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“Do you know what the human government’s plan was?” Chanin understood from the stories his mate told him about how they were living and how long she had been sick that the government was not healing their people—at least not the poor ones.

“Some grand destruction, I’m sure. It’s what human governments do best.”

Chanin could agree with that analogy. As shifters, they had seen it continue to play like a video on permanent loop in hell over too many centuries.

The room fell silent, as if each of them were considering all manner of ways humans could destroy things and what this could mean to their Pack’s growth and survival.

“I ain’t got nothing else to say. And since I doubt you’re going to let me run free this lunar night and grant a dying wolf his last meal of pussy.

” Farkas shoved both his hands through his dirty hair, displacing some of the filth, which caused them to flutter onto his shoulders and the ground like fallout ash snowflakes. “Let’s get on with it.”

Chanin stared at the man a moment. A part of his family, whom he had grown up with, had disgraced his Pack on so many levels, and it was finally Farkas’s moment of reckoning.

“Get up, let’s go.” Chanin lowered his arms and started for the door. “Boris.”

Boris didn’t waste time crossing paths with Chanin to get Farkas.

“Wait! What...?” Farkas jumped up. “You said you’d make it quick. You fuckin’ lied, Alpha ?”

Turning at the door, Chanin saw Bleddyn moving to Farkas’s other side. “No. It will be swift, once you confess your sins to the Pack.”

“No! No!”

Behind him, Chanin heard a scuffle, the sound of flesh hitting flesh and a crunch of a bone breaking, followed by dragging and the screeching sound of claws scraping steel.

Chanin continued out of the containment unit and headed to the field.

“You know you want to kill me, Beta. I had plans to fuck your Amira and tie up Lovel and force my cock down her throat—”

In response to Farkas’s taunting, there was a squawking of a radio, followed by Bleddyn’s order for all Lupine to gather in the field.

“How about you, Boris...? One punch wasn’t all I deserve. I outsmarted you...and the Fang Warriors...kill me.... Rip my heart out, you stupid fuck!” On and on, Farkas screamed and insulted each man, but to no avail because the two men continued to drag him behind their Alpha.

Chanin understood why Farkas wanted to be killed in private because he didn’t want to bear the full brunt of his shame standing before the people of the Pack whom he’d shown the most significant offenses—the true answer to his crimes.

Lupines were moving swiftly to the Pack meeting grounds, filling up the benches and every available area. It didn’t take long since many of his people were getting the festivities together around town.

He spotted Morlie sitting at the end of the bottom row with Bleddyn’s two mates and Rudie. Faolan stood a few feet from the small group, the green handkerchief around his neck blowing in the soft breeze.

Chanin’s gaze locked on Morlie’s for a moment. She smiled and his world was lit brighter than the sun ever could do. His heart slammed against his chest and he felt the heat of need swirling in his core, making his skin feel tight, restraining. His wolf wanted out.

Mine .

“Alpha, you ready?” Bleddyn’s voice found the tiny crack in Chanin’s hunger and pulled him back.

Snapping his head in the Pack Beta’s direction, Chanin, the man was grateful for the interruption, while the beast was snarling.

“Yes.” He saw the two men still holding a busted-nose Farkas between them.

Farkas had his eyes closed and his head down, appearing as if trying to block out the crowd before them.

He jerked his head to instruct them to release Farkas and step away.

Chanin didn’t worry that Farkas would attempt to make a run for it.

When the anger and hurt radiated on his Pack’s faces and the harsh words they spewed aimed at Farkas, they would all jump on the rogue and rip him to shreds if he made a single step away from Chanin.

It was safer by Chanin, only because he’d promised Farkas a quick death.

Once he doled it out.

“Pack,” Chanin called out, getting their attention.

A hush fell over the crowd.

“Before you stands a man, a wolf, a shifter who betrayed the Pack.”

“Yeah!”

“Hell, yes he did!”

Silently, Farkas slowly shook his head.

Chanin knew Farkas wasn’t denying his words, but realizing his dishonor, he was now faced with.

