While Kansas was steady enough not to call him out, Creedence, who’d moved to Kansas’s side, had no such filter. For a human, he didn’t seem to feel inferior in a room full of shifters.
“That’s the most fucked-up logic I’ve ever heard. I’m dumber for having listened to it.”
Samual’s eyes flew to Creedence, and so did his aim.
“A bullet to the brain can help with that,” he spat. To Creedence’s credit, he didn’t even blink.
“However, you’re not my main focus, but you will be if you don’t shut the fuck up.”
Creedence took a breath to snap back, but Kansas tucked the weapon into his waistband and stayed Creedence with a hand as he stepped closer to the desk the man still stood behind.
“My club has nothing to do with pack business. This is between us. My club’s going to leave, and we’ll settle this the old way.”
“The old way?” Samual scoffed. “I’m no longer pack or wolf. And this is about them. They’re the reason you kept putting those ideas in Ben’s ear. He rallied an army against me—for them.”
“No, Samual. That was me, not them.”
Kansas spoke over his shoulder. “Prez, get them out of here and take the girl. I’ve got it from here.”
Monster shifted focus from his Secretary to his Prez, and Prowler nodded, signaling them to leave.
What the fuck?
Did they have a plan he wasn’t privy to? Monster was starting to get pissed when he felt Carys’s swallow against his palm. If there was a chance to get her out of danger …
He’d just shifted his body weight to comply with Prowler’s order to step out, when Samual had him freezing in his tracks.
“Uh, uh, uh. Not before you help me with one last experiment.” Samual shifted his aim once more to his own daughter. Monster didn’t even dare to take a deep breath, as his movement might prompt Samual to pull the trigger. “While she may have attached herself to that one.” He indicated Monster with the barrel of the gun, before steadying it back on Carys. “In her blood, she’s for you. Let’s see if her death hurts you as much as I think it will.”
Carys inhaled deeply at his words, then all hell broke loose, but thanks to Ulf sharing his consciousness for a change, Monster was able to see it all as if in slow motion.
Two shots rang out. One from Samual and one from just over Monster’s shoulder.
Monster spun them the second he saw Samual’s finger twitch. With Ulf’s help, it was quick enough to move Carys from the line of fire. However, the bullet he expected to bite into Ulf’s fur never came.
Once they hit the ground, Monster was able to wrest control back from Ulf.
“Are you … hit?” He grasped Carys’s cheeks and shook her out of her shock.
“No. Are you?”
Monster shook his head. “Stay here and don’t move.”
Monster turned to take in the war zone that was Samual’s office.
Creedence was kneeling over Kansas, who was lying on the ground between Carys and Samual’s line of fire with red blooming over his chest.
“Fuck.” He heard someone curse. Monster stood and looked for Samual. Ready to neutralize the threat, but he was dead behind his desk. A shot right between his eyes.
He looked toward the door to see Zachery standing there, gun still smoking, before he snapped out of it. “I’ll grab the kit.”
Zachery turned to presumably retrieve the first aid kit from one of the toolboxes as the rest of them gathered around Kansas. Creedence had his shirt off and wadded on the wound.
Blood was seeping from his mouth, and his eyes were dimming and flashing back and forth from his to his wolf’s. He looked up at Creedence and smiled. “I couldn’t have chosen better.” He gripped one of Creedence’s wrists with his bloody hand. “Take good care of River. He’s been through a lot.”
At that moment, his eyes flashed one last time before they went blank and stared at the ceiling.
Creedence stiffened and cursed before rocking back. His eyes flashed.
