by Lexi C. Foss
She didn’t hesitate, a palpable energy shifting between them.
“Warn your alpha heir, Silas,” Kylan said, his voice laced with command. “A war is coming your way. And it seems the Silvano Clan is out for blood.”
30
Luna
A Few Minutes Earlier…
Everything felt wrong. The moon. The air. This ridiculous dress my mother brought me to wear. The way Edon wouldn’t stop pacing. The hairs dancing along the back of my neck.
The fact that Silas isn’t here… I swallowed, my eyes closing. He should be here with us.
No one could hear me but myself, and yet I knew Edon felt the same, could hear my thought echoing in his own.
Since opening the link between us a few weeks ago, neither of us had sought to close it. If anything, he’d only widened the entrance, allowing me unfettered access to his mind at all times. It was Edon’s method of establishing trust, something I very much appreciated because I never had to guess at his intentions.
Annoyance radiated off him in waves, coupled with concern and a slight hint of fear.
Not for us, but for Silas.
Rae—the infamous harem member turned vampire—was apparently an old friend of his. Something he’d failed to mention to me and Edon.
Which had me questioning how much Silas trusted us.
A ridiculous thought, really. I knew how he felt, could sense it in his every touch. And Edon could sense his emotions.
No, it wasn’t about trust at all. Silas just hadn’t mentioned it, or really much about his past. We were all so focused on the present, on what Walter would do next.
I opened my eyes to find Edon watching me, his expression sheltered. “Almost time,” he said softly.
“I know.” The moon’s energy slithered across my skin, making me thankful Edon chose this location to prepare. We were very alone here on his grandfather’s private porch, hiding us from the flurry of activity in town. Jolene had gone on ahead saying he wanted to have a word with an old friend. We suspected he meant a member of the quiet resistance, but we were too concerned with our own fates to press it.
Edon cupped my cheek, his opposite hand falling to my hip, where his thumb stroked the silk fabric of my gown. “After tonight, we can begin anew.”
I leaned into his touch. “Yes.” I just wish I knew what that would entail. Everything had seemed so right these last few weeks with Edon and Silas, but tonight would change everything. The foreboding nature of it weighed against my spine, leaving me unnerved.
“You feel it, too,” he whispered. “That something’s missing.”
“Silas,” I said.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“He should be here.”
Another nod. “Do you want me to call him?”
“I don’t know.” Would it make it better? Or would it feel like goodbye? Because I wasn’t ready for that. Somehow, in some way, that wolf had gotten under my skin nearly as deeply as Edon had. Almost as if that bite he’d bestowed upon me was a claiming. Except I knew that was impossible. Only bites beneath the full moon ended in a mating.
Edon brushed a kiss against my lips before pressing his forehead to mine. “This isn’t the end, little mate.”
“Then why does it feel that way?” I asked, swallowing. “Why do I feel like everything’s about to change?”
He sighed, his minty breath mingling with mine. “Because it is. But that doesn’t mean it’s an end so much as a new beginning.”
“Without Silas.”
“We don’t know that.”
“No. I think we both know exactly that,” I argued, pulling back to stare up at him. “My bite will connect us irrevocably. Forever. It’ll override your sire bond.”
“But not delete it.”
True. “It’ll supersede it,” I clarified. “Which isn’t fair to Silas.”
On that, he didn’t have an argument. I saw it in his gaze.
“Forcing him to remain with us will be cruel,” I added, swallowing. “You know that as well as I do. He’ll never be an equal.”
“He was never meant to be our equal, Luna.” He lifted his touch from my hip to my cheek, cradling my face between his palms. “We’re alphas. We’re meant to mate. Silas…” He trailed off, his expression pained.
“He’s not an omega,” I whispered.
“I know.”
“But he’s not an alpha either,” I admitted, my stomach churning. “Staying with him… Edon, it’ll hurt him.”
“I know,” he repeated, his gaze falling.
