139
Matt
Fuck. I couldn't shake the memory of the look in David's eyes. It was mocking and smug. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
That smirk felt like a nail in my coffin. He knew. Fuck, he knew. I didn’t know how he knew, but he definitely knew. I couldn’t even focus on Tony’s boiling fury as he ordered our beta to follow the car Lucy had gotten into. When we went through the tunnel and ended up in Blue Moon territory. Our beta stopped the car. Tony got out and screamed. He started punching a tree and had been at that for a few minutes while I tried not to panic.
Tony was going to be pissed, even more pissed than he was now if he found out. David was going to hold onto that little tidbit until it served him best. How did he know? What would he ask for? What could I do? Should I just tell Tony?
Tony ripped the door open and got back in. “Take us to the Council Hall.”
I winced at the snarling quality of his voice. I wish I had something to drink to take the edge off, but there wasn’t any alcohol in the car. As he closed the door, our beta started driving. I didn’t know how he knew where to go, but it didn’t matter. The waves of fury coming from Tony were threatening to drag me under. One of us had to be level-headed.
Tony pulled out his phone, hissing and growling at the pain in his hands as he fumbled to dial. A sense of unease settled over me as I watched him. It was a bit like watching our father right before our mother’s death. The slow descent into madness was happening.
I glanced at Tony beside me as he slammed the phone on the ground and leaned forward on his knees, taking deep, stuttering breaths. He was losing it. I didn’t know if he realized it, but I did wonder if the curse was all that was keeping him from going absolutely insane.
Would the Council have anything that would help? They were invested in keeping us happy, so maybe they’d do something to help Tony? Could they do that without revealing that I was fine? I didn’t know. My mind raced with possibilities, each one more unsettling than the last. David was cunning and resourceful. He was so much younger than us, but it felt like he was so much more prepared for all of this than we were.
I almost couldn’t breathe around the panic as it hit me. David probably was trained, taught, or whatever by his father. The Blood Moon’s former alpha had run a tight ship from what I remembered.
“I’m going to kill him,” Tony growled softly. “I’m going to rip him apart and bathe in his blood.”
I swallowed. My blood running cold. As we arrived at the Council's chambers, a knot formed in my stomach. I didn’t know if Tony remembered our father saying things like that right before he killed members of the pack.
“Tony, do you think maybe we should get your hands looked at?”
“They’ll heal.”
I looked at them and winced. Blood was still oozing out of the wounds. The hand he slammed into the barrier looked deformed and it didn’t look like it was starting heal at all. The pull of his injuries sunk in deep, practically yanking at me to lend him some of my strength, but if I did that he’d know. I resisted as much as I could and kept my mouth shut.
Our beta pulled up in front of the building. I got out of the car and hurried after Tony as he charged up the steps. We entered the building and the receptionist bowed his head.
“Welcome, Alpha Tony and Alpha Matt. How can we help you?”
“We need to speak with the Council.”
She blinked and went pale as she looked up at Tony. “O-Of course. I’ll let them know you’re here.”
She got on the phone and spoke quietly before nodding us into the hall.
“At least the Council’s staff know some respect.”
I bit my lip as I started to know in my bones that this was going to go badly. We entered and the door closed behind us. The faces of the Council members were placid and wary. They all looked at Tony with wide eyes. The witch looked at me briefly with narrowed eyes and her eyes glinted as if she knew too.
“We’ve found her,” he growled. “She’s in Hecate City. We want her returned within a week.”
“If she has found protection in Hecate City, you would need the cooperation of the coven to extradite her.” The witch shook her head. “Based on the situation, your actions have started within the supernatural world and the human world. Forcibly taking her would only make the situation work.”
“She’s our mate,” he growled. “Does it look like I care how much worse things will get? A lot of fucking things are going to get worse if she isn’t returned to us.”
The entire council shifted except for the witch.
“If you feel so strongly, why don’t you simply order your pack members to go and retrieve her?” She said. “The Council works on behalf of all of the supernatural world, not just your interests.”
“That’s bullshit,” Tony roared. “You’ve allowed that fucker David to keep her from me. That’s how we found her, kneeling in the dirt with a bunch of humans and David like some servant.”
The human cleared her throat and shook her head. “I’m not completely familiar with the situation, but it is unlikely that Alpha David is—”
Tony growled at her. “Don’t defend that bastard to me!”
He turned. “Mark me. If she isn’t returned to us in a week, I will be sending my pack in to find her and take her. The orders will be to kill anyone who gets in the way.”
The witch smiled. “If that’s the path you choose, by all means, Alpha Tony. Do what you see fit.”
She looked at me. “Alpha Matt, are you of the same mindset?”
My stomach jolted. I swallowed as I met the woman’s gaze. I looked away.
“Is there really nothing to be done?” I asked. “She…”
I cleared my throat. “This entire situation has destabilized our pack enough. We’ve gone through the mating ceremony and everything. Legally, she is ours, so she should be returned to us.”
She pursed her lips. “How interesting… Do you think that this Council is keeping her from doing so If that is what she desires?”
I bit my lip as the sight of Lucy laughing flashed through my mind.
“I believe that you are allowing third-party interference.”
She laughed. “Is it not werewolves who prefer to keep to themselves? As a whole, you barely follow the Council law. You cannot involve the Council only when it suits your purposes. Officially, perhaps this Lucy is yours according to your community’s laws, but by the Council’s records, there is nothing binding you.”
Tony growled. “You’re lying!”
“If you are so adamant about Alpha David’s interference, submit your case or settle it the old-fashioned way.” She smiled. “Without some solid evidence, the Council has nothing to do with it.”
“You could force them to give her to us.”
She laughed. “You vastly over estimate your importance and underestimate the power of the Hecate coven.”
“You—”
“If they willed it, the entire city could become a fortress, vanished from access and the entire supernatural world would lose the immeasurable resource that is the coven,” she said. “Your mating problem is inconsequential in the face of all the lives that could be lost or overturned if we anger them.”
Tony growled. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He turned, and I hung back for a second. Worry filled me. I glanced up at the witch who looked at me in disgust.
“I have never met a cowardly Blue Moon wolf until today.”
I winced at that and turned, following Tony. As I walked out, I heard Tony on the phone. He hung up as I approached and we got back into the car, headed back to the Estate.
“We should… get your hand looked at.”
“It will heal,” he growled. He’s lost color in his face.
I swallowed. “The… pack doesn’t know that we’ve been curse, exactly. If your hand stays like that for long, they’re going to get suspicious…”
He growled. “What are you getting at?”
“How much longer will it be before he returns?” I paused. “Can we afford that suspicion?”
He growled but said nothing more. I looked out the window. My thoughts drifted back to Lucy and what to do about Tony.
“You’ve been silent this whole time,” he said, his voice filled with suspicion. “And I can’t access your mind…”
My stomach flipped. Shit. He’d noticed. Cold sweat trickled down my back as I swallowed and leaned against the cool window.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
