6. Six

six

I couldn’t fall back asleep after Penn left my bedroom. Between his ominous words of warning and the bizarre dream, my mind wouldn’t settle. Nothing sinister happened in the dream, yet I couldn’t shake the lingering anxiety. Cold sweat bathed my skin. No matter how many extra blankets I grabbed from the closet, I couldn’t get warm.

I let the tears soak my pillow and vowed they would be the last. For now. Grief wasn’t a luxury I could afford. As much as it pained me to admit it, Finneus wasn’t wrong about not making hasty decisions while in mourning. And Penn was right that my father would want me to be strong.

So, I would be tough. For Dad.

Alone in the darkness, in the only place I felt even a little safe, I allowed myself to break down. To let my guard down and allow the anguish to consume me. I didn’t know how many more opportunities I would have to let my emotions run wild, and I wouldn’t waste this one.

When the world outside my bedroom window started to brighten, my eyes were swollen and bloodshot, but also dry. I washed the tearstains from my cheeks in the bathroom sink and then stared at my reflection in the vanity mirror.

It was like the dream all over again. The green eyes staring back at me lacked the spark of life. The cheeks were too sallow. Clumps of knotted blonde hair hung around a face that had aged ten years overnight.

“Get it together,” I snapped at my reflection. I was a little surprised when her lips moved as my voice filled the bathroom.

For a second, my reality felt distorted, like my shifter and my human halves weren’t in sync. I blinked rapidly until the sensation passed.

What is wrong with me?

I splashed more cold water on my face and scrubbed my cheeks dry with a towel. Once the faucet was off, I could hear Penn moving around in the kitchen. Like this was his house. The asshole had become a little too comfortable way too fast.

Incensed, I spun on my heel and marched downstairs, ready for another round of verbal jabs with my second least favorite Williams’ brother. I caught sight of the unfamiliar blanket and pillow he’d stacked neatly in the corner of my couch and briefly envied his ability to sleep.

The man clearly had no conscience.

“What are you doing?” I demanded.

Penn stood in front of the coffee maker, his back to the entranceway. “Isn’t it obvious?” he asked, turning slowly to face me. His gray eyes appraised my disheveled appearance, though his expression remained blank.

“You don’t live here.” I gestured to the gurgling coffee maker behind him. “You can’t just make yourself at home.”

He held my gaze for several beats past awkward, and his lack of emotion filled me with fresh rage. What was wrong with Penn that he couldn’t at least have the decency to yell back when I was so clearly trying to pick a fight with him?

The coffeemaker beeped, signaling it had finished brewing. Penn turned, opened a cabinet, and pulled out two mugs that he filled with the pot’s rich liquid.

“You still take it with cream and sugar?” he asked.

I pursed my lips and remained silent while Penn blew on the steam rising from his mug before taking a sip. The vengeful part of me hoped it burned his lying tongue.

“Finn has called a council meeting this morning,” Penn said once he realized I wouldn’t take his caffeinated olive branch. “I need to be there, so you’ll have to stay in the house while I’m gone.”

“Is that an order from the beta?” I quipped, unable to stop the question before it tumbled from my lips.

Penn’s jaw tightened. He took another long drink of his coffee, eyeing me over the rim. “Yes. It is.” With that, he and his mug slipped out of the kitchen and onto the back deck.

I watched him through the glass doors, seething over our brief exchange. He was as bad as Finneus, barking commands at me like I wasn’t worth the respect of a civil tone. Despite everything, I couldn’t believe Penn was acting like today was the same as any other.

I knew he wasn’t the most touchy-feely wolf—he was definitely a tad on the cold side—but I’d never thought him cruel until now. He could’ve at least mentioned my father.

“Fucker,” I muttered.

The coffee did smell heavenly, and the caffeine would kick my sleep-deprived brain into gear. Still, I refused to accept anything Penn offered. Instead, I dirtied a third mug just so I could leave the one he’d poured on the counter.

I returned to my room and drank my coffee in bed as my mind processed the interaction with Penn. Finneus wasn’t wasting any time asserting his dominance. Loudly and proudly proclaiming himself alpha only went so far. He needed to get the formalities underway before another challenger stepped forward.

If it was anything like the first one after my father became alpha, the council meeting would last several hours. There was a lot of pomp, circumstance, and paperwork involved with such a large shuffle in the ranks.

