Love Bites (Crescent City Werewolves: The Short Stories)

Tides of Silver and Blood (Part 5 of 6)

"Why, Etheridge?" demanded Inspector Alec Mulgrew, pacing the small length of the cell. "Why the hell did you do this?"

Beneath the anger in the other wolf's words, Etheridge also heard a note of despair. They had been close, friends even, working together for years to solve crimes within the pack. Theft, murders—treason.

When Etheridge remained silent, the other inspector sighed. "Don't make me order a round of torture to encourage your confession. Please."

Etheridge tried to keep his breathing steady while listening to the faint roar of waves. Even this far below the castle, the power of the ocean could be felt, shaking the very bedrock. The rhythm gave him something to follow, something to concentrate on while trying to explain things he barely understood himself. "I couldn't follow orders anymore. Not when they involved innocent pack members."

The other wolf scoffed. "That can't be what took away your loyalty. She's our queen. She led us through wars with other packs. She's kept us whole and firm through the assassination attempt that took our king-consort and our pack heir. We wouldn't survive without her leadership."

"Some of us aren't surviving as it is. Twenty-one she-wolves lost to her vanity."

Alec shook his head. "You knew this had been going on for a year. What made this last victim so special? Or was it the sea-wolf who found her?"

Something must have changed in his expression, because Alec then studied him more intently. "The sea-wolf. So much for Burke's theory that another pack had bought you off to weaken the queen's rule. The sea-wolves are wild, uncaring of crowns and lands. The only plans they make are how to catch their fish. How could this one drive all reason from your head?"

For the first time, Etheridge looked up at Alec. As their gazes matched, he said, "The answer is simple, but I don't think you'll believe me. I decided to protect her instead of our queen. That's all."

Despite their vastly different states—Alec wearing a pristine uniform complete with badge and Etheridge bloody and chained—the other wolf remained openly distraught, running his fingers through his hair until the blonde strands were disheveled. "Do you regret it?"

"No."

"For God's sake, don't admit that to anyone else. There's no way to change your sentence, but... it's possible the queen may accept that the silver poisoning affected your mind. That madness drove your decision. In that case, you'll be killed before being skinned."

"Don't risk her wrath for me. The queen has never been merciful."

Alec couldn't disagree. "How could you do this? No one who knows you can believe this was an act of free will. The queen herself has ordered half of the enchanters to search for any hint of mind control magic that may have infiltrated the pack."

A short silence followed before Etheridge found himself searching for an answer that would be understood. The words were honest and thoughtless, perhaps a result of realizing he'd never speak to the other wolf again. "You might be given my position as the chief royal inspector. Life at court is as glamorous as it sounds, yet I found myself as distant from the queen as when I was an orphan brought into the pack. Despite rising from the lowest position to one of the highest, I've never seen her face clearly. She's always been a distant figure. I followed her orders with all my trust. I learned to recognize and react to her whims when she held council with all the advisors. I never questioned anything.

"Then came the attack at court that left so many of us wounded. We were hidden out of sight, expected to rot away in an agonizing death. It gave me enough time to realize everything I felt about the queen was delusion. I offered a remote creature all my loyalty with no thought for what she did, and others suffered badly for it."