Pack Ruin (The Splintered Bond #3)

14. A Waste of a Life

14

A Waste of a Life

brAND

M y little mate didn’t understand why I’d challenged my father. I wasn’t sure I did either. But when my grandmother had explained to Flor the movement of power, and how it was once driven by the moon, something had hummed inside me, like a tuning fork, perfectly on pitch.

This was right. This moment, how it was unfolding, was precisely what was needed to… to what? I wasn’t sure, but it didn’t matter. I was committed now. The fight would begin in only a few minutes.

“Brand! What’s happening?” Voices I’d known my whole life called out to me, concerned. Shifters had run all night, traveling across mountains and crossing rivers to arrive in time. It was obvious some of them didn’t eschew all the modern conveniences like Dad, since I’d heard motors and even a small helicopter that landed only miles away from the Den. The pack was coming, thousands of them, the air humming with anticipation and fear.

I knew why. My father was an exceptional Alpha. He’d shown how to lead a pack with wisdom and care… and how to keep leading, even in the face of devastating loss. I feared our pack would need those lessons even more, if what I’d heard from Glen was true. He’d called his brother Patrick on Dad’s sat phone, who had shared that Northern was preparing for war.

Both Bradley and Margarette were being held in an unknown part of the Mansion at Eastern, and no one—not even Patrick—had been allowed to speak with them. As Dad had told us, they were being formally investigated by the Council. When Patrick had asked which Council members had voted to incarcerate his parents, he’d just been told a majority of the remaining Council members had agreed.

“Dad would never have done that, and neither would Dean,” I’d assured him. Dean, who wore the title of Mountain’s Head Enforcer when necessary, would never go along with the McDonnells, or Torran. “It’s a lie.”

“I know that,” Patrick had snarled. “But McDonnell is a snake. He claimed Eastern and Southern both voted to lock them up. It was two against two, and Aidan as Council Head had final authority.”

Snakes indeed. After Luke had been incapacitated, McDonnell had appointed Torran, his Head Enforcer, to the interim Alpha position at Southern. Though Torran didn’t have the Alpha’s authority, he held the vote for Council purposes.

Even if I won the challenge tonight, I would not have a vote on the Council until I joined it. And to do that meant pledging allegiance to Aidan, putting myself under his power. So the only option to free Bradley and Margarette, and get a fair hearing for Glen and Flor, was war.

War… or perhaps, if we could somehow bring Luke back from the brink of death, he could cast his vote and stop the investigation. Without Southern’s support, Aidan would have to allow a trial. Even though there was no way of knowing if he would follow the law, as a sworn member of the Council, he had to, or he would end up like my father. Dying.

“Brand?” I heard my mate calling out over the massive crowd of pack members who were gathering in the field behind the Den. Of course, she was one of the shortest shifters in the throng, and I couldn’t see her.

My wolf snarled inside, hating that. We should always be able to lay eyes on our wildflower. It helped us to keep her safe.

“Mate?” I roared back. A hush fell over the noisy crowd as she made her way toward me, her bright red hair shining like a beacon. Like a field of grass being blown by wind, the shifters she passed dropped to one knee in a rippling wave, acknowledging her.

Flor’s face was bright red by the time she reached me. “What are they doing?” she hissed, obviously uncomfortable.

“Honoring my mate,” I replied before I picked her up and kissed her thoroughly. “You’re the future Alpha Mate of this pack, my love.”

“I don’t want to be Alpha Mate,” she whispered into my neck as the crowd around us whispered and hummed. “I want your dad to stay alive and in charge. Please don’t do this.”

“He’s in a trap, Flor,” I answered quietly. “The Council is a cage. Maybe it kept our packs safe after the war, but Eastern has grabbed the reins of power now. I have to save him.”

“Save him?” Her amber eyes glinted as she stared into mine. “You have a plan?”

“I have a hope ,” I corrected.

“Fuck. I hate hope,” she grumbled, threading her fingers through the hair on my chest.

I kissed her silky hair and set her down. “How about trust, then? Trust me when I say that if there’s any way out of this, any way to save him, I’ll do it. But I cannot lose this fight. I will not endanger you, my flower.” I stepped back, and Glen joined her, taking her hand. The noise from the crowd grew louder again, with a hard edge.