“I don’t want to hurt him.”
He pressed his lips to mine again, this time the kiss lingering as if he needed a moment to gather his thoughts. But as he met my gaze once more, I knew what he planned to say.
We need to let him go.
It’s for his own good.
Even if it kills us to do it.
However, none of those comments left his mouth. Instead, he froze, his hands going rigid against my skin.
And then I smelled it.
The rancid stench of death. Everywhere.
I couldn’t look over his shoulder to survey our surroundings because he held me too tightly. Yet I felt the incoming wave of power.
This was more than a few royal vampires and their sovereigns.
An army approached.
Edon shoved me through the door of his grandfather’s home, causing me to stumble into a nearby chair on a curse. And then he was shifting.
Snarls ripped from Edon’s mouth as he charged toward the tree line that led to the main camp, leaving a command behind in my skull. Stay.
Fuck that, I thought back at him. Not that he could hear me. Not that anyone could hear anything over the sound of war in the backyard.
I took off after him, my gown disappearing in my wake as I called to my wolf.
My paws sprinted over the earth, my senses heightening with each growing second.
So many vampires. Rage. Blood. The need for a fight.
It shivered down my spine, stirring a pool of dread in my lower belly.
This was the final test—the one Walter had set up for Edon to fail. I felt it in every bone of my being, knew what he desired.
My mate’s death.
Not on my watch, I thought, pushing myself faster than ever before as I followed Edon’s trail.
War cries littered the air, followed by howls.
I paused on the outskirts, my eyes going wide at the onslaught of chaos.
Hundreds of vampires had encircled the camp, their attack imminent.
Walter stood in the middle of them, squaring off against their leader—Silvano—an old-as-fuck vampire known for his temper.
Shit…
“I’ve sanctioned no such activities,” Walter growled, his words echoing off the surrounding lodges. Wolves paced around him, but they were well outnumbered by the army of undead.
Edon joined him, walking into the circle on two legs while pulling up a pair of jeans he’d retrieved from somewhere. I crept up to the side of one of the houses to watch, my coat shivering beneath the wave of violent energy stirring in the air.
“What the fuck is going on?” Edon demanded.
“Silvano thinks we’ve been hunting and slaying vampires on our land,” Walter said, folding his arms. “Something we all know I’d never sanction.”
Oh, shit…
This all tied back to the first trial.
The one with the dead vampire body.
The body Edon had disposed of.
“I see.” Silvano gestured for two of his suit-clad vampires to step forward, one of whom held a bag. He dumped the contents onto the lawn—a collection of heads. “These say otherwise, Walter. Go ahead, take a whiff. They reek of your mutts.”
My ears flattened, shock coursing through my system.
Edon merely folded his arms, mimicking his father’s stance. “Then we have a problem in our clan, one I’ll solve as soon as I ascend.”
His father snorted a la
ugh. “How quaint.” He turned to his son, eyes narrowing. “And so very coincidental.”
“Took the words right out of my mouth,” Edon replied, not looking the least bit ruffled. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say this is all part of your fucked-up alpha trials. Well, you’re too late, old man. I’m ready and I’m ascending, with or without your approval.”
“So, what? You orchestrated all this to belittle my legacy? To taint my reputation?”
Edon’s lips twitched. “We both know I don’t have the support in this clan to pull off something like that.”
“Oh, no?” Walter feigned surprise. “Maybe we should put that theory to the test.” He glanced around while Silvano observed in stoic silence, his vampires all poised and ready for battle. One signal from him and chaos would begin, but he held off.
Because this was all for show.
The realization hit me as soon as Walter asked, “Who among you had a hand in this?” He glanced around, his gaze astute. “My guess is my son promised you something in return for framing me in this madness. That’ll be hard for him to accomplish if he doesn’t ascend this year. I implore you to step forward with the truth now, or risk an uncertain future, as my son has.”
Bastard.
