“I got you, Alpha,” Jezebel said.
Jacque didn’t question the witch further. She phased to her wolf and then watched out of the corner of her eye as Jezebel began casting a spell that caused the surrounding area to erupt in miniature explosions.Not a freaking light show, my ass. She reached for the pack power and began to run, but not straight at Alston. She moved in an arc and then darted to the left, only to zig back to the right. Jezebel continued to throw out her fireworks, and then two other wolves joined Jacque.
Jacque spoke to them through the pack bonds.“Crina, Zara, just keep running around like your tails are on fire.”
“If that witch isn’t careful, they will be soon enough,”Crina replied.
“You can live with a singed tail,”Jacque said.“I’m going to get closer and closer as I run. If my unwell-constructed plan works out, I should have the opportunity to rip the bastard’s throat out.”
“Do you have any idea how fast you’re moving, alpha?”Zara’s voice was filled with awe.
Jacque didn’t know. But she guessed it had to be fast because everything around her was a blur. Her singular focus was Alston, and she trusted her wolf’s senses to keep them from running into one of her allies or a tree.“Hopefully fast enough that he can’t figure out which angle I’m going to come at him from,”she answered.
She left the two females to do as she instructed and then pushed herself to run even faster. She moved around the fae, then whipped to the right, then the left. Jacque darted right at him and got so close she managed to turn her head and nip his ankle. He shrieked, and the sound was so satisfying that it made her wolf more eager to take down their prey. Jacque made a tight circle around him and bit his knee, causing him to stumble. She jumped back and to the side, then made another sharp maneuver to the left, which put her directly in front of him. She didn’t even think twice. Jacque launched herself at his face. She spread her muzzle wide. Her front paws hit his shoulders, knocking him back, and she dug in her claws until she felt them break through fabric and then flesh. Her teeth sank into his face, and she shook her head to the side, tearing away skin.
Jacque saw Crina and Zara on either side of her, both holding down Alston’s arms with their powerful jaws. She spit out the piece of Alston’s flesh and then zeroed in on his throat. He tried to speak, but blood poured down his destroyed face and into his mouth.
She snarled and dove toward his throat, sinking her fangs in deep until she felt the large carotid artery pop beneath her teeth. Jacque yanked back with so much force that she toppled back off of Alston. Her eyes stayed on him, and she watched blood spurt from his destroyed neck. She could see the artery that she’d torn in half, gushing as the life-giving substance flowed out of him, down his throat, and to the ground.
“Jacque!”
She jerked her head up and saw Thadrick holding onto a male fae.Who the hell is that?Cyn appeared a second later, and Jacque phased back, trusting the fae would clothe her. The female did not disappoint. The second Jacque was back on two feet, she was also fully clothed. Crina and Zara did the same, and Cyn took care of them as well.
The female fae’s attention, however, was not on the wolves. She was focused on the fae male held in Thadrick’s grasp.
“What are you doing here, Zeek?” Two blades suddenly appeared in Cyn’s hands. Her body shook with what looked like rage as she stared at the male.
He returned Cyn’s glare with one of his own. There was a level of hatred in his eyes that Jacque could practically feel. “I’m going home. I’ve paid my dues. With him dead, I can get through the veil.” He pointed at Alston, but the high fae was not dead. Alston was holding his neck, and light emanated from his hands. The jackass was trying to heal himself.
Cyn frowned. “Who told you that? Some of his magic will be null once he’s dead, but some magic is bound by words and can only be undone by taking those words back. That spell is like a stamp on your flesh. Only Alston can wipe it away. Regardless, you will not live long enough to cross through that veil, even if that piece of draheim crap did revoke his spell.”
Zeek’s eyes widened, and he struggled against Thadrick’s hold. Jacque wondered why he didn’t just flash away from the djinn, but then she considered the fact that despite Thad’s messed-up mojo, he could have enough power to keep the fae from using that particular ability.
“Let me go.” Zeek growled at Thad, but his eyes were now firmly fixed on Alston. “He can’t die. Not before he releases me.” Desperation laced Zeek’s voice.
Cyn’s hand moved so fast that Jacque only saw the dagger flying through the air a split second before it embedded itself straight between the fae’s eyes. Then a ball of light hit the fae in the chest, and a gaping hole was all that was left in the place his heart had been. Thad released Zeek, and the lifeless body hit the ground with a sickening thud.
