“And Carter?” Dale asked.
“He would do the same,” Mark said over the protests of his Alphas. “I know he would. As long as you can promise me right here and now that no one else will get hurt. That the hunters will leave Green Creek and never return.”
Dale nodded slowly. “That sounds reasonable.” And before I could figure out how to punch his teeth down his throat, he continued. “The problem with that, though, is that we don’t know who else in your pack is infected.”
“There’s no one,” Mark said. “There’s no one else.”
“Yes,” Dale said, not unkindly. “So you say. But how can you prove it? For all we know, your entire pack is infected. All the wolves. Can we really take that chance?”
It hit me then. I should have seen it before. But I’d forgotten. “He’s lying.”
He looked startled. “Lying about what?”
I looked to my Alphas. “Mark went to Dale. Right after we spoke with Michelle. He went the next morning. He said he was going to end things with him.”
“Mark?” Ox asked.
Mark turned his head slowly to look at me. “Yeah. I did. It was…. He said he was—that he understood. It was easier than I thought it would be.”
“And if he wanted to,” I said, thoughts spinning furiously, “if Michelle actually gave a shit about feral wolves, Dale could have killed him right then and there. But he didn’t. It’s not about the infection. It’s not about Mark and Carter. It’s about the entire pack.” I turned back to Dale. “Michelle Hughes is using the infection as an excuse. To take us out. All of us. She knew. Before. About Pappas. Even though Pappas didn’t think she did. She knew. And she sent him here anyway, knowing what could happen.”
Dale didn’t speak. He just stared at me.
“Dale?” the woman asked, sounding unsure. “What’s he talking about?”
“It’s never been about the infection,” I said, staring right back at Dale. “She doesn’t want the Bennett pack. She doesn’t want Joe. She wants the territory. She wants Green Creek. She sent the hunters here to wipe us all out. Everything else was just ancillary. How did she do it? Did she find my father? Did she make him do this?”
Dale laughed. “Oh, Gordo. No matter how far you run, no matter how you try and hide, you will always have the shadow of being a Livingstone covering every inch of your skin. It’s something you will never escape. No. No, she has nothing to do with Robert Livingstone. And nor do I, before you ask. He is… we don’t know where he is. For all we know, he’s dead.”
“But the rest?” Joe asked, eyes red.
Dale didn’t cower. “The rest is as it is. You run to this place. You always have. Green Creek was a refuge for the Bennetts long before any of you were even a thought. Alpha Hughes understands this. And since you cannot seem to accept your place in this world, she will take it from you.”
The woman said, “This was never part of—”
Dale didn’t even turn to look at her when he said, “Another word and you will end up in there with them. Understood?”
The witches didn’t speak.
“She wrestled with this,” he said, having the audacity to sound apologetic. “It hurt her. It caused her great pain. Especially… especially about Pappas. He was her second. She cares for him. But she knew that in order to protect all wolves, a choice had to be made. And in the end, she was strong enough to make that choice. She is the Alpha of all. Yes, she has underestimated you in the past. She won’t do that again. The hunters are the final solution.”
“Because we’ll take each other out,” I said slowly, the last piece falling into place. “And Green Creek will be left open for the taking.”
“You’re smarter than most give you credit for,” Dale said, and I couldn’t believe Mark fell for his shit. “This place is different. Alpha Matheson can attest to that. Whatever magic is in the earth led to him becoming a human Alpha out of necessity. There was no Alpha here, and the territory needed one. You were here, Gordo, as a gatekeeper, but even you left eventually. There was a pack, but no one to lead them. And so Ox became what was needed.” He shook his head. “I can’t even begin to imagine the power in this place. And I can’t wait to find out just how deep it goes.”
The wolves stepped forward until we stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the witches, in front of Dale. He didn’t back down, not like those behind him, who stepped back. I heard the fury in my head, the songs of the wolves who wanted to sink their teeth into the flesh of those before us. Through the threads, the rest of the pack was howling their anger.
“Michelle played her hand too soon,” Ox said, voice low and strong. “You want a war? You’ve got one. Because once we’re done with the hunters, we’ll come for you. And as my witch said, there is nowhere you can run that we won’t find you.”
And he turned and walked away, heading toward the trees.
Joe spat on the ground in front of the witches before he followed his mate. I heard the sounds of them shifting behind me before Ox howled, the sound shattering the still air around us.
Even Dale flinched at the sound.
“You done fucked up,” I said, smiling tightly. “Maybe I’m just a small-town hick who works in a garage. But I’ve got a long memory, and I will remember each of your faces. You would do well to start running now. Because the last time someone came for our pack, he ended up getting his head torn off. And you can sure as shit bet that’ll be the very least I do to you.”
I turned and followed my Alphas.