by Lola Gabriel
“Bullshit,” Alex sneered.
“Aren’t you happy about it?” Ellery asked, pretending to be upset at his reaction but secretly thrilled by it. Ava and Lisa had sat up straighter and were really paying attention now.
“Of course I’m not happy about it!” Alex shouted. He ignored Ellery as she started to ask him why. He turned to his guards. “Is she speaking the truth?”
One of them shook his head quickly.
“No, sir. She was tested when she first arrived. She has the Sanmere protein in her blood, but she certainly has no wolf genes,” he said.
“You’re wrong,” Ellery said. “Uncuff me and I’ll prove it to you.”
“Nice try,” Alex said.
“I don’t understand why you’re not pleased,” Ellery said, casting her head down so Alex couldn’t see the smile playing over her lips. “Why would I lie about something that can so easily be proved or disproved?”
Alex paused and looked at Ellery through slitted eyes. She knew she had made a point he couldn’t easily dismiss.
“Marcus,” Alex snapped. “Cut Ellery’s arm. Not deep enough to do any real damage if she’s lying.”
One of the guards stepped forward and produced a sharp-looking knife from his pocket. Ellery swallowed hard when he approached her, but she stood her ground. This wasn’t the moment she would die. That would come later. Alex wanted to prove that she was tricking him, nothing more. He had instructed the guard not to cut her too deeply.
Ellery sucked in a breath through gritted teeth as the guard sliced through the skin on the top of her arm. The cut wasn’t deep enough to be serious, but it was deep enough to bleed. Ellery felt warm blood trickling down her arm.
“Why are you doing this to me? I thought you wanted me to be your mate,” Ellery said to Alex. She no longer knew what her plan was and so she stuck to the eager-to-please character she had played from the beginning, hoping to buy herself enough time to come up with something else.
“The fact that you even need to ask proves to me that you’re lying about being a wolf,” Alex said.
That raised Ellery’s spirits a little bit. She hadn’t expected Alex to fall for this trick, but it seemed like he had. Maybe he would order the guards to undo her cuff now so they could go to wherever the mating ceremony was to be held. Grey had warned her the first time turning was painful, but pain was something she could handle. She hoped she could turn quickly enough at exactly the right moment, and throw Alex off guard long enough for her to escape.
Ellery’s plan didn’t come to light. Alex swore and stamped his foot hard on the ground.
“How the hell did this happen?” he yelled to Marcus. “How did your tests prove so inadequate that you’ve brought me someone who is already a wolf? I refuse to have any other wolf’s sloppy seconds.”
Ellery saw what had caused Alex’s sudden fit of anger. The cut on her arm had already healed.
“The tests are never wrong,” Marcus said quickly.
“Then explain this to me,” Alex snapped.
Marcus and the other guard exchanged nervous glances as Alex paced in front of them, full of rage.
“I… I don’t know how it happened,” Marcus said.
Alex shook his head and then he began to laugh. Ellery glanced at Lisa and Ava. They were both transfixed by Alex’s bizarre reaction and neither of them returned her questioning look.
“You two fucking idiots left Grey in here with the women, didn’t you?” Alex said.
“I… ummm…” Marcus muttered, not meeting Alex’s eye.
“Did you or didn’t you?” Alex demanded.
“Yes. You said he was a prisoner so we told Clive and Simon to leave him in here with the other prisoners,” Marcus replied.
“And it didn’t occur to you that Grey could turn these women into shifters? Make it so I didn’t want any of them as mates?” Alex said.
“Honestly, no,” Marcus said. “Why would he care about them?”
“Because he’s a fucking do-gooder, you imbecile. It’s what he does. Caring for humans,” Alex said. “I can believe you two were too stupid to see it, but I really expected better of Clive and Simon.”
Alex shook his head again and then he turned his focus back to the women.
“Your little hero there seemed to think this would save you. Let me tell you something. It hasn’t. It’s ensured you will all die today. I certainly don’t want used goods to be my mates, but if Grey thought I would just release you all, he really doesn’t know me at all. You will all be killed. Marcus, go and fetch the silver sword from my office,” Alex said.
