by Jen L. Grey
The back doors opened wide with Mr. Hale coming around. He turned in my direction and smiled. "It's time to show everyone who is in charge." Mr. Hale nodded at the guards. “Bring her down here, and let's head to the field. The other packs are already here and fighting.
The greasy guard grabbed my arm, making me stumble to my feet, and shoved me toward the doorway. He pushed me hard, obviously hoping I would land on my face, but I was able to keep my balance and land on my feet. It was more out of self-preservation than show.
"Stupid bitch!" He muttered as he placed his gun in the center of my back and pushed me forward.
He was the type of guy who would say he accidentally pulled the trigger, which caused my heart to pick up its pace. I tried to take deep calming breaths because I didn't need to let them know how afraid I truly was.
The sounds of fighting could be heard clearly from here. I heard growls from people in their wolf form and guns firing from others in their human form. I had a feeling it was going to be a bloody scene.
Mr. Hale walked several steps ahead of me with a bounce in each of his steps. He was obviously excited over what was about to happen. The council thought they had the upper hand.
Hell, to be real, they did at the moment. We could only hope and pray that the momentum would change in our direction.
As we stepped from the woods to the place we normally parked our cars, I could see the blood bath that had already begun. There were more rebels than the other side, but the Blood Council had more guns and better equipment.
Mr. Rafferty grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the fight.
At first, one of the rebels went to attack but stopped short when he saw me. His eyes widened, and he fell back a step.
A guard held up a rifle and shot him, which was so loud it made everyone grab their ears. People turned in our direction, their eyes landing on me.
We're close. Liam's words startled me.
I wasn't sure if he would make it in time.
"We … want to make a message known before we continue this war." Mr. Hale glared at Mr. Rafferty as he appeared beside me and grabbed my other arm.
Great, I was in a pissing match between the two of them, which probably put me in an even more dangerous situation. Though they both were out for my demise.
"We have your beloved spy in our control as you can see." Mr. Rafferty took a few steps forward, trying to stand in front of Mr. Hale.
"What does she have to do with anything?" One of the pack members asked who had been forced to come.
"Everything." Mr. Hale hurried to stand beside me again. "We want to show you what happens to traitors."
"God, no." My mother's voice rang out loud, and I saw her hurry in my direction, tripping over her feet. "You can't."
"Oh, but we can." Mr. Green’s laugh was similar to a hyena behind me.
The fact that they were hurting so many people I loved pissed me off. It was bad enough to hurt and humiliate me, but to purposely put them through hell wasn't acceptable.
"Traitors won't be tolerated." Mr. Hale lifted his chin in the air, looking at everyone down his nose.
I linked with Liam first, I love you. More than you’ll ever know, then I linked with the group, I'm so lucky to have met and developed a friendship with each and every one of you. I always thought we'd have more time to get to know one another, but it seems like that won't be the case.
Don't you dare tell us goodbye. Liam’s words broke even through the bond. You're not allowed to.
The pain radiating through the bond somehow hurt worse than my head. His heart was breaking, which added more fuel to mine.
"Take me instead of her." Mom stumbled toward us, and she fell to her knees right in front of the four council members.
"No, you'll get to live with the pain of knowing that you killed both your mate and your daughter." Mr. Rafferty's grin spread across his entire face as he took in the sight of the broken woman before him.
"She didn't kill my father. You did." I'd never felt so much hate in my entire life. These council members thrived on power and making others feel weak-- beneath them. They were the worst type of assholes out there, and somehow the heirs wound up nothing like them.
"It was all because of her." Mr. Hale glared at me; his eyes crazed. "She made him go against us. It's her fault he's dead."
"Like hell it is." Yes, I may be about to die, but that didn't mean I had to go down without a fight. "He didn't want to suck the power from the people underneath him."
"Shut your mouth, girl." Mr. Rafferty snarled as he realized I was unloading all their dirty laundry in front of the crowd.
