Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 114617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
“What the fuck are you doing, Mason?”
Mason laughed. “Damn, you don’t know? Best not to let anyone else know, bastard. Your old man doesn’t have time for weak-ass virgins. Now if you don’t mind, we’re busy.”
“Nia, can you move!” I shouted over Mason’s bullshit. “Can you speak?”
Tears leaked down her cheeks—her only reply.
“Kill him.”
I don’t know who said it, maybe it was me, but it sounded the call better than a trumpet. We surged forward, maws elongating and fur sprouting—launching at the vile, smirking piece of trash.
Mason slashed the air and a wall of flames erupted between us, blowing me and my fates back. The others tumbled ass over head. In a flash, I phased and bolted at him—running through the fire.
Mason spun, fur sprouting as he tried to shift. I slammed into him, throwing him off his feet, then fell on Nia.
I grabbed her up and pulled her away. She was dead weight in my arms, bringing us both down to the floor. Best I could, I covered her as I tugged her away—pulling her far from Mason.
The flames were dying down. I spotted an apron slung over a deep freezer and snatched it up, using it to cover a still-and-limp Nia.
“Guys!” I shouted to Nyx, Edric, Badr, and Orion. Orion was racing to turn on the lights while the others—a mix of changed and unchanged—righted themselves. “Do something!”
Edric realized what I was asking right away. “Nia, move! Speak!”
Nia came to with a scream that flattened my ears. Kicking free, she scrambled back until she hit the fridge. Clutching her scant cover, she screamed.
I approached her slowly. “Nia,” I whispered, reaching out. “Nia, I’m so sorry. I’m going to get you help.”
“Guys,” Nyx said.
“That bastard won’t get away with this.” She flinched when I touched her knee, dissolving into tears. “I promise, I—”
“Guys,” Nyx called louder. “Look.”
The strange note in his tone drew my eyes up and across the room.
Mason lay on the shining tile—a growing pool of blood staining it red. Riddled in his chest were the knives that tipped and fell on him when my hit sent him flying.
Mason gasped, blood gurgling from his mouth. His head flopped back and he stilled—dead.
Silence spread through the kitchen, heavy and choking for all but Nia’s hiccuping sobs. Slowly, achingly, the guys turned to me.
We stared at each other for a long, tense moment. They were likely wondering what was going through my head, but I didn’t need to ask what was going through theirs.
“You killed him,” Orion said, voice flat.
“Clothes,” I rasped.
Badr’s brows crumpled.
“Put clothes on her, Nyx,” I clarified. “Please.”
Nyx did it without saying a word. Snapping his fingers, leaves and palm fronds flew in from outside and covered us both, fashioning into itchy, but effective knee-length forest dresses.
Nia barely took notice of this. She hadn’t moved from her corner. She hadn’t stopped crying.
My fates and I stared at each other some more, heavy clouds of silent judgement swirling around us. I broke first.
“What are you going to do?”
Nyx, Orion, and Edric shared a look, then they all turned to Badr—who hadn’t taken his eyes off me for a second. Of course, this decision was going to be his...
...and I was done for.
I killed Mason. There was no way around it. There was no way out of it. My scent was on his body. My witnesses were not on my side. It wouldn’t matter to Dagem that it was an accident. It wouldn’t matter what we came in here and found that low-down dirty shitheel doing to Nia.
He was an alpha and she was an omega. You didn’t kill an alpha to protect an omega. The value of a fish would never measure to a wolf. That was just the way it was in Wolf Nation.
What fitting irony that for all the awful things I’ve done proudly, I’m to go down for the one thing I did unintentionally... and right.
“No.”
I blinked. “What?”
“No,” Badr repeated. “I don’t decide what happens now.” He slid off me, and looked to Nia. “She does.” Badr crouched down, looking into her eyes, and the first expression that wasn’t hatred, malice, or disgust overcame his handsome face. “Nia, what do you want? Do you want Dagem to know what happened here?” Badr cast me the barest glance. “Everything that happened here?”
Her wide eyes nearly all white, Nia shook her head hard.
“Orion.”
Orion waved his hand in a sharp upward jerking motion, and Mason caught fire. My arms flew up, covering my face as flames hotter than the sun consumed Mason—body and steel. Within moments he was nothing but dust, and then even the dust was gone when Edric summoned a wind that blew it down the drainpipes.
I could only stand there in disbelief. Even though I knew they were doing it to protect Nia, not me. I still couldn’t believe they were giving up their chance to out me as the murderer they knew I was, and force the alpha council to get rid of me for good—video or no video.