Chapter 144

Dane

I didn't want to fight Waylon Reed. At least, not right now. Right now, I wanted to know where Aurora was and what, exactly, we had freed from that stone with my life's blood. But Waylon wasn't going to give me a choice. He'd already issued the challenge.

He stepped forward, ready to attack. I said, “I accept your challenge, Waylon Reed. But if I kill you, then I become Alpha over Broken Forest.” He’d said he wanted the packs reunited. Fine. I would do that. I’d take over that den of rats. I would avenge Aurora, evil or not, and I would make sure that no one ever suffered at their hands again.

“I accept,” Waylon snapped. The magic rose around us and tightened, sealing the challenge. Behind me, Evelyn cursed and muttered, “What happened to escape, Danc?”

I glanced over my shoulder. “Warn Piper. Warn them all.” I didn’t have the energy to summon the pack bond and speak to them all. Besides, it was too late to stop this, now.

“I won’t leave you here,” Evelyn said.

“Then stand as a witness to this,” I said.

There was a snarl, and before I could say anything else, Waylon was on me. I barely turned in time to catch the old wolf before he took me out with a slash to the throat. He was in his lycan form, but he brandished the silver knife. I rolled to the side, grunting at the pain in my chest. Even though he was old, Waylon was on me immediately. My blood burned in my veins. Fuck this silver. I was too slow.

That much was clear a moment later, when Waylon struck again. I lifted my arm to block the blow, then let out a grunt of pain as the silver knife bit deep into my flesh, deep enough to strike bone. I struck with my other hand, my claws raking across his face and down his chest. He yelped and fell back. As he moved, I swiped down again.

Chapter 144

I hit the knife. It spun off to the side, beyond Evelyn and her warriors. Waylon lunged as if to retrieve it, but they closed ranks, blocking his way.

“Bitch!” Waylon roared.

“Your fight is with me.” I used his moment of distraction to move up behind him and strike the back of his head. He yelped again and went to the ground. I slashed, but he grabbed me. We rolled around, biting and slashing and snarling.

Normally, if I’d had to challenge Waylon directly, I could have killed him in a minute. Only the Council’s forced peace had kept me from doing it years ago. But in my weakened state, we were evenly matched… or he was stronger. He wrapped his hands around my throat, cutting off my air. I felt dizzy. The lack of air plus the silver made a buzzing rise in my ears. Things started going black around the edges. I felt my grip on him go slack. I was losing.

Rage rose deep inside me. I didn’t fucking get brought back by some kind of miracle fifteen minutes ago just to die now. That wouldn’t help Blue Ridge. It wouldn’t help my kids. It wouldn’t help Aurora, wherever she was.

With a surge of strength beyond what I thought I could do, I broke his grip on my neck. I grabbed his head in my hands, and I twisted. There was a crack. Then Waylon Reed slumped over on top of me. He was dead. Unlike me, he wasn’t going to be coming back anytime soon.

I rose and let his body fall into the bloody mud. Esther Reed screamed. And I… felt it. I felt the power Waylon had hoarded all his life fall over me, get pulled into me. Then, in a wave of voices I hadn’t felt since the night I became the Alpha of Blue Ridge, I felt them. The rest of the Broken Forest wolves. They were everywhere. In the forest all around us. And now, they were mine.

Chapter 144

I turned in a slow circle, then I sent out a message all of them would hear. You’re mine, now.

My triumph was short-lived. Because then Piper’s voice was in my head, and it was filled with panic.

“Dane! You have to come home now. The Fall Line wolves are here, and they’re about to attack!”

Aurora

I woke from the dark and cold to find myself in a strange place made of stone. Tapestries hung from the walls. Carved columns lined a pathway up to where I sat… which looked like a dais. I was sitting on a throne. I tried to move, but it was like I’d been tied there. When I tried to shift, the strands of cord touched my skin and burned.

“Ah!” It was silver. I shook my head to clear it. Next to me was another throne. The guardian sat on it. He was clothed all in black. His sleek black hair fell past his shoulders. Even though I hadn’t made a sound, he turned to me as if he sensed I was awake. He rose with a graceful motion and swept over to stand in front of my chair.

I tugged on my bindings but couldn’t break them. “Let me go!”

He smiled, and it almost looked sad. “I don’t think so, darling. Now, let’s just wipe away those pesky memories of yours so you’ll be willing to do everything I say.”