Page 336 of Alpha Mates

“Julian!” he cries, but I ignore it.

I hold his gaze as my claw cuts his nail bed open, making him scream so loudly my ears ring.

“The punishment for betrayal,” I say, voice quiet, “is never-ending cuts from each pack member until you stop healing and bleed out.” I redirect the claw to his cheek. “The pack isn’t here, so as alpha, I’ll have to do it myself.”

Oliver screams into the air, but before I can take more from him, strong hands grip my shoulders and drag me back. Wide black eyes meet mine, and Aiden’s there.

The anger vanishes, gone as though it was never there at all, leaving only the hurt and misery behind. I part my lips, but all that comes out are soft breaths and the beginning of a sob I can’t let out.

I clamp my mouth shut, and Aiden nods quickly.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay,” he promises as he stares at me. “It’s almost over, just a little longer. A little longer, Jewels.”

“Jewels?” Oliver coughs from behind him. “You used to hate that name. Fuck, this is weird.”

Aiden turns, giving me a fresh view of my fading brother, who still manages to smile even as blood pours from his lips. I can already smell death on him.

“Hello, Oliver,” Aiden says, so softly it’s almost remorseful.

“I take it they’re all dead then,” Oliver mumbles. He sighs when Aiden nods. “That’s a shame.”

Revulsion makes me look away as I grip Aiden’s hand tightly. “Let’s just kill him and go home.”

“It’s not over yet,” Aiden says, and my brows knit together as I watch him advance towards Oliver. “We didn’t get all of you, did we? My old pal Reon’s nowhere to be found—and I checked the bodies this time.”

My frown deepens and I glance at Oliver with sharper eyes. He’s not so smiley anymore, and even though it should be doing the opposite, his heart races.

“Some escaped,” I say, stepping forward too. “Where are they?”

Oliver’s lips stay sealed.

I catch a twitch in his split finger before his remaining claws extend, but Aiden darts forward first, catching his wrist before he can tear out his own throat.

“Oh, no no no,” Aiden sings, peering at him with his own twisted smile. “You’ll meet our maker, but not so soon,” he promises, almost cooing. “One way or another, you’re going to tell us where he is, Oliver. I’ve got a decade of pure hatred backing me up here.”

“We will find them,” I echo, glaring down at him. “It’s only a matter of time.” Still. Nothing. “You said you didn’t know what they did to Aiden. But you know now, and they have to pay. He was fucking seven, Oliver.”

Oliver looks away, a trace of shame twinging behind his eyes. Subtle—but there.

I lean closer, moving into his line of sight, making myself the only thing he can see.

“Where are they, Oli?” I say, forcing myself to speak the name even as it breaks on my tongue. It breaks him, too.

“Only Reon,” he grits out. Aiden’s lips part, but I hold up a hand. “Only kill Reon. The others with him just wanted to live.”

I nod quickly. “We won’t hurt the others.”

It’s a promise I make, but don’t mean. Oliver doesn’t see that, though. He should.

“Reon was supposed to be here too,” he says carefully. The words come slowly, like he hates to speak them out loud. “But he said he got a bad feeling, so he took the last of us with him last night.”

“Of course he did,” Aiden grumbles under his breath.

“They headed further north. They wouldn’t have gotten far,” Oliver finishes around another wheeze.

“Great,” Aiden mocks, letting go of Oliver’s wrist so it falls limp. “Now we can kill him.”

He straightens at my side, ready to get this over with so that he can hunt down his own villain, but my eyes remain fixed on Oliver’s. He doesn’t avoid my gaze. In fact, he stares right into it.