Page 62

Stacy

Not even a full minute after they drop him on the stage in front of everyone, things go crazy. Three men and two women rush the stage and are kicking him. Jasmine, who got very sick from the soup stomps on his belly, and Dennis, nephew of Roger, my old teacher hoofs him in the crotch.

Wyatt grunts and writhes, but he’s either not even fully conscious or it could also be he has a debilitating headache.

More people get up there and join in. Rudolph, a thirty-something pack member with a limp that I know Wyatt was particularly terrible to kicks him in the gut with the bad leg I’ve seen my brother kick more than once.

Right on the heels of Dennis’s crotch kick, Caroline kicks Wyatt in the chest. I look at Brody, expecting he’s about to rein everyone in, but he watches casually as my little cousin Luke walks up and spits on my brother’s face twice, saying, “one of those was for Jimmy who hated your fucking guts, too, especially for what you did to Stacy. Wish he was here to see this.”

This surprises me, but I don’t get to lament on it for long what with the commotion I now see in the rows of chairs. Someone has hauled off and hit Larry who’s sitting in the back row by the door that leads to the library. And now two more people are shoving Larry and getting in his space, shouting obscenities as he hides his face. Patsy shouts he should be up there with Wyatt for poisoning so many of his pack. Larry and his chair tumble to the ground. Warren punches Floyd and Floyd backs off, looking like he’s apologizing.

Several are undressing, shifting, and I’m in shock as I see more and more people doing it, too.

Aphra snickers from her chair by the stage, Halla tucked to her side, hiding her face in her stuffed butterfly, which Linc handed to her when we pulled in. I completely understand why Aphra is amused by this. As for Halla, she’s such a sweet little girl and I’m again filled with relief that we found her, that she’s back with her mother. There are other kids here, too, though, so I wince and call out, “Maybe someone should…” but I trail off watching more people drop their clothes to shift to wolf shape.

“Is someone going to stop them?” I ask as I see blood gushing from Larry’s nose. Larry curls into a ball and does his best to shield his head with his hands.

Brody looks my way and shrugs, speaking loud enough for his voice to carry. “I think this is long overdue. These people have had all their choices taken away, even their very nature denied them. They’re doing what they should be doing. What they should’ve done long ago. You want me to stop them from standing up for themselves?”

I expect the now-shifted pack members to rush my brother and start attacking, but that’s not what they’re doing. There are at least twenty in wolf shape standing in front of him, growling and showing their teeth but standing together. I think they’re all waiting for him to regain consciousness so they can show him they’re shifted because he no longer has the power to tell them they can’t be who they are. I think they want him to attempt to shift and try to intimidate them with his larger wolf and are eager to watch him fail.

My brother is blinking, squinting, looking disoriented, but paying his own pack no mind.

Malachi squats and yanks the thick layer of silver tape off his mouth.

No doubt about it, Wyatt is wide awake now.

He hisses at the pain, “What the fuck?”

He groans, face looking pained and I hope he’s got a killer headache.

Brody is still looking at me with his eyebrows raised, waiting for my answer.

I shake my head.

“Stacy? You upset? Someone should hear from Stacy before anyone else does anything,” Malachi calls out. “Stacy is the reason we’re all safe from Wyatt. Stacy endured his abuse for her whole life. I want to know what she thinks.”

Grey looks at him with that amped, angry look still on his face.

“Honey?” I say, grabbing his hand.

Grey’s eyes move to me and soften just enough that I know he’s not about to go beat Malachi to a pulp.

A bunch of yesses are chimed out along with a few people calling my name.

“Go ahead, babe,” Grey invites, jerking his chin toward the stage.

Malachi produces a knife from his pocket and cuts through the rope on my brother’s hands and feet.

Wyatt manages to get himself to a sitting position on the stage but he’s holding his forehead with one hand, the back of his head with the other, rocking a little and looking like he’s in agony.

Brody calls out, “For crimes against your pack, we’re about to take a vote on what happens to you, Wyatt. Seems like there are some folks who have words for you first.”

Wyatt looks over at Brody, squinting.

