Page 27 of Pack: Posy 3

That made Sid giggle, which brought a smile to my lips, too.

Then the door flew open, and Cole threw himself into the chair in front of my desk.

"Was it as bad as we thought?" I asked, putting my pen down with relief.

"Yeah." He ground the heels of his hands into his eyes with a groan. "Beat him. Starved him. Convinced him he was 'retarded.' By the moon, Ihatethat word. Tortured him by telling him that's why Em left. Did nothing to grow his brain. Kept him locked in that dog crate ten to twelve hours a day. Isolated him from his pack. Killed his wolf, but you knew that."

"Yeah." I hung my head and tried to calm Sid, who was out for blood now.

"Every kind of abuse but sexual. Thank the Goddess for that at least." Cole blew out a heavy breath. "You know the king is going to strip Alpha Bellamy and Luna Ivana of their status, if not order their execution. If we're asked to do it, Ash, I don't think I can without ripping the pair of them to shreds."

"The luna participated?" I asked, aghast.

Sid howled his rage, and I knew Cole could see him glittering in my eyes. Anything involving an injury or outrage to a pup roused Sid's fury like nothing else.

"She did," he confirmed. "Worse than the alpha with some of it."

"I can't imagine parents of either gender hurting their own pup," I ground out as I struggled to hold Sid back.

"Me, either."

Let me out!Sid growled.

No. You'll run all the way to Gray Shadows and kill them both.

They not deserve to live,he hissed with unusual venom.

The king has not authorized either their capture or their executions yet,I reminded him. You can't touch an alpha on his territory without the king's order unless you want to start a war.

Then I start a war!he howled loud enough for Cole to hear.

"Sorry for getting Sid stirred up," my brother sighed. "Sid, we have to wait until the king reviews the evidence and makes a decision. No pups are being harmed right now—"

"So far as we're aware," I muttered.

"So far as we're aware," Cole agreed, "and you know very well that the king will not allow Reau's abusers to go unpunished."

He better punish them orIwill, Sid declared, and settled into a sullen silence.

"Listen," Cole said as he stood, "I need something mindless to do for a while and you need to get Sid settled. How about I take over the paperwork and you go be with Posy for a bit?"

"Where is she?"

"She was going to get a head-start on dinner, then said she was going to chill for a bit."

Happily yielding my seat and handing him my pen, I went looking for our girl and found her curled up on the sofa in the living room. She had Mr. Nibbles cuddled in her lap as she looked through the photo album that her brothers had given her.

"Princess? Can I join you?" I asked in a soft tone to keep from startling her.

"Oh, sure. You want to see a picture of my parents?"

"I'd love to."

She moved so I could sit next to her and hold half of the album on my lap.

"Look at them." She tapped a photo of a man kissing the side of a laughing woman's face. "How could anyone look at these photos and think he kidnapped and killed her?"

"I think Kendall Briggs was a master manipulator," I said. "He even convinced King Magnus."

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