TwistedRevenge

by Mia Bishop

  “I am no traitor. You,” Ulric pointed his finger at his son, “you are the traitor. This girl is a killer of our kind. She will hunt down and kill our entire pack and you not only bedded her but you also aided her. It’s deplorable.” With an umph, he deposited Rowan’s sleeping form against a boulder in the clearing.

  “She isn’t out to kill every wolf—only you.”

  “She will turn on you. Give her time. She will see your beast and she will be appalled by it. She’ll kill you in her sleep, stab you through the heart, slit your throat and skin you all before she blinks an eye.” Ulric’s voice shook with conviction. “Her kind is not to be trusted. They are the monsters, not us.”

  Luc had heard this speech more times than he could count. He shook his head. “No, Father, you are the monster. It’s always been you. You’ve hunted down innocent people and killed them for nothing more than wearing a red sash. Your madness has reached its limit.” He tried wiggling his hands to free himself to no avail. “And let’s be clear on one thing—she didn’t seek me out. I found her and I convinced her to come here and kill you before you could do the same to her. Your little friend Piper somehow managed to get Prince Phillip under his command and actually had the good prince trying to lure her here so you could get the drop on her.” He smiled as his father glared at him. “Lucky for her, I found her and convinced her to trust me. She did and I’ve been training her. I’ve unlocked her abilities.”

  Ulric snorted. “And just what does that mean?”

  “It means she has the skills to kill you now. She won’t be so easy to defeat.”

  “When will you see the error of your ways? Two seconds before she turns on you?”

  “She is my destiny. She is who will set me free.”

  “What makes you so sure?”

  “Mother told me, right before you killed her.”

  Ulric stopped his frantic pacing and stared at his son. “Your mother?”

  “Yes.”

  “Lies. Your mother was a treacherous snake. She plotted against me. She’d say anything to turn you against me.”

  “She didn’t need to turn me against you. I’ve never been on your side and the moment you killed my mother was the moment I started plotting your death.”

  * * * * *

  Piper shed his disguise of Theron and returned to his camp none the worse for wear. With his soldiers readying for war against the wolves, he knew it was only a matter of time before all of his plan would come to fruition. All he needed was for Ulric to kill the girl, then his only threat to gaining the pack’s territory would be eliminated. With the death of the one in red, Luc would turn on his father. The witch who blessed the Pied Piper with his special gifts had foretold that if father and son fought, it would be to the death for both of them. With the contenders for the alpha dead, it would leave the wolves in chaos and Piper and his soldiers could walk in and make short work of slaughtering them all and gaining control of the Black Forest.

  “Sir, everything is ready. Would you like me to send in the first wave?”

  “Not yet, Aengus. We need to be patient and make sure everything goes according to plan.” The young man narrowed his eyes. Patience wasn’t a trait his soldiers were comfortable with. When he’d cursed them with their immortality, it seemed to short-circuit the rational part of their brains. The parts that were rational, calm, and kind were replaced with violence, hatred, and impatience. In most cases, his army was made up of the children he’d stolen from those people who had wronged him. It was the price they paid for betraying the Pied Piper. Aengus was a special case though. Piper had stolen the infant from the Fae king and queen. It was one more piece in the puzzle. All his plans were falling into place and soon all the kingdoms of the realm would belong to him. The Fae would play their part later on, just as Prince Phillip had done with bringing Rowan out into the open.

  Piper smiled. The good Prince Phillip’s kingdom would fall eventually too. The end to his happily ever after with the sleeping princess was already in the works. Piper wrung his hands as a greedy smile played on his lips. Everyone had their parts to play and as soon as the Big Bad Wolf and his pack were out of the way, it would be time to move on to phase two of his plan.

