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Absently, my claw traces along the scar on my brow as distant memories swirl in my mind. They are hazy, murky as a pond after rain, but flashes of images shove their way to the surface.

“Stay back.” Mother's voice trembles with fear, not for herself, but for me.

Father stands across from us, larger than I ever grew to be. His horn disappears into the darkness overhead while Mother spreads her arms protectively, but I push her behind me with a growl.

Mistake—You do not get between an alpha and his mate.

White-hot pain explodes across my forehead before the world spins. Stone rushes toward me, and Mother screams.

The memory shatters.

I stagger backward, pressing my palm against the scar carved through my brow as my heart hammers violently.

He did this. Father. But I cannot remember… cannot recall much else. Only pain, and snarling, and blood. The memories refuse to stay whole, as though something inside my mind has blocked them. Every time I reach out, they splinter apart like ice.

I draw a slow breath, forcing the fragments back beneath the surface before they drown me. The mountain ahead looms high beneath a greying sky. A fresh breeze tumbles down the slope, carrying Benjamin's scent, and it does not matter what transpired in the past. All I know is Father is dangerous.

But you do not get between an alpha and his mate.

A low growl reverberates through my chest as I begin the climb. Trees thin the farther I ascend, their trunks twisted by relentless wind until little remains except jagged stone and stubborn patches of moss. Father's scent grows stronger with every step.

It is fresh. He passed through here not long ago. Good. I hope he has not gone too far.

That thought surprises even me.

Until now, every hunt has been about survival. Hunger and necessity, but never vengeance. This is different. He has my human. The bond tying Benjamin to me pulses faintly somewhere ahead, weakened, but it is enough to keep me moving. Enough to remind me that he is still alive.

I will not lose him now that I've finally found him.

Not to Father, and not to anyone else. Including myself.

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

Benji

Footsteps enter the chamber.

I stare at the ground, watching shadows stretch across stone as two large feet and a massive pair of legs draw near.

The creature drops something beside the fire, and a scream catches in my lungs when I recognize the corpse on the ground.

Earl.

His throat has been torn out, blood still pumping weakly from the gaping wound. Lifeless, hollow eyes face the ceiling. Paula's entire expression goes blank when she stares at him, and I swear I see the exact moment her psyche finally breaks. She nearly stops breathing as her unfocused gaze locks onto her husband.

“Paula?” I whisper.

But she doesn't answer.

The creature watches her for a long moment before kicking Earl’s body closer.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I snap, nausea roiling my stomach.

One eye swings my way. “Meat spoils quickly,” he says, his voice deep and unnervingly calm. “Best not to waste it.”

Terror has my heart launching into my throat at those flat-spoken words.