Chapter Twenty-Four Liam

"Y ou're not as strong as you think, boy," my father growled, circling me in his wolven form.

This was a trick he'd learned from his father that had been passed down through our family. And one he taught me at a young age. Speaking while in wolf form required an incredible amount of concentration and control. Forcing only your tongue and larynx to shift back to human form gave you the ability to speak, although there was a definite wolven accent thanks to the muzzle and all the teeth.

Still, it was deeply unsettling to almost anyone that heard it.

"I'm strong enough," I growled back, showing him that his little tricks didn't scare me. I pushed myself back up onto four paws, facing off with him. "But I don't need to be a ruthless killer like you are."

"You are a wolf ," he snapped. "And an Alpha. You were built to be a leader and killer whether you like it or not." A wolfish grin spread over his face. "Just look at that scar. That is the face of a killer, Liam."

"I haven't killed anyone!"

"Not yet ," he murmured. "But there's plenty of time for that." His eyes glinted with malice. "One day you'll have to kill me to take over the pack."

His comment caught me off guard. "I… Why would I do that? I don't want to be the pack leader, anyway! And you'll never give up your post."

"Not without a fight," he grinned. "You'll have to earn it."

"I'm not going to do that."

"It's tradition."

I stopped, several things clicking into place all at once. Suddenly there was a reason why I'd never met my grandparents.

"You… You killed your own father?" I asked, hardly able to believe what I already knew to be true.

"Of course," he nodded. "And my mother when she put herself between me and his neck. The pack needed new leadership, and he was getting old. It was time for a change." His grin widened. "I did the same thing when your mother decided she didn't like my methods of raising you."

My blood went cold. Suddenly my entire life seemed to be made of lies spun by my father to keep me under his thumb.

"You're a monster…" I whispered.

"I'm efficient. And you will be too just as soon as you stop being so fucking selfish and stupid." He was circling me now, his lips peeled back to reveal long rows of yellowing fangs while his eyes burned bright gold. "You have a duty to me and your people. Alphas must rule with an iron paw. That is the way of it! If we let anyone, even those we are closest to think they can sway us, then that hard-earned power is lost! I wouldn't let my parents or your mother take that power away from me. And when the time comes, I expect you to tear my throat out and take that power for your own." He raised his head, the snarl receding slightly. "But first you must remove this childish temptation from your life."

"I'm not going to leave Cory behind," I snapped.

"I'm not telling you to leave him behind," he replied, chuckling deep in his chest. "I'm telling you to kill him."

My heart nearly stopped.

"And once he's out of the way, there will be no going back and this foolishness of yours will end once and for all."

I shook my head, my lips peeling back as my deep growl vibrated the air around us. "Fuck you," I snarled. "Fuck you and everything you stand for! I'll never hurt Cory! He's my mate and we're already bonded."

For the first time, my father stopped and blinked. "You… You did what with that little whore?!"

"We're bonded for life. And there's nothing you can do about it."

To my great surprise, he began to laugh. It started off low and grew to a fever pitch. Fear flooded my system as I realized he'd finally snapped. There was no going back now and whatever came next, I knew it wouldn't be good.

"Fine then," he said at last, getting himself under control. "I guess it's time I make a new heir then and clean up this mess." He took a step forward, fangs bared. "And once you're dead, I'll take care of that little fag of yours too. I'll make sure nobody knows you were ever even born!"

His last words were shouted as he sprang toward me. Thankfully I saw him coming and dodged to the side. Still, he clipped my back legs and sent me spinning through the snow. He crashed into the earth with a thud but quickly came for me once more.

He was fast. So much faster than I remembered. Then again, he'd never charged at me with the intent to take my life before. Before I had a chance to move out of the way, he rammed into my side, throwing me up and over his back like a rhino taking out a predator. I hit the dirt and ice hard, a thousand bruises blooming across my body all at once.

In a flash I was back on my feet, just in time to see him running at me again. Not wanting to fall for the same trick twice, I jumped as he rammed me, his body rushing under me without making contact. The move confused him, and his own momentum carried him into a snow drift face first. When he got back to his feet, the look of embarrassment melted into pure fury. The golden glow of his eyes intensified, and I knew he was coming for my throat next.

