by Ava Mason
Please Avery. You out of all people should understand. I need to go to him. I pleaded with my mind, pouring all of my emotions into it. Remembering what he’d shown me, showing him with my memories the street where he lost the person he’d loved the most.
Tears streamed down his face. I wasn’t being fair, and I knew it. Please, please. Avery.
He shook his head. “It’s too late, Lizzy. You can’t save him. Not now.” His face was full of agony and the emotion burst through me; he was dying inside, reliving that fateful day that I’d reminded him of. “Believe me, Elizabeth. If I thought there was a sliver of a chance that you could save him, I would let you go.” The look on his face betrayed his emotions, his ultimate anguish and torment. And the truth. “His whole throat has been torn out. His blood is on the ground. We’re too far. He’s truly dead.”
I cried out, screaming my agony as I shifted back into a human and he pulled me into his lap, naked and shaking and sobbing.
It couldn’t be true. “No. You’re lying.”
“I’m not, Lizzy. I swear. I swear it.”
He clutched me, crying with me and we lay on the ground, my legs still caught in the fence, crying together once again. It was my fault. I’d killed my best friend.
Shayne caught up with us. “Give her to me.”
He held me, carried me like a baby towards the house. He was getting old and the stress of his life had gotten to him. His steps were heavy and his shoulders sagged. But his arms were strong and they held me close to his chest. I knew that he was grieving, too. That he was close to Aaron now, that he felt responsible, too. I knew it because I could feel it. For he was truly mine.
He walked all the way to our house. He took me inside the house and sat on the floor, sighing and clutching me close. We cried together, him holding me tight, mourning our loss.
I thought of his family. What would I tell David? His mom?
I was a horrible Alpha. Shayne was in pain, too, but he was taking care of me. His fingers ran over my hair absentmindedly, stroking my head soothingly. This was what I should be doing, not the other way around. The rest of my clan were sitting or laying on the carpet next to us.
I felt their pain, that they were just as upset as me. Their grief bled into mine and we shared it together.
Deep down, I knew that they were right. If I’d gone in there, Garrett could’ve easily killed us. All of us. Because they would’ve gone in with me to defend me.
I buried my head into Shayne’s chest, feeling horrible; guilt and shame washing over me. I’d put them in danger. I should’ve acted like an Alpha; taken the loss with dignity, like Shayne was doing.
An Alpha’s biggest responsibility was to his pack, or in my case, my clan. If I’d gone rushing in there, we all could’ve died. There was no way we could fight against hundreds of wolves, just the six of us.
And we still didn’t know where James was. I was worried that he’d been taken by the black wolf, just like with Christian’s friend, Dex. What if they had him and were torturing him? Or screwing with his mind?
Fuck!!
Everything had gone to shit so quickly.
Aaron was dead.
Aaron was fucking dead.
My mind whirled as I fell into a pit of anger and rage.
James was missing. I needed to find him, to fix all this.
I needed to lead my clan instead of let them pamper me, hold me back, forcing me to do the right thing.
I needed to fix everything.
I needed to be the Alpha I was born to be.
And that started with killing Garrett.
Hours later, I laid in the darkened room, my eyes closed, but I was aware of every single person in the room. Shayne was gone; he left to tell Aaron’s mother and family. And like a fucking coward, I let him.
We’d gone out to try to find James but his trail went cold and I wasn’t connected to him enough to be able to tell where he was.
Easton and Avery were outside, watching over the house and I was cradled in a sleeping bag in Hunter’s arms. Christian was across from me, his hand still pulsing healing warmth into my arm even though he was snoring lightly. Ever since Shayne had left, Hunter hadn’t left my side, couldn’t stop touching me, and I knew he was worried.
My necklace was throbbing again, and it sent a buzzing thrill into my chest. It was in tune with my emotions. My stomach twisted and a hollow feeling replaced the feeling where my heart usually beat.
Except for the magical buzz from my necklace, I was dead inside.
In my mind, I was back to the night when my parents had died, and I’d been shoved into the safe room where I was free from danger, protected and warm. In a locked room. And tonight, in the arms of my protectors.
Free from danger.
Free from the choice: to live or die.
And full of pain.
And I was sick of it.
When was I going to be the warrior promised by my parents, by the moon? A true Alpha protects his pack. Fights for his place, not cowers under the protection of others.
I was done with that shit.
But I also had to be careful. I had to protect my own clan in the process. And so I waited.
I waited until I knew the moon had skirted over the sky and Easton and Avery would be tired. I waited until I knew there were only two and a half hours until they had to wake two of us up.
My eyes were closed, my breath even, and I looked and sounded like I was asleep. But inside, I was awake, alive and angry. Filled with rage. And absolute grief.
And in the darkness, I’d made a promise to the man I’d once loved and could have loved again, and to my parents.
It was my fucking turn now.
It was time.
I slowly slid my arm out from under Christian’s hand. He jerked in his sleep, so I paused. His hand swept sleepily across the floor, looking for me, so I guided it towards Hunter’s arm and it rested there peacefully. Then, calmly and deliberately, I slid down the zipper to our sleeping bag, just enough so that I could slip out. I turned slightly, watching Hunter’s reaction, while I slid out from his warm embrace.