“Wait,” Ellery said, before Marcus turned away. “Grey only turned me. Lisa and Ava are still human. Don’t kill them.”
“Is this true?” Alex demanded, looking straight at Ava.
Ava nodded her head, mute with fear.
“Test her,” Alex said.
Ellery relaxed a little bit. Ava’s wound wouldn’t heal and then Alex would order the same test for Lisa. Their lives would be spared.
Marcus stepped toward Ava and the other guard stepped toward Lisa, seemingly waiting for his instructions. As Marcus reached for his knife again, the door to the warehouse slammed open and Ellery was flooded with relief. Grey stormed quickly toward Alex, flanked by several others.
Alex’s face dropped. He pulled a walkie-talkie from his belt.
“We’ve been duped. Guards. Deal with our guests,” Alex ordered. He thumbed the walkie-talkie and spoke into it. “We have been breached. I repeat, we have been breached. Urgent back-up required to the back warehouse.”
Marcus let out a scream of rage as the other guard started to run toward Grey and the others. He ran his knife across Ava’s throat and then he followed the other guard.
“No!” Ellery screamed.
She and Lisa scrambled toward Ava. The two women exchanged a pained glance over Ava where she lay bleeding out onto the cold concrete floor. Marcus had cut a gash right across her throat. Blood poured from the wound, air bubbles gurgling through it as Ava tried and failed to breathe. Ellery took Ava’s hand in hers, tears streaming down her face.
“I’m so sorry, Ava,” she whispered.
Ava tried to talk, but blood bubbled out of her mouth instead. She squeezed Ellery’s hand, and Ellery hoped it was Ava’s way of telling her she forgave her. Lisa stroked Ava’s forehead. Ava’s body convulsed once and more blood ran from her mouth. The light in Ava’s eyes went out and the bubbling stopped. She was dead. Ellery gently pulled her hand free from Ava’s and reached out and closed her eyes.
“That bastard. He didn’t need to do that,” Lisa cried.
“I know,” Ellery said.
She was already moving on, her attention turning to the fight. She knew her grief and guilt over Ava would catch up to her, but right now, she had to focus on getting herself and Lisa out of there alive. They were both still cuffed to the floor and Ellery knew there was nothing they could do except hope that Grey and the pack won the fight.
“Keep behind me,” Ellery said, positioning herself between Lisa and the brawling wolves. “I am immortal now apparently, but you can still be killed. We’ve lost Ava. I’m not losing you as well.”
Lisa opened her mouth to say something, but Ellery’s attention was firmly on the wolves now and Lisa gave up trying to talk to Ellery when she turned her back, keeping herself in front of Lisa.
Now that Ellery was a wolf herself, she had no problem being able to tell the others apart, and she kept her eyes firmly on Grey. Marcus and the other guard were already down. Grey was facing off with Alex, two of his pack members on either side of him. This would be over quickly. The five wolves would make short work of Alex.
It didn’t turn out that way, though. As Ellery watched, more wolves ran into the warehouse.
“Behind you!” Ellery shouted.
Grey didn’t take his eyes off Alex, but the other four wolves turned as one, facing the new threat. They ran at the new wolves and the air wa
s soon filled with whimpers, growls, and flying fur as they fought.
Grey and Alex kept facing off against each other, both of them waiting for the right moment to make their move, waiting for the other one to drop their guard a little bit too much. Ellery was willing Grey to get through this alive. Alex had been a little shorter than Grey in his human form, but as a wolf, he was huge, bigger than any of the other wolves who fought around them.
Grey’s eyes shifted to the side for a moment as a wolf who Ellery thought was Ariel flew through the air, blood spraying from her. Alex took his chance and launched himself into the air at Grey. If it was possible for a wolf to grin, Grey grinned as Alex took to the air. Ellery saw that Grey had lured Alex into a trap. He neatly sprang up onto his back legs and met Alex’s attack with a clumsy bear hug. The wolves rolled over the ground, locked in a deadly embrace of limbs.
