Page 6 of Cursed Wolf

The sound of a parent losing a child is never an easy ordeal to ignore, and I’m not a complete bastard not to feel the stabbing ache in my chest for his loss.

Father once told me major changes are preceded by death. When it came to Mihai, I wasn’t sure how this would end.

When he finally jolts up and turns on his heel, the glare in his gaze hits mine.

“Who the fuck killed my daughter? Was it you?” He points at me, his chin trembling, tears crowding his eyes. He stomps across the room, his body trembling.

I don’t move, standing tall in front of him. He’s in my face, the wild, panicked look behind his eyes making him unpredictable.

“I asked you a fucking question. She smells of magic. Why?”

Swallowing slowly, I answer with a calm voice, holding his stare.

“We found her pinned to a tree by the river, gutted. By the time Stone and I arrived, there was no one around, but you’re right. She reeks of magic. On our recent trip, I mentioned how the Storm Wolves have made a pact with the witches against us.”

“What are you saying? A witch came into my home and killed my daughter? That makes no fucking sense. Why her? Why the fuck not go after you or me?” His face glows bright red, fists curled by his side.

I clench my teeth, stilling my urge to shove him out of my face.

“I’ve heard word that the Storm Wolves are on their way to your pack as we speak. Don’t you see? You’re a threat to Martell. He wants to rule the Savage Sector and eliminate all those who oppose him, and your daughter was his way of sending you a message to back the fuck off.”

I hated lying since I prided myself on sticking to the truth, which I tried the best I could, including warning him he had the enemy on his doorstep. I also had no plans to reveal that a dangerous witch possessed Narah’s sister, who we had brought into his home. That would be suicide.

Running a shaky hand over his face, blinking quickly, he stares at his daughter, then back at me, trying to accept the tragedy.

I wait silently.

Fear happens when you feel yourself losing control over a situation or a person. It’s when something is taken from you, and you want to destroy everything, but you know nothing you do will bring back the one you lost. That’s the look flaring over Mihai’s face.

He releases a growl, which sounds more like a wounded groan. Turning back to his daughter, he tenderly pushes strands of hair off her brow.

“She just wanted to find her mate and settle down. She was so excited for you to finally give her that, Ragnar, but you couldn’t even do that, could you? You had to make her last memories of you fucking that scrawny wolf girl you brought into my pack.”

His voice is brutal and angry, and my wolf stirs inside me in response, but this isn’t our fight.

Stone shrugs when I glance at him, then lifts his chin to the door behind us, indicating we should leave. Maybe leaving Mihai to grieve will be best.

The alpha suddenly whips back around, and the air crackles with the same fury that dances in his eyes.

Stone steps closer to me when he sees the change in the man’s demeanor. I’m not scared. It’s more what he’ll do about our partnership and agreements that bothers me.

He barks at his men to take Lyssa to his chamber, then says, “Prepare her for cremation. I want the whole pack there. Everyone!” he bellows.

His men nod and hurry to remove his daughter without a word exchanged.

Mihai’s face darkens as he turns to us.

“I will discover the truth of what happened to Lyssa, and if you lied to me, I will hunt you down, Ragnar, and skin you and your men alive. I will then pay your family in Denmark a visit to deliver your corpse to them and watch the agony on their faces, as you have done to me.”

The man is falling apart, grief ripping him to shreds, so he needs someone to lash out at. Normally, I’d kill anyone for such a threat, but I will warrant him this leniency.

His shoulders bunch up as he turns back around, throwing the tables around once more like a mad man.

“I change my terms,” he snaps in my direction. “I no longer feel like a generous man, and part of me can’t help thinking you’ve been taking advantage of me. You brought me my dead daughter, so what do you expect me to think?”

“We didn’t kill her,” Stone mutters with a growl. “We are the messengers who found her in this state, saving you from finding her out there pinned to the tree.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Mihai blurts. “This is between Ragnar and me. You can fuck off out of here.”

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