***[POV: Frustrated Gamma’s Son]***
Three days. Three fucking days since Chad he’d handle the Ricoat problem, and I still didn’t know if anything had actually happened. Soone had supposedly pulled off planting his little ’training accident’... and still no word from his ’allies’ about whether their Alpha was even hurt by it.
I paced around the edge of the training grounds, kicking loose stones. Watching younger pack mbers practice basic forms. Their movents were sloppy, unfocused.
They’d rather be talking about pack business they shouldn’t even know about. Everything about this place felt like it was falling apart. While we sat here doing nothing but wait on information from *rogues*.
"Still sulking about your missing mate?"
Chad’s voice cut through like a jagged piece of tal in the rapids. He was leaning against a tree, rock in hand that probably skittered over after my boot smashed it.
That sa smug expression he’d been wearing ever since he ca back from whatever the hell he’d been doing in the city and spent all day in the Alpha’s cabin. Always acting like he knew more than the rest of us.
"She’s not my mate anymore."
Growling and stalking forward, I start to feel it’s ti to end this shit.
"But that doesn’t an I’m going to let so corporate city bitch make a fool of our pack by lying to her own about-"
"About Helene ’not’ being pregnant?"
The asshole pushed off from the tree, walking closer with that lazy confidence that would make my fists clench if they weren’t already. I really just want to hit him once.
"You know sothing or are you just here to try and use like everyone else?"
"I know lots of things. Like how Kyrie Voss has been making quiet inquiries. How she’s been shifting resources heavily toward ’future’ pack security and survival. Rushing so defensive improvents to that tower of theirs."
He chuckled with a calculating look over at those young idiots tossing each other around. Punching and swiping at air like it would have any use in a wolf on wolf fight.
"How she’s been acting like soone with a lot more to protect than just her pack. Lot of prep work. Stockpiling food and dical supplies in that underground fortress. Like soone getting ready this week for... big changes."
"How the fuck do you know any of that?"
That smile he’d had since his phone supposedly got ’compromised’... widened. Shit sends a chill down my spine that makes want to stomp on his. He’s probably close enough for to do it... I can shift faster than him.
"I have friends everywhere. You know that."
"Rogues? Those aren’t friends. They’re disposable weapons which you claid you don’t trust to work right."
"So are goofy weapons. So are reliable eyes and ears. So are..."
He shrugged and pulled out a new device. Still black and looks the sa to , but last I heard it wouldn’t matter? Soone nad BoundaryKeeper was supposed to be all over his virtual ass.
"Insurance policies? But disposable... well, all of them are if needed."
I knew he’d been up to gathering information, but this was about his own control. He’d always been a manipulative little shit, but he’s started to move onto playing way outside his social group.
And honestly, it bothered that it didn’t really feel much different. It just felt like he was freer to bark about his plans without those particular people being around.
Not like he wouldn’t have said the sa cold shit about us before turning and walking away, just like now. It also bothered that I wanted to stalk after him, making it look like he was in charge when *I* just wasn’t fucking done talking.
"I thought you weren’t doing as much stuff with your phone this week?"
"Hm? Oh, I got tired of that. So I... worked up a way to fix the problem. A little diligence is very Reward-ing, you know."
Like he was talking about adjusting a squeaky door hinge. Not circumventing the tech counterasures of... I hate to say it, but one of the most powerful packs in the region.
Maybe even the country. They run the local hunter’s damned communication hardware out of that tower. Just like that big European group.
But that doesn’t an they can just do whatever the hell they want.
"What kind of way? You find an expert stronger than theirs you could sweet talk?"
"The kind you don’t need to worry about. My turn for so questions... I’ve been wondering about sothing."
He stopped walking entirely, turning to face full-on.
"The weeks before you rejected Helene or maybe right before it happened. Was she ever acting... strange?"
"You know she was acting strange. Bitch bolted like I’d never seen and talked like a different person."
"Not that. Not after. Distracted before then. Like she was seeing things that weren’t there. Or maybe did she ever talk about things that didn’t make sense?"
I frowned, trying to rember. That whole day until now was a blur of rage and humiliation that made it hard to rember what led up to it sotis.
"She was acting weird that week, yeah. Since before that full moon. When I mated her."
"Weird how? Be more specific."
"Just... less jumpy. Smiling more. Bugging a little less. Like she was quietly waiting for sothing to happen. And I guess she’d stare off into space sotis, but-"
"Like she was reading sothing?"
I kicked another stone, imdiately thinking of the way I’d seen *him* stare off *over* his phone.
What was the point of these questions? That bitch had always been in her own head zoning off.
If he’s asking if there were any signs she was starting weird shit like he has been doing...
"Why? What’s it matter now?"
"Probably nothing. Just trying to make sure I- we co out on top when everything changes. You know, the fighting and all."
That annoying smirk, like he *didn’t* an to slip up. Ever since coming back from the city, he hasn’t really ntioned supporting anymore. Said nothing about being the next Alpha, even once.
It’s really been making itch to teach him a lesson. So I looked at him... really looked at him and finally understood what I’d been too angry to see before.
This wasn’t about helping to get revenge on Helene for bolting with a Duskpaw child. This wasn’t even about the politics of recovering our bloodline. Or honor or loyalty to our pack or anything like that.
Chad was planning for sothing that would reshape everything. And he was using , using the Duskpaw, using anyone and everyone as ga pieces.
As I stared into those colder than ever eyes... eyes that refused to look away from mine in challenge, I realized sothing else.
I couldn’t just punch him anymore. Wouldn’t just end up confined for a while because he’s the Beta’s son.
He had ’power’ and ’resources’ outside the pack that he wasn’t afraid to use to try and kill or maim another pack’s Alpha.
If I had to act against him? Even just in a mont of anger?
I was going to have to kill him.
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