Page 39 of Bane of Hate and Silver (Primordial Inheritance #1)

She typed, be careful , and then ran out into the rain to see the one person that could make this fight with Gabriel completely worth it. Worried all over again, but this time not for herself.

Carson lay awake in his empty bed as the rain pelted the tin roof over his head.

Demetria was up and gone already, presumably job hunting.

Carson had told her she didn’t need to work outside the pack, she was his to care for now.

But, for some reason she’d insisted, regardless of every thrust he’d slammed inside of her.

After the news he’d received, he’d desperately needed to let out some frustration so he could think.

He was starting to wonder how he’d done anything without access to Demetria’s voluptuous body.

She took him better than any bitch ever had. His mind cleared after every fuck.

With that comforting thought he refocused on the problem at hand.

He had the proof he needed to rid himself of this Beta once and for all.

This thought should have put his mind at ease and yet he was starting to doubt his hold over the pack.

First Kyle, the boy he’d practically raised from a pup, and now Luca, whom he’d taken in during the darkest of times.

Both should have been irrevocably loyal to him, and yet both had done unforgivable things.

Granted, even taking the Reynolds girl from him paled in comparison to consorting with the enemy. Luca had to pay.

By all rights, there should be a pack wide trial.

However, sentencing would come down to him, regardless.

His sentence for Luca’s actions was death.

This thought roused Carson and he stood.

Now, thinking of who to instruct to carry out the sentencing.

Max was loyal and crazy enough; however, he had nowhere near the concentration to carry out the deed.

The tracker had the brains, but not the brawn.

He would not sully his rightful Beta, Ben, with the task.

There was only one logical choice. All brawn and no brain was what Carson needed.

Carson pulled jeans over his muscled thighs and then stomped across the hall. He balled his hand into a fist and was about to knock when he heard moaning from within. He took a moment to scowl and roll his eyes and then pounded on the door.

“Busy!” came the male voice from within.

“Now!” Carson shouted back.

There was a great groan and then moments later the door swung partly open.

The male’s big frame filling the gap in the doorway.

“What can I do for you Alpha?” Kip asked, relatively chipper considering Carson’s urgency.

Carson put one meaty hand on the door and pushed it open.

He looked past his subordinate into the room.

The delicate, tanned, human was fumbling with a sheet, trying to cover herself.

“I need you downstairs,” he said. Carson couldn’t have this conversation standing here in Kip’s doorway in front of the human girl.

“Kinda in the middle of something.” Kip pointed over his shoulder.

“Yes, and it’s a shame,” Carson replied. “She’s pretty. Get rid of her and get downstairs. You have five minutes.” Carson put an urgent emphasis on this, Kip did not have a choice in the matter.

Kip flinched under the weight of the command.

Satisfied that his instruction would be followed, Carson walked away, leaving Kip rushing around inside his room.

The stairs creaked under his weight as he descended them. He turned the corner and saw the boy sleeping on the couch. “Wake up,” Carson said loudly.

The boy didn’t stir.

“Up!” he shouted louder. If Demetria was going to go out for the day, she could have at least taken her brat with her. “Now!”

The boy sat up quickly, startled and sleepy-eyed.

“I need the room,” Carson said, after a few moments of the teenager staring at him blinking.

“Where exactly am I supposed to go?” Ricky asked disrespectfully.

“That is no concern of mine,” Carson snapped. “Out.” He pointed into the hallway to emphasize his order..

“Whatever,” the boy muttered, rolled his eyes, took too long to gather some of his things, and then walked out of the room in his boxer shorts and tee-shirt. Carson heard him running up the stairs but was joined by Kip and his mind was put back on task.

“What was so important?” Kip asked, still looking flushed, the human ran from the house behind him.

“I have an urgent matter,” Carson said matter-of-factly.

“I figured that one out for myself, funnily enough,” Kip retorted.

Carson glared.

The larger wolf coward, dropping his cheerful expression altogether.

“I need you to handle something for me.”

