by Dawn Wilder
“Bring the other two for burial.”
Maggie nodded, gesturing the others to help her.
I turned and walked away, needing a little time to myself.
Griffith
I took the man over to the building that housed safe rooms.
They were usually used for people who were sick, when the physical safety of others required they were kept apart.
The change wasn't always kind. A few succumbed to a sickness of the mind that had them losing their humanity and becoming wolves in truth. Sometimes they came back out of it.
Sometimes they didn't.
The rooms were more than adequate for this job.
Since the guy was naked, at least there was no need to search him.
“He needs to be held,” I told Terrence.
Terrence was a massive bear of a man at six and a half feet, built like a wrestler with slabs of muscle covering his heavy frame.
“Sure thing,” he said in his deep rumble.
I watched as the man looked all the way up at him, gulping a little.
That's right you little punk. Let's see you try anything.
Honestly, if it had been up to me, I didn't know if I'd let him live. It was obvious he only felt contempt for Reina.
Terrence took him gently by the shoulder and escorted him into an empty room. I waited as he cut off the restraints and locked him inside, closing the little window that would let him see inside if he needed to.
I turned to leave now that the prisoner was secure, but Terrence stopped me with a hand on my arm.
“It's good to have you back Griff.”
I looked back into that steady face.
“It's good to be back. Circumstances not withstanding.”
He grinned, his teeth a flash of white against the rich brown of his skin.
“Yeah. I hear you. But just so you know, I can see how much Reina cares about you. She's never looked at another guy like she looks at you. That was true even before you left. She just wasn't ready to go after what she wanted then.”
I held his words close to me as I went back out into the night.
Chapter 6
Griffith
We gathered around a map of our territory, figuring out a new strategy for defense now that we knew Manny wasn't above using explosives.
And if he was using explosives, I wouldn't rule out guns either.
A fight like this one should have rules. No weapons besides teeth and claws and no indiscriminate killing. There weren't enough of us to justify killing those that didn't need to be killed.
He'd violated that agreement. One we'd all lived by for centuries.
The easy thing to do would be to fight back with the same. Nobody would blame us.
But Reina wouldn't be who she was if she took the easy way.
“Bar, tell everyone what you told me earlier.” She gestured her forward.
All eyes turned to the small but powerful Asian woman as she stepped forward confidently.
“Manny has a reputation for being ruthless, I'm sure you all know.” Murmurs of agreement sounded through the room. “Well, he doesn't exactly treat his own pack with kid gloves either. Merrell, the man you took prisoner, is one of the few who outwardly worship Manny. His reputation has attracted some groupie types- sadistic fucks who buy into the hype that Manny sells. I'm guessing the others sent with him were the same type.
“Those are the only ones he can really trust completely. There have been grumblings of an overthrow for a while. Problem is, Manny rules with a fucking iron fist. Anyone who betrays him is skinned alive in the public square.”
Fuck.
I listened as gasps and incredulous exclamations erupted.
We knew he was ruthless. But this was past that description.
That was more psychotic than anything.
“Why wouldn't people just leave?” someone asked.
“It's not that easy. We're not technically prisoners, but everyone is watched pretty carefully. And I know for a fact some of his lackeys are planted to spy on everyone. Plus, he'll find you if you run and drag you back. I guess he's afraid it'll give everyone the wrong- or I guess the right- idea if someone succeeds in making a life away from the pack.
“Apart from that, there's oil on part of our land. Which means the pack is rich. People are willing to put up with a lot for a cushy lifestyle.” The bitterness in her tone over that was obvious and understandable.
“Anyway, the reason I'm telling you this is because there's a group that is more than ready for a change in the pack. All we need to do is give them backup. With them inside and us outside, we should be able to take Manny down. The only ones who will really care about him are the groupies. On a side note, you should really kill Merrell. There's no way you want that sick fuck in your pack, even if his surrender was sincere. Which I'm positive it wasn't.”
“Then why did you leave?” I looked out to see Maggie's suspicious face.
“Well, I had Reina here.” She looked at Reina. “I figured defecting to her pack was my best bet to get out of there.”
I would have been worried about the way she was looking at Reina if I hadn't seen how she looked at Sofia. She was definitely already a goner there.
“Ok, how soon can we coordinate with them?” Reina asked, pacing.
“I already spoke with them. They can be ready to move in a few hours.”
“Good. Let's hit them hard and fast.”
We spent the next hour figuring out the best way to go about this with the least amount of casualties.
According to Bar, Manny did have a weapons vault, but only a select few were allowed inside.
He was the paranoid sort.
Though maybe you couldn't really call him paranoid. Not if a significant portion of his own pack would be so ready to take him out.
