“Are you sure about this?” Onyx asked as Errol brought her to the front door of the Rizer pack fortress. “Bringing me here is dangerous for them.”

“I’m sure. This is my family and it’s going to be yours too. They’ll be mad that I lied about knowing where you are, and probably they will be angry that I didn’t ask for permission before bringing you here.”

Onyx tugged on his hand. “Then let’s go back. We can leave and lead Demitrus and the Herod pack away from them.”

“The Rizer pack is the only pack that has a chance to defeat him, Onyx. Can you honestly say that you think Demitrus will stop killing people and making this war of humans against shifters worse?”

Onyx shivered. She knew he was right but it didn’t stop her from being afraid. Onyx knew that Errol had confidence in his pack but she’d seen the Herod pack in action. They were senseless, violent killers.

Darian had to know that.

“What if they don’t want this war against the Herod pack? What if they turn us away?” Onyx asked Errol.

He pulled her in close and kissed her deeply. It was like heaven being in his arms. She felt safe in them even though she knew she shouldn’t. There was no place in the world she would rather be than in his arms.

“That won’t be how they feel but if it is, then we’ll take the plant that masks our scent and we’ll escape. But, Onyx. Even if that happens, I still have to kill Demitrus.”

“Why? Your family wouldn’t want you to die at his hands too, and if it’s for me then forget about it. I want you to be alive. I want to spend what’s left of my life, with you. I know it’s selfish but I’ve already tried to save my family and failed.”

How could she explain that there isn’t any winning when it comes to fighting Demitrus?

His hand reached up behind her neck. She felt Errol’s fingers brush over the grooves in her neck and shivered again.

“He has to die, Onyx.”

The door opened to the fortress. A female alpha stood there, her short dark blond hair framing her tan face accentuated her blue eyes as they ran over Onyx. “This is Onyx, isn’t it?” She asked frowning at Errol.

“Yes, Cara.” he answered.

Onyx bowed her head trying to show her respect to the Rizer pack alpha.

“Darian won’t be pleased. Come in, quickly.” She waved them inside and then bolted the doors behind them. “Ian is catching hell right now because he’s refused to answer where you are,” Cara told Errol.

Onyx chewed her lower lip. It sounded like chaos had already broken loose and they hadn’t even told the Rizer alphas the worst of it yet.

Errol’s arm around her waist gave her some reassurance but she was still afraid. Mostly she was afraid that his pack would turn on him and he would lose his family because of her.

When they reached the inner courtyard, Ian was taking a tongue lashing from Darian. “Here I am,” Errol spoke calling Darian’s attention. This is my fault, not Ian’s.”

Darian’s sharp brownish gold eyes shot to Errol, tipped to Onyx and then cut back to Errol as he turned around. “I had a feeling,” Darian said looking heavenward. “Why couldn’t Valor be here to have to deal with this mess? You know what you’ve done, don’t you?” Darian growled at Errol.

“She’s my destined mate, Alpha. I am sorry.”

A woman with white-blond hair smiled at Onyx like she knew her but Onyx didn’t recognize her. The woman waved and Onyx waved back not wanting to be rude.

Cara reached Darian’s side. Her hand ran over his back. “She is strong in spirit, Darian,” Cara said not bothering to say it quietly since they would all hear her anyway.

“That means we should risk the clan for her?” Darian asked looking at his wife.

“If she belongs to him,” Cara said. “and Errol belongs to us, then we are already family. Right?”

Onyx felt her eyes widen with surprise at the simplicity of such a powerful statement. She blinked trying to clear away the tears that readied to fall. Strength was what she needed to show them not weakness.

“She’s been the Herod alpha with Demitrus for two years or more. How can you be sure we can trust her?” Darian asked Errol.

It was a valid question and Onyx felt her backbone straighten with the fear that streaked through her. How would he prove it to them? How could she?

“Her soul is clean of wickedness,” the woman with the white blond hair said. Her light blue eyes scanned over Onyx in a way that made Onyx feel like she was looking right through her instead of at her.

“No one has an all clean soul, Angeline. You told me so yourself,” Darian argued with the fair-haired beauty.

Angeline shrugged. “Fair enough. It is not spotless. But it is a good soul. She will not betray us, alpha.”

“Thank you,” Onyx said to Angeline and then to Cara. She didn’t know these women but she recognized that they were taking her part in this even though they didn’t know her.

Darian was looking at Ian. Errol’s twin was watching her with careful, suspicious eyes. She didn’t blame him. If she were in his shoes, she too would have trouble trusting.

“What do you say about this, Ian?” Darian asked clearly catching on to Ian’s struggle where she was involved.

Ian was staring hard at her. Onyx met his gaze and did her best to hold her head high.

“I have seen her tear out Errol’s heart before. I… can’t trust her not to do it again. I do think that fighting the Herod pack and wiping out Demitrus is essential. He is wiping out humans and packs alike. It is only a matter of time before he comes here looking to wipe us out anyway.”

Onyx nodded trying to tell Ian that she understood his hesitation.

“You know her better than the rest of us,” Darian pushed Ian. “We accept her or we do not. What is your vote?”

Ian looked over at Errol.