“Okay.” Kip was ever the simpleton, but that was helpful in this situation. “What?”

“There is a traitor in the pack and I need you to take care of it,” Carson explained.

“A traitor?” Kip asked. “Who? What did they do?”

Carson pulled out his phone. If he was going to ask Kip to carry out sentencing, then he should at least know the grievance. Carson handed him the phone, clearly displaying a picture of Luca with his vampire slut. “Luca Cain.”

“How can you tell that’s Luca?” Kip asked, examining the photo closely.

“It’s him.” Carson’s anger flared, questions were not Kip’s place.

“Alright,” Kip said, conceding. “It’s Luca. So, it will need to be addressed at the next full moon. What exactly do you want me to do about it? It needs to be brought before the pack.” He handed Carson’s phone back.

“I will not sully the pack with the grotesqueness of this grievance. No one must know of this repulsive betrayal. I need you to handle it now, personally.” Carson put all of the Alpha authority he possessed into his order.

“But you can’t just…” Kip began to protest, his shoulders visually slumping under the Alpha’s command.

“I am your Alpha. I can do as I see fit.” Carson reminded him. “You will do as I instruct, and you will tell no one that I have done so.”

Kip’s lips rose into a snarl that was stopped short by a stare. Carson’s eyes went yellow.

“What… are your… orders… exactly?” Kip’s voice was strained, as if he was attempting to reject the order, luckily, he could not.

“I want you to follow Luca Cain and when you get him alone...” Carson paused, waiting for compliance.

Kip nodded, obviously resistant.

“I want you to kill him.”

Luca parked the Jeep on the dead grass under his window, which was, regrettably, shut.

He was there to pack up a few things and scope out the vibes.

To check in with Ricky and see if Carson was acting suspicious at all.

As Luca approached the house, he saw a pretty, tan woman sitting on the rickety front porch steps.

She had her phone in her hand and seemed agitated.

He was about to greet her when the front, screen, door slammed open and Kip came barreling out of it almost running the woman over in his haste. Shrieking and cursing Kip’s name, she threw herself sideways.

“Hey, slow down!” Luca shouted.

Kip turned on him. His fists clenched and one arm raised like he would strike Luca.

Kip opened his mouth like he wanted to speak but didn’t.

With his body language Kip should have looked furious, but instead his eyes looked anxious.

“Seriously?” The woman questioned, sounding annoyed.

Kip looked down at her and breathed a sigh, like he was relieved.

“You good bro?” Luca saw some kind of war raging in the wolf’s eyes. Kip let out a growl and then looked down at the woman.

“Come on, I’ll take you home.” He reached his hand down to help her stand. “Sorry about all that,” he said as they walked to his lifted, red, pickup truck that was parked at the end of the driveway.

“Okay then,” Luca said to himself. “Weird.”

The screen door screeched shut behind Luca as he entered the wolves’ Den.

It was quiet but being a weekday that was unsurprising.

Most of the pack had jobs outside of pack life.

He knew Kip was a personal trainer and Max was a night janitor at some office building.

Thinking of jobs made him wonder if he still had one.

He should probably call work at some point.

“And where, pray tell, have you been?” A cool voice asked from the kitchen. Luca could feel the Alpha’s displeasure rolling off of him as he veered into the room to face Carson.

“Pray tell?” Luca asked. “I’ve been celebrating, staying at Kyle and Hayley’s.”

“Is that so?” Carson asked skeptically as he shoved some oat cereal into his mouth.

“Yep,” Luca lied easily. And thanked his lucky stars that he was able to do so. “And I’m going to be late for work.” He said looking at his phone screen and turning to walk from the room. “Did you need me for something?” he added as an afterthought, popping his head back into the kitchen.

“No,” Carson replied. “Nope. Give the happy couple my best.”

“Okay.” Luca’s tone was questioning. “Will do.” With that he escaped up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He flung his door open and stopped short. His bathroom door was creaking open, steam rolling out of it.

