Chapter 121

Hunters specialize in torture,” Lane was saying. I did my best to listen to him talk, but it was fucking torture to do so. Nolan and Genevieve were out there. I needed to be out there. “Until we know otherwise, we have to assume that she has both Genevieve and Nolan. Beau?”

“You got it, boss,” Beau replied. He stepped closer to the table that me, my brothers, Gabby, and Cade were gathered around. A map of Cedar Harbor was spread out on it. “Are we thinkin’ she’s maximizin’ the pain, or just lookin’ to get rid of a few bodies?”

My stomach turned. Jesus fuck. That wasn’t even something I wanted to entertain.

“Listen up, lady and gentlemen,” Lane cut in. He slammed a hand on the table, making my brothers jump. Cade, Gabby, and I never flinched. “You insisted on being a part of this. The shit you’re about to hear us talk about? It’s not for the faint of heart or the squeamish, understand that? If you plan to pass out, throw up, or be a pain in my fucking ass, leave. Go to the pack house, and get the fuck out of our way, do you understand me?”

“We’re not going anywhere,” Declan growled. I glanced at him. His expression was severe, and his muscles coiled tight as he stared at the map.

“Good,” Lane snapped.

“She’s not looking to dispose of bodies,” I told Beau, hating every single fucking word as they came out of my mouth. “She’s got too much ego for that. She wants to make it hurt as much as possible—for all of us.”

“That makes a fuckin’ difference,” Beau said. Grabbing the pen, he began crossing shit off on the map. “She needs space to fuckin’ work. And she needs somewhere that ain’t near people. Hunters don’t kill civilians. As batshit as this woman is, she ain’t goin’ to break that rule. Not if she’s tryin’ to end all wolves.”

“The port,” I replied. Taking the pen from him, I began circling a series of buildings. “Things slow down this time of year—regulations and weather. Crab boats go out, but they’re out for fucking weeks at a time. It means all of these buildings here… half of them shut down.”

“That one.” Lucas pointed to the last building in a long line of them. “Remember when we were in high school? Matt whatever-the-fuck-his-last-name is threw a fucking party there?”

“Yeah,” Finn replied. “It lasted three days because no one could hear them. The only reason anyone figured it out was because he and half the kids there were reported missing.”

“I ain’t sayin’ she’s there, but that’s where I’d go if I wanted to torture the fuck out of someone,” Beau stated. “Quiet, remote, and because of the fish, it’s got fuckin’ drains.”

“Drains?” Declan frowned.

“Somewhere for the blood to drain.”

“I’m not taking all of you,” Lane announced. “Too many wolves.”

“I’m not staying behind,” Gabby snapped instantly. “Don’t even fucking think about it, magic man.”

“Honestly, if anyone was going to rip out someone’s throat, I’m banking on you,” he replied. I seconded that. Gabby came back fucking fierce and fucking scary.

“You’re not leaving any of us behind,” Declan cut in.

“It’s not the best idea to have all of us there,” I began carefully. “She can control wolves. You saw what she did to Raven.”

“She can’t fucking control me,” Cade said.

“I know, and that’s why you’re with me,” I replied.

“I say bring ‘em all,” Beau interjected. When Lane glared at him, he shrugged. “Look, I ain’t sayin’ it’s a great plan. A great plan would be waitin’ for our guys to fuckin’ get here and take her out like a fuckin’ nuke, but we can’t do that shit, can we? Me? I’m fuckin’ great at torture, but that ain’t goin’ to work here. I should be tryin’ to shoot her fuckin’ face-off from a distance. You? You can’t do a fuckin’ thing other than punch a bitch. But if you and Killy Boy are fuckin’ beatin’ a bitch… who the fuck is gettin’ them out of there?”

“He’s right.” I hated even saying the words—especially after the happy fucking grin Beau gave me. I’d never hear the end of that shit.

