Chapter Thirteen

Rylan

I knew yelling my cousin’s name would attract his attention, and I was determined to keep it. Not only did we look similar, but we also had around the same amount of dominance and strength. I’d gained more power recently and could probably easily overcome Ledger, but he knew my weaknesses.

I sent my intentions through the pack bond, letting every wolf know to avoid Ledger and let me deal with him. Ledger wasn’t above fighting dirty. He would exploit anything and everything in order to win.

Knowing what I did now, I wondered how much of that was really Ledger and how much was his mother’s influence. She’d been controlling him and my uncle for decades; who knew how much she’d managed to manipulate them? It now made sense why my uncle wasn’t seriously upset about his true mate dying. She’d probably buried the mate bond so deep inside his mind that he couldn’t draw strength from it or even access it.

I felt sympathy for both of them, but right now, the threat was my cousin. We were family, and while I hated the thought of going against him, I had to protect my mate and pack. No one else knew how far he was willing to go.

My arms shifted first, followed by my face then the rest of my body. This form was difficult to maintain, but I needed every advantage I could get.

“Promise me,” I repeated, needing Pearl to understand that she could not interfere.

“I promise,” she muttered, not sounding happy about it.

The truth was, I wasn’t happy about it either. I would much rather have her by my side fighting every battle that I did, but my instincts wouldn’t allow it. I had to keep her safe, to protect everyone, and the only way to do that was to face the threat myself.

My wolf wondered if we should roar again. If we had more time, I would say yes, but I’d just used my power to release the first wave. I had no idea if I could use it again so soon or if it would even work on my cousin. I got the distinct feeling that this wasn’t going to be an ordinary fight. I wasn’t battling for trust or loyalty anymore. I couldn’t hold back.

Once completely shifted, I sprinted forward, intending to meet Ledger head on. He had other plans though. He saw me coming and swerved, as if intending to avoid me in order to get to my mate. I snarled, whipping around so fast I almost lost my balance.

My longer arms shot out, claws sinking into his hind flank. He growled, flipping back, his jaw snapping at my hands. I ignored him and instead hurled him back the way he’d come.

Ledger yipped when he landed, bouncing a couple times from the force of my throw. I was amazed at how easy it was to toss a three-hundred-pound wolf over fifty yards. I knew I had new powers and abilities, but I’d never dreamed they would be anything like this.

My wolf prodded, reminding me that now wasn’t the time to analyze. We were in the middle of a skirmish, so we had to keep our head on straight.

Earlier, when Pearl was threatened, I’d moved faster than I ever had. It was surprising, but again, it wasn’t the time to analyze. There would probably never be a right time to really know what I was fully capable of.

Ledger had climbed back to his feet, his left hind leg tucked up against his belly, obviously injured. Nevertheless, he ran at me on three legs, determined in his movements. It made me wonder just how far my aunt was willing to push her son too. Would he beat himself bloody against an immovable force? The thought made my stomach churn and my own determination to bubble up. No matter what happened, I needed to do everything in my power to stop my cousin from hurting himself and others.

The best option was to knock him out then hope I could break whatever control his mother had on him, setting him free. Knocking out a wolf shifter wasn’t an easy thing to do ordinarily. Now that I had more power, however, it might be possible.

Ledger feinted to my left, but I held my position, waiting for the exact moment to strike. Since I was in my half-beast form, it was easier to move.

My cousin adjusted and came to my other side, teeth bared and snarling. His injured leg was no longer tucked against him, which meant it had healed or he was faking. Fangs snapped at my side, but I was ready, swinging my arm and backhanding him away.

The wolf recovered quickly, eyes burning with hatred as he regrouped and came at me once more. I knocked him back, drool flying in every direction. I could hear the sounds of fighting around me, and while my wolf yelled for me to pay attention to our predicament, I couldn’t help but want to join my fellow pack members.

I gave control over my wolf while I took a moment to gather strength and energy in order to attempt another roar. I had to break the hold my aunt had on these wolves and add them to my pack if they wanted to be.

