“I hated every second of that,” he tells me as I slide down his body and stand in front of him, “but you were absolutely amazing.”
“I let my wolf take over and…” I shrug not needing to explain further since he witnessed what went down.
“Are we sure we want you to learn how to shift?” Remi has a slight limp as she comes up behind us. “She’s kind of a brutal bitch,” Remi says, referring to my wolf and wincing as she touches her ribs.
“Seriously.” Ranger nods his head in agreement. “The power that was coming off of you when you were in the ring was intense.”
“Of course it was, she’s a powerful fucking alpha wolf!” Ransom cheers and I high-five his out-reached hand.
Some of the people loitering around hear Ranger, and they shout and nod, approving his comment. Their reaction makes my face heat up some. Regardless of the fact I’m not their alpha now, they still look at me as a leader, and that thought makes my stomach flip with nerves.
I duck my head quickly, turning toward Remi. “Are you okay? I’m sorry. I didn’t know that was going to happen.” I wince when I see her busted lip that mirrors my own.
“Shut up. I was the one who punched first.” She grins at the thought. “That was a good punch, though.”
“Yes, it was.” I laugh. “Hopefully we all heal quick—”
The sound of a blood-curdling scream echoes through the house, piercing my eardrums. Even without wolf shifter hearing, someone could have heard it from miles away.
My heart skips a beat, and my stomach flips when I watch as everyone sprints out of the room. With Nicolai’s threat looming over my head, I’m afraid of what we’re going to find upstairs.
27
Ryker
Sawyer and Avery found her hanging from a tree on the edge of the property when they were on patrol. She had been strung up with her hands tied behind her back, and her feet were bound. Her bound limbs weren’t necessary since she had been killed before they hung her by her neck. The deep claw marks that extended ear to ear were clearly the cause of death.
Hallie was only twenty-three years old. Her usually tan skin is pale, and her once vibrant hazel eyes stare lifelessly back at us. Blood and debris are stuck in her curly blonde hair, and her clothes are covered in dirt.
“She put up a fight,” Ranger sighs, gesturing to the defensive marks marring her forearms and hands.
“Too bad it wasn’t enough,” Ransom whispers back to his twin.
Dad made most of the pack leave the room where Hallie’s body is laid out. Her mother, who had been the one to scream, refuses to leave her daughter’s side. My mom had tried to get her to walk away, but she declined, so she sits, holding her daughter’s lifeless hand and stroking her hair.
Pru had nearly thrown up on the floor the second she saw the lifeless form lying on the kitchen table. Remi had gone with her to the bathroom, and I haven’t seen either one of them since.
I can’t even imagine what Pruitt is thinking right now. Knowing her, she’ll blame herself for the death of Hallie.
“Kate, I’m so sorry,” I tell the mourning woman. Apologizing for the death of her daughter doesn’t seem like enough, but what else am I supposed to say to her? What do you say to a woman whose daughter died because a psychopath is hell-bent on taking your mate as his own? Right now, saying sorry is all I have to offer her.
Kate shakes her head, tears streaming down her face. “I can’t believe she’s gone.”
“I promise we’re going to kill this fucker for what he did,” Ransom assures her.
“What happens tomorrow?” Kate lifts her head and looks at my father, who stands respectfully off to the side.
“I’m not sure I know what you mean?” Dad’s eyebrows draw together in confusion.
“What happens tomorrow when Pruitt refuses to go to him? Will he kill someone else’s child?” Kate’s voice is cold and bitter when she speaks. Not that I can blame her.
Dad frowns at the woman. “We tried very hard to prevent this, and we’ll try even harder tonight and tomorrow. But we can’t very well go turning over my son’s mate to a man like Nicolai Volkov.”
“So, people will just keep dying,” Kate snaps, “and you’re okay with it as long as it’s not someone you love?”
“Kate!” Mom gasps.
“What Margot!” Kate whirls around to face my mother. “My daughter died because you people refuse to think of the greater good of the pack. If you would just turn her over then—”
“Then what?” I push off the wall I’ve been leaning on and stalk closer. “Then a man will torture and violate my mate, that’s what. We’re incredibly sorry for your loss, and we truly thought we had a plan to prevent something like this from happening, but we failed. We failed you, and we failed Hallie. But that does not mean you get to suggest I hand my mate over to this monster.”
The cold look she gives me is so chilling it has me taking a small step back. “She never should have come back to Montana. We were safer without her here.”
“You’re probably right.” I didn’t hear Pruitt enter the room and spin around to face her after she speaks. A little bit of color has returned to her face, although her cheeks are slightly flushed, and her eyes are wild looking. “I’m sorry that me coming back here—back home—has caused you to lose your child. I know nothing I could ever say will make this okay or bring Hallie back, but I want you to know we will do everything in our power to avenge your
