Chapter Twenty-Three
Iran through the town. My vision had narrowed down to right in front of me. People called, but I ignored them. Nix and Megan were both standing at the barrier. Nix had receded enough for me to take control. But they were pressed against the edge of my mind, hackles raised, teeth bared.
Lynn was ours. We brought her here. Nix snarled, and I nodded.
How dare they do this to her? Megan snapped her jaws.
I rounded the corner and the pack house loomed at the end of the drive. I sprinted up the driveway and slammed into the door. The growl I released ripped through the house and everyone froze. The omegas all dropped to their knees and a few doors slammed open upstairs.
I panted in the doorway, then I drew in a breath as footsteps started down the stairs. I screamed at the top of my lungs with all the anger in my body. I felt my hands shift into my claws, my fangs descended, and my eyes shifted. “Where the fuck is Derek?”
Brandon came running down the stairs and slid to a stop when he saw me. “Amy…”
“Bring me Derek.” I screamed. He flinched at the venom in my voice.
“Amy.” He looked around, and I could see the tremble in his hands. I watched as his eyes glazed over, and soon Alpha Vince was coming down the stairs.
I snarled again at his smug face. I pointed at Brandon. “The only reason I am not mad at you is because you were at school. If I had any fucking idea you were involved in this, I wouldn’t fucking look at you again.”
“Amy.” Vince started, but I let out another bloodcurdling growl. He raised his hands, and I watched the color drain out of his face when he realized how close to the edge I was. “Come to my office.”
I snapped my teeth at him. “You fucking dare try to appease me? You were a part of this sadistic fucking game. I call for a Cath Báis. I want Derek’s head.”
Vince’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t…” But he saw how serious I was.
“He’s supposed to be my Beta.” Brandon looked genuinely confused.
I snarled again. “Find a fucking new one.” I spun in a circle, pulling in every scent in this house. “Bring me fucking Beta Derek, or I will fucking tear this place to the fucking foundation. Now.” I screamed again, causing the omegas to tremble.
“Please Amy.” Vince walked closer to me.
“You commanded her silence.” I whirled on him. “She was mine to protect. Mine. She was from my father’s pack, only here to find her mate. But instead you kept her here. Allowing your future Beta to torture her, and you commanded her fucking silence.” I felt my teeth elongate.
Nix, pull back. If you push any farther, you might force a shift. I sent her back calming vibes. She pulled back, but started to pace. But she turned and pushed her voice through my lips.
“Bring me the Beta pup, or I will find him and my judgement will be worse.” Vince shivered at Nix’s voice. But he rallied.
“Nix, I understand, but we saved her by keeping her here.” I laughed, but it was filled with venom.
“You can try to pretend you did this for her. But I am not blind, nor stupid. You kept her from speaking.” I stepped towards him. “How long?”
He looked stupid, fumbling with his words. “What do you mean?”
“How fucking long Vince?” My words dropped to a whisper. “I am holding on to Nix by the tiniest thread here. You kept my wolf here, and your Beta tortured her. And then you commanded her silence so that she couldn’t tell me.”
He tried to work up a smile. “I saved her from being killed by rogues.”
“You think what you are doing to her is any fucking better?” My eyes glowed so brightly I could see the light bouncing off the side of my nose.
“I thought I had time to figure it all out.” His words were whispered.
“You miscalculated.” I snapped.
“Amy.” Brandon came to my side and I saw the look that Vince flashed to him.
These fucking men were dumber than I thought.
Vince was begging him to lie. Pretend to not be involved.
Calm her down. Vince could have screamed it.
That’s how transparent he was with his veiled look.
“I didn’t know.” His words were soft, trembling, begging me to believe him.
I felt his fingers slip into mine and I nearly snarled again. But I held back.
He’s trying to convince you, let him. Megan’s words were deadly. She had a plan forming in her mind. I’ll tell you later. But allow the two of them to calm you down. Agree to allow Derek to live as long as he accepts the rejection and Vince removes the command from Lynn.
Megan. I snarled.
But she shook her head. Lynn deserves his head, but she deserves to be the one to kill him.
Her words stopped me. Are you sure? I will kill him now and save her the trouble.
