Page 98 of Wulf's Pack
My eyes fall shut as I think about the sweet, funny, caring woman who wrote werewolf romance, and her brave, intelligent mate. So young. So much potential. They’d just been reunited and had their whole lives ahead of them. And Micah…
I meet Easton’s pain-filled eyes and feel every ounce of his devastation over the loss of his brother. I hardly know the stoic alpha male, but I don’t hesitate to pull him into a tight embrace. He accepts the hug and returns it as if he needs it to hold him together. I push some of my alpha power through our bond to comfort him and lend him strength, though I know it isn’t nearly enough. After a moment, he releases a long breath, and his trembling body starts to calm down. When we pull back from our hug, I clasp his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
His eyes glisten with unshed tears, but there is no anger in them. He shakes his head once. “He died himself, fighting for the alpha and luna who freed him instead of as an enslaved feral beast in an illegal cage fight for cheap entertainment. It was honorable, and I know he was happy to give his life for the woman who saved his.”
Pride and gratitude swell in me. My mate is not the only wolf I’m lucky to have in my life.
Skylar’s soft voice floats over to us. “I promise I will always live my life worthy of his sacrifice. He will never be forgotten.”
Easton gulps again and bows his head. “Thank you, Luna.”
Silence settles over our little group, and Ben joins us, carrying Luke’s body in his arms. “We should join the others. I’m sure they’re all anxious to see their alpha and luna.”
I’m sure they are. And I’m just as anxious to see them and make sure they’re all okay. We’ve been through a lot, and now that Victor and his pack are taken care of, it’s time we all start to heal.
Chapter
Thirty-Two
It takes hours to deal with the mess at the coyotes’ compound. Oliver and Enzo are quick to arrive, but with them they bring the FUA and the FBI. When Oliver removes the suppression collars from Skylar and the coyotes, my bond with Skylar rushes back to me. I nearly collapse from the sensation. I feel whole again, and yet, not. Something about being without Skylar for those hours has made the fact that our bond isn’t complete much more apparent. There’s an urgency to claim my mate once and for all that wasn’t there before. I think Skylar feels it too. She hasn’t left my side—has hardly even stopped holding my hand—since she shifted back. I have a feeling truly solidifying our connection is the first thing on both of our checklists when we get back home.
After the collars are off and everyone can shift, Enzo gets to work healing the worst of all the injuries. Not a single surviving member of my pack came out of the battle unscathed, and a couple of them were very near death. Thankfully, no more lives were lost beyond the seven who were taken down during the battle, but it was a close call.
After that, the questions start coming. Agents Johnson and Ralston talk to every person involved. They’re relentless, butat least they aren’t rude or hostile to my pack. They save all the anger and resentment for me. My interview is more of an interrogation than simply taking my statement, and I’m fairly certain that if not for Nora and Gorgeous, I’d be locked up while they questioned me.
Bree stays with Skylar and me while Easton, Ben, and Isabella take charge of getting my pack cleaned up, fed, and rested. The coyotes are more than happy to let us use their homes while we’re still being forced to stay put. They offer up beds and showers and make a huge meal to feed everyone.
I’m sitting on the couch in the security office with Skylar and Bree on either side of me, while Agents Johnson and Ralston rail on me, and Nora and Gorgeous play peacemaker between us. Nora and Agent Ralston are sitting across from us. Gorgeous is holding up the wall near the door like usual, and Agent Johnson is wearing the carpet thin, pacing back and forth in the small room.
I start out completely fine, more than happy to answer all of their questions. But the more they talk, the more their questions turn into accusations, and the angrier and more frustrated I get. Finally, I lose my temper. “I’m not the bad guy here!” I snap. “Stop treating me like I’m some criminal!”
Agent Johnson stops her pacing to glare at me. “You and your pack just murdered twenty-five men.”
I hold back a groan, but still nearly rip my hair out, yanking on it. “It was a rescue mission. It’s not like we just decided to go on a murder spree. We came to get Skylar, and they attacked. Anyone my pack or I killed was in self-defense.”
“You broke in here. You instigated this battle.”
If I could punch her in the face without getting arrested, I might just do it. The heartless woman is driving me crazy. I slam to my feet and throw my arms out to the sides. “They had my mate!” I yell. “They were torturing her! They killed half ofthis pack and took over their homes. They were holding people hostage. Women and children. Was I supposed to do nothing?”
Agent Johnson balls her hands into fists and glares at me. “You were supposed to come to us. You should have let the authorities handle this instead of taking matters into your own hands, like some vigilante gang.”
I grind my teeth so hard it’s a miracle I don’t break my jaw.
Skylar clasps my arm, sending some of her calming influence my way. Part of me just wants to be angry, but she’s right. Yelling at these people will not help anything. I take a breath, and when Skylar gives me a gentle tug, I sit back down again. She leans against my side, taking my hand in both of hers. I cling to her. Let her wolf reach out to mine. Allow the bond between us to soothe me.
Seeing me calm down, Agent Johnson dials back the anger too. Agent Ralston uses the pause in the argument to jump in with his two cents. “I understand why you felt the need to act,” he says in a placating tone that pisses me off almost as much as Agent Johnson’s aggression. “But we have laws for a reason, and you are not above them, no matter how justified your cause was.”
I hold back a growl, but my wolf rises to the surface. “It was pack business. The FUA has always allowed underworlders to deal with our own problems.”
Agent Johnson slashes her hand through the air. “That all changed with the outing. Humans are aware of you now. They watch your every move. You especially, Mr. Winters. They’re nervous enough about your existence. We can’t have a bunch of underworlders running around killing each other without any consequences. The humans will riot. It’ll be pandemonium.”
I get what she’s saying, to an extent. But she’s only thinking about humans. She’s not considering the needs of underworlders. “So what are you going to do? Arrest me? Throwme in prison for rescuing my mate from a group of psychopaths and saving the lives of nearly a dozen innocent women and children? You do that, and you might appease some of the humans, but every underworlder in the country will revolt. You forget, Agent, that underworlders are just as nervous about humans knowing of us as they are. More even, because we’re the ones who are truly in danger. If the human government starts overstepping on our way of life, if you oppress us and punish us unjustly, you’ll have a war on your hands.”
Rage flashes in Agent Johnson’s eyes, and she shouts so loudly that no doubt every shifter in the compound can hear her. “Underworlders are not above the law!”
I lose my temper again. She just doesn’t get it. Slamming to my feet once more, I snarl. My eyes glow with the presence of my beast. “Human laws!” I roar. “Underworlders are not human. We need different laws. We run on baser instincts. You can’t ignore our natures. You will have chaos on your hands if you do.”
Skylar stands up and threads her arm through mine again, but this time she doesn’t fill me with her omega power. Somehow, she knows that I need this. I need to remain in control and get my anger and frustration out. These humans have to learn. They’ve got to understand that they are dealing with an entirely different species, and their ways are not always going to work for us. Still, I can’t help relaxing from her touch. “Agent Johnson,” she says calmly but firmly, “you can’t expect a shifter or a vampire or a fae to ignore their natural instincts any more than you can domesticate a lion or a shark.”
