Page 63 of Pack Rage
“If I’m not moving fast enough, you can do it, Niall,” Luke said, slowly pulling on his gloves. I couldn’t hear his voice in myhead, but I could feel his emotions. He was terrified, but trying to hide it. The last thing he wanted to do was put that silver chain on any of us.
“The girl first,” the asshole demanded.
Wait.Niall.I bristled, realizing now who this rat’s ass was. He was the guy who’d tried to force Finn’s little sister into a mating. He’d beaten my mate. I was going to return the fucking favor, lifting my fists todarehim to bind me, but my Bearman stopped me with a look.
“No,” he replied, stepping in front of us all. “Me first.” His tone left no room for any other option.
“Not a bad idea,” Luke said, stepping toward Brand. I could tell they were communicating somehow—though I wasn’t certain if Brand could hear Luke’s thoughts, or speak with him like we could with Grigor—and Brand stood still, his gaze locked on Luke’s as he held out his massive hands.Sorry,Luke mouthed as he looped half of the chains around Brand’s wrists again and again. Behind him, Niall’s smirk grew wider, his shoulders relaxing. I steeled myself to sense Brand’s pain through the bond, but I should’ve known better.
“I hardly feel it,” Brand said, and the truth in his voice shocked everyone but me. His silver eyes softened as he winked down at me. When Luke finished, he kneeled down and looped more silver cables around Brand’s ankles, forming shackles, though I could tell he was trying to keep the silver over the fabric of Brand’s jeans. My Bearman stood quietly, allowing it, and I didn’t pick up even a hint of discomfort, though his eyes grew brighter with every loop.
Finally, when Luke stepped back, the stench of silver filling the air until my nose itched painfully with another sneeze, Brand straightened. He should have been weak from the silver, and Niall stepped closer, his fear less obvious. A few more Enforcerscrowded into the hallway behind him, their own guns already drawn.
“Now the girl.”
Luke stiffened. “The males—” he began, and Niall lifted his gun to point it at Luke’s back.
“The girl, I said.”
“No. I think you’ll need to chain me again first,” Brand said quietly. “Bradley? Back everyone up please.”
“Shit, yes.” Bradley pulled me back, trying to push me behind him as well, though I peeked out around him to see. Brand nodded at Luke, who returned the gesture grimly, and stepped back as far as he could.
“Wha—” Niall wasn’t able to get the word out before Brand lifted his tightly-bound wrists up to the dim light, then flexed his arms. The silver cables creaked like ice breaking on a lake, then shot out to all sides, small pieces of silver flying like bullets out from the cables.
Niall screamed. “Fuck!” A piece of the cable had just embedded itself in his cheek. One of the other Enforcers wasn’t as lucky; he’d gotten a larger chunk that had slid across his neck, acting as a flying garrote. The hallway was slick with blood in seconds, and Niall slipped, still screaming. His gun went off, though I wasn’t certain he’d meant to fire it, the bullet ricocheting off the concrete walls, and ending up?—
“Brand!” I gasped as I smelled his blood, and felt a hint of his pain at last. He leaned over, and I was afraid he’d been wounded somewhere vital. But all he did was grasp the cables around his ankles, and pull them away like crepe paper at the end of a birthday party.
He held them out to the cursing Niall. “See? You’ll need to tie me again. Or you could accept our vow to walk peacefully to the Council meeting outside. I’m not sure you have enough silver to contain us all.” His eyes narrowed. “Or enough Enforcers.”
“Son of a bitch,” Niall shouted, lifting the gun again. I squirmed around Bradley and planted myself at Brand’s side, my wolf howling for vengeance. I wasn’t sure where he was shot, but I knew Brand had been hurt.
Brand growled at Niall and held up his arm. The bullet had gone in there, blood oozing from the entry hole. He flexed his muscles, and it popped out, falling to the floor with a quiet clink. “That’s Alpha Son of a Bitch to you. Now, do you want my vow to the moon, or do you need to waste some more silver?”
The Enforcer at his feet let out one last rattling breath and died. The others had already retreated back up the steps. Niall looked around and realized he was alone, with only Luke on his side.
Just then, Finn sauntered up the hallway behind us, calling out, “You know, Niall, I did you a favor when I helped Tana get away from you. Not just because you’re a pathetic excuse for a shifter, but you’re so stupid. You would’ve felt bad, being mated to someone so far above your fucking station and beyond your limited intellect.” Finn had somehow fixed his clothing and hair, so he looked like he’d just woken up from a refreshing nap and was ready for a trip to the Enforcer yacht club, or whatever shit rich people did.
Niall snarled, but I could tell he was shocked to see his Alpha Heir looking fresh as a daisy. “How did you—” he began, but then wrenched his attention back to the group when Luke nudged him.
Luke cleared his throat. “Shall we? The moon’s rising.” He winked at me. “Brand, Flor, Finnick, Bradley, Margarette, and Lily? Do you all swear before the moon to come peacefully to the Council ring outside this pack house? To do no harm within its walls to any who do not offer harm to you, and to present yourself for judgment before the moon and the gathered pack?”
Brand grinned. “I swear before the moon,” he began, then repeated all the words. I could feel him laughing in our bond, and when I repeated the words with the others, I knew why. We were only promising not to hurt anyone inside the Mansion, and the vow only covered those who weren’t trying to hurt us. And the judgment part seemed wishy-washy as well. Whose judgment?
When Brand turned his moon-bright eyes on mine, I knew what he’d vowed to. The only judgment he would accept, which was not Aidan Fuckface McDonnell’s.
A few minutes later, we were crossing through the opulent house, a dozen Enforcers with guns trained on us, all of them stinking of silver and fear, hemming us in. I didn’t see any servants this time, though I heard one or two people moving in the direction of the kitchens. It was odd, like the Mansion was deserted. It was even odder finally having the heightened senses of my wolf. I only wished I could have spent our first shift together outside, running under the moon.
Soon,I promised.We just have to get out of here first.
As we walked through the Mansion, I let myself take in my surroundings, since this time I wasn’t hiding under a catering cart. It was so lavish, it triggered a new kind of rage. My pack hadn’t had this kind of wealth, not even close. Not even the Alpha and the assholes who’d lived in the Pack House. The shifters in the smaller packs that I’d seen at the Conclave had been almost as poor as Southern. This was the closest pack to us, geographically, and the place where the current Head resided… and he was, what? A billionaire, I’d bet.
I’d heard a radio show once where someone had been joking that regular people should “eat the rich.” The people on the show had been humans, so they’d meant figuratively. But my wolf side licked her lips now, thinking it might be time to see what fat, wealthy city wolves tasted like.
Bradley and Margarette were clinging to each other, and I knew that of all of us, they were the weakest physically, maybe even counting Mama. They’d been imprisoned for far too long, and the food they’d gotten in the lower levels hadn’t been enough.
When I noticed Becca and Vanya peering out wide-eyed through a crack in one of the doors that I figured led back to the kitchen, I touched my mouth, then pointed to the Hilliers. By the time we reached the end of that hall, a pewter tray with cups of water, juice, and a board covered with cheese cubes and fruit was sitting on a side table.
