Page 72 of Moonlighting with the Werewolf

“We’ve left you alone for decades, and I’d be happy to continue doing so if you’ll call off your attacks and return what’s mine.” It’d eat at me day and night, letting them go unpunished for everything they’d done, but if that was what it took to get Kerrigan back, I’d do it in a heartbeat.

“You might want to talk to your buddies in the Crescent Pack about that.”

“Return Kerrigan to me, unharmed, and I will, I assure you. They’ll never mess with you again or they’ll have me to deal with.”

“It’s too late for that.”

Needing to expend some restless energy, I paced, remaining close enough that Nissa would still be able to overhear the conversation. “What is it you want from me, then?”

“A meeting. I’ll send you the details tomorrow evening, shortly before the meetup time, so be ready. You’re to come alone and unarmed, and we’ll take additional preventative measures that I’ll also reveal tomorrow. Those are my terms.”

“Let me speak with Kerrigan, and I’ll come alone right now so we can get this over and done with.”

“Don’t push your luck, wolf. I wanted to show you how serious I was with the display in the living room, but no further harm will come to her as long as you comply.”

Further.She’dbeenharmed, a fact I already knew because of all the blood, and they wouldn’t hesitate to do more damage. My blood boiled, and I wanted to scream threats and follow through with them and tell her that by tomorrow night, she’d be six feet in the ground.

But none of that would result in the safety of my mate, so what else could I do but agree?

CHAPTER FORTY

“I’ve done several transfusions,”Sabine told me as she swiped at the sweat-dampened strands of hair plastered to her face. “But there are so many of them, and our blood supply is already running low again...”

Her shuddered breaths suggested she was working hard to prevent herself from bursting into tears. In order to accommodate the staggering number of injured Crescent Pack wolves, we’d converted the large community room where we held special events into a triage center.

“Not all of them are responding well, and I...” Sabine lost the fight to hold back her frustrations and began to cry. “Some of them have died. I’m not sure why—I think the poison’s already done too much damage. Several are barely hanging on, and I’m out of my league here.”

“What about Sheriff Martin? He said he’d gather up a team of nurses and bring in Dr. Mullens, too.” I hated to expose our secret to more townsfolk, as the last thing we needed were additional chinks in our armor, but it was better than having shifter blood on my hands.

Sabine glanced toward the corner of the room occupied by the Crescent Pack Hierarchy. No surprise, King Alpha Asshole himself stood in the center. “Frank met them out front and turned them away. He said he’d never allow an outsider to treat his people.”

As if I didn’t have enough shit to deal with today. Every couple of minutes, I checked the phone in my pocket, ensuring the ringer was on, the volume turned up, and that the maximum bars of service filled the top right corner.

“I’ll take care of it,” I grumbled, and I’d already taken a step in their direction when Sabine tapped my elbow.

“Sir?”

I expected her to ask me not to interfere, baffled by people’s inability to let go of their prejudices. “Seeing Frank act like that made me realize how foolishly my behavior has been this past month. I was out of line in last night’s meeting. You’ve always protected us. I know I don’t have any right to say this, but I really wish Dr. Ryan was here.”

You and me both.If the wounded shifters strewn across tables and lying on the unforgiving floor with only the support of sleeping bags, linens, and towels ever met Kerrigan or witnessed her surgical skills, they’d undoubtedly wish for the same.

“I’ll get her back,” I said. Hope was a dangerous and cruel mistress, one that lifted you higher so the subsequent drop could do greater damage. I refused to succumb to the despair that’d infested my spirits since Kerrigan’s abduction.

I strode across the room, posted up behind Frank, and cleared my throat.

The thorn in my side slowly turned around, the grim set of his features belying his tough display. His gaze darted around, his shrewd eyes broadcasting he cared more about how his people viewed him than whether or not they pulled through.

“You dare to show up here, after failing to keep your pack safe, and go against my orders?”

His mouth opened and closed, like a fish gasping for air, and it’d be so satisfying to enact my outrage on him. He deserved it. His wounded pack members, however, did not. Particularly the ones who’d landed in their current predicament due to following orders.Frank’sorders.

He shrugged a shoulder. “They knew the risks.”

“What about me? We’re now suffering because of decisions you made.” Before I’d realized it, my fists were in his shirt and I’d lifted him off the ground. I unleashed the alpha glare. “My mate is paying the price for those same shitty decisions, and I’m sick and tired of cleaning up your messes.”

“If you would’ve married my daughter, none of this would’ve happened.”

Snapwent the last thread on my control, and I tossed the asshole into his group of men, satisfaction zinging as they went down like bowling pins. Did I need to pick up a spare?

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