AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Your mates who killed your father,” he says snidely as he stands and makes his way back towards the chair.
I suck in a startled breath at that as pain slices through me. I’d thought those words, and we’d both hinted at them this past week, but to have them flung at me, barreling into me like the crack of a whip, stings more than I thought it would.
“Get out,” I growl. I stand, my muscles shaking as I barely hold myself back. My wolf gnashes her teeth in agreement, begging to sink her fangs into Monte’s throat.
Monte staggers back a step, his eyes widening as though he hadn’t truly thought I would direct this level of ire towards him.
Good that he learns now because I won’t be giving him special treatment, not anymore. If he disobeys me, he won’t have his spot as my right hand for much longer.
“My word is final,” I snap, narrowing my eyes. “It would be foolish to act prematurely, especially with everything that just happened at the engagement party.”
The engagement party that turned out to be a nightmare. It could have been a massacre if it wasn’t for those same mates bringing us the information on the ambush when they did. We have enough going on with the Langleys as it is, and they proved how much of a threat they can truly pose by continuing to catch us off guard.
That won’t be happening again.
“The pack is still mourning Oliver and processing Axel’s betrayal, not to mention the fact that Elise from the Whitlock pack is now with the bears. Who knows how much information she’s given them?” I grind out, needing this information to sink in.
His willingness to look past all this and demand we attack the Whitlocks immediately is shortsighted. Before this conversation, I thought he was coming from a place of fear, but now I think his motivations are mostly for selfish reasons. He truly believes that if my mates are out of the picture, it opens up the door for him to come crawling back into my life.
“I need to act with my head, not my heart right now, as do you. And despite my need for vengeance, we need to do this strategically,” I say, my rage mounting at the realization that I can’t trust Monte like I thought I could. “You’ll keep this to yourself until I say otherwise. Is that understood?” I growl, shifting my teeth to my wolf’s canines and letting them protrude from my lips. I hold my Alpha power back though … barely.
His throat bobs, disbelief shining back at me in his amber eyes, but he nods in understanding. My stomach twists as promises flood my memories. It was always supposed to be him by my side, helping me navigate my duty in leading this pack, but things change. I considered him an equal, but it seems that was a mistake.
I never wanted to rule with fear, especially not towards those in my inner circle, but in this case, I have no other choice. I’ve let our past and our familiarity cloud my judgment. I accepted what he told me as fact since he’d been by my father’s side while I’d been cloistered in New York.
But it’s time I trust my own instincts. Now that my wolf and I are on the same page, it’s time to take control of my pack and put an end to anyone who stands against us, once and for all.
Monte walks to the door, his footsteps clumsy, clearly still off-kilter from the boundary I’ve set.
“I’ll be here, Skylar,” Monte murmurs over his shoulder, his eyes hesitantly meeting mine. His hand is poised on the doorknob as though he has to get this one final thought out before obeying my command. “I’ve waited ten years. What are a few more?”
My heart twinges, and I grit my teeth, holding back the scream that claws up my throat as he exits, closing the door behind him. How dare he say that as he leaves? How dare he try to wedge the door open when he knows I don’t feel the same? I know I should feel the sick curl of grief and guilt coiling around my stomach, but I don’t. I only feel anger for the man who used to be my entire world.
At least he’s gone now.
If he were truly my friend, he wouldn’t prey on my vulnerability, or push boundaries I’ve already set firmly in place.
Yet he continues on like he knows best, like the turmoil churning inside me doesn’t matter, like I’m not his Alpha.
Things are about to change.
Sunlight glints off the crystal glass sitting on the desk, the amber hue of whisky still coating the bottom from the brisk drink I had earlier. Before I know what’s happening, I grasp the glass, sending it hurtling across the room. I crave the destruction. To have something shatter around me just like my world seems to be. Crystal crashes against the wooden door, sending shards of thin glass cascading across the floor in a wave of cathartic rage.
I pull in a ragged breath, letting the satisfaction wash over me and temporarily quell the anger. My canines recede into my gums, my wolf beaming with pride at the show of dominance.
Almost everyone I thought I could trust is now in question, leaving me feeling more alone than I had when I first returned to Endcliffe.
Buzz—buzz—buzz.
My phone vibrates again, echoing through the drawer, fueling the irrational agitation boiling in me. I nearly leave it there, not wanting to see one of my four mates’ names flashing across the screen for what seems like the millionth time this week, but my hand moves on its own.Just to make sure.
The drawer squeaks as I pull it open, but it isn’t my mates’ caller IDs that pop up when the screen lights up. I hurriedly grab for the phone, my thumb shaking slightly as I accept the call.
“What did you find?”
Chapter Two
Skylar
