Claw of Exile: He Kills to Survive (Exiled Book 1)

by J. K. Jones

  “This was after you fell into the wolf pit?” Micah asks, with his hands clenched at his side.

  “A few months afterward.”

  Micah looks down, his expression murderously. “Let’s adjourn for the evening.”

  “Ahh—Byakuren,” Trmon says hastily. “With all due respect, this is extremely important.”

  Micah grinds his teeth together, eyes darkening rapidly. “Fine. Let us finish it.”

  “Okay,” Trmon says. “Thank you for sharing that Ryu. Yet, that doesn’t explain why Randolph lured us there in the first place or his motive for wanting to take over the Silvercrest Howlers.”

  “It does,” Ryu responds coolly. “If you think about it hard enough. Randolph has always been a separatist; he was never for the integration of the clans. I can recall several times he spoke up against it. His nationalism for the Silvercrest Howlers has always been at the forefront of his motivations. He never once thought it was our business to meddle within clan matters.”

  “Randolph would spout those disgusting ideologies to the council all the time. They would eat it up and that is how Michael started losing support halfway through the war,” Trmon adds on.

  “My father supported Michael to the end,” Alhazred speaks up. “He would never put up with Randolph’s separatist attitude, but it seems that it spread like wildfire to the people.”

  “But all the clans are separatists,” Shamus says hesitantly. “We don’t come together unless it is for our mutual benefit. Even now, we are only here because we hope to build alliances between the Midnight Nightstalker’s and the Silvercrest Howlers.”

  “I agree,” Caine responds. “The wolf clans have been that way for centuries. We keep to ourselves. We make our clans prosper. Why should I care for a Blackfang Hound? Thieving and rioting their way through the Outlands. That is the way of their clan. Who am I to question it?”

  “That is exactly the point,” Ryu answers. “That is exactly the mentality Michael tried to change. You all turn a blind eye to suffering. You all pretend that it is not happening because it is not your business. However, look at the consequences of doing that. Arima Kihei needlessly died at the hands of the Silvercrest Howler Miyamoto Musashi. He cloaked himself in vengeance for years, biding his time to make a comeback. Even Kenyon—” Ryu feels his throat clog with emotions. “We were childhood friends. He had nobody. He lived in poverty. He had no choice, or else he would see his clan fall. Michael sought to have all the clans prosper, through unity and integration. Are we not all wolves? Are we not all born from the Haveus, Goddess of the Stars?”

  “This kumbaya shit is making my head hurt,” Deryn sneers. “Michael was indeed altruistic, but look where that got him. Killed by the Filthy Claws. The same clan he was trying to help? What is the point of integration if the Filthy Claws are unwilling? Why bother in the first place? No. We should just go back to the Silvercrest Howlers and try to reason with Randolph.”

  “There is nothing to reason with,” Ryu spits back. “You think Randolph doesn’t want you all dead? He sent us to fight the Bloodhound Prince! But what Randolph doesn’t know is that he is also a pawn. The Bloodhound Prince wants to isolate the Silvercrest Howlers, it makes killing them off easier!”

  “He’s right,” Micah says. “There is strength in numbers. By now Randolph would have closed the borders, making sure nobody can get in or out. What he doesn’t realize is that he just sealed their fates.”

  “What do we do?” Shamus demands. “Surely, after the Bloodhound Prince has killed the Silvercrest Howlers, he will then set his sights on the Midnight Nightstalkers.”

  Ryu looks around.

  Each one of them comes from a different clan. He sees them all in different arrays and nationalities, ready and willing to risk their lives for unity. For doing what is right, to bring an end to isolationism. They were all wolves after all. They were all one.

  “There is only one way,” Ryu says steadily. “We go back to the beginning: to the Filthy Claws Clan. Back then they didn’t have a voice. Now they do; I will speak for them. I will be their guide and lead them in the way Kenyon could not.”

  “What makes you think they will listen to you?” Micah asks lowly. “You’ve been gone for too long. We’ve already brought peace to their clans. The wars have ended. If we go there now that might stir things up again.”

  “They will listen if we give them a reason to.” Ryu looks at him. “I know it will be difficult, but we need to try. We merge the clans, send peace emissaries, food, aid, provisions—let’s finish what Michael started. What he would have wanted us to finish. Let’s unit the Silvercrest Howlers and the Filthy Claws once and for all. They may not listen to me, but would they refuse Byakuren? Would they go against the Silvercrest Howlers to start another war? I doubt it.”

  “That could take years.” Micah shakes his head. “Centuries even. We don’t have that kind of time.”

  Ryu sighs in frustration. The rest of the wolves look pensive as they take everything in.

  “Let’s adjourn for now. We will meet back later to discuss.”

  -

  At dusk Ryu finds Micah.

  Hunched over in a chair, watching the sunset on the balcony. It’s warm and cool, the weather drastically different than on the mountainside.

  “Micah—”

  “I’ve failed you,” Micah says quietly. “I’ve failed them all. I should have seen it coming. Randolph voiced his opinion for years and I thought nothing of it. I thought—he was my friend.”

