Page 45 of Claimed

“I’ll do everything I can to minimize damage. Promise.”

I blow out a breath. Is it possible that I actually got this lucky?

“You’re right. So I’m gonna spit it out,” I tell him. “Because you’ve been so incredibly wonderful to me so far. And I want you to know I feel incredibly lucky that I met you. That I get to be your-” It feels so strange to say the word, “mate.”

Warmth seeps into his features and he whispers, “Good,” as he squeezes my hand and drops a soft kiss on it. “Lay it on me. We’ll figure it out.”

I take a big breath. “I don’t want anything bad to happen. To you. To your pack. To the innocent people in my pack.”

“Of course.”

“Yes, the alpha is my brother. I just called knowing he wouldn’t answer if I called around this time of day because he’s a creature of habit and I know where he probably is right now means hewouldn’t have his phone with him. I wanted to try to buy time. I don’t know what he’s going to do next and I’m… worried. About people there and people here.”

He doesn’t look surprised.

“And he’s…scary,” I say.

“Not remotely scared, Stacy. You don’t need to be either.”

“If you’re part of that pack, you have to do what he says or… it’s bad. I had to do what he told me to do. I hate the idea of hurting anyone. I loved the job in the diner because it was so much better than living in the wreckage, the junkyard that’s our home. But I also felt really bad about loving the job and staying at the motel because I knew how much people back at home were suffering. Our pack is suffering because he’s awful and they’re not getting what they need, and he thinks the answer to that is to take your territory. He wants to command this large pack and use all the resources you’ve all worked so hard for himself. And Greyson, I don’t know what he’ll try to pull next. He’s unpredictable. Often illogical. But he’s going to do something to try to take down this pack’s leadership so that he can lead himself. And he’d lead it all straight into the ground, believe me. So, I want you to know that whatever you have to do to stop him, you have my full support. Whatever you have to do, Greyson. That might sound like I’m disloyal to my family, but he’s not a good guy. He would not hesitate to hurt all of you. To sacrifice any or all of his people to get what he wants, to feed his own ego. I just ask… and I have no right to ask but I need to…”

“Ask.”

“I ask that you try not to harm any of the women and children there. That you’re careful about harming the men. There aren’t that many good ones left but there are some.”

Hardness overtakes his expression. And I feel like there’s a hard knot in my chest right now at the sight of it.

“He told you to take out Tyson specifically?” he demands.

“Tyson specifically, yes.”

“Why?”

I wince.

“To hurt the rest of us since we only just got him back?” he tries.

“Maybe some of that but Wyatt says it’s because Tyson murdered our father.”

Greyson’s eyebrows fly up in surprise.

“I don’t know the details,” I explain. “My father wasn’t a good guy either; he was our alpha before my brother. For all I know, Tyson Savage feels it was warranted. I just… don’t know.” I shrug.

“What were you tasked to do here? Specifically?”

I haul in a big breath. “Weaken your pack with a mixture of herbs that a witch told us would prevent shifting. And I knew that’s what they’d do because he tried it out on some of his betas. I’m assuming he wanted the strongest weakened so he could take over without them having the ability to fight back. He didn’t like it when I couldn’t tell him how that went. I was told to learn all I could about you. To try to find a way to get into the village, draw maps, give him important facts. I told him I didn’t think it was possible, and he wasn’t happy about it, but then out of nowhere I got revised orders from my cousin Jimmy with the delivery of a gun telling me to find a way to take Tyson out as quickly as possible instead. I only served the poison when I had to, when Jimmy was there at the counter watching under a scent mask, like the day you were there. I wouldn’t do it if he wasn’t there and I put less than I was told to. I embellished when I told themthat several alphas came in from your pack and got the herb over a period of the past few weeks. I’m sure he thought I gave it to more than three. I think Jimmy thought I gave it to the three of you that day.”

His jaw muscles flex while I try to slow my heartrate.

“I made it sound like I’d done more than I’d done because he made threats. And he expects when he tells you to do something, even if it’s not logical, for you to just make it happen. And if you don’t…” I give him a severe expression.

“Let me get this straight. Your alpha brother ordered you to take vengeance on your father’s… alsohisfather’s murderer?”

I nod.

“And he was okay with tasking his sister with the elimination of the man he feels is responsible for his father and alpha’s death?”

I nod again.

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