34. Phaedra

PHAEDRA

S elene's eyes narrowed as she looked at me. I read the hatred and rage in them. Confusion spread through me. Why wasn't she with Asher? He must have had time to tell her we were no longer bonded.

"What the hell is this?" Connor demanded. "Who is she?"

The guards shared a look and then shifted uncomfortably. "This is Selene Cinna, sir," one of them answered. "The alpha of the Coldcrow pack."

"The Coldcrow?" He glanced at me, a smirk spreading across his lips. "What's this? Have you come to pledge your loyalty to the Wilcox pack's new alpha?"

She glared at him. "Hardly."

"Then, what are you doing here?"

She raised her chin, looking every bit an alpha in her black cargo pants and skintight shirt. I couldn't help but feel pathetic in my extravagant gown, bleeding and at the mercy of this man child.

"I'm here to barter some information," she said.

Information? My brain worked overtime to figure out what was going on. If this was a ploy to get Edgar to come out, what was the escape plan?

"Well, spit it out," Connor said.

"No. I will only speak with the real alpha."

Connor's lips pulled away from his teeth and he finally let go of my arm. "I am the real alpha?—"

Before he could finish, a streak of white rounded the corner down the hall. For a few moments, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me, but no—was Asher sprinting toward us.

He skidded to a halt as he reached us, then he shifted into his human form. He was breathing hard, and he was bruised, but he was here, and he was standing strong. Despite everything, I couldn't help the bubbling excitement that filled my chest at sight of him. How could I have thought that the mark was a burden when it connected me to a man like this?

"What the fuck is this?" Connor's rage-filled voice echoed through the halls.

The guards lifted their weapons and bared their teeth at Asher. Selene looked as shocked as me. A fight was seconds from breaking out, and when it did, I'd be on Asher's side… as much as I could be, anyway.

"Wait!" Edgar's voice boomed. He was coming from the same direction Asher had. He was limping, and his slate-gray suit was a bit ruffled. His neck was bruised red, and he was in the process of smoothing his dark hair back into its usual perfect state.

"What the hell is going on?" Connor demanded.

"Hold on, son." He used his thumb to wipe away the blood at the corner of his mouth. "Let me get my bearings."

As he straightened himself out. Asher tried to get Selene's attention. He gestured toward the doors farther down the hall,—doors that would take her out of the manor. She ignored his warning.

My heart ached for him even as my stomach sank. How Asher must love her. Their plan was a bust, but he wanted her to escape.

"Edgar Salcedo," Selene said, stepping toward him. The guards gripped her arm to stop her. She jerked away from them, but she did stop walking. "I have information for you."

He raised a brow as he straightened his jacket. "It must be good for you to risk death."

She nodded. "You have power to control the Dagger pack's shifts. With minimal effort, you could banish them to the feral lands. Asher is here to kill you and regain the ability from you."

I would have gasped if I wasn't so shocked. She wasn't here with Asher. She was here to betray him. I looked at him, sure I would see my surprise reflected on his face, but he only looked forlorn. Had he expected this?

Edgar motioned from himself to Asher. "That is more than apparent at this point, Selene. There is nothing new in your information."

Selene took a step back. "W-what?"

He sighed. "For providing nothing of substance, you will be killed for trespassing."

"No!" She didn't look as commanding and confident now that the panic marred her expression. "But you couldn't know about your power over the Dagger pack. How could you?"

Edgar didn't respond, and in that silence, we all realized that he did know.

"But why would you help an enemy pack?" Selene demanded. Now there was anger in addition to the panic. "You could have killed the Dagger pack right away. We could have taken over that territory and provided for our family! We wouldn't have bothered you!"

Edgar raised a brow. "I find that difficult to believe."

"Well, I don't." All this time, Connor had been moving very close to his father, and now he was standing just behind him. Before Edgar could turn around, Connor put his hand on his shoulder. "You have committed treason against our pack by aiding the Dagger pack," he said. "And I'm so very tired of the people around me letting them do what they want."

And then, as quick as a lightning strike, he reached around to rip out his father's throat with a shifted hand. Edgar clutched his throat, but the blood gushed through his fingers, spurting red onto the white marble. He fell to his knees, then collapsed onto his stomach. In the shocked silence, the only sound was the gurgle of Edgar's dying breaths.

Asher shifted and lunged for Connor. Instinctively, Connor turned his head and threw out his hands to ward off the attack. Asher surprised us all by turning human. He stumbled briefly but caught his balance. He ran to Connor and punched him right in the jaw.

Connor staggered back as the guards descended on Asher. They forced his hands behind his back and got him on his knees. One of them took hold of Asher's hair. He removed a dagger from his belt and held the point to Asher's neck.

"Don't hurt him!" I gasped.

Asher looked at me. He was wincing from the pain, but his eyes were the clearest hue of honey. He didn't look afraid, even though death was close, and I fell even more deeply in love with him.

Connor wiped blood from his mouth. Now that the threat was contained and his position as the new alpha was secure, he returned to his sneering self.

"Hold him there for now," he told his guards. He wiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth—a haunting reflection of the action his father had done.

He turned to Selene, whose eyes were darting around the room, looking for an escape.

"For bringing me this information, you can have the Dagger pack's territory. I'm sure it will be empty soon."

I glared at him, but he ignored me. If any of Asher's pack had resisted becoming feral, Connor had just changed that.

Selene lowered her head. "Thank you, Connor," she breathed. "Thank you so much. I-I'll stick to my promise; my pack won't bother you."

He ran his hand through his ruffled hair. "Good. But even if you do, I have more than enough force to make you regret it."

She blanched.

"Now, get the hell out of my manor."

Selene nodded and scurried off, but not before meeting Asher's gaze. It lasted only a second, but then she turned away from him. With a broken heart, I realized she didn't really care about Asher. He was only a steppingstone to better things.

Connor turned his attention to Asher, and I knew he had bloodshed on his mind. Though many shocking and upsetting things had happened, I pushed myself to think. I had seconds before Connor either killed Asher or ordered one of his guards to do it. Asher had proven himself Connor's superior more times than they could count, but now he had everything Asher had been fighting for. What could I do? What could I give him that would stop him from killing the man I loved?

The answer came to me then, and I stepped in between Connor and Asher.

"Phaedra, move?—"

"No." I looked into his eyes and prayed to the gods that he knew I meant every word that I was about to say. "There's nothing you can do to force me to be your mate, but if you let Asher and the Dagger pack live, I will stay by your side."

"Phaedra, no!" Asher shouted. I heard him struggling against the guards behind me, but I stood firm.

The mainland was always meant to be a distant dream for me, a goal to work toward but not one to be achieved. It was far, far more important to me that Asher was alive. I could endure anything Connor or the gods threw at me if I knew he was fighting somewhere out there.

Connor made a show of thinking about it, rubbing his chin, and swaying from foot to foot as Asher begged me to take it back. After a few, tense seconds of him relishing Asher's yells, he grinned.

"You've got a deal, Phaedra."