Chapter 27
Delilah
I’m antsy as I crouch low, wanting to charge out from our hiding spot, so I can tear Michael’s head off. My mind fills with visions of pure carnage, and I grin.
Michael dies today. Quil's father dies today. My mother will be free; I’ll be free. Then, when we’re done here, we’ll put an end to Avowed servants. Humans will be free to choose their own paths, and Wolves will no longer have absolute power.
“He fucked with the wrong bitch,” I growl through the bond, and Matteo chuckles beside me.
“Calm down, killer. We need to keep our heads level if we’re going to succeed,” Dean reminds me, always the voice of reason.
“Personally, I’d love to watch Delilah rip my father’s throat out,” Quil adds helpfully, and I perk up, smiling at Dean, who looks much less amused.
I watch Coal’s shoulders tense, and Quil’s body has a slight tremble as Michael and the Beta step into view. They keep their distance, not complete idiots, apparently. And I pout. Boo. I was hoping he’d walk over to shake Nero’s hand, and Coal would just rip his heart out.
“Where’s your whore?” are the first words out of Michael’s mouth, and Quil's father laughs beside his Alpha.
“Dead,” Coal says in a cold tone that makes my spine tingle with unease.
“Don’t lie to me, boy, I can smell the stench of her used snatch all over you.”
I cringe, looking over at Matteo. Who says snatch… Weirdo.
“I didn’t come here for this, Michael,” Nero interrupts, taking several steps toward Michael. “My Wolves deserve a spot at your Academy.” When he takes two more steps forward, Michael lifts his hand.
“Stop there.”
Fuck.
Rebecca hisses beside me, and I flinch. I hadn’t even noticed her movements. She’s stealthy. She smirks at me like she knows exactly what I was just thinking.
“If Nero can’t get close enough, it’ll have to be Coal,” she says, and I gnaw on my lip, not liking that one bit. I want Coal far away from Michael.
“Here’s the thing, Nero,” Michael says his name like it’s a joke, intentionally insulting the other Alpha.
“My son didn’t come home last night or all day today.
Neither did his best friend. Now normally, that isn’t something I would notice.
However, when Hector here went looking for the whore’s mother, she was gone too. This got me thinking.”
“That must have been painful,” Quil mumbles, but not very quietly. Michael hears him and sneers.
“Shut the fuck up, you fa-”
“Stop!” Coal snaps, cutting off his father before the homophobic slur can leave his lips.
“Whatever you’re thinking, you’re wrong.
I was with Delilah. I took her to the Coven to beg them to heal her.
When they couldn’t, I spent the night fucking her.
She died hours ago. I don’t like sharing my toys, especially not with you, Father.
” Coal’s words are so far from the truth, but it clearly works, because Michael laughs.
My brain stumbles over the word Coven, and Dean assures me I’ll be filled in later.
“Fucking fool. How’d you manage to survive her death?” Hector asks, but Coal shakes his head.
“I’m the son of a very powerful Alpha,” Coal smirks. “Even if he is a fucking pussy, letting Rogues make demands of him with no consequence.”
“Watch your fucking mouth,” Michael snaps, even though he grins at Coal’s bald-faced lie about him being powerful. Egotistical shithead. “Of course, there will be consequences.” Michael’s eyes narrow before he lets out a whistle.
At first, nothing happens. After a moment of shocked silence, Wolves appear behind Micheal, snarling and looking ready to attack.
“I fucking knew it,” Rebecca hisses, before stripping her clothes off, and shifting. She takes off through the trees behind us to alert her pack.
“What do we do?” I ask, and Matteo lifts his finger to his lips, hushing me.
The bond between Coal and I is cut off in an instant as if he severed it with a knife. I suck in a sharp breath as Quil does the same. Panic seizes my chest, and my mind races as I watch my men take several steps toward Michael.
No, no, no, what are they doing? This is not a part of the plan. They aren’t supposed to get so close to their fathers. Nero and Daniel are supposed to be the ones doing the beheading and heart removal.
Dean grips my thigh like a vice and levels me with a look. “Do. Not. Move.” His words are forceful and filled with Alpha command, but I’m not a Beta or an Omega. I’m a Luna. And there is no way in fucking hell that my men are about to walk into fire alone.
“Keep Quil and Coal away from their fathers. I’m not waiting for backup. Stay hidden until Rebecca returns.”
“Delilah!” Matteo shouts through the bond as I jump to my feet and break through the treeline, no longer hidden.
“You’re never going to believe this, but I woke up in a shallow grave just south of here, and I feel like shit,” I shout, drawing the attention of Michael and Hector right to me. Coal and Quil freeze, but Nero and Daniel are more experienced. They take the opening I provide to charge.
