Twenty Six year old Blake Hunter is the Alpha of the largest pack in the region. Finding his mate is the last thing on his mind.
But, in the midst of dealing with uninvited relations, aspiring future Lunas and increasing rogue attacks on his easter...
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“I'll kill him.” Marcus snarled when Blake finished filling his lieutenants in. Pulling them to one side of the clearing, It had taken no more than a few minutes to bring them both up to speed on recent events and the two lieutenants had reacted much as Blake had expected them to.
Marcus whirled around, scenting the air, his chest heaving as he fought to control the anger surging through him. Sighting the nearest trail leading towards Sweet William, he braced himself to shift.
“Stop!” Blake's shout snapped like a whip, jerking the Beta back. “He answers to me and me alone.”
Fierce and pale, Marcus wheeled to face his Alpha with accusing eyes, his voice cracked and broken. “I trusted him. You trusted him. Wolves are dead because of him. Good wolves, loyal wolves – ” He didn't need to continue. All three knew the Beta had almost counted himself among them.
Alex was shaking his head in disbelief, staring at one of the photos as though he could somehow change what he was seeing. “It can't be,” he muttered for the third time. “Simon? He's a peacekeeper for Goddess sake, a diplomat! He always argues against violence.”
“Apparently there's such a thing as too much diplomacy,” Blake pointed out, jabbing at the picture. His eyes remained locked on Marcus's struggling form, silently begging his friend not to force him to use his Alpha's dominance against him.
“It can't be,” Alex muttered again.
The sting of Simon's betrayal bit deeper than any frozen shard of ice and Blake's wolf joined with the others, snarling his hatred from the depths of his soul. His own anger was so intense that, when he clenched his fists together in a last-ditch effort to maintain his control, the tips of his half-extended claws drew blood.
For the first time in his life, he was forced to draw on every ounce of calm he had inside him to maintain the control for which he was known. The need for revenge was both deep and personal; for their wolves it overrode all other things, including the natural hierarchy of the pack, and Marcus in particular, was struggling.
“You can't judge this,” Blake told him softly. “You're too close to it.”
“I know,” Marcus growled, his tone as dark as his eyes, Akoni stalking just below the surface. It took a supreme effort to calm down and focus his mind on the trial ahead. “There must be three witnesses,” he reminded his Alpha, his voice stiff and unnatural as he fought for control.
“Find them,” Blake ordered his Beta, feeling his need for distraction. “A warrior, a wolf of high rank and an Eta.” The Elders had laid out the laws carefully to ensure fair judgment on any wolf accused of a crime.
“We didn't bring any Etas,” Alex growled, his eyes finally lifting from the photograph.
“An Omega then. Just make sure none of them have any affiliation to the prisoner, nor any incentive in their bias towards me.”
