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He pulls from my reach, his lips a thin line as he spews hatred at me. “You want her for yourself? So why didn’t you claim her? She smells of heat, her slick so sweet on the air.”
He’s antagonizing me. I see it in the way his mouth quirks, but I won’t fall for it this time. He’s manipulative, and everything he does comes with motivation. There is no way Meira just happened to escape from the plane by accident. We have protocols that have never been broken before.
“You know what I think? You made it easy for Meira to run away when you weren’t looking so you had a reason to stay with the X-Clan, knowing I’d scramble to find a replacement female for Ander. You counted on me doing anything to save our trade agreement. All the while, you set up your little plan to steal the serum. This wasn’t an opportunity you stumbled on, was it?”
There is no other way to explain how Meira never made it to Ander. I’ve been wracking my brain over this, as our plans are straightforward… females get on the plane and are tied to a chain, end of story. Mihai confirmed he delivered nine women to the aircraft, which can only mean Mad didn’t do the one step he was meant to on purpose.
A stoic expression slips over his face, the one he uses when he’s lying. Behind him, down in the yard, pack members work tirelessly to bring order back to a chaotic day.
“You’ve become paranoid, brother,” he grumbles, his shoulders bunching up like he’s about to transform.
“Were you responsible for the breach in the wall too?” I bellow, anger burrowing into my bones.
He scrunches his nose and scoffs at me like I’m making this up. “You want to blame me for the spread of the virus across the planet, too?”
I’m on him in seconds, my hand on his neck again, and I push him into a backbend over the railing. “There are no such things as coincidences when it comes to you, Stefan. And I can’t ignore that we have our first breach on the day you secretly sneak back home.”
“Don’t fucking call me that!” he snaps, baring his teeth. He loathes that name, as it was my asshole father who gave it to him.
Straining against me, his hands grip my arm for support to avoid tumbling over the balcony. “There was no sneaking inside,” he mutters. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
I can barely control myself as he lies over and over.
“Come on, Dušan. This isn’t you. Growing up, we had a goal, remember? Find a way to end the curse. I tried and failed with X-Clan. Shoot me for wanting the best for Ash Wolves. But that bitch is out there, so let’s go hunt her down.” There’s a glint in his eyes… My stepbrother is a master of deceit. I see this clearly now.
The more he talks about Meira, the more I think about gnashing out his tongue. I don’t want her name in his mouth. All I hear are his threats against my fated mate, and that’s not going to work.
I wrench him up from his backbend over the railing, and I feel the trembling anger in his body, his wolf growling for release. To my surprise, Mad strains to hold back, the lines on his brow giving him away. His gaze spears over my shoulder. Footsteps close in behind me and I sniff the air, inhaling the earth and wolf scents of my third and fourth.
Lucien and Bardhyl have joined us. Perfect.
Grabbing Mad by the shirt, I swing him around and glance over to the two pack members I trust with my life. I kick Mad’s legs out from under him so he drops to his knees before us.
“You’re stripped of your fucking title as second to Alpha,” I roar. “Your position is at the bottom of the hierarchy in the Ash Pack. Even Betas carry rank over you.”
“Fuck you, Dušan. You can’t do this! This was my father’s pack too. I belong at the top.” He starts to get up, but I drive another fist to his face to keep him down, an ache from the strike reverberating up my arm. He groans and stares at me, unflinching.
“About damn time,” Lucien growls.
I look up at him. “Lucien, you are now my second-in-command, and Bardhyl, my third. Take care of this turd. I want him chained up in the dungeons.”
Bardhyl smirks as he reaches down and grabs Mad by the arm, yanking him to his feet. When Mad swings a punch, Bardhyl laughs and snatches his fist, then twists it behind Mad’s back. Mad cries out with pain, and Lucien takes the chance to land a fist into his gut.
I turn away, frustrated to high hell. I just want Mad out of my fucking face. Taking a deep breath, I ground myself and get ready to speak to the pack and put them at ease.
I hate that I’m fuming on the inside at having to imprison my stepbrother when we should have been one team. For once, I want something to go in my favor.
My thoughts swing to Meira and time ticking away. She’s fucking gone! Fury coats my mind. Knots tighten in my gut. She’s been gone for a few hours now. The sun’s gone down, but I hope she hasn’t gone too far. Exhaustion would have worn her out. I think back to when I first found her hiding in the small treehouse she built, living out in the wilderness on her own. She is more comfortable amongst the infected than anyone else. Except she doesn’t know these woods in the Shadowlands Sector well. These are my woods, which gives me the upper hand.
