There’s no sound in the large multipurpose room filled with werewolves. Not even breathing. Everyone is watching the drama unfold, shocked and waiting to see what the alpha will do. But it’s the luna who moves. Gone is her calm, sweet composure. In its place is outrage. She marches right up to Maya, looking as if the betrayal was personal, and slaps her sharply across the face. The hit is a hard one. Maya’s head rocks from it and immediately begins to bruise.
Maya takes the beating in silence, her shoulders back and her head held high. Her eyes gloss over and her chin quivers, but no tears fall. Luna Marie is unmoved. “You were mine,” she hisses. “You were my wolf, and you betrayed me first for this disgusting excuse for a wolf, and then you have the nerve to steal from me, too?” She surprises Maya with a hard punch to the gut that has her doubling over, gasping for breath. “How dare you!”
“Luna, please,” Daniel whimpers. When the luna’s attention whips his direction, his face drains of all color. His eyes flick to Maya, and he mumbles, “Have mercy.”
“Mercy?” The luna laughs. It’s a chilling sound that sends goose bumps down my spine. “Why don’t you get on your knees and beg me for it?”
“Marie,” Alpha Toth whispers in response to the luna’s utter coldness.
“Daniel, no,” Maya whispers.
She shakes her head frantically, but Daniel drops to the floor anyway. “Have mercy, Luna Marie. I beg of you.” His fearful face becomes desperate. “You have to help us. Please. You are—”
Luna Marie lunges toward him with a roar and twists his head, snapping his neck before he can finish his plea. His body falls to the ground to the sound of Maya’s scream. Her cry is so anguished. I feel sorry for her, even though she just tried to attack me. And even though she stole money from the pack.
“Damn it, Marie!” Alpha Toth snaps.
She whirls on him next. “Justice had to be carried out, and you weren’t going to do it!”
“I would not have acted so brash, no. The alpha pair can’t just go around killing their pack at will. That is not good leadership!”
Marie bristles at the reproach. “Neither is letting those that lie to and betray you and steal from you go unpunished. You would have banished them. That’s what they wanted anyway. That is not punishment. Man up, Peter, and have the balls to do what needs to be done to rule your pack.”
Alpha Toth growls, his wolf rising to the challenge, and he clamps his mate around the neck with one hand. Her eyes widen with shock. “We do not rule our pack; we lead it. With justice, but also with mercy when needed. And I am alpha. I decide when mercy is needed. Do you understand me?”
Luna Marie holds onto her defiance until Alpha Toth squeezes her neck even harder. “DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?” he roars.
Luna Marie closes her eyes and nods once, showing submission, and Alpha Toth releases her immediately. “Forgive me, my alpha,” she says. I’m shocked to see lust in her eyes. She was excited by his display of dominance, and now she looks like she’s going to jump his body right here in front of her entire pack.
Alpha Toth doesn’t share her lust. He’s disappointed in her right now and ignores her physical reaction, turning his attention back to Maya.
Maya looks devastated, and I don’t blame her. Daniel didn’t deserve to die. The money-stealing ploy so they could leave together had probably been Maya’s plan. She’d probably been the one doing the stealing most of the time. Daniel had looked too new at it, too scared. His death is on Maya’s shoulders.
Tears stream down her face, but still she stands, back straight, chin up like a good soldier. She glares at her luna with pure hatred, while Luna Marie looks back at her with disappointment and heartbreak.
“I’m sorry, Maya,” Alpha Toth says. “The punishment was harsh, but so were the crimes. You’ve made our pack weak. Others will hear of this and think I am incapable of keeping control of my wolves. Your actions will make our pack vulnerable to attack. Even still, enough blood has been shed this night. If you can pay back the money, every cent, then I will spare your life. You will have to leave my territory and never return, but you will live. Do you understand?”
Maya clenches her jaw, and her entire body shakes with rage. “I understand this pack’s true weakness,” she growls. Her bloodshot, tear-filled, rage-filled eyes turn to her luna again. “Luna Marie,” she calls out loud and clear. “I challenge you! I challenge you for the position of luna.”
Cries of outrage and shock ring out in the crowd, but Luna Marie quiets them all. “Very well,” she says with a strange smile that makes me wonder if this wasn’t her plan all along. “But you’ll have to kill me, because I will never submit to you.”
Maya growls. Her eyes glow, and her body shakes, ready for the change. “I’m going to enjoy ripping you apart.”