Brody goes on, “Perhaps Greyson Blackwood, for the crimes against his mate. Jason Creed, on behalf of his sister, Sherry, who you did not treat very well. No surprise you treat a mate poorly when look at how you treat your pack. Also, Riley Savage, for repeated attempts to take his mate, for abducting his sister-in-law, as well as attempting to murder him. Tyson Savage for ordering his murder as well as committing arson against his property, putting his pregnant mate at risk. All Arcana Falls council alphas for your attacks on them, this land, their pack. I’m told Aphra Starling here has beefs that alone would call for a death sentence or life sentence in prison. She said you seduced her while she was mourning her dead mate and then flipped the script.”

Oh my goodness! My eyes dart to Aphra.

“And me. First because you sold my mate and several other women into prostitution, though just hearing the shit you pulled as the supposed leader of this pack, I’d like to rip your goddamn throat out, too.”

“Who the fuck are you?” Wyatt asks, barely looking at him, still squinting and holding his head. “You the fucker trying to take what’s mine? Where’s my mate? You gonna try and take her, too?”

“Your mate has been summoned in case she wants to speak up for you in your defense. Or against you. We’re also recording this for the sake of posterity,” Brody says, gesturing to someone beside him that I don’t know, who’s holding his phone up. “And you should answer to these people, the people you let down with your mismanagement of the Silver Hills pack who you’ve abused. The condition of that pack’s land is a vivid illustration of the type of leader you are. Or were. Stacy Blackwood can have her say, then we’ll open it up for anyone who wants to converse with the accused. Or to speak up on his behalf.”

Brody laughs, like that’s an unlikelihood. And he’d be correct.

Wyatt’s squinty, bloodshot eyes find me as I make my way to the front and stop just ten feet from the stage. He glares at me with hatred. Like I did this to him. Like I foiled his plans. And in a way with help from fate, some incredibly kind wolf shifters, some witches, and the man of my dreams, yeah… I guess I did.

“Blackwood.” He sneers with his eyes on me and I stare right back, saying, “Yes, Blackwood.”

I hope he hears the pride in my voice. I hope, even more, that my mate hears that pride and feels it, too. “And finally, I’m proud of the family name attached to my name. Speaking of which, I got access to old SCC census records and our mothers were cousins, but Father wasn’t blood-related to either of them. In case you were thinking he was. Looking at the ages, it looks like there was an adoption of your mother because she was a product of a teen pregnancy, which might be why Aunt Shea wouldn’t answer questions, family skeletons or whatever. Thought you’d like to know you’re this messed up just because you’re you.”

He says nothing, just glares at me and I find I have absolutely no difficulty meeting that glare that used to make me quake with fear.

I continue, “Grey’s pack has repeatedly shown me in just a short time how a healthy pack operates. Giving everyone a voice. Looking after one another. Sharing burdens. Being giving and generous. Thinking of the pack instead of just the ones at the top. Thinking of people outside the pack that might need some help.”

Wyatt rolls his eyes.

I keep going, “Whatever happens tonight, whether you die or they decide to send you to the SCC for a trial and sentencing of what’ll probably be really hard labor for the rest of your days… which… I like the idea of, but it’s not my decision… I want you to know that I have my happily ever after here. I’m so looking forward to it. I’m not going to lose even one more minute of sleep because of you. I’m going to go home with my mate tonight knowing I’m growing two healthy babies. They’ll grow up in a place that is so much better than where I came from. They won’t have to suffer knowing you. And further, I get to do that knowing the pack I grew up with will be so much better off with you gone. And I’m so relieved that they and future generations will never have to expose their necks to you again.”

I turn away from him and walk away.

“Twins?” Bailey gasps.

I smile at her.

She claps her hands and squeals with glee and shoots a wow look at my mate who is beaming over there against the wall.

“Congratulations, Stacy and Greyson,” Tyson calls out.

“Thanks, brother,” Grey replies.

There are multiple chimes of congrats from others as Tyson walks toward the stage.

“But Stacy, you should get to vote tonight,” Eloise calls out. “You might be a new member of the Arcana Falls pack but you’re still one of our own. Always will be. Am I right?”

Multiple voices call out their agreement.

Tyson gets to the stage and calls out, “Hope you all don’t mind I go next.”

“Go ahead,” Brody invites.

