Page 90 of Bitter Discord

“It’s so fucking easy I could laugh. It’s always been brewing under the surface. I just needed the proper fuse, and you… well, you’re really good at giving me enough rope to hang everyone with. You, with your,”—William’s grin turned to a sneer—“hope, goodwill, and wishes for world peace. Sorry, Jacky, but the world will never give you what you want. Just look at Lonan. There’s nothing that will make him trust werewolves—nothing. That’s what makes him so perfect for this.”

Flicking my eyes to Lonan, I saw his head drop and could smell his disappointment in himself. He’d played right into a mad man’s hands because he refused growth or change. He was too obvious, too mean, too loud.

And he was paying for it.

“Don’t look at him, Jacky. He’s going to stay right there. He knows there’s no way he’s getting out of this. If he doesn’t die tonight, he’ll die soon after.”

“My name to you is still Jacqueline, daughter of Hasan,” I said softly, finally tired of the way my name sounded coming from him. “Jacky is reserved for people I don’t hate.”

“Funny that you would keep claiming that name when you and your father stand on different sides of… everything. How does it feel to know he’ll kill Heath Everson the moment you’re dead? Or that he doesn’t care about the lives of the werewolves in your territory?” William chuckled. “My plan would have worked perfectly well with any of your family. You brought in some wrinkles, but it changes nothing. I didn’t think you were so charismatic to make any ideas work for you. Luckily, I accounted for some. The werewolf was predictable, but I didn’t think you would have one good enough to track Lonan without being noticed. Or track me, for that matter.”

So, his knowledge is mostly the werecats and the people closest to us. Fenris is a quiet member of the pack, shrouded in mystery and very anti-social. He’s loud to us but not to outsiders. We also don’t hang out or see each other regularly enough to be considered friends from an outsider’s perspective.

“Let me deal with my father,” I said softly. “You might know a lot about me and the people I care about, but you clearly missed some key things, like some of the werecats would be decent enough to help, even if it turns out to be nothing because you went for Lonan. What are you planning, William?” I turned to Lonan, still so confused. It was only for a few seconds. I eyed him, sheer confusion still gripping me. When I looked at William again, I couldn’t resist asking the obvious. “How are you keeping Lonan here? He’s a nasty piece of work who doesn’t seem like he wants to die.”

“It’s rather simple actually,” William said, that fucking awful smile returning. “I asked you to come in, and you did, which I’m rather grateful for. It’ll make tonight go perfectly. You see… the building is spelled. Aside from me, the person who triggered the spell, no one elsecanleave. Lonan was smart. He realized pretty quickly that killing me probably wouldn’t stop the spell.”

“I tried to climb out a window and met an invisible wall,” Lonan added softly. “I tried all the doors.”

I hadn’t smelled a spell, but then, I should have been more careful. I knew the witch family had sold their technique once it was perfected. A schemer like William would have tracked it down. It was public knowledge for all moon cursed so they could protect themselves.

Even knowing that, I’d walked into a trap.

I stared at my captor, horrified.

“Welcome to the beginning of the end of your family’s reign as I start a new war between the moon cursed. A war that will destroy both the Tribunal and anyone else foolish enough to get in the middle of it. By the end, it will be anarchy… no rulers, no laws, only a person’s ability to survive will matter, and people like your family will be gone.”

33

CHAPTER THRITY-THREE

“Are you a witch?” I asked softly.

“No, no…” William shook his head. “Not all spells need to be done by witches, just created by them. A smart witch knows how to let others engage it wherever it’s needed. The black market has everything one could want, and I found someone whose goals aligned with my own.”

The mole…

“Where’s Arlo?” I finally asked, knowing I needed to find the young werewolf, silently praying he wasn’t here with us. I hoped I had given Heath enough time to let Zuri know something was wrong. I hoped they were ready to respond and had some way of listening to the conversation inside.

“Arlo Black…” William tilted his head. “Seventeen, lives with his foster father, Teagan, a Beta werewolf, and his foster brother, Benjamin Lane. How do you know he’s not dead already?”

Stop knowing so much, you fucking creep.

“I know,” I said softly. Heath would have stormed this house with an army if Arlo was already dead.

“Faith in me or the boy?”

“I know more than you.” I kept my eyes on his, watching his small jolt of surprise.

“Forgive me if I don’t believe that,” William said softly, the shift to rage making me want to back down.

“Show me Arlo,” I demanded.

“Maybe I’ll tell you what my plans are for him first.”

“You could have started those already. I don’t know if you’re gloating or a narcissist, but I want to see Arlo.”

“Sorry, but no.” William shook his head.

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