  Still, Aengus’ tension would affect the other soldiers. All of them seemed to take their cues from the lost son of the Fae. It was one of the reasons Piper had picked him. His charisma would lead Piper’s army. The other soldiers would follow him to their deaths, which was exactly what he would need when the time came but for now, he needed his soldiers calm and Aengus was itching for some action. He clasped the young man on the shoulder. “I have just the job for you, my boy. The Watcher at the Arch, Alad, I need you to make sure everything is in place for our next phase. Keep an eye on him and alert me if the witch makes contact with him and for God’s sake keep him away from entering the Arch if at all possible. The last thing we need is for all of our players to go jumping the gun and derailing my plans.”

  Aengus nodded briefly, a cruel smile curled on his lips. “Yes sir.”

  Piper pulled out his flute and played a few notes as a thick fog rolled in and Aengus disappeared in its magical mist.

  * * * * *

  Rowan groaned. She could hear talking nearby. Luc’s voice stood out and then the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end when she heard his father. Her stomach churned, listening to the wolf trying to convince Luc that she would betray him. She glared at Ulric. “Shut up. I would never hurt Luc.”

  Ulric grinned. “Not more than a day ago you would have. It was so easy for Piper to convince you that Luc was your enemy. Don’t you remember?”

  Her brows drew together in a tight line. She could still barely move thanks to the effects of the sleeping dust. “What are you talking about?”

  The wolf’s grin widened. “The woodsman, you called him Theron, he was the Pied Piper. You see, he is the one who put all of this in motion. He managed to get Prince Phillip to lure you here.” The old man sighed and shook his head. “Unfortunately my son decided to interfere, but once he brought you here, Piper set out to lead you to me and I must say he did a good job.”

  She glared. “Let me guess, the bridges weren’t flooded out? He led me to the bridge with the troll on purpose? He turned me against Luc so I’d be an easier target for you?”

  “Smart girl.”

  “Screw you.”

  Ulric chuckled. “I’m glad you still have your fighting spirit. It will make this much more fun.”

  “Make what fun?”

  “Killing you.” He reached down and stroked her cheek just as her strength returned. “My son won’t be interfering with our fun. He’ll have to sit there and watch while we play.”

  “Play? You are a sick bastard. This isn’t a game. You’re just going to kill me. How is it a game?”

  “You’re mistaken. I’m not going to just kill you. I’m going to make you hurt until you beg for death. Now on your feet, girl.” She stood and dusted the dirt from her backside. Ulric stepped in front of her, holding out her blades. “It’s not a fair fight if you are unarmed. Go ahead, take them.”

  She arched a brow. “Are you serious?”

  “Oh yes, my dear. I like a fair fight.”

  Her nostrils flared. “Fine, you pompous ass.” She grabbed her knives, twirled them and slashed before he’d had a chance to step back.

  Excitement flashed in his eyes. “Not even giving me a chance to say go? All right then, little mouse, let’s play.”

  The flash of light signaled that Ulric had changed forms. Rowan lunged but hesitated when she saw what stood before her. Instead of a normal-looking wolf, the elder Marrok was a full-fledged monster. He was wolf-like but standing on his hind legs. His hands hung down to his knees and ended in hand-shaped paws tipped in dangerous claws, and his maw was full of sharp teeth. His nose twitched and lips curled like a dog about to attack. It threw Rowan for a loop. She was still having trouble wrapping her head around everything she had come into con
tact with here. Ulric must have been grinning, his lips pulled back, exposing more of his deadly teeth. Her stomach churned.

  He circled her, a wolf stalking its prey. He leapt toward her and she ran, his cries of excitement filled the clearing. This must have been exactly what he wanted. He wanted a chase and stupidly she’d given it to him. More yips and howls rose up and Rowan shivered. She was being watched. She was their entertainment. She slowed down and felt white-hot pain erupt from her back. Hissing, she spun around to see Ulric swiping his clawed hand toward her again. Luc yelled, “Duck!”

  She dropped down in the nick of time, the Big Bad Wolf’s paw sliced through the air where her head had been. Her hand moved without thinking, she sliced low and heard a satisfying yelp as her blade met with the resistance of bone. She yanked her knife free and fell back, watching Ulric stumble. His head snapped up with a look of death in his eyes and her breath hitched. Panic was overloading her brain. All she could think about were those teeth and claws ripping into her. She scrambled backward along the ground as Ulric pounced. His body slammed into hers, she could feel the wet drops of blood from his injury dripping on her leg.