He planned all of this.
And that thought was confirmed as two males gingerly slunk forward, eyes averted.
“Forgive us, sir,” one of them said, his voice low. “But E-Edon said it was sanctioned, that w-we were paying back a debt.”
“H-he claimed it was done with Si-Silvano’s approval,” the other whispered.
Silence fell.
A hum of anger stroked my fur.
And then Edon laughed. “I can’t believe you’ve let him manipulate you this way.” He shook his head, still grinning. “You’re both imbeciles.”
Walter was an expert in the art of faking astonishment. “You just couldn’t ascend normally, could you? Had to try to tarnish my reputation in the process.” He shook his head, sighing. Then met Silvano’s gaze. “He’s been trouble from the beginning, but I’ve tried. It’s hard, though, when his mother is so completely useless.”
The female in question was nowhere to be seen.
But the words ignited a flame in Edon’s gaze. “And why is she useless?” he demanded. “Oh, right, because you’ve broken her.” He snorted and looked to Silvano. “I’ve neither sanctioned nor plotted against your territory in any way. What the hell would I have to gain from it?”
“A great deal,” Walter argued. “Framing me and tarnishing my reputation would only prove to the pack that I was unfit to lead, and allow you to become their savior. Something we both know you very much need, as you’re not all that respected by your peers.”
He opened his hands for the wolves around him, most of whom snorted in agreement.
Walter sighed, the sound dramatic as he refocused on Silvano. “Tell me how to make this up to you, old friend. Tell me what you want.”
“My death, I presume,” Edon drawled. “Fascinating. I mean, you’ve been trying to accomplish that throughout the trials. Right?”
He pressed a palm to his chest. “Me? All I’ve done is try to make you stronger.” He again looked to the pack for approval, which they of course gave because they were all fucking sheep.
“Is that why you framed my mate for murder?” Edon asked. “Why you took it upon yourself to punish her—in an attempt to gang-rape her? Why you beat me to within an inch of my life in your so-called strength test?” He smiled. “Sure, Dad. I’m certain that was all done for my benefit.”
“You’ve grown too close to her, and that mutt of yours, to think clearly, son. It’s something I warned you against.” He sounded so contrite and sad that I almost wanted to applaud him for the act.
The problem was, it seemed everyone around him believed this bullshit.
Several alphas had joined the ring, watching from the sidelines, including my parents. And a handful of royal vampires, too. They all wore matching expressions of indifference. But I sensed their acceptance.
They were going to let Walter kill his son.
To make it up to Silvano and—
“There’s only one problem with your accusation,” a deep voice said from behind the masses, startling me. Silas pushed through the ring in a pair of jeans and stepped up to his sire’s side. The lack of surprise in Edon’s features was either a result of anticipating Silas’s arrival or very good acting.
“I was the one who found the dead vampire body,” Silas said, eliciting a few expressions of surprise from the circle. “And those two idiots were right on my tail. When I reached out to Edon, he was just as shocked by the corpse as I was.”
Walter snorted. “That proves nothing. You’re just a mutt without any standing in this community.”
Silas smiled. “And yet, it’s my sire you’re accusing. As I have access to his mind, I’d argue my input is worthwhile in this discussion.”
“While I’d argue it’s inadmissible due to influence,” Walter replied without missing a beat. “Just as his bitch of a mate would be deemed worthless in this trial. Yet, I don’t see her here trying to defend you, Edon. How interesting.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Edon said, his lips thinning. “Because then you could claim her beneath the moon as your own. After my death, of course.”
“Well, I’ll need a new heir. Might as well use the only alpha female in the territory who can deliver the kind of son I require.” Walter shrugged. “Although, I’ll have to break her in a little. Since you’ve failed so spectacularly.”
My blood chilled.
Over my dead body, I thought, a growl threatening my throat. But I swallowed it before I let it slip.
