Alice’s face turned a mottled crimson. “I know.”
“But why beat them? Even if wolves like to fight, that doesn’t make sense.” If the Barnbys had decided to kill their Alpha, they wouldn’t have ripped off his lip or face in a fight. Those were rough markings. Defensive ones? A true fight. “They would’ve just shot him.”
Alice pulled out a shiny silver gun with a wider-than-normal barrel. Mia didn’t recognize the brand. “Move. Now.”
People angled closer, eyeing the gun, several emerging from beneath the safety of tree boughs.
Seth came at them from one angle, while Erik covered the other, Emily on his six.
Mia looked right into Alice’s eyes. She was getting tired of people pulling guns on her. “The Barnbys weren’t even there.”
“No.” The woman’s lips turned down. “They were going to die anyway after they set fire to both Ben’s and Seth’s homes, especially since you were the target. Plus, the moron shot Ben the first time just to make a point. Their deaths aren’t on my hands.”
“But Ben’s is,” Mia said softly, the puzzle pieces finally clicking into place. “You fought with him, full-out, and then you shot him. What would make a male like Ben fight you? Hurt you like this?” The woman was still bruised.
Erik stopped, spraying mud. “You killed Ruby.”
Several people gasped.
Alice turned to face him, her eyes rabid as she looked around as if she couldn’t find a spot to focus on. “You need to take your rightful place. Benjamin and I got into a fight about you, Erik. About you and Seth. He was torn up, and he shouldn’t have been.” She looked down at the gun. “Things were said.”
“Like what?” Mia asked.
The older woman’s lips trembled. “He said he didn’t love me. That he never had.” She looked wildly around. “I loved him. And I love this pack. It’s so clear that you are meant to be the Alpha, Erik. I’m glad Ruby is dead. You need a purebred wolf for your mate, and now you’ve found one. Be the Alpha here with Emily. Let Vic take over their pack. It’s what your father would’ve wanted.”
“My father wanted his family to be safe,” Erik snapped, shock sizzling in his eyes. “You killed him. Why?”
“We started fighting,” Alice said, tears streaming down her face. “He was so cold, like he didn’t care at all. Told me to butt out, as if I wasn’t his true mate. I am. I lost it. Attacked him!” she screamed.
Seth’s jaw went slack. “I thought you loved him.”
“I did,” Alice said, sniffing loudly. “He was still injured from being shot before, or I wouldn’t have had a chance.”
Mia inched closer to the woman. “It’s time to tell the whole truth, Alice.” It was obvious the woman just couldn’t face what she’d done. She’d killed Ruby and then Mandy in a desperate attempt to protect Benjamin and the pack in a way they didn’t want. “Let it all out,” Mia said.
“You need to die, too,” Alice said. “If it’s the last thing I do on this Earth, I will protect this pack.”
The woman was certifiable. Mia angled to the side, gulping when the gun barrel followed her. “You and Ben started fighting, you started losing, and then you shot him.”
Alice nodded, tears flying. “Yes. He gave me no choice. I ran down the stairs just as Jay was coming inside from a run, so I had to shoot him, too. Then I clawed him up to make it look like he fought.”
They’d had it exactly wrong. Mia took a deep breath. “You loved Benjamin.”
“Yes,” Alice said, her shoulders sunken, her lips lax. “For years, I loved him.”
“Is that why you killed Ashlynn Volk?” Mia asked, tying the ends together.
Alice pressed her lips together. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I was too late to save Ben then. But I can save the pack now. I’m not alone, you know. Plenty of us want the rightful Alpha to take over.” Her finger twitched.
Mia jumped away from the trees, and pain exploded in her right side.
Another gun fired, three times from the woods.
Mia went down, almost in slow motion, turning toward the trees. Pete stood there, gun out. How had he found the group?
Mia’s head hit a rock, and stars exploded all around her.
Alice fell hard, rolled, and fired wildly. The bullets hit Pete, and he flew back, out of sight.
