‘But in fairness, the wolf I’m supposed to have killed isn’t actually dead, so I was thinking maybe declare a mistrial?’
Pamela turned to see her eldest son, a furious wolf still bound to the oaks, raging against the Spanish moss restraints. If I released him, he would try to murder us both. It had to be as obvious to her as it was to me.
‘Cole,’ she said, her voice a whisper of regret. ‘What happened to you?’
‘Nothing good,’ I answered on his behalf. ‘But it was all his choice.’
When Pamela turned back to me, she had resumed her pack leader authority, chin raised, shoulders back. Both her sons took after their mother. They shared her athletic build and unusual dark ash hair. If she spent more time outdoors, her slightly sallow skin would have the same golden tone as theirs. Her eyes though, were different. Or rather, the same. One grey-green, one yellow gold. One for Wyn and one for Cole.
‘The lone wolf,’ she said. ‘Another Were dead at your hands.’
‘She’s not dead,’ I replied, tapping the ground with my foot. ‘She’s right down here, sealed up in a tunnel. I can take you to her whenever you’re ready, she’s yours to do with as you please. But before you decide what that is, you should know that shedidkill a wolf.’
I pointed over to the body that lay between the cages and when she seized up, one hand pressed against her abdomen to keep her from doubling over, I felt her grief.
‘Cerian,’ she whispered. ‘No.’
Her emissary. The Were who came to Bell House to deliver terms and took Jackson with her. She had no reason to help me, only to see what was happening and do what was right.
‘Cerian saved my life,’ I said quietly, lowering my voice out of respect. ‘In case that means anything to you.’
The air hung heavy with Pamela’s silence. The empty cages, the dead wolf. One by one, the other Weres awoke, still groggy from whatever spell Astrid had used on them.
‘It’s an abomination,’ Pamela muttered, unhappy and somewhat unwilling to explain herself to me, ‘for a Were to use magic. We stick to the natural order of things. We don’t interfere like you do.’
‘If you can’t get the truth of it all from Astrid, maybe you can get it from Cole,’ I suggested. ‘I don’t want to interfere with anything. I’m just trying to live my life, that’s all I want.’
As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I understood they were true. What more could anyone ask for? But Pamela was unmoved.
‘Until you bring about the end of the world. And what then?’
Beside me, Lydia let out a growl any wolf would be proud of. The pack leader met it with a snarl of her own but Lydia Powell had never been intimidated by anyone, and she wasn’t about to start now.
‘Wyn said you didn’t believe in prophecies,’ I said, sending soothing energy Lydia’s way. ‘If that’s not true, you should know killing me won’t save anything. Take my life and the world ends. Let me live and we all have a chance.’
Pamela let out a harsh laugh. ‘You want me to trust a witch?’
‘I want you to trust me. Your emissary died to save my life. I could’ve killed Cole, I could’ve killed Astrid. I didn’t. Enough people have died.’
I thought of Ileen Stovell, the couple at Hilton Head, the witch in Norway and who knew how many others.
A dozen or so women, unphased Weres, appeared at the perimeter of the park and behind them, a whole battalion of wolves. The leader raised her hand in a clenched fist and they all held the line, the unphased Weres struggling almost as much as the wolves.
‘Since Cole Evans was not killed, the pack rescinds its accusation,’ Pamela declared, loud enough for all the wolves in the park to hear. ‘You are free to go.’
‘Before I do’ – I nodded at the cages when she stood back, her mouth a hard line – ‘Astrid said that was your doing.’
‘Whatever Wyn told you, he didn’t have his facts quite straight,’ she answered coolly. ‘When a Were is murdered, the punishment is a life for a life, but not your own. Had there not been … interference, your sentence would have been to choose which of the cages to open before the moon reached its peak.’
The reality of what she was saying hit so hard I staggered backwards two steps. They were going to make me decide whether to let Wyn phase and maul Alex to death, or save Alex and let her watch Cerian slaughter Jackson.
‘That’s horrific,’ I breathed. ‘It’s beyond cruel.’
‘This is not an age of mercy and I am not a merciful woman.’ Pamela stood tall, unwavering in the face of my disgust. ‘I make no apologies for doing what must be done. One day you will face difficult decisions and I hope for all our sakes you’re strong enough to make them. You may leave. We will do the same when our business is through.’
Lydia put an arm around my shoulders, guiding me away until I threw up my hands to stop her, suddenly aware that something was very wrong. I spun around, glaring at Pamela. There were at least a hundred Weres surrounding the park, butthe one quiet wolf that had laid down beside me while I was dying was nowhere to be seen.
‘Where is Wyn?’
