Viola shrugged. “War is war. Casualties are to be expected in battle. In Virginia, brave human warriors finally took the fight to the shifter scourge. The bravery they showed is immense. I can only hope that other brothers and sisters of humanity will take up the fight that these courageous souls started. That loss of life is the cost of winning a war.”
“Miss Monroe, you must see the futility of this fight. Every nation in the world has decried your actions and all violence against shifters. You must realize you cannot fight the entire world.”
Viola laughed. “My sweet, simple friend. The world only follows what the majority says. Right now, most people know I am right, but due to centuries of propaganda and brainwashing, they’ve suppressed their true beliefs. No true human can look at the shifter menace and say theybelonghere. They are an evolutionary accident. No human truly wants to share the world with that. As my followers wake up and start pushing for action, the truth will come out, and the leaders of the world will see what their constituents really want. This is a long game, and my organization and I are prepared to play and win. In fact, this war could end quickly and decisively with minimal loss of human life.”
“And how would that be possible?” The anchor looked less and less happy about the path the interview was taking.
“Well, there is one person who has exactly what I need to end this shifter curse once and for all. I admit we experimented onshifters of all ages and species trying to find this person. I now know her name. The last in the ancient line of the semi-mythical Edemas. The so-called Werewolf King. If I have this woman and the ancient blood that flows in her veins, I could end this war in a day. I could eradicate shifters from the earth and give humanity a safe and clean home. A home without the filthy stink of these animals polluting the air.” Viola leaned toward the camera, a hungry gleam in her eyes. “This descendant is a woman by the name of Maddison Sutton in Florida. Any true human who wants a world expunged of these animals should go there. The person who brings me this woman will be greatly rewarded, not only with money but with respect. Their name will go down in history as a hero. Statues will be built in their name. Children a thousand years from now will study them in history books. Bring me Maddy Sutton and become a god among men.”
The screen cut to black. The anchor blinked in surprise. Inside the Moon Mate house, voices filled with anger cursed and called out. They’d seen the report. I stared at my phone, the metal, glass, and plastic cracking under the rage that trembled in my fingers. Viola had escalated. Instead of putting a price on all shifters, she’d slid all her chips onto Maddy. She’d told the world there was a bounty like no other on my mate’s head. I was fuming, and my wolf growled in fury. Things were about to get worse.
121
MADDY
Istared in stunned silence at the TV screen in the living room. Donatello had texted me to put on the news. Nico must have received the same message. Sinthy glared at the screen, and Gabriella had her face buried in her hands, a deep growl resonating from her throat.
This was bad, but not the worst that could have happened.
Nico burst through the front door with Luis, Sebastian, and Felipe hot on his heels. “Maddy? Maddy? Have you seen the news?” His voice had a barely contained tremor to it.
“Yes, calm down, Nico. It’s gonna be all right.”
“How is it gonna be all right?” he said, gesturing to the TV. “She told everyone where to find you.”
I was surprisingly calm, given the circumstances. I shook my head. “No. She said my name and that I lived in Florida. She didn’t say Clearidge. She didn’t give an address or anything like that. It’ll take time for them to figure it out.”
“Maddy,” Gabriella said sadly. “We’re living in the age of the internet. People will figure it out in a day. A few web searches, and it’s done.”
I shook my head. “They’ll find my old address, the bar’s address, but there’s nothing that links me here to Nico’s house. DMV? IRS? As far as they know, I still live at my old address.”
Gabriella nodded hesitantly.
“Plus, there has to be a bunch of other women with my name. That may muddy the waters a bit.”
“Not many women, but there should be some,” Sinthy admitted. “It may take a little while for them to narrow it down.”
My lips peeled back into a snarl. The thought that other Maddison Suttons all over Florida were now in danger didn’t sit well with me. God only knew how many were now in danger because of what Viola had said. I almost wished shehadbeen more precise in her revelation. If I had to guess, that was exactly why she’d done it. Viola knew what would happen, and she just didn’t give a fuck. The bitch probably thought she could smoke me out by threatening so many innocent people. We’d never be able to live with ourselves if someone got hurt because of me. It was a sick game played by a sick woman.
Nico's rage was all-encompassing. It flowed off him in waves. His newfound power forced his will on all of his pack. When he cursed, the three other men winced almost in pain as the anger washed over them. Sebastian even let out a tiny whimper and lowered his head in submission.
“Nico?” I went to him and put my hands on his face. “Calm down. You’re angry and can’t think straight. You’re making everyone uncomfortable.”
His glower faded as he looked around in surprise. He saw his friends cowering in the corner and realized what was happening. With a sigh, his shoulders relaxed, and almost immediately, the red blanket of anger that had been on him lifted. Everyone else looked relieved.
“I’m sorry,” Nico said, looking embarrassed.
“It’s fine, bro,” Felipe said. “You’re mate’s in danger, and you’re the alpha. We get it.”
“What do we do now?” Luis asked.
Nico shook his head and said exactly what I was thinking. “We wait. There’s nothing else we can do.”
“We have time, but not a lot,” I said. “I’m worried about the people in town. Someone will eventually put two and two together. Someone will remember me and that I shut the bar down before moving up to the pack lands. It won’t be immediate, but it’ll be soon.”
“No one is getting close to you,” Nico snapped. “They can come, and they can try, and they’ll run into a fucking buzzsaw. That’s a goddamned promise. I don’t want to hurt humans, but if a single one of them tries to come for you, I’ll burn their world down to stop them.”
A tingle of fear shot up my arms. He was serious, and I was terrified for anyone who eventhoughtthey could come onto his land and hurt someone he loved. There was no doubt in my mind that things would end poorly for whatever misguided soul crossed that line.
