Page 17 of Malcolm (The Sunburst Pack #1)

T HE DESERT WAS ALIVE with the sounds of early evening, a cacophony of chirping insects and rustling creosote bush that grated on Gregory’s already frayed nerves.

He paced the small clearing between rock formations, his boots leaving deep imprints in the sandy soil as he considered how far he’d fallen. From Vincent’s right-hand man to skulking in the shadows like a common cur.

The thought made his lip curl in disgust. This was temporary, he reminded himself. A necessary step on the path back to power. Back to his rightful place.

Gregory picked up the sound of approaching footsteps long before Hannah came into view. He turned, watching as she made her way between the scattered boulders, her once-pristine blonde hair now dusty and tangled with bits of desert scrub.

“You’re late,” he said by way of greeting, his voice cold.

Hannah brushed herself off, annoyance threading through her voice. “Unlike some, I can’t just disappear without raising suspicion. I had to make sure I wasn’t followed.”

Gregory grunted, acknowledging the point without conceding it. He gestured for Hannah to join him in the shade, where the fading sunlight cast long shadows from the towering rock formations around them onto the sandy ground.

“Well?” Hannah prompted, crossing her arms. “What’s so urgent it couldn’t wait until our usual meeting time?”

Gregory took a moment to study her, noting the tension in her shoulders, her wary expression. Good. She was on edge. Alert. He needed her sharp for what was to come.

“Our return to the pack,” he began, his voice taking on the measured cadence he’d used so often when reporting to Vincent, “while satisfying in its immediate chaos, has not yielded the results we’d hoped for.”

Hannah’s eyebrow arched. “You mean your little revelation about Malcolm and Larissa’s indiscretion didn’t tear the pack apart at the seams? I’m shocked.”

The sarcasm in her tone made Gregory’s teeth grind, but he pushed down the flare of irritation. Hannah’s sharp tongue had its uses, even if it occasionally made him want to rip it out.

“Your wit, as always, is appreciated,” he said dryly. “But no, it hasn’t. In fact, it seems to have had the opposite effect. The pack is rallying around them, united in the face of our ‘threat.’” He spat the last word, his disgust evident.

Hannah’s expression sobered. “So what do you propose? We can’t exactly walk up to Nick and politely ask him to hand over control of the pack.”

“No,” Gregory agreed, a cold smile spreading across his face. “But we can make him wish he had.”

He began to pace again, his boots scuffing against the rocky ground, the movement helping organize his thoughts.

“I want vengeance,” he said, his voice dropping to a near growl. “Against Nick, for usurping Vincent’s position. Against Malcolm and Larissa, for their part in the rebellion. I want to see them suffer, to watch as everything they’ve built crumbles around them.”

“And I,” Hannah said slowly, “want to reclaim what was taken from us. The power, the influence. I want to stand at the head of this pack and watch as they all bow before me.”

Gregory nodded, feeling a surge of…not quite affection but something akin to it. This was why he and Hannah worked so well together. Their goals, while different, were complementary. Two sides of the same coin.

“Then I think,” he said, “it’s time we stopped reacting and started acting. The current situation doesn’t suit either of our goals. But perhaps we can create a new one that does.”

Hannah’s lips curved into a predatory smile. “I’m listening.”

Gregory’s mind raced, piecing together fragments of conversations overheard, tensions observed.

The cooling desert air carried the scent of sage and creosote bush as he considered his next words.

“The pack is weak right now,” he said. “Uncertain. The alpha competition has them all on edge, wondering who will end up in charge. We can use that.”

“To what end?” Hannah asked, though her tone suggested she already had an inkling.

“To fracture them,” Gregory said, his voice filled with quiet intensity. “To identify those who are dissatisfied, those who feel overlooked or undervalued in this new regime. We gather them, we nurture their grievances, and we use them to create a breakaway faction.”

