Chapter 4

Cole

The taste of fear in the air as I move to leave the packhouse is one I relish. In the past, I’ve only gone after packs that threatened us, and reveled in the victory, but today’s accomplishment is far more satisfying. It doesn’t bring my mother back, but the look in Thomas’ eyes as he died, hearing my mother’s name on my lips and what his actions caused, soothes parts of my soul. The rest is still riled because I’ve yet to be able to claim my mate as mine.

I know Rennick is simply doing his job, keeping my ass calmed down, so I don’t do something stupid, but I want my mate. Want her in my arms. Want her taste in my mouth. It’s better than the taste of victory, of the fear washing through those that remain alive.

“Have you seen Ryan?” one of the girls near the back of the room whispers to another nearby.

“No, I haven’t seen any of the beta’s kids or the beta,” the girl next to her replies, her face paling as her gaze flows over my way. She looks away quickly and I smirk at the tremble that flows through her.

“Hopefully they finally killed that bitch of a human daughter,” a third utters and my feet slam to a stop, a low growl flowing from me that silences the space.

“You,” I snarl, pointing at the girl that was stupid enough to say something vile about my mate. “Step forward, now,” I add, pushing my dominance over her, making her clutch her stomach as she drops to a knee when she doesn’t immediately comply.

“Cole, what are you doing?”Rennick questions through a mind link as several other women hold back another just beyond us.

She knows who hurt my mate, I respond before letting up on the girl just enough for her to stop choking on her breath. “You have five seconds to tell me who attacked Mora the day of her graduation or you’ll join the rest of your pack in the mass grave.”

The girl’s face pales as another screams, and I push my dominance over them again, quieting the room entirely. “Two seconds,” I warn.

“Dana came up with the plan,” the girl states, her body shaking, face white as death.

“You helped,” I return, not a question in the least. I can see it in her eyes. “You still want her dead, hope she died in the attack today.”

“Yes! She’s worthless, a waste of space, and I’ll laugh if she’s finally dead,” the bitch says with a smile.

Rennick grabs her before I can wrap my hands around her neck and choke the life out of her for daring to threaten and speak about my mate with such utter disgust. My wolf presses forward but Rennick doesn’t back down. “Dead she can’t confirm who else helped with the attack. You’ve already ended the alpha’s entire line; they can’t interfere or protect any of the others now.”

“What do you care happens to the bitch?” the stupid wolf questions and my fingers turn to claws, my nails digging into her throat before Rennick can stop me. Her blood seeps from the openings, not enough to kill her but with one tug, she’d be dead in half a breath.

“You’ll tell me who else participated. Don’t and you’ll be dead before you hit the ground, just like Thomas’ sons when they tried to attack her today,” I warn, making her eyes widen. “No one in my pack harms a human without just cause,” I add, my wolf pressing forward further, wanting out to teach every last one of them the lesson. “You don’t ambush someone who has done nothing but exist for the hell of it. You don’t go after them again when they’re already injured while running away from the true battle, and you don’t mock or wish death on them. Especially not when they happen to be my mate!”

“Oh shit,” the girl that asked about Ryan whispers, jaw open wide while the bitch in my grasp trembles again.

The girl lists three other names and without needing to look, I can sense my true pack members stopping the attempt of someone behind us from running. “I swear, that’s it.”

“Where are the other two?” I question, not letting her go yet.

“Dead,” a voice behind us says, and I drop the bitch to the ground, still breathing for now. The boy Sutter is holding onto looks to be the same age as the bitch on the ground and I glare at him as my wolf huffs, wanting out to tear into him. “Dana made the girls keep everyone else away from where she was. She wanted her dead. Mark and Tyler wanted her alive still and told us to make it just look like she was dead to Dana. They planned to go back and sneak her out before the end of the ceremony. Mora’s brothers upset that plan.”

“Don’t say her name,” I growl as fury flows further through me. Mora’s fear earlier seeing Mark coming towards her says there’s more to the story and I want to know what it is, what the bastards had planned for my mate, but they’re dead. “Worthless filth like you don’t deserve to ever say her name.”

“What do want us to do with them, Alpha?” Sutter asks and my wolf howls, wanting their blood spilt as well.

“He harmed my mate; his head belongs to me.”

“I never hurt her—hit her. I just held her,” the idiot says, making my anger deepen.

“Just held her. Just?” I rage, moving directly into his face, my fist landing in his gut making him sag forward. Sutter’s hold on him doesn’t let him drop to the ground though, and I grab the top of his head pulling it up towards me. “You just held her, a human, while letting shifters hit her,” I add, landing another to his gut. “You just held her until her shoulder was torn from its socket. Until she was beaten unconscious. Until her bones were so shattered the healers were on the verge of amputating her leg!”

The information from the healers I forced out of them earlier only makes the anger over my mate’s injuries deepen. This idiot’s attempt to save himself, make light of his involvement settles the debate of whether to let him live severely disabled or kill him inside me.

“We saved her life,” he coughs out as I smash in his face.

“For the alpha’s spoiled scum to do what?” I question, grasping his neck hard. “What do you think they were going to do to her if they got hold of her in that state? Three shifters against one tiny human girl!”

“Five,” he states making it worse. “They were there with us…they damaged her leg…”

“Not helping yourself,” I warn before grabbing hold of his arm, yanking until I felt it pop out of place. He falls to the ground despite Sutter’s attempt to keep him upright and my foot lands straight in his stomach. “Think how that felt to her, to not have a wolf to help take away the pain. You left her bloody and broken on the ground. A bag tied around her neck so tight, she could barely swallow for over a month! Blood choking her with her mouth taped shut! Every rib in her body broken. Covered head to toe in bruises. With all of that, you walked away knowing the alpha’s piece of shit sons were going to go back for her! You really are a stupid motherfucker, aren’t you? You just held her? That’s like saying I just stomped on your idiotic head.”

