2
Ness
I didn’t makeit far before I was stopped. I didn’t smell him. Not at first. Alvin Combs appeared beside me as if he’d apparated out of thin air. He grabbed ahold of my arm and gripped it tight, his fingertips bruising my flesh.
I stiffened and prepared to run. There was nowhere to go. Alvin’s grip on me was like iron. Alvin had become Alpha of the Lakesedge pack for a reason. He had the strength to back up his claim, that same strength that he used to keep us all under his boot.
“You got lucky the other night,” he whispered when he leaned close.
I swallowed the bile burning the back of my throat.
Alvin removed his grip from my arm and placed it on the back of my neck instead. His nails had lengthened into claws. My stomach churned. Though I looked around for help, the residents of Lakesedge must have noticed Alvin and chosen to turn a blind eye to his behavior, because all the curtains were drawn. Not a single soul dared look in his direction.
“I’ll survive whatever you throw at me.” I meant it, too.
Alvin laughed. “You think you’re tough and powerful because of that prophecy, but the moment I kill you is the moment that the pack pulls together to fulfill it. The prophecy has nothing to do with you, yourself. This little hound is weak and foolish.”
His words slithered past the barriers I threw up. Doubt darkened the back of my mind, like clouds rolling in before a storm.
Alvin could be right. Though I wanted to believe my arcana made me special, I would never know exactly what that witch meant. She’d left behind nothing more than a couple of cryptic lines that didn’t exactly explain what needed to happen. I could read between the lines and come up with my own definition, but that wouldn’t make it true.
“Be a good little hound and submit. Do as I tell you so we can all go back to living a normal life. You realize that your behavior has been upsetting the pack, right? None of this would have to happen if you would get on your knees and bow your head to me.”
I stiffened. Alvin’s words wormed their way into my mind, tainting my thoughts with rot. This was my fault. Every time I pushed back, Alvin had to retaliate. Giving up was the last thing on my mind, but I couldn’t help but think of my pack and how this might be affecting them.
Would Alvin go back to pretending to be kind if I knelt? I doubted it, but that part of me that was willing to do anything for my pack shuddered. They deserved to be safe. If that was what it took, could I do it? I wasn’t even sure at this point.
My hound growled at the thought. I tried to reason with her, but even she saw the fault in my ideas. I had to admit that Alvin’s suggestion wasn’t an option. I had to hold firm and help the girls that he’d killed, even if it was only to put their ghosts to rest.
“Eat shit,” I muttered.
Alvin tightened his grip on the back of my neck. His claws pricked my skin. Warmth welled and dripped down my back, making me shiver.
“Then your days are numbered,” Alvin said.
I’d always known that. His threat meant little to me at this point. As badly as I wanted to live, I’d been aware of the ticking clock over my head for years now. I’d thought that Ryder could stop it, but not even a dragon shifter could save me from this fate. A witch had already written my fate.
Alvin tightened his grasp one last time. Pain burned along the back of my neck. My knees trembled and threatened to drop me. Inside me, my hound thrashed. She wanted to break out and run, but there was nowhere for us to go right now. Alvin would catch me if I ran now.
“Remember that when the consequences of your actions turn your precious pack against you. They will hate you for everything that you do to save your own skin.”
My hound howled. Her voice echoed in my ears, but the sound couldn’t drown out Alvin’s warning.
He released me, shoved his hands into his pockets, and strolled past me. Blood trickled down my neck from the already healing wounds. The smell of metal and flesh danced on the air. It would get stronger if I continued to push my limits.
I stared at the back of Alvin’s head and watched him disappear before I moved. Though I didn’t want to fear him, my body refused to comply when I told myself to move. Several moments passed. My body remained locked.
I wasn’t going to let him kill me. I dragged in a deep breath and settled my hound. She growled in agreement with me. That clock might have been counting down, but I would take it down and break it. I wasn’t going to let Alvin win.
The hound’s howl didn’t hold pain and fear this time. When her song filled my ears, I heard determination. Even if everything felt like too much, I would find a way to do one thing at a time. I wasn’t the weak little pup that he assumed I was.
After shaking off my fear, I reminded myself to practice my arcana. If I could get a handle on it, then maybe I stood a chance. I didn’t know how to describe my arcana. It seemed, to me, to be similar to the same kind of power an Alpha had over his pack. I could issue commands to more than just pack, though.
I’d forced Ryder to stop hurting Harvey once. Ryder was not pack. He owed me no allegiance, especially not now. This arcana was a power that I needed to learn to control. The command I’d given Ryder had been completely accidental.
If I couldn’t control it, then I was no better than Alvin. My intention wasn’t to make anyone do anything against their will. If I kept relying on this new power in the heat of the moment, then I might hurt someone with it.
But who could I practice with? I didn’t want to ask my friends at Bad Moon Café. They didn’t need me to keep pulling them into my problems. If I issued the wrong command to Vi, then disaster would strike. I wasn’t comfortable using this with Cerri, either. Though she was pack and had a talent for making potions, using my arcana on Cerri seemed cruel. She had little to defend herself with.