Rise

by Heather MacKinnon

   I could feel the mental communication between us severed as she turned her attention toward whoever she had stationed closer to pack lands. Technically, she could have talked to both of us at the same time, but it didn’t matter to me. I knew I could trust Bea to handle my orders with swift precision. She was the best beta any alpha could ask for.

   “They’re moving the rest of the pack into the basement of the lodge as we speak.”

   I nodded, although I knew she couldn’t see me. “Remind the enforcers with you that we aren’t going for kill shots. Break their spines and leave them. I want as little blood shed as possible today.”

   Bea hesitated before she spoke up in my head again. “Abraham, is that wise? The Charlotte pack won’t hesitate to kill any one of us. Shouldn’t we fight them with the same kind of force?”

   I shook my head, my mind made up long ago. “This is a quarrel between Conrad and me. I won’t have my enforcers responsible for taking innocent lives.”

   “If that’s what you think is best.”

   I did.

   I had full confidence in that order, and the conversation I’d had with El just before our honeymoon was cut short solidified that decision. My goal was to end the confrontation with as few lives lost as possible.

   The only one who needed to die today was Conrad.

   Even thinking the words left a bad taste in my mouth.

   If there was any other way. If there was anything I could have said or done that could have swayed Conrad, I’d have done it, but I needed to be realistic. He was here to kill me, and I knew he wouldn’t stop.

   I couldn’t help the next question that swam to the surface of my mind.

   Was this really all about Calvin’s death?

   Was this really all about retaliation for killing his son? A son he had barely spoken to in over a decade. A son who was murdering women for months. A son who was clearly deranged and needed to be stopped.

   I didn’t know the answers to any of those questions, but something deep in my gut told me there was more to this. That Conrad wouldn’t go to so much trouble just to avenge his son.

  The truth of the matter was, he didn’t care that much. It was cold, but true. The only things Conrad cared about were himself and power. Everything else had always taken a backseat, and I couldn’t imagine that had changed.

  “We can see them. They’ll be here within seconds,” Bea said in my head, breaking me out of my thoughts.

  I willed my legs to run faster, knowing that I was only minutes away, but that was still too far.

  “Be careful, Beatrice.”

  She snorted. “Please, Abey. This will be fun.”

  Sometimes I wondered if there was something seriously unhinged about my sister, but now was not the time to worry about it.

  But if I wasn’t worrying about Beatrice or the rest of my enforcers, my mind instantly traveled back to my mate and unborn children. The worry for them was constant, but I’d done my best to block it out.

  I’d left Wyatt with her and knew he’d lay down his life to protect his alpha, but would that be enough? I also knew El could handle herself. It’d been hard to admit, the most bitter pill to swallow, but she didn’t really need me to protect her. She was a fierce, intimidating wolf all on her own. I had no doubt that between the two of them, she’d be all right.

  So why did I have a feeling deep in the pit of my stomach that something was wrong?

  “Wyatt, how are things there?”

  He answered right away, and that uneasy feeling lessened the smallest bit.

  “Running a small perimeter now. Ellie’s in the cottage and there’s no one around for miles.”

  I let out a deep breath and let the worry for my mate slither from my veins. She was safe. She was as protected as she could be. She’d be fine, and I’d see her soon.

  “Let me know if anything changes,” I said, and he quickly confirmed that he would.

  “Abey, we’ve stopped about ten of the Charlotte pack with our first attack, but another thirty or so are still on their way through.”

  Damn it!

  I needed to be there. I needed to help. The sidelines were no place for an alpha to be when his people’s lives were in danger.

  I reined it in, though, and asked the most important question. The only thing that really mattered.

  “Have you spotted Conrad yet?”

  “He was at the back of the pack. Fucking coward.”

  My sister was never one to mince words, and this was no exception.

  Couldn’t say I blamed her, though.

  The back of the pack was not where an alpha should have been, but it didn’t surprise me. Conrad was well-known for sending others to do his dirty work. I’d known this would be no different.

  “Have you alerted the next group?” I asked.

  It took her a minute to respond, and that whole time, every terrible scenario flashed through my mind. Finally, her voice rang through my head, breathless but seemingly uninjured.

  “They know and we’ve eliminated this group. No deaths, just broken spines like you asked.”

  I let out a deep breath of relief and powered my body forward.

  “Good. I’ll meet up with the second group and hopefully catch Conrad there. This needs to end now.”

  Moments later, I could hear the conflict ahead and I pushed my body even faster than before. Seconds later, I burst through the trees to find the fight in full swing. I whipped my head back and forth, searching for my uncle, but couldn’t find him.

  The first unlucky wolf sprang toward me and I dispatched him with ease. Like I’d instructed Beatrice and the rest of the pack to do, I grabbed him by the back of his neck, and with a vicious twist, snapped his spine. It would hurt like a bitch and take a while to recover from, but he’d live.

  I raced through the flurry of bodies, dodging my people and snapping the necks of any Charlotte wolves I could. I saw there were a few that escaped and were making a beeline toward pack lands, but we’d halved their numbers in this battle.