“What the actual hell?” Zara breathed out, drawing Jacque’s gaze. Zara’s eyes were huge, and her hand pressed against her chest, as if to protect her own heart from Cyn’s wrath.
“You’re going to explain that in a minute, Cyn.” Jacque pointed at the dead fae.
Cyn’s face no longer held the rage that had been present moments ago. Instead, there was something like satisfaction in her eyes, and her lips were tilted up in a small smile. Perhaps she and Fane needed to consider getting all of their warriors some sort of therapy.
“Of course, Alpha,” Cyn answered.
Jacque turned her attention back to the gurgling mess on the ground that was Alston. She stepped over him and looked down. The high fae appeared to be clinging to life. He somehow managed to sneer up at her, despite bleeding like a stuffed hog. “Cyn, may I use your fae blade?”
“Of course, Jacque.” Cyn tossed her remaining dagger so that it landed blade down in the ground next to Jacque’s foot. The alpha kneeled and picked it up. Then she looked back at the high fae who’d caused so much pain in her life and to the lives of those she loved. Jacque’s wolf pushed forward, and it was her beast that spoke to Alston. “For the crimes you have committed against the Great Luna, against her children, and against the innocent of every race. And especially, for the abuse to which you subjected Sally Miklos, gypsy healer of the Romanian pack, mate and mother, I, Jacque Lupei, mate of Alpha Fane Lupei, and humble servant of the Great Luna, sentence you to death.” His eyes widened, and it appeared to finally sink in that his time in this world was over. The light surrounding his hands faded. Jacque lifted the blade and brought it down swiftly. It slid through flesh, muscle, and bone, straight into his evil heart. A rush of air flew from his mouth, and then it was over. Alston's reign of terror was finally at an end. As she pulled her hands away from the dagger, Jacque realized they were shaking. She could hear someone yelling, and she knew it was coming from people next to her, but the noise sounded like it was coming from inside a tunnel.
In her mind’s eye, she saw Sally, the empty look in her eyes, and then the anguish that filled them when she’d realized she’d been living a fake life that Alston had invented for her. She recalled how her friend had fallen apart when she remembered she had a mate and that she’d been with another male because of a bracelet that Alston had cursed. He had tormented her, nearly driven Costin insane, and taken her best friend away from her, leaving Jacque and Jen to wonder, worry, and anguish over the fate of their friend, who was, for all intents and purposes, their sister. Jacque thought of her son and Jen’s daughter clutched in Alston’s arms at the Order’s compound and the disgustingly smug smile that had been on the fae’s face. Even children weren’t off limits to his depravity. “It’s over,” she whispered. “You can’t hurt anyone else.”
“The punishment is fitting for the crime, Jacquelyn Lupei, daughter of mine and mate of the alpha of alphas.”The Great Luna’s voice filled her mind.“But no matter how justified the consequences of the iniquity, the one who imposes the punishment still feels the burden of it on their hands. Do not take this yoke upon yourself. For you weremyarm, your blade the weapon ofmyjustice. And because I knew Alston’s heart, seeing that there would be no remorse for all he’d done and would do, his death was necessary.”
“The pain of all he caused is still there.”Jacque bowed her head.“I knew he needed to be punished, and I knew it wouldn’t undo all that he’d done. But I thought it might ease the pain that has continued to linger in the background. Always there, always waiting to sneak up and take me by surprise, allowing bitterness, fear, and hatred to rule my life. I don’t want to be that type of person. I want to forgive so I can move forward. Until now, I didn’t realize I had been holding on to all of it.”Jacque tried to reach for Fane, needing his comfort, but the bond was locked down tight. It was probably for the best that he’d closed it. She didn’t need to worry him while he was facing whatever the heck Alston had left behind at his mountain.
“The pain is a reminder that you have endured your trials. Even though you felt defeated, you continued to fight the good fight. You’ve been knocked down and climbed back to your feet. You’ve allowed me to be your comfort and refuge. You’ve called on my aid, realizing that even in all of your strength, you are the created and not the Creator. You have trusted me, and for that you will be blessed, and your descendants for generations to come will find favor in my eyes. You may need to give me your pain and burdens every day, multiple times a day, and I will never fail to hear you and offer my comfort. I love you, daughter. Never forget that.”
Jacque took several deep breaths and pictured a box containing all of her pain, anger, and fear in it. She handed the box to the Great Luna, and the goddess took it in one hand and then placed the other on Jacque’s face.“Peace be with you now. Turn your focus on the present, Alpha. You are needed.”
