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Chapter 5
Dušan
Iclose my eyes, my back against the ice-cold wall, and I’m drowning in fury. Spiraling, falling so damn fast, I’m losing control.
Meira.
She floats in my mind as I slip in and out of panicked thoughts and fucking blind anger at Mad.
I always gave him everything, made him my second-in-command, permitted him free rein in my pack. But it wasn’t enough for the greedy sonofabitch.
I assumed I’d handled his demands and outbursts well but still gave him enough leniency so he didn’t feel any less important. The Ash Wolves’ pack came from his father, and I claimed it by fighting almost to my death to stake my claim from other Alphas. Mad never helped and always ran from danger.
He’s gutless, a terrified asshole who would rather sit back than battle in the way of the wolves. Instead, he manipulates and steals.
A nerve pulses in my neck each time I think of incident after incident where the clues were right in my damn face, but I overlooked it again and again because I considered him family.
I pitied the fool, remembered the shit we both went through as kids, how I covered for him so I got the beatings from my step-father, not him.
Maybe that’s the problem. I’ve protected him for so long, he’s become complacent, arrogant, entitled.
No fucking respect for anything I’ve done for him, or for the pack, and he only sees his own selfish desires.
My foolish oversight will never happen again.
A groan sounds from up ahead, and I slide open my eyes to the guard leaning against the wall outside my cell, ordered to watch over me. Most likely in case Meira finds her way to me, which I want to laugh at. She doesn’t even know we have dungeons in the basement, and I’m hoping she’s smart enough to keep her distance from this place.
I climb to my feet, stretching my back, gaining his attention.
Nico watches me, and I know him well, so to see him betray me like this sits like barbed wire in my gut.
“I saved you years ago.” I groan, then clear my throat.
“That you did,” he answers, his voice strong, as though ready for this conversation.
“And yet you so easily break your loyalty and change allegiance.”
His mouth thins and he folds his arms over his chest. “It’s about survival, Dušan, you know this best. It’s why you created our pack home. But times change, and there is no shame in admitting your ways are not going to ensure we remain safe. We live surrounded by fucking zombies.” His voice climbs, his arms falling by his side.
“What has Mad promised you? Immunity from the undead? He’s wrong. There is no such thing. We all carry the virus in our veins already. We die and we become one of them. We get bitten by a zombie and we’re the undead. He’s making empty promises. The serum he stole from our partnered packs is made for the X-Clan race of wolves, and it won’t work for us.” I suck in a sharp breath. “His action could bring that pack to our doorstep to annihilate us. So now you have two enemies outside your home.” I’m partially lying, as I promised Ander the serum Mad stole back, and I intend to keep my promise, even if I have to pry it out of Mad’s cold, dead hands.
Nostrils flaring, he growls under his breath. “The bitch is immune. Everyone saw her walk right through the mass of zombies unscathed. She isn’t X-clan. Mad told us how you intended to keep her for yourself, to protect yourself while letting us live in fear so we followed you.”
I’m seething. “A fucking lie.”
“He promised everyone who showed him loyalty that they will receive the antidote once he caught her. We all live in fear, especially after they broke into the compound through the fence so easily. If you were smart, you’d stop fighting against your brother and help him find the cure for us all.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” I answer with a growl in my voice. “Meira’s sick and dying and that’s why the undead leave her alone. Not because she’s a cure.” I need to get through to him so he sees the truth. My whole pack’s future is at stake.
Nico blinks at me, thinking through my words, and about fucking time. “So she’s immune, which means something in her blood or sickness may hold the key for all of us. Why can’t you see this and do something to help all of us instead of insisting there is no way to help us? It’s why so many have turned their loyalty to Mad.” His face contorts in disgust.
“That’s not how this works. Open your eyes. Our wolves abolish all illnesses, and she is half-human, half-wolf. What works for her will be killed off in our blood system.”
He snorts and turns away, refusing to hear the truth.
My hands fist, my nails digging into the palm of my hand until it hurts so much, I can’t think. I’m burning up with rage at how Mad planned everything out to undermine me all these weeks, maybe months ago. And these fools…Fuck!They’re all scared, which was Mad’s intention all along. Terrify the pack into submission with his fake promises. Sad thing is he believes Meira is the cure. Transformations eliminate all human illnesses, so when Mad discovers Meira is no longer immune to the zombies herself…
All fuck’s going to hit the fan, isn’t it?