  “Beatrice, alert the next group. They’ll have wolves incoming shortly.”

  She responded affirmatively, but I barely registered her voice in my head. I’d finally spotted my uncle and knew it was time to end this.

  I sprinted through the melee, my sights set on Conrad and no one else. Before I could get close enough to confront him, one of the wolves running on either side of him broke away and lunged for me. He was a better fighter than the last wolf I’d come across, but still no match for me.

  I was larger, stronger, and angrier than anyone else here. There was nothing that could have stopped me from confronting Conrad.

  Seeing that I was taking down the first line of defense, the other wolf that had been flanking him broke away and came charging at me, too. This wolf was bigger, and I could tell he was an even better fighter than the last.

  He darted toward one side and then attacked on my other with quick precision. I prepared to launch myself at him when another smaller wolf appeared out of nowhere, taking that larger wolf down easily.

  “Get Conrad!” Beatrice yelled as she danced away from the larger wolf.

  Despite the protective instincts inside me, I knew Beatrice had this. She was a better fighter than even I was.

  Now that my uncle was without his bodyguards, there was nothing to stop me from taking him down. I stalked toward the older wolf, recognizing the fear in his eyes before he quickly smothered it with cocky arrogance.

  “Hello, Son,” he said inside my head.

  I snarled and snapped my teeth in his direction. “I’m not your son.”

  Conrad’s genial disposition morphed in that second and I could truly see the crazy that lay underneath his façade.

  “No. You killed my son.”

  “He was a psychopathic killer, Conrad. If I hadn’t taken him down, someone else would have.”

  “But it was you, wasn’t it? You took my son from me, and now I’
m going to take something precious from you.”

  My blood ran cold at his proclamation.

  What could he mean?

  This fight?

  My pack?

  My lands?

  “Haven’t figured it out yet?” he taunted. “Let me make this perfectly clear for you. Your precious mate will be dead within minutes and then I’ll be able to take you down. Your pack, your lands, and that gem mine will all be mine. Your minutes are numbered.”

  My heart plummeted as the blood pumped furiously through my veins.

  How was he going to get to Elizabeth when he didn’t know where she was? Only my pack did, and they’d never betray me like that. They’d never betray her like that. He was bluffing. He had to be.

  “Still don’t believe me?” Conrad asked when I failed to respond to him. “It won’t matter in a few minutes. You’ll be able to feel her loss soon and you’ll know I always mean what I say.”

  I took a menacing step forward. “You’re lying.”

  Conrad’s laugh in my head was loud and out of place in the clearing where bodies littered the ground.

  “I’m not. But you’ll see soon enough. I’ll take you out like I took out your foolish parents and I’ll have one more pack under my belt.”

  My blood turned to ice in my veins as I staggered back a step.

  “My parents?” I whispered. Shaking my head, I spoke more forcefully. “You didn’t kill my parents, you deranged old man. My mother died in a car accident.”

  Conrad laughed again, the sound grating, making me want to rip out his throat just so I wouldn’t have to hear it again.

  “If anyone had bothered to investigate, they’d have found her brake lines were cut, just like your mate’s were. Only, when I did the job, I made sure to also cut the emergency brake line. That idiot Paul could have saved me a lot of time if he’d just done it right the first time.”

  The hits just kept on coming. I felt like I had mental whiplash from everything he was revealing to me.

  “Paul? He was a part of this, too?”

  “Of course he was, you imbecile! You think he’s going to allow you to banish his sister from your pack with no repercussions?” He laughed again and I grit my teeth, willing my body to hold its ground. “He’s been working with me all along. You’re just too soft in the head to have caught on. He’s the reason I knew exactly where your pretty little mate was. He and his sister are taking care of her right now.”

  I slammed the door on the mental communication with my uncle and mentally shouted to my enforcer. “Wyatt! What’s going on there?”

  When there was no answer, my heart stopped all together before picking up the pace in double time.

  “Bea!”

  “I’m already gone,” she assured me.

  My heart was thumping harder and faster than it ever had before as thoughts of what was happening to El flashed through my mind.

  I never should have left her. I never should have taken my eyes off her for a second. I’d promised to protect her, and I’d failed. Again. What kind of mate did that make me?

  As the despair settled in, one small thought kept my hopes alive. One small flame in the darkness of my mind kept my sanity intact.

  “She’s not alone,” I told my uncle.

  He tilted his head to the side as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “And Paul is armed. I’m sure he’ll be able to dispatch any little guard dog you have assigned to your mate. Her time will be up soon, and that means so will yours. I’ll have your pack, I’ll have your lands, I’ll have your gem mine, and I’ll have vengeance for my son. Not a bad Sunday in my opinion.”

  That was the second time he’d mentioned this damn gem mine. Was that what this was really about? A couple of goddamned stones?

  “You didn’t do this all for Calvin, did you? This has nothing to do with your son and everything to do with your greed.”