Just then, a howl split the air. I recognized it as Cory immediately. A second later he rushed into the clearing and up to my side, his fur standing on end and his tail straight up in the air. Lips peeled back to reveal long sharp fangs. Cory might've been small compared to an Alpha, but he was all muscle and the look of hatred in his eyes told me he wouldn't go down easily.

"Pathetic," my father sneered. "A real Alpha doesn't let his little bitch fight his battles for him."

I wanted to tell Cory to go, to run away as fast as he could. The look in my father's eyes told me all I needed to know. He would try to kill Cory first, just to hurt me. Even so, I knew that no matter what I said, Cory wouldn't leave my side until we were both dead, or my father had stopped breathing.

I just didn't know which would happen first. And because of that I knew I couldn't let my father get the upper hand. Summoning up the wolf inside me, I began to let it take over. I knew it wasn't a good idea, but I would do anything, including give up my sanity, to keep my mate safe. If me going feral meant Cory living a long life, then so be it.

But before anyone could make another move, a second howl filled the air. Then another. And another. Within seconds the entire park seemed to be filling with the sound of wolves. What hold my feral wolf had gotten over me was shattered.

Crunching snow announced the presence of seven more wolves, at least three of them Alphas. They ranged from pure white to the darkest black and even red. All were ready to attack, their fangs bared in my father's direction as they closed in around him. It only took a moment before their scents filled the air and I recognized them all.

Sam, Ace, Matt, Vince, River, Andy, and Josh. All of them had come to our aid. All of them were willing to put their lives on the line to save Cory and me.

Suddenly the tables had turned and my father, as crazed as he was, showed real fear for the first time in my life.

"What is this?!" he snapped, looking around in disbelief. " There's no pack here! Who are these outsiders?!"

The black wolf, the largest of the group, took a step forward, his body shifting back into human form in less than a second. A tall, muscular man stood there, his frame instantly recognizable. Only one man in town was that big and that imposing.

"We may not have a pack," Ace said, still baring his teeth. "But we protect our own. And if you don't get the hell out of Shifter Grove, we'll send you home in a fucking box."

"You don't scare me, rogue ," my father hissed.

All nine wolves took a step closer to him, tightening the circle. His false bravado faltered, and I saw his ears droop slightly. It was such a tiny movement, but he'd given away his fear to all the others now. They knew he would back down if they didn't. It was only a matter of time.

"Go home, father," I growled, taking another step forward. "And never come back."

"If you do," Ace added. "We'll tear you limb from limb."

"I… I'm not scared of you," my father grumbled, his tail dropping between his legs. "I'm not scared of any of you!"

"Then why are you pissing yourself in fear?" Ace laughed. "Go home, pup. You're outnumbered and outmatched."

The jibe lit a fire in my father's belly. Before anyone knew what he was doing, he made a lunge toward Ace, his jaws open. However, I knew the moment the words left Ace's mouth that it would get a reaction from my father. Nobody had ever spoken to him like that in his life. And I doubted he would be able to control himself.

That's why, before my father could clamp his fangs around Ace's outstretched hand, my body collided with him in midair. My jaws wrapped around his left paw just before we hit the ground. While he struck the snow and stayed, I doubled the pressure and twisted in the air, a sickening pop echoing inside my mouth. The next second I was sliding through the snow, the stench of blood filling the air.

I landed on my feet, blood draining from my muzzle. My father looked up at me, his golden eyes filled with fear and pain. And then, I spat his severed and mangled paw out on the ground. He scrambled toward me, intent on putting it back in place before the wound healed shut. It was possible to reattach severed limbs if you did it fast enough.

But I took a step forward, placing my body between him and his paw.

"Consider yourself marked," I snarled. "Let it be a reminder to you that you will never be as strong as us ." I looked to the others, giving them a nod. "We may not be a pack, but we protect our own, unlike you . So go back home and show the entire pack how weak and pathetic you truly are." I took another step forward, my one golden eye lowered. "And if I ever see your face again, I'll fucking kill you."

Terrified, bloodied, and now hobbled, my father tucked his tail between his legs, let out a yelp, and ran off into the trees leaving a bloody trail behind him.

The moment he was out of sight I looked up at Cory. A wave of relief washed through me followed by exhaustion. I only managed a couple of steps before I collapsed into the snow, the world around me going dark.