Page 85 of War Games

“It was in the bourbon. Only needed a tiny drop. I was given a capsule, no bigger than a small pill. Hid the capsule under my nail… Cracked it while messing with the bottle, let it drop in natural, unseen.”

“Landon, make sure it’s completely disposed of,” Heath said. “How long did you have it?”

“Since a couple of weeks after Alaska. Callahan sent it in a letter. Promised Carlos and I would go to an Alpha who would treat Carlos similarly to you, and it would be better… But Carlos always said he only wanted you. So… I waited, wondering what I was going to do. The reception seemed like a good time because… you would be distracted. Everyone would be distracted. I had to do something, or I would lose what he offered by waiting too long.”

“Thank you for not fighting me for these answers,” Heath said, smiling. “Now, come with me.” The last part was an order. “You and I have a meeting.”

Jenny stood and followed him, Landon taking up the back, still silent, still pleased with how methodically they had done this. It was a good thing. Minimal deaths kept the pack as strong as it could. They were only going to lose one instead of all of them.

Heath led Jenny and Landon to the security building. Hasan had decided it wasn’t a good idea to use something Jacky could accidentally run into.

“Is that her?” Subira asked from the porch.

“It is. She’ll be dealt with,” Heath promised his lover’s mother.

“Good,” Subira purred. Heath knew damn well if he didn’t take care of this final part, she would. He hadn’t told Subira the rest of his plan, though.

“If Jacky wakes up while I’m gone, tell her I love her, and this is for her.”

That made an eyebrow raise, but Heath didn’t stay for a response. He opened the door and went into the Tribunal, bringing Jenny and Landon behind him.

32

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

HEATH

“Before we begin, I need to say something to the Tribunal,” Heath said loudly as Landon closed the door behind him. He finished the walk down before speaking again, glad his son was behind him in the face of the Tribunal.

He looked at Callahan and Corissa. While Callahan was normally the one with an easy expression to read, now it was blank. Corissa seemed less put together than she normally did. An odd switch.

He reached the bottom of the circular viewing room, all seats higher than those who would speak to them. They only accounted for a quarter of the circular room, while the rest was seating for others who wished to see proceedings, depending on what was happening. There were some placed for those speaking to the Tribunal to stand, and he found one, not yet going into the center of the room, where the open floor was used for more intense interrogations, judgments, and the like.

“As I was the Tribunal member you asked to call this meeting, I shall be the one to ask… what do you want to say?” Hasan was leaning forward in his seat.

“You called a meeting for a werewolf?” Corissa said, her expression pinched.

“I’m the only one he has access to on a regular basis to make the request,” Hasan said, smiling viciously. “Though to hide that I did it, I asked Alvina to pass the meeting along to the both of you.”

Did he not tell them what I intended? Does Callahan not know I’m here to challenge him?

Hasan continued to smile as he gestured to Heath to talk.

“Hasan, this is the werewolf who betrayed my pack and poisoned your daughter, knowingly taking the risk that it would be Jacky, daughter of Subira, who ingested it and suffered the consequences.”

Hasan turned slowly to the werewolves of the Tribunal.

“No,” Corissa gasped.

Callahan closed his eyes as if he was accepting something.

“Because I was the intended target, I will handle it.” Heath reached out for Jenny, who didn’t see it coming. He grabbed her jaw from behind and twisted.

Her neck broke.

Neither he nor Landon tried to stop her body from crumpling to the floor.

After a few minutes, Hasan gestured to someone and Corissa nodded quickly, confirming something. A large male werewolf came forward, having been standing at the end of the Tribunal’s seats near a door Heath hadn’t cared much to look at for long. An aide for the day, possibly, or a guard ready to jump into action in case the Tribunal members themselves were outnumbered. In what world would the members of the Tribunal be fighting in their own chambers, Heath didn’t know, but he knew all of them were the type to plan for the potential. It would have been an early security conversation for this group.

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