My thoughts drift to what Jadick said about muting my wolf on purpose. Making me weak.

  “No, just stay put until everything’s in motion,” he says, and I refocus on the conversation. “Mac’s doing great,” he adds.

  I stiffen.

  Why is someone asking about me?

  “Is that my mother?” I ask just as Jadick says, “Very good,” and disconnects the call. He glances at me.

  “This will all be over soon, Mac. And when it is, your mother will be returned to you unharmed. You have my word.”

  He turns away from me to look out the window, signaling he’s done with this conversation. I stare at the smooth skin of his cheek and fantasize about ripping it open with my claws.

  Bloody, slashed skin oozing…

  I comfort myself with the silent promise that I’ll make my dream a reality. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll get my strength back, and I’ll use it to make sure he can never hurt or manipulate anyone again.

  He’s right.

  This will all be over soon.

  Despite my nerves and the incredible weight of what’s at stake, a wave of nostalgia washes over me as we drive through downtown. It’s shocking considering I spent nearly my entire life hating this town. But now, returning after everything that’s happened is making me feel a strange sense of connection. If not to the people, then to the land itself.

  We pass the town hall where a sign stands that reads: Blackstone, population 1598. Est. 1836.

  But that’s a lie.

  Our pack has lived on this land for much longer than that.

  And our numbers are much lower these days.

  Unless you count the Jades that are sneaking back in as we speak to battle it out with the ones who’ve chosen to stay. The mateless against the mated.

  Rebels versus Romantics.

  We’re about to see if our alpha was right all those years ago about rejection making us stronger.

  “Do you ever think about Lacey?” I ask.

  Jadick looks over at me, startled. “What?”

  “Lacey. You must miss her. She was your mate.”

  “She was my fated. Not my chosen.”

  He makes it sound like he’s comforting me. Stroking my ego, even. He thinks I’m jealous of a dead girl?

  “Yes, but the loss cuts deeper when a fated dies, doesn’t it?”

  “I never claimed her.”

  “Would you have if she’d lived?”

  His expression shutters. “Why are you asking me about her?”

  I shrug. “I heard Thiago had her killed just to hurt you. I was wondering if it worked. If being a Romantic made you weaker like your father believed.”

  His mouth tightens. I’ve struck a nerve.

  “My father was wrong about a lot of things,” he says quietly. “But I was never a Romantic.”

  It’s not until we’re idling at a red light at the base of the hill that it dawns on me how empty the streets are. No traffic. Not even a pedestrian.

  I kick myself for not being more alert, but my wolf barely stirs even when I berate her.

  Dammit.

  The light turns green. Gregario drives the speed limit, no more, no less. But he’s tenser now. Stiff and silent with anticipation. So is Jadick.

  We’re close.

  This is it.

  We drive straight to the alpha house.

  Kari’s army either lets us or has been otherwise detained.

  There’s no one to stop us from pulling right up to the front door, but Gregario drives only to where the straight-a-way begins to curve and stops.

  I look at Jadick, but he’s staring through the windshield at the alpha house.

  His house.

  Once upon a time, it had been a plantation home. Southern antebellum charm drips from the white columns that frame a large front door. Below that, long, low steps beckon like a white marble carpet to greet us. The steps, like the porch, wrap all the way around. To the right, a sharp corner cuts away before a tall fence rises up for privacy. To the left, the steps flow with the gently bending shape of the house where a side entrance is barely visible from where I sit.

  Those steps and that side door are the last places I saw Levi.

  My shoulder twinges as the memory threatens to suck me under.

  Kari shooting Thiago. Taking Levi. Shooting me.

  I hate how I’ve returned, but at least, I’ve finally made it.

  Somewhere inside this house is my mate.

  I’m coming, I think, hoping like hell it’s not too late.

  CHAPTER 18

  A breeze tickles my cheeks as I get out of the car and step up beside Jadick. Gregario steps in front of us, but Jadick nudges him out of the way.

  “Kari Clemons, I challenge you for the role of alpha,” Jadick calls out to the empty yard.

