see the glint of silver on his arm, identical to the band I had worn when my wolf was suppressed.
“Speaking with your uncle,” Nikolai replied congenially. He pointed the blade at the man on the floor. “He seems to believe whatever transpired in your pack was a simple mistake.”
“It’s …” Linden spit out a mouthful of blood with a rattling breath before looking at me. “Tell him. It’s a mistake. Your … your mother kept you—”
With a snarl that surprised even me, I stalked forward and knelt in front of him. “Don’t even say my mother’s name, asshole.”
Shock, quickly followed by fury, lit his eye. His mouth twisted into what I assumed to be a grimace.
“Ungrateful—”
He was cut off as Nikolai’s steel-toed boots made contact with his ribs. The undeniable crunch of bone and cartilage, accompanied by the animalistic howl from Linden, turned my stomach.
“Stop!” I yelled, whirling to my feet and glaring at Nikolai.
He arched his brows, amused as hell that I was stepping in. “I would have assumed you would enjoy that, little wolf.”
“He has answers I need,” I hissed. “Answers I can’t get from a dead man.”
Smiling, Nikolai held up his hands and took an over-exaggerated step backwards.
As I turned back to Linden, my eyes met Lulu’s. She didn’t look the least bit surprised or upset. Like walking into a room where a man was being beaten was a normal occurrence.
Her eyes moved to Nikolai. “I’ll be outside.”
“Thank you, Lucia,” Nikolai told her, his tone the picture of courtesy and kindness as he smiled at her.
What kind of a psychopath helped create me? This man was covered in blood—my uncle’s blood—and yet seemed completely at ease. Hell, everyone else seemed completely calm, too. Like this was just a normal day, and maybe it was.
That wasn’t my concern.
I dropped into a crouch in front of Linden. “I want answers.”
“Fuck you,” he spat, glaring at me. The effect was less threatening when he only had one eye and it looked like he was missing a few teeth.
I held up a hand as Nikolai took a menacing step forward.
“You’ll tell me what I want to know, or I’ll make sure they keep you alive for a very long time,” I whispered softly. “I’ll make sure you’re given the same treatment my mother was every single day for the rest of your miserable life.”
Linden flinched from me.
“That can absolutely be arranged,” Nikolai said in a bright voice behind me.
“What happened the night she came home?” I demanded.
Linden stared at me blankly.
“The night after she bonded with … With Nikolai,” I forced out.
Linden’s gaze didn’t break, but his lip curled slightly. “Apparently she had second thoughts.”
“You’re lying,” I replied coldly. “Mom talked to Remy tonight and she said … she said she didn’t break her bond. She said it was broken.”
Something flickered in his gaze. It swept across his expression like a shadow in candlelight.
“What did you do?” I ground out, my hands curling into fists.
Linden snorted, the sound a choked, garbled sound. He dropped onto his side, maneuvering himself so his back was against the metal framed cot that was his bed.
“I didn’t do anything,” he replied. “Is that what she said?”
“Then you know who did.” My teeth clenched hard enough to crack the enamel.
Linden lifted his good hand and attempted to wipe away some of the blood from his face. All he did was smear a grotesque streak from eye to chin. “Allan.”
I swallowed down a fresh wave of bile. “Why?”
“Because she had an obligation to our pack,” he sneered. “Father coddled her, worshipped her. But mother and I knew what she really was. Best day of my life was when she betrayed our pack. Selfish bitch.”
“She was bonded!” I shouted, getting to my feet to tower over him.
I could feel Nikolai behind me, his curious rage a palpable, tangible thing strangling the air. Thankfully, he didn’t intervene.
“How? How did it happen?” I demanded, my chest heaving as I struggled to breathe.
Linden shrugged awkwardly with one arm, looking away. “I wasn’t there for the act. All I know is it was Allan.” His gaze cut back to me, that familiar calculating glint. “He was disappointed the paternity test showed he wasn’t your father, you know.”
I staggered back a step, stunned.
“But then by the time you were ten, he was glad he wasn’t your father.” Linden glowered up at me. “You looked just like your mother. Used to constantly go on about how he planned to—”