Page 67 of Ruthless Moon

The entrance of Ash Hollow’s sheriff, flanked by two grim-faced deputies, does nothing to alleviate the oppressive atmosphere. They’re wolves. And they’re obviously on the Gallagher payroll.

The sheriff exchanges curt words with Oliver and Dave, his face impassive. He gestures to his subordinates, and they spring into action, dispatching orders to start removing the bodies.

Like it’s nothing more than an everyday chore.

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

They really doownthis town.

All the bodies are systematically processed with cold, mechanical efficiency, each one sealed into black morgue bags and carted away by the indifferent arm of Ash Hollow’s law enforcement.

Not a single wolf says a word, the silence stretching over the grotesque scene.

After the last body has been removed, Oliver takes a long drink from his wineglass before launching it at the wall. The splintering crash is the only outward display of his fury I’ve seen—aside from his savage execution of Darcy.

“Well, we have a wedding to prepare for tomorrow. Aiden, I expect you and yours to keep my daughter safe, as promised. Though I think the threat to her life has been eliminated for now.”

Aiden speaks plainly. “Yes, sir.”

“Very good, I’ll see you at the wedding in the morning.” Then he leaves the bloodstained dining room. His guards initiate damage control, their voices murmuring into phones and their bodies positioned strategically at the doors to deter any uninvited guests. They know their role. They’ve played it before. That much is obvious.

“I’ll take Gen back to Rachel’s apartment. She’s staying with her for the night. Find a good place to watch over her from outside. Do not touch her again. Is that clear?” Aiden’s voice is hard and emotionless.

Fucking hell. What have I done?

I manage a nod, my voice barely scraping past the hard knot in my throat. “Yes, alpha.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Someone Should Really Kill Noah

LIAM O’CONNOR

I become a silent sentinel in the encroaching darkness outside Rachel’s apartment above the coffee shop. From the moment Aiden deposited Gen inside and closed the door, a supernatural void swallowed every sound from within. Gen’s heartbeat was abruptly cut off. Her sighs, her whispers are eliminated as if they didn’t exist.

If I hadn’t known Rachel was a witch and had some understanding of the magick they could weave, my worry would have swelled into a tide of dread. Instead, I chalk up the unsettling silence to their desire for privacy.

As the first strokes of dawn paint the sky with hues of gold and crimson, Noah walks over from the opposite end of the alley and leans against the back wall of the coffee shop next to me. “The witch did something to the apartment before we got here. It was the same yesterday. Couldn’t hear a damn thing.”

I stare straight ahead, impassive as the cold stone against my back. I have no interest in conversing with Oliver’s vindictive muscle, especially after he’d gone out of his way to antagonize me and Gen during the last moon run.

“Not curious at all what they’re talking about up there?”

I remain silent. Maintaining zero eye contact.

“What’s your deal, O’Connor? Jealous of your alpha getting that hot snack for a mate?”

Do. Not. Growl. Do. Not. Growl.

It takes everything in me not to rip his fucking throat out, but I refuse to rise to his bait. I already ruined it with Aiden. Making this situation worse by revealing my secret to Noah will only make everything harder for Gen.

“You know,” I say, turning to look at Noah. “It seems to me that you’re the one obsessing over Gen. I’m just here watching out, following my alpha’s orders.”

A low growl rolls up from Noah’s throat and I swallow my wolf’s instinct to react. I have to get through the morning. The wedding. And then I’ll be free.

The promises I whisper to myself are hollow, even as I cling to them. Never seeing Gen again. Never setting foot in Ash Hollow again. Never crossing paths with the witches again.

It’ll be easier after today.

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