  My heart pounds wildly in my chest as his crisp words ring out sharply against the quiet.

  A beat of silence follows as we wait for a response.

  My muscles are coiled tight, ready for an attack. I scan the rooftop, searching for snipers or some other underhanded tactic. But there’s only the three of us standing drenched in sunshine and pre-meditated murder.

  When Kari doesn’t appear, Jadick twitches restlessly beside me. I wonder suddenly if her entire strategy is to ignore us. It’s brilliant, honestly. Because the worst torture I can think of for someone like Jadick is to pretend he doesn’t exist.

  But then the door opens, and Guy and Lenny walk out along with four other security guards armed with guns. My rage finally has a visual target. I glare at them with what I hope is the force of my threat against them comes to life. But then my attention is fractured. Pulled away to someone even more terrible.

  Kari.

  Her hair gleams in the sun, her skin glowing and her eyes alight with what I can only imagine is a hunger for our heads on a plate. But even though I know logically that she hates me—that she’s the monster we’re here to slay—her face is too familiar to fear.

  I hate her as much as I once loved her. And I think I might love her still.

  In this moment, I realize it’s a good thing Jadick doesn’t expect more from me than this—a trophy draped over his arm.

  He has to be the one to destroy Kari. And for the first time since it all began, I finally believe he intends to do it.

  “Hello, brother,” Kari says, her voice dripping with disdain as she faces off with Jadick.

  “I challenge you, sister, for the role of alpha. Do you accept my challenge?” he asks.

  She grins. “I’ve lived for nothing else.”

  Hope drives my anticipation to a crescendo. My normally cool nerves kick into overdrive. Adrenaline courses through me, filling my veins with enough strength to close the gap I’ve been struggling with for weeks.

  I don’t need my wolf. I just need Jadick to fucking win so this adrenaline can carry me to wherever they’ve tossed Levi.

  I’m not leaving here without him, no matter what my bargain with Jadick demands.

  “I’m ready when you are,” Jadick says.

  At his words, Kari’s men raise their guns and aim them at Jadick’s chest.

  My breath catches.

  “Or,” Jadick adds, “do I overestimate your sense of honor?”

  “Honor?” Kari snorts. Her gaze flicks to me for the first time then quickly back to Jadick. “We’re long past honor, aren’t we, brother? Years of torture at your hands. A lifetime of pain and beatings. A childhood absent of love. Full of hatred even from my own bloodline.” She gestures to the guns. “You’re a fool to expect anything less.”

  “They won’t follow you for long,” Jadick warns. “Not if you win like this.”

  I try not to think about the hypocrisy of his argument. Mostly, I try not to think about what will happen next if Kari tells her men to fire.

  “I don’t need leadership advice from a guy who runs away from his problems,” Kari says. “And what’s this?” she sneers at me. “Are the two of you friends now? Or did you sell your soul to him in order to get your precious mate back?”

  I shudder, wondering how the hell she can know me so well when I don’t know her at all. Or maybe I do; I just refuse to admit it.

  “Jadick and I want the same thing,” I say coldly.

  “Ah, you’re both in love with Levi then.” She smirks.

  “We both want to see you bleed,” I say with a snarl.

  Her smile vanishes. “You’ve allied with the devil, Mac.”

  “A little hypocritical, don’t you think?” I snap at her.

  She studies me then looks back at her brother. “We’ll see,” she murmurs.

  And then to her men, she says, “Aim.”

  My breath stalls. My chest squeezes tight. The bitch is really going to gun us down like this. I don’t know why I ever expected more from her. She’s shown me her true self, and I’ve yet to really believe it.

  Behind me, a noise draws my attention. I glance back, not wanting to take my eyes off Kari and her mercenaries, but the noise is loud, and the possibility of another threat is too great to remain still. What I see makes me forget all about keeping my eyes on the enemy.

  Black Moon pack members converge, a few walking down the road on foot with cars full of them following slowly behind. Most pour from the woods.

