I half-expected her to argue that it wasn’t true, but she didn’t. She also didn’t apologize for what she’d done, because she knew very well that talk was cheap. But maybe she would have said something anyway, had Nate and Sam not interrupted the exchange. “Enough of this. If you have something against us—against all of us—we can settle it later. But right now, Andrea needs to take care of Luna. So get out.”
The twins spoke at the same time, in complete sync. They didn’t come from an Alpha’s bloodline, but it didn’t seem to matter. The strength of their will rivaled my own.
It was a strength born out of rage, grief, guilt, but it was also one that verged on insanity. My mother must have realized this, because she grabbed Alpha Clayton’s arm. “All right. We’ll give you some space if that’s what you want.”
Alpha Clayton didn’t seem very happy with the idea, but for whatever reason, he went along with it. “Very well,” he said. “But make no mistake. This isn’t over.”
Oh, I knew it wasn’t over. It never would be, not until we avenged Luna. But I didn’t reply. I impassively watched my mother and the Wolfsbane Alpha leave the hut, my mind still swirling with one very important question. Where was my brother and when would he actually come here?
Ten
Chapter 10
Samuel
“She’s going to be all right. I’ve purged the poison from her system. She’ll feel weak for some time, though, and I have no way of knowing how it’ll affect her long term, especially since she’s already an Omega.”
I listened to Andrea’s words in silence, barely suppressing the urge to tear her apart. The desire had become stronger and stronger with every second that passed. My lungs were constricting with the maddening need to destroy and avenge, and the sensation had become so intense I could barely breathe.
It didn’t help that Andrea refused to say anything about our pup. “It’s impossible to tell if she was even carrying a litter or not,” she explained. “I’m a healer, but I don’t have magical powers.”
“But assuming she was, what would have happened to the pup?”
Andrea’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know.”
But she did know. The pup’s chances of survival were slim to nonexistent. And it was all their fault, all because the Wolfsbanes couldn’t leave well enough alone.
“You know, Andrea, we saved your life,” I said. “We were banished for it, and Alpha Clayton presumably intends to punish us too. You owe us a debt. You don’t appreciate the gift we gave you so maybe you shouldn’t have it.”
“Killing me won’t change anything,” Andrea replied. “You’ll only make things worse.”
Rowan laughed. “Please. I doubt your death would make that much of a difference in the big picture. You might be this pack’s healer, but Alpha Clayton won’t care about that, not when his main purpose is revenge for his son.”
“His main purpose is to keep this pack safe. That’s why he’s mating your bitch of a mother.”
As soon as she finished the sentence, she snapped her mouth shut and flinched, as if she’d just realized she’d said something wrong. But if she’d wanted to keep her Alpha’s secrets, it was a little too late for that. Alice Savage hadn’t been all that discreet, and it didn’t take a genius to understand what she’d meant and why she was here.
Rowan ignored the comment, but through our bond, he said,“It’s funny that they somehow think it’ll ever get to that. The Alpha won’t let this go, so it’s obvious that we’ll have to kill him.”
“What about your mother?”Nate asked. “Will you kill her too?”
“As far as I’m concerned, she betrayed me. She has to pay the price, even if she gave birth to me.”
“But death won’t be that price, will it?”I prodded. “At least not yet.”
“She’s stolen something precious from me. It’s only fair to pay her back. An eye for an eye.”
I knew exactly what Rowan had in mind, and it made sense. It also worried me. Rufus Savage and Alpha Clayton wouldn’t exactly play fair in this. Nate and I had chased our former leader off for now, but that meant nothing. I wasn’t foolish enough to think we could beat him on his own turf, not when he had the entire pack, and possibly the Firewolves, supporting him.
Rowan knew that too. He couldn’t have missed it. But we were all ignoring the proverbial elephant in the room, hoping our strength would be enough to protect Luna. It hadn’t been, in the past, but we needed to do better.
Right now, we were helpless, and we could do nothing but sit here and watch over our mate. Andrea had given us hope, but it didn’t last.
Not two minutes after Andrea claimed she’d stabilized Luna’s condition, my mate started to convulse on the small cot. Every muscle in my body went rigid. “What is it? What’s going on?”
“I told you her Omega nature was problematic,” Andrea shot back. “Don’t just stand there. Help me pin her down.”
The idea didn’t appeal to me in the slightest. I didn’t trust Andrea to not do something that would hurt my mate. But I’d learned a few things about healing in my years away from the pack—out of sheer necessity—and I knew that at this rate, Luna would hurt herself.