“Cheese and fucking rice dude,” Ricky yelped, towel draped over one shoulder. “What are you doing here?”

“Um… this is my room,” Luca said leaning against the door frame in amusement.

“Oh,” Ricky looked around. “My bad.” A look of guilt crossed his face. “I didn’t think you’d mind. You seemed pretty shacked up.”

Luca laughed and then entered the room, closing the door behind him. “I don’t. I’m just messing with you.” He pulled an old suitcase out of his closet and started tossing some things in it.

“You moving out?” Ricky asked, watching him move around the room.

“More like packing an overnight bag in case my girlfriend will let me spend the night again.” His heart gave a little flutter.

They hadn’t even talked about the label.

But Monica had introduced them that way, and neither had objected.

Have you heard anything more from Carson about… ” Luca’s voice trailed off.

“No,” Ricky said. “But you’ll know if I do. By the way, you should probably shower.”

“Why?” Luca went to sniff himself.

“Because you smell like vampire.”

Nick left the dead operative lying in his own blood.

Under no delusions that the human hadn’t passed on his information to whomever he was working for, he didn’t bother scrubbing down the apartment or erasing his presence.

He would have to find out who these people were and why they wanted him .

But, first things first, he needed to get out of sight as fast as possible.

Nick stopped in front of Cleo’s establishment, intent on seeking out its owner. She would probably provide him sanctuary and may help dispose of the corpse of his surprisingly mysterious, dead, ex-placeholder of a lover.

Nick pounded on the door calling Cleo by name. No answer. He called again, louder this time. “Cleo please!”

“Alright don’t drown your scarabs.” He heard her voice faintly from within.

“What?” Nick asked as the heavy front door creaked open. His breath left him in a tidal wave once he laid eyes fully on the bronzed beauty, covered only in a short lace robe, slung wide over her full breasts.

“I need your help,” he choked out.

“I gathered as much,” she sighed, but stepped aside. “I am quite busy at the moment.”

“I gathered as much,” he stated back to her.

“I would say you could join us, but Tara doesn’t swing that way,” her tone was teasing.

Nick held his hands up in surrender. “I just need a place

to lay low and a conversation.”

“You may lay low on the blood couches.” She gestured to the empty leather couches where patrons partook in the exchange of blood for oblivion. “Your questions will have to wait until I am less occupied.”

“Understood.”

With a nod, Cleo walked towards the private area, past the velvet curtain, rounded hips swaying, bare feet slapping gently on the cool tile floor. “Thank you,” he called almost as an afterthought.

She peaked back around the curtain for one more moment. “Anything for the true love of one of my oldest friends.”

“Have you…” Nick trailed off. “Have you spoken to him?”

She offered him a half smile, but nothing more, before disappearing.

Nick walked to the empty couch, dropping down onto it gracefully.

He leaned forward in contemplation, elbows on his knees.

Of all the thoughts swirling around in his head, the one he couldn’t ignore was the fact that someone wanted him dead.

Nick didn’t care so much about himself. He’d coasted through life for enough years to not particularly value it.

But he wouldn’t let anyone near the only being he actually loved.

“Can I do anything for you, Sugar?”

Nick continued to spin the ring on his thumb in concentration.

“Nick?” Antonio the bartender asked, sitting down near but not next to Nick.

Nick startled out of his deep thought. “What?” he snapped, finally looking toward the man.

“Can I do anything? Get you anything? Whiskey?” Antonio repeated.

Nick sighed. “Not unless you have a cleanup crew that can get rid of a body and track the people that come looking for it,” Nick said hopelessly.

Antonio chewed his lip in thought. After a few moments the bartender spoke. “Consider it done.”

“I beg your pardon?” Nick stared up as the man stood.

Antonio reached out and very gently stroked Nick’s jaw. “I do more around here than serve drinks and suck good dick, Nicholas.”

“Oh,” he said as he watched Antonio’s retreating back. He really needed to stop underestimating others.