***

Ashe’s heart thundered inside her chest. She’d made a decision and was trying her damnedest to stick to it. Breaking up a challenge was a risky decision, one that would likely turn her Pack against her, but her thoughts needed to stay on the problem at hand, not the one ahead.

Killian’s words had struck her. There’s been a kind of desperation in them that she’d never heard in his voice before. She snuck a look at Joanna, standing back from the fighting with a hand over her stomach. Her friend shook her head, answering the unspoken question.

Killian had never mentioned any of this to her before.

She crouched before the feline shifter, a massive bear at her back and a fluttering creature hiding beneath her own skin. “Tell me what you mean when you said they’re coming.”

“Murderer,” Killian spat. “You poisoned Sampson Vancourt.”

She sighed. She should have known he would turn to these kinds of tricks. Earlier, the thought had terrified her. It took her a long while to realize she cared more about the safety of her Pack than her own safety. They came first and if they were to turn on her… well, it wasn’t like she couldn’t defend herself.

Her mother had been a weak witch. Ashe was far more than that woman had ever been. She just had to believe in herself.

“What is Killian talking about?” Archer asked, voice wary.

Cohen spun around and snarled at his brother. She reached up and laid a hand on his fur to settle the beast. Attacking family wouldn’t prove her innocence.

If she challenged his accusations, the true killer could run. She ignored Killian’s words and turned back to what she needed to know. Behind her, she could hear the grunts and groans of another shift. She looked up, surprised that the bear would give Cohen his form back in a moment like this. His shadowed eyes pinned Killian as he spoke.

“He mentioned running from someone bigger and scarier than him yesterday. He wants a Pack of his own, so he can feel safe.”

She scowled. There were so many other ways of going about getting a Pack, not to mention he didn’t need to be the Alpha to find safety. It was no wonder someone was hunting him.

Ashe stood. Feathers brushed the inside of her skin and made chills race down her spine. She shuddered before collecting herself. “So, we finish this challenge and tell whoever comes for him that it’s already over. That should appease them.”

On the ground, Killian shook his head. He coughed, and she heard the snap of his jaw as it righted itself back into place. “It’s not going to be that easy. You think I’m running from what you might call the good guys, but what I’m running from is far scarier than me.”

“Quite the melodramatic,” Cohen said.

Killian looked up at him, still crouched over himself, and smiled. “I’m already a dead man. Aren’t I? Why should I listen to you?”

Before Cohen could move, Ashe squatted in front of him. She let the force inside her rise and fill her eyes. Molten silver moved in, surrounded by the shadows Cohen patented. “Because you can die quickly, with us, or you can die at the hands of those you keep running from.”

She watched Killian’s face drain of color. His skin turned dusty and his eyes dropped to the ground. She didn’t know how far her power extended. Could she force a response out of him? Could she make him speak the truth?

“Just freaking tell us,” Cohen said, power flooding his voice.

It shook through the circle. Ashe’s stomach rolled and the people around them staggered back.

“A gang back home is looking for me,” Killian spat, breathless. He looked up at Cohen annoyed, even though he could not stop himself. “I accidentally killed the Alpha’s daughter. When I realized who she was, I took off. I didn’t even think about it. I just ran.”

It sounded like he had it coming, Ashe thought. The pack hunting Killian had every right to call for retribution. Her heart broke for them.

“But, I was weak and scared, so I stole a stash of money to get me across the border into Mexico. It was… a sizable chunk of money. People don’t get that kind of cash by doing nice things. These people… these shifters know how to kill someone and make it hurt. They get paid to do it.

“And, if you kill me, they’ll accuse you of stealing their revenge. They’ll hunt you until there isn’t a soul left on your territory.”

“Let me guess,” Cohen began. “You used to be a part of their pack. It’s a whole pack of Killians?”

He shook his head. “I was part of their pack, but they’re so much worse than me. I don’t want to die by their hands. Not if I can help it.”

She needed to remind herself that Killian was still the enemy while he shrunk in on himself. It was pathetic and sad. He’d been terrorizing their lives for years now, destroying everything they held dear, and in the face of his own fears he’d succumbed. A pang of cold sliced through her. If these shifters struck fear in him, they had something to worry about.

“How do you know they’re coming?” Cohen asked, using the power in his voice to compel the man to obey. It struck Killian as if Cohen was part of the Pack, as if the fight had been won.

“They’ve been sending me messages. Phone calls, letters, whatever they can to make sure I’m afraid.”

“You should have run,” Cohen told him. Ashe agreed. “Archer gave you the chance to keep moving and you didn’t take it. That’s your fault.”

She glanced back at Cohen. He nodded. The conversation was over.