A Pack of Love and Hate

by Olivia Wildenstein

  “You’re obviously not well-versed in pack politics.”

  Her condescension stung.

  “When duels are agreed upon, they can no longer be annulled.”

  “Why not? No one’s forcing you to fight another shifter to the death.”

  “I offered him peace, and he didn’t want it, so—”

  “That’s why I’m here.”

  “Listen,” she hissed, which made my wolf bristle. Not that she could get out from her Sillin-cage. “Alex is always cuttin’ me off before I can finish explaining things.”

  “Don’t compare me to your son.”

  “When an Alpha expresses a desire to kill another, it’s never taken lightly. If Liam had accepted my treaty, I would’ve spent my life lookin’ over my shoulder, which would not have been ideal, but would’ve been worth it, because it would’ve meant saving my son’s hide and my own.”

  Niggling guilt filled me . . . We should’ve kept Alex locked away.

  “It wouldn’t have been the first threat I’d have had to learn to live with, but that’s neither here nor there. Anyway, Liam wasn’t content with my offer. Your Alpha thirsts for more, which is a dangerous trait in a leader.”

  “You thirsted for more. You took over the Aspens.”

  “You think the Aspens were innocent? They killed off most of my pack.”

  “No, they didn’t. You’re the one who walked into their camp and challenged their Alpha.”

  “Your truncated comprehension of my pack’s history is alarming. I can’t tell if you’ve been fed wrong information or if you’re lacking information.”

  I bristled again. “Why don’t you tell me your version?”

  “My version?” Her tone turned a notch shriller. “You mean, the truth?”

  Although we hadn’t penetrated the forest, we were following the tree line fencing the great lawn from the wilderness beyond.

  “Yes.” There was no point debating whether her truth was the same as everyone else’s.

  “Something in the mountains made us sick, and when we came to the Aspens for Sillin, which is one of the only drugs that work on wolves—”

  “I thought it only helped us if our blood came in contact with silver?”

  Her eyes thinned a little. “It has lots more properties than voiding our magic.”

  “I didn’t know.”

  “You don’t seem to know much about werewolves.”

  I bristled. “That was uncalled for.”

  She didn’t apologize. “Do you want to hear the rest of it?”

  What I wanted was for her to stop disparaging me. Fearing how childish it would sound to voice this, I grumbled, “Go on.”

  Cassandra observed me a protracted instant before pursuing her tale. “When we went to the Aspens for help, they turned us away. They had stocks of Sillin yet wouldn’t share a meager amount. We’d even offered to pay an exorbitant amount for the drug. A month went by, and so many of us died that my grandfather, who was Alpha at the time, attempted a new negotiation with the Aspen Alpha. Again, they told us we should’ve taken better care of our supplies and offered us nothing. My little sister and I, we snuck onto their property and into their stock. We took only what we needed. She was caught and executed instantly. I got away, and then we ran and hid. Only five of us survived. Well, six . . . Aidan never lived among us, so he wasn’t subjected to the poisoning.

  “Four years ago, when I took over the Aspen pack, Julian Matz visited the compound to meet with me. At least, he claimed that was the nature of his visit. My father, who was so sickly he could no longer shift, was found dead the following morning. The pack doctor said he’d stopped breathing. I believed he’d been asphyxiated, but for the sake of diplomacy, I let it go. I let Julian go . . .”

  A chill skated over my skin, which had nothing to do with the tall shadows that stretched like fingers over Cassandra and me. “What poisoned you?”

  She watched the loamy earth squish between her bare toes. “There was a toxic waste site on our land. It polluted our main water source.” Her gaze scraped over my face with such intensity that her eyes felt like claws. “Do you understand now why Sillin is so near and dear to me? I liken it to my security blanket; I may never need it again, but I can no longer live without it. I learned the hard way what lack of foresight brings about, and I will not let this happen to my wolves.”

  I wasn’t going about getting what I wanted from Sandra the right way. “Thank you for sharing your pack’s history with me.”