It was easy; Hunter was a heavy sleeper. That was also the reason why I’d chosen to snuggle in with him and Christian tonight. If it had been Easton, he’d have been awake in an instant. Avery could’ve also read my thoughts.
Silently, I crept towards the window that overlooked the backyard and was relieved to see that it was Easton out back. Avery must be in the front yard. I moved around the room, making sure to stay near the floor so they wouldn’t see me through the window. I peeked out: Avery was in a tree, up near the road and watching it carefully.
Tensions were running high since the death of Aaron, especially with all the noise I’d been making, and I knew they would check out every little thing. So I made my escape plans quickly and exactly.
When I was ready, I went into one of the bedrooms and flashed a light across the trees. It took a few tries to get them to notice, but soon I saw Easton jogging across the field. Then I silently raced through the house towards the back door. Shutting it quietly behind me, I shifted and ran off, deep in the woods, hoping I’d be at Garrett’s before they noticed I was gone.
It was a lot easier to find my way through the woods as a wolf, and I took a moment to let my wolf instincts take over. She reveled in the feel of the Tennessee woods she was more familiar with, and raced through them, panting happily. It was nice not to feel for a little while. But she didn’t deter from our mission, and soon I found myself at the fence where I’d found an opening earlier.
I slipped in easily. Now for the hard part.
I had to get past about an acre of land that was pretty open, with only a few trees for cover. There were about six guards out at night that I had to slip past. Once I was inside, I had to find Garrett’s room. Hopefully, he’d be in his bedroom, which Shayne had described as the one on the top floor, past several other rooms, on the east side.
I crouched across the g
round slowly, making sure to take my time. Occasionally I had to stop and wait for one of the guards to walk by, but I was still hidden in the darkness of the night so it was fine. When I reached the spot where the outdoor lights lit up the grounds, I booked it across the empty field. I made it to the garage and stopped, panting with urgency because I could hear footsteps coming my way.
Shit.
I didn’t want to kill anyone, not yet. Not until I knew who was on my side.
But I couldn’t get caught. Not now.
I shifted quickly and waited by the corner. As soon as they stepped around the corner, I slammed my fist into their throat. A girl. Easton taught me this move to quickly make someone be quiet. She sucked in a breath, stumbling backwards, and I stepped forward, following up with a right hook. Her eyes widened, then they fluttered backwards and she fell over, slamming her head against the ground. I crouched forward, feeling horrible. I grabbed her arm and dragged her through the side door to the garage, then checked her over. Her pulse was a little slow, but nothing to be worried about. She was going to have a hell of a bump on the side of her head for a few minutes, but she’d recover quickly.
Probably too quickly, since she was a shifter. I studied the shelves until I found some duct tape.
She was seriously going to hate me, but at least she wouldn’t be able to sound an alarm.
I stripped her to her underwear and bra and taped her hands and feet together. Then I taped her to the wooden work table for good measure. I finished it off with tape around her mouth. All while I worked, there was something in the corner of my vision that caught my eye. But, I ignored it; I wanted, needed to get this done first.
When I was done, I put her clothes on. They were too big, but they would do for now. After lacing up her boots and rolling up her pants I closed my eyes, pressing my hands to the cold concrete, took in a deep breath and turned.
To see a casket.
I froze, torn with indecision. The guys would discover that I was gone soon, if they hadn’t already. But I had…
I couldn’t just walk away…
I had to see Aaron. One more time. I couldn’t ignore him. Especially if this was the last time I’d ever see him.
It was a beautiful walnut casket, with an intricate design carved into the box. With shaking hands, I slid off the lid, just enough to see his face.
And completely broke down.
He had a ’T’ carved into his cheek. Traitor. For helping me escape, so long ago. Too fucking long ago. And for leaving his dad.
And his face was pale, too fucking pale for his dark skin. His long dark hair had lovingly been braided and placed over his shoulder.
He looked… so weird. So unlike him.
So dead.
I sucked sobs through my mouth, trying to keep them as quiet as possible. I pressed my hands on his shoulders and fell onto his chest.
“Oh fuck, Aaron. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t enough to save you.” My words managed to spill out through my wrecking sobs.
Then I clutched his shirt; they’d changed his clothes and wrapped a white silk scarf around his neck, an honor for someone who fought bravely. And probably to hide his torn out throat. This was done after Garrett was done with him. By someone who’d loved him. So there were still people who didn’t like Garrett, who loved Aaron even though he’d betrayed his father.
I wanted to scream at him, to ask him why he’d left me. Why he’d felt like he had to fight his dad. Why didn’t he wait for us? But all I could do was just cry, clasping my hand over my mouth to keep my sobs quiet. And get angry. Get very angry.
Angry at the man who killed his own son, who manipulated everyone into believing that I was the traitor.
That Aaron deserved this kind of death.
I had to get myself together. I had to man the fuck up so I could kill him. I bit my tongue to stop the sobs, to remind myself of why I was here.
