Chapter Twenty-Four
Everyone in the room hit their knees, and I had barely released half of my power. Disappointing. I let my eyes shift to the golden hue of my wolf and I stepped up to Derek, lifting his face with my claw. “How does it feel to be the bitch in the room, Derek?”
He trembled at my feet. “You…”
“Yes. Me.” I tilted his face back farther, forcing my claw into his skin.
Blood trailed down his throat, and it gave me a small sense of satisfaction.
“Not Vince, and not Brandon. This is all me.” I slammed my hand against his throat and I tightened my grip.
His choking for his breath was another small satisfaction.
I pulled him from the ground. “Do you know why I am here, pup?”
Derek was turning purple as I dropped him. He fell to the floor in a heap of wheezing. Brandon came to my side and tried to grab my hand. But I flashed him a look. Nix pushed forward, sending her voice through my lips. “My human might like you, pup, but I will not allow you to interfere with this.”
Brandon swallowed and nodded. “I won’t interfere. I just want to give Amy a little support.” He held out his hand and Nix started laughing in my mind. This pup is laying it on thick.
Megan chuckled as she laid down next to Nix. Let him think he can calm you. It will give Vince a sense of control.
I gave him a tiny nod, and Brandon slid his hand in mine. But I crouched down, and he followed me. I leaned over Derek as he coughed. “I’ll ask you one last time. Do you know why I am here?”
Derek had the sense to look scared now. He gripped his throat and shook his head. “No.” His voice was rough and I could scent his fear.
“I want your head.” I smiled. “I want to rip your head from your body and carry it through the streets.” I leaned closer.
“And you best believe I would do it and I could. You might be thinking that you’re still a Beta, and you might be stronger than I am.
But I am here to tell you I would put you in the ground within a few minutes.
” His face grew a little red as the anger surged.
“You might think that I am boasting, but I’m not.
You might last longer if I decided to play with you.
And I might. Give you a little hope and then, little by little, I would pick at you. ”
Derek shook his head. “You couldn’t.”
“Oh, but I could. I would.” I smiled. “I’d start with a hand, or an ankle. And I would whittle you down until you are a pile of broken bones and a crying heap, and then I would take your head. Do you know why?”
Derek looked at Vince, but he was just staring at Brandon’s hands in mine, watching the anger drain out of me, little by little. “Alpha Vince.” Vince jolted and then looked at Derek.
“What?”
Derek choked on his words. “Are you going to allow her to do this to me?” His words, hoarse with pain.
Vince furrowed his brow. “I don’t allow Amy to do anything.
She is an Alpha in her own right and knows the old laws.
She has the right to invoke the Cath Báis.
” His eyes flashed to me. “I will apologize for my involvement and I will rectify my stance immediately once you are done here.” I nodded and then slowly turned back to Derek, who paled.
“You’re an Alpha?” I smiled, fangs descending again.
“That I am.” Brandon huddled closer, and Derek stumbled over to him.
“Brandon, I’m your Beta.” He clutched at his pant legs and Brandon looked at me.
“And if I am lucky.” He pushed his hands away. “Amy will be my Luna.”
Derek sat back on his heels. “What?” His eyes danced to me. “No.”
“I’m going to ask you one more fucking time.
Do you know why I am here?” I leaned in and snapped my fangs.
“Stop looking at them, and look at me. They won’t save you, and I am the threat.
” I snapped my hand out again and squeezed.
“Think boy. This is the first time you have met me, and somehow you have insulted me enough that I want you dead. What did you do?”
He stared at me for a minute before he choked out. “I don’t know.”
“Do you know who I am?” He shook his head.
“My name is Amy Maclean. I am the daughter of Alpha Maclean.” I waited for the understanding to enter his eyes, and then it morphed to fear.
“That’s right. Lynn is my wolf.” I crouched over him and pressed my face against his.
“SHE IS MINE AND YOU FUCKING TORTURED HER AND DEMANDED HER SILENCE.” I screamed in his face as my claws dug into his throat.
Spit flew from my mouth as I screamed at him. “You tortured her for finding you fucking my stepsister. She had every right to reject you.” I squeezed. “You are an unworthy male.”