  She dipped her chin into her swan-like neck and scrutinized me from underneath her stubby lashes.

  “I’ve always felt you were smart, but now I see you’re a sensible woman.” The words burned on their way out. “So I have to wonder why you won’t offer us the deal again. I swear I’d make Liam keep away from you.”

  Her lips twitched, and then a bark of laughter burst out. “You’d make him? Oh, honey,” she tittered, “Liam may appreciate your looks, but he doesn’t respect you. Men like him—so conceited and chauvinistic—they don’t take advice from a gender they deem inferior.”

  “You have a skewed vision of Liam. He’s nothing like his father. Besides, he listened to me when I told him not to duel you the day you killed Julian.”

  Her smile turned broader. “He listened to get you into his bed.”

  Heat splashed my face. Why did I have to go and blush now? “That’s not true.”

  “Ness, let me tell you a little something about myself that very few people know. My sister, she was mute, so I learned to read lips at the same time I learned to talk.” Her shoulders were pulled back as straight as a rake. “That day beside the pool, I saw what Liam asked you . . . to break up with your new boyfriend. August, correct?”

  The shock of her revelation made my footing falter. Cassandra shot out her arm to steady me, and it felt like a wooden bat against my sternum.

  “I also know y’all think I cheated to win and you’re desperately tryin’ to figure out what I did. One of the reasons for your trip to meet with the Rivers, if I’m not mistaken?”

  I kept silent.

  “Let me save you some time and headaches. I did not inject Julian Matz with any substance.” She glanced at the deck where more Creeks had arrived. Although most were busy eating, many gawked at us. She returned her attention to me and canted her head to the side. “So, have you picked a date yet?”

  “You didn’t even want to fight before. Why so adamant about it now?”

  “’Cause I want to go home, and you have nothin’ I need or want anymore.”

  “We have Sillin. A lot of it.” I had no clue if the amount we had constituted a lot.

  “I have enough to tide me over for a couple years. Besides, if I beat Liam, I get your pack’s stock, and the Pines’, for that matter.”

  Icy fingers climbed up my spine. She knows it’s hidden . . .

  “So it’s a win-win for me.”

  “If you lose, you get nothing.”

  “If I lose, my pack still gets the Sillin.”

  “You mean to tell me, you’re doing this for your pack?”

  “Everything I do is for my pack.” Her gaze tightened on me. “I didn’t ascend to the highest tier for a title; I did it to better the lives of shifters.” She gestured to the terrace. “Please, be my guest, Ness. Go around and ask my people what they think of me.”

  I was most definitely not going to ask a bunch of shifters what they thought of their Alpha in front of said Alpha. No one would ever tell me the truth. I thought of the Rivers’ contact then—Avery—about how he’d said many were rooting for Liam, which meant Cassandra was either delusional or lying.

  “No one visits us for a week, and now two Boulders in a day.”

  Her voice made me follow her line of sight. Lucas was glaring at me while descending the stairs two at a time.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  “That one’s particularly insufferable, isn’t he?”

  I didn’t answer her, just started st
riding toward Lucas before he could cause a bigger scene than I had.

  29

  “What the fuck are you doing here, Clark?” he spat out as I joined him in the middle of the lawn.

  Cassandra was still standing in the shadows of the evergreens, and the rest of her pack had remained on the terrace.

  I pursed my lips. “How did you even know where I was?”

  “Liam wanted to speak with you, so we drove over to your house. Jeb said you were at the campus bookstore, but the campus bookstore doesn’t open at the ass crack of dawn, so I’m not sure how he fell for that. He probably assumed you went to see your boyfriend.”

  “August isn’t my boyfriend,” I said, making sure my mouth was visible to Morgan. I wanted her to know this. Even though she hadn’t threatened August, it couldn’t hurt to get him off her radar. “And I’m here because I was trying to get her to put the peace treaty back on the table.”

  “You think Liam’s changed his mind because of the—” I stepped on his foot so hard that he grumble-shouted, “What the hell’s wrong with you?”

