Chapter 17

The second Nova was inside and out of sight from the humans, he transformed back into his human form. As quietly as he could, he made his way through the house, searching each room as thoroughly as he dared. When he reached Amara’s room and finally decided there was no one else in the house, Nova searched through his drawer of things and pulled on a pair of pants.

They had to be somewhere. He hadn’t seen them come back out the front. Could Kal have slipped out without Nova seeing him? It was possible, he supposed, but doubtful. What would Amara do if anything happened to Sadie? Would she be able to handle it? To accept it? Would he? Would he lose her? He couldn’t lose her.

Deciding that the only place Kal and Sadie could be was outside, Nova dashed through the house, into the kitchen, and out the door to the backyard. At first, Nova couldn’t see anything. He could still hear the noise of the fighting, the random gunshot amidst the howls and growls of wolves, but there were less of them now, as if the battle had already been decided and it was just beginning to wind down. Yet, without the yellow glows from the line of street lamps that bordered the street, it was hard to make out whether or not he was alone.

Nova silenced his thoughts for a moment, aligning himself with the night around him. Reaching deep within himself, he called upon his innate wolf instincts and abilities and transformed only the part of his anatomy that enhanced his hearing. It was a neat “trick,” as his brother Nemoy called it, and most wolves couldn’t do it. At least, not as well as Nova could. He didn’t even think Nemoy had completely perfected that ability yet, and he was the Alpha.

Focusing on just the sounds around him, Nova did his best to block out the sounds of death, chaos, and destruction from the street. He let the night around him go quiet as he searched for one distinct sound.

There.

Off in the far corner of the fenced yard were two independent heartbeats. One was slow and faint, but thankfully, it was still there. The other was loud, strong, and slightly erratic. That one was most certainly Kal. Nova was sure of it.

“I know you’re out here, Vann,” Nova called. The pounding beat of the other man’s heart became stronger and louder. “Show yourself, why don’t you? Unless, of course, you enjoy standing in the shadows like a coward.” The beat became a frenzy. Nova added the last nail in the coffin. “But I guess that’s how your father does things, isn’t it? Hides in the shadows and lets the lesser wolves, the expendable wolves, do his dirty work? As an Alpha, I suppose that strategy does make the most sense, even if it does make him yellow. Are you trying to be like dear old dad, Vann? Have you made him proud yet?”

Nova knew he was taking a chance in goading Kal, but judging by the rapidly increasing thud, thud, thud of Kal’s heart, he knew it was a risk that would pay off. Kal Vann was unstable on his best days. However, when pushed, he had a tendency to react rather than think things through logically, which gave Nova the advantage.

Yes, he needed to get to Sadie, and Nova was grateful she was still alive, but one thing he had always done even better than Nemoy was keep a cool head in the face of emergency. If he could rattle Kal to the point where he gave up an advantage, Nova might just be able to get Sadie out of there in one piece.

“Do not talk of what you don’t know, Lowery,” Kal growled from the shadows. His words came out low and lethal. “You know nothing of my father or what he’s capable of.”

Kal stepped forward out of the darkness, dragging an unconscious Sadie with him in one arm. Her limp body looked ready to fall to the ground in a crumpled heap. Nova could only hope that she was still alive.

His blood pumping frantically, Nova forced himself to think rationally for a moment. “No, you’re right. I don’t. And why is that, you may wonder? Because I never see him. Because he always sends you or any number of your lackeys to do his dirty work for him. Your Alpha—your father—sends you to die in his stead because he doesn’t need you. He can sit back and relax, knowing you’re out here risking your life for him, because the harsh reality is that he just does not give two shits about you.

“And have you seen my Alpha, lately?” Nova asked. He took one slow step forward after another as he spoke. If he could only keep Kal distracted long enough, he might have a chance. “Well,” Nova continued, “if you were paying attention, you would have. Because he was right there beside me, fighting the same battle his Pack was in, facing the same enemy. He didn’t hide back at home like your father. He was a man, defending his people, his family, because they matter. Can you say that about your Alpha, Vann? Do you matter to him?” His laugh was cold and cruel as he interpreted his adversary’s silence. “No. I didn’t think so either.”