Finneus needed to sign official documents. So would Penn, as the new Ophiuchus beta. The council would then formally install Finneus as alpha and pledge unqualified loyalty to both brothers. A more elaborate investiture ceremony with the entire pack would follow within the week, potentially sooner.

I’d been very young when my father ascended to alpha, yet I recalled every detail with vivid clarity—from the soft velvet robe Tavin had draped around his shoulders like a burden to the gleaming gold and emerald crown I’d placed on his head.

The rituals were mostly symbolic, but many in our pack truly believed an alpha only achieved the true breadth of his power once all the ceremonies were completed and he claimed a mate. Finneus would want to do both as soon as possible.

I recalled the words he’d said to Penn the previous night, about not wanting the strays sniffing around his potential future bride. Not even twenty-four hours ago, the thought of marrying him hadn’t excited me but hadn’t repulsed me either.

Now I would die before I let my father’s murderer touch me.

The walls seemed to creep closer the longer I sat motionless on top of my comforter, trying not to drown in my increasingly dark thoughts. My wolf hovered just below the surface, demanding freedom we didn’t have. Shifters didn’t do well in small spaces, and my bedroom prison grew more claustrophobic by the second. She needed to run. I needed a release.

Three taps came from the other side of my door. “I’m going next door. Don’t leave until I come back.”

Penn didn’t stick around for a response, like he knew I wouldn’t give him one. I waited for the opening and closing of the front door, and then glanced at the clock to check the time—7:38 a.m. Finneus must’ve scheduled the meeting for eight. Once it was underway, the Williams brothers would be distracted, and I would have a few hours free.

I crossed the room to peer out my bedroom window, which looked out toward Dad’s house. Two men, Elders Rybald and Marteen, shuffled up the front walk, their bodies bowed against the forceful winds whipping through the mountains. I watched as Penn greeted them with a cordial head nod. Both elders inclined their heads to their new beta, a man less than half their ages.

For the next twenty minutes, I stared through the curtains as more elders arrived for the meeting, resentment simmering in my gut. Soon, they would all fall at Finneus’ feet, literally, and fill his already over-inflated head with further delusions of greatness.

Every single one of them deserved the horror show Finneus would bring to our pack.

At 8:01, I slipped into the hallway. I proceeded downstairs to make a circuit of the windows and determine the locations of the guards outside my house. Two strays in wolf form stood on my front porch, with another duo on the back deck.

Disappointing, but not unexpected. Penn knew better than to leave me an easy exit.

From the kitchen, I spied three more wolves patrolling the perimeter of my property where the yard ended, and the woods began. These weren’t strays either. They were pack enforcers. I observed them through the blinds. Belinda’s brother Donnelle jogged over on two legs to join them. One of the wolves shifted into his human form.

Before that moment, I had preferred the idea of people I knew watching my every move over the strays Finneus lured onto Ophiuchus land with promises I didn’t want to contemplate. But having wolves once loyal to my family now doing a traitor’s bidding was so much worse. It was soul-crushing.

“Any problems, Elton?” Donnelle asked, breath coming out in white puffs as he spoke.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on listening through the glass.

Elton shook his head. “Nah. Nothing going on out here.” He gestured vaguely toward the woods. “And Drake knows better than to defy a beta’s orders.”

His tone lacked condescension, but I still took it that way. Everyone expected me to fall in line, like I always did. That wasn’t a bad thing, I decided. The more they underestimated me, the less they would pay attention to me.

“No one’s gone near the house, right?” Donnelle glanced around the backyard uneasily. “None of the strays? Penn was specific about that.”

“Relax,” Elton said. “I heard the orders, too. No one in, no one out. We’re good.”

Donnelle didn’t look entirely convinced. He blew out a long breath. “Just make sure to keep an eye on the back door.”

Elton gave a mock salute as the other man turned and started walking away. “If you’re gunning for a promotion, I’d stop crushing on the girl,” he called. Donnelle’s steps faltered but he kept moving.

I backed away from the window, something akin to a smile on my lips. Donnelle and I were casual acquaintances, yet I wasn’t surprised to learn he harbored a crush. That was both the perk and the curse of being the alpha’s daughter—a lot of men saw me as potential mate material. In my current situation, his feelings could be beneficial.

Another check of the downstairs windows suggested most of the guards remained at designated posts, with only Donnelle and a large gray stray making perimeter rounds. I returned to the second floor and slipped inside my bedroom-turned-closet. The windows there faced away from the alpha’s mansion, toward the side yard and the woods beyond.

