Chapter Six
Scepter returned to the outer office once he sensed Starla and the others were gone.
“Why don’t I unfreeze them? We’ll see if they admit to you what they’d planned to do after they realized that their prize had gone missing, and how they react to coming face-to-face with the woman they’d thought they’d killed.
Let’s see if they freak the fuck out or lie like professionals.
” Savage’s voice held the low growl Scepter knew meant he wanted to hurt someone.
“What do you mean?”
He really didn’t care to watch the female and his Boss as they danced around one another.
The scents were so strong with the mating need. Scepter swore he could choke on it. He cleared his throat.
Aurora looked over at him, then back at Savage. Her face bloomed with a blush.
Aurora licked her lips and smiled. Savage growled and then shook his head. He obviously remembered what he needed to do before Scepter had to take control. Thank fuck.
“You keep teasing me like that, Vita Mea, and I’ll be damned if I can keep a cool head. You really don’t want to test me on this.”
“Then don’t think things like that.” She poked two fingers toward her eyes, then at Savage.
“C’mere,” Savage murmured.
As Scepter stood there with his arms crossed in front of him, he held his tongue as Savage created a chair similar to his throne out in the main space of the club.
The large, black, leather seat easily held him with room for Aurora to sit beside him if he’d wanted. Nevertheless, the Boss patted his lap.
“Is that a pole in your pocket, Savage, or are you just glad to see me?” she asked.
“I’ll show you what’s in there later, unless you keep wiggling, and I’ll strip us both naked and...”
“Would you like me to come back?” Scepter asked.
“No. It’s her fault. She’s tempting me.”
“Your dick is the one throbbing under my ass, Savage.” Aurora shifted, making Savage groan.
His eyes snapped to Scepter. Ready?
Scepter gave a nod.
“Hello, boys,” Savage said after unfreezing the shifters.
The largest of them glared at Savage and then at Aurora. Scepter watched the shifter’s bright blue gaze narrow.
The alpha took a step forward, the anger evident in his fisted hands. Scepter moved to stop the idiot, but Savage held up his hand. The other males glanced at one another, then at Savage and to Aurora with something akin to horror, as if they were regretting their life choices.
Smart wolves.
“What the fuck is going on? Where the hell is our female?” The alpha raised his arms out to his sides, nodding toward Aurora. “Who the fuck is she?”
Savage remained silent, letting the shifters stew in their own doubts and insecurities.
His lips stretched into a smile as he ran his hand in a possessive gesture along his female’s leg.
Scepter had seen the other male do the same maneuver many times before, minus the female in his lap.
Savage was very good at staring down an enemy until they squirmed and started spewing all their sins.
If this fucker thought he could intimidate Savage with his anger or bellowing, he’d be sorely disappointed.
One of the other shifters clumsily got to his feet, eyeing his alpha as if asking for permission to move. Scepter felt the air stir and knew they were speaking to one another. Not that it mattered since neither he nor Savage would be making them buddies.
The alpha’s eyes blazed brighter as if whatever was said shocked him.
“Mmm, did your little buddy just tell you that my female is the same one he and your little crew tried to kill?” Savage asked.
“I’ll ask again, and this time I want a real answer. What the fuck is going on around here?” A growl rattled up from deep within the shifter’s throat.
Scepter moved forward, letting the others grasp the knowledge that Savage wasn’t alone. Although Savage could handle the males without breaking a sweat, Scepter knew his Boss would hate to kill them in front of Aurora.
“Why don’t you tell me why you came here with a female who wasn’t here of her own freewill, in tow? And before you think to make demands of me again, should I remind you that I can, and will, kill all of you with the snap of a finger.” Savage narrowed his eyes.
Scepter peered over and noticed his blue orbs were the burning red of his beast. He looked back at the shifters, watching them move nervously at Savage’s show of anger.
The sound of their shallow breathing filled the room as they watched the Boss.
