Chapter 30 Sydney

Chapter 30 Sydney

 

 

“This is incredible,” Violet whispered. She stared at the crowd wide-eyed, just as I did. It was amazing to see so many jumping to Cole’s defense. By the look of it, most of the pack was still on his side. The elders didn’t seem pleased… Well, three of them. Caleb looked ready to burst a blood vessel. He scowled at the crowd with his fists clenched at his sides.

The other two, Anton and Victor, wore sour expressions, too. I bet they didn’t expect their plot to disgrace the Alpha in front of the entire pack to take this turn. The elders called Simon and Jasper seemed pleased by the crowd’s reaction. Although, I could be mistaken.

“Enough!” Caleb shouted.

Victor stomped down the steps to stand by Caleb’s side. “It doesn’t matter what each of you thinks. Cole must stand trial for his actions. He lied to all of us—put us in danger to consort with a hunter.”

I almost rolled my eyes in frustration. Each time one of them referred to me as a hunter, it grated on my nerves. I’d been running from hunters who wanted me dead since day one, for goodness’ sake.

“Have you all forgotten that?” Victor asked. “He harbored our enemy, protected her. Mated with her!”

“He might have killed two of our own,” Anton added. “Sebastian and Micah never made it back. We haven’t heard from them since—”

“Since you sent them to kill my mate and me,” Cole roared, his eyes glowing amber. “And I wish I had killed them myself.”

There was a collective gasp from the pack and from the two elders who hadn’t been staring at Cole and me with hatred. Caleb, Anton, and Victor went quiet. They practically oozed guilt.

Simon sighed deeply and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He glanced at Jasper, who watched Caleb, Anton, and Victor through narrowed eyes. “You send two of our own to murder their Alpha?” he asked with disbelief.

“And his mate,” Alex snarled. “They betrayed our Alpha. They should be the ones on trial.”

“They should be punished with death,” Damian added, glowering at the three elders.

When the crowd didn’t protest that suggestion as they had Cole stepping down, Caleb sputtered, “This is ridiculous! I… we… Cole brought the enemy right into our camp, and you all take his side. You all should—”

“That’s enough, Caleb,” Jasper sighed. “Don’t think we haven’t noticed the grudge you’ve held against the Alpha since the day he took over.”

“You didn’t like my father either,” Cole said. “I’ve had you figured out for years, Caleb. You’ve resented losing out on the chance to be Alpha. You were my grandfather’s Beta, and even then, you itched to be Alpha. But my father was born, another true Alpha, and you had to serve him, sitting at the back as one of his advisors. Then you had to serve his son.”

My eyebrow elevated at the revelation. Caleb was a sore loser.

“When I was born, your chances of ever leading this pack dwindled to zero percent,” Cole continued. “You’ve been looking for ways to push me out since I took over: you and your lap dogs, Anton and Victor. You’ve done some underhanded things that I’ve hidden from the pack in the name of keeping the peace and showing an old goat like yourself mercy. But you crossed the line when you came after my mate.”

Silence reverberated through the compound. The pack members stared at Caleb as if they were seeing him for the first time. Jasper and Simon didn’t look the least bit surprised by Cole’s revelation. They were there behind the scenes, witnessing everything, after all. They should have done more to protect their Alpha from their fellow elders.

Caleb inhaled sharply, his pale gray eyes flickering with malice. “Your mate is the daughter of a hunter. My only regret is not killing her myself when I discovered she was alive.”

I went stock still as I processed the conniving elder’s words. I had questions, but Cole verbalized them before I could.

“What the hell does that mean? Are you implying you knew about Sydney before I did?”

The conversation I’d had with Adam weeks ago played in my mind. My aunt’s husband must have been the one to tip off the hunters about me, but what if it wasn’t just hunters he’d contacted? Was it possible Uncle Sam tipped off my mother’s old pack, too?

Caleb clammed up. “That is beside the point. You’re the one going on trial, not me.”

“Caleb, answer the question,” one of the two decent elders demanded. “Did you know about the half—” Cole glowered at him, and he changed his tune “—Sydney before she arrived at our compound?”

Nostrils flared and red-faced, Caleb admitted, “Her relative sent a message that Sophia’s spawn was still lived. The message was meant for the Alpha, of course, but I intercepted it. I didn’t say a word to any of you because I knew none of you would have the gall to get rid of the girl.”

My jaw dropped.

“The man disclosed exactly where she was. He suggested I find her first, or I’d lose the opportunity to kill the half-breed because others would come after her, too.”

My heart thumped against my rib cage and dropped into my stomach. So, Uncle Sam did tip off hunters and werewolves about my location. I bet he didn’t expect Aunt Lydia to get killed. How could he betray my aunt like that? Although there was no love lost between my Uncle-in-law and me, it was disappointing to know he hated me enough to want me dead.