“I’ve made mistakes in my life,” Tyson speaks to the room instead of my brother. “I’ll probably make some more. Nobody is perfect. Except for maybe my Ivy.” He grins and there are chuckles from the room. “Brody here is family to me but I only just met him today. Because someone evil kept me from my family, kept me from the life I was meant to have. Like this fucker did to you people. He kept you from your true purpose and didn’t allow you to be who you are. Wolf shifters. To love and be loved. To run, hunt, swim, and be free together as wolves. Shifting for your physical and mental health. To laugh, have fun, bond with your pack. To do what you want to do. To have free will. That life you were supposed to have was kept from you because of that evil. But…” He gestures to my brother. “that evil no longer has a hold on you. You don’t have to live in fear anymore. You might be angry at some of your pack members because they did what they needed to do to survive. Like this guy who fed you poison save his own neck. Tonight, you decide about Meadows but tomorrow, you should make it a new day.” He pauses like he wants to drive that message deep. “Forgive your pack members for doing what they needed to do to survive. Forgive yourselves if you’ve done things that don’t bring you pride. Move on to not just survive but to thrive together. Be happy like you deserve. If you don’t feel like you deserve it, choose to become the kind of being that will deserve it.”

I look at Larry, who sits bleeding, but looking at Tyson with wonder. With hopefulness.

Tyson turns to my brother and his nostrils flare. He nods and says, “A few minutes ago, some old memories washed over me. I remember maybe fifteen or so years ago, we fought in a ring. You ‘n me.”

My brother glares at him with hatred.

Tyson keeps talking, “I won. Beat you senseless. You were a pup in that ring compared to me. It was probably your first fight. It was probably my twentieth. Your father and my uncle argued after. I think because they were both cheats bringing shifters to dog fights. Your father was a foul-tempered fucker, maybe even worse than Cornelius. Struck you after you were already down. Because you were bitching about the fight. You were a sore loser. Your father slapped you and called you a sniveling little pussy. I laughed because he was right and the faces you made at me are the same faces you just made at your sister which made me remember. And yes, you’re still a sniveling pussy.”

My brother’s face contorts with more anger as he stares at Tyson like he plans to kill him. As if he could.

“Yes…” Tyson continues. “I remember Uncle egging me on to hunt your father down and devour him a few years later, though I don’t know why, it was probably that old beef from that fight. Or they tried to make some other deal that fell apart. I don’t know, will never know, but…” Tyson turns and looks at me. “I’m sorry Stacy Blackwood. I apologize if that caused you pain. I was sent into a red haze of fury and acted on primal impulse only. He used me like a weapon.”

“My father wasn’t a very good leader either, Tyson,” I say. “Though he wasn’t as bad at it as Wyatt.”

And I see the crowd agrees with me.

“Excuse me?” a voice calls out and all eyes turn to Floyd. “I walked up on a conversation beside the salvage yard’s office with a man who smelled like your relative talking to Wyatt. A few weeks later, John Meadows was dead.”

That sinks in hard as there are gasps from the crowd. Did Wyatt pay Tyson’s uncle to have Tyson kill Father?

Wyatt’s smug face goes hard with anger as he glares at Floyd.

“Holy shit!” I exclaim.

Ty looks at my brother with disgust, then turns to look at me.

“Though he wasn’t a very good leader, I’m sorry if I caused you pain.”

“I’m sorry that I caused you and Ivy pain when Wyatt forced me to shoot you,” I say. “I was hoping to find a way out of the nightmare we were under. Aphra told me I was the key to changing things for my pack and I guess it was what forced change. But I’m sorry I caused hurt. As well as sorry to the other alphas I poisoned and all your loved ones who I’m sure were worried. I tried to do the bare minimum for self-preservation and in the hopes it would force change.”

“You already said sorry to me,” he tells me. “I’m fine as you can see.”

“Well… you already apologized to me too.”

“So, we’re putting it behind us?” he checks.

I nod. “Definitely.”

He smiles and man, is he ever handsome. Ivy is a lucky person. Tyson turns to look at my brother again. Wyatt is still holding his head but he’s also trying to look bored.

“I have nothing else to say to you,” Tyson says and goes back to the wall.

Wyatt gives him the finger. And multiple people scoff at how lame that is.

Wyatt looks at me and smirks, opening his mouth like he’s about to say something.

“Grey?” Brody calls out, gesturing toward Wyatt.

“I’m good,” my mate says. “My wife said it all. The former Silver Hills pack has the right to decide and I’ll be good with it. Even if I’d prefer to rip him to shreds. Slowly.” Grey shoots a dirty look at my brother and his silver eyes flare with light, making Wyatt straighten.

