Page 3 of Broken Kingdom

I’m about to stand when he grabs my wrist, holding on tight as he grunts, “Hammer and his men are getting drunk on the quad. Most of our people are being held captive in the Variant house, but not all the fighters want to fight. Give them the chance to surrender if you can?”

I nod and promise to try, but I’m not in charge of this offensive. Maxim is and he’s just lost half the men he brought to this fight as well as one of his best friends and second-in-command.

Hermione might still be alive, but it isn’t looking good. Her com device is offline and none of the survivors who escaped into the woods above Lost Moon have seen her. And Maxim, like most of the Alphas I’ve known in my life, answers pain with violence. He’s going to slaughter every Hammer ally he finds and worry about the collateral damage later.

Maybe if he didn’t think his sister has died just a few days ago things would be different, but it’s too late to tell him that Diana might be alive now. He’s already leading the charge toward the gates.

I squeeze Alexander’s shoulder and start to rise, but he grits out, “Wait, Ford. Just in case something happens to me, you should know. Jean-Paul took Juliet. Or he was planning to. Hammer promised him Juliet in marriage in exchange for his help taking Lost Moon. I doubt he’ll wait long before making the union official.”

My jaw clenches so tight that my back teeth begin to vibrate. “Where’s he taking her?”

“I don’t know,” Alexander says. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he heads back to Montreal. They think they’ve won. As long as you don’t let the outside world know any different, he won’t feel any need to hide.” He pulls in a labored breath and adds, “I’ll help you. I’ll do whatever I can. I’m so sorry I let you down.”

My brow furrows as the meaning of his words hits like a punch in the gut. “You were working with them,” I rasp.

“Beck was going to kill Catherine,” he says, tears filling his eyes. “I didn’t think I had a choice.”

“There’s always a choice. You could have told us. We could have protected her together.”

“I wasn’t sure of that,” he says. “She’s the most important thing in the world to me, Ford. I couldn’t put her at risk. Imagine it was Juliet. Wouldn’t you have done the same?”

I don’t know what I would have done, but I know I can’t waste another second here on the beach. I need to join the fighting. The sooner we take Lost Moon, the sooner I can be on my way to find Juliet.

I start toward the gate, when something pricks at the back of my mind, and I turn back, “What about that day in the woods? When you stepped in to save Juliet from Beck?”

“Beck told me what he had planned,” Alex says. “He wanted to make sure you trusted me.”

“And we did,” I say, feeling like a fool.

“I’m sorry,” Alex says again, wincing as he pulls in another breath. “Hate me if you want. Hurt me if you want. Just find Catherine and make sure she’s safe. She’s innocent. She had no idea what I was up to. She’s always been a real friend to you and Juliet, and I want to be one, too. If you’ll let me.”

“I have to go,” I say, rising to go again.

“I’ll join the fighting on your side as soon as I can,” Alex says, grimacing as he touches ginger fingers to his chest. “As soon as it doesn’t hurt to breathe.”

“Stay here,” I say. “Like I said, you probably have broken ribs, and you don’t want to get in Maxim’s way. He’s shooting anyone that he doesn’t know for damned sure is on his side. As much as I’d like to see a bullet through you right now, Catherine doesn’t deserve the pain of grieving her brother.”

I turn and run through the sand to the sea gate.

Thankfully, the first face I see is a friendly one.

Trevor and a tiny boy I recognize from the dorm—one of the seventeen-year-olds who landed early admission—are guarding the entrance. They’re both armed, but the younger kid is so slim his arms are trembling simply from bearing the weight of his weapon. The good news is that it seems like most of the fighting is taking place further up the rise, near the quad.

Clapping Trevor on the shoulder, I say, “You did good. If Alexander comes up from the beach, let him in, but no one else.”

Trevor nods, his face pale but his expression determined. “Will do. Hammer tried to come through a few minutes ago, but we shot at him. He shot back, but he missed.”

“Just barely,” the younger kid pipes up. “I could feel the bullets hot by my face.” He shudders. “I don’t ever want to be around guns ever again.”

“Where did he go?” I ask, an ugly hope fizzing in my stomach. The only thing better than seeing Hammer dead on the battlefield would be getting to put a bullet through him myself.

Trevor points to the right. “That way. Toward the art museum, I think.”

I nod and say, “Keep up the good work,” before sprinting in that direction. On my way, I cross a corner of the quad, getting close enough to the fighting for a few bullets to whizz past my head, as well, but I don’t stop to return fire. I have to get to Hammer before anyone else does.

I need to see the light go out of the old man’s eyes.

But first, I’m going to tell him that Juliet’s mine. I’m going to tell him that we’re united and in love and that, together, we’re going to erase his name from the Zion pack history books.

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