The change is fast. Maya gets a head start, but Luna Marie’s change is almost instantaneous, and she’s a bigger wolf. The two crash together at the same time, each taking swipes from the other that draws blood.
That’s all I see before Rook whisks me away from Jeffrey and throws me up onto the stage. He hops up with me and stands in front of me like it would take a bulldozer to move him. I have to peek around his shoulder in order to see what’s happening.
The fight doesn’t take long. It’s a brutal frenzy of claws and teeth. These women aren’t fighting like Jeffrey and Wulf had been. Wulf toyed with Jeffrey until he got bored, and then he quickly subdued him. These wolves are much more evenly matched, and they aren’t messing around. They’re trying to kill each other. Both are bloody messes, but Maya’s wolf is losing too much blood from her right hind leg, and she’s limping badly.
She slows down just enough for Luna Marie to get a good jump on her. The luna slams into her side, knocking her over, and jumps on her. I look away just as she goes for Maya’s throat. I don’t need to see that. But I still hear the sound of ripping flesh. My entire body stiffens, and Rook pulls me into a tight hug just as Luna Marie releases a long howl, declaring herself the victor. His arms touch mine, and so I hear his foremost thoughts before I can pull myself from his grip. Poor woman. She’s only seeing the worst parts of our culture. I wanted her to love wolves, not think us savage.
I scramble out of his hug and force a smile. I want to tell him that I don’t consider their culture savage, but the words don’t come. Knowing what I do about the mate challenges, and now seeing the swift and harsh justice done tonight, I understand that’s how wolves are, and that they need a bit of strong discipline to be kept in line, but two women just fought to the death in front of me and no one tried to stop them. If that’s not savage, I don’t know what is. I don’t hate Rook and Wulf, and I don’t blame Alpha Toth, but I definitely have no desire to ever join the pack.
“If you don’t mind, Rook,” I say quietly into the solemn atmosphere, “I think I’d like to go home now.”
Rook nods his head in both answer to my request and understanding of my feelings. His small smile is sympathetic with a hint of disappointment. I hate to let him down, but I can’t help it. I feel like Daniel’s and Maya’s deaths are my fault.
“I’ll walk you to your car.”
He jumps down from the stage and once again offers to help me down. All eyes in the room are on me as I hop down. I wonder if I’m not the only one who holds me responsible for what happened. I’ve been getting glares from the single women all night, but now there are a few from mated women as well. And there are plenty from the men, too. Mostly the men I’d danced with.
“Hold on, Nora,” Jeffrey calls, approaching Rook and me with a smug grin on his face. “Just what was your part in all of this?”
I feign innocence. “I don’t know what you mean. I just danced with Daniel and Maya freaked out, that’s all.”
The room erupts into growls. Rook responds with a louder one and shoves me behind him, pressing my back against the stage. At the same time, that prickling sensation of impending danger crawls up my neck. My gift is telling me that someone close to me means me harm. Looking at the few dozen snarling werewolves, I want to laugh. Someone wants to harm me? Really? You think?
There’s only one way out of this, even though I really don’t want to do it. I’m going to have to come clean and give up my anonymity. I sigh and murmur into Rook’s back. “So…that bit about werewolves smelling lies is true, then?”
Again, wrong thing to say. The pissed off wolves not only hear my mumbled comment, they move closer. Rook’s body begins to shake as he resists the change. My intuition is screaming at me now. My body explodes into goose bumps, and I gasp at the rolling sensation in my stomach.
“Nora?” Rook asks over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving the threat in front of him.
“It’s nothing. I’m okay. It’s just my gift warning me that someone nearby means me harm.”
Rook snorts. “Multiple someones, and they mean to kill you, most likely. Don’t move. No matter what happens.” He raises his voice and says, “Nora has my protection. I will kill anyone who attacks.”
Alpha Toth steps in before there’s a bloodbath. “Now, hold on. Everyone calm down. There is no need for anyone to attack. It’s not what you think.” He looks at me again. I’m surprised to see he’s asking permission to tell the truth, and then I remember that I was the one who swore him to secrecy. I give him a small nod. Yes. Please tell them, and stop them from ripping me to shreds. “Nora is here at my request. I asked her to help me figure out who was stealing money from the pack.”
Gasps sweep through the crowd, but the feeling that I’m about to be psychic toast calms down from your-death-is-imminent mode to the less severe someone-means-you-harm setting. It’s a start.
Jeffrey glowers at Alpha Toth. “You involved an outsider in pack business?”
