“You hard of hearing all of a sudden?” Jason snapped. “If you bring Roy in, I will let Tully and his pack off the hook, and I will remove the kill order on you. However, you have to bring Roy back to my property within ten days, and you have to agree that after you deliver him, you will leave the state of Washington for good.”
“Why do you want him alive?” Tully spoke up suddenly, scowling suspiciously at Jason. “Roy’s a full-blown psycho who killed at least two groups of humans. He killed hunters. He killed a family of hikers. Austin hasn’t done a damn thing to anyone, and you put a kill order on him, but you want Roy alive?”
Jason favored him with a smirk. “Well, now, we don’t have actual proof of what Roy’s done. We want our Truthmaker here to interview him to ensure that he’s actually guilty before we kill him.”
“No,” Austin drawled. “That’s bullshit. You don’t want me to kill him because you think he’s one of the few wolves alive who could actually killme.And it would take me a few days to get him from Montana back to your property, and that gives him a few days to escape from his handcuffs and rip my throat out.”
Jason smiled, baring his teeth. “That would be tragic.”
Austin glared at him. “Why bring him to your pack? Why not have me take him to his former pack so they can take care of him?”
“Well, he was the Alpha, and after his mate died and Roy lost his fucking mind, his former pack fell apart and scattered.”
Jason gestured at his Truthmaker, a man named Orville.
“Orville. Compel me.”
Orville trained his gaze on Jason, his brow wrinkling in concentration. “If Austin agrees right now that he will bring Roy to your pack, alive, in ten days or sooner, will you contact Harris immediately and lift the kill order on him?”
Power flowed and crackled through the air. Austin could feel it, taste it, like smoke from a lightning strike. There was no doubt that Orville was genuinely compelling Jason, and Jason would have to answer truthfully.
“Yes, I will.”
“If Austin brings Roy to your pack, alive, in ten days, will you let Tully’s pack live?”
Sweat trickled down the side of his face. “Yes, I will.”
Orville nodded and stepped back.
“I’ll go with you,” Tully said to Austin. “You’re not going to be able to get him alone. Roy is the Dominus to end all Dominuses. Literally.”
“Only him,” Jason snapped. “He delivers him to us alone. That’s the deal.”
Tully stared at him in shock, jaw hanging open. “That’s bullshit!”
Jason’s eyes glowed with rage. “No, think of it as your punishment for lying to me, chief Alpha of the region. I hired you to take Austin out, and you went behind my back and tried to sneak him away. You showed me extreme disrespect. I should wipe out every male in your pack as punishment and take your females and cubs to do with as I will. And if Austin doesn’t bring Roy back, that’s exactly what will happen. There will be nowhere you can hide from me.”
Tully’s face flushed with fury.
He had a wife and five cubs.
His face went hairy and his claws shot out. He didn’t challenge Jason, though. It would be the end of his pack and his family. He just stood there, trembling with fury.
“You knew all along that Tully wouldn’t kill me,” Austin said, ice dripping from every word. “You forced his pack to take the kill order so that he’d lead you to me.”
“Is that so?” Jason’s eyes glinted with malicious glee. “Doesn’t really matter much, though, does it? Because you’re still a fucking nut job and the law is still on my side.”
“I’ll get Roy and bring him in,” Austin said coldly. “See you in ten days.”
And if he survived, so help him, he’d find a way to fucking end Jason Washborn.
