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Maddock roared as black waves rolled off him like storm clouds. “You insignificant child. I saved you. I made you. You would have been the next leader of the wolf clan. Perhaps the leader of multiple clans, but you continued to think with your dick. How pathetic. I thought you had put your human weakness behind you, but that’s where I was mistaken. Not about Dannika—about you.”
Raine’s eyes narrowed. “The other clans see Dannika as a hope for the future. You would throw her away like yesterday’s garbage.”
Maddock’s eyes turned black, but he brought his shadow warrior under control. “She is garbage. A mutation. When an animal in the wild is born blind or without a limb, its mother doesn’t coddle it. She kills it because it is weak and will pass that weakness onto the next generation. That is the will of mother nature. Only the strong survive. You will learn that lesson the hard way.”
“And who is going to teach it to me?” Raine sneered.
Maddock waved an erratic hand in the air. “Look at you. You’re just as weak as Killian.” He glanced at Steele. “I should’ve known he would be as weak as his brother.”
Raine growled. “You knew about Killian and Steele. You blackmailed him into this merger. Steele’s motives were genuine. He wanted to protect his clan and Dannika. He will die to give us a future. You seek only power. Your lack of ethics is surprising and disgusting. I wonder how long you have before you turn reaper?”
Maddock’s maniacal laugh echoed over the clearing. “I took down a very satisfying four-point buck this morning. I am quite satisfied.” He inclined his head toward Dannika. “She, on the other hand, barely eats, and her kills are days away from death. Targeting the weak, drinking stale blood. How long do you think it will be before she turns reaper?”
Raine’s eyes darkened. “She has principles. That doesn’t make her a reaper.”
Maddock huffed. “I’m not sure I want to bother merging the clans. Steele couldn’t handle one tiny female.”
“You couldn’t either, so you passed her off. At least Steele wasn’t afraid of her. You are a coward,” Raine said.
Black waves rolled off Maddock’s shoulders. They licked the air with fury, seeking vengeance and death. “I should kill you.”
Raine’s eyes turned black as his alpha pushed to emerge, to annihilate the aggressor he once called a friend. Once called Father. “I challenge for leadership.”
Maddock stepped back, smiling, his alpha under control. “I was hoping you would say that.”
Raine had played into Maddock’s hands. And out of everybody, Raine should’ve known better. Maddock couldn’t attack Raine without losing face with the clan, but he had every right to kill Raine now.
“I guess you always get what you want.”
Maddock shrugged. “It’s a gift.”
Dannika put her hand on Raine’s back. It was meant as a comfort, but her shadow connected with his, infusing him with her will. Her faith. “Raine?”
Maddock held up his hand. “Raine has challenged for leadership. I accept. We will return to the wolf clan for a trial by combat.” He looked at Dannika. “She will return with you. I want her present when you die.”
CHAPTER34
Dannika walked down the barely perceptible path in the woods. The air felt heavy and oppressive as the small party traversed the mountains. She treated her fear as she would any other discomfort she’d overcome in the past, pushing it out of her head and moving forward. She would leave dissecting it for another day. Raine needed her focused.
They moved through the forest, keeping to the shadows of the trees. While in human form, she continued to reach for the comfort of the darkness. She didn’t want to think about Raine and the terrible fight ahead. One where he would die or kill the man he considered a father. A decision based on keeping her safe. Guilt had taken up permanent residence in her heart. Even here, she destroyed everything around her. When did she conclude that the shadow shifters were better off without her? That Maddock had been right all along.
She knew the answer. If Raine died, her heart would die with him. She’d asked him to wait to figure out her connection with Colton, but as they traveled toward the wolf clan, she realized it didn’t matter. She loved Raine, body and soul. He was her choice, and he always would be. Her feelings for Colton were the love of a brother. A family member. Not a mate.
They were well into the woods when her shadow alerted her, a peculiar feeling that they were not alone. She halted. Raine and Colton stopped with her.
“Someone is coming,” she whispered.
Raine smiled at her. “Very good.”
Ryder coalesced from a shadow beside a large evergreen. He nodded to Dannika. “Your training is going well. You sensed me long before I arrived.”
Her eyes dropped to a scuff mark on a boulder. “Maddock and Steele have come this way. Why are we traveling in human form?”
Ryder turned to Raine. “It is customary to avoid the shadows before a death match. Maddock and Raine will retain their human forms today until the fight.”
Raine glanced at the swaying branches above their head. “You have come to advise me.”
Ryder nodded. “Steele will do the same for Maddock. Though it’s doubtful he will heed the advice. He has always sought power. He was the lesser of two evils when it came to leadership, but his aspirations are out of control. We can’t leave him unchecked.”