My heartbeat quickened when I saw the potential path to freedom. This small slice of my property was unattended, leaving a weak link in the chain of wolves guarding my house.

The gray wolf traipsed through my field of view in four-minute intervals. On every third trip, a brown shifter joined him. Every ten minutes, Donnelle strolled through the snow on two feet.

The gaps in coverage were short, but I only needed seconds to sprint the distance to the fence. If I made it that far and my luck held, I could be halfway down the canyon before anyone suspected I was gone.

Admittedly, this plan wasn’t foolproof. A lot was up to chance, but I was willing to gamble for a taste of fresh air.

I waited for the brown and gray wolves to make their trip. Once their tails disappeared around the house, I unlatched the lock and slid the window open. If my calculations were correct, I had two minutes before Donnelle showed up. Plenty of time.

I slipped out of my clothes and climbed onto the ledge. I could make the jump and land unscathed in human form, but I had much better speed on four legs.

Sucking in a giant breath of icy air, I leapt from the second story window and shifted before I hit the snow. I didn’t pause to look around. My wolf eyes focused on the fence as my paws carried me toward the goal.

Blood roared in my ears and adrenaline poured through my veins. I dared to hope this ill-advised plan might work. When I cleared the fence, my heart leapt with hope. I’d gotten away undetected.

Then, I heard the shout.

“The girl’s loose!” an unfamiliar voice hollered.

“Drake!” Donnelle yelled, the wind carrying his voice. “Where are you going?” He sounded more confused than angry.

Where was I going? It was a good question—one I didn’t have an answer for. My only intention had been to run, to stretch my legs and think.

I registered the two strays an instant before one barreled into my side and knocked me off my feet. Pain shot up my spine as I somersaulted over icy rocks, the sharp points leaving a trail of aching spots. A growl rumbled in my chest as I rolled to my feet to face down my attacker.

The gray stray had a large frame without much meat on his bones. Unsettling yellow-green eyes fixed on me. The brown wolf stood to my left, blocking my only path farther into the woods. Two-on-one wasn’t impossible odds. Still, between very little sleep and even less food, I didn’t love my chances in a fight. That left me with two options : run or submit.

A third stray hopped the fence, approaching from my right. If I was going to flee, this was the moment.

My father hadn’t raised me to be a coward, and I couldn’t bring myself to leave the pack lands behind. The Snake Mountains were my home, and the Ophiuchus needed me.

More strays leapt the fence to surround me. I knew what I had to do, yet my pride made me reckless. The unfamiliar wolves inched closer. My attacker snapped and snarled warnings. When I still refused to bow to him, the circle around me tightened.

“Drake!” Donnelle screamed my name again as he vaulted the fence in human form. His gaze went to the stray. “Beta Williams gave strict orders that she is not to be hurt. Stand down. Now.”

The stray’s eyes darkened, suggesting he didn’t give a damn about Penn or his rules. Apparently, we had that in common. The gray wolf pawed the ground and then charged me.

My muscles tensed, readying for the attack. With his teeth bared, the stray slammed into my shoulder. I rolled to the side, trying to dodge the blow.

“No! Shit. Stop!” Donnelle yelled.

The stray didn’t listen to him, so neither did I. He came at me again, faster and scrappier than I was prepared to handle. This time, he knocked me into the snow and pressed a massive paw down on my ribs. I screeched when one cracked under the pressure.

He’s going to kill me, I thought.

A deep rumble echoed in the canyon, like thunder rolling over the mountains. Then another pained howl filled the air, and the stray no longer loomed over me like the shadow of death. Wheezing, I rolled to my stomach and struggled to stand. An enormous mahogany-colored wolf stood several feet away with the stray pinned beneath his paws.

Penn.

He didn’t give the stray a chance to defend his actions or plead for mercy. Penn didn’t even blink before spreading his jaws and claiming the other shifter’s life.

Disgust dwarfed my pain.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I snapped inside his head.

Penn turned slowly to face me, blood soaking the fur around his muzzle. “I told you not to leave your house.”

“Oh, so this is my fault?”

His golden eyes panned the crowd watching us, his power a palpable weight in the air that held more authority over me than Finneus could ever hope to. The strays and the enforcers all bowed their heads to the beta.

Penn’s gaze landed back on me. “Don’t twist my words. I’m not blaming you for anything except breaking my one rule.” He flicked his head toward the house. “If you won’t follow orders for your own sake, do it for the pack.”