14 Trespassing & Traitors

Ember

“Get your fucking hands off of him,” I snarl. A guard keeps his palm on my shoulder, pinching the muscle to let me know he will restrain me if needed. I’m being detained until Sienna and Orion can be roused.

Onyx lays across the ground, blood seeping from his hairline. I grit my teeth so hard it feels as if my jaw will crack. I won’t show them weakness, because then I will be truly powerless to help him.

My mother fills the doorway, her hair twisted into a bun on the top of her head and a crimson robe billowing over her shoulders.

“You’ve been back for mere hours and already you’re causing problems?” she drawls.

Her words sting, but I wonder if they’re more for the benefit of the pack. Things are more complicated than I realized. She strides to Onyx and nudges him with her black satin slippers.

“Do you know who this is? He looks familiar.” Her eyes barely glance my way.

“He’s my friend. He was worried about me leaving in the middle of the night, so he came to make sure I was safe.” My fists clench, aching to hit the men still holding me in place.

“I’ve been getting far too little sleep tonight. Someone one string him up and we can deal with this in the morning. Flint, you’re in charge of his guard. Keep him in one piece. I want to know what he was doing in detail.”

“Stop! He’s my guest,” I yell.

My mother pauses, looking me over. “Guests are announced and welcomed. They do not sneak into the Alpha’s house.”

My mother’s men grab Onyx’s upper arms and tug him out of the room, his legs dragging across the carpet. Jerking away, I slip from my captor’s hold and follow them.

Out front of our cold concrete training building, they handcuff him to a steel pole. His head lolls as he sags to the ground.

Sienna has already disappeared back to bed. I clutch my arms around my middle, feeling vulnerable as the pack members dissipate .

Flint, a thin man with greasy dark hair, sits on a bench and watches me with beady eyes. I bare my teeth at him. I’m ranked far above him, so he should look away, but he leers at me.

Anger heats my blood, making me sick with the cold fear churning my stomach. Hours ago I was lost in my own world with Onyx. He was safe, and I was trying to keep it that way. Why didn’t Slate and Hazel stop him?

My eyes burn, but crying will only make this worse. Glaring at Flint, I walk to where Onyx sags, his arms pulled back behind him. My knees sting as they hit the concrete and my fingers brush back his hair to see the wound underneath. Blood mattes his scalp and a single thin line of crimson runs down the side of his cheek to his jaw.

“Hey,” I say softly. His breathing is ragged, so I can tell he’s conscious, but his eyes are screwed shut in pain.

With a small groan, he opens his eyes and raises his face to mine. Pain flashes across his features.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “This is exactly what I was trying to avoid.”

His voice cracks. “You could have warned a guy.”

I can’t bring myself to berate him, even if he deserves it. “I thought if I left like that, you'd be angry with me. Not follow me. I didn’t want anyone to stop me. I have to help my mom.”

“I’d follow you anywhere,” he rasps, his eyes closing and lines creasing his forehead and cheeks .

“I’m going to get you out of here. But I need you to swear you’ll stay away until it’s safe.”

Running a hand down his stomach, I feel tactical gear under his hoodie. They didn’t even bother to check him. Moving around to his side hidden from Flint, I lift the edge of his hoodie and slide out a small dagger. Keeping my back to our guard, I inch around to his hands and start picking at the handcuffs.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Flint says, leaning forward in his seat.

The blade slides into my waistband, the metal cold against my skin. “Checking his wrists. You guys were sloppy,” I spit.

He sneers, crossing his arms and flexing, but doesn’t take his eyes off me. There is no way I can get Onyx free with him here.

“Flint,” I say, “what would it take for you to look away for a few minutes?”

His eyes narrow but he doesn’t outright reject my offer. I can see the thoughts spinning in his slimy head. “It would take a lot to be worth it, but I think we could figure something out.” His gaze drops lower, making his intentions clear.

Onyx snarls, pulling against his restraints. “If you touch her, I will gut you and feed you your own kidney!”

“Oh, did you find yourself a loyal puppy?” Flint says with a chuckle. “That’s good to know.”

I’m done negotiating and playing it cool. Rising, I focus my gaze on the older wolf. He’s not much taller than I am and has always looked half-starved. I’m confident in a fight I could take him down .