Hannah’s eyes widened slightly, a sign Gregory had come to recognize as genuine surprise. It didn’t happen often. “Ambitious,” she murmured. “Risky too. If we’re caught…”

“We won’t be,” Gregory said with a confidence he didn’t entirely feel. “Think about it, Hannah. The younger members of the pack, the ones who feel they’re being ignored in all this chaos. The older wolves who were loyal to Vincent, who resent this new leadership. They’re all potential allies.”

The idea took root in Hannah’s mind, her quick intelligence already extrapolating the possibilities. “We’d need to be careful,” she said. “Subtle. One wrong move and we could end up exiled. Or worse.”

Gregory nodded, appreciating her caution even as his own blood sang with the impending action. “We already started,” he said. “By telling them Nick made deals with other packs to secure their support, how he promised them territory in return. Now we add to it. Rumors. Whispers.”

Hannah picked up the thread. “Like how conveniently Malcolm and Larissa worked together to expose Vincent’s ‘crimes.’ Almost as if they’d planned it all along, to secure their own power.”

“Exactly,” Gregory said, feeling a rush of satisfaction. This was why he and Hannah made such a formidable team. “We plant the seeds of doubt, of suspicion. We find those who are already predisposed to believe the worst of the new leadership, and we cultivate their mistrust.”

Hannah nodded slowly. “We’ll need to be careful about who we approach first,” she said. “Start with those on the fringes, the ones least likely to run straight to Nick or the others with our proposals.”

“I overheard some of the younger wolves complaining about being left out of the decision-making process,” he offered. “They feel like their voices aren’t being heard in all this talk of new leadership and pack direction.”

“And I’ve noticed tension between some of the older pack members who were loyal to Vincent and those who’ve embraced the new regime,” Hannah added.

“There’s resentment there, just waiting to be tapped into.

All we have to do is expose what hypocrites they all are, how Nick was just waiting for a chance to get back at Vincent for kicking him out of the pack in the first place. ”

They spent the next hour outlining their plan, identifying potential targets and discussing the best ways to approach them. As the light faded, casting long shadows across the desert, a sense of purpose filled Gregory in a way he hadn’t experienced since Vincent’s fall.

“We’ll need to move quickly,” Hannah said as they prepared to leave. “Before the new alpha is chosen. Once that happens, it’ll be much harder to sway people.”

Gregory nodded, his mind already racing ahead to the chaos they were about to unleash. “Agreed. We’ll split up, cover more ground that way. You take the eastern part of the territory, I’ll handle the west.”

As Hannah turned to go, Gregory caught her arm. “One more thing,” he said. “Nick. He’s the biggest threat to us. His influence over the pack is…considerable.”

Hannah’s expression hardened. “I’m aware,” she said coolly. “What do you suggest?”

“Remember those files we…liberated from Vincent’s office?

I think it’s time we put them to further use.

Put it out that Nick’s past isn’t as clean as he’d like the pack to believe.

Show them he wanted revenge—he’s not nearly as high-minded as he wants everyone to believe.

Another well-placed ‘revelation’ or two could do wonders for our cause. ”

Hannah’s smile was sharp enough to cut. “I like the way you think,” she said. “Leave Nick to me. I know just how to plant those particular seeds of doubt.”

They parted ways, each heading to a different part of pack territory to begin their manipulation. Anticipation so strong it was almost dizzying welled up in Gregory.

This was it. The beginning of their rise back to power. The start of his vengeance against those who had dared to overthrow Vincent.

He thought of Malcolm and Larissa, so caught up in their little power struggle and budding romance. How delicious it would be to watch that fall apart, to see the doubt and suspicion creep across their faces as their packmates turned against them.

And Nick.

Gregory’s lip curled. Nick, with his lofty ideals and talk of a united pack. Gregory would take particular pleasure in watching Nick’s world crumble around him.

In his mind’s eye, he could already see it: the pack turning on itself, suspicion and mistrust spreading like wildfire. Nick, Malcolm, Larissa, their allies—all of them watching helplessly as their precious unity crumbled to ash.

Let them think they’d won for now. Let them bask in their false sense of security.

The real game was only just beginning.