Sword of Mercy

by Sydney Addae

  Hawke ran his hand through his hair and looked at the destruction he caused. “Better I guess. The air is lighter, not as foul. No pain, no headaches or darkness. Guess it worked kind’a like an exorcism. Sorry about this mess, I’ll help clean it out.”

  Radoff waved down his comments. “Forget it, I was going to throw it all out anyway.” He paused. “No one thought of what the exchange would do to you. I’m sorry it happened the way it did. But I have to say, watching you rip through this room while talking and making sense at that, was quite impressive. The only wolf I can imagine giving you any competition would be your mate, and La Patron.”

  Hawke stared at him. “What are you saying?”

  Radoff crossed his arms and met Hawke’s gaze. “The Liege created a super wolf, you. Their techniques were unorthodox and they never meant to lose control of you. By your own admission, your mate disabled the computer chip and set you free of them. My concern is this, if they duplicate you with other full-blood pups, we won’t be able to stop them. Just now, your mate was the only person who could stop you. What if these pups in LOBO receive the same training you did and never break free of Liege control? What happens to our world? Will we be forced to serve the Liege to survive?”

  Hawke hadn’t thought that far, but what Radoff said made sense and struck a nerve. “I see your concern. The only thing I can say is stop the Liege, now before these pups are too far into the program. For those fully indoctrinated, we will meet them one at a time and either destroy them or help them as much as possible.”

  “How do we help them? Could we have helped you?” Asia asked, watching him and knowing the answer.

  “No. No one but you could’ve helped or stopped me. Not after thirty years, but we can stop them. Lancaster is somewhere in the country, why not start with him?”

  Chapter 19

  Hawke, Asia and Radoff discussed different strategies to locate Lancaster and destroy him. The hybrids that traveled with the man would attract attention, which meant they were not in a crowded area. Ulric mentioned Lancaster arriving with one person, the smart ass on the side of the road seemed likely, they’d have Angus contact Ulric for more information to find Lancaster.

  Afterward, they would track down and destroy every Liege Lord until LOBO fell apart. No more chasing down labs, or false leads. They’d wasted enough time. Radoff’s questions and the lack of answers, lit the fire of urgency beneath them. Asia had no problems killing the weasel Lancaster, especially after hearing what he had done to Hawke. The man deserved to die a long, painful death which she volunteered to administer. The door at the top of the basement opened and they stopped talking mid-sentence.

  Maheegan, followed by Granira and Niall walked down the stairs. “We found it, finally we—” Eyes widening, she looked at the room and then went to Radoff. “Were you attacked? Did the Liege find you down here?”

  Granira and Niall walked around looking at the damages. “What the hell happened down here?” Granira asked, looking at Hawke and then Asia.

  “What did you find?” Radoff asked Maheegan, turning her to face him.

  After a moment she exhaled and explained. “Granira and I compared notes. And then it clicked. The Liege violated the agreement, but that alone does not break the power of the contract because it was sealed in blood making the covenant stronger.”

  Asia stared at Maheegan and then glanced at Hawke. “Does this make any sense to you?”

  Hawke nodded. “Yes. The way it starts is the way it ends. Problem is none of the Alphas still live. How can we break it without their blood?”

  “Good point. I think we need to follow through on the original plan, find Lancaster and kill him. He’ll have hybrids, maybe a few bluebirds, but if we take a large enough group of men we can take them down faster as if we were in the forest.”

  Hawke nodded. “Like a food hunt?”

  “Yes. You, me and Angus will run points and the rest of the pack will wear them down until we are in position to move in for the kill. Unless they’ve come out with something new, we can handle all the old stuff.” She thought of the serum, and the tranquilizers that had been used on them before.

  “Sounds good, let’s fill La Patron and Angus in and head out. We can meet him on the way.” Hawke turned to leave.

  “Where are you going?” Radoff asked, sounding confused.

  “To get started on our plans.” Hawke looked at Radoff over his shoulder.