Stepping closer, I draw the dagger out and touch the tip to my finger, rotating it.

“This wolf is mine,” I say, my voice a threat, “and if you interfere in me getting my way, I will do far worse than he said. You will have wished someone would have killed you.”

“I doubt you could do anything to me,” he says, putting on bravado. But I can see the hesitation in his eyes. We’ve sparred before in training, but never with weapons.

“Will you keep your mouth shut?” I ask, drawing close enough to strike him.

“Why should I?”

Nervousness floods me, but I ignore it. I wish I could snap and go to a place where I have no control. This is so much harder with a clear head.

I let the dagger tip forward until it’s pointed at his chest. He moves to take it, exactly what I was hoping for.

As he reaches up, I go low, slashing across his ribs as they turn toward me - shallow enough to draw blood but not cause serious harm. A warning.

He jerks back, his hand going to his side. The cut runs from the bottom of his ribs almost to his armpit. His shirt billows open and blood drips down his side. I smile at him.

“Will you keep your mouth shut?” I ask again, calm and cold.

He sits back down hard, baring his teeth at me. “You bitch, I can’t wait until someone puts you in your place. ”

Why couldn’t he just cooperate?

With my left hand, I swing and connect with his jaw, knocking him sideways across the bench. He wildly grabs at me, and I slice across his forearm, holding the knife sideways in my fist. He recoils, curling in on himself defensively as blood seeps between his fingers.

“Stay there or I will end you,” I snarl before turning to free Onyx.

“The little wolf has bite,” a deep voice says, making me jump. Onyx growls, unable to see past me as I spin to face Orion. He melts out of the shadows, moving too gracefully for a man that large.

“Beta,” I address him coolly. Straightening, I block Onyx from him the best I can.

I’m never sure what Orion will do. He accompanied Hawk to join our pack, but stayed with us even when my ex returned to his family’s pack up north. Standing a head above most of our packmates and with a vicious temperament, it didn’t take him long to move up the ranks.

“Is there a reason you are attacking Flint and trying to free the trespasser?” he asks. He doesn’t seem angry, just curious.

“I am taking charge of him. The handcuffs are unnecessary. He will do whatever I say.”

Orion moves into my personal space and I refuse to step back, even though I have to crane my neck to keep eye contact. “Is he a lovesick moron you picked up during your little vacation?”

“No. And that’s not your concern anyway.” I hold my hand with the dagger up between us, an idle threat .

“I want to know if you have any attachments,” he says, his voice low. “I’ll walk you back to the Alpha’s house. You shouldn’t be out here.”

Onyx lets out a snarl that sounds entirely animal. I half expect to see him shifted, but shifting with cuffs pulled tight and arms bound behind him would result in serious injuries.

Orion chuckles, placing a hand on my upper back. With a jerk of my shoulders, I shrug him off and move away.

“If this stray is a problem, I’m happy to eliminate him,” he says quietly.

“If you touch him, I’ll kill you,” I say, rage in every syllable.

Orion shoves me forward, his hand brushing the back of my arm to let me know he’ll grab me if necessary. “I’d love to see you try. Maybe I’ll get my way tomorrow when we deal with him.”

I allow myself to be herded back to the Alpha’s house, and lock myself in my room with my heart pounding in my ears. With Onyx tied up outside, I can’t possibly sleep.

Low voices in the hall tell me that Orion has posted a guard to keep me contained.

He’s undermining me, but it’s clear now that I’ve never been given any true authority. I’ll have to seize it. But a fight against Orion won’t end well. Strategy is my only strength against a brute like him.

It takes all my willpower to not scream and cry into my pillow. I feel so helpless, like every decision I’ve made has blown up in my face.

Eventually light filters in my window. I dress in all-black workout gear and pull my hair back into a bun. After some thought, I apply eyeliner and a red lip in the same style as my mother. It’s time to take my birthright in full, and if all goes well, the man I love will walk out of here safe.

Sienna sits in the formal living room, holding court with her top ranked wolves. I ignore them and address my mother directly.

“I want the wolf from last night freed. He was my host during my visit and he was concerned for my safety. We are endangering our alliance by detaining him.” With my shoulders back and my head high, I feel confident and my words come out strong.

