Page 9 of Dante's Circle Reborn

Alec snarled, and then the two of them were off, following the scent. Considering that the death had happened twenty-four hours earlier, if not more, the trail shouldn’t have been this fresh. The fact that it was, meant that Charlie had come back. Liam frowned, a worrying thought sliding through his mind.

There were two types of rogues out there. Most rogues, the ones that lost control completely, tended to burn out quickly, their animal halves twisting to the point where they couldn’t think. Therefore, they made mistakes and ended up getting themselves killed just by happenstance. Then there were the types of rogues that Liam was afraid Charlie had become.

The ones that could think, could focus on their prey, and sometimes remembered who they were and what their goal was. Theywere the more dangerous ones. They were the most powerful of all rogues. They had the thoughts of a shifter who once had dominance and control…and more.

“He came back,” Alec said, echoing Liam’s thoughts.

“Yes, he did. He came back, and that means he wanted to see his kill again or see who found it,” Liam agreed.

“Fuck. I wish you were wrong.”

They didn’t speak. There was no need. They would have to figure out what they were going to do once they got to Charlie, even though the end result would be the same. Charlie could not go on living. He couldn’t live in any of the realms. He’d not only killed the girl, the raccoon, and probably more, but he’d done it with a vengeance that spoke of insanity. He had risked the humans finding out what had happened. Keeping their secret was of the utmost importance. They would have to take the next steps to ensure that their people were safe and hidden.

They hunted for an hour, Liam taking the lead since he was usually the better tracker. Well, not always. Sometimes, it was Alec. That’s why they worked together, why they were so good together. When they weren’t fighting over the fact that they were both ignoring who they were to each other.

Liam just wanted to know why he wasn’t good enough for Alec. Why Alec always chose being alone over what they could have. Of course, Liam wasn’t any better. He wasn’t going to think about that right then, though. He couldn’t, not with so much at stake. That was always the case, wasn’t it? There was always so much more to be done, so much more than the two of them. And that was why Hunter was threatening to kick them out of the Pack. Because they had focused on everyone else for so long, they had lost themselves. Now, they were likely going to lose the rest.

They came upon a stronger scent over an hour into their search, and Liam held his breath.

“Liam,” Alec whispered, and Liam came to Alec’s side, nodding.

“Charlie was here,” Liam, said, his voice low.

Alec stiffened. “Is.”

The growl behind him made the hairs on the back of his neck rise. There was no time for talking then. The rogue came at them, Charlie’s scent wild and manic with a touch of decay.

Liam didn’t know if the decomposition was from his kills or from his soul rotting. In the end, it didn’t matter because it wasCharlie. This had to be the end.

There was no other solution.

Alec twisted as the two of them fought first, with Liam bringing up the rear.

This was how Charlie wanted it, fighting his brother with whatever conscience he had left. He must have known that Alec was Liam’s…maybe the scent. Who knew? No matter what he was thinking, Charlie wasn’t going for Liam at all. If anything, he seemed to be avoiding him, keeping all his attention on Alec, letting nothing else distract him, even in his rogue form.

Liam ducked Charlie’s single jab and then punched the rogue in the gut, his claws out. He froze at the sound of whimpering. He barely held back his strength, knowing the sound couldn’t have come from Alec, even as the two pummeled each other, punch after punch.

Alec wasn’t winning. Not yet. The problem with finding a rogue was that the toxicity in their brain made them up to five times stronger than an ordinary wolf or shifter. They had nothing to lose and used all of their energy. Liam or Alec might be able to take Charlie down, but it was going to take strategy, not just fighting.

That’s why Hunter always sent two out on a hunt, not just one. It didn’t matter that they were both strong and could take down any number of their Pack except for Hunter himself—and even then, Alec and Liam together could probably best Hunter.

A rogue on the verge of death and infamy could take out so much more than a single dominant wolf with skill.

However, that’s not what Liam was focused on just then. No, it was that whimper. The sound of someone young. And near where Liam had just punched.

Fuck.

Something small moved under Charlie’s coat. Liam growled and looked over at Alec, who gave him a slight nod. They couldn’t hurt or kill Charlie yet, not with whatever he was holding. Liam inhaled deeply, trying to catch the scent under the rot that was Charlie.

Fox.

A fox shifter.

Hell, it was a baby kit.

Motherfucker.

Liam distanced himself from the encounter and gave Alec a look, raising one finger. Alec nodded and then went one way, while Liam went the other. Charlie seemed to understand, and that was something that Liam and Alec had both known going in. Charlie would be able to understand their signals and know them.

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