Unfortunately, the sounds of whimpering make them stop mid-stride, as a disgusting smile stretches Michael’s face. I continue making my way toward my men. I’m not stopping until my body is firmly between my mates and their abusers.
“Rebecca!” Nero shouts, about to charge forward as Jessica comes into view, her arm wrapped around Rebecca’s throat, a knife ready and aimed to kill.
“Move and she dies,” Jessica hisses, and the sight of her makes me want to beat her fucking ass. This bitch…
“Bring the other one too,” Michael adds, as a Wolf I don’t recognize drags an unconscious Genny forward.
My blood freezes in my veins, and I don’t dare move.
Fuck.
I hold my breath, fear and panic consuming me.
“The Human whore didn’t die after all?” Hector asks, motioning for me to approach.
“Now, or I kill that one,” Hector points at Genny, and I swallow thickly as my heart races.
Dean and Matteo have cut me off from our bond as well, and I only hope it’s for a good reason.
This is the most alone I’ve felt in weeks, and I hate it.
As I walk toward the sick fucks, I can’t help but feel like they’re not as stupid and disorganized as I assumed. That was a mistake.
We are so fucked. If I step out of place, Genny dies. If Nero acts, Rebecca dies. If any of us attacks, someone will die. Maybe even most of us.
“If anyone has a secret weapon, now would be the time to use it…” I think, even though I’m sure none of them can hear me since they’re blocking me from the bond.
“She’s different,” Michael mumbles, staring at me too closely.
“She’s just gone insane from the fever. The infected bite-” Coal tries, but Michael snarls at him.
“Silence, or I’ll end you.” Michael’s words make Coal shake, and I want to fucking murder him. “Her scent. Is she…” Michael’s eyes go wide as he realizes what I am. Not good.
“You two, both of your scents are all over her. You both mated her!” Hector roars. The Beta storms across the clearing, straight for Quil, and I freak out.
Was it the level-headed thing to do? No. Did it work? Unfortunately.
“Wait! Don’t you want to claim me!” I shout, as I pull my underwear off my legs and hold them up. I’m wearing a dress, which isn’t great for person-to-person battles. It does, however, make it easier for me to get naked quickly, so I can shift.
Coal and Quil's heads snap to me, eyes wide. A mix of shock and horror twists their handsome faces. “If you assholes hadn’t cut me off from the bond, you’d know my plan.”
“You know what I am, claim me and mark me with your scent.” Gag. Just saying those words makes me want to vomit. I really fucking hope my men trust me as much as I trust them. If they don’t, this isn’t going to work.
I grip the hem of my dress, lifting just a bit, just enough for my suggestion to be clear.
The gleam in Michael’s eyes is enough to tell me I have his full attention.
“I don’t share. They’d have to die,” Michael says with a shrug. He’s so casual about killing his son. Heartless.
No. Soulless.
“That will kill me too. Just lock them up, and I’ll be all yours.” The words taste like burning acid on my tongue, and I want to scrub my mouth out with a pine cone.
Coal and Quil look horrified, and my heart pinches. Please let them know me by now. Please let them realize this is a trap.
“You promised me the mark! You can’t claim that Human whore!” Jessica squeals, and I cringe.
I don’t stop moving, not even when the unhinged bitch starts shaking with rage, and the knife held at Rebecca’s throat presses harder. I need to get closer. I need to get my hands on Michael.
I’m nearly there. So close to being between Coal and his father. So fucking close when Rebecca screams, grabs Jessica’s arm, and flips her over. Jessica lands on her back, a loud crack ringing out, and I gasp when Rebecca uses Jessica’s knife against her, stabbing the evil bitch in the heart.
Everything happens in slow motion, and I watch as Rebecca and Nero shift. Then Genny is tossed to the floor as the Wolf that had been holding her also shifts, and the mass of Wolves charge.
Thankfully, Nero didn’t come alone, and his people come flying into the clearing, attacking as well.
Coal charges his father, and Quil charges his. I watch, terrified, as they clash.
I’m pulling my dress off, and shifting in the next second, heading straight for Michael.
“Grab the bitch Luna, and let's get out of here!” Michael screams at his Beta, but it’s too late for them to flee. Coal and Quil reach their fathers and fists fly.
As I charge in my Wolf form, I don’t know who to go after first.
Ultimately I decide I need to take out Michael first. I hate that I feel like I’m choosing between my men.
I’m tackled just moments before I would have reached Michael, though, and as I roll, I feel sharp teeth sink into my thigh. My yelp can’t be held in, and it's exactly what the Wolf who attacked me wanted because it distracts all of my men.