She was ready for the attack, so it was easy to flow with his lunge. A smooth move to twist into his leap so he fell past her. At the same time, she hauled the hypodermic out of her pocket, popped the cap, and slammed it down on his neck. He roared as the plunger sank home, but she had her knee in his back to keep him down.
Done. Now she just had to wait until he simmered down.
It was only then that she realized things were happening all around them. She’d been completely focused on Raoul, but suddenly she noticed that she was not being dragged off him by his henchmen. That’s because Ryan had stepped into the breach. While she’d been injecting Raoul, he’d blocked or punched out four others.
Pretty impressive for a guy who hadn’t even gone grizzly.
And then there was Hazel. She’d apparently leapt the quarantine barrier at just the right time. As Delphine lunged to attack, Hazel had landed feetfirst on the wolf’s hard snout. Wolf and woman had gone down in a tumble with Hazel coming out on top. Frankie caught enough of the fight to see Hazel deliver three blows to Delphine’s face, hard impacts from her good hand.
“That’s for my arm,” Hazel said as she punched. “That’s for your ugly clothes. And that’s because you’re a bitch.”
Delphine’s wolf eyes rolled back into her head. Unconscious.
Great, but that was only the nearest of her brother’s allies. Raoul had a lot more men around, and they’d been spoiling for a fight. As Frankie quickly scanned the crowd, she counted a half dozen moving forward. Most of them had been patrolling on the edge of the room, but now they stalked her. Hazel adjusted her stance, preparing to fend them off. Ryan flanked her on the opposite side. But then rescue came from an unexpected place.
“Stay back!” Raoul called out as he dug the needle from his neck. “There’s no point in fighting within the pack.”
Frankie exhaled, the relief in her body making her weak. Her little brother was back. There was no other explanation for his sudden change in heart. “Raoul,” she breathed, and there was joy in her voice. Except he didn’t look at her with kindness. What she saw on his face was pity, and that knocked the wind straight out of her sails.
“What was in this?” he asked, as he held the hypodermic.
“It’s from the CDC. It counteracts the aggression that comes from taking your serum.”
He rolled sideways, dislodging her knee. She didn’t fight him. He appeared completely rational. And as he sat up, he tossed the needle onto a nearby table. “I haven’t taken any of that. Don’t need it.” He pushed up to stand before her. “I’m a full wolf-shifter with a big brain and an implacable will. Why would I need anything to push me to fight for the wolves every way I know how?”
She stared at him. She saw no lessening of the darkness inside him. He stared at her with hate, and when he looked at the pack around them, he spoke calmly, clearly, and with enough alpha power in his voice to resonate through the pack link.
“I fight for the wolves against the bears who killed our beta. I fight for the wolves who are low in number and need new blood. I fight for the wolves who have been hiding in the shadows but now need to come out into the light of day. Did I give you vitamin serum? Yes. And you feel better for it! Did I declare war on the bears? Yes! We will not let them stop us! And when my own sister turns on us, I will deal mercifully with her out of the love we share for our father.”
Oh God. Oh no.He sounded completely rational, and her entire plan had hinged on the fact that he was addicted to his own serum. But if that wasn’t so, then his madness was completely his own. The horror of that squeezed her chest. And yet, she couldn’t give in to that pain. She had to fight for sanity.
“You attacked our father,” she cried. “We have the proof.”
“Lies!”
“You poisoned an entire city!” She looked around. “How many of you had friends who got sick? Businesses who suffered because the city shut down?”
“A temporary setback,” Raoul said loudly. “When werewolves take their rightful place—”
“The normals will hunt us, capture us, and kill us. Bad enough that he incites a war with bears, how will he protect your children whenbillionsof frightened normal people come? He terrorized an entire city.” She looked around, her heart in her throat. These were people she’d known all her life. How could they not see what he was doing? In the end, she held up her hands. “The pack has to choose. He incites war. I give you love. He sits in a lab and tinkers with chemicals. I help with your children, give support in times of need, and created a safe community center in which to gather. The pack has to choose. Hatred or a happily ever after?”
She thought the answer would be obvious. Who wouldn’t want a happily ever after? But as she studied their faces, she realized most of the pack didn’t think the way she did. Which meant she was doomed.
Chapter 24
Ryan looked around the room and felt his breath freeze. This wasn’t going well, and he’d worked with enough teenagers to know why. No one was listening to the words. They’d long since made up their minds. Some wanted Raoul and his promises to make werewolves the most powerful people around. Others wanted Frankie and to live their lives without all this conflict. And everyone was getting angry, which was like piling dynamite on top of smoldering coals.
“You have to show them,” he said. He stepped into Frankie’s line of sight and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. “They have to feel the difference.”
“I did that,” she said.
He nodded. “And you have to do it again. Now.”
He saw the panic enter her gaze. He knew what she was thinking. That she’d done it in a moment of orgasmic bliss, which was a far cry from broadcasting as an alpha on command. But she wanted to take control of her pack and this was the only way. She had to do it or her brother would win. And if that happened, then they would likely have to fight their way out of here. Or die trying.
“Ryan—” she began, fear echoing in his name.
He smiled at her and held out his hand. “I’m here. Let me help you. This doesn’t have to be done alone.”