"What?" Willow's strong words came from the area that had been the main hub of the fight. "You're fucking siphoning us?"
"She lies." Mr. Croft spoke and joined the other three. "She'd do anything in order to divide us."
That's when it hit me. "They can't siphon the rebellion because you all turned against them." That must be how they were aging faster. "It's made them weaker."
Mr. Rafferty spun around and punched me hard in the mouth, causing my neck to jerk to the left. My head hurt now in every possible direction, and I leaned over, hurling on Mr. Hale's shoes.
We'll be there in just a few seconds. Liam's voice entered my mind. Don't give up, Mia. We're almost there.
"What the hell?" Mr. Hale jerked back and tried kicking off the vomit that covered his shoes.
"Oh, how the mighty have fallen." Mr. Rafferty laughed.
"Why did you hit her like that if she was lying?" Max roared as he and my dad ran over. "It's pretty shitty to take advantage of someone who has been beaten to a pulp."
"Let's get this over with so we can go home." Mr. Hale grumbled and straightened his back as he faced all the shifters as the alphas began piling in beside the council members. "This is your last chance. She will pay for all your sins, but if you still choose to fight against us, you'll suffer the same fate as her."
"Now, it's time for fun." Mr. Green hurried over and placed a gun right against my temple. "Do you have any last words?"
What a stupid-ass question. "The heirs are better leaders than these assholes ever were. Support them, and take these losers down."
"Just kill her," Mr. Rafferty barked.
"My pleasure." Mr. Green's eyes focused on me.
I took a deep breath, trying not to cower in fear, and then a gunshot rang inside the clearing. I winced, waiting for the new pain, but nothing happened.
All of a sudden, the gun was removed from my head, and Mr. Green fell to the ground holding his arm.
"What the..." Mr. Hale spun around and paused. "How the hell are you six here?"
I turned to find Liam with a gun in his hand, his eyes focused solely on me.
A huge arm wrapped around my neck and pulled me back against a hard chest. The pressure around my neck continued increasing, and I gasped for breath.
"There are more ways to kill someone than a gunshot." Mr. Rafferty's chest shook with laughter as he made me his own human shield.
You're stronger than you know. Evan linked with me as he stepped beside Liam, staring me down. Remember what I taught you.
He was right. I was over here acting like I was defenseless. Yeah, I may have been injured, but right now, that could work in my favor. I reached up and grabbed his arm with both of my hands, releasing some of the tension on my throat as I bent my legs and pivoted, moving behind his body. Then, I lifted up, causing Mr. Rafferty to fall over my body and onto the ground.
"Holy shit." Mr. Hale's eyes widened as he took in what I'd done.
That's when chaos erupted.
Max and Dad attacked Mr. Hale as my mother stood to her feet and ran over to me.
"Are you okay?" Her eyes scanned me, and the pain of seeing my injuries was evident on her face.
I wasn't okay, but she was the one needing to be comforted. "Of course, it looks worse than it feels."
Her nose wrinkled when the putrid smell of sulfur hit her nose. "
Really?"
"Okay, no. I feel like shit, but admitting it wasn’t going to help anyone." I pulled her to the side and pointed at the house she'd been staying in. "Go and hide. Stay safe."
"Only if you go with me." She tugged my arms in that direction.
"She's not going anywhere." Mr. Green rushed over to me, but Liam was there in a flash. He pulled his arm back and punched the council member square in the nose. The man fell to the ground with blood pouring from both his nose and arm.
"Go fight." Mr. Croft yelled at the alphas who had followed them there. "You will be in our favor when this whole damn thing is over."
And just like puppets, the fifty or so alpha-holes ran toward the rebellion. They all deserved to get their asses kicked.
"I have to find Willow," Evan yelled as he ran through the crowd of idiots, searching for his mate.
There was no use stopping him. I could only imagine how he felt.
Liam pulled me into his arms and lowered his forehead to mine. "Do you know how damn scared I was?"
