Page 54 of Grace of a Wolf 1
"Rafe asked me to keep you safe." Andrew's jaw sets stubbornly. "I gave him my word."
I roll my eyes toward the ceiling. The man's incapable of thinking for himself. It's always about Rafe.
Having Andrew along will complicate things, but fighting him on this will only waste time I don't have. "Fine."
Sterling City is big enough. Once we're there, losing Andrew in a crowd shouldn't be too difficult.
Andrew frowns at me, as if my quick agreement leaves him suspicious. Hopefully he gets over it. "Okay. Remember, the succession ceremony starts at midnight. Everyone will be focused on Rafe taking his place as Alpha and re-bonding the pack members. Every Lycan will be there—they have to witness the transfer of power."
I tilt my head. "What happens if they catch us?"
Andrew's expression darkens. "We can't get caught."
So, death. It's what I thought, but it's still unsettling to think about it. "Okay."
The weight of what we're planning settles in my chest like lead. If the Lycan King finds out... The image of Alpha's broken body flashes through my mind.
A strange part of me feels as if I'm betraying my family by escaping, but I shake it off. "You should go before someone notices you've been here too long."
Andrew nods, but hesitates at the door. "Grace... just be ready, okay? I'll get here as soon as I can."
The door clicks shut behind him, leaving me alone with my thundering heart and a thousand doubts.
Chapter twenty-eight
Caine: Intervention
CAINE
The sweet scent of blueberry muffins has faded, replaced by a more generic odor—body sweat and wolf musk, courtesy of all my subordinates crowding my suite.
It shouldn't infuriate me as much as it does, but I want to smash their heads together for it.
I rub at my temple, the dull throb behind my eyes a stark reminder of my lack of sleep. "Stop standing there in silence."
They all look at Jack-Eye; he's clearly been chosen as their spokesperson. The beta clears his throat, stepping forward. "It's about last night, Alpha."
I expected as much. "What about it?"
"The death of an Alpha, even one as problematic as Brax, requires proper protocol. The packs will question—"
"Let them question."
"With respect," Reggie advances to stand beside Jack-Eye, his scarred face twisted in concern, "we're not questioning your authority. But slaughtering an alpha and half his pack over a mere human—"
My fist slams against the table with a sharp crack. "Mere? Are our laws just decoration?"
Jack-Eye elbows Reggie in his side, not bothering for discretion. "But there are procedures for this. The other packs will see this as an act of—"
"Tyranny. It isn't like it's a new opinion." I've done worse in the past, when uniting all packs under my rule. Of course, it was a different time then.
"High Alpha." Reggie glances at the others and squares his shoulders, facing me once more. "We stand with you. Always. But the whispers have already returned. Not just 'The Mad King', but now they're calling you 'The Butcher of Blue Mountain'."
Fenris stirs within me, pleased with the titles. He's been silent since the girl left, resting to recover his strength.A King's strength is fearsome.
Fighting a sigh, I wave my free hand in the air. "When the delegates arrive, we'll deal with them."
They all share glances, and Jack-Eye groans when their gazes land on him. Shoving his hand through his hair, he snaps, "Caine, this is a problem. Brax had his hand in a lot of fucking cookie jars. There are plenty who might be happy he's gone, but Blue Mountain isn't just some backwater pack. They have solidallies within the region. Cowing them alone is easy, but if they decide to gather and rebel against us—"
