Page 64 of A Promise of Forever
The joint bends in a direction it's not meant to go, and Wilson cries out with agony that's music to my ears. He staggers forward before racing around to the back of the boat, dragging his damaged leg and whimpering with pain.
I follow at a measured pace, letting him think he might have a chance to escape. Then I turn the corner and find myself staring down the barrel of a gun. Wilson's hand is shaking badly, but at this distance, even a terrible shot could kill me.
Before either of us can react, a terrifying roar splits the night air. Bryn appears from the shadows where he's been watching and waiting, moving with the kind of speed that only a Valla protecting his pack can achieve. He grabs Wilson's wrist and bends it back with brutal force; the gun tumbles from Wilson's grip into the river below.
"That's not fair!" Wilson shrieks, his voice high with panic and pain as he gathers his wrist against his chest. "You're ganging up on me! This was supposed to be one-on-one!"
I laugh, the sound cold and merciless as I lean against the side of the boat, folding my arms across my naked chest. "What's not fair is you shoving a gun in my face during what was supposed to be a fist fight. I'm going to kill you, Wilson. There's no doubt about that anymore. You're going to suffer until your last breath, and now I'm going to make it really hurt for you trying to cheat."I advance on him, and he scrambles backward until his back hits the boat's cabin. "I wish I had the time and patience to put you on your knees and make you apologize for being such a sorry piece of shit. For every Omega you've hurt, every person you've destroyed with your corruption."
Wilson's eyes go wide with terror as I grab his neck and slam him against the side of the boat. His head connects with the metal railing with a satisfying thunk, and blood immediately starts flowing from a new cut on his scalp.
"You're a monster," Wilson gasps out, his voice strangled by my grip on his throat. "Sterling can't really love you. It's not possible for anyone to love something like you."
The words are designed to hurt, to make me doubt myself and the bond I share with Sterling. But instead of causing pain, they just make me smile. I point to the fresh bite wound on my shoulder, the mark Sterling left when he claimed me in return. "Tell that to the Omega who marked me tonight. Tell that to the Omega who told me to get rid of his nightmares by any means necessary. Tell that to the Omega who is now carrying my flesh and blood because I gave him a safe place to have his heat." I lean in closer, making sure Wilson can see the absolute certainty in my eyes. "You will die alone and unloved, and I'm going to make sure that when your body washes up somewhere downstream, they'll have a hard time even identifying what's left of you."
Wilson's face contorts with rage and desperation. "You don't have the balls to actually kill me. You're all talk, just like your father was before—"
"And you just don't know when to shut the fuck up," I interrupt.
I reach into Wilson's mouth, my fingers finding his tongue. He tries to bite down, but his jaw is too damaged from earlier blows to generate real force. I grab his tongue firmly and yank forwardwith all my strength. Wilson's scream is inhuman, a sound of pure agony as blood spurts everywhere, coating my hand and arm, splashing across both our faces.
I throw the severed piece of flesh over the side of the boat, watching it disappear into the dark water. "That's better. Now you can't say anything else stupid. Where were we?"
Wilson tries to fight back despite the agony he must be in, his survival instincts overriding the pain. He throws wild punches that I block easily, his movements uncoordinated and weakening by the second. Blood is pouring from his mouth at an alarming rate, making breathing difficult.
Wilson crumples after what feels like the thousandth blow to his stomach, his body no longer able to maintain consciousness or mount any defense. He's not much more than a rag doll now, bleeding from dozens of wounds and probably suffering from internal injuries that would kill him even if I stopped right now.
I place my foot on Wilson's neck, positioning it carefully over his windpipe. Wilson weakly scratches at my foot, his fingers barely able to form a grip, his strength almost completely gone.
"I'm going to stay right here until your last fucking breath," I tell him calmly, my voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through my system. "And then I'm going to discard you like the worthless piece of shit that you are. No one is going to come looking for you. No one is going to care that you're missing. The world will be better without you in it."
Wilson gurgles, blood bubbling from his mouth and nose as he tries desperately to breathe around my foot. He writhes weakly, his body's automatic survival responses kicking in even though his mind must know it's over. But his chest is still rising and falling with labored breaths, his heart still stubbornly beating.
I sigh with exasperation. "You’re such a stubborn bastard. You won't even die quickly."
I lift my foot and stomp down hard into Wilson's chest, relishing the crunch of ribs breaking beneath my shoe. I step back to watch as his breathing stops completely, his eyes still open, staring sightlessly at the night sky, but there's no life behind them anymore.
A wave of relief washes over me, the tension I've been carrying since Sterling first came into my life finally releasing. Lorcan appears on the dock not even a second later, clapping slowly with genuine appreciation. "Damn, I missed the good parts. I was hoping to watch at least some of it."
I turn to look at him, confused about his presence. "I didn't call for you. How did you even know to come here?"
Lorcan shrugs casually, like showing up to murder scenes is a normal social activity. "I know, but I thought I might be needed for cleanup. Body disposal is kind of my specialty, and this one is going to require some effort given how thoroughly you destroyed him."
I feel bad for assuming he'd want to be involved in the violence itself. "I didn't mean to insinuate that you needed to handle the dirty work. You do enough of that for our family."
Lorcan waves off my concern with an easy smile. "Hey, my girl gets off on this kind of thing. It's fine. She thinks the violence is hot."
I frown, genuinely confused for a moment. "Who..." Then understanding dawns on me. "Of course. How did I not see that before?"
Bryn speaks up from where he's been standing quietly. "See what? What are you two talking about?" I love the big oaf, but if it doesn’t involve Caelan or Astra or giving someone a beat down, he tends not to know what the fuck is going on.
"Lorcan is always trailing a certain Beta around like a fucking puppy dog," I explain, all of the pieces clicking into place. "Theway he watches Thea, the excuses he makes to be near her during operations. Who else would it be?"
Lorcan grins unrepentantly. "Says the Valla who built a proper nest for his Omega under his desk in his office. Like that's not the most obvious sign of devotion ever."
I snort with amusement despite the blood and violence surrounding us. "Fair point. By all means, then, have fun with the cleanup. Make sure nothing traces back to us orThe Forge."
I climb back onto the docks, my legs slightly unsteady now that the adrenaline is starting to fade. My whole body aches from the fight, and I'm suddenly very aware of every cut and bruise Wilson managed to inflict before I ended him. Bryn says he'll stay to make sure Lorcan doesn't need anything for the disposal, and I'm grateful because I need a moment to calm down before I can face Sterling.