  “But what about this? We cannot do this without you. It’s the only way to stop them from accessing pack lands. Isn’t that what we’re trying to do?” Radoff took a step toward Hawke and Asia.

  “Did I miss something?” Hawke asked, turning to meet him.

  Asia stood next to him, realizing something big just happened.

  “Did you hear Maheegan? The contract can be broken with the blood from those who sealed it.”

  “I heard that. But the Alphas are all dead.” Hawke looked at Granira. Had she lied about that? The woman nodded and continued to watch Radoff.

  “Yes, but their blood did not seal the contract. Yours did. The pup taken for training. All we need is a Liege member’s blood along with yours to break the covenant. To break their power and hold over the wolves,” Maheegan said in a quiet, authoritative voice.

  Asia stared at Maheegan as if she spoke Latin. “They shed his blood?” she asked, trying to understand.

  Maheegan nodded. “It sealed the covenant and created a tie of sorts. That has to be broken.”

  “What happens when it’s broken?” Asia asked since her mate remained silent. She sensed his confusion and opened their link to monitor his thoughts. They couldn’t afford for him to lose it again, not with so many people in the confined space.

  “The Liege looses access to pack lands. They also lose their ability to heal and live longer. In theory they should become powerless to train the pups or the pups will not be subject to the training. Which is it Granira?” Maheegan asked.

  Asia wanted to groan in despair. Granira could not be trusted to tell the truth.

  “They should become powerless, but I am not sure how that plays out in reality.” She hefted her bag on her shoulder and looked at them. “Since they broke the contract a long time ago, I would think they would be unable to train the pups yet they have continued to do so. Alpha Hiram discovered their deceit early on and tried to remove his pup without the aid of the other Alphas. But the Liege convinced them Hawke progressed according to the agreement. They refused to allow my Alpha to see his son, claimed it would set Hawke back to see or scent him. Then we heard the stories of mutilations at the castle and missing wolves. Over the years the Liege continued to lie and say they hadn’t broken faith, but my Alpha knew they were lying. Guilt ate at him, he tried to find a way to release his pup. After many failures, ten years ago, he tried to storm Lancaster castle to rescue his pup. We never saw him again.”

  “Hawke?” Asia said, hoping this new information didn’t set him off.

  “I am fine. Just taking a moment to let this settle. Do you believe her?”

  “Huh?” Asia looked at Granira and then at Maheegan.

  “Granira is a liar, how do we know she’s telling the truth?”

  “Why would she lie? What would she gain? We planned to kill Lancaster anyway, this just makes me want to do it faster.”

  He nodded. “True. I am cautious to change my opinions of abandonment after all this time, that’s all. I never knew my sire tried to find me or felt bad over his actions. Niall didn’t mention this.”

  “No, he didn’t explain, other than say your sire died ten years ago. Perhaps it’s too hard for him to discuss.”

  Hawke met Radoff’s gaze and sensed his nervousness when he moved Maheegan behind him. “What do you need from me?”

  Maheegan and Radoff exhaled. “There is one other thing. Until the contract is broken, the Liege Lords involved with the contract cannot be killed by pack. The covenant provided a safety net for Gordon and Lancaster since they
were the two who originated the deal. I suppose they were afraid they’d be killed if anyone found out what they did to full-bloods.”

  “They cannot die?” Hawke asked.

  “Yes, but not by pack.”

  “We must bring one of them in alive, take some of his blood to break the contract before killing him?” Asia asked for clarity.

  Maheegan nodded slowly. “That’s a graphic way of looking at it, but accurate.”

  Since she and Hawke were on their way to kill Lancaster she didn’t think delivering the man alive a few moments longer would be a problem. Perhaps Hawke could chain him to a wall. The visual pleased her and she shared with her mate.

  “We were making plans to handle that when you walked in,” Radoff said watching Asia and Hawke.

  “Really?” Maheegan asked, looking at the three of them. No one said more and she nodded. “I have more research to complete.” She headed toward the stairs, stopped and looked at Granari. “Are you leaving now or will you be here for a bit?”