Ledger’s teeth sank into my forearm, jolting me from my attempt to summon my alpha power. I roared as the pain registered. The scent of blood filled the air as I tried to shake him loose, but he held on, jaw clamped stubbornly.

I used my free hand to grab my cousin’s snout, intending to pry his mouth open to free my arm. He snorted then growled menacingly as my claws dug into his gums. He didn’t budge, which just made me angrier. A roar filled my lungs, and I pushed every ounce of energy I could muster into the sound.

I threw my head back and let loose the bellow that I couldn’t hold back any longer. The sound blasted away from me as I wrung my lungs out of every bit of air I had in them.

The area grew quiet as the attacking wolves were severed from their pack bonds and the control that my aunt had over them. They all fell down unconscious, except for my cousin, who’d released my arm and was now shaking his head like he could clear the compulsion I’d let fly.

Not today.

I sprinted toward Ledger, my claws sinking into the grass below my feet to give me leverage. When I was five feet away, I leapt into the air, my uninjured arm cocked and ready. My fist connected with the side of my cousin’s head with a sound like bone hitting bone. Fiery green eyes widened in surprise then rolled up as his body went limp.

I grabbed wolf’s throat, ready to tear it out if he was able to shake me off my blow.

“Rylan!” Pearl screamed, dashing toward me.

I relaxed, letting my wolf side recede until I was in human form again, hand still wrapped around the neck of my cousin. Blood dripped from my arm—the wound now closed on its way to being healed.

I raised my arm, palm out in a stop motion. As badly as I wanted her to keep running and throw herself into my arms, I had to subdue the wolf in my clutches first.

‘Here,’the Wolf Spirit’s voice whispered in my mind as something slick and cool appeared in my other palm.

Silvery-white cuffs appeared my skin started to tingle as I quickly bound my cousin. I concentrated on Ledger, wanting to know what the cuffs would do, and was surprised to see him shift immediately back to human. I tried to reach out to his wolf, but there was a cage built around him, preventing them from shifting.

“There’s a storm cellar out back we can take him to,” Deacon suggested, appearing at my side, his torn shirt revealing parts of his chest with pink claw marks in their final stages of healing.

“Let me.” I grabbed the chain between the cuffs and lifted my cousin, bodily. “Lead the way.”

I passed Pearl on my way, making sure to brush my arm against hers. Tension immediately released from my shoulders at the simple touch. My mind cleared of all the dark murderous thoughts I’d been entertaining. I wanted to drop my cousin and wrap my mate in my arms, grateful that I was myself again, but I couldn’t. Not until I’d gotten Ledger to a place away from others. I had no idea if my roar had worked on him or not. It was possible he was just unconscious from my blow and would wake up the same.

Estella fell into step beside me, her wolf keeping pace as we followed Deacon toward a small hill behind the cabin. Deacon bounded up three steps and pulled open the door built into it. Darkness filled the space and beyond while the scent of cool dampness drifted to me.

Something flashed, then a bulb flickered. After a moment, the flickering stopped, and light lit the inside. Deacon stepped through first, and I followed. The floor was dirt, as were the walls and ceiling supported with wood beams.

I deposited Ledger into the corner farthest from the door. I’d gotten the sense that the cuffs would completely immobilize him, but I wasn’t about to take any chances. I lifted his arms and put the chain over a hook a foot above his head then bent it easily. If he was determined, this wouldn’t hold him, but maybe with his wolf locked away and weakened, it would.

“I want him guarded every second,” I ordered no one in particular but instinctively knew that Deacon would make sure it happened. He was a good beta.

I turned around, intending to leave, but came face to face with Estella. She was looking past me at Ledger, her eyes studying him with her lips pressed into a grim line.

“Are you all right?” I asked her, drawing Deacon’s attention away from my bound cousin.

“He reminds me of her.” She swallowed, refusing to meet my eyes.

I understood her trepidation. Ledger and I looked very similar, so she could probably see the resemblance. Tamra and I weren’t blood related, but I wondered if she could see some of her sister in me too.

The thought made me angry. I wanted nothing to do with my aunt. She’d nearly killed Pearl and used my hands to do it. There was no forgiving that, and I prayed that Estella would understand and not get in my way.