Brandon tugged me off Derek, and I allowed him to do it. Vince watched with hawk eyes to every movement, every gesture. Brandon pulled me against his chest, and again I allowed him to. “Calm down. At least let him speak. If you rip out his throat, then you won’t get to hear his reasoning.”
“His reasoning?” I snarled, and Vince winced. But Brandon cupped my face.
“I’m sorry. I said the wrong word. But let him speak and then your conscience will be clear if you kill him.” Vince nodded, and I knew he was feeding him the words. I wanted to roll my eyes and scoff.
Megan rubbed against the barrier. Allow them to believe they are convincing you.
Fine, but you owe me. She chuckled, but I turned back to Brandon.
“Fine.” I turned back to Derek. “Speak boy.”
He pushed back a bit, and I took a deep breath in. His fear had spiked, and I was enjoying the scent. “I think I am older than you.” His words made me chuckle.
Nix pushed her words from my lips and flashed my eyes. “That’s what you want to say to save yourself? You are a pup compared to me. Killing you would be child’s play. So yes, boy, I will continue to call you whatever I want. Age means nothing to me.”
He swallowed and then nodded. “I, I, I.”
I growled. “Let’s hear it.” I slammed my hand to the ground and the wood flooring cracked.
His eyes snapped to the board, and he started to sweat as he shuffled back a little more.
I scoffed. “Putting more space between us means nothing, Beta. I am faster than you, stronger than you, and pissed off. Stop wasting my fucking time and explain.” Derek looked from Vince to Brandon, but both looked away.
“Stop looking to them to fucking save you. Neither of them have the ability. I have invoked a Cath Báis, no one can change my mind but me. Alpha Vince can not interfere. So fucking face me like the man you pretend to be and explain yourself.” I screamed. This time, Derek froze.
“There is no excuse.” His voice was a whisper.
“What?” My voice was ice as I settled onto my heels. I was hunched over like an animal, arms shifted to claws, Brandon at my side.
“I didn’t expect to meet my mate. Brandon and I have been using Shannon for the last two years of high school, and I was in a dry spell.
She came to me one day after Brandon turned her away again.
” The words were spilling from his lips now.
“I hadn’t met Lynn yet, as she got here while I was away and training.
” Derek swallowed. “It wasn’t supposed to be like that. ”
I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “What the fuck did you expect?”
Derek’s eyes filled with tears. “I expected to meet my mate fully clothed. I expected to meet my mate and to have her fall in love with me. With my face, my smell. I expected my mate to fucking want me.”
I didn’t expect the hurt in his voice. “You were fucking another woman.”
“I know.” He screamed and surged to his feet. He ran his fingers into his hair and pulled. “I know, and I fucking regret it.” He spun in a circle. “It wasn’t supposed to happen. But I expected her to allow me to explain. At the very least, allow me to win her over.”
I sat back into Brandon. “But she rejected you.”
He faced me. “I didn’t even have a second to register my mate fully.
I deflated instantly. Shannon, the whore, fucking smirked.
She laughed as she got dressed and actually laughed.
She said, ‘Well isn’t this perfect?’ Then she had the fucking audacity to face me and say that ‘I could be hers forever now.’ Like that would ever happen.
” He fell to his knees. “She smelled like home. Her face…her face was perfection carved by the Goddess. But she hated me. In that moment and every one since, she hated me.” He covered his face with his hands and started to sob.
My rage was still blazing. It didn’t matter that he was hurting; he tortured her. But I pretended I cared. “Then why did you do this?”
He glanced at me. And behind the pain, there was a calculating look.
He was trying to figure out if I was buying his act.
Nix and Megan growled, but I kept it in.
“I hoped she would change her mind. If I kept her close enough that she would rescind the rejection.” His voice was full of longing and even though I knew it was an act, I wondered if there wasn’t a kernel of truth behind his words.
“So you tortured her for what? For the vain hope that she would accept you as her mate.” I scoffed, but I made it weak. “How was that ever going to work?”
“It could have worked.” He shouted and then wilted. “If she wasn’t so strong, it could have worked.”
I leveled him with a look. “She was from my father’s pack. You should have done more investigating.”
He threw up his hands. “What does that even mean?”
“This pack follows the old ways. They give males an excuse to not hold true to the mate bond.”
“Hey.” Vince looked a little agitated at that, but I just raised an eyebrow.
“We have had this conversation before.” Vince sighed and then nodded.