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)
“And me,” he hissed. My eyes crossed as he jammed his nose against mine. “You ruined me worst of all. You killed my brother.”
Frowning, I grabbed two of his fingers and pulled them back. “Your brother? What the hell are you—?” Understanding dawned. “Ooohh. Castor and Badr. Both sun wolves, and brothers. I had no idea, but”—I mock-winced—“Castor didn’t exactly have time to share that tidbit with me.”
“Argh!” Badr roared. He punched the wall, raining limestone on my cheek. “This is all a damn joke to you, but we’ll be the last ones laughing.”
Nyx moved in. “If some chick with a video is the reason you’re not rotting in a hole right now, we’ll simply destroy the video. And the chick.”
“And until you give her up,” Badr said, “we’ll make every single second of your life hell.”
“We may not be able to kill you,” Orion added—his voice deep and smooth like a humming bass line. “But no one said anything about making you wish you were dead.”
I flicked from each of them—my mind churning as loud as my wolf was roaring in my chest. Yes, there was desire in their eyes. Yes, their wolves wanted me. But there was something each of them wanted more—
Revenge.
They were resolute, which meant they were gearing up to be a big, fat annoyance.
“Is all of that really necessary?” I asked, voice calm. “I’m not the one who forced you all into hiding, or beat you up, or threatened to cut your ears. I’ve been minding my own damn business for the last year. Won’t you all be much happier if you do the same?”
Five smirks met my eyes. “Nope.”
They filed out one by one. Paxton lingered, rubbing his head and slowly shuffling to the door. His searching eyes couldn’t stop searching me and my state of half-dress. I winked, and he veered in my direction.
An arm shoved through the door, grabbed him, and dragged him out. I shook my head when the door slammed.
“Weirdos.” Sitting back down, I kicked my feet up on the table and sat back to wait.
Good news was I didn’t have to wait long. The Wind rep from the alpha council blew in to make all the same threats as Pantsuit, but she shut up quick when I showed her the video.
For hours we went back and forth in a useless interrogation. She asked over and over again why I killed Castor and where I’d been for the last year, and I told her I was hungry and to fetch me a bacon double cheeseburger already.
We both walked out of the room unsatisfied. Me with my empty belly and her with a fury in her eyes that couldn’t explode my head, like she so desperately wanted to.
My brows bounced up my forehead when I came face to face with our waiting audience. Dozens of people from Pantsuit, to my fates, to a bunch of young faces I only recognized from passing by them when the clans used to meet for gatherings—all packed into the hallway, awaiting the final verdict.
Clearing her throat, Sunella, the Wind alpha, lifted her chin. “Seems you’ve all been waiting in some suspense, so let me waste no more of your time. The high priestess and I have talked and she opened up, revealing her story.”
I stilled, eyeing her out of the corner of my eye.
“On the night in question, she was besieged by madness. The pressure got to her. Finding herself with six fates and the entire hope of Wolf Nation bearing down on her, she snapped.” Sunella actually looked at me with sympathy as she patted the air above my shoulder. “After coming to and realizing what she’d done, she ran away in shame. All this time she’s been away has in truth been due to her stay in a mental health facility, and we applaud her—all of us—for having the courage to seek that help.”
Sunella clapped heartily. After a beat, half the audience confusedly and half-heartedly joined in. My fates and Pantsuit didn’t.
I bit hard on my lip, stifling a laugh. I knew exactly why Sunella was spinning this web of bullshit. The very last thing an alpha was going to do was announce to the world she’d been bested and blackmailed by a twenty-year-old, homicidal outcast wolf. She had to make it seem like she was in control, even if it meant lying through her teeth.
“After talking with her, holding her, crying with her”—Sunella brushed away an invisible tear—“it is the decision of the alpha council... to choose forgiveness.
“Daciana Volana has hereby been granted a full pardon for the murder of Castor Tahan.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” Badr burst out. “This is bullshit!”
Sunella’s eyes flashed. “I’ll thank you not to take that tone with me, boy!”
Badr rocked back on his heels, jaw clenching.