Maybe, in another life, Connor would have had my back. The number of times that Connor had stood to the side while Alvin and Harvey hurt me made me doubt that Connor would have done anything for me. If it wasn’t him, then who could have knocked Harvey off me last night?
Dad had been inside. Ryder hadn’t been present. No one else had the strength to push Harvey around.
Alvin’s house appeared ahead. It sat on the edge of the city where nature could sprawl behind it. Our running grounds stretched along the edge of the lake and far beyond. Those grounds should have filled me with joy, but when I saw the house and the land around it, I felt nothing but dread pulling me down.
The sense that I was about to walk into my own grave haunted me. One misstep and I would plummet six feet under.
Harvey slammed on the brakes. I crashed into the back of the truck cab. Pain jolted down my spine. Almost immediately, the smell of ozone blossomed on the air. I hadn’t shifted, though.
“Pull another stunt like that and I will break your nose,” Ryder snarled.
Before the two could start fighting, I hopped out of the truck bed and stormed towards the house. Ryder hastily followed, like I’d hoped. I didn’t want to do this alone. The urge to reach for his hand filled me, but I managed to keep to myself.
The touch would be a mark against me. I couldn’t afford to let Alvin make assumptions about my relationship with Ryder, no matter what I wanted from Ryder.
The smell of pack wafted on the breeze. There were others here. How many had Alvin called to witness this? I wrapped my arms around myself once more. Alvin had to be stopped. He was an infection in the Lakesedge pack. No one would know peace until he was gone.
A small part of me hoped that Ryder would see what was happening and step forward to challenge Alvin today. I knew that would not happen, but I wished it, nonetheless.
The scream that pierced the air nearly bowled me over. Ryder put a hand on my back to steady me. I used him to propel myself forward. Breaking into a run, I sprinted around the house. Ryder followed hot on my heels.
The crowd in front of me didn’t move right away. I pushed the first few people out of my way. A familiar voice grunted on the other side of the crowd. My stomach dropped. The crowd parted to reveal Connor, on his knees.
I almost didn’t recognize him at first. His face was swollen and mottled with bruises. I bit my lip. He must have taken a beating recently if he hadn’t healed yet. That, or they’d starved Connor overnight. If they’d hit him several times and kept him from eating, then his body would slow down.
Connor. You damned fool.
“You should have let Harvey have his way,” I muttered under my breath.
Connor looked up. He would have met my gaze had his eyes not been swollen shut on both sides. Someone had taken the time to tie his hands behind his back. My heart ached. Pain filled my chest even though no one had touched me.
Someone in the pack finally stood up for me, and this was what he got in return. I’d heard him cry out last night. I should have searched harder.
Ryder put a hand on my shoulder. His touch grounded me, so I could think straight. Had I gone out to find Connor last night, we would both be in the center of this circle. I shuddered to think of what might have happened to me. Harvey’s threat from the night before rang in my ears again and wouldn’t go away no matter how I tried to shake it off.
Alvin noticed me. His gaze flicked to Ryder’s hand on my shoulder. Alvin stepped forward, put his boot on Connor’s back, and kicked Connor flat onto his face. Connor grunted in pain.
I moved without thinking. I rushed to the center of the circle where Connor was laid out and helped him back up onto his knees. He leaned heavily on me. I thought Alvin had broken him, but Connor whispered in my ear.
“Run.”
“No, damn it.” Tears made my voice shake. “I’m not going to abandon anyone.”
I should have. I should have run years ago. There were other places. I could have asked Ryder to take me back to his clan. Maybe then, I would have had a better idea on how to help him.
Instead, I stuck around this hellhole and let Alvin push me around. I’d grown a backbone and the ability to speak up for myself from time to time. Unfortunately, that meant Alvin had to use the pack to teach me a lesson.
This was all my fault.
Alvin had kept his cruelty hidden until now. If I hadn’t stuck around, he would have gone back to hiding it.
Ryder snarled and stepped forward.
“Whoa there, lizard.” Alvin laughed. “Careful where you step. You might want to watch yourself before you force my hand.”
The Alpha pushed Connor to the ground and stepped over him. With a foot on either side of Connor, Alvin plucked his hunting knife from his belt and bent so he could tuck the blade under Connor’s chin.
My lip curled. Fury boomed inside me, a thunderous sound that only I could hear. If I could have called lightning down from the skies, I would have. Instead, I looked to the pack gathering around. Marcus and Jackson stood with Harvey. Their jeering laughter only made the thunder inside me louder.