“Quiet!” My father’s voice thundered over the gathering, and he stepped into the clearing. The moonlight shone down on his dark hair and beard, painting them with silver. Instantly, everyone moved back, creating an open space for the fight. “Mountain, your Alpha has been challenged. I welcome the challenge. I will fight my best, but if I fall… I believe our pack will rise stronger.”

“Is he going to throw the fight?” Flor muttered.

Hearing her, Dad shook his head. “I would never dishonor my son, or my pack, in such a way.” He smiled. “I also would never lie to myself. Brand is the best fighter in any pack. The strongest, with the most to live for. You, my daughter.” Flor muffled a sob. “Tonight, we honor the old ways.”

The pack roared in protest. They knew what that meant.

Dad’s eyes blazed as he stripped off his clothing and stood naked beneath the moon. “Mountain! You are called by your Alpha to witness this challenge, and to honor the moon’s judgment. Do you accept this responsibility?” The gathering darkness was filled with howls of acceptance and grief. “Who challenges for the position of Alpha of the Mountain pack?”

“I do.” I stripped off my own clothing and walked toward my father, looking around at the members of my pack who still kneeled. At Flor, who was clutching Glen’s arm. At my grandparents who had gathered, all of them shifted into wolf form, at the edge of the circle.

Then I met my father’s gaze. He was strong and a viciously capable fighter. But he had taught me everything he knew. As I gazed at him, the corners of his mouth turned up, and all of his love poured out of his dark gaze into my bright one.

He knew.

There was no way out of this fight now. At the end, I would be Alpha.

And an orphan.

The pack quieted, the sounds of breathing, shuffling paws and feet, and the evening wind all that broke the stillness until my father spoke. “Brand Becker, you have challenged for the position of Alpha, so I choose the form. Shift. ”

His command, filled with Alpha power, rolled over me. I shook it off without a thought. “You first.”

The crowd gasped. He’d done that on purpose, I knew. To show our pack that I was worthy. That I had enough power to lead. He’d done it so no one would question me when I led them into war.

Dad began his shift into his enormous, dark sable wolf form, and I dropped to all fours, shifting as well. In one breath, I was a man. In the next, I was howling my challenge to the night sky. Another gasp went up from the crowd, and I knew why. I’d shifted faster than my father, faster than any wolf they’d ever seen. I waited for Dad to finish his change. As soon as he had, he struck, snarling.

I’d fought against him in human and wolf form thousands of times, and we both knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses.Dad was still strong, still used his teeth and claws with equal terrifying efficiency, and I bled within the first few seconds of the fight. He was every bit as fast as he had ever been. He fought hard, making sure the pack saw that he wasn’t handing me his position. I was earning it.

But I had changed, and not just my eyes. Bonding with Flor had given me more strength than I’d had on my own. When the bond between us had deepened, that power had increased even more. Now, I had access to a level of strength I’d never imagined. There was a reserve that I could sense alongside my own power, like a river of energy.

A river that flowed to me though my little mate. Glen, I thought. I had access to Glen’s power, too. I felt him, somehow, in the wide bond that stretched from me to Flor, and was now tethered in his soul as well. Holy shit. He was stronger than I’d realized, and he was offering me his strength freely, pushing it to me, through her. All I needed to do was accept it.

As if that realization had opened the channel wider, I found myself moving faster, avoiding my father’s lunges and attacks without a thought, my teeth finding their way into his fur faster than he could move to protect himself. I bit and held on, dragging sharp teeth through soft flesh, claws through thick fur into the muscles beneath. The scent of blood filled the air, and painted the packed earth where we fought.

I didn’t want to hurt my father, but my wolf knew this was needed, and fought with startling efficiency, aiming sharp teeth at the most vulnerable places, slicing through tendons and muscle with ease. Each movement was precise, each attack measured to bring this fight to an end as soon as possible.

Finally, my father collapsed, his back legs unable to support his weight. I hesitated. He could heal, given time. I hadn’t bitten so deeply that he would bleed out.