In any case, that helped us. We wouldn't have to worry about a hail of bullets from every guard posted. Also explained why we hadn't been blown to hell when we'd gone to get Sofia.
Manny couldn't simply be picked off at his home either. What he called his home might as well be a bunker and he was guarded by only his most trustworthy followers.
This was starting to feel less and less like a pack and more like a cult.
Maybe there was something in the water.
What we really needed was something big enough to put Manny on the move. After his attack on us, he would be sure to be doubly careful.
So, we needed to pull him out of his fortress and get him in front of enough of his pack so one of the mutinous crowd could challenge him.
It would be difficult for him to dismiss the challenge if it was issued in front of most of his pack.
We'd finally decided on the simple and direct route.
Bar knew the evacuation route that they would take should they have to leave in a hurry. The entrance to it was hidden and well-guarded.
If we took care of those guards, we could use it to drive straight into the heart of their territory.
It wasn't a good idea to piss your pack off. Bar had no reservations when it came to taking Manny down.
With our plan sketched out, we got ready to go.
We needed to leave a certain number behind as guards. The rest piled into their cars and we got on the road.
Reina got into my car, along with Bar, Sofia, and Sultan.
I had reservations about taking Sofia with us after what had almost happened, but Reina had relented.
The drive there was tense and quiet. I focused on the road as everyone stared out their respective windows.
Finally, we got where we needed to be.
“Stop here. Any closer and they'll hear us coming.”
I nodded, coming to a smooth stop at the side of the road.
We got out and waited as our caravan slid to a stop behind us.
“There are about twenty guards at any given time, with a closely guarded rotating schedule, so I have no idea when the shift is going to change. That means we need to
be as fast as possible.”
I didn't tell Bar that we already knew all of this. It didn't hurt to reiterate.
We nodded.
She melted into the trees.
We followed just as silently.
The way on foot wasn't short, but it didn't feel as excruciating because we were able to expend some of our energy in the run through the dense forest.
The guards were on alert, but they weren't expecting us to come in such a large number.
It went like clock work. We beat them soundly, only minor injuries on our side.
Half the guards surrendered and the other half were put down hard.
We'd come prepared. Frisking the remaining guards, they were restrained and gagged.
We'd come back for them later.
The run back to the cars was quicker, the need for quiet not so paramount.
Hopping into the reinforced SUV, I gunned the engine. This part of the plan called for speed over stealth.
Grinning, I stomped on the gas.
Calling the evacuation route a road was too generous.
It was basically an overgrown dirt track. Going fast on it wasn't something I would recommend, but we needed to give them as little warning as possible.
There was no way to stop them from hearing us. So we'd simply decided to get there as fast as possible.
“Right!”
I jerked the wheel, getting off the main track and onto the ground, in a clearing that narrowed down into another trail-like road.
“This is going to end at his house.”
I nodded, keeping the breakneck speed going.
Trees scraped the top of the SUV as we hurtled down the narrow road to his house. I saw the light up ahead that signaled a clearing.
“Get ready!”
Punching the accelerator, we flew out into the open.
I caught a glimpse of surprised faces.
But then they were all jumping out of the way as I jammed the accelerator with a strong stick cut for just that purpose and we jumped out of the car, rolling to lessen the impact.
Ouch. That hurt.
Action hero I clearly was not.
I shook it off, never more thankful of my sturdy werewolf constitution.
We stood and watched as the hurtling SUV slammed into the side of the house.
Manny's guards also gaped at the broken in side of the place, too shocked to pay any attention to us.
We took the opportunity to drift back under cover.
By this point, if our reckless ride through the road hadn't caused people to pay attention, the massive crunch of the car hitting the house would have.
All we needed to do was wait for everyone to come running.
Reina and I crouched down together to watch.
The front door slammed open as Manny appeared on the porch, pissed.
Hello, dead man.
“What the fuck?!”
There were about ten guards in total. They took one look at Manny's face and took a couple of big steps back.
“What the fuck just happened?” he roared, turning to look at them.
“They just came out of the evacuation route,” one of them blurted out.
Wrong move.
Manny focused on him, striding over to lift him by the throat.
“They who?” he grated out.
That snapped the rest of them out of their shock.
This might not go exactly as planned...
I tensed, Reina stiffening beside me.
That was when a group of wolves streamed in. There was the other part of the plan.
The one in front changed, revealing a large man in his thirties. He was well-muscled and confident as he strode up to Manny.
“I'm issuing a formal challenge.”
Manny gaped at him, the poor guard still dangling from his meaty paw.
I watched his face flash to anger. And then to calculation as he absently dropped the guard.
“You what? Think about this long and hard Lucius. I won't spare your life.”
The man, who must have been Lucius, bared his teeth in a grin.
“I won't spare yours.”