“You can try,” Edon replied, canting his head to the side. “Something tells me it’ll be harder than you think.”
Silas snorted. “More like impossible.” He folded his arms. “You know, I am curious about something.”
Walter arched a brow. “And I should care why?”
Silas lifted a shoulder. “Because you’re the alpha incumbent. I’m one of your wolves. Oh, and your son is my sire.”
Brave words, I thought, my tail twitching.
But that wasn’t it at all.
He was stalling.
I just didn’t know why.
“None of those are reasons for me to acknowledge or even listen to a mutt.” Walter focused on his son. “What on earth have you been doing with this trash to give him such confidence?”
Edon’s smile was wolfish. “Bonding.”
“This has all been mildly entertaining,” Silvano interjected. “Alas, I’m no longer amused by this family quarrel. Clemente Clan crossed the borders without permission and murdered several of my brethren. I seek retribution for the lives lost, of which I count twelve. An alpha heir is only one. I require eleven more.”
“Don’t you find it odd that you were able to cross the boundaries so easily with this many vampires?” Silas asked, his tone remarkably calm considering he was addressing a royal vampire. That he held the male’s gaze spoke volumes. “I was the only one patrolling tonight, while there were almost two dozen of us on the last full moon. Seems a bit, I don’t know, arranged?”
“Are you suggesting I’m working with Walter? To have my own men killed?” Silvano asked, his white eyebrow meeting his equally white hairline.
“I’m suggesting your arrival was anticipated. And also, Edon doesn’t yet have the authority to command the wolves to leave the borders.” Silas’s arms fell to his sides. “Make of that what you will.”
A setup.
Which I already figured out.
But now I wondered if Walter and Silvano were working together, if perhaps the vampire knew all along that the alpha wanted to remain in charge.
Maybe he had a few minions to sacrifice.
Wouldn’t be unheard of to discard a few immortals in such a way—made the paperwork easier.
What if they had an agreement
drawn up among themselves? Walter helped Silvano get rid of a few unruly vampires while Silvano helped Walter maintain his position. As they shared a boundary, it would be within their best interests to remain loyal to each other.
“That is intriguing,” Kylan agreed from the sidelines.
“Yes,” Jace concurred beside him. “I wondered why the wolves weren’t on the border. Care to elaborate, Walter?”
The alpha chuckled. “Well, we were supposed to be having a ceremony tonight. I suspect my wolves were interested in observing.”
“You had one last month and relegated many of them to border patrol,” Silas said. “Including me.”
“Because you’re a mutt unworthy of attending,” Walter growled, his veneer slipping slightly. “You’re lucky we even let you into the heart of the territory—something I’ll be rectifying quickly once this mess is over.”
“But that still doesn’t explain the others,” Jace pressed. “Why force them to guard one ritual but not another?”
“Tonight’s a bigger ceremony with the ascension of their new alpha,” Walter replied, his gaze narrowing at the royal. “What are you really accusing me of, Jace?”
“Me?” He touched his chest, his dark brows lifting. “Nothing. I’m merely curious, old friend.”
Typical politics. No one meant what they were saying, and yet everyone was tossing around accusations—in silence.
“Regardless of who allowed what, I am owed my retribution,” Silvano declared, his voice ringing through the night.
Simple words.
Followed by a gesture of his hand that had my heart dropping to my stomach.
A shot rang through the air, piercing my ears and shooting my pulse into overdrive.
It wasn’t sanctioned.
The discussion wasn’t done.
But Silvano had clearly decided to finish it, with Edon as the target.
A scream rent the air, telling me the bullet was silver—a lycan’s one nemesis other than time. And to my absolute horror, I watched as Silas fell.
He’d leapt in front of the gun, the barrel still pointed at Edon.
Chaos erupted in the wake of the gunfire, starting with Edon lunging at the attacker and twisting the man’s head at an angle it would take several days to return from. While Silas writhed in the middle of the field, blood pooling from his wound.