  Wolves.

  In all shapes and colors.

  Witnesses.

  I look at Jadick.

  He ignores me, grinning back at Kari, satisfied.

  “You brought an army?” she demands, eyes narrowed. “After all your bullshit about wanting a fair fight?”

  “These are not my soldiers,” Jadick says. “Yet.” Kari glares at that. “These are Black Moon pack come to pledge their loyalty to the new alpha.”

  “Who told them to come?” she demands.

  She glances from Jadick to her own men uncertainly.

  “I did,” Jadick says. At Kari’s confusion, he adds, “My alpha call is strong enough to reach them. Even without the crown on my head, they can hear me. What does that tell you about the rightful heir, sister?” She doesn’t answer, and he pushes her harder, taunting her with the reminder, “Pack law says my challenge must be met by the alpha only. With the pack as our witness, what do you think they’ll do when they see you cheating your way to the top?”

  I can feel Kari’s hesitation, and as it stretches into indecision, I know she’s realized the guns are no longer a smart option.

  With a sharp nod at her men, she says, “Put them away.”

  Jadick looks focused now. Ready.

  “Come and fight me,” he urges her.

  “Gladly.” A fire rages in her eyes as she makes her way down the steps. Over her shoulder, she orders her men, “If Mac so much as twitches a finger toward the fight, shoot her.”

  Bitch.

  The crowd closes in until a circle surrounds us. Jadick nods at Gregario, and he grabs my arm, pulling me back to join the others on the fringes. In the center of the space, Jadick and Kari face off.

  Kari’s claws are the first part of her body to shift. A second later, she’s a wolf, landing lightly on four paws and shaking out her sandy coat until her fur stands on end. She swipes at Jadick, who shifts a second slower. But his attack begins the moment he’s taken the form of his beast—and it doesn’t stop.

  I have no idea what I’d expected. Part of me wondered if Jadick had some trick up his sleeve. Some way to get out of this physical altercation. He’s deadly, but something about him always seemed unwilling to engage.

  I was wrong.

  He’s relentless in his determination.

  And so much stronger than I’d anticipated.

  Maybe that’s been his strategy all along. By not fighting Kari, he offered an illusion, a rebuttal to her claims of violence. How could a man so unwilling to fight her be guilty of the abuse she’s accused him of? But it’s perfectly clear now. The way he dominates. The way he tortures and plays with her even as he fights for the upper hand.

  In less than five minutes, he draws first blood. A short but deep-looking gash on Kari’s shoulder.

  She makes a sound of pain but then shakes it off.

  Her cry slices through me. Another reminder of what Jadick is to her. What he’s made her become in order to survive him.

  They clash again, their grunts and growls vicious now.

  Kari slashes her claw across Jadick’s snout, and the shallow cut bleeds immediately, dripping down his mouth and into his own black fur.

  I stand stiffly beside Gregario, rigid with anticipation.

  There is no good winner here. Neither deserves to live after what they’ve done, but I root for Jadick anyway. He’s the only one who will give me what I want when this is over.

  Kari is swift and cunning—a better fighter than I ever knew. Another thing she hid from me. But Jadick is brutal and merciless. Quick to exploit a weakness. As I well know.

  When he can reach it again, he swipes at the same place he’s already injured her. This cut slices twice as deep, and on the heels of Kari’s cry, she stumbles. Her leg barely holds her weight now. She limps, trying to compensate, but the injury is clearly setting her back.

  Jadick circles her.

  It’s only a matter of time now, but there’s no honor left in his attack. He’s playing with her. It’s disgusting, no matter what I think of my former friend. He is exactly what she’s accused him of being: a monster. Her monster. If nothing else about our friendship was real, this is. Kari bearing the brunt of her family’s evil treatment. No wonder they drove her to such lengths. No wonder she’s beyond caring about anyone but herself.

  In the center of the crowd, Kari’s eyes are exhausted—and resigned.

  She does everything but lie down at his feet.

  Still, Jadick doesn’t kill her.