“You don’t know what kind of… condition they’re in,” Lucas said. “I have emergency medical training if needed.”

“So do I,” Finn chimed in. Lucas was dyslexic, which made it hard as fuck for him to study. To help him out, Finn had gone through all the same certifications to give him a study buddy.

“I shouldn’t be there,” Sam told us quietly. It was clear from his pained expression that he knew just how much of a liability he was. “Not in the heart of it anyway. I can drive, but if anyone here is an easy target for her to control, it’s me.”

“Staying with the car is a good idea,” I assured him. “Makes it easy to get the fuck out of there, you know?”

He only nodded.

“I’m the fucking muscle,” Declan muttered. “Things I never thought I’d fucking say. But if either one of them needs to be carried out of there, I’m the best option for that.”

“Gabby, you’ll stick with them,” I told her. When she opened her mouth to argue, I shook my head. “They’re not fighters. Not like you. They need someone to protect them. Genevieve needs someone to protect her and Nolan as these guys get them out of there. Can you do that?”

“I hate this fucking plan,” Gabby shot back. “It’s banking on a lot of what-ifs. Everyone here except these two idiots and baseball boy over here are wolves that can be controlled. It makes all of us weapons against each other. How is this a fucking plan?”

“I have a plan for that,” I said quietly. A really stupid fucking plan—desperate and probably one I’d regret.

I made Lane and Beau follow me into the forest. I knew what I was about to ask of them was controversial as fuck. My brothers would’ve protested in a heartbeat, and I didn’t want to fight them too.

“Come on, Killy Boy,” Beau teased, “if you wanted the two of us alone, all you had to do was take us upstairs.”

“Shut the fuck up,” I shot back. I focused on Lane. “I want you to make me like him.”

That single request was more than enough to knock the smirk right off of Beau’s face. What I was asking probably came across as impulsive and unreasonable. I’d give them unreasonable, but I wasn’t being impulsive. I knew what I was asking of Lane.

“You don’t know what you’re asking,” Lane said. He scrutinized me, watching me closely.

“I know exactly what I’m asking. I can’t fucking end this like I am. But if I’m like him? You bet your ass I can.”

“There’s no going back,” he told me. “If I choose to do this, that’s it. This would be your life.”

“It’s a great fuckin’ life,” Beau bragged, and I resisted rolling my eyes. I wasn’t after it for the same reasons he was. I just wanted to save my fucking family.

“Quiet,” Lane murmured. “Look at me, Byrne—”

“I fucking know what he is, and I know what he’s capable of,” I interrupted. “I want that. I want to know that I can walk into that fucking warehouse and protect what’s mine. I’ll do whatever the fuck it takes no matter the cost.”

Lane stepped closer. That deadly look on his face made my wolf threaten to riot, but I clamped down hard to keep fucking control. His hand dropped to my shoulder, gripping hard enough to make me flinch.

“Look me in the eyes and say it again,” he whispered, leaning in so goddamn close that our noses almost touched.

“Too fucking close, Lane,” I growled.

“Say it again,” he repeated. “Look me in the eyes and say it one more fucking time what you want me to do to you.”

“I want you to do to me what you fucking did to Beau.”

“I turned him into a monster. Tell me you want to be a fucking monster, Killian. Let me hear you say the fucking words.”

“Turn me into a monster, Lane,” I said. Lane fisted my hair. The tightness of his fingers was damn near enough to rip out hair as he wrenched my head to the side.

“Look at Beau. Look at what I fucking turned him into,” Lane hissed in my ear. Beau’s face changed flawlessly, his skin darkening to an ashy gray while his eyes turned blood red. A vicious growl resonated in his throat as he grinned, flashing a mouthful of sharpened fangs. He made a point of flexing his fingers to show off his claws when he crossed his arms. “He’s a fucking monster, Killian. An experimental anomaly designed by yours truly. Faster, stronger, and at his worst… he’s nothing but a fucking beast that I have to lock up in chains to control.”

