The wolf growled, the amber of his beast shining through. Torren’s muscles locked tight when he saw the other wolf’s claws prick Olivia’s skin, drawing blood. Was this it? Would he have to watch his mate die? There was no way to get her away from the other male without harm coming to her, possibly death.
Torren knew the male wasn’t from his pack, but he had to try something. Anything to save the woman he loved. Drawing from the power of his beast, he let the wolf come forward.
“Let my mate go,” he said, his voice carrying the command of an Alpha.
The other wolf trembled and weakened, but he didn’t release Olivia.
“Let. Her. Go,” Torren said, willing the other wolf to bend to his command.
The wolf released her, falling to his knees, head bowed and body shaking.
Olivia rushed toward him, holding on tight and burying her face against his chest.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured, smoothing a hand down her hair.
“Stand up,” he commanded the wolf. “What’s your name?”
The male stood, baring his throat. “Seamus. Gwen was my everything and now she’s gone.” His voice cracked at the end.
“Torren, we need to find out who killed Gwen. Seamus deserves to know what happened to his mate and why she was killed,” Olivia said.
He smiled faintly. “Spoken like a true Alpha female.”
“Who else knew about Gwen and Seamus?” Olivia asked.
Torren looked at the male, still standing in a form of submission. “Gwen’s father, the Alpha of the other pack. He had to have known. You said Seamus told you that Gwen was forced to mate with me. That means the Alpha had to have known his daughter was seeing someone.”
“And he wouldn’t have wanted anything to mess up his plans, right?” Olivia asked.
“Clever girl,” a voice said from off to the right.
Torren tensed as Gwen’s father entered the clearing.
“Too bad my daughter wasn’t as smart as this one,” the other Alpha said. “No. Not my Gwen. She could have an Alpha, possibly breed the future leader of this pack, but she threw it away for this piece of trash.”
The other Alpha swiped at Seamus, claws extended, and shredded the male’s upper arm. Seamus cried out and fell to the ground, the power coming off two Alphas too much for him to overcome.
“Why force Gwen to mate with Torren?” Olivia said. “You knew she didn’t want him. Why did you care if they were together?”
The other Alpha smiled and it sent a chill through Torren.
“I was biding my time. I thought I could control Gwen. She was ordered to get pregnant with the Alpha’s heir as soon as possible, and once the baby was born a healthy male, I was going to take care of Torren. Naturally as the grandfather to the future pack Alpha, I would step in and guide everyone. I know it was a gamble that she’d be able to get pregnant since they weren’t destined, but our pack hasn’t seemed to have issues with that. Maybe it’s a genetic flaw.”
“You wanted both packs,” Olivia said. “Why? Torren’s pack is rather small, from what he’s said.”
The other Alpha nodded. “True enough. They are small, but they would have added some diversity to my pack. We’re getting too inbred and I need some new blood. Take Seamus here. His father is his mother’s first cousin. I couldn’t let someone like that breed my daughter. But he did it anyway, so Gwen had to be punished. I’d have killed Seamus too, but I decided living without Gwen would be punishment enough.”
“So you killed her,” Torren said, his voice tight. “And then acted the part of the grieving father. What kind of monster can kill his own child?”
The other Alpha waved a hand. “Gwen was a disobedient girl. I offered her a way to a better life, and she spit in my face. You should be furious. The child she carried wasn’t yours. I did you a favor by ending her life. I’d planned to offer you another of my daughters, but I was trying to play my part and give you time to grieve. Then you mated thishuman.” The Alpha practically snarled the word like it was filthy.
“Or I could have freed Gwen and she could have mated Seamus, the way she wanted,” Torren said. “I never wanted an unwilling mate. I’d have never accepted another of your daughters.”
“Since you’ve already knocked this one up,” the Alpha said motioning to Olivia, “it seems you found a woman to spread her legs easily enough. Maybe you should have used some of that charm on my Gwen.”
“Olivia is my fated mate,” Torren said. “And I’d have lost out on having her if I were still mated to Gwen, all because you wanted more power. You knew it was doubtful she’d ever give me a child.”
The other Alpha snarled, his face turning purple. “My pack will die out if I don’t do something. The inbreeding is causing too many health problems, and stillborn babies. My own mate was my father’s youngest sister. I was never given a choice who to breed with. Our pack has never had trouble breeding with non-fated mates, so it seemed reasonable enough that Gwen could carry your heir.”
