Alpha’s Betrayal
Chapter 12

Remus

Stable, Claw Mansion

Woodward County, Oklahoma

Marnet, you coward!

In the thirty seconds I wasted trying to outmaneuver Seff, the Lupus Claw alpha had slipped between my fingers, disappearing from the fanciful terrace. Thankfully, my old friend hadn't figured me out too quickly-he stormed towards me, but my wolves appeared moments later, before Seff could confront me or spoil my surprise for any of the others in attendance.

The yard exploded into chaos. Wolves appearing. Wolves disappearing. Marnet vanished but my packmates arrived, corralling party guests to prevent any further escapees. The shouting was almost deafening as high-ranking members demanded answers and younger members just tried to figure out what the hell was going on. One moment they had been looking for their future mates, and the next they were being herded like a flock of sheep.

I strode along the perimeter, trying to spot Bane among the chaos. Tala hadn't reemerged since she had escorted my mother somewhere safer. I spotted my beta. "Where did he go?" I barked. Bane tipped his head towards the barn, raising his brow in a silent question. I shook my head. I need you here. I had known Bane almost as long as I had known Seff, and there was no one I trusted more. Bane was the brother I found. Bane and Tala were the only wolves I would trust with such an important task, and since Tala was busy protecting my mother, Bane was the one I could leave on the terrace with the rest of my pack.

He gave a short nod and pointed to a few other members of our pack. I motioned to the delta team leader with two fingers. They fell in line behind me as we moved silently from the terrace, leaving Bane and the other two teams to handle the rest of the partygoers. Unfortunately, the barn was empty - or almost empty. There was a body near the door and I scowled. Jack Colby. He was a younger member of the pack, having been a lone wolf most his life. He had been on alpha team...but clearly wasn't still with the team. He must have pursued Marnet, I thought with a grimace. I could appreciate initiative, but a lone wolf would always struggle to survive. We'll bring him home.

But we had to finish our business here first.

As we prowled further into the stable, I realized that Jack wasn't the only body left in Marnet's wake. The area stunk of fear and blood, making it difficult to pick out any individual's scent, but I was fairly certain the mass of hair and clothing wasn't a Silverstreak wolf. A moment later, I realized where I recognized that hair from. Luna?

My heart thumped as I broke into a jog, brows knitting together as I realized her dress was matted with blood. The strange glint of light was a fvcking chain. She had been bound and tossed aside like a piece of chaff. Despite her earlier display, that bothered me - or maybe it was because she had caught the wrong end of Marnet Claw's bullsh!t alpha-ing, and that was what aggravated me.

I shoved that thought aside to deal with later. I crouched down as I reached the hay pile the woman had been discarded upon. One of her hands was unfolded, as if she was trying to reach for something despite her bondage. I followed the line, tracking it to a beam not more than a few yards away. There was a dark pool of blood, already starting to coagulate. What a brute. I grimaced. Even if Marnet had decided upon death for the woman's actions, what was the point of beating her to a pulp first? That was t*****e for t*****e's sake. I didn't think it was possible, Marnet, but you've sunk even lower.

"Check that beam," I instructed the nearest wolf. Outside of the blood, the hay had been pushed away in a strange pattern. It didn't make sense that the entire barn could stink of wolves of and fear but have only two corpses - or near corpses. I frowned as I looked back at Luna; she was still breathing softly. Her pulse hadn't faded. Maybe Marnet had wanted to kill her, but he hadn't taken the time to finish the job.

"Boss, there's something here." The blond wolf pawed at a plank. He was able to catch a gap in the wood, pulling at the board to reveal an entire trap door. It made me snort, watching the man expose an entire basement. What sort of barn has a basement? Especially around here? Further east, or maybe further north, old barns were built into the sides of hills. You might have something like a basement, or at least subterranean floor. But here? Nah. We had hills, but they were rolling, at best.

I strode over then stood on the precipice of the opening, staring down into the darkness. A cool damp hung in the air. This isn't a damn root cellar, I thought venomously. I was barely able to keep my expression neutral. "Colin," I barked, motioning to one of the men watching the barn door. "Luna is still alive. Take her back to the house, get those fvcking chains off her, and do something about her injuries." The man gave me a startled look, eyes shifting rapidly between me and the young woman still in the hay. "Sir?" he croaked, face already going a little ashen. "I'm no doctor."

I growled. "Then fvcking find one at the party."

Thankfully, Colin sensed he'd asked enough stupid questions. Regardless of what he thought, he knew better than keep stalling. He holstered his pistol and hurried over to Luna, taking only a moment to assess her before scooping her up. The woman didn't even twitch as she was lifted and carried away.