“He’s fuckin’ with you,” Beau said. Even the sound of his voice was different—gritty and dark. “I like the fuckin’ chains.”

“He’s the first and only shifter I’ve ever changed,” he continued. “I’ve tried several times to replicate him, and you know what they all turn into? Uncontrollable beasts so fucking monstrous without a shred of humanity in them that I had to exterminate them.”

“I’m not them,” I told him, knowing full well he was trying to scare me out of it. “I can fucking take it.”

I could. I would.

“There’s no going back if I do this,” Lane said. He released my hair but kept a hold on my shoulder. I stared him down hard, making sure he understood I was fucking serious. “You do this and there’s no going back.”

“I don’t fucking care.”

“Before I even consider doing this, there are a few things you need to understand. First, I won’t guarantee it’ll fucking work. Magic is unpredictable. It could kill you, it could change you into something you’ll never recognize, or it might not fucking work at all.”

“It’ll work.” I didn’t have a fucking clue if it would, but I was determined to do whatever it took to save my brother and my wife. That was all that mattered.

“Secondly—and this is the most important thing I’ll ever fucking promise you—if I do this and you fucking hurt someone, I will kill you. I will hunt you down and do to you ten times over whatever you do to others. Do I make myself clear?” he asked, and I nodded. “And if I do this, Killian Byrne, your ass belongs to me.”

“I don’t care if you fucking hire me out as a goddamn circus clown,” I retorted. “Do it, Lane.”

He pulled out his knife as his hold on me tightened. My heart hammered faster in my chest while my wolf protested at the tingle of danger dancing down my spine.

“There’s one thing we’ve learned about this fucking process,” Lane said. “It works best if you’re mad.”

“I am mad.” I was. How could I not be?

“No. I need you raging mad,” he explained. “You know what I’d do if I was her? I’d torture your brother first. Sweet little baby Nolan Byrne. Slice him apart bit by bit and make your goddamn wife watch all of it. The psychological torture of that alone is fucking brutal, don’t you think? How much do you think Nolan can handle?”

A violent growl built in my throat, my muscles tensing.

“Only after I exhausted every fucking avenue of torturing him while she watched, I’d start on her. And you know the best part, Killian? She’s pregnant.” My heart damn near stopped with the words. She couldn’t be. “That’s right, Killian. Your pregnant wife is being held hostage by the one person in the fucking world looking to exterminate your kind. What do you think will happen when she realizes she can’t control Genevieve’s wolf? Do you think your wife can survive that fallout? Even if we do manage to rescue her first, the stress may be too much for her body and your baby. How do you think that’s going to ruin her?”

The growl that ripped through me was downright deadly. Any control I had on my temper was fucking gone. Beau’s claws dug into my skin as he held me back as I tried to make a move for Lane.

“That’s right,” Lane murmured. “Get fucking mad and stay that way.”

“Hang on tight, Killy Boy,” Beau snarled. Claws grazed my skin as he moved behind me. “This is goin’ to fuckin’ hurt.”

My entire body begged me to run, but I forced myself to hold still as Lane placed the tip of his blade over my heart. His eyes swam with inky magic, and his mouth moved with silent chanting.

The temperature skyrocketed around us, burning my skin and ripping the air from my lungs. I gasped. As I did, Lane plunged the knife into my chest. The shock was overshadowed by the explosive pain in my neck as Beau sank his fangs into my skin.

I screamed because it hurt. Fucking hell did it all hurt. Every fucking nerve in my body was on fire with more pain than I’d ever experienced in my fucking life.

My muscles locked up.

Something dark weaved its way through my body, fusing to every fucking molecule in my being. Changing them. Molding them. My wolf pushed against me as it pointlessly tried to fight back. It was dragged deeper into my body, torn into pieces by magic. The pain echoed through my scream.

And somewhere in the middle of it all, the sound became something monstrous.