Chapter 11
“You all know why we’ve gathered. It’s been too fucking long, but we’re finally getting justice for Rook,” I announced.
Undertaker was brought to the corner of the lot outside our workshop. I had him chained to a couple of steel beams, arms spread apart, and legs kicked wide. He formed an X in front of the crowd. His body had been pulled tight, and he’d withstand whatever beating the club decided to give him.
I glanced at his face, nothing the absence of emotion. It was hard to tell if the vargulf or the Alpha was in control. I hoped the vargulf because this wasn’t going to be pretty. “Raven. You’re up.”
My V.P. and Rook’s best friend approached from the right. He didn’t say shit to Undertaker before he swung his fist, landing a punch to his gut that I knew had to hurt.
Undertaker grunted. That was it.
Raven jabbed at his jaw and stomach a few times before spitting at his chest. “Fuck you for taking our president. Go to hell.”
A few members grew vocal, agreeing with Raven.
“Hawk.”
Our S.A.A. got his hits in next, using his kickboxing skills to full effect. I don’t think my fucking balls would withstand that kind of attack.
“Talon.”
I called up members one by one. They all took their turn, exacting justice with violence. That was our way of honoring Rook and letting the past go. We had to make peace with it, heal, and move on as a club.
Undertaker dangled by the chains, a bloody, swollen, disfigured lump of flesh. I heard a couple of bones crack during this process. He had a black eye that darkened more with every passing second. Split lip. Bruises. Burns. Cuts. Blood-soaked clothes. A Lot of members spit on him. A couple pissed on him. He fucking stunk.
I almost opened my mouth to tell Carson to begin the spell when the flapping of wings caught my attention. And from the shadows, with a crow perched on each shoulder, Carrion joined us—the last to service judgment.
“They’re ready now,” he murmured.
Well, damn. Crows flew in from all directions. They perched on the roof and dropped to the asphalt, hopping as they cawed. I watched as they formed a mobbing, furious as they continued to squawk and chitter, berating Undertaker for taking Rook from us. A sea of black blinked around us, calming as I heard a single flap of wings.
One lone crow.
A bird I knew as well as my own, but I hadn’t seen him or felt his presence since my father’s death.
Rook’s crow.
My club brothers fell silent. Some lowered their heads.
I couldn’t help watching him approach.
Rook’s crow dove for me and landed on my shoulder. “Kraa.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Carrion cleared his throat. “He came one last time for Rook.”
Fuck. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry.
A dark laugh erupted from Undertaker. “Quite a show. But I don’t think you considered that wolves can break steel.” He snapped the chains that bound him, swinging his arms as he bounded toward me.
I turned to Carson. “Now!”
We anticipated something like this. The vargulf didn’t care if the Alpha was injured. He could heal. Wolves had that ability to a certain extent. Beating him would do nothing to the vargulf. I had to let the club have its vengeance before I could finish with our plan.
Carson lifted his hands as a dark red fog began to slowly leave his fingertips. It traveled on a current of soundless wind, swirling in front of Undertaker a second before it launched toward him. The red fog penetrated his eyes, nose, and mouth. It invaded his ears, sinking into his skin and entering his body.
Undertaker began to convulse. His body shook, gyrating as the spell’s power surrounded the dark entity inside the Alpha.
But the vargulf wasn’t going to leave that easily. I knew that. He roared as he fought the red fog, punching at the air. He hissed and snarled. Somehow, he seemed to grow in size. Inches added to his height. His bulky frame widened.
“Rael!” I called next, bringing in the reapers.
The ground rumbled beneath my feet as Rael, Exorcist, and Patriot transformed into their grims. Their bodies took on the skeletal form of the reaper, cloaked in black. Rising above the ground, they hovered in a macabre trio, suspended in the air as an invisible wind billowed their onyx robes.
My club members stared with curiosity. Most hadn’t seen a reaping before now.
In each hand of the reapers, a deadly scythe appeared. I gulped when I noticed that each sickle gleamed and dripped with blood. Faceless forms seemed to cry out in agony within the blades. They swayed and moved as if in torment and couldn’t stop.
Christ. That was unnerving.
