Kyle pushed the wide double doors open and stopped at the entrance of the large dining hall.
“What the…!” Ian exclaimed, slamming into his back.
The floor of the dining hall was covered with wolves. These wolves belonged to the Black Blade pack, but they were all lying on the floor in a weakened, semi-conscious state. Some were in the throes of death while a few were already dead.
Many of the wolves were forming at the mouth and were in a half shifted state. They couldn’t seem to complete their shift and were writhing on the floor in agony.
“They’ve been poisoned,” Kyle said. He inhaled deeply and finally identified that sickly sweet scent in the air. “Wolf’s bane.”
“There are at least thirty wolves in here,” Shane said. “I think that’s half the pack.”
“Who would poison half the pack?” Ian said.
“The other half of the pack,” Kyle answered grimly.
“What?”
“They poisoned their own pack mates,” Kyle said. He scanned the room quickly. “Hollie isn’t here.”
As he turned to go, a hand grabbed his ankle.
“You...”
Kyle looked down at the white-haired man who was holding on to his ankle in a vice-like grip. He was the only one who was fully in human form.
“I...I’m Jake Carven,” the man croaked. “I’m the Alpha...”
Kyle crouched down and stared at the shivering, sweating old man. Blood dripped from his nose, and the tips of his fingers were black with rot.
“I have come to kill the Alpha of the Black Blade pack,” Kyle said dispassionately. “If you’re really Jake Carven, then I’ve come to kill you.”
The man coughed out blood as he laughed. “You don’t have to lift a finger. I should be dead in the next few minutes.”
“Who did this to you, Jake? Who poisoned you and all these wolves?” Kyle said.
Jake bared his bloodied fangs. “I should have killed him when he was a pup.”
“Jasper?” Kyle narrowed his eyes. “Your son poisoned you?”
“I told him to let her go,” Jake snarled. “When Jasper brought Hollie back to the pack house, I saw your mate mark on her. I told Jasper that Hollie is now mated to an alpha bear. I warned him that the bears will stop at nothing to get her back. There will be bloodshed and destruction. Hollie isn’t worth the fight.”
“But he didn’t let her go, did he? Where is she now? Where is Hollie?” Kyle demanded.
Jake wheezed. “I told him that I wouldn’t back him in a fight with you. I can’t afford to sacrifice so many wolves. I’ve heard about you. I’ve heard how you obliterated a hyena pack that tried to extort money from you. You guys keep a low profile, but you aren’t to be trifled with.”
Jake started convulsing and his eyes turned feral. His hands turned to paws and he growled. He was losing his hold on his human form.
“I gave the order that we should just hand Hollie over when you came for her,” Jake panted. “I should have seen the seething anger in Jasper’s eyes. He decided to override my order. To do that...”
“He had to get rid of you, since you are his Alpha,” Kyle finished.
“Yes. He had already recruited half the pack to his side. He had been secretly recruiting his own army. He got one of the cooks to poison our drinks.”
“Wolf’s bane is a fast-acting poison. You ingested the poison not too long ago,” Kyle said.
“Jasper gathered the pack in the main dining hall. He said he had an announcement to make. He proposed a toast. All of us raised our glasses, but only half the pack actually drank.”
“He murdered half the pack, just to get Hollie?” Shane shook his head.
“No. It wasn’t about Hollie. It’s all about his ego,” Kyle snarled. “It’s a power trip for him.”
Jake let out a rattling laugh. “You know my son better than me. I thought I could control him. But...”
“He’s your son, and your weapon,” Kyle said. “His brutal, savage nature served you well. He dealt with your enemies ruthlessly and kept everybody in line. Jasper was dangerous, but you didn’t want to believe that your own son would turn on you.”
“Payback’s a bitch,” Ian quipped.
Jake growled. “The forest...”
Kyle understood. Jasper had escaped with Hollie into the forest.
As Kyle charged out of the pack house, he heard Jake Carven’s eerie, fading laughter.
Ian shuddered. “Why is he laughing? He’s dying! I think the poison will reach his heart in the next minute or so.”
“Yes. But he knows that we are going to kill Jasper. We are now his weapon. He knows he’s dying, but he also knows that his murderer isn’t getting away. He’s getting his revenge,” Shane answered as they ran after Kyle.
“Revenge from beyond the grave,” Ian said. “He really is a vindictive, vengeful sicko to the very end.” After a pause, he added, “Well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it?”