I don’t blame her for it. No, all the blame for this shitshow is settled well and truly around my shoulders, dragging me down like an anchor.
A throat clears behind me and I blink, turning away from the gates. Logan stands there, his eyes averted. “We’re ready to go.”
I nod wordlessly, taking in the way he angles himself away from me. My pack can’t bring themselves to look me in the eye, our pack bond full of shame and worry that bleeds through into my chest.
I haven’t slept for two days. Exhaustion weighs down my bones, every step heavy as I move towards my car, opening it up as Jax passes me, his shoulder jamming into mine without apology.
After today, we can start to heal. Every angle, every secret will be out in the open, the scale of our deception laid out for Sienna like some sort of twisted offering.
But she’ll besafe. Safe from Erikkson and his twisted plans. Safe from Alicia and her scheming.
Everything else will settle in time. I’ll spend the rest of my life making this up to her.
Jax chooses to get in the back rather than sit next to me, Logan following his lead. I stand by my door, my fingers gripping the handle with whitened knuckles as Gray slides in next to him, his mouth pressed into a firm line.
We might be dressed for a Mating, but this feels more like a funeral.
My jaw sets before I yank the door open, getting in without saying anything. I’m not about to waste precious minutes trying to hash out the dynamics of our pack when the person we really need is alone and waiting for us to get there.
Before I can start the engine, a noise jerks my head up. There’s a car pulling in through our gates, an escalade similar to the one that just pulled out.
“Did she come back?” Logan asks in confusion, pushing his head forward between the seats to take a look. Shaking my head, I watch in growing disbelief as a door opens wide, a stiletto-heeled foot appearing.
“What the fuck is that bitch doing here?” Jax growls furiously behind me. Alicia steps out and walks over to us, her steps smooth and measured, not an ounce of fear in her face.
There should be. This bitch dragged our Soul Bonded into a shed and locked her in when she was in heat. Sprayed her with chemicals to try and put us off the scent.
And today, she’s going down.
“We need a fucking security system,” snaps Gray. “This is ridiculous.”
“Quiet,” I bark. “Let me deal with this.”
“Like you’ve dealt so well with everything fucking else,” mutters Jax, but he doesn’t say anything when Alicia taps on my window.
I can almost taste the fury of my pack on my tongue when I roll it down. Putting my hands back on the steering wheel, I grip it tightly, imagining it’s her neck. “What do you want?”
She fuckinglaughs. A trilling, chirpy glee that burrows into my eardrums and ratchets the anger in the car up by a good few degrees.
“Oh, Tristan,” she coos. “So masterful.”
Fuck this.
My hand shoots through the window, grabbing her throat as she chokes. Her face darkens as I flex my fingers, squeezing until her eyes bulge.
“Listen to me,” I breathe, pulling her towards me and leaning closer. “I want nothing more than to keep squeezing, Alicia. Nothing would bring me greater pleasure than to finally wipe that demented, fucking smirk off your face once and for all. But we have somewhere important to be. Far more important than whatever the fuck you’re here for. So get back in your car, turn the fuck around, and leave us alone.”
When my fingers open, she pulls herself back with a gasp, massaging the skin at her throat. Her swollen, pouty lips tremble as she eyes me with the first hint of self-preservation I’ve seen.
“I know what you think of me, you know.” Her words are softer than I’ve ever heard, so quiet I have to lean my head further out of the window to hear them. “But you’ll change your mind in time, Tristan. It’ll all be fine once she’s out of the picture.”
My eyes flash to hers, taking in the manic gleam. “Alicia—,”
My words cut off as she pulls something from behind her and throws it through the window. It lands with a clatter, rolling under my seat, and I cough as a dark green fog fills the car. A second clatter follows, Jax, Logan and Gray shouting from the back seat as the fog swallows them up.
“Tristan,” Jax chokes. “Sienna.”
Desperate, my fingers grapple for the doors, but I locked them when we got in. My head starts to spin, something in the mist fogging up my mind.
