The Last Ronin The Lost Years Novels & Stories

I had poisoned Suzie, thinking I was reclaiming a throne, only to hand the crown to the man who would surely use it to crush me. Marco met my gaze across the room. There was no triumph in his eyes. There was something much worse. Ownership. I had played the game with my heart on the line, and I had just lost to the man who didn't even have one. Ronin sat in his heavy leather chair, the one that used to be a throne. In his arms, he held baby Archer. The child was a tiny, breathing weight against his hollow chest, the only thing left of a life that had been systematically dismantled. Ronin wasn’t the lion anymore; he was a ghost haunting his own halls.

I said, unhooking my waist belt. I turned to face my pack. They were focused on rebuilding the walls that were destroyed during the last attack. I could see the disdain on their faces, the anger they felt over my last request. But they failed to see the truth, I'm the reason why the goddess's favour had rested upon us. “All of you,” I said, my gaze travelling across the courtyard. “I'm sure you all have heard the most recent news. Ronin, a former brother-in-arms, is dead. He was killed by the Blackthorne Alpha after he left our lands to negotiate our stand,” I said, moving a few paces forward.

He grunted and kicked me back, his eyes flashing with rage. “You should’ve stayed dead,” he snapped. “You should’ve stayed in line,” I shot back, swinging at him again. He blocked it and shoved me hard. I rolled with the force and landed on my feet, blood dripping from my mouth. We circled each other now, both breathing hard. “This isn’t about the throne,” Ronin said. “This is about you thinking you're owed something.” I charged him instead of answering. He ducked and landed a hit to my ribs, then another to my side. I caught his arm and spun, throwing him over my shoulder. He hit the ground hard, but he laughed as he stood.

I asked. Bodhi replied, "well, there was a rogue attack a while back and Ronin used his powers to hide. One colleague of ours noticed. Really nice woman, she came by to check on me when Ronin disappeared. She was one of the only ones that didn’t believe he left voluntarily. She even gave me a present. It was a photo frame, but I broke it the same day. Didn’t have to heart to tell her though." I hung up and mindlinked my men who were searching for the other special wolves’ families.