“I just had a fucking fantastic idea.”Heath’s voice exploded over the terrace.“I’ll kill him before he publicly challengesme.”
A pause, then:“If you make it look like a hunting accident”—Liam sounded so cool and collected, the complete antithesis of his dad—“you can blame that creepy-ass hunter so we can finally get rid ofhim.”
There was a click. It was probably the recording, but it felt like my heart. Like an explosion had detonated in the marrow of my bones, surged into my muscles, and vibrated through my flesh, coating every inch of me in goose bumps. They cascaded over my skin in icywaves.
“I didn’t even know my father wanted to be Alpha,” I whispered, even though that was farfarfrom the worst part of what I’d just heard. Of what everyone had justheard.
Liam lifted his face, pain etched inside each one of hisfeatures.
I rolled my fingers into such tight fists that my nails carved up my palms. I had a strong urge to hit him. In the heart. Instead, I wiped my mouth on my forearm in an attempt to erase every kiss we’d evershared.
He dragged a hand through his dark hair, and a lock flopped into his eyes. “I was fifteen, Ness. A kid. I had no idea what I wassaying.”
“Is that really your excuse?” My voice rang inside myears.
“I just wanted Aidan gone. Not yourfather—”
“And yet you didn’t tell your father not to killmine.”
Sarah tried to touch my arm, but I whipped it out of her reach and stepped back until my tailbone smacked into theguardrail.
“Ness . . . ” Liamstarted.
I’d pledged myself to a man who’d been on board with eliminating my father. “You are Heath’sson.”
Liam shut his eyes as though I’d taken a swing athim.
“I don’t want you as my Alpha.” I gripped the handrail behind my back for support. “How do I break ourlink?”
His eyes snapped open, then grewwide.
“You can’t break the Alpha link,” Frank said, forehead grooved with so many wrinkles that it seemed as though the evening had added years to his face. “The only thing you can do is move away until you don’t feel the pull of thepack.”
I stared at the elder, then at the shifters surrounding us, at the Creek Alpha who was sitting with her wolves in the living room, watching me through the open glass doors, at Sarah whose mouth gaped, at Lucas and Matt and Cole who all wore matching looks of regret, and finally at August. He was the only one who didn’t stare back. His eyes were like twin rifles set on the back of Liam’shead.
“I’ll leave, then.” I pressed off the balustrade and walked past Liam, who put his hand on my arm. “Don’t youdaretouch me.” I snatched my arm away, my icy shock replaced by a searingwrath.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured as I passed byhim.
I whirled. “No, you’re not. You’re just sorry I foundout.”
Liam shook his head. “They were just words. We never ended up hurting him. Aidan pulled that trigger. Wedidn’t.”
“Lucky for you, huh? Lucky for you he made a mistake!” I backed away before stalking off, speeding through the living room in my stupid heels, clutching my stupid dress. I walked toward the bell desk to phone myuncle.
As I dialed his number, Aidan strolled out of the back office, a USB key in his hand—probably the vessel containing the malicious conversation. I dropped the phone, and it clattered at my feet, the battery flying out of the handhelddevice.
“Should’ve heeded my note,” hesaid.
“What note?” I pressed a hand against my chest as though to keep my heart from dropping like thephone.
“The one I tied to the bicycle, which I had delivered to theinn.”
“You shot my father and your ex-wife. You really thought I would stop by fortea?”
“I’m not a fan of tea. I’d have served somethingfizzy. . . ”
I arced my hand in the air in frustration. “Oh, you know what Imean!”
