“A purebred law that has benefited us both,” he reminded her. “Our packs are stronger than ever.”
“Meanwhile, Micah’s pack numbers almost twice the amount of ours because he isn’t a discriminating asshole,” she pointed out with an icy smile. “Strength can be found in numbers, Scott, though I don’t expect you to understand the concept.”
He scoffed in response. “Do you hear how ridiculous you sound? Our wolves are obviously stronger.”
“Yet all of the Durand wolves survived The Red Stag confrontation whereas we suffered at least one loss each,” she said, hiding her smile at his growl with a drink from the glass. It wasn’t funny to see a life lost, but she knew his concern stemmed more from looking weak than the life lost despite being a relative. “And you don’t believe anymore than I do that this was an isolated event or that it’s over.”
“Which is exactly why we should be strengthening the packs instead of dividing them,” he argued with a scowl. “Things work best when we’re united, Melanie.”
She gave him a look. “We haven’t been united in years, and I’m sure you know who’s to blame, Scott, so if you have an actual to point here, state it now and leave.”
“I just want to remind you of where your first loyalty should lie and ensure that won’t be changing.” He rose from the chair and moved to stand over her, likely intending to be intimidating through sheer size.
Instead of giving him what he wanted, she merely raised an eyebrow and finished off her drink. Her dark eyes stayed locked with his lighter ones while she lowered the glass with its half melted ice cubes..
“Keeping the lines pure is what matters, Melanie, and judging by Landon’s poor choices, I’m giving you a second chance to reconsider Paul and Riley’s union.”
Pushing herself up, forcing him to stumble back a bit, Melanie continued to meet his gaze head-on and let her eyes take on their full wolfish light and shape.
“No child of mine will ever become a Langford doormat,” she said, aware the words were a near growl. “I will not make my daughter a pawn in your quest to remind Micah, or me, of our places so get the hell off my property, Scott.”
“If you refuse to see reason then what happens from here is on your hands.”
“Don’t threaten my family,” she growled toward his retreating back as her fingers tightened on the glass in her hand. It shattered, bits of glass digging into her palm, but she continued to squeeze. “I will do whatever is necessary to protect them.”
Afterword
Thank you so much for picking up Rule of Claw and joining me on this new journey into the town of Worsham. I hope you've enjoyed meeting the Millers and will stick around to see the continuation of their stories as well as the rest of Worsham.
If you have enjoyed this book, please leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads. You can also follow me on instagram as thevalerieevansauthor where I share snippets, make recommendations, and love to interact with other readers and writers!
Book #2 (Claw the Line) will be coming in September 2021.
About The Author
Valerie Evans
Valerie Evans is a modern fantasy addict living in Georgia who finally took the plunge to self-publish her first novel after nearly seven years. She is the author of The Anberlin Chronicles series and the brand new Wolves of Worsham series. In her free time, she likes to read all genres with a focus on fantasy, visit thrift stores, and entertain her clingy dog.
Join her on Instagram @thevalerieevansauthor for sneak peeks, updates, and to see other recommendations from the author.
Rule of Claw: Wolves of Worsham #1 Page 24
