the small bedroom.
Her right leg spasmed, her foot skittering al
ong the carpet. Her toes flexed once. Then twice. Her toenails looked as if they’d been recently painted. Elizabeth must have done it. They were pink before claws sprouted from each one.
The violet faded from her eyes.
It took only seconds for her to still.
It felt like ages.
I wasn’t like the wolves. I couldn’t hear the moment her heart stopped.
I wondered what it sounded like. A thundering drum that skipped some beats before falling silent.
She slumped with a low exhalation.
The claws fell away.
The hair receded from her face as her shift faded.
All that was left was a young woman.
Ox leaned forward, his forehead pressed against hers.
I closed my eyes.
He whispered, “Your pack will howl you home. All you need to do is listen for their song.”
JOE TOOK one look at Ox as soon as we opened the door and immediately pulled him away down the hall toward their room. He glanced at me over his shoulder. He didn’t speak, but I understood.
Carter and Kelly were downstairs with their mother in the kitchen, huddled up on either side of her as she held a steaming cup of tea, the string from the bag resting on her fingers.
I could see Mark through the windows at the front of the house, standing outside in front of the wolves Pappas had brought. It didn’t look like they were speaking, and I figured Mark was posturing, as he sometimes did.
The humans weren’t at the house. As soon as we’d known Pappas was in Green Creek, we’d sent them away. Jessie had glared at Ox before huffing out a breath and stalking out the front door. The guys had followed with less attitude, which I was thankful for.
Pappas was still in the office.
As was Robbie.
“—and she sends her regards,” Pappas was saying, the door not quite closed.
“That’s… great,” Robbie said, sounding uncomfortable.
“She worries about you.”
“I’m fine.”
“I can see that. And I’ll tell her the same. Though there’s always a place for you if you ever decide you want to come back home.”
That irritated the hell out of me, especially since Pappas had to know I was right outside the door. They would have heard my heartbeat. Which meant he wanted me to hear.
“This is my home,” Robbie said. “Ox and Joe are my Alphas. This is my pack.”
“Indeed,” Pappas said. He was amused. “Well. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t extend the Alpha’s offer. You did good work for her. She was impressed. And you know she isn’t impressed by much these days.”
That was enough. I pushed the door open the rest of the way. “Robbie,” I said evenly, “can you do me a favor and call the others? Let them know the situation’s been handled.”
He looked relieved, standing immediately. “Got it, boss.”
“I told you not to call me that.”
“Yeah. Many times. Still gonna do it, boss.”
He smiled gratefully as he passed me by.
I waited until he left to close the door completely.
Pappas stayed in his chair, eyeing me curiously. He was unafraid.
“Coming to another Alpha’s territory and trying to poach a member of their pack is one thing,” I told him, leaning against the door. “But coming onto Bennett land? With two Alphas?” I shook my head. “That takes some balls. Or a massive amount of stupidity. Jury’s still out.”
If Pappas had been the sort that smiled at anything, I was sure he would have been smiling then. He wasn’t intimidated. I wondered if he knew what a mistake that was. “Funny, that. Seeing as how Robbie belonged to us once.”
“And here I was thinking that free will still mattered. That wolves had a choice who they belonged to.”
Pappas nodded. “I was asked to make the offer. I did what I was told. Michelle, she’s… concerned.”
“About?”
“Your pack seems to be buying up a lot of the property in Green Creek. Businesses and such.”
“Checking up on us, is she?”
“It’s a matter of public record.”
“That still needs to be searched for.”
He flexed his hands. “The Bennett name seems to be tied into every facet of this town.”
“We’re investing.”
“For?”
“The future. And it helps the local businesses. We own them. Not the banks. We can lower rent. Makes things cheaper for everyone. Keeps them happy. Michelle doesn’t need to be concerned. This is our home.” It was more than that, but he didn’t need to know. Carter and Kelly had taken over the pack’s finances and had come up with the idea to put the Bennett wealth back into the town. It did help the people who lived here, but it also tightened the pack’s grip on this territory. Anyone who wanted to take it away would be foolish to try. Not with how tied we were to this place now.
“That right? Was that Thomas’s plan? Before?”
“What do you want, Pappas?”
“I’m not here to force anything.”
I didn’t believe that for a second. “Except for the death of the Omega.”
He tilted his head. “Ox volunteered.”
“You gave him no choice.”