I shook my head. What a fvcking waste.

But there was no time to linger on that. The longer I waited, the further Marnet got. If he got away... No. He isn't getting away. I had planned too meticulously to let that happen.

"Let's go," I found my footing on the haphazard rope-and-wood ladder leading further into the dark. The rest of my packmates fell into line behind me, but I had no patience to wait for all of them to file down the shaking ladder. Lifting my chin, I inhaled deeply. The primary scent was the wet, deep aroma of earth. On a normal day, I loved that smell. There were few things more calming than the land itself. After a particularly challenging day at Silverstreak Motors, the only thing that would settle my nerves was a run across the open land with the dirt and the grass.

But I didn't need relaxation today. I needed answers.

I tipped my head a little further and sniffed again. Beneath the layer of soil was a mosaic of other nuances. My wolf stirred and growled softly, honing in on something seconds before I did. Beneath the mask of earth was that stink of fear. That stench of adrenaline. Several wolves had passed this way, and I could recognize at least two of those individual scents.

Two?

I shook my head. It didn't matter. Among the potent bouquet was Marnet - grassy and heady and so very full of testosterone. It wasn't unusual for an alpha to have stronger pheromones than other members of his pack, but Marnet had always reeked of it. It was too much. Ugly. Overpowering. It had only gotten worse once he'd taken over the Lupus Claw pack. It dripped with overcompensation.

The strangest part of the puzzle was that it smelled...layered. I couldn't tell if Marnet had just passed through, or if he had ducked into this underground passage weeks ago. There were simply too many scents, too many wolves, but I couldn't waste the only lead I had. If Marnet had disappeared through some other path, he was sneakier than I gave him credit for, because this was the only thing I could trace.

My course set, I allowed my wolf to power forward, launching into an all-out gallop down the darkened path. I had no idea where this was going to lead, and I didn't care. It smelled like wolves, it smelled like Marnet, and that was all that mattered. My packmates were scrambling to follow, but I couldn't wait. I could not let my rival get away.

The deeper I plunged into the underground, the more certain I became I was on the right path. The scents mingled and became stronger. My heart thundered almost as loudly as my paws against the dirt floor, claws digging into earth as I propelled myself forward. Even with my ears flat against my head, I could hear voices ahead. As good as it felt to allow my legs to stretch, to run faster than I ever could as a man, I had to restrain myself.

But it wasn't Marnet's voice coming from around the bend, and I needed answers. I rounded a turn and came to a halt only inches away from Sophia and a man I didn't recognize. The woman shrieked, scrambling against the dirt like a three-legged fawn. Even with a quick look, I could see she had twisted, if not broken, an ankle. I didn't have the chance to even think about shifting back to my human form; Sophia's associate lunged forward. Six feet of man became a bulky chestnut wolf. The Lupus Claw wolf snarled as he planted his paws in the dirt, clearing intending to act as a wall between me and his alpha's sister.

Fool.

Adrenaline surged up from my gut, swirling in my chest as the thrill of a fight loomed. I arched my thick tail and the ridge of fur over my spine prickled upwards. The chestnut stranger might have been considered brave, or perhaps even large for a wolf, but he was no alpha.

To his credit, he did not flinch, even as his ears rolled back as he braced for a fight. He had to know this was a fight he was going to lose. I peeled my lips back to reveal the flash of white teeth. My ears flattened as well as my hackles reached their full height. Last chance.

The chestnut wolf bolted towards me, throwing all his weight on his hindquarters like a racehorse exploding out of a starting gate. I waited half a breath, only until he was fully committed to the action. I jumped forward as well, but I dropped my shoulders low. I could take this other wolf, pound for pound, but I didn't have to. An alpha couldn't only be the largest wolf in his pack; his pack would be taken over by the neighboring leader as soon as he had a better idea.

An alpha had to be clever as well as powerful. I slipped beneath the other male as he lunged, unable to alter his trajectory once he'd leapt into the air. My paws barely skipped over the ground before I was spinning, lunging after the chestnut wolf. He braced his landing with his front paws, but that hadn't been his target; he stumbled as his paws hit the ground. I lashed forward and wrapped my jaws around the male's haunch.

He yelped as canines tore through pelt and flesh like knives; the taste of copper hit my tongue, only driving me to clamp down harder. A growl rolled through me as I shook my head, knocking my foe further off balance. He tried to scramble forward, jerking his leg wildly, like prey, no different than a coyote with its leg caught in a bear trap. With one particularly good lurch, he finally wrenched himself free, revealing the open wound.

