Moving Forward

Gloating (44)

It wasn't just Max's family here. There were other werewolves from the River pack, and more he didn't recognise, faces and scents he'd never memorised. But how were Lara and Gillespie here?

"Finally made it huh?" Lara sneered.

Max met her eyes, so filled with malice that he almost had to take a step back. Instead, he strode further into the room, placing himself between his family and the pair of psychos on the dais.

"How long—" Max cut off the question with a sharp snarl, focusing on Lara's brother. "I thought I killed you already."

Gillespie's mouth twisted in smug pity. "Magic is a wonderful tool, don't you think?"

How was Max supposed to answer that? Smile and agree and pretend like this wasn't the bastard who killed Kyle?

Glancing between him and Lara, there was a marked difference in their manner. Lara wasn't happy, the frown creasing her brows, the darkness in her eyes - all the hate aimed directly at Max.

Glee lit Gillespie's face. He was like a child in a sweet shop. Everything was within reach for him now.

And Max latched onto the word 'finally'. They'd been expecting him. For fuck's sake - they'd been waiting for him, knowing he would go through that hell and end up here and-

Lara.

"You were never insane, were you?" Max asked, though he didn't really need to.

She shrugged. "It was kinda stupid of you ta believe that a little grief would send me over the edge."

Gillespie smirked. "Did you enjoy the journey? I had Lara tailor it to create as much discomfort for you in the time we had available." He sat himself down on the edge of the dais. "This world, you see, is Lara's dimension. A little pocket of an alternate universe that only Lara can give access to, and we needed a little time to set up before we could let you in this specific part."

"All of that... was a distraction?" Max wanted to ask how. Wanted to know what the point of tormenting him even more was, why they felt that giving Mad a glimpse of his dead boyfriend was a good idea. But knowing what he did of Gillespie, it was only to throw Max through a loop and so far - to Max's chagrin - it had worked.

"Why? What is all this for? You killed Kyle already, took the Alpha position."

"This? This is would all have been redundant if that plan had worked," Gillespie waved a hand, as if trying to dismiss the failure. "I've got to say, plan B's are always good to have."

Behind Gillespie, Lara started moving, muttering words under her breath and drawing something on the stage in chalk. The noise grated against Max's teeth.

"You killed Kyle for a plan that didn't even work?" Max growled, taking a step forward.

Gillespie held out a hand. "Now now, the only reason it didn't work is because Kyle isn't Alpha, now is he? Carter is, but I have no use for that now. I can be more powerful than Alpha."

A monologue? Was Gillespie seriously monologuing? While he was chatting shit Max could -

Unlike last time, Max found his limbs actually immobilised. At some point, Lara has cast her nuisance of a spell and it had worked. The same spell that kept Finn or Kyle from fighting against them.

Frustration coiled in Max's gut, bubbling as a growl in his chest.

"Yes, isn't my sister clever?" Gillespie grinned. "She knows I love a good show and tell."

"It's more like showing-off, but whatever," Lara called from behind him.

"Anyway," Gillespie waved that off, too, "the basic gist of the new plan is that I kill both you and Kyle in a ritual sacrifice and the power of the bond will reside in me, giving me more power than even becoming Alpha would." He grinned, excitement practically steaming off him. "This wouldn't just be the power to preside over a strong pack - this is the power of the mate bond."

"Kill both Kyle and myself?" Max frowned, trying to get his limbs moving. "Kyle's dead!"

"Oh..." Gillespie hopped off the stage to put his face only centimetres from Max's. "Not quite."

Not... not quite. Not quite dead. Meaning Kyle wasn't in a good state, but he wasn't dead. Max knew he shouldn't hope. Gillespie could be lying or misleading Max into believing that Kyle could be saved.

But Max had also believed that he'd killed Gillespie. That Lara had gone insane. That he wasn't useful to Gillespie or Lara so coming down here instead of Carter was the better idea.

But as he watched, Lara pulled a stretched from behind the chairs on the stage. On it was the form of a man.

It was Kyle. Definitely Kyle. He was pale, and covered in blood, and still unconscious, but as Max watched, the chest rose with a gentle inhalation.

Quickly seeing he was at a disadvantage, Max switched tracks. "So you have us. All the ingredients for your little spell." If Max could move, he would've gestured to the others in the room, waiting with blank stares. Instead, he huffed at his inability to do so. "Let them go. You don't need them."

"Now you're just guessing." Gillespie sighed, and grabbed Max to fireman carry him onto the stage. "We do need them. Well, their blood in any case."

The words Lara chanted were no longer quiet murmurs, but commandments. She spoke loud and clear, with a force that Max had only experienced when she was his friend. Hurricane Lara. Here, however, she wasn't just being pushy. She was out to destroy Max's world and put Gillespie in power.

Once Gillespie had dumped him on the stage, Max realised he wasn't the only new addition to the cast of this psychotic play. He was followed up here by those who'd been staring into space only moments ago.

Above Max, Blake held his chin up with blank expression, Andy next to him, Amelia swaying rhythmically on the other side of him. They all encircled Max, locking him inside the ring with Kyle, Lara, and Gillespie.

Continuing to chant, Lara produced a knife, gently took Andy's hand, and slit her wrist.