"It's not like I did it for fun." I closed my eyes, comforted by his embrace, but tears burned my eyes, and it wasn't time for me to have a meltdown. We had a council to take down. "But we have to go help them."
"Go with your mother and hide in one of the buildings." Liam pointed in that direction.
"You know I can't do that." I was the Overseer, and there was no way in hell I wouldn't be fighting with my people.
One of the older alphas and his sons raced toward me. The younger guy headed straight for Liam.
Needing to heal faster, I called my wolf forward, and my bones broke as fur grew all over my body. When I was standing on four legs, I didn't wait for the older man to get to me. I took off, charging directly for him.
I felt so much better in this form and could heal faster. Jumping, I went for his shoulder, hoping to disable him. I didn't want to kill these people. Some of this wasn't their fault. They had been trained to behave this way. Maybe, if given the chance, we could change them.
My teeth sliced into his skin, and I used them to shred the muscle. I needed to render his arm useless, but not unsalvageable.
"Ow." He yanked back as he crumpled to the ground. "You're going to pay for that."
Before he could say another word, I jumped on his chest, making his head hit the ground hard and knocking him out.
A loud howl filled the air, and soon Micah was right beside me in his wolf form as well. His dark fur nearly blended in with the night. He jumped onto someone I hadn't heard heading in my direction behind me since I was concentrating on not hurting my opponent too much.
I spun around and found him fighting his dad head-on.
His dad was still in human form, but he was connecting to his wolf enough to make his eyes glow. "Stand down, son."
The wolf shook his head no as he paced in front of me, making it clear he was protecting me.
I turned around and was relieved to find my dad taking Mom into their house. He was going to keep her safe.
That meant Max was left fighting Mr. Hale. I turned and found him fighting one-on-one with the council member, and he was beginning to lose.
I pushed my paws into the ground as I headed over to the fight.
I'll be right there. Liam's words caressed my mind. Don't go and get hurt.
I couldn't blame him for being so anxious. I had a tendency for getting injured.
Both Mr. Hale and Max were now in animal form. The council member charged Max and pushed him onto his back. Mr. Hale's eyes were aimed at my brother's throat.
Without waiting a second, I ran over and steamrolled Mr. Hale directly in the side, pushing him as far away from my brother as possible.
Mr. Hale spun around, making my front two paws stumble. He bared his teeth at me as he took a deep ragged breath. His eyes were filled with so much hate and disdain.
I took a moment to see how the others were faring and found Evan fighting right next to Willow in wolf form. They were taking one wolf down after another. I was happy that they were both being careful like me. Most of these wolves were being forced to fight even if they didn't want to.
We had to find a way to end this and soon. I took a deep breath, ready for another round with Mr. Hale. I didn't want to kill Liam and Bree's father. That would hurt them even if he was insane.
Just as Mr. Hale hunched down, readying himself to attack me again, a loud and sad howl filled the air. I spun around and watched as Evan collapsed to the ground with his father standing directly over him, his teeth in Evan’s shoulder.
Pain filled our bond as every heir paused and looked in that direction. If this is how they felt during what I'd gone through, I hadn't realized how much of my pain they felt. One of our brothers was down, and if we didn't help him soon, he'd die.
Chapter Twenty-One
Max and Kai appeared beside me and attacked Mr. Hale, giving me an opportunity to get away.
As the four of us rushed to Evan, Willow growled and launched herself onto the back of Mr. Rafferty.
The council member had to let go of his son so he could try to buck Willow off, but he wasn't able to budge her as she sunk her teeth and claws into him.
It was as if we were watching the attack in slow motion as we ran toward them; desperate to get to Evan.
Not only was this asshole responsible for killing my father, but he was trying to do the same thing to me and his own fucking son.
Without any thought, I launched myself forward, my eyes focused on his throat.
He tried to move out of the way, but Willow was still clinging to him, holding him so he couldn't dodge fast enough.
