“Cocky fucking wolf,” I mutter, shooting him again.
“Well, that was anticlimactic,” Volt says as he retrieves his knives.
“He needed to die,” I say flatly.
I bend to pick up the phone, hoping to see the source of all the snarling come through the loudspeaker.
But the screen is black. I try to unlock it, only to realize it’s already live.
Which means the camera is either turned off or the phone is facing the gro— My head snaps up as a fresh scent catches my nose. “Santeetlah Wolves,” I hiss.
This isn’t their fight.
They need to learn to back the fuck off.
And I’m about to show them why.
Because I’m fucking done with this war. Bryson caused it. I’m finishing it.
I don’t wait, I howl.
All my furious energy and pent up rage goes into the echoing sound. It’s a warning, one I hope those assholes heed. Because I will shred every single one of them.
I don’t know if Clove is alive or dead. And I’m pissed that I didn’t claim her. If I did, I would be able to feel her right now.
Instead I’m staring at a black screen with a dead fucking Pack Alpha at my feet.
I’m fury incarnate.
A wolf mourning the loss of his potential mate.
An Alpha devastated by everything that’s befallen my pack.
Alpha Crane responds with his own howl, attempting to regroup his likely startled wolves.
So I open my mouth once more, unleashing another wave of power. Only this one is amplified by the howls of Caius and Volt. The three of us sing in unison, capturing the night with our dark and deadly song.
Silence greets us when we’re done.
I wait.
Alpha Crane appears several minutes later with only two wolves at his side.
Volt has his gun drawn. Caius, too.
But I just hold the phone, waiting for an image to appear.
“The Elders will hear about this, Tieran,” Alpha Crane says, his disgust palpable as he takes in Alpha Bryson’s dead body. “Using guns instead of teeth. It’s despicable.”
“I agree,” I tell him honestly. “But Bryson is known for his silver tactics. I merely beat him at his own game.”
A true wolf fights with claws and teeth.
But Bryson proved long ago that he wasn’t a true wolf.
“Tell the Elders,” I add. “I look forward to finally presenting my case.”
Alpha Crane’s brow furrows. “What case?”
I don’t grace him with a response. He hasn’t earned one. But I do offer him one final comment. “When I ascend, I’ll be calling a meeting. I suggest you attend. We have a few items to discuss.”
One being Clove’s mother.
I continue checking the phone.
There are no sounds coming from it now.
Come on, Clove, I think. Tell me you’re okay.
It’s almost an appropriate punishment—me not knowing.
“You can go,” Caius says calmly, his words for Alpha Crane. “We'll be in touch.”
The Santeetlah Alpha bristles at being dismissed, so three of my wolves step forward without guns. They simply snarl.
And Alpha Crane stiffens.
He has a pack of weak wolves, similar to the one we just destroyed.
And he came without weapons.
I meant what I said about the guns. But that doesn’t mean he trusts me to honor him in a fair fight.
He believes all the rumors, which are helping me in this situation.
Because he accepts our dismissal with a low grunt, making his displeasure at the insult known, and leaves with his tail tucked between his legs.
“That’s Alpha Crane’s heir?” Volt asks, sounding entirely unimpressed. “His son, right?”
“Yeah, the shaking one was his son,” Caius confirms.
Volt snorts. “He looked ready to piss his pants.”
“This phone doesn’t appear to be working,” I tell Caius, handing it to him.
He fiddles with the black screen, his brow furrowing.
I try my comms again and find them still busted. “Anyone else able to connect via comms?”
All my men shake their heads.
I hate this sensation of not knowing what’s happening. Clove went quiet too long again. The last sound I heard was her roar before Beta Gafton dropped the phone. Or I assume he was the one holding it since it was his voice that told her to smile.
Caius throws the phone on the ground. “It’s broken.”
“We need to go,” I say, my heart in my throat. I fucking hate this. I hate that I can’t feel her. I hate that I can’t hear her. I hate that I have no idea what’s happening to her right now.