Several grumbles of agreement ring out in the crowd. Alpha Toth holds his hands up, trying to settle everyone down. “It was with great consideration and reluctance, but yes, I went to an outsider for help. Daniel and Maya have been stealing from the pack for over a year, that we know of. We’ve been trying to discover them for months and found nothing leading us to the thieves. Nora has unique gifts that help her in these specific situations and had already proven herself a friend to this pack.”
Most of the pack calms down at this and even looks on me with approval, though there are a few scowls still, and my intuition hasn’t quit warning me of danger yet.
“What gifts does she have?” one of the men I danced with calls out.
Jeffrey—who has gone from scowling to calculating—smiles at me. “Yes, Nora, what power do you have? You’re such a dominant female. What else are you capable of?”
His leer makes me feel dirty enough that if Rook weren’t standing in front of me, blocking my way, I might just march over and punch him in the face. “Sorry. I like to keep my gifts secret—safer for me that way.” I give him a saccharine smile, batting my eyelashes. “You understand.”
Jeffrey’s calculating expression doesn’t go away, and it gives me the creeps. I start to wonder if he’s the reason my gut is still telling me I’m in danger.
“Some friend!” one woman shouts, drawing the room’s attention. Her eyes are red rimmed from crying. “She got Maya killed! She pretended to like her and got her killed.”
My stomach sinks, and I shake my head. “I was Maya’s friend,” I say. It comes out too quietly, because I’m choking on guilt. “I didn’t know until tonight that Maya was helping Daniel. I didn’t know about their relationship. I never wanted to see her get hurt.”
“Maya challenged your luna! She got herself killed!” Alpha Toth snaps, glaring at the upset woman and then casting his frown toward the whole group. “Maya and Daniel were traitors to this pack. They were stealing from you. They were cheating you out of your hard-earned money. They were lying to you and breaking pack laws. They were criminals who could have severely weakened this family and put us at risk with our neighboring packs.”
That shut the crowd up.
“Nora not only agreed to help us at a great personal risk, she agreed to keep all of this secret for the safety of the pack, and she refused to take compensation for it. She helped us out of loyalty to Wulf and his family.”
All eyes shoot to me and then to Rook. I blush under the speculative gazes. Some wolves look curious and others excited, while some wear knowing smirks. I want to flip them all off and tell them, again, that there’s nothing going on between Rook and me, but it’s pointless. The wolves are going to speculate no matter what.
“We owe her our gratitude, not our accusations,” Alpha Toth continues. “Do not place your anger for this wrong on Nora’s shoulders. It was not her fault. I had hoped to take care of this problem discreetly and without bloodshed.” His eyes flick to the luna, who lifts her chin in defiance. Alpha Toth sighs. “But what’s done is done, and that is the end of it. Let this be a lesson to anyone who thinks they can defy pack law and get away with it. Now, that said, though they were traitors, they were still wolves, and we will give them a proper burial. Jeffrey, see that it’s done tonight.”
Jeffrey’s jaw clenches at the command, but he holds back a snarky reply and bows his head. He barks out several names, and wolves jump into action, removing the bodies. The motion breaks up the crowd, and people start to gather their families to leave. Guess the party’s over.
Rook stays where he is, blocking me from the pack until the majority of the crowd is gone. Several wolves—mostly some of the stronger men I danced with tonight—linger like they want to talk to me, but Rook growls at any of them who comes too close, and they eventually get the hint. I don’t comment on his possessive actions because I’d rather not deal with the curious wolves.
Alpha Toth and Luna Marie are the only people Rook lets approach. When they come over to us, Rook relaxes and moves out of my way. Alpha Toth is apologetic, while Luna Marie is wearing a stilted smile.
“That did not go as planned,” Alpha Toth says. “I apologize that your involvement in this was brought to light.”
I shrug. Honestly, it could have gone a lot worse for me. “It’s okay. Shit happens. At least my powers were kept secret, and we figured out who was stealing from you.”
“That we did.” Alpha Toth holds his hand out to me. Again, I shake it, not wanting to disrespect him. His thoughts are of gratitude toward me and sadness for his lost wolves. He’s upset that two wolves he liked so much betrayed him, but he’s even sadder that their lives were forfeit. I like that. He’s strong and harsh but also compassionate. He seems like a good leader.
“I, too, am grateful for your help,” Luna Marie says, flashing me a beautiful smile. It turns rueful as she looks at her mate. “Though, I am upset I was not let in on this problem or the plan to involve Miss Jacobs.”
