Page 74 of The Forbidden Wolf

The awful realization tangled up my paws, and I pitched chin first into the pavement. Kiana knew she wasn’t firstborn. That’s why she remained loyal to Damian. That’s why she’d made sure Sebastian didn’t finish playing the recording. And that’s why she’d slaughtered our own father to usurp his throne before he could recognize me as the true Alpha Heir. She knew.

Three enormous shadows dropped like vultures from the trusses up above. One landed squarely on Sebastian’s back, flattening him to the ground a few feet shy of Kiana. The other two landed on either side but quickly threw themselves onto the dog pile. Sebastian cried out in pain as the Bronx wolves tore into him like a raw steak.

I pinned my ears and shot down the road, keeping low so that when I arrived I could punch my muzzle up into the first soft underbelly I found. The scent that filled my nose belong unmistakably to my sister’s helpmaid, Cerys. She yelped and hunkered down to protect her vitals without letting go of Sebastian. I burrowed into her flank with my teeth bared but not biting, digging my claws in just to the side of her spine. I really didn’t want to taste blood again tonight. Especially not that of a servant who had no business in a brawl.

“What are you doing here?” I barked insider her head. “Go home!”

Cerys whirled, slicing my cheek with her blood fangs. Alright then. I threw myself at the smaller gray wolf and bit into her shoulder. The tang of blood set off a montage of horrific memories, but I planted my feet and hauled her away from Sebastian. Her teeth snapped my right ear, still tender from the bullet hours earlier, and I yelped and let go.

“Leave her for me!” Kiana ordered. “And leave my mate alive!”

Cerys darted away as I shook the blood from my face. Sebastian struggled under the bulk of Willa and Blaze. I searched for a vulnerable opening to dive into, but they were both impeccably trained soldiers while I was, at best, a scrappy streetfighter. All instinct, no technique. Damian had made sure Father steered me away from combat classes and into domestic duties, so I’d be sure to lose when this day came.

“I’m fine,” Sebastian grunted, going still. “They won’t disobey her, so just go stop her!”

I hesitated, worrying Blaze might go overboard on the force it took to hold Sebastian in submission, but then Blaze’s gruff voice slipped into my head, “He’s right. Just stop her.”

Hope surged in my broken heart. I shook out my coat and squared my shoulders, turning to face my twin. She stalked me on silent paws, much closer than I thought. Her bloody muzzle wrinkled in a ghoulish snarl the moment our eyes locked. We began to circle.

“How long have you known?” I asked. “That you lead a stolen life?”

“I lead the life I have earned,” Kiana dodged.

“A life I was never given the chance to earn.”

“A life you were much too soft for.” Kiana snorted. “Damian saw it from the start. He simply did us both a favor. You should be grateful. This life would make you miserable.”

“You have made my life miserable,” I growled. “The irony being we wouldn’t be here right now if you’d ever just let me be happy. I might never have found out, and if I had, I might have been grateful because I’ve never wanted an Alpha’s life. I would support you even now if you weren’t clearly suffering from delusions.”

“Then know that I am not and surrender while you can,” Kiana offered. “Give me all that I deserve and never speak of this again, and I will let you run without pursuit. You can go and be human as you’ve always wanted.”

I swallowed the saliva pooling in my jaws. What if I accepted? What if I ran from Sebastian and his claim and this culture that allowed him to make it? I would no longer be a lone wolf. Evan and I could go to Hollywood. He could follow his dreams, and I could figure out mine.

“Just walk away,” Kiana said. “I’ll send you money to start over. Just let me have him.”

My gaze flicked to Sebastian, stretched flat on his belly and staring straight ahead. Could he hear our conversation? Did he know my hesitation? And most importantly, if I gave in to her temptation, what would Kiana do to make him mate with her? There could be no companionable agreement between them. He would be her prisoner, not her partner.

“No,” I said. “He’s not an object we can trade. He’s a person who doesn’t want you.”

Kiana attacked, but I was ready. I knew those words would pull her trigger. I knew how she felt about being second born, the hidden twin no one had looked forward to, the reason Mother died. Every hateful thing she’d ever said about it had been spoken to a mirror.

Our bodies collided with a thunderous clap. We rolled end over end like scuffling puppies, front paws grasping, back paws kicking, fangs ripping out chunks of white fur as we sought each other’s flesh. The bridge lurched, toppling us onto our sides as it began its slow and steady spin back into place. Our muzzles slapped together like swords, each one trying to force the other’s away from their throat. Killing my twin would destroy me, but she was leaving me no choice.

I pictured Charlie in her freezer drawer, stiff and cold, awaiting her final flight home, and my heart hardened like an iceberg. I would never be mistaken for my twin again. I dug my claws into her back and squeezed like a bear until she gasped for air. My jaws plunged into her throat, but the angle was off, and an instant later, her own fangs sank into the side of mine. Blood gushed over my tongue. A bright white light exploded in my eyes.

Birds sang.

I blinked up at a bright blue sky adorned with luxurious white clouds. A golden sun gleamed down on the sea of white flowers that surrounded Kiana and me. The scent of jasmine and honeysuckle thickened the air and tightened my throat with something more than just spring allergies. My eyelids felt heavy, the grass beneath my paws so very, very soft. I wanted to sink beneath the meadow’s white-capped waves and sleep for ages.

“Well,” Kiana said. “I guess we finally did that.”

I looked at the dazzling white wolf beside me. Not a speck of blood on her body. I looked down at my paws and found them just as spotless.

“We’re dead,” I whispered.

“I won,” Kiana claimed. “Just for the record.”

I snorted, disturbing a technicolor butterfly. “How do you figure?”

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