The look on Grey’s face is loaded with loathing. I know Grey would really love to be the one to deliver a death sentence.

My brother looks down and smirks again. Smirks?

“Adelaide?” Brody inquires.

Addy shakes her head and wraps her arms around herself.

“Anybody else?” Brody asks.

Jase and Sherry’s father calls out, “My daughter won’t have any words for or against this vote. I’ve just had a message.” He waves his phone in the air and pockets it.

Wyatt’s expression drops, but then hardens.

Yeah. Your fated mate hates you, Wyatt.

“Aphra?” I call out and gesture to my brother.

Aphra looks around. “I’m not part of the pack. But… thank you for bringing me here. Jason said I could get my bearings and go from here.”

“I’ll bring Rikki over tomorrow,” Riley pipes up. “You two can talk.”

“You’re welcome to join the pack I’m building,” Brody says. “If you want your daughter to get to grow up around other shifters.”

“Thank you. I’ll… think about it. I appreciate the offer. As for Wyatt? I have nothing to say to someone who kept me captive and abused, violated, and tormented me in ways that I’ll never forget, including twisting my beautiful magic by making me do things that were dark and ugly. But Stacy… I want you to know I never intended to sell you out to Soleil Young.”

“I could tell,” I reply.

Her eyes warm as she keeps going, “I needed help and I couldn’t go to my coven, so I knew about the Covenless Coven and found my way there. They took me in. Sheena made the connection between Soleil’s past and your mate while I was recovering. And Soleil told me she’d get me my daughter back. She told me she’d strike a deal with your brother but that it would not prevent me from seeking revenge on him later. Earlier today, Sheena told me she sensed your people were near, so I used a blend on him to knock him out in order to buy time. Though, based on Sherry adding the lyco-toxicant I formulated to his whisky, clearly that was unneeded.”

“But it certainly did help,” Jase calls out.

“I made that formula for him when he forced me. I never knew his plans, but I had no choice. He took all my choices from me. I was hurt when I escaped your brother, I was on the run for my life and for my magic, because the things he was forcing me to do were dangerous, were things against every facet of my training, dark magic things. If I’d gone on much longer doing those things, it would’ve permanently altered me. I want to thank you all for looking after my daughter. I knew you, Addy, and Misty would look after her until I could find a way to get her back.” She smooths Halla’s hair and kisses her head. “Halla told me you’d read her stories and sing her beautiful lullabies, that you’d brush her hair and even share your food with her to make sure she had enough to eat. Thank you for that, Stacy.”

“My pleasure. We all love Halla.”

Halla smiles her beautiful beaming smile at me and hugs her butterfly shyly when she realizes how many sets of eyes are on her.

Aphra smiles, too, and shrugs. “So, no, I don’t have anything to say to him . I just want to thank you all for everything as well as to apologize to anyone here who had to suffer due to my magic being used as it was never intended to be used. That’s all.”

“We’ll talk more later,” I say.

She nods.

“You’re welcome here for as long as you need,” Grey tells her.

She looks relieved. “Thank you very much. My daughter is part-shifter, and I would love for her to learn how a healthy pack operates so I’ll talk more to Brody about his offer. And I have nothing to say to him . Except, I’d say to all of you that I also like Stacy’s idea of him being sentenced to a life of hard labor since it seems like he’s never worked a day in his life, instead forcing everyone else to carry him.” She kisses her daughter again and shrugs.

Wyatt laughs low.

“I think Aphra should get a vote,” Eloise says. “Just sayin.”

“No thanks,” Aphra says, “I’m just happy to watch justice in action.”

“So, I think we should gear up,” Brody says. “We’ll talk about the ballot choice ideas and then maybe can you print them all up for us, Bailey?”

“Sure can,” Bailey responds.

But my brother shakily stands and I can feel the energy in the room shift as every alpha male’s spine straightens. My brother pulls his wallet from his back pocket. What is he doing? He produces a folded up zippered sandwich bag and Malachi, being the closest to him, tries to grab his arm but Wyatt’s elbow comes up and catches Mal under the chin, knocking him backwards while Wyatt stuffs something into his mouth.

“What is that?” Jase demands.

“Fuck!” Grey bites off.