She frowns, tapping a manicured nail against the glossy wooden table beside her chair. “Dear, he destroyed our alliance by breaking into the Alpha’s home. He could have been assassinating you. He may have meant to for all we know.”

“Absolutely not. I will vouch for him. It was the middle of the night when I left, and he was simply following me. The pack was asleep and he came straight to see me. You should be rewarding him for taking my safety so seriously.”

“I’m afraid your word doesn’t weigh enough in this situation,” she says, her gaze flicking to the other wolves in her circle. “We are debating what to do with him. You are welcome to join the discussion, but you will not be overriding my counsel. ”

My nails dig into my palms hard enough to break the skin. In the past, I would have thought my mother was simply tormenting me. But now I see she’s controlled by those around her. She’s lost all her power in this pack, and she’s clawing to keep her position.

With a huff, I sit in the nearest seat, leaving space between the other wolves and myself.

“As I was saying,” Sienna continues, “I don’t feel it’s necessary to question him. There’s no sign of any other trespassers, and if he was a scout, he wouldn’t have come right in.”

“I say we execute him. He threatened our Heir and he arrived with enough weapons to take out half our pack,” Orion says, leaning back with his hands behind his head as if this was friendly small talk and not a deliberation over the life of another. His gaze goes to me and he smirks.

“You only want him dead because I want him alive and free,” I growl, unable to help myself.

“So you prefer we just let him go?” the Gamma, Aster, a woman just older than my mother, questions.

“I’ve explained already, and the fact you can’t accept my word is ridiculous and offensive,” I say, my anger building.

“If we can somehow verify his intentions, hence the idea of questioning him, I am okay with sending him back to his pack,” the Delta says. He’s the oldest of the bunch, with gray threaded through his black ponytail .

Sienna crosses her arms and sighs. “Well, we have two strong opinions. I see the merit in what my daughter says, but also the wisdom in Orion’s choice.”

“I believe imprisonment until we can negotiate with his pack would be best,” Aster says, rubbing the back of her head where her hair is buzzed short.

“No,” I say, exuding every bit of dominance I possess. “You are going to release him into my custody, and he will stay with me. I am completely confident he means me no harm. He’s been protecting me for the last week. He’s showing loyalty by coming here, and we’re treating him like a criminal. This ends now.”

“He is a criminal, and now is not the time to be forgiving toward those that threaten our pack,” Orion says, drawing out his words. His presence presses down on me, causing my anxiety to rise. “But if you feel so strongly about it, you’re welcome to challenge me.”

“I don’t have to do that. You’re the only one demanding blood here.”

“I outrank them. Dearest Ember, you’ve been weakened by your time in that pack. This is for your own good.” His smirk is ugly.

“I am Heir and hold power over you,” I say, my hands clenching into fists.

“Prove it.”

My mother’s face pales, but if I reject his challenge, I’ve already lost. He’ll kill Onyx. If my mother tries to stop him, he’ll use it as a reason to depose her. I’ve made this so much worse.

“Fine.”

Onyx

After Ember is taken away, two ugly fuckers give me a beating until the world goes dark.

When I come to, it’s light and I’ve been stripped of my gear and weapons.

Shit.

No one speaks to me, but the entire pack has gathered. Far more wolves look at me with hatred than I would have expected. Things are worse between my pack and Granite Ridge than I realized.

The crowd’s noise drops as Sienna approaches, followed by Ember and the huge man from last night. The Beta, Orion.

With great effort, I press my back against the pole and push myself to stand so I can follow their progress. They stop in the training ring which is just paint on concrete, without even mats for safety during sparring.

“Beta Orion would see the trespasser executed as a dangerous stray,” a man with graying hair and beard says, “and Heir Ember wants him freed. A challenge has been issued.”

No.

My heart drops. He is three times her size and twice her age. Without a weapon, I doubt I could take him. She’s vicious, but this is insanity.

“Stop, let me fight,” I yell, my voice giving out. “I challenge for myself!”

A nearby man thumps me in the stomach and I barely stay standing, sagging against my restraints. From the needle-like pain in my side, I suspect they broke a few of my ribs earlier. Shifter healing is fast, but not that fast. It will take a few days before I’m back to normal.

