Chapter 29
DOMINIK
“Motherfucker!” I roar, slamming the book shut. Blood pumping, I swipe it off my desk with my forearm, clearing it of all its contents.
I stayed up the entire night rereading Ancient Remedies for Lycanthropy to try and catch what I missed. Why I failed on the full moon.
I’ve traveled the world to consort with witches, recited spell after bullshit spell, smoked wolfsbane for a month straight, even injected raw silver, all to no avail.
The only new suggestion I found in the book was a ritual to cleanse the blood with the illunis leech, native to the rainforests of Mongassi.
Wasting no time, I took the first flight out of Hichano and headed straight for the tropics.
When I found a witch willing to chain me down and procure the bloodsuckers, I had foolishly latched onto hope as fervently as the mongrels who fed on me.
Drained nearly to completion, my wolf had been too exhausted to shift.
But deep down in my soul, he remained. Since returning to the loft, he’s been seething, using my ribcage as a punching bag.
Sinking back into my leather chair, I assess the disarray around me. Clothes piled on the floor. Dishes abandoned in the sink. Empty bottles on the windowsill. Nearly a dozen of them. Silverfire. I’m a mess.
Heavy footsteps thunk down the hall, slowing as they reach the doorway. When I hear a jingle from the other side, I spring up out of my chair. Axe wiggles the door open, beating me to it.
Dammit, why did I agree to let him make a copy of my loft keys?
Wiping his black boots on the mat, his eyes pan across the living room, jaw stiffening. Oh, he can smell the liquor on my breath alright.
He clears his throat. “You haven’t answered either of my calls.”
I bend to shuffle a stack of invoices and carry them back to my glass desk. “It’s nice to see you upright, brother. Demi tells me you survived another silver bullet.”
“Two, actually.” Squaring his shoulders, he flicks a tuft of dust from his jacket. Breathes deeply. “This weekend, your presence is required at the Great Lodge. Vessa and I are making an announcement to all members. You’re still one of them, if I recall.”
The wolf beneath my skin hisses. “What announcement?”
Sapphire slices into my gaze. “Vessa is to become Luna Superior. She accepts the bond.”
“That’s . . .” I shift my gaze to the floor, mentally thrusting back against the animal. My hands grip the armrest for support, hard enough to puncture the leather.
“Like it or not, this is her decision. And this is the best way we can ensure her protection.”
“So she agreed not because she has genuine feelings for you, but because she can’t protect herself?”
Though I’m struggling, I don’t miss the tautness that courses through every muscle in his body. “Her feelings are none of your concern,” he snarls.
“No? Well, tell me this. Did you bother showing her your true nature before she came around? Or were you afraid that she’d run away from you again?”
A muscle tics along his jaw. But for now, he keeps his anger reined in.
You’re a natural-born killer,” I continue.
“And ever since Vessa stepped foot on our land, you’ve done everything in your power to mask just how much you enjoy it.
She may be human, but once she has your mark, she won’t need an augment.
She’ll be able to see right through you.
” My canines are throbbing, the wolf desperate to spring forth and tackle him to the floor.
To hurl something at him. “You will never care for her more than you do about getting revenge for this cursed family.”
The words hit their target. Axe advances. “I don’t see you doing a damned thing about it.”
Resentment burns in his eyes. Almost ten years it took to rebuild Lupine Manor, and no matter how many times he tried to guilt me into taking part, not once did I bother to lend a hand. Instead, I built a nightclub.
“I let go of the past years ago,” I rebut. “You’re the one who lets it dictate his entire life.”
When I open my mouth again, his hands are around my throat.
“Shut the fuck up for once and just listen to me. This is about the future of this pack. The consequences we will face once Vessa becomes one of us. She will have an even bigger target on her back. If you care about her, which I suspect that you do, you need to understand that I will need your discretion in keeping her safe.”
My brows narrow. “Safe from what?”
He reveals his true reason for coming then.
Vessa’s identity. The reality that not just vampires, but rogue mercenaries are searching for her, far and wide.
All because three thousand years ago, the gods vowed to gift her to the villain that butchered our parents.
To replace the bride that was stolen from him.
“I told you she was different. From the first day . . . Well, at least now it makes sense why her scent is so . . .” I choose my next word carefully.“Compelling.”