Ellery was distracted for a moment as more wolves poured in through the warehouse door. There had to be at least two hundred wolves in the warehouse now.
“That’s almost the whole pack,” Lisa hissed behind Ellery.
Ellery looked back at Grey. He was on top of Alex, and Ellery watched as he leaned his head down. He sunk his teeth into Alex’s throat and yanked his head back. A huge chunk of Alex’s throat ripped away, leaving Alex bleeding out. Grey shifted back to his human form and reached into the pocket of his jeans. He pulled out a silver-bladed knife and stuck it into Alex’s chest.
Alex howled, a sound filled with pain and despair. Ellery found that she had to look away. The look of pain on Alex’s face was all too real, and despite knowing he deserved it, Ellery felt a little bit bad for him.
Grey stood back up and watched as Alex took his final breath. As Alex died, the whole pack turned back to their human forms and each one fell to their knees before Grey.
“What the fuck?” Ellery whispered.
“If a pack alpha is killed, everyone in the pack is instantly answerable to the killer,” Lisa whispered back. “Grey just extended his pack to include around two hundred blood-thirsty, vicious wolves.”
12
Grey took a moment to look out at the sea of people on bended knees before him. He thought quickly. His own pack members remained on their feet, making them easy to spot.
“Are you guys alright?” Grey asked them.
Luke, Evie, and Graham nodded.
“Nothing that won’t heal,” Ariel said.
“Good,” Grey said. “Evie. Graham. Luke. Search this whole place and round up any stray pack members you find. Bring them here. Ariel, find the keys to the cuffs and free Ellery and Lisa. The rest of you stay exactly where you are.”
He watched, anxious, as Ariel searched through Alex’s pockets. She came up with a bunch of keys. She moved over toward Ellery and Lisa. She tried Ellery’s cuff first and the second key worked. Ellery ran to Grey, who opened his arms to her. She flew into his arms and tilted her head back. He leaned down and his lips met hers. He instantly felt warm inside as their lips came together—lips that had been made to be together. His skin tingled where Ellery touched him and he felt his wolf stirring inside of him, telling him to claim her as his once more.
He heard a few cheers and he felt Ellery smiling against his lips. He pulled back slightly from her.
“Are you okay?” he asked her quietly.
“I am now,” she replied, looking him in the eyes and smiling almost shyly.
Having Ellery in his arms finally made Grey feel calmer and more in control of himself, and he knew he had to finish this thing. He kissed Ellery again and then he straightened up. Releasing her, he glanced over at Lisa, who was now also freed from her cuff.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
Lisa nodded. “Yes,” she said. “But Ava isn’t. That bastard killed her.”
She nodded at Marcus. Grey signaled to Ariel, who stepped forward and pulled out a silver blade. She grabbed a handful of Marcus’s hair and cut across his throat, not giving him a chance to fight back. Grey nodded to himself. He had been afraid that ordering the execution of a wolf would feel wrong, despite what they’d done. He had been even more afraid that he would like the way it felt. In truth, he felt nothing but efficiency running through his veins right now. It was a job that had to be done, and when he was finished, he wouldn’t hate himself and it wouldn’t change him into some sort of savage.
Throughout all of the time they had been gathered in the warehouse, small groups of his pack had been arriving here, the groups who had been lining the streets. Some came alone, others came with stragglers from Alex’s pack. Finally, Luke, Graham, and Evie returned with the last of the bad pack.
“We’ve swept the whole place. Everyone is here,” Evie informed him.
Grey nodded and thought for a moment, and then he stepped forward to address the group.
“As you all know, Alex is dead. And with him, his ways will die. Wolves have lived in harmony with humans for centuries and the way Alex—and by extension, you guys—behaved is a disgrace to our ancestors. There is only one way to end this. With the execution of everyone from Alex’s pack,” Grey said.
As he spoke, he looked out over the crowd that knelt before him and felt anger swirling inside of him. Even the pack members who had never been directly responsible for taking care of the prisoners or dealing with them in any way knew about them. And they all knew it was wrong. Yet they’d all gone along with it.
