Page 73 of Empowering the Wolf's Heart

He glanced around. “Dunno. Haven’t seen ’em since he let us know you were back.”

A cold pit settled in my gut. “He let you know I was back?”

Brandt squinted at me. “Yeah? That a problem?”

I smiled. “Nope. Not at all.”

He was still watching me with a weird glint in his eye, but he finally shrugged. He set his tankard down and yelled, “Another round!”

I shook my head at him.

Ran?I sent across the bond. There was no response. I had only the slightest connection that expressed she was still alive.

As the Reds celebrated, I tried to convince myself she was sleeping. It had happened before when she was far into a dream or purposefully blocking me.

I tried to enjoy the night, but worry tinged my thoughts.

CHAPTER 25

The Betrayal

ALIA & SHEN

Alia

Ascream tore me from the nightmares of my tortured sleep. My hand closed around the blades under my pillow and I rose in a crouch. This would be a good distraction from my worry and fears about Shen and Ran. Whatever or whoever dared to attack my family would feel my wrath.

I leapt from the loft, only to see it wasenforcers.

“Stand down by order of the matriarch of the Reds and come peaceably,” Head Enforcer Markus said.

Jess was screaming, holding tight to her mother’s leg. Fina was crying with big tears racing down her little chubby face as Anna cradled her in shaking, shivering arms. Jacob was staring in open-mouthed horror, his hair going every which way from sleep. Dad was holding a sword before him, and Mom had an arrow trained on the enforcers.

“What’s goin’ on?” Dad asked.

“You’re called before a tribunal. We’ve known each other a very long time, Liam. Please don’t make this harder than it already is.”

Dad nodded. He put down his sword.

They tied our hands.

When they got to Anna and the kids, a noise escaped me. “Please, don’t hurt them,” I said.

They didn’t listen and tried to pry Fina from Anna’s arms. Fina screamed, her shrill voice on the edge of hysteria as Anna had tears racing down her face. She also had a look of determination in her eyes as she fought for her daughter.

The enforcer went down with a high-pitched squeal when Anna kicked the man right between the legs. He fell to his knees with a keening moan.

Another enforcer drew her sword.

“Leave them,” Enforcer Markus said.

The other enforcer immediately sheathed her sword and left Anna and the kids cowering in the corner.

But when Anna met my eyes, they churned with determination. “We’ll be ok,” she mouthed.

I blinked a burn from behind my eyes as another enforcer grabbed my arm and shoved me out the door.

We followed Markus down the same street I had travelled mere hours before. The glances thrown at me couldn’t be different. Last night, these same enforcers and Reds had cheered as I became First Blade. But now? Most wouldn’t even look at me, and those that did spat with disgust. We were trussed like cattle and dragged to the largest center hut where we typically had community meals and celebrations. It had been a long time since we held a trial here.

---