Page 56 of Pack Deception: Part Two

“Get on the ground,” one of the men growls, stepping forward and jerking his gun to the floor to impress upon his point.

As I drop to my knees, I glare past the agents to the bedroom where Summer and Connor are. There’s a tall, bulky male with his gun lifted as he peers through his scope and growls, “Let her go and get on the ground.”

Connor’s voice carries through the house, a tremor in it. A coward through to the end. “Back up or I’ll break her neck!”

“Let go of her. It’s too late for you at this point, but at least you’ll get out before you’re old and decrepit. You can still have a life. You kill her, and you’ll never see the outside of a cell.”

“I sw-swear. I’ll do it!” He sounds unsure. Wavering.

“You have three seconds. She’s turning purple. Get your fucking hands off her and get. On. the. Ground,” the alpha barks at him; I feel a small tug in my core. Not enough to affect me–or any alpha with even a small amount of willpower–but enough to feel the pull in his command.

“Get back!”

“One, two, –”

BANG.

The shot rings out, and no more sound comes from in the room. Connor is dead. I know it without even having to see the body.

“Clear,” the alpha says, and I hear the click of the safety on his gun before he swings it around on the strap so it’s behind his back. He disappears into the room for a minute before emerging with Summer cradled in his arms.

Her head is still lolled to the side, eyes open but staring at nothing with no idea the shitshow unfolding around her.

At least they won’t get her either,I think to myself, and that thought brings me some modicum of peace as my own hands are cuffed behind my back, and Brody and I are escorted out the front door.

Night has fallen, so it’s hard to see anything in the dark while being blinded by flashing blue and red lights. But amongst all the chatter from nosy neighbors and OPS agents, comes an all too familiar voice.

“Summer!” I jerk a little in my cuffs. The idea of abetaI rejected seeing me in a compromising position–seeing me so fuckingweak–has my hackles rising. But the OPS agent’s grip on me is solid. Unyielding.

The big oaf stops us right behind whereMasonis currently fussing over Summer’s limp body. “We need to get her to a doctor,” the big alpha who shot Connor says to the beta, who nods.

“Let’s get her home. We have an on-call doctor. She’ll know what to do.” He sounds so sure, so fucking hopeful, that I laugh.

“Not likely.” My voice sounds smug even to my own ears. She’s fuckinggone.Nothing this ‘doctor’ does is going to change that. Mason’s back goes rigid when he hears my voice.

That’s right. You know exactly who I am.

His eyes slide over to mine slowly. So damn slowly before they lock on mine. The hatred burning in them surprises me a little, but I don’t let it show. I’d thought he’d look shocked, maybe a little scared. Not this…superior kind of anger. Like the little weasel thinks he’sbetter than me.“What did you do to her?” His voice is soft, but not weak. I grin at him and shrug as best I can in the cuffs.

“Nothing that she didn’t deserve.”Maybe she shouldn’t have left me.Disrespectedme.

Even in the dark, his body is illuminated by the lights enough that I see his body physically shake with suppressed rage.

Good.

“Take them off,” he whispers.

The agent holding me responds. “What?”

“Her cuffs. Take them off.” I frown at him. What’s he playing at? Surely he doesn’t think I’m going to be let go.

“I don’t think–”

“Now,”he growls, so deep and guttural, I think it shocks the agent into doing as he says. Cool air hits my wrists, and I bring them around to rub the spot where the metal bit against my skin. As I do, I’m too distracted to stop the blow.

Mason cocks his arm back and swings for my face. There’s so much force behind it, my body hits the ground a second before the pain in my cheek registers. The growl that rips from me is automatic as my hand comes up to prod at the split, tender skin near my eye.

He’s fuckingdead.

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