“You knew she was hiding something. And you chose to keep that to yourself.”
“When I sensed it at the task force meeting, I thought it had something to do with Childers. She seemed panicked around him. I didn’t want to expose her when things were already tense.”
Axe releases me. Having calmed, his voice stabilizes. “Someone has turned on us. From the inside.”
“What?”
“Jabir and I suspect that someone in Bleeding Sun has infiltrated our firewall, someone who’s had tabs on Vessa far longer than we have. Someone with connections to mercenaries.”
Just as she suspected in the task force meeting.
Venomous rage is spreading through me, threatening to violently take over. I reach for a nearby cigarette, then retrieve the lighter from my pleated pocket. “Is this just between us?”
“As of now, it is.”
Axe doesn't suspect anyone on the task force is compromised, but he won’t risk feeding any outsiders this information. As much as I piss him off to no end, he knows I can be trusted. He needs me there tomorrow to help survey those in attendance. To detect if any scents are awry.
For a moment, I consider the severity of his request. My brother can’t stomach appearing desperate, especially in front of other males. It goes against every single Alpha-inherent tendency. For a decade, he’s known about my augment, yet he’s never asked to use it for his own personal gain.
“Please. Just this once. If anything, it will—”
I raise the cigarette to my lips again. “You don’t need to explain to me why she’s worth it.”
Dipping his head in thanks, Axe turns to exit the loft. Just as his hand grips the knob, my voice brings him to a halt. “You can’t keep putting them off, you know. The Council. By now, they probably have their suspicions.”
He whirls, cutting me with a death glare sharp enough to take my head off. But I refuse to let it intimidate me.
“Think about it, Axe. If Naomi’s puppets learn who she is destined to become, they will take her from us. They could vote to execute her. Tell me the thought has already crossed your mind.”
It is a fate that must be considered. And a possibility that infuriates me at the most primal level.
Rather than acknowledge it, he shows me his back. “When you decide you want to be a legitimate part of this pack again, then I will consider welcoming your unsolicited advice. But until then, leave the Council to me.”
Vessa
I watch the sun’s rays reflect on the bay as we drive through the business district, eventually veering into the dense Malabaht forest. Axe’s truck pulls onto a gravel lot. A row of canoes with spears and fishing nets are docked against the quaint riverbank.
As I crawl out of the back seat, the compound in its entirety comes into view.
A massive bonfire and sacramental tent are visible to the far left.
Several indigenous women laugh with each other outside a small log cabin where clothes and furs are hung to dry.
They wave to Tesni as we approach the stone-carved walkway, leading to a tall dwelling made of cedar planks.
Salmon and bear faces of red, white, and turquoise overlook the lodge’s main entry, flanked by a pair of stunning cedar totems. Wolves.
“If you are to become Luna,” Axe begins, “one thing you need to understand is that this town, this river . . . they belong to the Tilaak people. Not us. As occupants of their forest, we are to respect their culture and defend their land from the greed of outsiders. You’ll come to find that there’s a great deal we can learn from each other. ”
“But above all,” Tesni cuts in, “we are friends.”
Before we enter the lodge, Axe requests Tesni do a quick lap around the property to make sure no other lycan scents are lingering.
The Sentinel dips her head and immediately makes for the trees, stripping off her cargo vest and readying herself to shift.
Axe and I turn away just before her nude form slips into the trees.
My jaw drops as we pass through the doorway, taking in the full scale of the structure.
More wolf totems reside here, as support beams to hold the exposed roof planks in place.
Dozens of wooden tables for communal eating, intricate murals, and animal hides are strung about.
My eyes fix on a tapestry along the left wall.
It bears a raven, similar to the piece framed in Axe’s office.
“The Tilaak call them “koi’yowa,” he points out. “They are typically given to members of the clan who display great valor. For outsiders to receive one is the highest form of flattery.”
My brows perk. “And you were given one of these?”
Axe chuckles heartily. “Gods, no. The one back home was given to my great-grandfather. I can only hope to one day be half the man he was.”
A small woman aged about seventy years sets a long, polished tusk on the top shelf of a display case filled with pottery. As we approach, I note the intricate markings along the bone, illustrating what looks to be an epic tale of warriors hunting whales. It’s a masterpiece.