I killed him, I’d lead both the pack and stewards. My wolf was right. This could all be so easy.
But the images my wolf had painted of Greyson’s death were graphic. The thought of his heart in my mouth. Of crunching through the artery held between my teeth.
It made me feel…
Vile.
Filthy.
Diseased.
Releasing him, I backed away.
Thank you, Andie, she whispered.
Oh, now she was back?
What the fuck was that? I seethed at her.
Sascha and Greyson cannot be separated.
That’s what I was telling you the entire time!
You cannot deny the existence of one.
I bared my teeth. Whoa. What?
That’s not what she’d said up until now. She was all about hating Sascha’s wolf. She— This was a fucking set up.
Liking Greyson is not a must. It is something he must work for. Acceptance of his presence is a must. Today you admitted to yourself, to Greyson and Sascha, and to this pack that the loss of him is beyond you.
I’d never wanted to attack myself. She’d betrayed me. An actual part of me had betrayed me. She’d lied the entire time and put me in danger. Not just me, my tribe. I thought you were on my side.
There really wasn’t anyone I could rely on.
My mistake.
I—
Forcing her into a box, I threw my mind at my human form, away from this farce; this joke I fell for last night.
The shift back was rapid.
Naked, I crouched in front of Greyson and lifted my head before standing.
“I apologise,” I said stiffly. “My wolf decided to take over.”
The enormous creature blocked my attempt to step around him.
Crack. Pop.
Sascha unfolded, naked, to stand over me, and I was so fucking angry at my wolf that his scrutinising look bounced straight off me.
“The marshals are tallying the grid. That’s not a great place to be right now,” he said eventually.
“That’s where my clothes are.”
His wolves were shifting back and stared on in condemning silence. Whatever. I didn’t give a flying fuck what they thought.
Sascha strode past me to a bag. He drew out a flannel shirt, tossing it my way. “Take this.”
Circling, he glared at the watching wolves, a warning growl rising from his throat. They found other places to look.
He barely gave me enough space to shrug into the huge shirt. “Thanks,” I grunted, moving away.
“What was that?”
I couldn’t look at him. “You deserve an explanation, but I can’t give it to you. My wolf isn’t who I thought she was.”
The pine was intense. Heady. Sascha shoved his curiosity back. “I’ll drive you back to the manor.”
The manor? He knew perfectly well I wasn’t there anymore. I peered around…
But his pack didn’t?
Interesting.
“No.” I could find my cabin. Ella F was there. It shouldn’t be far. I’d change and head back to the manor.
Hopefully people weren’t searching for me.
Sascha gripped my arm, and before I knew it, I’d whirled, my claws fully extended under his chin. I latched onto the strange calm inside me and lowered my fangs as I stared up at him.
Gasps rang from those watching, but Sascha smiled widely.
“Clever wolf,” he whispered.
“Don’t touch me without permission,” I bit out.
He released his hold, and I retracted my claws and fangs, eliciting further gasps from his pack.
Ignoring them, I took off at a fast clip to the river that I could follow toward my cabin.
Hopefully this night hadn’t exploded in my fucking face.
14
If no one looked closely, they wouldn’t notice the different outfit. I inched Ella F into the last available park at the manor and listened to the thrumming bass rocketing from the stone building.
Party time, apparently.
I jogged for the steps. I had to find Rhona.
“Andie!”
My heart jolted. “Pascal, I’ve been searching for you. What’s the verdict?”
A smile curved her thin lips. “A convincing win. They lost five points for shifting in the grid. The final tally was 145 to 110. The bottleneck strategy was a success.”
And something that wouldn’t work again. “That’s great news.”
At last. Talk about a week from hell.
“I was worried,” she said as we walked up the steps. “Not long after you entered the grid, a Luther shifted ahead of you.”
Thankfully she had no idea my faster speed meant that was me. “Yeah, the wolf chased me, but I managed to outsmart it just before the final cannon sounded. I didn’t get a chance to reach the gulley.”
She nodded, but that meant nothing when it came to this woman.
“Sounds like quite the party,” I said as we entered the manor.
“It’s your first turnover win.” She cast me an amused look.
I supposed it was.