  “I’m his Second. I should get to make these calls without being undermined by someone who has no rank in the pack.”

  His jaw unhinged.

  “Now let’s get out of here. We’re making a scene. I bet Liam would hate that even more than his Second coming to negotiate on his behalf. And even though you didn’t ask, the duel’s still on.”

  I started walking around the inn. There was no need to go through the deck where more wolves had come out to eat breakfast.

  Lucas fell in step beside me. “Wasn’t sure if we’d get you back in one—” A soundless snarl contorted his lips.

  I followed the direction of his stare. Sitting at one of the picnic tables was Sarah, and next to her was another blond: Alex Morgan.

  “When did that fucking happen?” Lucas said through gritted teeth.

  “Sarah eating breakfast with her pack?” I knew that wasn’t what had gotten his boxers in a twist.

  “He’s playing with her fucking hair,” he hissed.

  Alex caught us looking his way and smiled wide, and inside, I cringed, but outside, I glared. Sarah said something that made the Creek in front of her chuckle, and that deepened Lucas’s scowl.

  I touched his arm that felt like steel rigging. “She’s a Creek now. It’s only normal that she tries to fit in.”

  “Fit in?” He sounded like he was choking.

  I pulled him around the building, straight into the employee parking lot where I’d left the van.

  “How come you’re so chill about this, Clark? Isn’t she your bestie?”

  “She’s nineteen. She knows what she’s doing.”

  Lucas’s lips curled in disgust.

  I scanned the parking lot for Liam’s car. When I didn’t see it, I asked, “You have a ride or do you need one?”

  Barely opening his lips, he said, “Liam dropped me off but was worried what he’d do if he stuck around.”

  To me or to Cassandra?

  I beeped the doors open. “Well, get in then.”

  During the drive into town, he didn’t say a word. Just simmered quietly. I almost confessed that Sarah was putting on an act, that she hadn’t turned on us . . . on him . . . like Taryn had. But I clamped down on the truth. Lucas was trustworthy, sure, but the more incensed my pack seemed with Sarah, the more believable she’d be to the Creeks.

  At a traffic light, I asked, “Where am I dropping you off?”

  “The gym. But you’re coming in with me.”

  “I thought we weren’t working out.”

  “We aren’t.”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  When we arrived, Lucas texted Liam. A moment later, the heavy doors were unbolted. The vast space was as dark as a cave, and it took my eyes a moment to adjust.

  Liam’s face sheened with sweat, and his knuckles bled from pummeling the punching bag that still swayed in the back of the room. “Do you have a death wish, Ness?”

  I squared my shoulders. “No more than you do.”

  “Do you know what they could’ve done to you?” Even though his voice was still loud, it had lost some of its venom.

  The realization that he’d been afraid for me softened my stance. “I wanted to see if she’d agree to cancel the duel.”

  “Cancel the duel?” Liam sputtered. “What makes you think I’d want to cancel the duel?”

  Had the thought not crossed his mind? “I thought that after—”

  “Yesterday changes nothing!”

  “You’re going to be a father, Liam. Don’t you want to be there for your kid?”

  His eyebrows hugged closer to his eyes. “You know what the odds of shifter babies making it to the end of the first trimester in a human womb? Fifteen percent. But even if it were a hundred percent, it wouldn’t change anything. I still want to destroy that woman, so you had no right to make this call without consulting me! I’m not interested in a treaty.”

  I crossed my arms. “She said no anyway.”

  His chest heaved. “Good.”

  “You could lose.”

  “I could also win.”

  A beat of silence echoed like an ominous drumroll between us. I was angry about his reaction. I glanced at Lucas, wishing he’d weigh in and tell Liam he was being a stubborn ass, but Lucas was too busy sulking and glaring at the weight rack.

  “There are more important things in life than winning or losing, Liam.”

