“Salazar, these people have given us their hospitality,” Jasper says. “This is an affront to them and their community. Stop what you’re doing, call off your wolves. Now.”
Salazar pauses, he levels a half-confused, half-accusatory stare at Jasper. Would he really challenge Jasper’s authority like this? What has driven him to such extreme actions?
“How dare you!” a new voice cries. Mal arrives in the square, flanked by Tomas and Akari in human form, along with Kairos and a wolf I assume is Buck in their animal states, plus a host of rogue wolves. “How dare you invade our sanctuary!”
“You must be the leader of this pocket rebellion,” Salazar says, his voice void of any emotion.
Mal steps forward, the rest of the council right behind her. “This land is protected. Pack warfare has no place here. I demand you call back your forces and leave this place at once.”
Salazar rubs his chin with two knuckles. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
“We are peaceful,” she says, her voice wavering just slightly. “Your actions here are a violation of the rights of wolves regardless of pack status.”
“Peaceful?” Salazar sneers. “Then tell me, why do you harbor violent criminals?”
Mal sucks in a breath, expanding her cheeks. “We do no such thing.”
My mind flicks to Mr. Peng. Have they found him? Could that be who they mean?
Salazar begins to pace a little, looking like he’s enjoying this too much. “You’re telling me you aren’t housing dangerous terrorists? Perpetrators of crimes against my alpha and my pack?”
“We do not ask why people come here,” Mal says. “But we trust that everyone here will abide by our governing principles of peace and communion with the wolf spirits. Any crimes our people may have committed, as long as they do not prevent the wolf in question from participating in our society, are forgotten when they step foot on our land.”
Salazar stops pacing and eyes Mal with a dangerous gleam in his eye. “Ah, but sadly, we in the pack system are not in the business of forgiving crimes without first doling out punishment.”
“You have ransacked our town.” Mal throws out her arms. “Harassed our people. Terrorized the innocent. The only criminals I acknowledge here are you and your soldiers.”
Now Salazar smiles, and for the first time, he truly terrifies me.
“Is that so?” He turns to one of his wolves. “Bring him out.”
I expect George Peng to be dragged from the shadows but instead my jaw drops when two Elite Pack soldiers in human form appear from behind the side of a nearby tent, holding Omar by his arms and dragging him into the light.
“Omar!” I call out, stepping to him, but Jasper holds a hand out to stop me.
Omar’s head lolls on his shoulders like he can barely hold it up. His face is bruised and swollen, one eye almost entirely closed shut, blood running from his busted brow and lip. One of his legs hangs limp and he’s barely able to put weight on the other. The Elite Pack soldiers keep hold of him as they display him like a battered trophy.
“What is the meaning of this?” Mal asks. “Release him immediately!”
“This rogue has been charged with the unlawful entry of the private residence of Jericho Apollo, acts of terrorism, and the violent battery of numerous innocent citizens of the Elite Pack.”
“What? That’s impossible,” I say, pressing against Jasper’s hand, which continues to hold me in place. “He wouldn’t do that.”
“When did these crimes occur?” Jasper asks.
Salazar turns to Jasper, a look of triumph on his face. “The night of the harvest moon, one year ago.”
That’s the night Jasper almost rejected me and became mates with Olivia, Salazar’s daughter—the night the rogues invaded Jericho’s house in the Hamptons and disrupted the party, the night we were kidnapped and almost killed by Eleanor.
I stare at Omar, unwilling to believe that he could have taken part in that, unwilling to believe that he was one of the rogues who was there, who helped Eleanor to knock me out, drag me to that yacht and nearly…
His gaze catches mine and I plead with my expression, with every fiber of my being, for him to shake his head or say something to deny these charges, anything to let me know Salazar is lying or that he’s made a mistake. But instead Omar simply stares back, his eyes dark, glassy with tears, solemn with admission.
“No,” I say, raising a hand to my mouth and shaking my head. “No.”
Jasper’s jaw is clenched again, his shoulders vibrating with anger.
Neither of us move or say anything.
