Page 47 of Wild Games

“So, you and Ryan decided to stack the odds in his favour by weakening his competitors with dark magic? They’re hardly the actions of a future alpha.”

Williams scoffs, derision flashing in his eyes. He clearly doesn’t think I’m very bright. “You don’t think Ryan came up with this plan, do you?”

For a moment, I’m stunned into silence. Is he saying what I think he is?

“The Williams family has led packs for three generations.” His hands clench into fists at his sides. “I won’t let this chance pass Ryan by because somenobodygets lucky in a few tests.”

I, not we.

“You’re behind this? Not Ryan?”

His smile is cold and dangerous, the expression of a man who’s never been denied anything in his life. “Behind it? You make it sound so tawdry.” He scans the forest around us and gazes out over the lake. “I’m merely ensuring my family’s future is bright. We’re born to be alphas. If we let just anyone have the role, what happens to my grandpups? They’re just out on the street?”

Edward Williams, now alpha of his pack, is a former head enforcer, a man whose reputation for ruthless efficiency is legendary among the elite warriors his son Zane now leads. He’s highly respected and trusted by many. This should go against everything he stands for.

“You were sworn to uphold our laws. How can you think this is right?” My voice rises with real indignation now.

He scowls, as if right and wrong are some insignificant details he doesn’t need to be bothered with.

“Laws that would see my sons, and their future heirs, passed over for someone unworthy.” Edward’s calm never wavers.“Zane will lead my pack when I step down, but Ryan is still an alpha by birth. He deserves to have that legacy too.”

Williams waves the stone, his agitation growing. Tanner shifts nervously beside his alpha.

“We didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt,” he says quietly. “Just... to get them out of the way. To level the playing field.”

Alpha Williams bristles at Tanner’s input. I have a feeling he may have told Tanner that to get him to cooperate more easily, but he has no qualms about doing whatever it takes.

“Level it?” I laugh, sharp and bitter, resting a hand on my stomach as a pain hits me in the gut. “You nearly killed someone. He’s still in the clinic, barely able to walk. Is that what Ryan would want?”

Williams’s eye twitches, and I get a blast of the anger he keeps hidden beneath his composed exterior.

“Ryan will be a good alpha! He just needs a chance to prove it. And the less he knows about how he got that opportunity, the better.”

I look back and forth between the two men, forgetting for a moment that they have me cornered.

“By cheating?” I shake my head, letting them see my disgust. “I don’t think even Ryan would want to win a pack that way.”

Alpha Williams steps forward, and through the bond, I feel Jax’s rage spike dangerously.

“When this comes out, when the Council learns what you’ve done, you’ll be ruined. Banished at best, executed at worst. If you come with me now, admit what you’ve all done, they’ll go easier on you.”

Edward’s expression flickers for just a moment. Beside him, Tanner looks away, unable to meet my eyes. Something about the way both men hesitate catches my attention.

Edward reaches into his suit jacket with deliberate calm, confident that he has me completely cornered. I move my body,shifting my weight, so I’m ready for any attack, keeping Tanner in my line of sight.

But I’m not ready for this.

He produces a tiny vial with a swirling purple liquid inside. “It won’t come out. Because you’re not going to get the chance to tell anyone.”

Looking smug, he opens his palm to show me the glittering liquid before popping the lid off and letting the plumes of purple gas float up into the air between us. “You might think that necklace is going to keep you safe, but not against this.”

Without hesitation, I reach into my pocket and pull out my knife, the glowing gems the signal for Dean to move in. And Jax? I don’t even need to tell him to come for me. I know he’s already on his way.

Williams’s smile is wicked as he waves the vial between us and blows the mist toward me. Immediately, I feel dizzy and unsteady on my feet. I attempt not to breathe it in, taking an involuntary step back. The water is knee-deep now and soaking through my pants.

I cough, covering my mouth, attempting to suck in a lungful of air through my sleeve to try to lessen the impact.

The two wolves across from me show no ill-effects from their exposure, and then I see why: nose-clips.