Page 80 of Smoke and Lure

“Offensive.I thought dog with bone.So, sit!”he barked, allowing his beast’s growl to filter through his command, that even though Farkas may have convinced those who went rogue with him that he was top dog, what Farkas couldn’t deny was his wolf’s natural instinct to yield to the true Alpha.

The man may have struggled, evident in the flexing of Farkas’s jaw as he gritted his teeth, but the wolf won out, and his cousin stomped his bare ass to the chair in the middle of the room.

Chanin moved from behind the side of the table and walked toward his cousin, not stopping until he was an arm’s length in front of him.He didn’t miss Farkas’s gaze over the minute distance with a wicked smile.

Oh, I want you to try it, Chanin thought.His wolf was itching to tear into Farkas, so if his cousin felt terrible enough to jump at him, it would all be over for the rogue leader.

“You want to know how I got them to follow me?How cunning I was to sneak into the Drahk territory and snag one of their fat goats?Or the cleverness of how easy I find it to tiptoe into the meadow and pluck me two ripe teens?”Farkas folded his hands over his filthy chest, slouched down in the metal seat and man spread his knees, executing a cocky stance.

“They're coming...and you won’t...be able to stop the carnage—”Valko’s cryptic words reverberated in Chanin’s mind as he stared into the unrepentant soulless gaze of his cousin.

“No.Brag to someone who cares.Too late, they’re all dead.”Chanin cocked a brow, a challenge to Farkas.“I want to know what you did with the blood.”

Farkas's brows rose a fraction.

He didn’t think they had that information, evidently.

“What?You thought Valko was loyal enough to you, the wannabe Alpha, and that he would carry your secret to the grave?”Chanin shook his head.“Dishonor doesn’t breed loyalty.”

Farkas swallowed, appearing more than a little nervous now as he glanced from Chanin to the other two men in the room.

“Wh-hy...should I tell you anything?You’ll kill me anyway...but I’ll win because you won’t know what’s coming.”Farkas tipped his head back and started to chuckle.“Ahhah—”

In a flash, Chanin shot a hand out and grabbed Farkas’s lower jaw.Fingers deep in his mouth with claws extended, sinking into the firm flesh of Farkas’s tongue, through the soft tissue behind his chin guarded by his jawbone, until those same nails passed the piercing nail of Chanin’s thumb digging upwards.

Farkas's broken laughter became a hideous, gagging scream.He reached up and grabbed Chanin’s wrist with both hands, but knew that if he attempted to snatch Chanin’s hand away because of the grip, it would be easy for Chanin to rip his jaw off.

Their healing ability couldn’t regrow a tongue and jaw.

“When we started this, Farkas, I told you, you could die quick...or I can make it so fuckin’ painful.”Chanin stooped close to his cousin’s face and stared into his glassy, pain-filled eyes.“Which will it be?Hm, little pussycat?”

Rising, Chanin retracted his claws and yanked his arm out of Farkas’s hold.

“Phuck...phuck...phuck!”Farkas cupped his mouth and jaw as he grumbled and whined as a mixture of blood and saliva streamed around his hands.His wolf tongue extended between his hands and fingers, licking around his face, attempting to reach the wounds and heal.

The same combination coated Chanin’s hand.He held his hand to the side away from his body and flicked his fingers out toward the ground, not worried that the gesture didn’t get rid of much, it was more to send a clear message to Farkas that he was prepared to add his broken body to Valko’s remnants.

“Where’s the blood you took from the Fae teens?”

Shaking his hands and lowering them in fists on top of his thighs, blood still smeared at the corners of his mouth and chin, Farkas said, “Fuck it.You all can’t stop what’s coming anyway.”Farkas exhaled.“I handed it off to the human government.”

Fuck!All hopes that even though Farkas had taken the blood, he couldn’t hand it off, still held it hidden somewhere, were dashed.“You traitorous bastard.When?”

Farkas's shoulders slumped.It seemed he had an ounce of shame remaining, most likely his wolf because Pack meant everything to their beasts, to cast his gaze to the floor.“Before you all came to rescue them.I drew the blood as soon as we had them out of the Fae territory.I instructed my men to take the teen girls to the hideout while I delivered.”

A growl pierced the room.

Farkas first glanced up at him, then beyond him.

Boris.

Chanin knew the Pack security leader was pissed that Farkas had managed not only to evade his team but hand off stolen blood.He couldn’t worry about the rage of the security wolf right now.He still needed answers.

His mind rolling, Chanin folded his arms over his chest and paced in the open space between Boris and Farkas.“How did you make the original arrangement?Contact the humans?”

Farkas glanced at him from the corner of his eye but quickly returned his glare to Boris.

Chanin knew Boris was mad, but he knew the shifter wouldn’t make a move without his Alpha’s authority.

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