What?Wrenching control from Nyx, she stepped back and gaped in horror at the Gamma in front of her. What was he saying? That all of this was her fault? Her pack members died because of her?“I didn’t... I didn’t kill anyone.”Her guilt surged again because that was a lie. Emily. Dexter. Those deaths were on her head. Claire. All her friends whom she hadn’t even bothered to learn their names. That was on her, too. And then all the students who’d lost their lives fighting for their freedom from the Council.She was a horrible person.And now her father was paying the price for it.So, which pack out of all those who’d lost their children had made this move?“The Alpha’s son is dead. The future Alpha of our pack. He was the only heir,” the Gamma continued, his voice almost monotonous. Nyx’s grip on him was still firm despite the wolf taking a back seat.So not Claire’s pack. Not Emily’s, because she’d seen her Omega parents. Was it Dexter? Someone else caught in the crossfire?Her chest
“It doesn’t have to be like this, Alpha Caleb,” the old man said.Zeke had one hand on Ava’s back and the other clenched at his side. Show them not to mess with your mate.They are not worthy to breathe the same air as her. Kill them.Kill them.The voices were louder, almost drowning Shadow’s growls in his head. That simmering magic pressed against his skin, clawing at him to escape. Escape and what? Kill everyone? Was this magic something to do with the Council after all?“Are you still questioning my authority?” Caleb growled, his voice low but clear.“No,” the old man answered. “We will do as you say. Of course, finding the Alpha is more important than any other grievances right now.”His meaning was clear. The old man still thought Ava was not one of them, but would bring up the matter another time. A muscle in his jaw ticked, and he inhaled, feeding the beast and the voices in his head. Ava stood still in front of him, tense. She could feel it too. Their bond surged, the murde
It was almost dark when Ava tiptoed through the back door of her family home. Not that it would have made a difference. The whole area was deserted. It wasn’t just because she could sense the absence of other auras. There was something different with her awareness of the things around her. It was like whatever had been crawling inside her had burst out, and now it reached out for something else.She’d told Zeke that something was happening, something was coming. Was this it? Was she the calamity that would fall on everyone else? Because even as she snuck towards the stairs, she could sense where the whole pack was, picking out individual auras from so far. Yet her senses buzzed in warning as if the pack was the enemy. Her whole body hummed like she was electrified, and Nyx felt it too. She paced, restless, ready to fight, but unclear who the enemy was. She had so much energy spilling over, as if she hadn’t just done a marathon of a different kind.Her cheeks colouring, she headed
Zeke heard every word. Staying still while that fucker said those things to his mate was probaly the hardest thing he had ever done.Since Ava came under his protection at the academy, no one except Claire had even dared to breathe in her direction, never mind entertaining such sick fantasies. His blood boiled. That magic simmering just under his skin flowed in his veins, whispering to him, urging him to maim. To kill. To end that bastard. And Shadow was all for it. He’d never gone from anxious to being on the verge of a rampage in such a short time. Burning rage roared through him, mixed with the ice-cold of the unfamiliar darkness whispering to his soul. And once again, it felt right.Kill them all.Rip their limbs from their bodies. Bathe in their blood.The whispers became louder. Fists clenched, he stood naked in front of the white wolves, barring them from following their sister. He’d told Ava he would follow her lead. Showing how much he trusted her was more important than
Ava backed away until her back hit the wall. The way the hunter’s eyes lowered to her bare legs made her skin crawl. Even without Nyx telling her, she knew this man was a weak coward. For him to easily attempt something like this meant he’d done it before.This one was going to die.“Did you take my father?” she asked directly. The hunter chuckled. “I don’t even know who the fuck you father is,” he said.Lies, since he’d had their picture. She looked at the wolf who’d told the hunters to hurry. He was bigger than the rest, and most likely their leader. The scars on his chest spoke of many battles. But the packs around them were peaceful. Besides Alpha Barret, she’d never seen anyone who had lived through any horrendous things that would scar them.“What did you mean by what you said? You paid them to do something to me? You knew I was coming?”The bald man chuckled as he walked to the other side of the room and uprighted a chair. “You walked into the lion’s den all by yourself, li
Ava stayed back as the rest of the wolves advanced. Caleb had discovered a stash of clothes inside a hollow in one of the trees, common for when wolves had to shift and rejoin the human population, so these hunters had likely met the wolves in this spot before. They’d met to plan the attack on her father or her kidnapping—one or the other. The scents on them were unfamiliar, but she could smell the same on the wolves who’d walked into one of the dilapidated cabins. Wolf scents mingled with humans among the damp and mould of the abandoned cabins. Focusing on a single one, she confirmed what Caled said. Eight people. And seven of them were about to die.She had seen her brothers in their wolf forms several times, but this was the first time she’d seen them so focused as they inched closer to the forest’s edge. Pride bubbled up inside her briefly before she looked away and focused her attention on their rear.She was just the lookout. She would not get in their way.Nyx whimpered aga