“There’s that word again. Choice. You must think of me as some kind of master manipulator.”
“I knew Osmond.” I meant the words to land with a punch, but he looked barely affected.
“A mistake.”
“One that went on for years. Tell me. Have you figured out exactly when he turned on you? When he decided Richard Collins was worth more than all of you?”
“There were… signs. Things that shouldn’t have been overlooked.”
“And there’s no one else.”
“Not that we know of.”
“That doesn’t mean as much as it used to.”
He leaned forward in his chair, hands clasped in his lap. His forehead had a sheen of sweat on it. I didn’t think I’d ever seen Pappas sweat before. “What are you really asking, Gordo?”
I looked back to make sure the door remained shut so that no one could overhear us. It was. Pappas was not-smiling again when I turned toward him. He arched an eyebrow at me.
“You know what.”
“Maybe I just want to hear you say it.”
Fucking werewolves. “My father.”
“Your father,” he echoed. “Right. Robert Livingstone. After the unfortunate situation with Richard Collins, I must admit I was surprised at the… subterfuge. Keeping things from your Alphas doesn’t seem like something you’d do, Gordo. After everything your pack has been through. It’s almost as if you trust me more than them.”
“You don’t know the first thing about me.”
And there it was. A full-on grin. It looked as if it belonged on a shark. “We know far more than you think. I report to the Alpha of all, don’t I?”
“Temporary. And nothing more.”
He shook his head. “Joe seems like he doesn’t want to leave here. I don’t blame him. This place, it’s… unlike any other territory I’ve ever been to. You can feel it as you approach. It’s like a great storm in the distance, all electricity and ozone. How Thomas Bennett ever left it to begin with is beyond me. He must have trusted you greatly to leave it in your care.”
“Thomas Bennett didn’t give two shits about me.”
“No? How curious.”
I was tired of this. Of him. “Tell me what I need to know.”
He spread his hands on his thighs. I thought I saw a hint of claws, but they were gone a moment later. “There’s nothing. Or rather, nothing new. On either front.”
That couldn’t be possible. “I warned you that Elijah was still out there. What her brother told me. How is it possible that a hunter of her caliber is slipping under your radar?”
He shrugged. “Maybe she’s hung up her mantle. Maybe she’s dead. Or maybe, just maybe, David King was full of shit and faced with a
ngry werewolves while bleeding to death, saying whatever he thought you wanted to hear in order to save his own life.”
“You’re missing something. Maybe Michelle’s not—are you okay?”
He was breathing heavier than he’d been just a moment before. He closed his eyes, nostrils flaring. He reached up and wiped the sweat from his forehead. If he hadn’t been a wolf, I would have thought he was ill. But since wolves didn’t get sick—not like humans did—it had to be something else. It was almost like he was losing control. But that wasn’t—
“I’m fine,” he finally said, opening his eyes. “It’s been a long trip out here to make again in so many weeks. If I thought I could handle a plane, we would have flown. But all those scents in such small place is just… it’s too much.”
I frowned. “You don’t look so—”
“There have been no reports of any hunter activity in years,” Pappas said evenly. “The old clans have either been dealt with or have died out. Honestly, we have Richard to thank for that. He killed more hunters than any wolf has in years. Regardless of what he became, he did the dirty work for us better than we ever could. He had his faults, but he proved useful, in the end.”
“Faults,” I echoed incredulously. “He murdered Thomas Bennett. He murdered Ox’s mother. He nearly killed Ox. Those aren’t faults.”
“I know it’s difficult, Gordo. And while his crimes were terrible, sometimes I don’t know that you can see the bigger picture here. You’re too close.”
“And my father? How does he fit into your bigger picture? How is he going to prove useful to you?”
“You deliberately misunderstand me.”
I growled at him, scrubbing a hand over my face. “He’s still out there.”
“We know. But whatever he’s doing, it’s in shadow. He’s a ghost, Gordo. You can’t catch what isn’t there.”
“Are you even looking for him?”
“Are you? It would seem to me that if anyone had a reason for making sure he didn’t hurt another living soul, it’d be you. What have you done to find your father?”
“I was just a kid,” I snapped at him. “When you all came and took him away. When I was promised he would never hurt anyone again. And guess what? You lied.”
“That was Osmond—”
“Fuck Osmond, and fuck you too. You should have known. About Osmond. About Richard. About my father. Because of you, people have died, good people. Thomas didn’t deserve—”