  Granari lifted one of her bags, while Niall picked up the other. “I will return to assist you tomorrow after I check on my home. My Alpha has contacted me and requires a full accounting.”

  “Thank you, I will see you then. Oh, could you bring the original contract? I want to read through it before the ceremony,” Maheegan asked.

  “Yes of course.”

  Asia watched as Niall walked quietly behind the woman as they made their way down the long corridor. “They have a weird relationship. I cannot figure it out.”

  “Neither can I. Let’s talk to La Patron and Angus. We need to grab a Liege Lord to bleed.”

  Chapter 20

  Gordon watched the hybrid fly through the air and hit the mat in the mini gym Lancaster set up for practice in the new building they’d relocated to. Damian landed on top, pinning the huge warrior to the floor. Gordon’s chest expanded with pride. Damian had exceeded their expectations and excelled in every test or challenge presented.

  But he couldn’t win against Hawke.

  They all knew it. The idea of watching the light of life die in Damian’s eyes sickened him. He prayed Hawke couldn’t kill his seed, which was this last test and his hope. Sometimes living a long life was more a curse than a blessing. Down through the years he’d buried his wife and two sons before they reached twenty summers. Stephan had been his heir and Reginald his youngest. His wife died shortly after Reginald’s birth with some type of pox.

  Stephan died in the war, before his nineteenth summer, fighting in the Hungarian army. He had been Gordon’s’ pride and joy, a perfect specimen of nobility. Burying his son had been one of the hardest things he had ever done.

  Damian reminded him of Reginald, his youngest, who died of the fever in his fifteenth summer. Both were inquisitive with a thirst for knowledge and adventure. From the first time he met Damian in the dungeon of Lancaster castle, he’d been intrigued by the way the young pup adapted to change. Damian, and all the pups who qualified, had been sent to the LOBO camp in the states for training. Gordon and Lancaster ran the program but through the years, Damian had become his favorite. Gordon spent hours tutoring the boy in his studies and had been impressed by his sharp mind. There was no question he was indeed Hawke’s seed.

  Damian received surgeries to implant the steel rods in his arms and later his legs in his fourteenth year. Gordon remained at the lab until he was satisfied the surgery had been successful, leaving no permanent damage. The computer implant to help Damian control his limbs had been the last surgical procedure which created a problem. By bringing Damian on this trip without a tracker, or cam or kill chip, they had no way to control the young full-blood and could lose their entire investment. The board believed since Damian had been with the Liege all his life and knew nothing else he would remain loyal. At first, Gordon thought it dangerous to allow Damian contact with his sire without a cam or tracker. Now, he simply wanted the young pup to live through the meeting.

  Gordon knew Damian looked at him as a father, and over the years he encouraged the connection, often times needing it more than the young pup. Often Gordon suffered from depression and Damian would help him through it by reading or talking or playing a board game.

  And now those bastards intended to bring Hawke and Damian, biological father and son together in a test to see if they could destroy each other. Gordon didn’t think they could, but no one listened to him. Instead, they planned to use his boy as bait to trap Hawke. The cup in Gordon’s hand cracked and crumbled beneath the pressure of his clenched fist.

  He turned and tossed it aside as Damian helped the hybrid stand and took his position again. There had to be a way to stop this. Verrick, that asshole, refused to assist him and took his pack to the mountains. It had been so long since he’d been in this cold wasteland, he had forgotten the names of their allies. He was certain Lancaster hadn’t. Alpha Andrei dead by Angus’ hands. The one councilman they could trust, dead as well. The European council, dethroned and ineffective.

  Gordon looked over his shoulder and watched Damian punch the hybrid so hard it flew backward into the wall. In a few years, the young pup would be impossible to beat. Gordon intended to make sure Damian lived that long.

