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Blue's whole body shivered, and his feet moved at my command. In a rush, my father was across the room, my omega's arm firmly in his grip. A pained yip jumped from Blue's lips, and I snarled. My fangs punched out, and my claws pushed at my fingertips, heavy and ready.
"Really?" My father smiled, his eyes wide with excitement. "After all these years of trying to find something to rile you up, something to push your wolf and find your fire," he jerked Blue to his side, "and a fucking omega does it?
"Let him go," I snarled, angling my shoulders forward.
"Or what? We both know you don't have the fucking backbone to do anything about it."
My father glared hard at me, squeezing Blue's arm to the point of pain. Blue's lips trembled, and his throat worked as he began to sob.
"You've never had the backbone to challenge me, never fought back when I raised a hand to you!" A smile settled on his face as he reveled in my rage. "What kind of alpha sits still for a beating?
A burst of distress erupted from Blue, and he pulled at his arm, desperate to break free. His fear was as potent as the flashing light coming off his skin, but my father didn't even look at him, too distracted by the satisfaction he got by abusing me. I had been gone for over a year, and I was sure the old wolf was eager to make up for lost time.
"If you even once pushed back," my father seethed, "I wouldn't have had to worry about the witch's words. I could have let the Moon take me on that glorious blue path to the sky and left it all to you. But instead, I had to murder my people because you are so fucking weak!"
Blue yelped loudly and shoved hard at my father's side, his distress consuming him. My father's trance broke, and his eyes snapped to Blue.
Then, before I could even blink, he slapped Blue.
My body burst apart, my wolf ripping my skin and shoving my bones into place. Blood rushed in my ears, blocking out all other sound, and my vision went red. The last thing I remembered was the taste of blood.
In the Shadows
Tzidal
* * *
Fear lockedme in place as Byriel's big, gray wolf launched himself at the King. Blue was frozen in the same spot, his eyes wide as he took in the horror quickly unfolding around us. Byriel punched and clawed at his father.
A violent roar pulled me from my shock, and I grabbed Blue's arm, pulling him into the shadows next to me. I glanced at the tent flap, wondering why the hell no one was racing inside. Surely they could hear Byriel's snarls and growls.
Were the guards here so used to the King's violence that such sounds from his quarters were commonplace?
The hairs on my neck stood up, and I inhaled deeply, preparing myself to fight my way out of here if needed.
"Gua—“ The King tried to yell out, but Byriel's clawed hand wrapped tightly around his throat, cutting him off.
I unsheathed my dagger and held Blue tightly to my back, keeping myself as a shield between him and the alphas. I thought briefly of making a run for it, but getting caught between two enraged alphas wasn't worth the risk.
The King struggled, his voice coming out in stunted grunts. Byriel's big, furry back blocked most of my view, but the splatter of something dark, followed by the thick stench of blood, made my chest squeeze with fear.
The scent of Blue's tears mixed with Byriel's rage. My throat itched from the overwhelming emotions dancing around us.
Byriel leaned into his father's face. There was a muffled sound of a struggle. Then a deafening snap of bone and a gurgle of breath.
Then everything went silent.
The King's hand fell limp onto the ground. I stared at it, unable to move. His fingers curled slightly inward, a bit of blood covering his fingertips. The light from the lantern made the wet substance gleam slightly in the flicker of its flame.
A deep growl left Byriel, and my body went tight. The big, grey wolf leaned away from his dead father. The long claws on his back feet dug deep into the plush carpet as he slowly moved away, settling next to the corpse.
Byriel's whole body shivered, fur disappearing into dark skin, revealing his naked human-form.
Blue whimpered behind me, and Byriel jerked to the sound.
His eyes were consumed entirely by black and red, his fangs still engaged and his claws massive. He was trying to rein in his wolf, but it wasn't working. The man in front of us was still very much a beast.
Byriel inched forward, moving softly on all fours. He stalked toward Blue, his shoulder blades rolling and claws shredding the carpet.
