Page 11 of Pack Rage
“Luke, your father is here,” I began. “Callaway.” He sucked in a breath, but I could hear my phone buzzing on the bed outside, and knew our time was up. “He’s in the lower levels, along with the Hilliers. He spilled a lot of dangerous secrets. Flor’s his daughter. Her mother is from—” My mouth worked, but I couldn’t speak the name of her pack.
“I know. He’s insurance. If I don’t vote the way your parents want, they’ll kill me and reinstall him somehow.” Luke swallowed. “Your mother made it clear on the trip here. I’m to pledge myself to the Council, after which Aidan will reinstate me as Acting Alpha. Then I’m to pledge my pack to the Council, and vote to give permanent power to your father as Council Head, and to execute Bradley and Margarette for crimes against their pack. I’m assuming they’ll execute Callaway at some point, so that the Alpha power really moves to me.”
“Luke, if you do all that…” There weren’t that many shifters left at Southern, but his vote would still count, and his power… I didn’t even know how the bonds he had would work. But if he was mated to Flor, and connected to Brand, it was possible the Council would have access to that power through him.
“I know. They’ll have every scrap of power they’ll ever need, with no way to stop them short of war.”
I thought of all the weapons my parents had amassed. The poisons that worked on shifters. The silver-coated bullets and the thousands of forbidden blades that lined the walls of more than one “storm cellar” on our property. They’d been preparing for this for years. “War may not save us either. We need a miracle.”
A pounding on the door to my bedroom brought us back to the moment. Niall’s voice had us rushing out of the closet. I quickly grabbed some clothing and slung an arm around Luke’s waist.
When I opened the door, Niall was red-faced. “We’re meant to be on lockdown, Finnick. Where’s the… Alpha Heir Callaway.” He nodded to Luke. “There you are.”
“AlphaCallaway,” I corrected. “He’s here for the emergency Council meeting.” Luke slumped against me. I hoped he was pretending to be this weak, but I wasn’t sure. “Help him.”
Niall hesitated. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Weak,” Luke panted out. “Need… to rest.”
Niall took him from me, the shy maid behind him rushing forward to grab the clothing from my other arm. I waited a moment, then grabbed my phone and headed back to the lower levels.
From my parents’ messages, I had an hour before they would be back. Just enough time to find out if Mother had brought a prisoner home.
Or a Trojan horse.
Chapter 5
Lily’s Story
FLOR
The light that streamed through the window into the room where they’d brought Mama lit up her white hair for a moment, making her look almost angelic as she smiled at me. Her eyes were clear, the gold irises sparkling with what I wanted to think was love. The scars on her face might have been laugh lines, if I hadn’t known how she’d gotten them. If there hadn’t been so many.
I cleared my throat, my eyes darting to Sergeant, who circled her bed and perched on the far side, taking one of her hands.
“Who’s that?” Mama asked when she caught sight of Glen entering the room. Her voice had gone slightly brittle. Maybe it was because he was an Alpha. Maybe just because she didn’t know him.
I wasn’t about to tell her he was my mate. She’d warned me for years not to let a true mate near me, and I had a feeling it would set her off. I mouthed the wordGo?at my Northern mate. He blew me a kiss and slid back out of the room, understanding flooding our bond.
Sergeant answered for me. “No one to worry about, Lily. A goodhearted rogue.”
Mama tasted the air for a lie, her nostrils flaring, and relaxed. “I like those rogues. Such nice boys.”
“They are, aren’t they? Really shaping up.”
I stood with my back to the side wall of the room, not certain if I should approach her, but Sergeant nodded to me to step closer. I took a seat on the mattress opposite him, fearful that I could set her off again. That something I said or did would pop the bubble of peace, like I’d always done in the past.
But she reached out with her hand, took mine, and squeezed it, her smile widening. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too, Mama,” I managed to say at last. “How are you feeling?”
She winced. “Stomach hurts.” I refused to let my gaze drop from her face to her abdomen, where the fatal wound was hidden under bandages. I could smell it, though. Her blood, tainted with the acrid stench of silver.
If I ever saw Torran again, I would return the favor. Though not with silver. I would make his death long and slow, and let him appreciate all the skills Del had taught me.
“If you rest, maybe you’ll feel better soon.” I had to work to keep from lying.
“I’m dying, baby,” Mama said after her next labored breath. “It’s okay. I’ve been dying ever since… since Calvin…”
