Page 118 of Villainous Fate

“I can’t do this right now, brother,” I say, my voice showing exhaustion. “I need to sleep. Apparently, I’m fighting for control of the pack tonight.”

“Why? Just answer me that. Why are you doing this? You’ve never wanted the pack.” A break in his voice has me turning around to look at him. His face shows the war of emotions he is experiencing, and I consciously avoid reading into them.

The weight of my emotions is already too much to carry.

“I still don’t. I will kill him and hand it over to you. I can’t be here anymore. Everywhere I look reminds me of her,” I say, not needing to explain who I mean. “But he will no longer control me. My wolf won’t allow it. So if he won’t let me go, I will take back my freedom with his death. I’m no threat to you, brother. The pack will still be yours to rule.” I explain.

“He’s our father,” Luca says, his voice careful. “You’ll really kill him?”

“He’s your father. He’s just the man who gave me some DNA. He didn’t raise me. He’s never wanted me around. I don’t owe him anything,” I say, getting angrier with each statement.

He’s not my dad.

He’s not my Alpha

He is nothing to me.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” he says, his voice still gentle. “It didn’t feel like my place to get involved, but I can talk to Father. I can get him to let you go. I just need some time. Don’t do this, Deacon. You won’t come back from murdering him. It won’t fix the hole in your heart,” he finishes, melancholy in his tone.

“It might not fix it, but it will feel really fucking good in the moment, and then I will leave. I can’t stay here anymore. It’s not home without her,” I say, leveling my eyes on his, hoping he will understand. “I promise, someday I’ll come back. When you’ve got everything under your control, but for now, I need distance,” I finish, turning back down the hall to find a bed to sleep in for the night.

“She’s leaving tomorrow,” he says, stopping me in my tracks. “They both are.”

Bracing myself against the wall, I allow the last of the pain to sear through me.

“That’s none of my business anymore,” I say, feeling the emptiness of it all as I place one foot in front of the other.

“If you say so, fratellino, I’m going to hold you to that promise—that you’ll come back, I mean, not just for me but for Momma, Ashley, and the pack. We need you,” he says to my slowly retreating back.

“You have my word, mio fratello. I can’t wait to see you lead, Luca. You’re going to make an amazing Alpha,” I say, knowing it’s true. He has both the head and the heart for it. He will be the leader this pack needs. He will get them through this transition. He may have wanted more time, but Giovanni’s rule ends tonight.

That’s also a promise.

***

By eleven thirty, everyone in the pack knows about the challenge and has shown up to watch me battle it out for control. The council has taken their place as overseers of the challenge and two LLC representatives are in attendance to verify the results. One is an Alpha from the oversight committee for regional affairs. The other is a vampire adjudicator… one I recognize immediately. I catch his lavender eyes, raising my eyebrow at the coincidence as I feel his telltale wisp caress against my mind.

Alexander.

Getting into trouble so soon, little Alpha. What has it been? Six months since I had to get you out of your last indiscretion? Should I invest in frequent flyer miles if you win?

He sends through his mind communication. One I still don’t understand, seeing as most vampires have to use touch to get into our minds to communicate, and he is currently on the other side of the makeshift fighting arena.

I’m flattered you’d want to visit, but this is merely a formality.

I send back, thinking about where I will be flying to get away from here after this fight.

Not sticking around? Not the typical first steps when assuming control of a pack…

He says, reminding me he still has access to my mind, and I close off the connection, mentally pushing him from my thoughts until I no longer feel him there. He smiles at me, his eyes dancing as he rolls that information around, and he lifts his glass before returning to the conversation in front of him.

I need to focus.

Giovanni hadn’t shown up yet; a power play that was working. I’d stretched and warmed up and was waiting on my side of the fighting area. My nerves are anxious, my wolf ready for blood.

I’d slept a full eight hours and grabbed a grilled cheese from Bernadette. At least if he did find a way to kill me, I’d had a decent last meal.

Not the best way to go into a fight.

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