Cole inhaled sharply. He was so fast I didn’t even realize he moved until he had Caleb by the throat. His eyes weren’t the typical amber but a feral red. The show of Alpha power had Caleb sputtering and cowering as he gasped for air. Anton and Victor, Caleb’s bosom buddies, leaped into action, trying to free him from Cole’s grasp.

Simon shouted, “Alpha Cole, unhanded him. We’ll ensure he stands trial for his crimes against you and your mate.”

There was no talking my mate down. His fangs and claws elongated. I felt the murderous rage rising in him. Wide-eyed, I glanced at Damian. “We have to stop him from killing Caleb,” I said. Although the elder was in the wrong, there were still consequences for harming him.

“The bastard deserves to die, but you’re right,” Damian grumbled and rushed toward Cole. The rest of the pack watched in horror… or fascination. I bet this was the craziest pack drama any of them had seen in a while.

Just as Damian reached Cole and attempted to pull him away from Caleb, there were screams from the crowd. At first, I thought everyone was afraid their Alpha would kill Caleb, but then people began to scatter. It was the sight of someone lying on the ground bleeding that alerted me to something being seriously wrong.

Everything happened in a blur. One minute I stood looking around, confused; the next, I was thrown to the ground, and a body covered mine. It took me a moment to realize it was Cole. Explosions erupted, and my heart stuttered. Those were gunshots.

“What’s happening?” I gasped.

“Hunters. I have to get you out of here.”

I was momentarily frozen, so he had to yank me to my feet. Was this my fault? Maybe the hunters followed us here because of me. They’d been after me for a while. Again, I’d caused trouble—this time for the entire pack. They’d hate me twice as much for this.

I was caught up in a terrified haze but was aware of everyone around us scrambling for cover as bullets and other silver-laced weapons flew at us. I didn’t see Cole’s trusted few and knew they’d already thrown themselves into battle with the hunters. I sent up a silent prayer that none of them got hurt or worse.

Damian came running toward us, with Violet hot on his heels. “Cole, Violet will get Sydney out of here. We have to get out there and find out exactly what’s happening.”

As Cole nodded, I yanked my hand from his. “I’m not leaving you or our friends.”

“Now is hardly the time to argue about it,” he said. “Go with Violet, now.”

“Sydney, come on,” Violet said, holding out a hand. “We have to get you and the baby to safety.”

I didn’t need to ask Violet how she knew about my pregnancy. It was impossible to hide something like that from werewolves. The entire pack probably caught on the moment I stepped into the compound.

It was tempting to go with Violet to protect my child, but the hunter invasion was likely my fault. A lot of pack members were already injured from what I could see. I had to do something. “No, this is my fault. I’m the one they want.”

“You don’t know that,” Cole bit out. “Go with Violet and get your ass away from here. Now. That is an order from your Alpha.”

If we weren’t in danger, I would have told him where to shove his arrogance. But I knew he just wanted me safe. “Okay,” I said.

His shoulders relaxed. Violet grabbed my hand and led me away from the center of the compound. When I glanced back, I saw Cole and Damian sprinting toward the entrance, right into danger. There was no way I could run and hide while everyone else fought hunters.

“Everything will be okay, Sydney,” Violet said, although I suppose she said it because she wanted to convince herself.

She didn’t lead me much further when I tugged out of her hold and turned to run in the opposite direction.

“Sydney! What are you doing? Get back here.”

Violet was at my side before I took another step. I sighed my frustration. Of course, I couldn’t outrun her. “You go,” I said. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t try to stop this. It’s me the hunters want. I know it.”

“Sydney…”

“I’m not leaving Cole or the others,” I said firmly. “I’m the Alpha’s mate. No one accepts me here, but I’ll stand by Cole’s side no matter what. That’s what mates do, right?” I refused to run away like a coward.

The sigh of resignation told me Violet had given in before she muttered, “Cole is going to kill me, but I don’t want to run, either.” She glanced toward the site of the growing chaos. “My brother is out there, and my friends.”

I nodded, and we headed back into danger. “What exactly are you planning to do?” Violet asked.

Breathless from our jog, I contemplated. “I’m…” What use was I in a werewolf and hunter battle? “I’ll just have to find a way to help.” Turning myself over to the hunters in return for them backing down was an option. However, I couldn’t share that with Violet because she’d never let me go any further.

Her eyebrows scrunched together as if she was about to ask questions, but a scream caught our attention. On one side of the compound, two little girls stood, staring at a man with horror. Violet’s head swung between the kids and me as if she couldn’t decide what to do.

“Go. Help them,” I said.

“I can’t leave your side. Cole is counting on me to—”

“They’re children,” I said. “I’ll be fine.”

With a huff, she turned to aid the girls.

On my own, I miraculously managed not to get shot, stabbed or run over by pack members who had shifted. The closer I got to the entrance, the surer I became that I’d turn myself over to the hunters to end the madness.