Her Pack by Tamara White

Chapter Forty-Seven

I'm sittingon the ground, my arms wrapped around my knees as I stare at Jonnie's lifeless body. He's gone. He's really gone.

Mitch is sitting next to me, like he too doesn't know how to process this. My mate, his brother, is dead.

Neither of us have spoken about it. After everything was over, I crawled to Jonnie's body. I check his pulse, brushed his hair back and just sat in front of him, hoping this had to be some sick and twisted joke being played on me.

Mitch joined me not long after, along with the rest of my mates. They simply gathered around us, staring down at Jonnie's body with the same sense of loss we all felt. Jake and Rick eventually made their way to us too.

It felt weird sitting in the dirt, staring at my mate's lifeless body, but it also felt weird even thinking about moving him. Like if we waited just a little longer, maybe he'd just get back up.

Mitch and I are the only ones here now. Neither of us has budged, despite Eli trying to appeal to us to help the injured pack members. The rest of my mates have gone off to help, leaving us under the watchful eyes of Jake and Rick.

The whole time they've been gone, I've done nothing but cry silent tears over the loss of my mate. My heart is filled with regret that I didn't push harder to find out what was going on with him.

I can't help but obsess over the fact he didn't just come clean with me. Why didn't he tell me he thought his dad was still alive? I mean I thought he knew by his mother's and Mitch's, that he was definitely gone from this world. But if he truly had doubts, why didn't he just say something?

My mind can't help but go over every possible scenario, all the ways that this could have gone differently. Why did he have to die?

Mitch sniffles softly, wiping at his tears. I wiggle my body closer, pressing my body against his for comfort and leaning my head against his shoulder. There are no words I can say to make this better, so I don't even try.

There are wolves moving around us, none of them getting too close. I think they sense that this is a moment they don't want to intrude on.

Most of Eli's pack members are out here with silver handcuffs, silver chains and such to help take the surviving members of Luke's pack into the cages. My guess is the ones under Vivienne's house are gonna fill up quick, so fingers crossed they have more hidden somewhere.

I’m sure at some point I’ll have to deal with them, but they’re not my highest priority. Not right now.

I’ve seen Tim and Vivienne moving among the wolves, as well as each of the council members. Mainly they’re just binding the wolves with silver. Then other members of the pack are walking along and carrying them away.

Then there's Monique and Laura. They're out here helping with anyone who's injured. Which unfortunately, is a lot of people. I haven't even begun to look at the faces of the other dead bodies on the ground. I don't know whether I can take seeing someone else I know being one of the dead. I'm barely holding on as it is.

Aiden appears among the crowd, dressed to the nines with an abundance of weapons. He must have gone back to the house to get them because he didn't have this many with him when the battle began. I don’t see why he’d need them now, but I guess one can never be too prepared.

He drops down beside me with a drawn-out sigh. After a moment of silence, he turns to me, waiting for me to acknowledge him. I can see his expression out of the corner of my eye, but I don't move my eyes from my lifeless mate.

"I'm sorry, Dani. I know nothing I say will make his loss easier. He truly seemed like a nice guy."

I nod along, unable to verbally respond. What could I even say? He was a nice person? Even if he betrayed me for information on his dead father? No, there's nothing I can say. He was my mate, and I cared deeply for him. That's all that really matters.

Aiden sighs again, his head dropping to stare at the ground. "Look, I know you're grieving. And I wish that I could leave you in peace, but I can't. There's something else that needs to be taken care of. Something that can't wait." He unsheathes a dagger, playing with it for a second before using it to point in a direction off to his left.

My eyes unwillingly follow the knife to see what could possibly be more important than sitting with my mate. The moment my gaze settles on the scene he was pointing to, rage bubbles up within me. Monique, my grandmother, is sitting on a log next to Walter, doctoring his wounds. She’s showing him such love and care that my blood boils.

How fucking dare she try and patch him up! How dare that traitor stick around?

I snatch the dagger from Aiden, getting to my feet and stomping towards them. I must be a sight to behold. Naked, covered in blood and charging at them with a dagger in my hand. It must look even worse with the limp in my leg every few steps.

The moment my grandfather senses my approach, his eyes flick my way. I'm delighted to see the fear in their depths. He grips hold of my grandmother's arm firmly. Tight enough to cause her to flinch back from him.

I wonder if he honestly believes that she will protect him from me?

My grandmother’s eyes glance around the place to find out what could have him so damn frightened. When she sees me, she smiles warmly, pleased to see me. Her expression morphs into a frown when she notices the dagger in one hand.