  Ryu thought the same. However, it is always the friend's knife that cuts the deepest. “I’m sorry.”

  “I looked for you,” Micah continues. “After you were taken. I looked for a long time. Then they called me back and I had to go—if I didn’t, I would have continued. I would have found you. Before you made the blood pact. Before you became a Bloodhound.”

  “Don’t—”

  “It’s all my fault. I didn’t stand up for you. I didn’t fight for you. I’m a coward.” Micah rubs his head.

  “No, we were young and—”

  “Don’t make excuses please,” Micah snaps. “I am your Alpha and I betrayed you. That’s why you made that deal.” He stands abruptly, taking Ryu’s hand into his. “When this is all done, she will come. She will demand the debt that is owed be repaid.”

  Ryu turns away.

  He knows—of course, he knows that. Ryu spent years in turmoil, thinking that he was giving up so much to defend people who he thought didn’t care about him. Yet, he knows Micah never stopped loving him. And it was his love for Micah and Amaya that pulled him through. He doesn’t care if he dies in the process, the only thing that matters is that they are safe.

  “I love you,” Micah holds onto desperately. “Please—let me!”

  Ryu breathes harshly, his thoughts a whirlwind of fear. How can he? There is so much at stake. What was the point? Can’t they just cherish what they had and let go of everything that happened in the past? Why must they entangle the past and the present?

  “I-I’m not ready. I’m sorry.”

  Micah’s hand drops immediately, he clenches his jaw and looks away. “I see,” he grits out. “You don’t trust me. You don’t love me.”

  “I do. You have my loyalty—my devotion—”

  “I want your heart as well!” Micah seethes. “What the fuck is all of this for? You talk about merging the Filthy Claws and the Silvercrest Howlers—well guess what? We are the merger. You and me side by side is what is going to bring everyone together! Accept me as your Alpha. Forgive me for all my failures and shortcomings.”

  Ryu is stunned into silence.

  Micah is right. Them together is what the clans need to see. Unity brought through marriage was one of the most powerful resources they had at their disposal. It would be the easiest way to convince them that an alliance is 100% possible. Ryu sighs, conflicted.

  “Don’t—I can’t make a decision now. There is too much going on. I can’t promise to give
you my heart. I won’t mean it.”

  Micah’s expression turns cold. “I see.”

  “I need time, Micah. I need to think. We can work around it.” Ryu licks his dry lips. “As long as we do it together. I am by your side in all ways that matter. The Lycans are coming. We will ban together or else we will all fall. I am with you. I stand by my Alpha.”

  Micah pulls him into a tight embrace. “In all ways.”

  “The rest we can figure out later.”

  -

  Twelve wolves set off.

  Ryu sheaths his Katana taking one lasting look at the skyline. The cherry-red gold stretches far and wide, like blazing fire upon hearths and tangerines. The reflection of dawn is like a prelude, a gift from the Gods as they walk into the unknown.

  Hope.

  It rests upon his shoulders, fluttering softly as if it were butterfly wings. Ryu knows there is a lot to settle. They have no idea if the Filthy Claws will listen to their pleas or heed the call of a True Alpha. However, Ryu knows his people. He knows they are tired of treading deeply in muddy waters. Micah and Ryu can bring about change, a resounding earthquake that can shake the very foundation of the clans—unity.

  Such things are sneered at, reviled for being trivial and preposterous. The wars with the Lycans are brewing. If they do not all ban together, then one by one they would all fall. The wolves born at the top never suffered, not as he suffered. Or toiled in poverty, resentment, or hatred thick as blankets. However, should he offer a hand to pull them upwards—he knows they would accept and use their insights to mend the world as best as they can.

  Micah takes his hand, threading their fingers together.

  Raging waters hollow out stone, not through force but through perseverance. They must break upon their enemies, like water against rock.

  The battle can be scaled—the war can be won.

  All he had to do is dismantle the sun.

  END BOOK 1

  The Filthy Claws

  Silvercrest Howlers Clan

  Hiratsuka 10’

  Six years ago…

  It’s not over. Ryu realizes that all too late. Micah brought him back to the camp, ghostly white and shaking like a leaf. The remaining wolves stare at him accusingly, their eyes filled with bitter resentment. They can see it: blood, shit, and grime all over his frayed uniform. They’ve all lost. Micah says nothing. He guides Ryu straight to his tent and hugs him close. It takes a long time before he realizes that Micah is crying.

  His body wracks with tears. It’s muffled by the crook of his neck. Ryu holds him close, a silent apology on his lips. He’s sorry. So very sorry.

  Disobeying Micah was wrong. He should have never left to try to save Kenyon. If he stayed the line wouldn’t have been broken. Kenyon wouldn’t have been able to find a way through.

  “Let me be next to you,” Micah says hastily.

  Ryu says nothing. He allows him to lay him down on the thin cot and lavish his blood-soaked body with heavy kisses. The stench of Moldavite is still ripe on his skin. Micah takes off his clothes, not caring that it is still the middle of the day and many of the wolves will be expecting him later on. Micah cares for none of those things.

