Page 104 of The Alpha Dire Wolf
I waited.
Elder Jackson spoke into the void that followed my outburst. “It has grown stronger sinceshecame back. Its power has grown the closer she gets to it. Willing or not, she is tied to the Chained in some way.Thatis why we chose to sever ties with her bloodline. It is why we …you… must move away from her. Your plan to grow close to her and discover the truth has failed, Lincoln Silkweaver. Either she has seduced you and you are too stupid to see it, or the Chained has the power to hide its actions. Even from you.”
I could curse the old man.
“Plan?” Sylvie whispered from behind me, speaking for the first time. “What plan?”
“I’ll explain later,” I said with a curt shake of my head, simultaneously glaring daggers at Rome’s grandfather.
I hadn’t planned for that, for the mention of the plan. I should have. But I hadn’t, and now it was going to bite me in the ass.
“We must be rid of her,” Noel said, interrupting my train of thought.
I took a step in his direction, snarling furiously. “She is under my protection.” I swept my gaze over the entire pack, not just Noel. “Is. That. Clear?”
Silence greeted me.
Noel shook his head sadly, not backing down. I had insulted him too much. He had nothing to lose anymore.
“What is clear,” he said, speaking to everyone, “is where your loyalties lie. You will bring us to ruin.”
“No,” I said coldly, “I am simply no longer afraid, Noel. Like you, I do not want to live in a time where the Chained is able to do such things. But neither did our ancestors. They did not run from the darkness when he first walked this earth. They rantowardit.”
I swung my gaze from him, up to through the rows of seats, addressing my entire pack as I spoke now. “For too long, we have ignored the slow growing power of the Chained. The darkness at the heart of the forest has grown stronger, but we ignored it. Instead of fighting back, we simply said that we no longer will cross the river. We gave it territory, gave it room to grow stronger. You’re uneasy, yes.Iam uneasy too. And that is okay! But what we must not be isafraid. We must not shy away from the duty given to us. I will not run. In fact, I intend to lead another expedition. Back to the heart. To stop it this time.”
Shocked silence followed.
“You would goback?” Noel asked, aghast at the notion. “It nearly killed you the first time!”
I smiled. “So that’s support for this idea from you then?”
Noel bristled at the notion of cowardice, that he hoped the Chained would take me out. But everyone knew it to be true.
“I am going back,” I told the vast majority of y pack, “because I thinkit’sscared.”
“Scared?” Elder Germander asked. “Why? How?”
“Because,” I said, stepping to the side and pointing at Sylvie. “it’s tried to kill her more than once now. It fears her, and it’s past time we find outwhy.”
Chapter Forty
Sylvie
“Sylvie!”
I ignored the shout, walking on. I didn’t run. I just kept walking. Away from the meeting area. Away from the hate.
Away from him.
“Sylvie, wait!”
I didn’t. If he wanted to, he could catch me, so why should I slow for him? My car was in sight. I could get in it and leave. Just go home.
Only if you ignore the storm and how it wants to kill you.
How that was any different than staying, I wasn’t so sure.
“Sylvie, please stop.”