Scepter wanted to laugh at their fear. Savage growled, his anger growing in volume.
At that point, Scepter made a small move toward the chair where the duo sat.
If Savage decided to launch himself toward the males, he’d need to be in place to protect the female.
“Savage, would you like me to escort your female into your inner sanctum?” he offered, knowing she’d be safe within the space.
“No,” Savage said—his voice like gravel.
The shifters flinched back as if Savage shot them with flames.
“I’m right here, Savage,” Aurora whispered, wrapping her arm around his neck, the other she pressed against his chest, right above his heart.
Scepter met her gaze over Savage’s head. “Good female,” he said to her.
“Yes, she is.” Savage gripped the back of her head in one palm, bringing her face close to his. “Woman, you are going to get your ass spanked.”
She wiggled her brows but stayed quiet.
“I’m still waiting for one of you to answer my question, shifters. In fact, I don’t give a fuck which of you does it. Should I repeat myself?”
“Just so you know, he doesn’t like to wait.” Scepter let out a sigh. “I don’t either, for that matter, and I’m getting really tired of standing here.”
“A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.”
“Oh my gawd, you are a geek.” Aurora squealed. “If you had hissed when you said that, I’d have totally jumped your bones.”
“I’ll hold you to that after we finish with these boys.” Savage gripped her chin.
“I got your boy, bloodsucker,” the alpha said, his voice a deep-throated rattle.
“You don’t want me to force your compliance, boy. Trust me, I am being much more patient with all of you than I normally would. If my female weren’t here, I’d probably have already drained all of you and been done with it.”
Any sane being would’ve backed down, but the fool before them puffed out his chest like he had balls of steel. Savage smirked toward Scepter, shaking his head.
“I wasn’t part of the killing of your females,” a male with a strong aura said from the side.
Scepter watched as a memory flashed through the alpha's mind, so faint, half-formed, it was hard to figure out if it was his or one of the others whose memory he saw.
The vision made him clench his teeth as several males surrounded three of his clan. The females were young and vulnerable. Their fear was palpable. They’d promised to protect them, yet they’d failed.
“Continue,” Savage bit out.
“I believe our alpha told you about us finding the young female?”
Savage gave a nod, holding a firm hand on Aurora’s hip. “Let him speak, Vita Mea.”
“He wasn’t part of the group who...who tried to kill me. I think he tried to convince them I wasn’t a liability.”
“Every wolf needs a pack. I’m aware it’s not a good excuse, but for five years, I searched for a place to belong until I found it.
For years, I tried to ignore my shifter side, pretending I was human when in truth I teetered on the edge of shifting in the middle of their world, hoping I didn’t burst into my wolf.
Hell, there were days I could feel my wolf doing his damndest to crawl out of my skin while I fought to push him down.
It was a struggle to control myself until I finally made peace with both halves.
So if you haven’t figured it out by now, I wasn’t born a shifter.
I settled into this crew, thinking all shifters were like me.
It didn’t take me long to realize, really fucking quick, I was the odd one out. ”
“What’s your name?” Savage asked.
“You want my name before or after?”
“I want your name.” Savage showed him respect. Scepter nodded, knowing the male might actually get to live.
“Quinn. My name is Quinn, but they call me Graves.” He blew out a breath, then settled into a crouch, his elbows resting on his knees as if it pained him to admit the truth.
Savage nodded his head. “You’re good, Quinn.
In life, we’re given choices, and sometimes they feel more like shit than gold.
Still, manure adds nitrogen to soil as it breaks down, supplying essential nutrients for plant growth and improving soil organic matter.
Without good shit, you don’t get growth, my friend. ”
“Sheot, Savage, don’t try and wax poetic on us, you suck at it.” Scepter let out a deep sigh and shook his head.
“No, it’s actually true,” Aurora agreed.
“See, she’s smart.” Savage kissed the side of Aurora’s neck.