Shoulders close in, and despite my height, I can’t see the ring. But I can guess when the fight starts. The crowd roars to life, crying for blood and yelling disgusting, suggestive taunts to my girlfriend.

A growl rumbles low in my chest as I listen for the sounds of strikes landing or pained gasps. Through a gap in the crowd, I see Ember darting out of Orion’s reach, landing a kick against the side of his knee. He falls to one knee, but the crowd closes in before I see her next move.

She’s holding her own, if the noises her packmates make is any indication. I want to cheer her on, but it hurts to breathe.

A deep masculine grunt echoes through the space, followed by a feminine yelp. It’s killing me not being able to see. The distinct noise of a fist connecting with flesh sounds, once, twice. Two wolves snarl.

Legs part for a second and I see Ember on the ground, scrambling for a hold on Orion. He’s gotten above her.

A whimper from her throat hurts me worse than the injuries I’ve received. I’ll make his death slow for daring to hurt her. The crowd closes in and I pray she finds a way to knock him down and make him wish he was dead.

“Beta Orion is the victor!” A voice calls out.

No, no, no.

How is she? Black edges my vision as I strain to see her .

People part, and Sienna, Orion, and Ember stand in front of me. Ember’s lip is split, and she holds her side. From the tension in her muscles to the way her posture covers that side, I have no doubt she’s nursing broken bones. Her cheekbone is red and has started to swell.

Orion is leaning all his weight on one leg, but otherwise looks unharmed. He grins at Ember.

“Alpha, if I may?” he asks, bowing his head to Sienna.

“Yes, Beta?” She picks at her nails like this boring to her.

“Although I still believe he should be executed, I will offer his life to Ember as a gift. A mating present.”

Who does this asshole think he is?

Ember clears her throat. “I’m flattered, and I will consider your proposal only if you set him free. I could never be mated to a man who kills someone I’ve asked to be spared.”

“Fine,” he says with a shrug, like it’s nothing.

I should be relieved, but instead I can barely breathe. She can’t possibly be considering him. The only upside is that I’ll now live long enough to make good on the silent promises of pain and death running through my thoughts.

“Wonderful. He’s been taught a lesson, and we can send him back to his pack with a warning,” Sienna says as she saunters closer. With a cruel smile, she grabs my chin. Her spiked nails dig into skin, but I hardly feel it with all my other injuries. “Our alliance is broken, and any other interference from your pack will be considered an act of aggression.”

Her pack cheers and howls around us, and I look into her eyes, like darker versions of Ember’s. Instead of worry and warmth, I see ice and death.

I’m cut free and escorted to my truck by a handful of guards. Ember doesn’t follow. Numbly, I allow them to push me into my truck and fumble with the keys. It takes all of my willpower to pull the vehicle onto the road.

Driving with one eye swollen shut is a bitch. The world swims around me and the truck keeps slowing as I lose focus. But somehow, I manage to get home.

The parking lot buzzes with activity. Hazel and Slate talk with packmates while Cedar and Jasper load equipment into a truck. At the sound of the engine, the group turns.

A dull sense of relief fills me, loosening my grip. Throwing the truck into park, I shove the door open and tumble out. Slate catches me, hoisting me up with help from my twin.

Hazel appears in my dimming vision, her eyebrows pinched and lips parted as she surveys my injuries. Everything sounds muffled, like I’m under a heavy blanket.

The rough hands grasping my body cause me to flinch, making me think I’m back at Granite Ridge enduring their punishments. My mumbled words do nothing to stop the blurring chaos around me.

“You idiot!” Hazel’s voice breaks through, her words thick as if she is crying .

Cool wood presses into my back. The change triggers nausea, and I jerk sideways in time to throw up on the floor. It’s darker in here, giving some relief to my pounding head.

An older voice speaks nearby, along with Hazel’s worried tone. The words “Concussion,” and “Broken Ribs,” are repeated.

I must be in Sable’s cottage. Good, the healer can patch me up so I can get back to Ember.

“Alright, you can sleep now. I’ll keep an eye on you,” Sable says, brushing my hair back and pressing something to my head. Instantly, the nausea subsides and the pain lessens. Relief soaks through me and my body finally relaxes. Sable fusses over me as I fade into a shallow sleep.