I waltz right up to that traitorous bastard, wrapping my free hand around his throat. I press the dagger to his neck, daring him with my eyes to move even one muscle so I have an excuse to end it without a word.

Blood wells where the blade is pressed, my lips curving with a smile. His eyes widen at whatever it is he sees on my face. Maybe he understands just how serious I am about taking his damn head off.

"Dani? What on earth are you doing?"

I turn my head just enough to pin her with a glare. "I swear, if you had anything to do with this, I will kill you just as slowly as I plan to kill this traitorous bastard!"

She gasps softly, her gaze flicking from me to Walter, then back again. "If he betrayed you, then he has betrayed me too. Do what you wish."

Her words ring true, no hint of a lie in them. I guess with Luke dead whatever it was that affected my abilities is no longer a problem.

"You," I growl out turning back to scowl at Walter in disgust. I've never felt such hate for one person before. I thought the hatred I felt towards Luke was the worst I could ever feel about one person. But this, this is a whole new level of rage.

"Why did you do it?" I press the knife a little harder.

Fear permeates the air, not just from him though, but others who are now watching on in shock. The people who were uninjured have gathered around me, my mates included. Tim, Laura, the council members, everyone is going to be witness to this man being revealed for the traitor he truly is.

I keep my eyes pinned on Walter, the man who started all this in the first place. Why the fuck would he trigger the trials if he was going to betray me all along?

"Why did you do it? Why did you start all this? Why did you betray me? Why did you kill my mate?" The last word ends on a choked sob, but I hold back the pain. I can't lose it now. Later, after I have all the answers.

He swallows, whimpering pathetically when the knife cuts a little deeper. I ease up enough so that he can speak without me slitting his throat. "I did it all because you and your mother ruined everything.  That bitch was never supposed to be born."

Monique gasps softly from behind me. I glance back at her to see the utter devastation on her face. I know her hurt is genuine, I can feel it.

I turn back to Walter, my gaze filled with nothing but disgust. "Tell me everything," I demand, shaking him roughly.

For a second I think he’s going to keep his lips sealed and take his secrets to the grave but he nods once.

"I’m not Monique's first mate," he rasps out through the hold I have on his throat. "I killed her first mate in an effort to get close to her. I succeeded, but there was a hiccup in my plans when she announced she was pregnant with a daughter. Knowing she held the next Alpha Queen in her womb made her untouchable. I was left raising that bastard’s pup and trying to make a new plan. I did what I had to do to survive. To bide my time to get what I want."

"But why? Why was power so important to you? Did you really think Luke would share the throne with you?"

He goes silent, his eyes filled with something I can't quite place. Almost like fear, and shame.

"He did it because he's Luke's uncle. And my brother."

Anthony pushes through a few of the wolves gathered, coming to stand a few feet behind me. His gaze is filled with disgust when his eyes run over Walter like it's been a while since he's seen him. And he’s not impressed with what he’s being faced with.

"The last time any of us saw Walt was thirty years ago when he declared he was going to find a mate worthy of him. But this," Anthony gestures around at the people gathered, the destruction that has been wrought. "This is low, even for you."

"I did what I had to," he shouts back at Anthony. "I was tired of seeing the bitches have all the power. I planted myself where I needed to be, and I almost got everything I dreamed of! I should have just killed them all when I found out the bitch was pregnant!"

"I've had enough of this." I can't stand to listen to this another minute longer. "You used my mate's love for his father to manipulate him into betraying us. And if that wasn't bad enough, you took his life. For that, your life is forfeit." I let go of his neck, and he seems to relax, like he thinks I'm simply going to banish him. In the blink of an eye, I slash his throat from ear to ear.

Blood sprays my face, and normally I'd care how that would look to my mates, to the rest of the pack watching but I'm over caring what they think. Walter clutches his throat, his eyes widening as he collapses to the ground. He bleeds out in seconds, his blood spreading out around his lifeless corpse.

I turn around and face the onlookers with hard eyes. "Let this be a lesson to anyone who harms someone I care about. My justice will be swift and without mercy." I pause and let them see how serious I am. "Now, you may not love me. You may not even like me, but from this moment on, you will find a way to tolerate me. If that's too damn hard for you, then you need to start making arrangements to live without a pack."

With that, I let the dagger drop to the ground and take one step before collapsing to my knees. My vision blurs and I feel myself tumbling forward, welcoming the land of unconsciousness.