Series: Werewolves of Wall Street Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Behind me, the ranks part and two of Sully’s enforcers drag a wolf forward. Scar-face, the one leading the Adalwulf pack to ‘hunt the human’ in Sweden. They force him to stand beside me, and push him to his knees.
“Here is one of your wolves. He provoked an attack on our luna. My mate.” I snarl, stalking to Scar-face and burying my hand in his hair to force his head up. “You tried to kill our luna. You failed. You tried to weaken our pack. You failed. But this attack on our own cannot stand. Do you, Aiden Adalwulf, acknowledge that your pack made a murder attempt on my mate? Because if that’s true, then let it be known the Blackthroats are stronger than ever, and in retaliation for dishonoring our luna, we are prepared to go to war.”
Aiden’s turned to stone. I can see his mind working, as Catherine and Madi guessed it would. He can acknowledge the attack as sanctioned by his pack and fight us now. But his forces are weakened by Odin’s recklessness.
“We’ll let you have your wolf back,” I say. “We killed the rest, and if we do battle this night, you’ll need all the strength you can get.” I release Scar-face, and Sully’s enforcers toss him forward. He rises and marches to Aiden’s side.
The wind shifts, blowing towards the Adalwulfs. More and more of my wolves pour out of the forest, lining up at my back. There are a few British wolves from Nickels’ origin pack, too. More than enough to face these Adalwulfs. If I give the word, the Blackthroats will tear through these dumbass Stormtrooper-wannabes like a wolf tears into an elk’s belly.
I see the moment our numbers reach and exceed the wolves Aiden brought. My cousin’s eyes flare with the knowledge.
He’s brought a lot of wolves, but many of his pack’s enforcers died in the attack on the island and in Sweden. Odin was reckless, and Aiden knows it. He’s done the math, and he doesn’t like it.
“As you can see, the Blackthroat pack stands united. You hunted our luna and tried to kill her, and now we are ready to wipe you from the face of the earth. So I ask you now… Will you atone? Or will you face war?”
At my sides, Billy and the others tense, ready to leap. My own eyes light with my wolf, focusing on Aiden. His chest is bare, only a thin layer of skin and muscle protecting his beating heart. One leap, and I could tear it out with my teeth.
The wind dies, as if the whole world is holding its breath.
Aiden bares his teeth. A growl escapes his chest but he grits out, “The attack on your mate was not sanctioned.”
“Lies,” the scarred wolf at his side snarls. “Our Alpha Odin gave orders—” his words die as he convulses and chokes. His eyes widen, and he stares at Aiden. Then he falls, his throat slit, gurling on his life blood.
Aiden examines his red tipped claws, ignoring the body at his feet. None of the other wolves in his pack move or blink an eye. He probably brought the wolves most loyal to him versus Odin.
“As I said, the attack was not sanctioned. A few wolves went rogue. They will be punished for their disobedience.”
I wait a few moments, letting his proclamation land. Then I nod. No one makes a sound, but I sense the seismic shift in the Adalwulf pack. The balance of power has tipped from Odin to Aiden. The power-hungry son threw his leader, his father, to the wolves.
Exactly as Madi guessed he would.
“Then the debt of honor has been repaid. There will not be war,” I say. Unspoken, hanging on the air, is the “yet.”
Aiden flicks a finger and two wolves break ranks to drag the dead one away. I give the signal that will allow my pack to disperse, but none move. None of them trust Aiden. If he was going to do something underhanded, now would be the time.
He looks like he’s swallowed something rotten as he faces me again. “So you’ve made your mate your luna?”
I can’t stop my lips from turning up, thinking of Madi. “She stands at the head of our pack. We are equal, two halves of a whole.”
“A human,” he mutters as if he can’t believe it. “Is the Blackthroat pack so eager to dilute its bloodline?”
Fuck this shifter supremacy shit. “The Blackthroat pack will mate with whomever we want. Human or shifter, we’ll still be stronger and faster and better than you and your pack.”
The polite veneer disappears from Aiden’s face. “One day, cousin, I will kill you.” His eyes are bright. I’ve seen that unhinged look before. On his father.
“So eloquent,” I drawl. “What, no more Shakespeare?” I meet his gaze for a hard moment. “You will try.” And I turn, giving him my exposed back. There’s a second when the hair on my nape lifts, every cell in my body waiting for Aiden to snap and attack. But he doesn’t.