It was Carter.
And he said, “No.”
Whatever spell had been cast over Robert Livingstone broke. He sucked in a sharp breath, and he narrowed his eyes as he looked at Carter. Carter, who stepped forward next to the timber wolf, Carter, who had a fiery look on his face, eyes shining violet, teeth bared, claws out. Carter, who looked as if he were ready to eviscerate the man on the screen if only given the chance.
Carter Bennett said no again, in such a deadly growl that I shivered. Carter was easygoing, aloof, cocky, and quick to smile. He loved his pack, and in the weeks since I’d come back, I had never seen him like he was now. Rage rolled off him in palpable waves, and though I was cut off from the bonds that stretched between him and the rest of the pack, even I could feel it. It wasn’t unlike what I’d felt from his mother, a great fire that threatened to burn everything down until nothing but charred bones remained.
He put a hand on the wolf’s back, fingers curling into its hair, holding on tight. He glared at the screen.
I saw the moment Gordo realized what it meant. He paled, looking between the two of them, an expression of utter disbelief tinged with awe on his face.
“You can’t have him,” Carter said, and his voice was quaking. “I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, but I will never let you touch him. Not while I’m still standing. You want him? You have to go through me.”
The wolf growled from deep in his throat and snapped at Carter, teeth missing him by inches. It was meant to be a warning, but Carter wasn’t having it. “Oh, fuck you, man. You’re in so much shit, you don’t even know. And you can bet I’m going to deal with you later, you dick.” He looked back at the screen. “He doesn’t belong to you. He never has. He has a pack. He has a place. It’s here. With us.” His hand tightened in the wolf’s hair. “With me. And if you think you will ever take him away from us, then you’re out of your goddamned mind. I am done with this. With you. You’re no different than Richard Collins or Elijah. Than any other motherfucker who thinks they can come for us. You’re going to regret ever crossing the Bennetts. And I’m going to make sure of it. You want a war? Guess what, asshole. You’ve got one.”
Livingstone sat back in his chair, closing his eyes as he tilted his head toward the ceiling. He took in a deep breath and let it out slow. He opened his eyes again. The mask was gone. All that remained was barely contained fury. “Do you speak for your pack?”
“He does,” Ox said. He stepped forward on the wolf’s other side, putting his hand on top of Carter’s. The wolf hung his head, lips pulled back over his teeth. His nostrils were flaring, and his tail curled underneath his back legs. “But in case that’s not good enough for you, then hear me. I am the Alpha of the Omegas. I am one of the Alphas of the Bennett pack. And you can’t have Robbie. You can’t have this wolf. They’re mine.”
Livingstone nodded slowly. “I want you to remember this moment, Alpha. Everything that will follow, everything that comes to pass, all of it could have been avoided had you just given me what I wanted. The blood of your pack will be on you and no one else. You’ve played your hand too early.”
Ox Matheson said, “I’m going to kill you.”
And Livingstone replied, “You will try. Come, then. Bring your war. Let us end this, once and for all.”
The screen went dark.
No one moved.
We jumped when the door to the office flew open, Chris and Tanner barging in. They came to a stop, looking around wildly at all of us. “What happened?” Chris demanded. “What did we miss?”
we survived/never again
Shannon Wells burned.
Elizabeth insisted on it. We brought the wood ourselves, building a pyre on the other side of the clearing. Kelly told me quietly it was on the opposite end from where they’d said goodbye to Thomas Bennett, that the ground there was sacred to them and they wouldn’t ever build another fire in that spot.
I could only nod.
Gordo was doing as Gordo did and ignoring everyone and everything, including Mark. I could see the frustration on Mark’s face as he tried to talk to the witch but didn’t get a response. Mark shook his head at me when I tried to approach them, waving me off.
As for Carter… well. The roles seemed to have reversed. Wherever the wolf went, Carter followed, as if he thought the wolf was going to take off the moment he looked away. He muttered unintelligibly under his breath. It sounded vaguely like ominous threats, but I couldn’t quite make them out. Kelly stood near them, wringing his hands like he wanted to reach out for comfort but hadn’t quite worked up the courage. My heart ached for him. For both of them.
“This is so fucked-up,” Rico grunted as he carried an armful of wood. “Just when I think I’m starting to get my feet on solid ground again, there’s a fucking secret brother. I swear to god, witches and wolves are the most dramatic bitches I’ve ever known in my life. Like for once can we just have a normal day without stupid shit happening?”
We were outside of the clearing. Chris and Tanner were off to our left, gathering more wood for the pyre. Elizabeth said it didn’t need to be large, but it needed to be enough. I understood what she meant, and she’d nodded gratefully at me before disappearing with Jessie back up the stairs to ready Shannon for her final journey.
“You guys had no idea?” I asked. Then, “We had no idea?”
Rico snorted. “Nice save, lobito. And no. We didn’t know shit. How could we?” He frowned. “Though I suppose there were little signs, but we didn’t know what we were looking at. The damn wolf came with Elijah. When they first attacked us, there was a moment when the wolf caught Gordo’s scent, and I swear it hesitated, but I always thought I was seeing things. Then there was gunfire and explosions and it just slipped my mind. And after, it was all about him and Carter and how Carter’s a fucking moron who can’t see what’s right in front of him.”
“He’s figuring it out,” I muttered.
Rico sighed. “I know. And it couldn’t be coming at a worse time. What happens if….” He looked distant as he stared off into the woods. Eventually he shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. We survived the beast and the hunters.” He paused, considering. “We survived you. W
e’ll survive this too.”
“Gee, thanks, Rico.”