Everyone's eyes were on the tableau they made. Manny had a couple of inches on Lucius, but they were both strong and intimidating.
What worried me was the viciousness in Manny's eyes.
I hoped Lucius was on his game.
As they were talking, more of their pack members slowly trickled into the clearing, until there wasn't much we could see.
Reina and I looked at each other.
And then up at the tree we were next to.
“Just like old times,” she whispered, swinging up onto the first branch.
I grinned, following her up.
We were up high enough in a couple of seconds, with a good view of the two fighters circling each other in the middle of the ever growing crowd.
I'd put it at a fifty-fifty shot who came out on top.
And that was being generous. I was hoping Manny had become content in his position and lost his edge.
Thirty seconds into the fight, I realized that hope was thoroughly squashed.
The two broke apart again, both bleeding and bruised already.
Manny spit out blood, a small chunk missing from Lucius's shoulder.
The man was an animal.
I held my breath as Lucius went in with a fast kick, his face determined.
It landed and Manny grunted, stumbling to the side.
Come on.
But when Lucius closed in, Manny grabbed him by the neck and pulled his head down into his knee.
I winced at the crunch of what was probably his nose breaking.
But he didn't stop there.
He kept going, hammering his knee into Lucius's face until people were looking away, wincing at the sounds.
Finally, he threw Lucius aside, his face a mess of red, completely destroyed.
Gone.
“Anyone else thinking now's a good time to challenge me?” Manny roared into the crowd, circling so he could glare at everyone. He was covered in blood and gore, his face alight with a manic glee that underscored the fact that he'd actually enjoyed what had just happened.
This was the guy Reina's dad had decided to strike an alliance with? He needed to be put down like the rabid dog he was.
Nobody moved forward as he put out that blanket invitation.
I waited.
Come on.
Someone needed to try.
I waited a few more heartbeats.
When nobody stepped forward, I slid down the tree before I could think about it too clearly.
“Griff? What are you doing? Fuck!”
Reina scrambled down after me and grabbed my arm, whirling me around.
“I'll do it.”
I pulled her back before she could take more than one step.
“No, I will. We both know I have a better shot at beating him.” Reina's jaw clenched, her face set in a mutinous expression. “Look, this is the best way to avoid more deaths. And if you try and fail, there's nobody that could fill your shoes. The pack needs you.”
“It doesn't have to be you,” she said, gripping my arms.
“Yeah, it does. They were right that I just abandoned the pack before. This is my chance to make up for that.” I leaned in and kissed her hard, taking her face in my hands. The face that I'd hopefully be waking up to for years to come. “I love you.”
She grabbed my wrists, leaning her forehead against mine.
“I love you too.” She took in a deep, shuddering breath. “Go kick his ass.”
I smirked.
“Yes, Alpha.”
She let out a strained laugh.
I got to the edge of the crowd and people turned to look at me as I started shouldering my way through.
A murmur went up as I broke out into the small clearing with Manny.
He had size and strength on me, something I wasn't usually accustomed to compensating for. It didn't even
help much that he'd just finished a fight. He wasn't winded and the last couple days hadn't exactly been a walk in the park for me. I was battered but there wasn't any help for it.
Life rarely stopped so you could take a breath.
Manny glared at me, his nostrils flaring as he took a step toward me.
“I challenge you.”
You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed. I got the feeling our people were as shocked as his.
“Bring it, boy,” he snarled.
I needed to fight smart. He was a vicious opponent.
We circled each other. I let Manny's glare slide off me, settling into a focused place that didn't have room for something as trivial as fear.
I waited for him to come at me and he didn't disappoint.
I dodged, not wanting to block unless I absolutely had to. His blows would be as massive as he was.
After a few more tries and misses, he moved back and circled again.
Alright, speed was on my side. I figured my best bet was to tire him out before I went in for the kill.
And I had no illusions about the fact that I would be going in to kill. We couldn't afford to leave him alive.
I waited and eventually he got tired of waiting for me to make a move.
And again, I wasn't where he needed me to be for the blows to land.
I could see the frustrated impatience in his face and in the way he was moving.
Good. That could only work in my favor.
We went through a few more rounds, me conserving my energy and him getting more and more frustrated.
It would be time to make my move soon.
But I made the mistake of thinking this would be an honorable fight.
I didn't think about the zealots Bar had mentioned.
Something hit me hard in the back of my right knee and I turned instinctively, off-balance.
It was a large rock. The guard that Manny had just been dangling by the neck a few minutes ago straightened.
That was all the distraction Manny needed.
The blow hit me in the back of the head, turning my whole body and leaving me too dazed to do anything as I felt him pick me up.
The night air whizzed passed me and I hit a tree with a meaty crunch that had me wincing before I even felt the pain.