ButHarrisMurdoch’sface didn’t change—in fact, if anything, his expression grew crueler.
“Who cares about a bunch of poetry—it’s all nonsense!”he shouted.“Thefacts of the matter are that these two have been fucking each other and defiling the memory of our esteemedPackLeader.Andfor that,they must be punished!”
A cry went up and someone shouted,
“Stone them!”again.
Then the crowd took up the chant.
“Stone them…stone them…stone them…”
I saw people stooping and picking up rocks from the ground andIfelt likeImight be sick.Iwas cold all over andIstarted to shake.OhGoddessof the moon, were they really going to kill us?
But apparently,HarrisMurdochhad something else in mind.
“Enough!”he shouted at them all.“We’renot going to stone them—Ihave a better idea!We’regoing to make thempayfor what they’ve done.”
“This is low, even for you,Harris,”Korsnarled at him.“Tyingme up and punishing me just because you knowI’llbeat you at theAlphaChallenge.”
“Oh, there’s noAlphaChallengetonight, pup,”Harrissaid casually.“There’sno need—thePackalready voted me in as the newPackLeader.”
“Well, isn’t that convenient,”Korgrowled.
“As a matter of fact, it is.”Harrismade a show of studying his grimy fingernails.“Becauseas the newPackLeader,Iget to decide what punishment to give the two of you.AndIthinkI’vethought up a fitting one that everyone can agree on.”Heturned to me and put one finger under my chin, lifting my face so he could leer at me.“Justwait until you find out what it is—you’re going toloveit.”
I felt like someone had dumped a whole bucketful of ice cubes into the pit of my stomach.
“Harris,Iswear to theMoonGoddess, if you touch meI’mgoing to puke all over you,”Isaid in a low voice.
Harris made a face.
“Touch you?Oh, did you thinkIstill wanted to claim you as myOmeganow thatI’mthePackLeader?”
“I…you said…”Ishook my head, confused.
“You’re used goods,MoonWidow,”he snarled at me.“AftereverythingIsaw you do with that pup,Iwouldn’t stick my dick in you if you were the last cunt onEarth!”
I recoiled from his savagery andKorsurged forward, his face a mask of fury.
“Let her go!Don’ttouch her!”he shouted.“Iswear by theMoonGoddessherself if you hurt her,I’llkill you!”
“Oh,I’mnot going to hurt her.”Harrisraised both grubby palms in a “hands off” gesture and took a step back from me.Thenhe turned his leering grin onKor.“You’rethe one who’s going to do that.”
FORTY-EIGHT
KOR
“What the fuck are you talking about?”Idemanded.Myhead ached fiercely from whatever they’d used to keep me drugged all day.Butdespite my throbbing headache, my mind was whirring—beginning to shake off the drugs.AndIwas getting a bad feeling about the wayHarriswas looking at me—a very bad feeling indeed.
“I saidyou’rethe one who’s going to punish our strayingMoonWidow, pup,” he snarled at me.“Yousee,Iwas watching last night—Iheard what you said to her when the two of you were planning to sneak away like a couple of thieves.”
My heart began to pound, andIfelt a sick throbbing in my temples.Surelyhe hadn’t heard whatI’dtoldVivienne.Please,Goddess—it couldn’t be true!
“I heard you tell her that you don’t have a regular wolf in you, boy,”Harriswent on.Heraised his voice for the benefit of the crowd.“That’sright—this pup has acursed wolf!Andhe thought he could be our nextPackLeader!”
People in the crowd began throwing me dark, angry looks and several of them forked the sign of the evil eye at me, as though to ward off evil.
“Satan!He’sa consort ofSatan,”Iheard one old woman say.