The ground shook again as the crows lifted, giving space to the grims and fissures that cropped up. They tore apart the asphalt and rock, busting the dirt until the cracks gave way and the hole opened wider. Hellfire streamed from the massive opening, opening a one-way ticket to hell.
The vargulf increased his struggles. He howled as he fought, unable to move from his position. “I will take him with me!” He roared.
Sadie ran forward, but Carson grabbed her around the waist.
“Alpha!” Her voice sounded frantic.
“You will be the first to die, bitch!”
The vargulf was a nasty fucker.
“Let him go. Please!”
“No!” The vargulf wouldn’t relent. He was too filled with hate to see that Sadie was motivated by love.
And that was his mistake.
“Caden,” she whispered. “Come to me.”
Caden. The Alpha’s real name.
A horrendous cry launched from the vargulf’s mouth as he opened wide, black sludge spewing from his gullet. It splashed onto the ground, spilling from the Alpha’s body. He shook and jolted, ejecting more of that blackened sputum until nothing more came out. The Alpha, Caden, collapsed. He no longer hosted the vargulf.
The black sludge bubbled and hissed. It began to take shape, forming into the body of a beast. Wolf-like, it rose off the ground on two clawed feet, bellowing in rage.
He didn’t have time to do a thing before the reapers attacked.
The scythes cut through the vargulf’s form, slashing and hacking at the onyx filth. It tore apart like flesh, bleeding with a pus-like texture. The stench of sulfur almost made my stomach retch.
Around us, outside the compound, howls rose in unison, a chorus of wolves that had come for their Alpha. But they weren’t attacking. I caught the glowing eyes that watched. Maybe they also wished for the vargulf to die.
The vargulf’s putrid essence began to fall into the abyss, slowly dropping into the hellfire that popped and hissed. I could swear that it seemed to gobble up those tainted remnants and swallow them down, dropping the vargulf’s body piece by piece into Lucifer’s domain.
When none remained, the fissures closed. The ground smoothed out. Crows took to the air, cawing and cackling in victory. Around our compound, the wolves’ howls joined in the celebration. The vargulf had been defeated.
The reapers lowered beside me, and their dark cloaks, skeletal faces, and scythes disappeared. Rael, Patriot, and Exorcist looked the same as they had before the reaping. Looking at them, you would never know what they hid inside. Well, except for maybe Rael. That fucker was too goddamn nuts to hide shit.
I still liked him. Somewhat.
Carson released Sadie, and she ran to Caden, laying over him as he groaned. His battered body needed a healer.
“Falcon!” I hollered.
“On it, pres. Without that evil thing inside him, I don’t mind.”
Not a soul disagreed.
“Caden,” Sadie sobbed.
“I’ll heal,” he groaned. “Promise, my mate.”
“I can help speed it along if you want,” Falcon offered.
“You won’t mind?”
“You’re no longer the vargulf, right?”
“Yeah.”
“You gonna hurt anyone here?”
“Of course not.”
“Then let me heal you and stop jabbering.”
Caden laughed. “Alright.”
Falcon’s touch spawned immediate improvement. The bruises began to fade. The busted lip smoothed, and the blood stopped dripping from his wounds. Caden sat up, grinned, and finally stood. He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. Within a few minutes, it never looked as if he’d taken such a brutal beating.
I had to say, the guy handled it bravely. He wasn’t a pussy.
“Thank you. All of you.” He reached out for Sadie and brought her close. “I can be with my mate and child now. I didn’t dare to hope it would be possible after all the vargulf had done. You’ve given me a chance at a new beginning.”
Sadie tilted his head down. “I love you.”
They shared a kiss as Carson cleared his throat.
She held out her hand. “And you, also, Carson.”
Caden turned to me. “The deed.”
Yes. I knew he would want it. “You’ll be in a contract with me to pay back the money, but the land is yours. I don’t need or want it. Rook never did. He only wanted to bargain for the vargulf to leave our club alone and drop his vendetta.”
“I don’t know if I could be as generous and forgiving as you.”
“You would have. We both want the same thing. Our women, club, and peace.”
“You’re right.”
I handed over the deed as Caden opened his mouth and howled. His pack joined him.
I turned to the Devil’s Murder, finally feeling free. On the faces of my club members, I found the same burden had been lifted. Rook had been avenged, and our enemy vanquished.
This was a good fucking day.