Prophesy 2: The Bringer of Wrath (The King & Alpha 2)

Everything! Alek yelled. He’s not only our mate. He’s a man with his own mind. A commander with a dedicated following, and you made him feel like he was a damn pup. I wouldn’t be surprised if he stayed in London and never came back to us.

Hours upon hours Wrath wailed and thrashed about as hard as he could in the tiny space. He hated everything! He hated the world! He hated his being! Deep down, he’d wanted Belleron to touch his wounded, aching soul. But more than anything, he wanted them to connect, the three of them, and show the pack, the entire world, what they were capable of. Then he hated himself for wanting that!

But now, no one would ever know. And Wrath’s name would forever be associated with hatred. He turned his dark muzzle up and howled as hard as he could, from the depths of his diaphragm. He’d never be a wolf again. The thought devastated him that he’d screwed it up so much. Wrath fired off.

“Alek where are you?” Wrath heard yelled from far away. “Answer me, brother!”

No! Mac, don’t come here! Alek hollered uselessly. There was no way Mac could hear him, even if he was right in front of him. Alek rose from his dark corner so fast that it yanked Wrath to the side, making him stumble on his front legs. Alek barreled to the surface with a vigor Wrath hadn’t seen in him before. He was quite strong… but Wrath was far stronger. He locked Alek down, scowling at his struggle to get free.

Good. A Volkov to take my anger out on, Wrath fumed. Vengeance is all mine.

Nooooo! Gods no. Don’t hurt him, Wrath, I beg you. I’ll do anything you want me to do. Anything! I’ll stay away forever if you spare him. His wolf can do great things. Please! Please! Alek begged so hard for his little brother’s life that it affected Wolf to the point where he bolted over and without effort, instinctively linked with Alek’s mind.

Wrath went still the second he felt it. They were two-thirds complete at that moment, and he felt it within every fiber of his makeup—Wolf’s strength and Alek’s compassion. When he absorbed it, there was less darkness, less rage. The realization was startling. Wrath was still pissed, but perhaps not to the point of burning someone alive. He couldn’t help wondering how it would be if he joined them again. He barely remembered what it felt like anymore, it had been so long ago. If he tried to connect he was sure he’d find himself locked out, and he wasn’t about to deal with that kind of rejection. Instead, he paused to hear what they had to say.

Alek and Wolf spoke as one voice. If you kill him. You kill us all. Is that what you really want? Wrath, we don’t believe you are that evil. The prophesy needs them all. If you kill Macauley, there’s no going back from that. No apologizing. No fixing anything. The sound of that gruff, deep bass was like the sound of drilling in his head.

Wrath hmphed. Damn the prophesy. It was all over anyway, as far as he was concerned. There’d be no resurrecting them, saving them. Their mate had held the key. Now Bell was walking straight into the hands of the reaper. And his so-called brothers had stood by and allowed it. Why should any more lives be spared?

You don’t touch my brother and we’ll make a deal with you.

Wrath began to drop some of his shields to allow Alek’s brother closer. Otherwise, the heat would be too much for him to take. I’m listening.

Let him go. And when you allow me back to the surface, I’ll let you out whenever you ask, as long as you vow not to kill or hurt an innocent. That goes for human all the way to a cockroach. You can’t harm a single thing if it’s not a direct threat to us. Deal?

That didn’t seem fair or reasonable. Sometimes it was required to hurt and punish, right? Wrath growled and paced around the small space. He concentrated on lowering his anger and holding back the flames. He thought long and hard until he was interrupted.

“Alek, where are you?” Mac beat on the ground above them. His wolf was making a lot of noise that Wrath allowed to filter through to Alek and Wolf. Then the heavy door was yanked open and Mac was knocked off his feet from the force of heat that rose up and smacked him in his face. He shifted to his wolf for protection.

The heat was no doubt stifling and it would probably take some time before the big white and gray wolf would be able to come down. Wrath could feel Alek’s desperation to communicate with his brother, but Wrath hadn’t decided if he was going to accept their proposition. He was tired of everyone levying these constraints and rules on him. Didn’t they recognize who he was?