Epilogue

Justin

I slammed the car door shut behind me, but that didn’t satisfy the rage burning inside, I was going to need more than that. Gravel crunched underneath my feet as I stalked across the driveway and up the rickety steps of the front porch. I had to jiggle the handle of the front door after inserting the old fashioned skeleton key before it would creak open.

My two wolves in the front room jumped to their feet, picking up on my current mood. They kept their eyes lowered as I passed by them to the basement door. I cursed as my key got stuck in the padlock and kicked the steel reinforced door. Not surprisingly, it didn’t help get the door open or calm my mood.

I yanked open the basement door and pounded down the wooden stairs, hollow thumps marking each one of my steps. Finally, I laid my eyes on the purpose of my trip. He was lying with his feet sprawled out in front of him, half leaning on the wall behind him. My feet stopped inches away from where we had etched a line on the concrete floor, denoting just how far he could reach while in chains.

It might have seemed like overkill to have manacles around his wrists and ankles in addition to around his neck, but I wasn’t taking any chances. My father had once been one of the most powerful alphas in the country and he wouldn’t hesitate to take the slightest opportunity to escape and slaughter us all.

My mood improved as I stared at one of the most powerful men I had ever met laying helpless at my feet. His hand twitched as he struggled to open his eyes. My men had been keeping him heavily drugged to reduce the risk of him using his alpha power to influence them. I had cut him off from the pack bond entirely, but that didn’t mean that my men were safe from his influence.

“Justin,” he croaked out. “Come to gloat?”

I paced back and forth in front of him. “I came to see if you were ready to talk, Father dearest,” I taunted him.

“You…” my father licked his cracked lips as he struggled to get the words out. “Are no longer… my son.”

I laughed. “Twenty years ago, I would have considered that to be a threat. Now, it’s a joke.”

My father let out his breath and closed his eyes as if the struggle to keep them open had become too much. I aimed a kick at his calf and before my foot had even made contact he lunged. Luckily, the chains that held his arms prisoner were too short for him to reach my leg. I chuckled as I saw the rage flash in his eyes before it was replaced with burning hatred. He had moved much more quickly than I liked.

“Looks like you’ve been playing possum to keep us from increasing your tranquilizers.” I walked over to the table in the corner and loaded up the tranq gun we kept there just for my father. I took pleasure in aiming the gun and watching my father’s face before I shot him in the thigh. “That should do it,” I said cheerfully. “Once you’re appropriately sedated, we’ll continue our discussion about where you’re keeping my weapon.”

My father let out a low growl. “The only thing I’m going to tell you today is how much I regret not drowning you as a pup. I should have disposed of you the moment that Austin was born.”

“Austin,” I sneered. “He’ll find himself in your shoes soon enough.” The mention of my younger brother was enough to ruin my good mood again. That asshole had been walking around with his holier than thou attitude for way too long, it was definitely time for him to get taken down a peg or ten.