Page 23 of Snips, Snails and Werewolf Tails

"You just told the pack that you were going to prove it was Mickael before you did anything else," Gregory says, stepping in front of Lucian to block his way.

"I did say that. But then I had to walk on the same bloodstained street where our wolves were slaughtered, and I changed my mind. It's time for this to end," Lucian says as his eyes flare with unrestrained temper. "I should've killed Mickael years ago."

"If you assassinate the vampire clan leader, the vampires will rise against the entire supernatural community and start a war we can't hide from the humans. They'll put us all in danger," Gregory says as he tries to talk some sense into Lucian. "You could make the situation worse than it already is. Just take a minute and let's talk this through before you do anything you'll regret."

"Trust me," Lucian says through gritted teeth. "I won't regret killing Mickael."

"Lucian," I call out. "Please, let's figure this out together."

But he's past the point of listening; he's going to rush into something that could get him killed.

So, out of sheer desperation, I use my magic on him.

I call up the tree roots beneath the coven building and coax them to wrap around Lucian, confining him in place until he calms down.

"What are you doing?" he shouts angrily. He looks like a wounded animal, as if the tree roots are hurting him.

I try to assure him that I'm on his side, but that he needs to calm down.

"I'm sorry." I frown. "But you wouldn't listen."

"We need to get back to the pack now," Gregory says. "We only came here to find Lucian and ask if we should bury the bodies on pack soil."

"Of course, you should," Lucian says with bitterness in his voice. "They're still a part of our pack."

At the alpha's direction, Gregory and Renna both nod and leave.

Sybil and Blair start talking about ways to prove who the perpetrator is, and Isla begins to ramble about a truth serum she can concoct. The three of them walk to the kitchen as they talk, and I stand near the doorway, alone with Lucian. He looks defeated and disheartened, no longer struggling against the roots of the tree that are under my power. It reminds of when I set the thorny rosebushes on him—something that I regretted immediately. But this is different. That time, I did it to protect myself. This time, I'm doing it to protecthim.

I sit down beside him and start to talk. But even though he seems a bit calmer now, he still isn't listening to reason.

"You know I agree with you, but I think the others are right," I say. "Mickael and his clan are a problem, and we need to find a way to contain them."

Lucian's face contorts; he looks too upset to listen.

"I've failed as an alpha," he says.

"What? No, you haven't."

"Yes, Ihave. I could have prevented all of this if I had acted sooner and with more force. Maybe Tala was right, and Iamtoo soft to be an effective alpha for my pack."

"That's ridiculous." I shake my head vigorously. I can't believe he's questioning his ability to lead the werewolf pack. Out of all the supernatural leaders, Lucian is the strongest and most reasonable. "You're the smartest, strongest, and most devoted alpha I've ever known. The pack is lucky to have you guiding and protecting them."

"But Ididn'tprotect them. My wolves' blood still stains the street." There is a dismal desperation in his eyes.

"I think you're blaming yourself because you can't blame therealperson behind this. But as soon as we prove that it was the vampires, then justice will be served, and your conscience will be clear." I stand up and smile gently at him. "I'm going to get us both some water, and maybe a glass of wine to take the edge off. When I get back, I'll remove the roots and we can sit and talk."

Lucian nods but says nothing, and I can tell he's still silently blaming himself for what happened. I'm hoping that with a bit more talking, he will grow calm enough to see reason, and then we can work together with my coven sisters try find proof of who killed the werewolves so that we can hold the vampire clan leader responsible once and for all. An act like this is reprehensible and none of the other supernatural leaders will stand for it either. We could potentially get everyone on our side and finally remove Mickael from his position of leadership.

I pour two cups of water, and then reach for a wine bottle tucked into one of the high cabinets. As I leave the kitchen, I hear a terrible sound.

It's not loud, but it is gut-wrenching. It sounds like an animal crying out for help but being silenced mid yelp. I drop all the glasses and run back to Lucian, only to see that Mickael standing over him, a bloody knife in his hand. Lucian is on the floor, still wrapped in the tree roots, his throat slit and bleeding.

I scream and Blair, Sybil, and Isla come running. For a split second, everyone is frozen with shock.

The sound of blood gurgling up in Lucian's throat makes me sick. There issomuch of it cascading down over the roots and pooling on the floor. I cast a spell to remove the roots and rush toward him.

And as I do, I realize that the wolves' murder was nothing but a distraction so Mickael could get to Lucian, who was unable to defend himself because of my spell.

---