  She wiggled but he was too strong for her to fight. His hands tangled in her hair, she winced as the sudden realization hit her. He lifted her head. “No!” she cried out as he slammed her head into the ground. Her vision went dark. Spots of bright light erupted in the darkness. She couldn’t see, she couldn’t think, but she could hear. She heard Luc yelling for her to fight, Ulric growling. The birds at the perimeter chirped every few seconds as if relaying the fight to the other forest creatures. She could hear the gust of wind picking up. Her entire body stilled, she heard Ulric licking his lips, his lips curling. He was getting ready to bite. She could hear it and feel it in her gut. He’d loosened his grip enough so he could turn her head to the side, readying himself to feast on her neck.

  Her hand moved in the dirt, searching for something, anything to defend herself with. Even blind, she would still fight on. Finally her fingers curled around the hilt of one of her blades. Ulric lunged and Rowan rolled and grabbed the knife. Her arm came up from the side, a haymaker swing with the blade in her hand. His teeth dug into her neck and then stopped. Her hand hit the side of his head. His entire body slumped, his jaw loosened. Only then did she realize the knife was embedded to the hilt in Ulric’s temple. He made a gurgling sound as his body twitched. Thick sticky fluid seeped from the wound and coated her hand.

  She screamed and pushed the body off as her stomach lurched, expelling the contents all over the forest floor. Tears stung her eyes. She could barely take a breath. She felt as if the world was spinning. Her shoulders shook with every sob. She’d killed a man. He was going to eat her and she’d killed him. Finally her vision started to clear. She blinked, taking in the scene around her. Ulric lay dead in the dirt with only her knife handle sticking out of his head. Luc sat in openmouthed shock, staring at his father’s body. One by one, wolves were entering the clearing. They snarled and snapped their teeth at her. She spun around, trying to take in how many she’d have to fight off. There was no way out. She couldn’t win this fight.

  Luc was whispering to her, it took several seconds for her to actually hear him. “Red, untie me. Untie me, now. I can help.”

  “No, what if you hurt me? I killed your father. I’m a murderer like he said.”

  “No you are not. He was insane. He was going to kill you. Untie me and I can calm the others.”

  “They won’t listen.”

  “Yes they will. They see you as a threat because you killed their alpha and they think you are keeping me as a prisoner. If you free me I become their alpha and they will obey my every command.”

  “You’ll command them to kill me.”

  Frustration touched his voice. “Rowan, look at me. Did I hurt you? Think about us in the woods, did I hurt you then?”

  “No.” She inched closer to him, causing the wolves’ growls to get louder.

  “Ignore them, Red. I swear I will never let anyone hurt you ever. I’ve gotten you this far, trust me.”

  Reality came slamming back into her. He had protected her, brought her here so she could survive. He’d saved her and touched her in ways no one else ever had. He was the one person she knew would always keep his word, he never wavered even when his own father had tried to convince him she would turn on him, and here she was, playing right into Ulric’s hands. She shook her head and rushed to Luc. The moment she moved, the wolves started running. She grabbed the knife out of Luc’s belt and swung it to ward off the wolves who were advancing, buying herself a moment to try to cut the bindings before having to pause and scare the beasts off again. Finally she heard the rope snap and Luc sprung to his feet. The other wolves paused in their advance and whimpered as if waiting to see what would happen next.

  Luc pulled the collar his father had put on him off and let it fall to the ground. He locked eyes with every wolf in the clearing. Rowan sat in shock, her body still shook with fear and a sheen of sweat coated her hands along with the blood from Ulric. She couldn’t speak and didn’t want to interrupt as she watched the silent conversation. Luc was saying something that obviously only the wolves could hear. When he was done, the pack turned and walked out of the clearing. He turned to her and beamed with pride. “You were fantastic, Red.”

