Page 113 of Big Bad Bully
“Not like this,” she says. “I know you want to kill him, but there’s a right way to do this.”
I drop him and step back, and my sister orders everyone to step back. They all do although the enforcers don’t look happy about it.
My gut feels hollow, like I’m going to be sick. My father was a bigger threat than I thought. I missed it and almost lost my mate.
“Is this true?” my sister asks my father. “Did you try to harm Billy’s human friend?”
“Mate,” I say, needing to publicly claim Aubrey. “The human is my mate.”
A murmur ripples through the watching wolves. Half the pack looks stunned, but some look curious. This seems to incense my father.
“Harm her? I tried to take her out! She poisoned his mind.”
The hitman in Monaco. Sentience wasn’t behind it. Luka’s pack wasn’t, either. My father was.
My own father tried to take my mate from me forever.
“How?” I ask. “Where did you get the money?” He’d need a hefty amount to hire a hitman.
“He bankrupted us,” one of the elders speaks up. She’s a stooped, grey-haired woman with gnarled hands resting on a carved wooden cane. “He’s been draining the pack funds for his own personal gain for years, but it’s been getting worse. And a few days ago, I discovered he’s cleaned our savings out.”
“Is this true?” Boudicca asks gently. The elder nods, and a few others murmur agreement. The pack seems to drift closer to my sister, looking to her for guidance. She confirms a few details and then looks back at me, “I knew it was bad, but I didn’t realize it was this bad.”
“You shouldn’t even be here,” my father snarls at her. I can’t even look at him right now. If I do, I’ll tear off his head. “You’re exiled, you traitor–”
“Be silent,” Boudicca says. She gives the order without even raising her voice.
My father’s mouth snaps shut. He looks surprised that she can command him, but much of the pack doesn’t.
A few of the enforcers start to move towards her, and she says, “No,” the power rolls out of her, stopping the enforcers in their tracks.
“Alpha,” the elder murmurs. Everyone stares at Boudicca. My sister sighs.
If it were any other moment, I’d say “I told you so,” to my sister. I knew she had the alpha ability. But I’m not in a joking mood. Not when I’ve just realized my father tried to murder Aubrey.
The wind shifts again. It’s time.
“Today is a day of reckoning. It’s been a long time coming.” My sister faces our father. “William White the Second, I now declare that you are unfit to lead this pack as alpha.”
“I second this,” I say. I’m following protocol, so no one can dispute the way we removed our father from command. But I can’t stop myself from adding, “You are cruel. You’ve tortured humans and your own children. You’ve exiled good wolves and brought out the worst in this pack.” I see some heads nodding slightly. Many of the pack members don’t think it’s right that Boudicca was exiled. They still think of her as pack.
“You think that weakness should be punished, not protected,” my sister says. “You’ve confused cruelty for strength.”
“You’re a bully,” I add. “And it’s time to show you how pathetic you are.”
I kick off my shoes, continuing to disrobe.
“Billy,” my sister says. “Let me–”
“No. He tried to kill my mate.”
Her blue eyes hold mine. She wants to be sure I’m willing to take on the burden of fratricide. She’s protecting me even now.
That’s why she’ll make a great alpha.
“You’re the true alpha of this pack,” I say. “Not me. I belong with the Blackthroats. But first…I want vengeance.”
“All right.” She steps back to give me space. At some point, a black wolf came to her side. I recognize the wolf as her mate, Kali. The black wolf presses against Boudicca’s legs, and my sister rests a hand on her head.