Brody rushes the stage, about to grab Wyatt, but he bounces off what looks like nothing and stumbles off the stage, catching himself before tumbling to the floor.

The foil flies out of Wyatt’s hand but only moves a few inches before it hovers. I quickly realize Grey is trying to telekinetically pull it from my brother. But it’s too late. He’s got some sort of invisible, protective shield around himself.

I see Grey trying again, but red sparks simply flit around the atmosphere before floating to the floor and burning out.

“Fuck!” Grey repeats.

Aphra jumps to her feet. “Soleil gave him some things she had me whip up. One of them –” She stops talking because wolves are rushing my brother, but also bouncing and falling back. Yes, exactly like he’s surrounded by an invisible shield.

Wyatt laughs. “I’m collecting my mate and then you all get to deal with my wrath.”

“What on earth?” I cry out. “No!”

He can’t just walk away from this.

“I know what it is,” Aphra whispers. “I made it weeks ago for Soleil. I didn’t know it was one of the things she gave him.”

“Can we get something to stop it? Reverse it? What is it?” Grey demands and his eyes are bleeding.

Aphra winces at the sight of Grey’s blood-streaked face.

“He’s okay,” I tell her.

Wyatt can’t just walk out of here. No. No!

Tyson, Grey, and Jase are all shifting to wolf shape, blocking the exit by the bathrooms. My brother moves in the direction of the opposite entrance. Joel and Riley are dropping their clothes and shifting before he gets to them, blocking that door to the library in their wolf shapes.

“This won’t last forever, right? It’ll wear off?” I ask.

My brother walks through the crowd, his shield knocking people out of his way. Wolf-shaped pack members growl and charge at him but it’s like he’s in an invisible bubble with enough strength to push his way through the crowd. He pushes toward Mason, and as Mason shifts to his large white wolf, Wyatt runs at him and walks right over top of him.

No! I grab my hair on both sides of my head in frustration.

Now Wyatt is facing off with Tyson’s massive black wolf. The size of the teeth on Tyson’s wolf are bigger than I’ve ever seen.

The rage in his now-glowing green eyes has my stomach going sour, the taste of vomit in my mouth. This is a terrifying sight. But my brother isn’t quaking in his boots. He looks terrible, his face still looks like he’s feeling pain and I know he can’t shift to wolf shape, but he feels confidence in his ability to get out of here because nobody can penetrate this shield.

Shit. Why didn’t someone take his wallet? Probably because it seemed harmless. And why did Malachi untie him? Probably because he figured there was no way my brother could weasel his way out of this situation. He can’t weasel out of it. He absolutely can’t. I can’t have him out there somewhere threatening our future.

Wait! I know what to do.

“Greyson!” I shout.

My mate, in his wolf shape, immediately looks at me.

“There’s a gun in the Airstream. In Wyatt’s coat! I need it!”

Wyatt’s eyes snap in my direction and it’s plain to see. That gun is exactly what I need. The gun with the seven special bullets in it.

“Yes! Yes, you fucking do!” Aphra exclaims. “Slow him down, everyone!”

Wyatt looks tweaked, panicked, as he rushes in my direction. Wolves and people move in his path, getting in his way, pushing the bubble he’s in with hands, with noses.

Grey shifts back and says, “Can I somehow pull the magic from him. Erase the spell?”

Aphra shakes her head. “No.”

“I did it with the poison in the hospital that had my mom-”

“This is different,” Aphra says. “I don’t know of a way. But Stacy–”

“What about Erica?” Grey tries. “SCC says she’s the most powerful witch seen in generations.”

“Maybe…” Aphra shrugs.

“Grey,” I say.

“We’ll get Erica here,” He says. “You tell her the spell and maybe she can help.”

I grab his hand. “The gun, Grey. I need that gun.” I rush to go for it myself, demanding to the alphas crowding the doorway, “Out of my way, please! Arcana Falls alphas! Please keep surrounding him, please don’t let him leave!”

Grey hesitates, but seems to decide something and shifts to wolf shape again. He rushes out the back door by the bathroom. Wyatt is across the space by the library exit and now it feels like a race is about to happen as he pushes his way, walking over top of Tyson’s wolf in his bubble.

“He’s in that bubble so he can’t get that gun, right?” I ask Aphra, grabbing her hand and rushing to follow Grey.