She found him balls deep in your sister. She rejected him, but he refused to accept the rejection. He then used their bond to torture her for over a year. And Vince here commanded her silence. Megan’s eyes glowed. Yes. Yes, I am sure she will want to kill him herself.
I turned back to Brandon. His hand squeezed mine. “I didn’t know.” He leaned in closer. “But I will help you get justice.” I saw Vince give a tiny nod out of the corner of my eye, and I nearly snarled.
“Promise me.” My words were stiff.
“Come to my father’s office and I swear it. I will help you.”
I turned back to Vince and snarled. “The only reason I am not killing everyone in this fucking house is because your son is my friend.” Vince nodded. Then he turned on his heel and went back up the stairs, stiffly.
Brandon smiled. “I’m your friend?” His words were soft as his thumb rubbed the side of my hand. “Just a friend?” He lifted his hope filled eyes to me.
“Don’t push me right now, Brandon. Your father and friend tortured my wolf for the last year behind my back.” My voice softened a little, and he winced.
“I automatically want to say maybe she deserved it.” I snarled, but he raised his hand. “But I won’t. When I was rejected, I thought about not accepting it, but I didn’t know who she was, and there was no way to win her over.”
“But Derek didn’t keep the bond active to win her back.
He did it to torture her.” I turned to face him.
“You haven’t seen her, but when I left her here, she was like me.
Full of life, and a trained warrior. But now…
” I left my words trail off and tears well up into my eyes.
“Now she is skin and bones. Her eyes are dead. Her cheeks are sunken in.” I dropped my eyes and allowed a tear to fall.
He wiped it off as I looked up and met his eyes.
“She looks like a corpse, a walking corpse, like from the human zombie movie you asked me to go watch.”
He grimaced. “Is it that bad?” I just nodded.
“She is a shell of who she was.” I slid my hand out of his. “Now keep your promise.” I turned and started up the stairs. I pulled the wall between me and my wolves thicker, so that they would have to fight harder to get through.
That isn’t necessary. Megan tilted her head at me.
I fought a smile as I turned myself at Nix, who was still foaming at the mouth. She took all of our rage so that we could play this correctly. But she was struggling. I pointed to Nix, and Megan paused. It’s necessary because of her.
Megan nodded. Proceed.
I nearly laughed as I made it the rest of the way up the stairs, pausing at the double door I knew to be the Alpha’s office. I pulled back some of my anger and shifted my eyes and teeth. Then I pounded on the door.
I heard a sigh from within. “Come in Amy.”
I pushed the door open, and I dove for the man in front of the desk. Brandon had to catch me as my claws nearly took off his face. “What the fuck?” Derek fell back off his chair as I snarled again.
“I demand a Cath Báis.” I screamed as I swung again. But Brandon pulled me back.
“Is she fucking serious?” Derek stood and dusted off his shirt. He looked from me to Vince, and he laughed. Actually fucking laughed. I watched Vince palm his face as I lunged again. Brandon had to fight against my strength, and I was barely fighting to get to Derek.
He is a weak male. Nix snarled and then she pushed forward enough to speak to the men.
“This Beta pup is dumber than I originally thought.” She turned to him, eyes burning bright gold. “Do you even know what a Cath Báis is?”
He snarled weakly at me. “Did you call me a pup?” He stepped closer, and I smiled. Vince paled as he stood and grabbed for Derek. “I’ll fucking kill you.”
I laughed. “Good.” I snarled as I pulled harder. “Show me what you can do, pup.”
Derek screamed and tried to lunge, but Vince held him back.
He released his weak power as he screamed at me.
“I am the future Beta of this pack. You are just another whore that Brandon is using. Shut your fucking mouth and drop to your knees.” I felt his command in his words.
Brandon snarled, and Vince slapped Derek across the face.
But his words stopped me from fighting. Brandon stepped around me with sweat pouring down his face. “Amy?”
My eyes snapped to his. “Does he do this to other females?” My words were ice.
Brandon swallowed, but played dumb. “Does he do what?”
I screamed into his face. “Does he fucking use his pathetic excuse of a command to make females lie down for him?”
The world seemed to slow down. Vince closed his eyes and clenched his hands, but Brandon went into full panic mode. “Amy I swear I don’t know.” He cupped my face. “Please look at me.” I growled and flashed my eyes again. “Look at me.”