My teeth sunk into his throat. The taste and smell of copper hit me, causing my own upset stomach to heave more, but I refused to let go. I yanked my head to the side, ripping out his throat.
A gurgling sound came from Mr. Rafferty as his eyes widened and he fell to the ground.
Willow detached from the man and ran straight to Evan. She whimpered as she stood in front of her mate, protecting him.
The other packs stopped their fighting as they watched the council member dying.
He tried to stand back up as if he couldn't believe he was injured, but he stumbled to the ground hard.
Liam ran over to stand in front of me, blocking me from the view as the coppery taste washed over me, and I threw up again.
As Mr. Rafferty’s breathing slowed, a glow took over his body, and an energy circled in the air.
Energy sizzled under my skin like it had at the altar, but this time, the other four heirs seemed to feel it too.
Evan lifted his head toward us as the gray in his eyes started to brighten. When I looked at the others, they were all being affected the same.
I whimpered as my animal instincts took over. It was the excess energy that Mr. Rafferty had pulled from the full moon on the altar. Since he was dying, it was escaping and flooding back into the air. I had to tell the others. Do not try to absorb it; otherwise, the energy won't go back to its rightful owners. My wolf knew what must be done.
I don't want it. Micah growled as it rippled across our skin as more poured from the council member’s dying body.
That's a fucking understatement. Simon lowered his body to the ground. I want it to leave now.
As the Eastern council member took his last breath, the magic dissipated from all around us.
A loud whimper filled the air from where the other councilmen had been fighting. I turned around and found their wolves covered with gray fur. Even Micah's dad was solid white, and they all became deathly still, lying on the ground.
The ground shook for a moment as the energy appeared to seep into the ground.
Everyone stopped fighting as Mr. Thorn appeared in human form from the battlefield. His shoulders sagged as he limped by Mr. Rafferty’s body and went over to the other three members. He winced as he bent down and felt their chests. After a long moment, he raised his head and stared at the masses of people. "The council m
embers are dead."
It'd only been a few days since that horrible night that the heirs lost their fathers. It was awful in so many different ways that it was hard to comprehend. Even though their dads had treated them horribly, they had still been their blood, and each one was mourning in their own unique way.
Professor Johnson explained to us why siphoning magic from the shifters below us was so risky and was only to be done in the most dire of circumstances. The most immediate effect is that the people you are stealing from become weaker and more at risk for illnesses, but it was also addictive. He compared it to a drug. At first, you can only take it in small doses. That's why the energy had affected us so much. Somehow, over time, you build a tolerance and need more. It ruins you from the inside even if the outside seems young and fresh. The energy was shared between the four council members sort of like a circle. When Mr. Rafferty had died, it left an opening for all of the magic to escape. They'd used so much and for so long that their bodies couldn't survive without it. In the end, none of them were able to survive.
Are you ready to take your spot on the council? Liam walked out of the bathroom and into our bedroom where he wrapped his arms around me. He cupped my face with his hands, and his eyes went directly to the small bruise I still had on my head from the night I'd been held prisoner.
As ready as I'll ever be. I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his. As long as you're by my side, I think we'll be okay.
I can't agree with you more. He deepened my kiss, making my head dizzy. I hoped that never changed.
A loud pounding on the door interrupted us. "If I don't get sexy time, neither do you." Willow's voice burst through our moment.
"Just because your mate is injured, don't take your frustration out on us." I laughed, pulling away from Liam. "She's right, you know. We have to go prove to the alphas that we plan on taking our seats. Shake up the hierarchy." Not one alpha who had encouraged or allowed mistreatment to their pack members was going to keep his job.
It was obvious they had known it because they were trying to cause trouble. They were attempting to get the others to overthrow us. The number of people who were loyal to us had taken them by surprise. The shifters loyal to us heard what we'd done and what this new era of the council was going to look like, and no new ruling group had ever had so much damn support.
