IV

“What do you suggest then? That we sit around and wait for them to attack us? No. I'm not going to give those bastards the satisfaction just because they managed to kill Morgan.” I replied. Lincoln sighed and looked away, wearing a bored expression.

I tried to contact him through our mental link, but he cut it off.

“Lincoln,” I called his name softly.

“Are you really suggesting this for Alpha Morgan and his pack, or are you suggesting it for yourself?”

My body tensed. His question had struck a nerve.

“Don't push it, Lincoln,” I replied sharply, and cut off the communication. I forced my attention back to Kayden's words.

“Stop doing this to yourself, Logan.”

Lincoln's voice suddenly broke the silence. I turned off the stereo and turned to look at him, frowning.

“What do you mean? Stop doing what exactly?” I asked, confused, even though I knew exactly where he was going with this. Lincoln just looked back at me.

“What happened to Mom and Dad wasn't your fault, Logan.” His tone softened with concern. “And what happened to Kylie that day wasn't your fault either. Stop blaming yourself for something you have no control over.”

I gripped the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turned white. I felt the rage I was struggling to contain bubble up again. I stopped the car abruptly in the middle of the road and looked at him, my face hardened with anger.

“I said don't push it, Lincoln. I'm not having this conversation with you,” I said firmly, but he just raised an eyebrow defiantly.

“It's been two years, Logan. You need to move on and be the Alpha our pack needs.”

My eyes darkened with uncontrolled anger. I couldn't hold back anymore. With a deep growl coming from my chest, I grabbed Lincoln's polo shirt sleeve. Instead of being intimidated, he gave me a half-smile.

“Then why don't you take my place and be the Alpha? You know I'm more than willing to give up the title.” I yelled in his face and pushed him against the window. He closed his eyes from the impact. When he looked at me again, his eyes were teary, hurt not by the physical blow, but by my words.

“You know I never dreamed of being the Alpha, Logan,” Lincoln said quietly. The sadness in his eyes was fleeting, immediately replaced by a blank expression.

The anger faded, replaced by a sharp pang of guilt. Damn it! I had ruined it. If anyone knew why Lincoln loathed the idea of being an Alpha, it was me. I was an idiot to suggest he take my place.

“I'm sorry,” I said with sincere apology.

“It's okay, Logan,” he replied, offering me a restrained smile.

I took a deep breath. I restarted the engine and resumed driving, a deafening silence returning to surround us as we headed for the pack house.

“Where are we going?” Lincoln asked suddenly, frowning as he realized I had turned in a direction that did not lead to the Crescent Moon Pack.

“We're going north. We're going to pay our respects to Morgan's pack, to his Luna, and to her unborn child,” I replied. Lincoln nodded, approving of my decision.

I drove for an hour before reaching the territory of Morgan's pack. It was now a wasteland, considered No Man's Land, devoid of life. Lincoln and I got out of the car. The place was eerily quiet. The bodies of Morgan, his luna, and the members of his pack had already been collected by Kayden for their funeral at the Mystic River.

“Now tell me, Lincoln. What do you want me to do?” I asked calmly as we walked toward the main house of Morgan's pack. Even though we were several yards away, I could still smell the blood spattered on the ground.

“This pack no longer exists because of those hunters and renegades. Mercy is for the weak. If we show mercy to the renegades, I won't be surprised if our pack is the next target. If we don't act now, we'll only give them time to grow stronger.”

When I reached Morgan's packing plant, I stopped. My anger intensified. Written on the door was a single word: “RAVEN.” What enraged me even more was the smell; they had used Morgan's blood to write those letters.

“I'm not saying we shouldn't do anything, Logan,” Lincoln complained, standing beside me.

I could see the pain in his eyes as he recognized Morgan's blood in the word. “What I'm saying is that your idea of killing all the renegades we have and hanging their heads as a warning is crazy. Not all the renegades in our basement are savages. For God's sake, there are children and women. Some of them didn't choose to be renegades, Logan.”

“Just like our mother,” I replied weakly, the words slipping from my lips before I could stop them.

“Yes, like our mother. She didn't belong to any pack until she met our father,” Lincoln stated. I felt a burning pain as I remembered how our parents died.

“Have you been in the basement, Lincoln?” I asked, trying with all my might to calm my rising anger.

“Yes, two or maybe three times. I'm not sure,” Lincoln replied.

"I like going to the basement. I like beating them up. I love seeing the rage in their eyes as I torture them. I like to hear their pleas, begging me to end their miserable lives so they won't suffer anymore.“ I said to Lincoln. I offered him a triumphant smile, a forced expression to show that I felt no remorse. They crossed the border of my territory; they deserve it.

”Do you think you're doing them a favor by killing them now?" Lincoln asked me.

I nodded in response. I could see the surprise cross his face. Lincoln must have had some idea of what was going on; my warriors were gossipy, and my reputation as a ruthless Alpha had already spread. Everyone knew I detested the renegades, but Lincoln still doubted the extent of my cruelty. Now he had his answer.

“Those renegades beg for death because they can no longer bear the pain, but that doesn't mean they wish to die. At least have the decency to separate the savage renegades from those who are not,” Lincoln said, his tone pleading. I just smiled and raised an eyebrow.

"Savage or not, they're all the same renegade scum, Lincoln. But I'll consider your suggestion,“ I replied, giving him a forced smile just to irritate him.

”What if your mate turns out to be a renegade? If that day comes, I'll thank the Moon Goddess for giving you the karma you deserve, Logan." Lincoln headed for the small side garden of the packing house, and I watched him pick some wildflowers.

His words made me pause. What if my mate turns out to be a renegade?

I think the first thing I would do is reject her. I don't want to deal with a renegade, and I'm not going to give my pack a Luna who is a renegade.

“I will reject her, Lincoln,” I said when he returned to my side, holding a small bouquet. He looked at me with raised eyebrows.

“What?” he asked, his face reflecting confusion.

“My mate. If she turns out to be a renegade, I have no choice but to reject her.” I said it boldly, and the shock on his face was evident.

“Are you sane? You've waited for your mate for so long, and you're going to reject her just because she's a renegade?”