Alpha Toth cringes. “I didn’t want to worry you with the problem until I knew for sure what was going on.”
“You went to an outsider before consulting me,” Luna Maria says through clenched teeth. “And then you brought her here and still didn’t tell me of her involvement.”
Talk about marital issues. Alpha Toth, to use a horrible pun, is going to be in the doghouse with his mate for a while. But since I like him, and she seems a bit bipolar, I take pity on him and help him out a little. “Oh, that was all me,” I say, covering for him as much as I’m able. I make sure not to tell any lies for Luna Marie to sniff out. “Part of our deal was that he tell no one about me.”
Luna Marie narrows her eyes on me. I easily wave it off. “Sorry. It’s just, I know how private packs are, and I knew the pack wouldn’t like my getting involved. There was some danger to me in that respect. Plus, I keep my gifts a very closely guarded secret. Even Alpha Toth still doesn’t know exactly what I do or how it works. The truth of my gifts getting out would make me a target. I made him promise it would stay between us if I agreed to help, or I wouldn’t do it.”
Luna Marie considers me a moment before sighing. “I understand. I’m not happy about it, but I do empathize with your need for discretion. And I am grateful to you for your help.”
Luna Marie dips her head in gratitude and steps closer to her mate as some sort of show of solidarity, like she needs to prove to me that she’s sincere and on her husband’s side. Admittedly, it helps. I’m a little disturbed by the woman after watching how fast she put down Daniel and Maya.
I shrug awkwardly, wondering how to end this conversation so that I can leave. “Well, I’m glad I could help. I’m just sorry about Daniel and Maya.”
Luna Marie gives me a soft, sad smile. “We all are, dear. Maya was beloved in the pack. And as much as I hate to say it, there will be wolves in the pack who harbor resentment toward you, the outsider, for her death. I know you are not responsible, but my wolves, who loved her, will be in denial for some time about her actions and will need someone to blame. You may want to be careful around here in the future.”
Both Rook and Alpha Toth sigh at the truth in her words. I know she’s right, too, considering there are several wolves still watching us, and not all of them look happy. And I still have the vague sense of being in danger, which means someone in the pack still means me harm.
“Perhaps,” Alpha Toth says slowly, “it is best if you keep your distance from the compound for a while.”
The real regret in his voice is surprising, and he can’t help the way his eyes flick to Rook. I’m a little shocked. Was he hoping Rook and I would hook up as much as the rest of the pack? I guess it makes sense. He and Rook are best friends. He must want to see Rook happy almost as much as Wulf does.
I nod my understanding, though I’m disappointed. “I can do that.” I frown at Rook. “I guess I won’t be getting that training after all.”
“I can still teach you,” Rook offers. “I’ll just have to come down to Wulf’s home in the city. We can use his gym.”
“Of course!” Alpha Toth jumps on the idea, his face brightening up again. “Anything we can do to repay you for your service to our pack. Plus, I’m sure it would be good for Rook to get away from the compound a little, and I know he’ll enjoy seeing his brother a bit more often.”
Rook nods his agreement, as does Luna Marie. “That sounds like a suitable compromise,” she says.
They all frown at my grimace. I have to explain my hesitation, though I’m embarrassed to do so. I hate my weakness where men are concerned. “I would be uncomfortable training alone in a private gym,” I tell Rook, face flaming. “That’s why Wulf suggested we come here in the first place.”
“Oh. Uh, okay.” Rook looks like he doesn’t know what else to say to this. Alpha Toth and Luna Marie keep quiet, too.
I feel like an idiot, and I really don’t want to pass up the training, but I’m not entirely convinced Rook won’t fall under my spell if we spend the time together. He’s been flirty, and his wolf has an interest in me. He’s proven that a couple times tonight. If only Terrance or Oliver could train me… “Oh, I know!” I blush again at my blurted excitement. “Would it be all right if we trained, but I invited a few people to come to the sessions so that we’re not alone? Do you think Wulf would care?”
“I’m sure he won’t mind at all.”
Rook shakes his head, looking at me with understanding that’s bordering on pity. I squash down my anger at the look, because I am pretty pathetic this way. Maybe once I can defend myself better, I won’t feel so vulnerable with men. Hopefully.
“Great,” I say, looking at the ground as I nod. “Thanks. I’ll call you then, after I talk to Wulf.”
Rook gives me a small smile. “I look forward to it.”