“The only way to survive in this world is by aligning yourself with those who are heartless. Like me, they have nothing left to lose.”
I stare into the eyes of the revenant. Kiersten’s pain is overwhelming, though her words are chosen carefully to disguise it. She is patient. Determined to wait to strike until the pendulum of fate finally swings in her favor.
Genuine sorrow fills my heart. “I’m sorry for what you went through. I’m sorry that she chose someone else.”
She nibbles on her lip. For a moment, I think she might be grateful for my empathy. That maybe this is the first time anyone has ever shown it to her.
Next, I am escorted into a small bedroom—no, a parlor. A sofa sits against one wall, facing four chairs that form a half-circle. Standing in the back corner with his shirt collar gripped tightly by a guard is a dark-skinned man in his late thirties. Silver chains constrict his wrists and ankles. Nostrils expanding, the Lycan prisoner warily meets my eyes.
"Who's ready for a little fun?" Levi chimes, nudging me towards the sofa.
A disquieting alert comes through on Kiersten's radio, causing her to promptly turn back the way she came.
Levi rubs his palms together, leaning against a conveniently placed liquor cabinet. “Bring her in,” he says to the guard who swaps places with his cousin.
My stomach somersaults when Esmé is pushed through the doorway. Her eyes pan over to me first, then widen with horror at the sight of the other unexpected guest. "Joseph," she whispers on a shaky breath, taking in the sight of her mate.
Chapter 43
AXE
"Chris is gonna level a building," my sister groans.
My chest expands. The demands of my wolf banging against my ribcage are impossible to suppress. Everyone in the room is on edge, gradually distancing from me. But it's Nell who puts a hand on my shoulder. "I know you don't want to hear this right now, but you need to stay calm, Axe. For her."
Demi draws a shallow breath. "If Kiersten has her hands on Vessa, she'll take her time. She'll want to taunt us for what we did."
Nell presses onward. “If she’s operating under the name Snow, who could Stinger be?”
My mind tries to recall who might’ve fled with her following Kiersten’s banishment from Bleeding Sun. No one else was sent to prison for rebelling on her behalf. She didn’thaveanyone else after our parents were killed.
Jabir curses. His monitors suddenly all go dark. “The second I snatched the address, they unleashed a bloody virus.” He wipes his brow. “Give me just a minute.”
I can’t believe I’m about to say this. “Let’s take the focus off Vessa for a second. We need to start from the beginning.”
The women dip their heads in agreement.
"Kiersten, Tesni and I were best friends as girls,” my sister begins. “After losing our parents, we did everything together—training, running through the woods, even sharing bunks. When we grew into teenagers, our feelings evolved. Kiersten became my lover. It was always clear to me that we were never mates, but in our nine years together, we never discussed it. Not once. She would always hug me and say, ‘What we have is enough. Nothing has to change.’”
"Ah." Jabir nods. "But inevitably, it did when you met Chris."
Demi half-smiles. "During the last month of my term, I traveled to Silverback headquarters to officially meet their new Alpha. Chris's father had just stepped down and granted the position to his eldest son, who I hadn't seen since the year before our parents died. We were far too young to recognize the signs then. But this time, we did.”
Though I wasn’t there, I recall the fallout. By the end of the weekend, she and Chris had given in to the Beckoning. Before Demi left, they decided that they would have a long-distance partnership. My sister needed a couple of weeks to think about how to prepare Bleeding Sun for this transition, as she would now be expected to become Luna of the Silverbacks. For a few days, Demi distanced herself so that she could find the right way to tell Kiersten. A few days turned into a week, and then, one night, she snuck into her room. Demi knew that the second her hair brushed back, Kiersten had seen Chris's mark. She wasn’t just hurt, she wasfurious.
“I tried getting Kiersten to deescalate, but she kept on shaking her head and swearing that she would find a way to fix it. Eventually, she stormed out. At the time, I didn't think to ask her where she was going. And to this day, I curse myself for it."
Nell’s eyes darken. "Kiersten is to blame for her actions. Not you."
Demi crosses her arms, deep in memory. "The next day, Chris showed up to Lupine Manor. He couldn't bear waiting another week to see me. With Kiersten out of sight, I introduced my mate to the pack, and we held a celebration. My brothers were absent, but I phoned them the next morning to share the news.”
I remember that phone call. It felt like the best news our family had received in decades. Jabir was there with me, all bandaged up, dozing in his bunk back at the base in Marsda. We were just a week from shipping off to come home.
Meanwhile, Kiersten had gone to Belcarra with the intent of challenging Chris for both his mate and the Alpha title. But she didn't find him there. Instead, she faced Chris's father. With all that adrenaline channeled into wolf form, she took her anger out on the former Alpha. She wasn't going to back down without carnage on her muzzle.
Kiersten pursued him deep into the Oshvek forest, cornering him at a cliffside. Chris's father fought as gallantly as he could, but his energy was quickly drained by the much leaner, much faster opponent. The two of them locked in a death roll, tumbling off the edge of the cliff. On the way down, Kiersten's claws caught a branch, dislocating her shoulder, but allowing her to cling to safety. The Alpha wasn't so lucky.
Jabir shakes his head in disbelief. My sister looks to me with profound regret.
