“No idea.”
Both knew better than to disobey their alpha’s orders, so they dutifully followed. Huck hadn’t known the alpha’s office contained a secret passage, but he wasn’t surprised. It was exactly the thing the man would need. There was no telling what he used it for, but Huck knew it wasn’t for anything good.
The tunnel seemed to go on forever, and after fifteen or so minutes, Huck was growing tired of walking. He noticed he and Orson were falling behind. Huck thought he might just lie down and go to sleep right there on the concrete floor. It required an almost herculean effort of will just to put one foot in front of the other.
The alpha slowed, allowing them to catch up. “C’mon.” As soon as they reached him, Jeremiah started walking again. Huck stifled a groan.
Huck couldn’t guess as to where they might be, as he had no idea which direction the tunnel went after leaving Jeremiah’s office. But he thought they must be miles away from the pack mansion by now. Huck knew any chance of sleep and a shower was long gone. Finally, after about a half hour of walking, the tunnel ended at another door, this one equally as heavy and imposing as the first. Again, Jeremiah unlocked it and passed through. Huck and Orson followed. The door opened into a small cave with stone walls pressed closely together. It was dark, but Huck could see a sliver of light coming from up ahead, revealing a small gap in the stone walls. He watched Jeremiah squeeze through the gap and disappear. Huck’s curiosity was running wild. A secret cave that led into the pack mansion? What other secrets was Jeremiah hiding?
Huck felt an arm grab him in the darkness.
“I don’t like this, Huck,” Orson whispered, his voice holding a note of panic.
“Me either.”
“What should we do?”
“Let’s just keep our wits about us, Orson. We fought off those rogues. We can fight Jeremiah if we have to.” Huck wasn’t sure he believed his own words or the fact that he’d even considered having to fight their alpha. But something didn’t feel right. “C’mon.”
Huck followed Jeremiah through the crack and saw the light of the forest through the opening of the cave mouth. He heard running water and recognized the place. It was a quiet clearing a few miles from the pack headquarters. A river, deep and swift, ran nearby. Huck hesitated at the mouth of the cave. He glanced around but didn't see Jeremiah anywhere.
Thump! Huck turned when he heard scuffling above him. He looked up to see Jeremiah crouched on a boulder, glaring down at him. Before he could react, Jeremiah leaped from the boulder and landed on top of him, shoving him to the ground. Huck tried to push the alpha off, but he didn’t have anything close to the strength required. Jeremiah rose up and swiped at Huck with his long claws, catching him by the throat. His own blood flew out in a bright spray. Huck clutched at his throat, trying in vain to stem the tide of blood. Jeremiah stood and moved back to the mouth of the cave.
Huck watched in horror as Orson emerged from the cave. Jeremiah stepped forward and grabbed Orson by the throat, lifting him off the ground with one hand. His friend tried to cry out, but his voice was cut off by Jeremiah’s hand around his neck. With frightening strength, Jeremiah threw Orson against the nearby rocks. Crunch. Orson fell limp. Huck writhed and squirmed on the ground. He knew these were his final moments.
Jeremiah paused and looked at him. “Sorry about this, boys. but I just can’t run the risk of you telling anyone about Dillon. If Tanya found out, it would kill her and be an embarrassment to me and my pack. I can’t have that. My daughter won’t be the laughingstock of the Canis lupus world because her mate couldn’t keep it in his pants.”
As Huck’s vision began to blur, he watched Jeremiah walk to a pile of large stones. He moved one and revealed a small cache of equipment. Huck blinked and then saw the alpha had retrieved a length of rope, which he tied to a small boulder. He tied the other end around Orson’s waist. Then Jeremiah hoisted the rock with one hand and Orson with the other. He walked to the riverbank and then unceremoniously tossed them both in. Huck heard a large splash when the boulder and his friend simultaneously hit the water.
Jeremiah then turned to Huck. Huck didn’t even have the strength to raise a hand in defense. His life was over, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. His best friend had just died at the hands of their alpha, the leader of their pack and a male they should have been able to trust implicitly. They’d been fools. And no one in the pack would know the truth of what had happened here. The rest of them would continue to be fools led by this mad man.
“You don’t…” Huck coughed as he tried to speak.
Jeremiah frowned. “I suppose you should get some last words since Orson didn’t. Go on then.” He motioned. “What are you saying?”
Huck pulled on every ounce of strength he had left. “You don’t deserve what the Great Luna has given you. You never have.” He coughed again. “And I hope she snuffs your life out with the same amount of care you’ve given me and Orson.”
Jeremiah sighed. “The Great Luna hasn’t given me anything. I’ve taken it. I’ve created my own opportunities. I will not let Dillon, you, Orson, or some brat growing in a human whore’s womb ruin all I’ve worked for.”
The last thing Huck saw was his alpha raise a giant stone over his head and bring it crashing down.
Chapter
Fifteen
“It’s strange how once you've made a choice in life to do something that you previously thought impossible, the desire to keep pushing forward becomes unstoppable. You become fixated on achieving that goal. The thought of it not coming to fruition makes you think everything is crumbling around you.” ~Tanya
Tanya stared at the book in her hands, listening to the sound of the road beneath the tires of the van. They’d been on the road for hours. Slowly, the encroaching dusk swallowed the day, leaving the moon, stars, and the van’s headlights to illuminate their way back to the Colorado pack mansion. After she had said her goodbyes to Lisa, Tyler, and the other members of the pack she’d grown close to, Tanya was anxious to be home.
She wanted to see her mom. She needed to check on her father and see just how much crazier he’d become in her absence. Tanya knew something was up because his response to her request to stay for Lisa’s funeral had been absolutely out of character for him. Most of all, she wanted to see Dillon. She had no idea how she would respond once she did, though. Her wolf wanted to barrel into him and rub her scent all over him, hussy that she was. “As if you haven’t thought about it,” her beast chided. The wolf was like a child, giddy with excitement now that they were headed toward their mate. Tanya wouldn’t deny that she was excited, as well. Nervous as hell, but excited.
“I can feel you getting closer.” Dillon’s deep, rich voice filled her mind.
Warmth infused every cold place inside of her as unseen arms wrapped around her. She should tell him not to take such liberties, even if it was simply a psychic touch and not a real one. It was intimate as hell.
“My wolf and I are hungry to lay eyes on you.”
“Not holding back, are you?” She sounded breathless. Have a little dignity, T, she told herself.