  Not yet.

  His advance is slow, his gaze on the crowd. He wants us to know he’s already won. That killing her at his own leisure is a luxury he’s earned. He wants us to see it as power. Instead, I hate him far more than I ever did. Only a monster kills something too weak to stop it.

  He does a full lap around Kari, playing to the crowd, who’s going wild for this show. Our pack has never shown their blackened hearts so fully as they do now. Their cheers, growls, and howls aren’t quite supportive of Jadick, but they also don’t mind another Clemons in the dirt. So, it’s close enough, and Jadick preens for them.

  Finally, he loops back around to where Kari stands, head hanging, body heaving with labored breaths. Blood drips from the deep wound on her shoulder, her fur matted with it and caked with dirt.

  She looks beaten.

  Jadick looks like he’s already won.

  He’s so convinced of it, in fact, that he never sees her coming. She waits until he’s standing over her, still playing to the crowd, and then makes her move. She launches herself upward where his throat is just above her head and latches on. Her teeth sink through flesh, and I don’t need my wolf’s instincts to know the bite will be fatal if she manages to hold on.

  “Kari? Kari, is that you?”

  The voice is female and full of urgency.

  I don’t recognize it, but Kari immediately releases Jadick. She turns, searching wildly for whoever spoke.

  “Jadick.” The woman’s voice comes again, this time with recognition.

  He, too, is searching the crowd.

  Everyone around me does the same.

  Halfway across the circle, onlookers are jostled, and two figures push their way to the front. A woman steps into view, and the shock of recognition startles me despite the fact that I haven’t seen this woman in years. Brown curly hair hangs down her back. It’s longer than when I last saw her. Wherever she’s been, it’s done her good. She looks healthy. Cheeks and hips filled out. Clear eyes that are nearly unmarked by the harsh life she once led here. But the same deep lines I remember from before are still etched into her forehead and the corner of her eyes. Worry lines. Evidence she isn’t one of us—not really. Even after ten years gone, Marilyn Clemons is still the picture of gentleness.

  She is pure-hearted; nothing like the rest of us.

  She is the antithesis of her children.

  Jadick and Kari both gawk at her, their glowing eyes wide with shock.

  The crowd is hushed, but that doesn’t last long. Within seconds, murmurs go around, and a few people press in to get a closer look at the late alpha’s wife.

  Then a second figure is there, shoving them all back.

  “Back up.” Vicki Quinn. Safe and sound and looking like she’s ready to do damage. “Give her some room, or I’ll move you myself,” she threatens.

  My mother is a force. Her reputation precedes her, but even if it didn’t, there’s no doubt she means every word she’s saying.

  Marilyn Clemons approaches her children slowly. A shepherd come to gather her evil sheep.

  “Oh, Kari,” she says, dropping to her knees and putting an arm around Kari’s bloodied shoulders. Kari, still in wolf form, nuzzles in close for a hug, and Marilyn’s eyes close as emotion overtakes them both. A tear squeezes out of Marilyn’s closed eyelid and slips down her cheek.

  Then she looks up again, smiling at Jadick.

  He shudders, his body suddenly losing its shape as he shifts back to human form.

  “Hello, mother,” he says.

  But he doesn’t move to embrace her. Instead, he looks down at his sister.

  “Yield,” he says, his voice ragged and raw. In human form, his throat bleeds profusely from her bite. But he doesn’t seem to notice or care. “Yield, and I’ll let you live.”

  Kari snarls up at him.

  “Fight me, and I’ll kill you both,” he warns.

  Marilyn flinches, but she doesn’t look quite as surprised as she should.

  My jaw, however, drops open.

  The crowd shuts up.

  I cast a glance to where my mother still stands very near where Marilyn kneels with her daughter. Vicki’s gaze is locked on Jadick, her hand hanging stiffly at her side. My eyes lock on the long blade she has strapped to her hip, and I realize with a start she’s not here to help reunite a broken family. She’s here to break it some more should Jadick order her.

  This is where she ran off to.