I snapped my eyes to his. “Do you do this too?” The disgust in my voice was thick.
Good. Megan nodded. Make him panic. Make them both panic, they will give you what you want.
I want to kill them. Nix snorted, but I was too far gone to laugh.
I know. Megan’s voice was calming. But we need him to accept the rejection.
I can command him to do it. He’s weak. But Megan shook her head.
A command won’t work. If it did, an Alpha could command any wolf to reject their Goddess given mate. And the Goddess wouldn’t allow that to happen. Wolves have to reject their mates from their own free will. Megan rubbed against the barrier as she spoke.
I wanted to rip them to shreds. Dead men don’t matter. My words were soft but rage filled.
Nix laid down. That they do not.
Calm yourselves, sisters. We can kill them once, we are sure. Megan paced. Allow him to think his touch is calming you. Allow Vince to think that Brandon has a little control. Then get what we need, for Lynn.
I snapped back to Brandon when he leaned into my personal space. His lips kissed my forehead, and I shuddered. I didn’t mean to do it, but I saw Vince perk up. He thought it was interest, when it was actual revulsion.
“No. Goddess, no.” Brandon’s lips were soft as he pressed them against me again.
I closed my eyes against his scent. In my last life, him being like this would have elated me.
He had once been everything I had ever wanted out of my life.
But then he killed our pup and this effort, this love he was trying to make me feel, it was nothing more than ash.
I pulled away, looking lost. “Tell me he doesn’t force females to be his toys.”
Vince looked away as Derek chuckled. He winced, and I saw his fist clench around his shirt.
“I don’t need to.” I saw Vince relax, felt Brandon release a pent up breath.
“I’m a Beta. Bitches like you lie flat on your backs and spread your legs nice and wide.
” Vince cuffed his head again, and Derek growled.
Vince raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything, I laughed. “Bitches like me?” I stepped away from Brandon and moved closer to Derek. “You haven’t met a bitch like me.” I snarled as I got close. “Do you, or do you not know, what a Cath Báis is?”
Derek looked at Brandon, who was obviously gesturing behind my back. “What?” He chuckled again. “Every bitch is the same.” He looked at Vince. “What the fuck does she keep harping about? A Cath Báis? What is it, some kind of mating?” He turned back to me and humped the air.
Vince groaned, and I smirked. “Aren’t you fucking delightful?
But no, a Cath Báis is no mating term. It’s from the old laws.
And even though the old laws have been retired, they can still be invoked, can’t they, Alpha Vince?
” The anger in my voice spiked again as I thought of the one he used against my mother.
He swallowed and then nodded. “Yes, yes, they can be invoked.”
“What the fuck is a Cath Báis?” Derek yelled, oblivious to the tension in the room.
I stepped forward and smiled. The air in the room dropped, and without realizing it, Derek took a step back. He knew without even realizing it; I was the biggest dog in this fight. “A Cath Báis is a fight to the death.” My grin turned predatory.
Brandon reached for me and pulled me back a step, and Vince stepped between Derek and I. “Now.” He started. “I don’t think it’s necessary.”
Before he got any further, Derek, the dumbass, started laughing.
He threw back his head with full-belly laughs as my words registered.
Vince closed his eyes in a defeated look, he dropped his head and released a sigh.
Brandon’s hand tightened around my hand, like he thought that Derek laughing at me was going to be the thing that pushed me over the edge.
“You want to fight me to the death?” Derek laughed harder.
Tears streamed down his face. “I’m a Beta.
A trained warrior. The right-hand man of the next Alpha.
And you think a little woman who is the flavour of the week is going to come into this office and demand my head?
” His face fell into angry lines. “You are fucking stupider than I thought.”
I smiled, fangs descending, and I looked at Vince. “You don’t train your dogs well, Vince.”
“Did you just call me a fucking dog, whore?” Derek cut in, but I was done with this.
“Do you know why no one has stepped up for you yet, Derek?” I dragged my hand out of Brandon’s grip. I stepped closer. “Because everyone else knows who the biggest, baddest wolf is in this room.” I snapped my fangs. “And it’s not you.” Then I released my aura.