Page 23 of Winning the Wolf

I jerked into action when Killick shoved past the men and stormed up the stone steps, taking them two at a time. I tried to copy but my legs were too short and the pain of my wounds pinched, despite the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

“Killick?” I called when I reached the top of the staircase and saw his back disappear into the nearest room.

The blood rushed in my ears, making it seem like I was walking through water. The invisible liquid dragged at my limbs as I forced my way to the door of the alpha’s bedroom and looked inside.

Killick was standing beside the bed, staring down at his parents. They were laid on their backs, their eyes closed and their faces serene. The pallor of their skin was the only sign that their spirits no longer inhabited their werewolf bodies.

Someone moved past me, almost shoving me with their bulk. It was Caleb, coming in to check on his friend, who fell to his knees beside the bed.

“Who did this? Why didn’t they wait for me?” Killick lifted his gaze and scanned the room, barely seeing me there. “I should have been asked if I wanted this.”

Caleb cleared his throat and moved closer to Killick, who got to his feet and glowered, his cheeks turning bright red.

“It’s tradition,” Caleb said quietly. “You know the wolf spirit will retrieve your parents for one last run. If they’re not ready…”

I swallowed the lump that rose in my throat. Every werewolf had to be prepared for burial within two days of dying. Once they were laid in the ground, their wolf spirit arose for one last goodbye. We couldn’t touch them, but we could see their spirit and follow in their last run before they disappeared into the next phase.

Tears dripped down my face as I thought about my brother. The authorities had been called before my father could retrieve his body from the water. They took him away for an inquest, which meant by the time we got his body back, it was too late. We never got to see his last run.

“Fuck this!” Killick turned and stormed out of the room, knocking me violently as if he hadn’t even noticed I was there.

My wounds stung at the force of the impact, and I only just managed to stay on my feet. Caleb’s hand found my elbow and squeezed, a small show of support before he left the room.

About to leave, I paused and looked over my shoulder. Phileas, the once powerful alpha, looked asleep next to his wife. For my whole life, Miranda had been kind to me, finding small ways to show she cared. Seeing her smooth pale skin made it impossible to believe that she’d had another baby before Killick. Jeremy must’ve lost his mind.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, choking when my throat closed and I walked out of the room.

Killick’s rants could be heard across the hall and downstairs. I followed them, compelled to be near him, even though I had no right to be.

“I’m the fucking alpha now,” he growled loudly. “You ask me what I want to do with my dead parents!”

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I lunged forward and grabbed Killick’s arm. He gripped the shirt of his father’s most trusted advisor and held him in the air, choking the oxygen from his lungs.

Rage flew from him, his cheeks puffy red and his eyes almost rolling as emotions warred within him.

He didn’t even notice me until I pulled several strands of his arm hair.

“Killick…” My voice was small, pleading.

He turned his gaze to me before shrugging me off and releasing the advisor at the same time. Tears trailed down each man’s face as Killick blinked and looked around at them. Yes, he had just lost his father and mother, which was beyond excruciating, but they’d lost their alpha. The man who had led them for fifty years. The man who they were bonded to in a way they’d never experienced before, not even a fated mate.

“I’m sorry.” Killick’s whisper was barely audible as he spun away from us and strode through the library and out of the open double doors. The garden was covered in darkness as I followed him at a distance, trying to catch my breath.

He shook his head continuously as he rasped air into his lungs, over and over again. I wanted to stop him from walking and still him, for just a moment. Just to somehow soothe the pain that was running through his veins. It wasn’t just the loss of his parents that had exploded his world, it was the coming coronation of his alphaship. A huge responsibility that was usually passed down in less tragic circumstances.

When Killick reached the edge of the pond, he fell to his knees. I checked behind me to see Caleb, a few steps away. He stopped when I did, his forehead creased in worry. He was concerned about his friend and clearly worrying about what he might do.

Turning back, I opened my mouth to call the new alpha. His head fell back as a roar flew from him, cutting me off and echoing throughout the valley around us. I stumbled forward, my arms outstretched and my cheeks wet. Sobs wrenched from Killick as he collapsed forward, leaning his knuckles on the dirt.

I wrapped my arms around him in an attempt to hold his bulk as he cried into his hand. He flinched before gripping a purple strand of my hair between his fingers. The desperate grief that racked his back made me shake, both inside and out.

“No,” he rasped, his hands sliding up and holding my arms against him.

Ignoring the slight tug, I held tightly, refusing to let him go. He clung to me for a few moments, breaking apart as he shook violently.

“No!” he suddenly growled, thrusting away from me.

I fell to my arse, huffing when my coccyx thudded on the hard dirt beneath me. Killick paced away from me, his face screwed up and his hands clenched into fists.

---