“I promised you that I would bring him to justice. Like the other offenders, he would answer for his crimes... before you.” Chanin took a moment to try to meet as many of his people's gazes as possible, especially those who had been direct recipients of Farkas and his crew's vile antics.

Then he looked at Farkas and bit out. “Confess. Your. Crimes.”

Farkas's mouth twisted. He sank his teeth into his bottom lip and snarled. He balled his fists at his sides and appeared as if he planned to lash out, forcing the crowd to punish him to keep from admitting his wrongs.

Chanin’s hackles were up. He could feel his wolf rearing up inside him and his beast’s Chakra rising.

“I am a cheat. A thief. A rapist.” Farkas's words poured from his mouth like hot lava from an active volcano. “I have maimed, and ordered to maim. Because of my greed, jealousy, malice intent, I made deals with the devil for my gain.”

Farkas swallowed, as if choking on the realization of his putrid deeds.

Chanin kept silent and waited.

“I have disgraced all Lupine kind by my actions. I will take my punishment of death.”

This time when Farkas finished, Chanin turned to face him.

“Kneel and yield your life to your Alpha,” Chanin commanded, his voice rough, his wolf right at the edge.

For a brief instant, Farkas hesitated, staring in Chanin’s eyes.

Chanin saw too many shadows moving within his cousin’s gaze to decipher all the emotions welling inside the male.

But he didn’t care. Chanin didn’t care if the male wolf finally felt the cavernous void in his core filled with the acid pools of his shame.

Farkas had been a blight on the Pack, and like cancer, he had to be removed for the Pack to continue a healthy, strong survival.

Thump.

Farkas’s knees hit the ground. “Find pity on me, and kill me, Alpha.” He raised his chin high, exposing the dirty, sweaty, and blood-covered skin of his neck.

Chanin raised his right hand high, so that the crowd saw the extension of all five of his claws gleaming in the sunlight like swords of a gladiator, ready to deliver death.

And they did.

Chanin brought his arm down in a single, powerful swipe. His blade-like nails sliced through flesh, tendons, and bone, removing the traitor's head from his body.

Blood splattered out over Chanin’s shirt and pants even as Farkas’s body began to twitch and fall to the ground beside his gape-mouth head.

Most in the crowd cheered, while others sighed in relief, as they no longer had to live in fear that the rogues would return and bring more havoc.

As things began to happen around him all at once, some Lupines headed out to continue with the preparations for the night, others hugged and talked, Bleddyn instructed those who came to take Farkas’s body away and bury it, but Chanin only saw one thing.

Morlie.

She was standing and staring right back at him.

Every cell in his body vibrated with fury and hunger. The blood of his vanquished enemy was running down his form and it only incited all the other lusts driving him. His vision narrowed to pinpoints and glazed over so thick with an amber screen he could not think of anything but Morlie.

He zeroed his senses down to just her and smelled her need and heard her pants across the active field.

Chanin’s cock responded. It swelled thick and hard in his jeans, his heavy sac drew tight at its base, full and ready.

Mine , his wolf growled.

A sliver of his mind held on, and it took all his strength not to lose it to his wolf.

Morlie took a step in his direction. Then another.

“Get her out of here!” Bleddyn commanded his mates.

Chanin saw the three women gather around Morlie, talking to her.

“No, Morlie. You can’t go to him now without your wolf being claimed by his yet. On a lunar rise, you may not survive the sex. Trust me,” Amira warned.

It was Faolan who stepped amid the women and grabbed Morlie by the arm and dragged her away.

Chanin growled and started forward even though the Fang Warrior was doing precisely what Chanin had ordered: protect Morlie.

Even if that meant from him.

“Chanin. Not yet.” Bleddyn stepped up beside him speaking in a calm, rational voice. “Tonight.”

Chanin watched the group quickly take her away for a few more moments. Even though Faolan and Lovel’s height swallowed up Morlie’s petite form, he could still feel her.

“Tonight,” he assured his wolf and then turned in the opposite direction with Bleddyn. “Get the council magistrate on the radio.”