I look around for Lance Ward; the fucker has crawled away but has gotten entangled in the forest's thick underbrush. I close the gap between us with a few strides. His glare is full of disdain, but even he realizes that this is the end of the line for him. He won't be able to escape. His henchmen are dead and he's totally at my mercy. Every part of me burns with so much hate that it's stifling; I want to make him suffer, even if I doubt that he will beg for his pathetic life.

With one more look at Mother, I grab him by one of his hindlegs and drag him behind me through the woods like a piece of stinking flesh. His breath is shallow, but he'll live until I determine that it's his time to die. Since my bite paralyzed him from the neck down, the fucker doesn't even feel much pain. I, on the other hand, can barely keep myself on my feet.

Every fiber in my body throbs.

My heart cries out for my mom.

Soul ripped to pieces, I want to give into this new grief.

Fuck, Mother is gone.

The thought buzzes surreal in my ears. Raelyn will have some big shoes to fill and I can only hope she's up for the challenge.

The frigid wind blows leaves into my face, but I barely notice. I trudge through the knee-deep snow, the pain the only constant. Ward is getting heavy and it would be easy to kill him and leave his torn body behind, but I push forward. I'm not done with him yet. Not until he provided some answers.

When I arrive at Cedar's camp, the mumbles fall quiet. Despair reflects on everyone's faces. Their Luna is dead. A few wolves don't hide their blame. In my quest for revenge, I endangered the rest of my pack. Too many lives were lost today.

In front of the cabin, I shift. The first wolf I focus on is Jos. "How is Raelyn?"

"Arabella said she'll make it."

At least that's one less thing to worry about. "Get me a silver knife."

He disappears inside the cabin, but it's Arabella who resurfaces with the silver blade in her hand. "Please, let me do it."

"Are those who were injured okay without you?"

"They're all resting comfortably and my assistants are attending to them." Eyes pleading, she bites her lip.

I nod. "Okay, you can do it."

She kneels down next to Lance Ward and makes the small incision under his ear that forces him to shift. Back in his skins, he's nothing but a shivering, helpless male who's desperately hanging on to his final breath.

I tower over him. "Tell me what you did with my sister's body and I will allow your family to bury you."

Something he didn't afford Cassum, but I'm not prepared to stoop to his level. My name will not be smudged by such cruelty.

The fucker actually smiles. "We skinned her and then fed her remains to our pigs. And her fur has been keeping my feet warm when I got out of bed in the mornings."

My heart squalls from this ultimate blow. Raising my foot, I crush down hard on his windpipe. Even in death, his eyes seem to mock me. The nausea wins, but before I can vomit in front of my fighters, I shift. With my leg up, I piss on the Beta's skull. The ultimate blow to an enemy but still nothing in comparison to what he did to my sister. As I limp toward the tree line, I allow for the pain to take over. All I need is a few hours alone to heal.

Show no weakness.

It's what everyone expects, even if I've never felt more vulnerable and adrift. This victory came with too high of a price tag and some of the wounds left behind will never fully mend.

~~~~

© Sally Mason 2018

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