Nova thought he was winning. He thought maybe he was getting to him, breaking him down. Kal’s biggest weakness was his father, Nova knew. Where Nova’s own father and his previous Alpha had been stern but loving, Kal’s father had been heartless and cruel. It was common knowledge that the young pups in the Valley Wolf Clan were beaten into submission rather than taught respect and loyalty. From the moment their Alpha had begun his rise to power, violence had been his weapon of choice. And Kal was what he had to show for it.

Nova made to take a step forward, but Kal held up a hand and Nova stopped in his tracks.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Kal chided, wagging one long finger at his adversary. “Don’t come any closer, Lowery, or I will sink my teeth into Sadie’s pretty little neck.”

Nova’s blood ran cold. Kal would do it; he knew he would. Though Nova was aware Kal’s tone was intentionally taunting, there was an air of madness about him. It sent a chill of fear cascading down Nova’s spine, leading him to an even more terrifying conclusion.

Kal was insane.

“Now, now, Lowery,” Kal said, pacing back and forth across the length of Amara’s backyard, “no need to look so alarmed. I will not harm her.” That madness glinted again. “Yet.” The smile that crept across his lips, almost as if in slow motion, was filled with a cruel lunacy. His eyes glowed with it in the dark. He bared his teeth, showing what appeared to be elongated fangs. Had he figured out how to transform just parts of himself? Kal laughed low in his throat. “You should see your face, Lowery,” he sneered. “It is positively comical.”

Nova felt the growl rumble from low in his throat. His fists clenched at his sides and his nails dug into the palms of his hands. Oh, how he hated that man. Kal Vann had been his nemesis for as long as he could remember. Even when they were kids, the two had never gotten along. Nova had always assumed Kal was jealous of himself and Nemoy. They were the sons of an Alpha, after all. When the Clans would meet at the annual Pack Summits, Kal was forced to submit to their higher standing. His father hadn’t been made the Alpha of the Valley Clan yet. Nova had suspected then that the required submission had led to Kal’s hatred of Nova’s family. A hatred that had built into almost an illness or an ailment over the years.

Now, he was witnessing the results. And they were terrifying.

Somehow, when Kal had attacked Amara and her friends ten years previously, his obsession had shifted to Amara and then to her family. It wouldn’t surprise Nova a bit if his own relationship with Amara had pushed Kal Vann over the edge.

It did, however, scare the living shit out of him.

Kal was unstable even at the best of times. If he had suffered some kind of psychotic break, there was no telling what he would do.

“Kal,” he pleaded, holding out one hand. “Kal, please, just don’t…don’t hurt her. She didn’t do anything to you. She isn’t anything to you.”

Kal raised one brow. “Isn’t she?” He glared at Nova. “You think you’re the only one who can enter into forbidden relationships with a human? You’re the only one exempt from Pack Law? You are not the only one who can make a Townsend fall for you, Lowery. I have completed that task, too. She is mine. And now you’re the one who is irrelevant.”

Nova frowned. “How am I irrelevant?”

Kal’s cruel laugh sent chills down Nova’s spine. “You are merely the brother of your Alpha. His wife is pregnant with his heir. You will never be Alpha. You will only ever be a Beta, always less. And always powerless to stop me.”

Nova’s frown deepened. Though he had never really coveted that position within the Pack, it was true he would never be the leader if Ivanah’s and Nemoy’s child was a boy. And of course, even if it wasn’t, he highly doubted this would be the only child they would have. But they made an effort to keep Ivanah’s pregnancy a secret, very few people knew she was even pregnant.

So how did Kal know?

As if reading Nova’s thoughts, Kal laughed again. And then he placed his jaws around Sadie’s throat.