  Ryu allows him to enter him, swift and unyielding. He cries out, body battered and aching. He pants like mad, clutching Micah’s back as he thrusts wildly on top of him.

  Micah swears his devotion over and over again. It feels desperate. It feels like goodbye. Ryu’s back arches, he comes with his name shouting from his lips. Micah kisses him savagely like he’s half possessed.

  Ryu cries when it’s all over. He pictures Kenyon from their youth, the boy that protected him and sheltered him from the storm. Micah holds him steadily; his own tears dry and his face devoid of emotion.

  “Rest,” Micah whispers to him, his words branding his skin.

  Ryu falls into a deep sleep.

  -

  Rings of smoke coil in the midnight air.

  Ryu stands outside the tent, enclosed in darkness, blowing soot through his mouth and nostrils, watching the careless tendrils twine and twirl. He rarely smokes, mostly because the smell burns his nose and trickles his throat.

  His hand is shaking, sweat is cooling on his back and forehead, his heart is slamming against his rib cage.

  Kenyon came to him again, skin totaled in barbwire, blood pouring from his eyes and mouth, his hand outstretched as he wailed in agony. You’re mine, you’re mine. Ryu screams back at the phantom, viciously denying the claim but no sound falls from his lips.

  Who exactly did he belong to? Ryu shudders at the thought.

  It’s been days since he left the tent. The riotous attitude of the Silvercrest Howlers is mounting by the second. Most of them are urging Michael to storm the Filthy Claws Clan, and decimate them for the attack on their encampment. But what is there to kill? Women? Children? Most of the Lycans that fought in the war died when Kenyon died, their bodies turning to ash and floating away against the wind. For now, it seems the rebellion is sedated; without a leader, the Filthy Claws have retreated.

  However, that isn’t enough. The Silvercrest Howlers want retribution. They want whoever is responsible to burn.

  Ryu is responsible. He acted foolishly and ended up getting half of them killed. He pinches the bridge of his nose, frustration bubbling in his core. There is no way around it. The council will come for him and demand he stand trial for breaking his Alpha’s oath, endangering all their lives.

  Micah comes back later that night, looking worn and haggard, his expression nearly lethal. He doesn’t say much, just gather’s Ryu into his arms and falls asleep. This pattern continues for weeks and weeks, both of them avoiding the storm brewing.

  It isn’t until the first moon comes that Micah enters the tent.

  This time he isn’t alone. Deryn and Trmon flank him and several other wolves that Ryu knows are from the Silvercrest Regiment. “Come. The council has gathered.”

  Ryu swallows thickly, hands shaking as he follows them out of the tent.

  Micah doesn’t look at him, keeps his eyes forward and his expression blank. If he is to punish his mate, he cannot show weakness. Ryu is aware of that. Still, it makes his heart twist painfully. What did they plan to do to him? Maim him? The crime for disobeying the Alpha is death. However, he was Micah’s Second and has proven himself valuable to the clan. At least, he hopes so. By the time they reach the main tent his heart is in his throat.

  “Micah,” he says softly, yearning to catch just a glimpse of his eyes.

  “Step forward,” someone barks behind him, forcing him to keep moving. They enter the tent, Michael sits on his throne, looking like he aged a hundred years. His face is ashen, his normally rich dark skin is drawn, and he clutches his stomach as if he were in immense pain. Ryu’s breath hitches when he realizes he must have been injured severely in the war. Why didn’t Micah tell him? The guards bring him into the middle of the room and force him to kneel. Ryu keeps his gaze low, trembling under all the stares in the room.

  “Ryu Suzuki,” voice rings out. “Kuroi Kage—Second to Micah McCorbyn. You have disobeyed your Alpha, committed crimes against the Silvercrest Howlers that have cost the lives of thousands. How do you plead?”

  Ryu gasps, turning to look up at the man in question. The councilmen look smugly satisfied, the cat has finally caught the canary, slowly breaking its neck between its teeth.

  They all do.

  Kill two birds with one stone. They never wanted Ryu as Micah’s Omega. Now they could easily get rid of him, throw him in the trash. Ryu’s breath catches, his heart pounds relentlessly and he turns to Micah for help.

  Only Micah looks away, his gaze is stubbornly fixed on the floor.

  This wasn’t a trial.

  It was his execution.

  Want more?

  Weeps Indigo

  Cage the Night

  Defend the Mirage

  Standalones

  Years of Silence

  King of the Titans


  Author’s Note

  Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. I know the journey for Ryu and Micah is just beginning. I will admit, this book was fun to write! I loved every minute of this story. I wrote “Claw of Exile” a few months ago. I never thought it would amount to much, just a nagging thought in my head, however, I knew I needed to get this story out. I am a self-published author, which means a lot of the work I’ve done on this book has been manual. I never claimed to be the best. However, I am glad you decided to stay with this story and the sequels to come. To the true fans of this story, I appreciate you. A year ago, I never thought I would be here and it is because of you guys that I am.

  Thank you so much for purchasing this book. If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review or recommending it to a friend. Be sure to look out for book 2!

  Thank you again for your support!

  Contact me:

  Instagram: jkjones9

  Website: www.jkjonesauthor.ca