“Grey, no,” Ellery said, stepping forward and putting her hand on his arm.
Her touch left a warm patch on him and instantly he wanted to forget about what had to be done and grab Ellery and kiss her, make love to her. He turned to glance down at her.
“I know it seems harsh, but you saw first-hand what these wolves are capable of,” he reminded her.
“I did,” Ellery said. “And I’m not suggesting for a moment you forgive them all. But some of them are Alex’s mates. Women like me who were taken from the streets and forced into this life. It’s not right that they should die for crimes committed against them.”
Grey nodded. Ellery was right. He was letting his anger cloud his judgment. Those women she was talking about hadn’t wanted this any more than he did. He turned back to the group.
“Anyone who was turned by Alex and forced to become a member of this pack against their will, step forward now,” he said.
He counted as nine women got to their feet and made their way forward. He nodded to himself. He heard two men at the front of the group talking in low voices. He opened his mouth to tell them to shut up, but their conversation intrigued him and he listened for a moment.
“Who would want to join Grey’s boring pack? I’d rather they kill me than force me to live like them.”
“I’d join if I was given the choice,” the other man replied.
“I see what you’re saying. Join up, play along for a while, and then take them down,” the first man said.
“What? No. I would have given anything to live the way they did,” the second man said. “I guess now I’ll never get the chance to do it.”
Grey stepped forward and touched the second man on the shoulder. He looked up and shrank back slightly when he saw Grey staring down at him.
“Rise,” Grey said, stepping back to the front of the crowd. The man stood up quickly. “What is your name?”
“Jason,” the man replied.
“Was what you were just saying true?” Alex asked.
Jason nodded, lifting his chin slightly and looking Grey in the eye for the first time.
“Yes. And if that makes me a traitor, then so be it.”
A couple of Alex’s pack began booing.
“Silence,” Grey snapped.
Instantly, the booing stopped and Grey focused on Jason once more.
“Why did you stay if you hated Alex’s way of life so much?” Grey asked, genuinely curious now.
“When I first joined the pack, it seemed like a fun way to live. We lived by our own rules. Partying all night, sle
eping all day. In hindsight, we were assholes. We’d wreck bars, cause trouble wherever we went. But it was all harmless stuff, you know? No one got hurt. But then Alex started to change. He began to see humans as toys, something to use for sport and entertainment. I didn’t agree with that. I told Alex as much and I was thrown into a cell. I spent three decades in that cell, the threat of death constantly hanging over me. I was used to show the rest of the pack what happened if you challenged Alex. Eventually, he wore me down and I swallowed my principles to get out of the cell. It was either that or go crazy. I stayed because I was afraid to leave. Alex made it clear to me that if I left the pack, he would find me and make my death slow and agonizing. I knew he would do it. I’d seen it done to others. I’m not proud of my cowardice, but I certainly didn’t approve of Alex’s treatment of humans.”
He stopped talking and the whole warehouse fell silent. There wasn’t so much as a cough in the air. Grey glanced at Ariel, who gave a half-shrug that he was easily able to read. She believed Jason, but whether or not he was shown mercy was on Grey’s shoulders.
“If your life was spared today, Jason, and you were welcomed into my pack, you would be starting at the bottom. And it might take a while before the pack fully accepts you. You would have to prove yourself,” Grey said.
“I understand that,” Jason said. “And I would be willing to do whatever it took to atone for my part in Alex’s games.”
“Then please come and join us,” Grey said.
Jason hesitated, a nervous look on his face. Grey realized what was happening and he spoke to Jason in a softer tone.
“At the first sign that you’re slipping into old habits or that you’re trying to take me and my pack for a ride, you’ll be executed. But I don’t play mind games. I say what I mean. I will extend the invite one more time. Please come and join us.”
Jason gave him a hesitant smile and stepped toward the group of Grey’s original pack. When he joined them and a few of them clapped him on the back, his smile looked a lot less nervous. Grey thought for a moment and turned back to the bad pack.