The screams don’t stop me, nor does the cracking of bones as my boot smashes against the side of his head. My wolf howls with triumph when the idiot’s heart is barely noticeable, the amount of blood pooling around him indicative of his impending fate.

I turn back to the bitch, the terror in her eyes nearly enough to soothe me, but not completely. These people will know if they mess with my mate, they will never be free of me, of my reach.

“I didn’t…”

“Save your breath,” I warn her as the door opens and Mora’s father moves into the space. Silencing everyone else at his presence.

“What’s going on?” he asks and a glance out the window shows the sky’s darkening, telling me more time has passed since I left my mate than I thought.

“That is the last of the filth that hurt my Mora,” I state motioning towards the mess on the floor. “She helped the alpha’s bitch keep the halls clear for them to attack her.”

“I didn’t touch her,” the girl says again as Bryant moves over to the jerk on the ground. My wolf approves when instead of offering the boy any forgiveness, he covers his nose and mouth, holding on until the animal stops struggling, his eyes entirely vacant.

“I’m sorry. Dana said it was her fault that Anna died,” the girl states when Bryant moves back over to us. His hand lashes out, smacking her across the face, bringing tears to her eyes as she whimpers.

“Thomas was the piece of shit that killed her instead of allowing her to leave and go with her true mate,” Bryant replies silencing the space once more. “Anna was packing their things, and he attacked the visiting pack in hopes of killing him so she couldn’t leave. When that didn’t work, he killed her when she came to find Dana and the boys. The bastard kept the surveillance footage as a souvenir. I found it when trying to uncover who attacked Mora at graduation. He actually smiled when I confronted him about it. The only reason I didn’t kill him myself then was to keep Mora safe, out of danger until she was well enough to travel, get her away from here. His daughter was just as much of a liar as he was but it’s not my fault you fell for it, nor is it an excuse.”

“If you had touched my mate, you’d be next to him on the ground,” I state jerking my head towards the dead piece of shit. “You wanted her to be dead today though, and that won’t go unpunished,” I add, my claws reappearing once more and I dig them into her stomach before she can react, leaving it a shredded mess as she drops to the ground. “Now you’ll have to see if your mate will accept you, knowing the alpha that owns your life ensured you’ll never have a child, as you nearly ensured I did not by trying to take my mate from me.”

I leave the space as a healer rushes over to the bitch, wanting my mate back in my arms, taking her home with me where I can ensure she’s safe. Ensure no one ever comes near her again, can harm her again.

“You need to clean yourself off before you get near Mora,” Bryant states from behind me, slowing my progress down the stairs. “She’s dealt with enough blood for a lifetime already.”

I glance down at myself, making out the patches of it on my clothes, my hands, and detour to the car to grab my bag. This place isn’t a short run from home. We’d have been too tired from just the journey to attempt an attack and instead, brought several vehicles and left them with non-fighting members of our pack while we stormed the place.

“There’s a shower room around the corner,” he adds, and I follow him to it, eyeing him intently wondering about his comment on leaving. “Yes, Thomas was the one that killed his mate, not the Hollow Creek Pack.”

“And you intended to leave here when Mora was well enough to travel?” I state and he nods. “To go where?”

“I’d spoken to Alpha carter of the Wallstone Pack. We’d met at a gathering where packs were discussing the disappearance of young unmated females, and we got along well. Learned that there was an old family connection between our lines. His mate is one of the alpha regent’s daughters, it’s somewhere that would be safe for Mora when I handed over the footage I located.”

I’m aware of the man he’s talking about, but I haven’t met him. I tend to stay away from gatherings. It helps keep the reputation of my pack as ruthless, unwilling to abide by shifter laws or bow down to anyone on their lips. Which in turn keeps the number of attempted attacks against us down. Very few alphas are willing to risk their lives to discover if it’s more than just rumor.

“And now?” I question, staring down at him, daring him to stand in my way where Mora’s concerned.

“Now…the only place I’m going to is where I can keep an eye on my daughter, ensure that you really are the type of mate that will put her first, protect her at all costs. I may be allowing you to take Mora with you, but she won’t be going alone. Sammy’s going with her and if he sees one single thing that puts my daughter in danger, I will go directly to the alpha regent, and I don’t think even you would come out the better in that fight,” Bryant warns making my wolf growl in annoyance. In-laws under foot wasn’t in my plans but neither was a human mate.

They protect my mate, my wolf huffs conceding first.

“Try to keep her from me and we’ll be having another kind of discussion,” I state taking out new clothes while turning on the shower. “Continue to keep her safe and we won’t have any problems.”

“Good. I don’t care about titles and ranks,” Bryant adds before I step into the warm water. “I never fought for the alpha title because I didn’t care for the politics bullshit but don’t think that means I’ll accept you ignoring what I am. I care about my family and that includes Mora, biology be damned. You won’t be shoving us to the back region of your grounds and keeping her from us. Try it and you’ll have to fight all of us together.”

“As long as you understand that Mora is mine and don’t attempt to keep her from me, we won’t have an issue. I’d rather not deal with in-laws but after seeing what she’s been through here, I’ll allow you to join us on my pack’s main grounds. She’s my mate. When you know me better, you’ll realize just what that means to me. And you’ll never question me when it comes to her again,” I promise, my wolf calmer still as the water washes away the bloodstains, putting us another step closer to getting our mate.