  Conrad tipped his head to the side once more, his expression flat and almost bored. “Yes, well, when Paul informed me they’d found that large mine on your property, I just knew I had to have it for myself. I’ve watched what you’ve done up here in the sticks of North Carolina and bided my time in Charlotte. I knew one day I’d take what you’d built here for myself, like I’d taken what your father created in Charlotte. As soon as I found out about the money you stood to make off that mine, I knew it was time to make my move. This was a long time coming, Son. Something you can’t stop. Something you should just resign yourself to. Your pack and your lands are mine.”

  My mind raced as I tried to think my way through this. If he was right, I only had minutes of strength left before El died and my heart began to fail. Even now, knowing her death was near, I could feel the power leaching from my body, leaving me slow and impotent.

  I’d completely underestimated my uncle. I hadn’t accounted for how evil he was. How greedy he was.

  I hadn’t realized he’d stoop so low as to kill his own kin for power.

  What could I do at that point?

  What was left?

  I knew El was strong, but could she face two wolves? One of which had a gun? Did she have any shot at making it through this?

  Did I?

  Conrad’s laugh rang through my head again and something inside me snapped. I whipped my head toward my uncle and began my advance.

  I might not have had long to live, I might have been losing my mate and my unborn children, but I wasn’t going down without a fight. Even if this was the last act of a dying man, I’d take Conrad with me.

  See, although I’d underestimated him, he’d underestimated both El and me.

  While he was fighting for power, we were fighting for love.

  And family.

  That made us infinitely stronger than he could ever have hoped to be.

  If I only had minutes left on this Earth, I’d spend them tearing my uncle apart and making sure he couldn’t ever hurt someone else again.

  Conrad was still laughing when I launched myself across the distance separating us, my teeth aimed right at his jugular.

  Chapter 59

  Elizabeth

   “Peyton, what the hell are you doing here?”

   The black-haired woman tilted her head to the side, a small smile tugging at her lips. “I’m here to kill you.”

   My heart stopped for a second before picking up speed and galloping out of control.

   I guessed the time for pretenses were gone, huh?

   I glanced over her shoulder wondering where Wyatt was or what happened to him when Peyton giggled, the sound as high-pitched and annoying as ever.

   “Your little guard dog won’t be coming to your rescue. Paul and his Glock took care of him.”

   My heart clenched as her words sank in. That was what those popping sounds had been. Paul shot Wyatt.

   Where was he?

   Was he still alive?

  I looked over Peyton’s shoulder again to try to get a glimpse of Wyatt, but she moved to block me.

   “I wouldn’t be worried about him right now. You have bigger things on your plate.”

   She was right.

   I had a homicidal werewolf right in front of me that was all too happy to take me out. And, apparently, her brother was somewhere out there with a gun, ready to kill me if she didn’t succeed.

   Fucking Paul.

   I knew he couldn’t be trusted. Abraham should have gotten rid of him as soon as he threw Peyton out of the pack. Of course blood is thicker than water. He should have known that better than anyone else.

   But that was another worry for another day.

   I had to figure out how to get out of this situation and my options were severely limited.

   “Peyton, maybe we can talk about this. Do you want back in the pack? Is that what this is about? I can talk to Abraham about it.”

   She laughed again, the sound even more high-pitched and grating. “No. Fuck this pack. I wouldn’t rejoin it if you paid me.”
r />    I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed. “Then what is it? Why are you here?”

   The smile slid from her face as she took a menacing step forward. “I told you. I’m here to kill you.”

  “Sending people to attack me in my office wasn’t enough?”

  She shook her head, a small smile on her pinched face. “That was just an appetizer. Just something to make you realize you aren’t safe anywhere. That I can get to you wherever you are.”

   My hands fisted, but I kept them tucked against my chest. “Why, though? What did I do to you?”

   She tipped her head back and laughed again, the sound eerie and off somehow. “What did you do? What did you do?! You took everything from me. My mate, my position, my pack. And now, I’m going to take it all back.”

   I took a deep breath and willed myself to calm down. I needed to find a way out of this situation that didn’t involve fighting her. I had no doubt I could win against her, but at what cost? Would I hurt the babies in the process? It wasn’t a risk I was willing to take. Not yet.

   “Peyton, I didn’t take anything from you. You lost those things yourself.”

   “Bullshit!” she screeched. “I had Abraham right where I wanted him before you waltzed your pathetic ass into his life. How a stupid human caught his eye I’ll never know. At first, I thought he just felt bad for you, but eventually, I realized it was you that was the problem. You manipulated and played him to get what you wanted and I’m here to end that.”

   I shook my head slowly, her words tumbling through my head.

  She’d completely lost her mind.

  “Peyton, none of that is true. If Abraham wanted you, he could have had you years ago, but he didn’t. Why do you think that is?”

  Her nostrils flared as her hands fisted at her sides. “He just needed a little more time. He would have come around.”

  I shook my head again. “You know that’s not true. You were hoping for something that wasn’t going to happen. I didn’t take anything from you.”

  “You did! You took him and you took my position as alpha of this pack, and when you weren’t satisfied with that, you took my home from me.”

  Nothing I said was penetrating. She wasn’t hearing me. Maybe she couldn’t hear me. Maybe after months of repeating those lies, she’d come to believe them. I still couldn’t give up yet, though. I had to keep trying to get through to her.