Onyx couldn’t take it. If he said his vote was no, Onyx knew that Errol’s bond to her would outrank his loyalties to his brother whom he loved so much. She couldn’t risk them losing each other.

Releasing Errol’s hand, she approached Ian. “Ian, I’m so sorry that I hurt Errol when he came for me and I told him I wanted to be with Demitrus. I know it must have destroyed him because it destroyed me when I thought he was dead. He isn’t dead and that’s all thanks to you,” Onyx said.

Lowering onto her knees in front of Ian she continued. “I will give my life before I will ever hurt Errol again. If you can’t say yes please don’t vote at all. I know it would kill Errol if you stood against him and I can’t let that happen, especially if it’s because of me.”

Ian clenched his teeth looking down at her. He looked so much like Errol, though he was bigger, bulkier. Ian was also stubborn, much more so than Errol. It was very likely he would refuse her because of his hatred for her.

“How could you stay with him after he murdered our pack?” Ian finally burst out. “My sisters, my parents. They’re gone. He took them from me. He took your sisters from you.”

“He took my mother and father too,” Onyx said understanding exactly what he was asking. “Every time one of them died, I was dying too. Demitrus always had another of our pack to hold over my head. Someone he would threaten and torture to keep me there with him. My father was the last of them.”

Ian closed his eyes gritting his teeth together so hard, they sounded like they might snap.

“If I could have killed him, Ian, I would have,” Onyx said earnestly. “His commanding alpha voice overpowers me and he made sure to command me several times a day to submit to him to make certain I could never kill him.”

“And the first thing you do is come running to Errol and bring Demitrus right to our doorstep? I’m supposed to believe you love him?”

Onyx lowered her eyes not sure how to explain.

“I didn’t know he was here. I came here looking for the scent mask so I could escape Demitrus.”

Everyone was listening to their exchange and she knew their opinions of her were being formed. She was coming off as a victim and weak. Hating that feeling she decided to tell Ian how she escaped.

“After my father died, Demitrus was too worried about me escaping to let me leave his sight. He couldn’t be with me all the time though and would lock me in his house with guards from the Herod pack making sure I didn’t escape while he was gone.”

Onyx swallowed as she realized that everyone really was listening. They may not think much better of her after she finished this but she still hoped that Ian would see that she too hated Demitrus.

“I found his steel glove,” she said meeting Ian’s eyes as they widened at her. “I knew that I wouldn’t be able to escape as many guards as he had stationed watching me but he took for granted that I wouldn’t try and escape him.”

Everyone was silent listening to her, waiting to see what she would do. Demitrus’ steel glove was famous among shifter packs because it allowed him to wield silver where no other werewolf could touch it without suffering third-degree burns or poisoning.

“I waited for him to fall asleep,” Onyx continued. “As soon as I was certain he was sleeping. I put on the glove.” She sighed remembering the feel of it. “His silver weapons are left out because none of us could touch them. I picked up one of his daggers.”

Onyx lowered her voice as she continued. This next part was shameful to her. “I tried to stab him but his alpha command was too strong. Even while he was asleep I could not get anywhere near him with the blade.”

Errol drew closer to her and everyone else held their breath so as to be sure to hear everything she said. “I realized I wasn’t going to be able to kill him but I couldn’t escape him if I didn’t do something to slow him down.”

Onyx glanced over her shoulder at Errol wishing he wasn’t going to hear what she did next. “Demitrus keeps a diamond shaped hunk of silver and uses it as one of his torture devices. He puts it in the mouth of a wolf he feels is a traitor. He calls it his fine silver death.”

Ian was still holding his wide-eyed expression and listening intently.

“He was… bent over. Asleep on his knees and naked,” Onyx didn’t dare look back at Errol right then because it was clear what had happened before he fell asleep.

The low ferocious rumble that came out of Errol shook the ground under her knees.

Hurry, just say it. Onyx scolded herself.

“I realized that without his glove he wouldn’t be able to remove the fine silver diamond. I hate him and wanted him to pay for all he’s done but couldn’t kill him.” Onyx took a steadying breath.

Errol is never going to sleep with me in the nude after this.

“I shoved the diamond into his ass as far as it would go,” Onyx confessed in a rush of words. “I knew he would have to have help and I thought it would take him a while before he realized he would have to embarrass himself to be free and actually call for help. He’s very worried about his image of strength.”

Ian was smiling now. A big wide grin that filled his face and lit his blue eyes with that joking, light-hearted sparkle he’d always held in his eyes.

Onyx smiled then too. “He was very, very angry.”

“No shit,” Ian laughed. “I wish I could’ve seen it.”

“I left with his glove and stole one of the boats. I knew he would come after me. After what I’d done to him he would have to come after me to save face. I threw the glove into the sea because I didn’t want him to ever be able to use it on anyone again. I doubt the pack knows he is without the glove because he knows it is much of the reason they fear him.”

Ian was still smiling. That was a good sign.

“I tried to make him pay the best way I knew how. Do you forgive me?”

Ian’s smile fell. His blue eyes looked over Onyx’s head at Errol for a long moment. He reached down and took her hand pulling Onyx up onto her feet and into his arms.

“Of course, I do.”