  Lancaster strolled into the room, his thin face and pinched upturned nose on his long narrow face had made Boris the butt of jokes when they were youngsters. No one had been more surprised than Gordon, when he replaced his father in the Roundtable, and Boris sat across from him. The look of smug superiority in the bastard’s eyes as his name had been called as a charter member made Gordon sick. But Lancaster’s father had been Konstantin’s game-keeper and rather than sit on the table with his master, the older man asked Konstantin to train Boris.

  Neither spoke as they watched Damian train against another hybrid.

  “Have you set things up for him to meet Hawke?”

  Lancaster glanced at him and then grinned. “Yes… yes, I believe I have.”

  Gordon waited for him to explain further and when he did not, Gordon exhaled in slow degrees to keep his temper in check.

  “Are you going to share?” He hated asking this man for anything, but he needed to know what plans were in the making.

  “No. No, I do not believe I will. It will be a surprise.”

  Gordon’s jaw clenched and he balled his fist. “I do not like surprises.”

  Lancaster chuckled and shook his head in a mocking gesture. “You shouldn’t have grown so close to him. He’s a wolf. An animal, a different species altogether and will never be your son.”

  Gordon’s hand flew out before he could think to check his actions. The fight on the mat stopped. Hybrids and Damian watched as Lancaster spun from the force of the blow but did not fall. Instead, he licked the blood from the corner of his lips while watching Gordon with a narrowed gaze.

  “You should never have done that.”

  Gordon silently agreed. Over the decades, he’d seen the man’s cruelty and knew better than most how vindictive Lancaster could be. But the deed was done and he refused to apologize. The cut healed after leaking a few seconds and Lancaster straightened. If anger had a sound, Gordon would say Lancaster vibrated with it. The mark remained on his cheek as he looked toward Damian.

  Gordon’s chest constricted at the pointed gaze. Lancaster would destroy Damian to get back at him. “I apologize. I should never have done that.” The words tasted like sawdust.

  “No you should not have. It will cost you.” Lancaster turned and left the small gym.

  Gordon watched him leave with unease.

  “Sir, are you alright? Do you require anything?” Damian asked, standing nearby watching him closely.

  Without meeting his gaze, Gordon shook his head. What had he done? A sense of dread ran over him, leaving him cold. Lancaster would destroy Damian out of spite and there was little he could do about it. The other Lords complained about Boris behind closed doors, but none would go against him. Not even Roderick, their leader. For decades Boris had
led the Liege down this path of lies and deceit, operating in the gray areas of their agreement with the old Alphas rather than the letter. Gordon no longer had the stomach for it. Despite being dual-natured, Damian’s human side controlled his wolf and actions. He was a good boy, loyal and kind hearted. Damian deserved a chance. Gordon knew he wouldn’t sit by and allow Lancaster to destroy the pup he loved as a son.

  Chapter 21

  Hawke and Asia headed toward their vehicle. There had been so many revelations in the past hour she needed a few moments alone with her mate to settle a few things in her mind. She had lost him. In the darkest moment of his rage, he blacked out and she couldn’t reach him and that bothered her. “We need to get some answers right now,” she said, opening the car door and sliding into the passenger seat.

  “Mistress?” Asia opened the link for Hawke, tapped her finger along her leg and glanced out the window. Radoff and Maheegan walked at a clipped pace across the yard toward the main building. Had they learned more about the birthmark? So much had happened she hadn’t asked.

  “Asia, how’s it going?”

  Asia told Jasmine everything.

  “Silas, have you ever heard of a mate being kicked out like that?” Jasmine asked.

  “He did not kick her out. His beast protected her. When the beast loses control to that extent, he will not allow his mate to be hurt by the emotional backlash. Believe me it could have caused you pain and discomfort. His wolf would cease to exist before he allowed that and could never be the direct cause.”

  “So his beast closed me out to protect me?” Asia asked watching Hawke.

  “He will always protect you first, he can do nothing else,” Silas said with implacable resolve.

  “Thank you for explaining, I did not know the answer when she asked,” Hawke said.

  “Understandable. The plan is to find Gordon or Lancaster and break the covenant?” Silas asked.