“He can’t penetrate his own shield. Not to eat, drink, nothing. He has to take another dose to end it and he has one in there, but those bullets I spelled for Soleil? Yes. Those will penetrate anything. They’ll penetrate that shield. One for the shield and then a second shot will take him out.”

I get outside and Grey is already running back toward the building, the gun in hand. I grab it and it’s not hard to see my brother, bouncing outside as if running on air over top of a huge snarling brown wolf.

My brother flips doing a mid-air somersault as the brown wolf punts my brother’s shield as if he’s inside a transparent beach ball. Next he bounces off Mase’s huge pure white wolf, who tries to bite but instead sends Wyatt airborne again, now bouncing off a black and white wolf’s head. It looks like a game of wolf shifter volleyball. It hits the roof of this barn and comes down to bounce off Mason’s white wolf’s nose again. This time Mason throws his wolf’s weight into it, jumping up and sending my brother extra high before he bounces off a tree trunk. Wyatt lands not far from Tyson’s wolf, bouncing twice before Tyson barks, growls, and snaps at it, then bops it up into the air again and I can tell that my brother isn’t having the fun that the six Arcana Falls super alphas are suddenly having. A ginger colored wolf kicks with his back legs to make my brother land on the black and white wolf’s head and bounce yet again. The black and white wolf barks like he wants it sent back in his direction so Tyson’s wolf half- shifts to man-shape and he whacks hard with what’s halfway between a paw and hand and I hear my brother grunt from here, holding his head as he bounces. I’m sure that headache feels just awesome. Not .

I can’t help but laugh; they look like they could play all day long.

The rush is off because my brother is still being punted around among the six wolves and there are a whole lot of spectators out here now, including all of the Silver Hills pack, some of which are getting back into their clothes. Many are laughing.

Grey asks, “What’s the story here, Blossom?” He’s referring to the gun.

“I knew it was in there, saw the butt of it sticking out of my brother’s leather jacket when I ran in to use the bathroom. He told me yesterday he had special bullets in it that’d kill every one of the council. Aphra coated them in something. They will take him out, right, Aph?”

Aphra is beside me. “I didn’t know what they were being made for, but yeah.”

Grey whistles to get the attention of his council co-alphas and we walk over there.

They’re surrounding my brother, who stands in the middle, eyeballing the gun in Grey’s hand. He looks worried. Good.

“May I?” I ask.

My mate looks at me quizzically. I hold my hand out and he gives me the gun.

“More poetry,” I say to Grey, whose eyes twinkle.

Wyatt is glaring at me, shaking his head with disgust.

I speak loudly, “All this began when he forced me to use a gun. He hates that I’m a better shot than he is. Has hated it his whole miserable life. Hates that I have a stronger nose, too, don’t you, Wyatt? We’re all done with you. Either you come out from there and let us get on with the voting process to decide whether you go to the SCC to stand trial or the pack decides to end your miserable life tonight. Come out or I’ll shoot and you know I’m a good shot. You know you don’t stand a chance.”

Looking panicked, Wyatt starts running over top of the brown wolf, then Tyson’s wolf, trying to get away. Instead of the shifters going after him, they back up, giving me a direct path and perfect line of sight. I hold the gun out and get my brother lined up. He looks over his shoulder as he’s running and I aim for his head and flex my finger, pulling the trigger. What looks like glass shatters around Wyatt, disintegrating instead of landing, and he trips and falls before he scrambles, trying to run again.

I’m about to shoot again knowing this one will hit him, but suddenly there are at least ten wolf shifters chasing after him. And now more of the pack are shifting, joining in.

I see not far ahead that several of the pack are on him. And now Wyatt is screaming and bloody as several of them bite and snap. There are so many I don’t recognize them all, but I do recognize some. Addy. Eloise. Jennifer. Misty. Caroline. Walter. Malachi. Patsy. Warren. Floyd. Larry.

A strong, warm arm wraps around me to give me comfort, but I give my mate a quick kiss and begin to shed my clothes, saying, “I need to be part of that.”

“Go,” Grey urges. “But hey?”

I stop.

He caresses my mate mark and says, “I’m so fucking proud of you, wife.”

He swats my butt after I drop my clothes, shift to wolf shape, and embrace everything about my nature to join the rest of the Silver Hills pack (who will soon become the Moonshine Springs pack).

We say a rather primal version of goodbye to our old alpha before we pee on his remains.