Do you hear her screaming? She’s the mother, Ox. Her child is watching as I cut her.
Stop it! Oh my god, stop it. You fucking bastard. Leave them alone!
I’ll give you the remainder of the day. I know how much… tradition… meant to Thomas. So have it. Say your good-byes. But, Ox, I swear to you, if I even catch the barest of hints that you’ve deceived me, I will kill them all. And then I will find a way to break these wards. No matter how long it takes. I will break them, and I will slaughter every single person you love. I will save you for last. I will make you watch as your pack dies in front of you, and all the while, you’ll be mired in the knowledge that it’s because of you, that you could have prevented this. And when I get to Joe, I will fuck him until he’s broken. I will fuck him until he smells of nothing but me. And then I will rip his heart from his chest. You’ll watch as I eat it. And then, and only then, when you are shattered at the loss of your pack, at the way every single one was torn from you, I will begin on you. I’ll start at your feet and work my way up, and by the time I get to your fucking knees, you will be begging me to kill you. And I will say no. Do you believe me? Do you believe I’ll do that?
…yes.
Good. That’s real good, Ox. Have your last hours. Not a single word. I won’t touch the people here. Not unless you make me. Your pack will never be safe if you do. You can’t keep them locked in Green Creek forever, Ox. One day, someone will slip and I will be waiting. You do this now, and I promise you they will be safe from me.
When.
When I summon you. I’m a monster, Ox, but I’m not that bad. I’ll give you time. With those you love.
Where.
The wooden bridge. Where I can smell the spilled blood of Omegas. Mine, maybe. Or they could have been. Was this you, Ox? Did you defend your territory like a good Alpha? It’s buried in the dirt, but I can almost taste the fear. The pain. The anger. It tastes like Joe did. When I had him. I licked the sweat from his head. Did he ever tell you that? I didn’t go further, but it was a close thing. Every time I snapped one of his little fingers, I wanted to stuff him full of my—
That’s. Enough.
Ooh. I can feel it. You are an Alpha. The goose bumps, Ox. They are crawling along my skin. I wish there was time to find out how you did it. How you became an Alpha on your own, but alas, there isn’t. I would just hate to prolong the inevitable. It would sour the taste of you.
Take the time you need. I will let you know when to come. Remember, Ox: not a word, or I will make them all suffer. I’ll see you soon.
FOOLISH, YES.
But if there was even the smallest chance Richard was being truthful, that he wouldn’t hurt them, wouldn’t hurt Joe, I had to take it.
And I couldn’t let innocent people die when I could do something to stop it. Thomas had taught me that there was value in all lives, that it was an Alpha’s responsibility to care for those in his territory, even if they didn’t know what an Alpha was.
Green Creek was mine.
The people here were mine.
I had already failed Mr. Fordham.
I couldn’t let that happen to anyone else.
I waited until I left the dirt road, the truck’s tires kicking up dust before they rolled onto asphalt, before I started to mute the bonds between myself and the pack one by one.
We did that sometimes, when we wanted privacy. When we were being intimate. When we wanted to be alone. When we wanted to not be overwhelmed by the continuous feeling of pack pack pack.
When we wanted to keep secrets.
I rarely did this.
And I knew it wouldn’t be long before questions were asked.
Green Creek was almost empty this late. The moon was half full. The street lamps along the main drag burned softly. I didn’t see any other cars moving.
The diner was lit up almost like a beacon. I saw a waitress moving around inside as I passed by. She held a pot of coffee in her hands. She was smiling, about what, I’d never know.
My mother sat in the seat beside me.
She said, “Are you sure about this?”
I said, “For them? Always.”
She said, “I thought as much” and “I love you” and “I am so proud of you” and “You’ve got a soap bubble on your ear” and she laughed, and it was a beautiful sound, a joyful sound, and it was so much like her that my eyes burned and my throat closed.