  She blushed. She’d never get tired or used to his praise but she found herself always craving it. “Thank you. Is it over now?”

  He nodded and held out his hand to her. “I think so. I’m pretty sure any allies of my father’s will be rethinking their allegiance right about now.” He glanced over at the last of the stragglers from the pack clearing out and sighed. “But my pack needs direction now more than ever. They are lost without an alpha.”

  Rowan’s smile faded. “But you are the alpha now.” As soon as she said the words, it hit her. He was the alpha now—and she was a wolf killer. They were screwed.

  Chapter Nine

  Piper clutched his flute as he watched the unthinkable happen. The little wisp of a girl had killed the Big Bad Wolf. Not just killed him, but buried her bloody knife in the wolf’s brain. It was brutal even by his standards. Now getting his hand on the pack’s territory would be impossible. He had been counting on three simple things to happen. One, the experienced wolf would kill the girl, two, his son would be so enraged that he would attack his father and three, father and son would kill each other. He scrubbed his hand over his face and barked at one of his soldiers, “Get Aengus back here now. We need to regroup.”

  “Is there a change of plans, sir?”

  “Yes, Gretel. We won’t be waging war against the wolves. They are stronger with their new leader. Instead we will have to be satisfied with what little we’ve accomplished.”

  The female pursed her lips together and looked into the scrying pool holding the image of Luc and Rowan together in the clearing. “What have we accomplished?”

  Piper ground his teeth in frustration. It was such a small victory, but he’d have to celebrate what he could. “We didn’t gain the lands but with Luc taking control of the pack, he will have to give them his loyalty. Which means he and the girl cannot be together. She will feel compelled to return to the other side of the Arch and he will stay here. If I can’t have the future I want, then none of them will have what they want either.” He shrugged his shoulders. “She is a wolf hunter now. She has their blood on her hands. It would take a miracle for the pack to accept her and they both know it.” He turned toward his soldier. “It’s not much, but ruining their hopes for a happy ending will just have to do for now.”

  “Are the other plans still going ahead as planned?”

  “Yes. Aengus has been keeping an eye on our next target. We will stay here for a little while longer. I want to drink in Luc and Rowan’s disappointment.”

  “Yes sir.” She turned on her heels and headed out to follow his orders. Piper glared at the image in the scrying pool and slapped his hand at the wa
ter, sending the image rippling and distorting before it disappeared completely.

  * * * * *

  Rowan stood and dusted the dirt from her clothes. The scrapes and bites from Ulric were starting to sting, but she didn’t want Luc to stay behind to care for her when his pack needed him. She thought about staying in the cabin, it would give her shelter and she could recuperate before heading back to the Arch. Her stomach knotted up. Ulric had pretended to be her grandmother, so what had happened to her real grandma? She turned to Luc. “Is my grandmother dead?” He inclined his head, but didn’t speak. “Did you know?”

  “I had a feeling. I’d heard my father had killed her but I never knew for sure.”

  “Was this really her house?”

  “Yes, everyone in the pack knew about the cabin but we were always forbidden from coming here.”

  She frowned. “Do you know why?”

  He shook his head, took her by the hand and led her inside the cabin. “We need to get you cleaned up and get a fire going. It will be night soon. We’ll stay here tonight and head out in the morning.”

  She paused just inside the doorway as he hunched over the woodpile. “Luc, you should go. Your pack needs you.”

  He barely looked up from his task of building the fire. “You need me.”

  “I do…” She licked her lips, those words slipped so effortlessly from mouth. “But you have a responsibility to them.”

  The fire roared to life as Luc stood up and held out his hand to her. “I brought you here. It’s my responsibility to make sure you get home safely.”

  “So this is the end for us?” She knew it was but still needed to hear him say it.

  “I won’t lie. I don’t want it to be but they need me and you have your life in St. Louis.” He was already pulling her into the tiny bathroom and stripping her.