  “Not for an Alpha. Besides, I already have a family, Ness. The pack is my family. And I need to protect them.” His voice had quieted. “You all think I’m doing this to prove something. I’m not. Sure, I could’ve taken that treaty, but once Cassandra gets replaced or dies, her successor would’ve challenged us. We’d only be pushing back the inevitable. I’m young now and in way better shape than she is; Julian was old and slow.” His breathing deepened, his chest growing calmer with each passing minute.

  Even though I was disappointed, a part of me also understood his reasoning.

  “Did you learn anything interesting at least?”

  Sighing, I let my arms fall back along my sides. “She can read lips.”

  “She can read lips?” Lucas asked, finally popping out of his daze.

  “Yeah. Her sister was mute. So start watching what you say around her.”

  Liam dragged his fingers through his sweat-matted hair. “We don’t need to watch what we say around her, because the next time we see her will be at the duel. Am I making myself clear?”

  “Crystal,” I said a tad frostily because I sensed that was directed only at me. “I also learned she took an extremely high dose of Sillin when she was younger to cure herself of toxic waste poisoning. Which might mean traces of Sillin remain in her body.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “So maybe taking tiny doses of the stuff is pointless. Maybe I should take a huge dose and see what it does.”

  Liam went as still as the punching bag behind him.

  “Morgan can still shift, so it wouldn’t impair Ness’s magic completely,” Lucas said.

  For a moment, I wondered if we’d be dueling Morgan if Liam and I had still been together. But then I wondered why I was even contemplating this and shook my head.

  “I’ll speak to Greg to see what a high dose would be,” he finally said.

  As he took out his cell phone, a twinge of panic crept up my spine . . . What if it irreparably impaired my werewolf gene? What if that was the reason she was often bedridden and healed slower? I swallowed back my panic, reminding myself that Morgan had still risen to the top of shifter hierarchy.

  Liam disconnected the call I’d heard no word of. “He’s going to figure out the dosage based on your weight and age, then phone you this afternoon to administer it intravenously.” He flipped his phone over and over in his hand, shadows devouring his eyes. “Even though I want you to consult me in the future, it was good work.”

  “Thank you.” I nibbled on my bottom lip. “Can I leave n
ow?”

  “You can leave.”

  I started to go, but before reaching the door, I glanced at him over my shoulder. “Are you happy at least? About Tamara?”

  Although his lips didn’t move, inside my head I heard, I didn’t want a kid, and I didn’t want Tamara.

  Pain carved his forehead. I hoped it was the shock of the news and the worry of the first trimester that was to blame. Perhaps he’d never love Tamara, but I hoped he’d grow to want and love his child.

  I hoped he’d be the man his father never was.

  30

  I spent the rest of the morning buying college supplies and paint cans and brushes for the house. The only thing I ended up not buying was a laptop. I needed one, and technically, I could afford one, but the money on my account didn’t feel like my own. Since August wasn’t going to take it back, I’d decided to go speak with Nelson and Isobel about it. I was sort of dreading the conversation, especially if they didn’t know about their son’s generous donation.

  After stopping by The Silver Bowl to check up on Evelyn, whose cheeks were high in color from the heat of all the simmering pots around her and the excitement of her new job, I went home fed and relaxed, ready for Greg to arrive.

  He got to my place around four, a cooler swinging from his fingers. “Sorry I’m late. I went to check on Isobel.”

  My blood turned to ice. “Why? Is she—Is the cancer back?”

  “The cancer’s gone.” Greg smiled. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

  I nodded and watched as he set a syringe, a vial filled with clear liquid, and some gauze on the kitchen table.

  Concern deepened the wrinkles bracketing his eyes and mouth. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Someone has to.”

  “But does that someone have to be you?”

  I frowned. “There’s no chance of it killing me, is there?”

  He took a seat and scooted closer to the table. “No, but . . .”

  Fear tiptoed into my veins and navel as I sat down beside him. “But what?”

  “But I’ve never administered such a high dose, so I can’t even tell you what the side effects might be. Besides not shifting, that is.”