I wasn’t here to mourn. I was here to kill.
I wiped my face and, slowly and gently, slid the lid back over the casket. Then I went back to the door and, after checking one more time to make sure the guard wasn’t waking up any time soon, I opened the door and crept towards the house.
The closer I crept towards Garrett’s house, the sinking feeling in my stomach got worse. It was easy, too easy.
The guards were still covering the house but the door to the side was empty. Maybe that’s the one the girl was supposed to cover. I slipped inside and found myself in the kitchen, just like Shayne described.
It was pretty fancy and modern, with chrome appliances and dark brown, walnut cabinets. The house was absolutely silent except for the ticking of a grandfather clock in the living room. Moving through the kitchen, then the large and ornately decorated living room, I scrambled towards the stairs, taking advantage of my luck. I made it up to the third floor quickly, then I paused. There was movement down the hall. I took a small peek, then hid behind the wall. There was one guard down a long hallway, outside what I assumed was Garrett’s room.
I pulled my hair out of my rubber band and played with my hair until it was loose enough to cover my face. Then I went back down a few stairs and stomped softly up them. “What a day, eh? Do you think that asshole’s mom will come for his body?” I faked a belch. “I think I drank a little too much beer down there.”
“What?” I heard the guard begin to move down the hall. I made more noise on the stairs, just enough to keep him coming towards me but not enough to wake anyone. As soon as he came around the corner, I grabbed him, pulling him towards me, then popped the side of my hand across his neck; like a karate chop. It was actually called the touch and sleep. It was something I’d worked on with Hunter, but had never actually done on a real person.
Just like I’d practiced, I hit him exactly in the right spot on the neck and he fell over, instantly passed out. I caught him, proud of myself but too angry and heartbroken to celebrate my small victory. I wanted to wash my mouth out for the words I’d just said. I pulled out the duct tape I’d used on the other guard, taped him up and to the stairs.
Then I made my way down the hall, wondering if Olivia was kept in one of these rooms, if she was still alive, and rage rushed through my veins, heating my whole body.
I knew I was being a weakling, sneaking in here like a spineless snake, but I wasn’t willing to risk my clan coming in here. I would kill him, and if they killed me for it, then so be it. I had no doubt that my clan would take care of the black wolf if I didn’t make it out of here alive. And at least my old pack would be free to choose to help them if it came down to that.
I paused outside of Garrett’s room, listening at the door. I could hear someone softly sleeping. I closed my eyes, focusing on my wolf senses. Two someones were sleeping in the room. If Garrett was inside, I guessed he wasn’t waiting for his wife to come back to him.
Bastard.
I slowly opened the door and the smell of sex blasted my nose. Garrett was asleep on the bed, wearing a t-shirt and boxer shorts. A woman was curled up next to him, and she was completely naked. She was skinny, too skinny, and her blond hair hung limply around her face. It was the same woman from before, the one who’d distracted Aaron.
Bitch.
I hated her and I hated the way their sex smelled, it was as disgusting as his filthy, ugly face. I smiled when I saw the scar that lined his cheek, and only wished I’d been the one to give it to him.
He told everyone that he’d gotten it in the military, saving his team member, but my dad told me that he’d been playing with black magic. He wasn’t sure what exactly had happened, but the scar would never heal.
But now, I would be the one to give him the final death, the bastard.
I crept forward and could feel the energy and excitement rushing through my veins. My whole body was alight, all my senses heightened. I was finally going to avenge my parents, my pack… Aaron.
It felt weird, moving silently through the room while no one knew you were there, ready to k
ill someone. It felt strangely powerful but at the same time, my gut also argued with me that it was also wrong.
I argued with myself as I advanced forward. Garrett had cheated when he killed my dad. They’d come into my house with several wolves and killed my mother. They’d tried to kill me. He’d also killed other people in their sleep, my friends and pack members. And then blamed it on me.
Yes, this was justice. Karma. He was going to die the exact way he’d meted it out.
In a cowardly, bastardly way. Without the honor of fighting for his life.
But he didn’t deserve to die in his sleep. He needed to see my face before I gutted him.
I made my way silently to his bed, watching the way his chest moved up and down. He looked peaceful. Happy, even.
No tears or nightmares for the son he’d just killed.
And yet, my conscience told me, I was not Garrett.
Garrett may deserve this, but was I the kind of person who would kill someone while they were sleeping?
I stood over him, debating with myself.
He deserved it.
But what kind of person did that make me, that I would slither into the night like a bandit to take someone’s life?
And yet, spies did it all the time.
I was almost certain that some of the guys from my clan had done it. In fact, I was certain that Hunter had done it; he’d told me so himself. He’d been assigned it a few times. And what about Avery? He killed from afar.
And this was my mission. We hadn’t discussed any alternatives to killing him. Just that I was going to go in and rightfully fight him for my pack back.
But what if we’d decided something different?
What if… what if Garrett was an enemy to the State? To Aerwyna and the United States. He most certainly would be if he started selling illegal weapons. I was just taking him out before he had the chance.