I stumbled forward, shaking myself out. The chestnut wolf tried to wheel around to catch me, but he only made it one step. He yelped. The damaged limb flopped uselessly like a fish out of water. Despite his pain, he still flashed his snarl and tried to hobble between myself and Sophia. The red haze tinged the very edges of my vision; I could cast my alpha and force him to step aside, but to what end? He was clearly loyal to Sophia - and thus, to Marnet. He had to go.

I charged forward in a single burst, and this time I grabbed the wolf at the base of his jaws. A wolf's fur was thickest there, but I clamped my jaw teeth down like I was a vice. Mechanical. Biology couldn't stop me. The wolf howled and yelped; a claw pushed across my face, scrabbling at my eyes. I refused to let go and gave one sharp shake of my head, snapping his neck. He went silent at once, suddenly becoming a dead weight in my mouth. I released him, dropping the body on the floor before I turned to Sophia, blood flecked over my pelt and red still coloring my view.

Sophia had managed to get to her feet and limped several strides away, but it took only seconds for me to bound after her. I grabbed the edge of her dress between my teeth and snarled. My ears flicked to a forty-five-degree angle as my tail started to curl over my spine again, just daring the alpha's sister to try to run any further. Her shoulders tensed, eyes searching mine for a moment. She looked further down the pathway; she exhaled a long breath. "Fine," she hissed.

I released her clothing and took one step backward, then another. With enough space, my wolf retreated and allowed me to assume my human form again. I reached up, running fingers over my face to swipe away any remaining blood before it dried. Strands of dark hair framed my face, my neat topknot now much more like a messy bun. I turned to eye my captive.

"Where is your brother?" My voice was steady despite the adrenaline rush that always came with shifting.

Sophia stared at me belligerently for a moment before dropping her gaze, looking past me and over my left ear. Good trick, I thought, mouth twitching. Look at the alpha without looking into his eyes. Maybe Sophia had a little more spine than I had given her credit for. Too bad it's too late for tricks.

I clicked my tongue against the back of my teeth. "Don't mistake my mercy for kindness," I rumbled. I grabbed her elbow. "There is no more Lupus Claw pack, Sophia. I am your alpha now."

Marnet's sister defaulted to a struggle for a moment, trying to snatch her arm back to her chest. Her brain seemed to catch up with her body a moment later and I could see the effort it took her to force out a long, even exhale. She looked back up, this time catching my eye. "I thought maybe you were a bit full of yourself, Remus Silverstreak, but now I know you're a damn fool." She set her jaw.

The skin on my nape prickled and my wolf growled, already preparing to push forward and put this whelp in her place. That won't be necessary, I thought, annoying as Sophia was being. We are not anything like Marnet Claw.

"A fool or not, I-"

Sophia interrupted me with a wild swing. She dug her painted nails into the side of my neck and jaw. I snarled and tightened my grip on her other arm, bringing around my free hand to scruff her. I held her tight then shook her roughly, as if I was reprimanding a nipping pup rather than a full-grown woman. The red haze began to creep back into my vision. "Behave," I hissed. "I am not going to ask again."

I did not need to explain to an alpha's sister what happened to a wolf who refused to listen to a request and forced a command instead. She stiffened for a moment before some of the tension began to drain, giving way to exhaustion. To pain. "You made a mistake, Remus," she growled, but made no effort to fight me as I began to drag her back the way we had come. "You made a mistake. Marnet's going to make you pay for this. The Lupus Claw wolves will never be yours."

I huffed, tired of her yammering. I collected several of my wolves on the march back to the stable and the tunnel entrance, some of them having peeled off to check other tunnels. Each wolf reported a dead end, a storeroom, or something to that extent. "Someone take her," I snapped as soon as I pushed her up ladder.

Bane was at the door to the barn now, jaw working. My spine stiffened as I stormed over. "What is it?"

He tipped his head. "We got Slate," he said. "And we got Kate."

Beta, mother, and sister. But...

He hissed between clenched teeth, eyes flickering to my face for a moment. "No sign of Marnet anywhere. This entire place stinks like him, all over the grounds. Can't tell what's old and what's fresh. We can't find him, Remus."

I inhaled slowly, fingers curling into fists. I nodded curtly. "Go find Tala and Fiona." When Bane tilted his head in a silent question, I simply flashed my teeth. Like the priceless beta he was, Bane took my answer at face value and turned, heading pack towards the terrace.

I hung back, not trusting the rage I felt boiling up from my core. I tipped my head back and howled, my war cry ringing through the clear night air, rolling over the fields. I hoped Marnet could hear it.

You can run, but you can't hide, you coward!