Quinn blinked bright eyes at them. “Yeah, I get what you’re saying.
“I don’t give a rat's ass about any of that shit. We brought a female shifter here for you, and now she’s gone. Where the fuck did you take her?”
“Scepter, can you shut that fucker up for me, please. He’s giving me a migraine.” Savage grinned.
“Fuck yeah. It’s about damn time.” Scepter clapped his hands together.
“Wait,” Alpha Garrison said, holding his palms out.
“What could you say that I want to hear?” Savage stood, placing Aurora in his chair
“I didn’t have anything to do with the death of your females.
When I found out, I mobilized my males and was on my way here to make amends.
I was going to offer you some of our blood and agree to be in your servitude until you decided the debt was paid.
We came across the female by chance, and I thought—”
“You thought we killed humans and kept shifter females as blood slaves. Alpha, I would give you a second chance if you hadn’t tried to kill my female.
However, I recognize, by looking into your mind, you have zero empathy for the lives of those you perceive as inferior to yours.
You run your pack as if you and your kind are top of the food chain, which is where you’ve fallen short.
If I thought you were salvageable, I’d allow you to live.
Sadly, you and two of your males are not redeemable. Do you know which two I speak of?”
Alpha Garrison began to shift, his claws grew, and then he roared.
Savage flicked his hand, breaking the wolf’s neck, then ripped its head from the body.
Before blood could spray all over his pristine office, he waved both halves into the other room.
Through their link, Scepter heard him call for one of the lesser vampires to collect the wolf.
They’d bleed him dry and use his blood as payment for one of the females.
His alpha genes would be good for their blood collection.
After they drained the fucker, they’d burn the body.
Nobody would miss the worthless piece of shit.
Two more wolves entered the room in front of one of their enforcers. Savage glared at them as they whimpered and dropped to their knees.
“Enough. If I were unwilling to give your alpha a second chance, what makes you think I’d give it to the likes of either of you?”
“Boss, if you keep killing all these wolves in here, we’ll have to renovate the entire upper level of the club.” Not that he’d care. He’d gladly fork over the cash if it meant ridding the world of the fuckers.
The two shifters stared back at Savage as if they were unafraid.
Scepter snorted, noticing the resemblance in them.
While the older male kept his dark hair clipped close in a high-and-tight style, the other’s was slightly longer but the same shade of dark brown.
They both wore camo and a brown shirt with a pocket on the front.
They looked enough alike to be brothers.
The younger one had several rings on his right hand and a shit-eating smirk on his face that Scepter wanted to wipe off with his fist.
“You two related?” Savage asked the pair.
“Yeah. I’m his older brother. If you want to blame anyone for the whores’ deaths, I’ll take it. He followed me like always.” The male with the short, cropped hair gritted his teeth but held Savage’s gaze.
“Why did you kill them? My clan are not easy targets, even the females,” said Savage as he stepped closer to the pair.
They looked at one another, then back at Savage. He waited for an answer, knowing their reason already, but wanting them to voice it.
“We didn’t think they mattered. They’re females.”
Scepter smirked. As Savage’s right-hand man, he knew females were every bit as important to their clan and could tell Savage was ready to end their lives for their callous disrespect of women.
They were shifters who, as part of a pack, should respect and know females were important.
How the fuck didn’t these idiots realize the truth of such an apparent reality?
Scepter didn’t understand how they’d lived this long without getting killed.
The male, Alpha Garrison, sucked at his position.
“Whether they have tits or not, all beings matter, boys. If I thought you had a smidgen of hope, I’d offer you salvation.
However, it’s just not in the cards for either of you.
What I will do is make it quick and painless.
Like I did for your alpha, since you were both brought up to think the stupid shit you do.
” Before either could spout more shit and piss him off, Savage ended their lives.
“Scepter, don’t give me shit about redoing my inner office. I’ve already called for the lesser vamps to collect the blood of these fools.”