My own wounds were superficial, except for one nasty bite in my flank, and a set of claw marks that ran across my muzzle. I snarled low, stepping forward, angrier than I should be. This moment was a travesty. Even my wolf saw it as what it was: a waste of a life, of a strong wolf who had many years left.

A cloud had moved in front of the moon, and at that moment, it cleared, sending a beam of light down to his blood-soaked fur. My father groaned, extending his neck, waiting for the strike. I could feel the moon’s power now, bathing me in possibility. Preparing me for my new place.

Possibility. Grandmother’s words echoed in my mind. Moving that power takes more energy, more of the moon’s blessings than any one wolf can hold.

Possibility. Was it possible that I could change the outcome that had seemed so inevitable? With the strength I had now… perhaps. As I listened to my little mate’s thoughts, the silent mourning that echoed in her mind, even as she stood proud and tall, her expression stoic, I knew I had to try.

Setting my teeth to his throat, I bit down as gently as a mother wolf carrying a pup. I called to her in our bond. Mate.

She answered, stepping into the circle, leaving Glen at the edge. Her feet were bare and human, but her eyes glowed with gold fire as she kneeled at my side. With my teeth still holding my father’s neck, I went still, diving into that place where I had widened the bond. Flor met me there. Her wolf, her red-black fur gleaming, pressed its muzzle to my side.

Can we? I wasn’t sure what I was asking.

It didn’t matter. Her reply was instant. Yes.

Glen’s voice echoed her. Yes.

More than any one wolf can hold, I thought to them both. The moon, and blood, and our intention.

I let go of my father’s neck and turned my bloodstained muzzle to the sky, loosing a deep, long howl. I am Alpha, I called to the moon. I am Alpha!

The pack joined me, though the closest wolves seemed confused. The ones who could see that my father still breathed. Still lived.

I am Alpha! I howled.

Alpha! Alpha! Alpha! the pack repeated.

The moon’s light shimmered, painting us all silver, and I felt a surge of power falling as if from the sky itself, onto me. Crushing me. I was driven to my belly, my head bursting with light, with energy. Too much.

I felt Glen reach for some of the power, some of the weight. Then Flor rested her hand on my neck. She cursed and fell to her knees. “Shitfucking son of a bitch! Ah! ”

Someone gasped. Someone laughed. I shivered with apprehension. I could smell her blood on the night air and knew she was being crushed alongside me.

My father growled, snapping at my muzzle. Demanding. I knew, if I killed him, the power would flow smoothly into me. He’d told me how it felt, when he became Alpha. “The power will flow to you naturally, once I’m gone,” he’d whispered that morning. “The moon will guide it to you.”

But that wasn’t happening. With my father still alive, there were two branches the shining river of the pack’s power could follow. Two pulls, two competing tides. Perhaps if I was trying to encompass a smaller pack, one with weaker members—Southern, for instance—it would have worked. Or if the other Alpha was far weaker than my dad, or had held the pack for less time.

I’d been a fool, to think that I could stretch wide enough to fit my pack’s bonds inside my own spirit. I was born to be Alpha someday, but reckless to think I could do it on my own, pull the bonds of six thousand souls to mine, with only a new mate bond giving me added strength. Even if that mate was a wonder. Even if she brought the power of the Northern Heir along with her.

Flor was still being drained by Luke. It was a slow dripping of power away from her, but present. Finn’s betrayal had wounded her even deeper, and her wolf’s heart had been weakened. Glen was strong, but cut off from his own pack.

It wasn’t working. We were all dying, would all die together: Flor and Glen, Luke and Finn. I tried to hold the pack, to wrap the power that flooded me in bands made of my willpower alone. They burned away like cobwebs.

I felt something hemorrhage in my brain. Heard Flor cry out. Dad growled again and stretched his neck long, his expression panicked. I could almost read his thoughts: There is no other way. Don’t make me lose my son. A tear fell from his bloody eye.

I set my teeth back to his neck, praying for the Moon Goddess to help. But it wasn’t the moon that saved us. Another invisible presence, a dark, sly energy slid through the bond.

My father’s head slumped as he fell to the ground. And the pack fell into my soul.