Page 12 of New Blood (Werewolf Alliance #1)

E ve watched her father stare at Jude as if at a stalemate, and the first person to blink would lose.

She hated watching this display of testosterone.

Her brother’s funeral wasn’t the right place for this.

Besides, by all accounts, her father had already lost this fight.

He’d spent a night in the cell in the basement, guarded by several men, and neither her brothers nor her cousins had made any attempt at freeing him.

Like cowards, they’d tucked their tails, not lifting a finger to help their alpha.

She couldn’t watch this any longer. She made several steps to bridge the distance between her and her father and took the torch out of his hand.

He was too surprised to stop her. Without a word, she pivoted, approached the stack of wood, and tossed the flaming torch onto it.

The fuel-soaked sheets around Cameron’s body caught fire instantly.

It spread quickly to the wood beneath. She stepped back before the flames could reach her.

The heat emanating from the mountain of wood warmed her face as if she were sunning herself.

But this wasn’t anything as pleasant as a day on the beach.

This was death. This was final. Her brother would never come back.

In that moment, she hated him because it was Cameron’s doing that had brought the boot of the Werewolf Alliance down onto their necks, upending everything she’d ever known.

Her family was being ripped apart, her position in the pack uncertain, her financial freedom in jeopardy.

All because her brother couldn’t keep his urges under control and was too dumb to cover up his crimes, so nobody would get wind of them.

And her father? He’d always given Cameron the benefit of the doubt, always treated him like he could do no wrong.

Until it was too late. If only her father had disciplined him earlier, before everything had gotten out of control.

But the teenager who’d never been told no by his father had grown into a man who thought he could do whatever he wanted and never face the consequences of his actions.

“I hope you’re happy now,” she ground out below her breath, looking at the fire.

Like always, she and her siblings would pay for their brother’s sins.

She felt somebody walk to her side, putting an arm around her back, giving her a gentle squeeze: Thaddeus.

“You okay, sis?” he asked in his softest voice.

She lifted her eyes to look at him, forcing a tiny smile. “I will be.”

“I know you will. You’re stronger than all of us together.”

She loved him for that, for always finding the right words, for always knowing when she needed somebody to prop her up when she was down.

He was the youngest of the siblings, and she’d always felt protective of him, and now that he was all grown, he protected her just like she’d done for him when they were kids.

“Somebody should say a few words,” she said to Thaddeus.

Her brother turned his head to look behind him, and she followed his gaze.

Aunt Flora was comforting Violet, her own face tearstained too.

She wouldn’t be able to get a single word out without her voice cracking.

Spencer, her oldest son, gave a nod, reading the situation correctly. He cleared his throat.

“Cameron was like an older brother to me, not a mere cousin. I looked up to him, and I always thought that one day we’d be raising our own families alongside of each other. I will miss you, Cameron. I hope wherever you are, you’re free from your demons.”

At the words, Eve stared at Spencer, realization settling in.

“You knew!” She shook her head at Spencer, approaching him, pointing her finger at him. “You knew of his troubles and didn’t say anything?”

Spencer squared his shoulders and tipped his chin up. “I don’t talk about things that I’m told in confidence. You should know that about me!”

“You could have helped him! Steered him onto the right path! None of this had to happen. You could have prevented this!”

“Nobody could have stopped Cameron from doing what he did!” Owen interrupted. “He was out of control!”

“You too? A good cousin that makes you,” Eve spat.

“Oh, get off your high horse, Eve,” Owen replied. “If you’d been such a good sister to him, then you would have seen it too. But you didn’t want to see it!”

Eve felt her heart race now, anger churning up from her stomach. “What are you saying? Spit it out, Owen!”

“Enough!” Flora interrupted. “This is a funeral. You should all be ashamed of yourselves for arguing over who could have prevented this and who was at fault. Today we mourn Cameron. And that’s all we’re going to do.”

“You think you have everything under control, Flora, don’t you?” William suddenly said with a snide undertone in his voice.

Flora whipped her head toward him, visibly taken aback by his comment. She pressed a hand to her chest as if to aid her breathing by doing so.

“William, why—”

“Don’t talk to my mother that way,” Spencer piped up. “After all she’s done for this family!”

“So, suddenly you’ve found a little courage to speak up against your alpha,” William huffed. “It’s easy to speak up when you know that I can’t fight back right now, isn’t it?”

He motioned in the direction of the men from the Werewolf Alliance.

“I should have disciplined you more when I had the chance.”

“Well, you’re not my alpha anymore,” Spencer said in a rather calm voice.

Eve stared at him. Had her cousin always disliked her father, or were tempers just flying high today because of the circumstances they were in?

The only thing that was clear to her right now, was that her father was unhinged.

With good reason: he had lost not only his son but also his pack.

Fear or dread of how his future would look could drive even the sanest man crazy.

“Cut him some slack, Spencer,” Eve said. “He’s lost his oldest son. Show a little respect.” Then she turned to Flora. “I’m sorry, Flora. I’m sure he didn’t mean it that way.”

“How would you know what I mean or don’t mean?” her father spat. “You didn’t even visit me when I was locked up in the basement!”

The accusation drove tears into her eyes. But she pushed them down. She didn’t want anybody to see that her father’s reprimand and unfair accusation felt like a stab in her heart.

She glared at him. “And you never once comforted me after Mom’s death!”

There, the words that she’d kept locked inside her for years were finally out. She couldn’t take them back now. Holding her head high, she pivoted.

“Goodbye, Dad,” she said and walked back to the house.