Chapter 112

Grace

My chest grew tight as Ethan’s voice echoed through me.

Because at least Eason will just be dead.

My gut churned with guilt and terror. The panic was making my chest tight as Eason’s voice drifted through my mind.

It’s going to be me, gone for good, no contact, no word, and you’ll have no one, and you’ll have no one to blame yourself.

“What does that mean?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Why does your father want to kill Eason?”

“None of that is important right now. The explosives, real and not, won’t be set until the end of the week. You have to find Eason before it’s too late!”

I growled at him, leaning over the table. “Don’t fucking tell me what I have to do. Answer my fucking questions!”

“Hold on,” Charles said, getting up. “You: with me.”

He grabbed my arm and hauled me out of my seat. “George, get on looking through the surveillance.”

I stumbled after Charles until we reached another office. He closed the door behind us and looked at me.

“Look at me,” he said gently.

I couldn’t. My eyes would focus. My heart wouldn’t calm.

All I kept hearing was Eason’s voice.

Because you know without a doubt that even though you’re an asshole, even though I hate the things you do, even though I should want to strangle you more than hug you, I love you, and I’m the only person you know who will always be on your side even when you treat me like shit.

“Look at me,” Charles whispered again, cupping my face as his eyes filled with light and a low pleading rumble came from deep in his chest.

Tell me.

“I... I just...” I shuddered. The shame and horror washed through me like a never-ending tide, crushing me.

And for some crazy reason, I still give a damn about you.

“It’s not true,” I shuddered. “It can’t be true... He--Eason--He’s not...”

I clenched my hands in Charles’ arm, gripping so tight I was sure I was hurting him, but I couldn’t see. I could hear. The fear, the denial, the bone-deep shame and guilt from so far down I couldn’t see the bottom was pulling me down. It was like stepping back through my memories of every fight and every argument Eason and I had ever had.

That deep, resigned sigh he’d give me when he just decided to stop talking. I had always waited for him to tell me I told you so, but he never did. He just looked at me with those eyes that said and saw too much.

And now... he was just... gone, maybe already dead.

“Grace?”

I would have just stayed... but I couldn’t leave Grace in Mooncrest with Devin for longer than it took to not be so angry and hurt.

“It’s all my fault,” I whispered, staring off into nothing. “He would have... never come back if it wasn’t for Devin... None of this would have happened if I had just... done what I should have.”

Charles squeezed me close, and he said nothing.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Because there’s nothing to say.” He pulled back. “Are you ready to go back in there and get the information we need?”

My jaw trembled. “I... You should be angry. You should be--”

“What good would any of that do?” Charles asked. “You’re already kicking yourself. The guilt is going to eat you alive until we find Eason. Shouldn’t we be focusing on finding him?”

I sniffled. “I-I told Eason I wouldn’t run.”

Charles wiped my tears. “Then, start now.”

The fear made my throat tight, but the thought of seeing my brother on a morgue table made me turn from Charles and go back. My mind was a hazy mess, but my legs took me back into the room where Ethan was talking to George. George was on his laptop as we went back to the table. I looked at Charles and gave a short nod. He nodded and turned to look at Ethan.

“We need to know where he might be,” Charles said.

Ethan shook his head. “I... I can’t say.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Can’t,” Ethan’s lips twitched. “If I knew, I’d tell you, but I don’t. He didn’t share that part of the plan with me. Neither of them did.”

“What can you tell me?”

Ethan took in a deep breath. “The attack is a ploy by my father. He expects her to step down.” Ethan scoffed. “He knows you’re going to fold, unlike your father, but he doesn’t realize that Alpha Shadow is just using him and his grudge against Eason. He doesn’t realize how dangerous it is and how close Alpha Shadow is to not needing him any longer.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Why won’t he need him?”

“Alpha Shadow got in league with my father because he wanted access to me. That’s why he was chosen to be the next leader of the WSU. He’s realized now that I’m not going to be useful to his plans, whatever they really are.”

“And so?” I asked. “What does any of this have to do with us?”

“Not you,” Ethan said. “Alpha Shadow couldn’t give a damn about you, your patent--he doesn’t even really care that you married Devin and let him run your pack into the ground. He thinks it’s funny, too. This is about Eason.”

I frowned. “I don’t understand. If you two aren’t dating anymore, is this just a grudge?”

“My father wants to kill Eason,” he said. “He thinks things will be easier for him when dealing with me.”

George went still, as did Charles.

“But Alpha Shadow wants him alive,” Charles said slowly. George got up and hurried out of the room, taking an Enforcer with him. “Am I right?”

Ethan nodded.

“You mean they’re attacking Mooncrest because of my brother?” I asked.

Ethan scoffed. “The long and short of it? Yes.”

“What could Alpha Shadow want with my brother?” I asked. “He doesn’t know anything about the drug--”

“Will you get off this horse?” Ethan said and rolled his eyes. “There are easier, more lucrative ways of getting the drug out of you: theft, pressure, etc.. Haven’t you met Fenris yet?”

I set my jaw. “So he is a part of this.”

“No,” Ethan said. “He’s... a part of a different plan and faction altogether. My father’s plan to get it is just to have you on the run and take over Mooncrest and Wolfe Medical, but that’s just a perk. Eason is...”

Ethan shook his head. “I-I don’t have the word for it. Alpha Shadow used it. It’s important to him, whatever it is, and Eason is it. He had him watched while he was in Selene, something to do with his time there.”

Charles clenched his jaw. “Fuck.”

“What?” I asked.

“And you?” Charles asked, narrowing his eyes. “Why does your father think killing Eason will help him... control you?”

Ethan’s jaw worked. “Because Eason broke the first compulsion he placed on me, and he can’t get it recast.”

I shuddered. I had heard about compulsions. They were supposed to be outlawed.

Charles’ eyes flashed. “And you’re still following him because there are things worse than compulsions...”

He nodded. “It’s been a long road to get to where he felt comfortable letting me out of his sight, and I’ll be dead in a few weeks, but Eason--”

“Show me,” Charles said. I frowned, looking between the two of them. Ethan’s lips trembled, and he tilted his head, showing the edges of a mark on his throat. I reached across the table and tugged his collar down. My gut lurched as I saw the sprawling dark ink.

“Who did this?” Charles hissed.

His lips twitched. “Alpha Shadow.”

Charles’ eyes widened. “Alpha Shadow... is a witch?”

Ethan nodded. My eyes widened.

“What do you know about what he wants?” Charles asked. “What he wants to do to Eason?”

“Not much, just that he needs Eason alive... and he’d be the third person to go through it, but I don’t think Alpha Shadow has him.” Ethan swallowed. “I think my father does based on what you’re saying, at least for now. It won’t take any time for Alpha Shadow to find and take Eason, but by then, he’ll probably have blown up the whole city. He wasn’t lying when he said he would wait until the end of the week, but he’s just going to use the explosion as a cover for whatever he’s really planning. My father doesn’t even know the explosives are real.”

“You know where they’re going to place the bombs?”

“More or less. The same plan as before: the sewer systems. It’s supposed to be timed with the last speech he’s going to give.”

“Wait,” I said. “Back when my father dealt with Blood Moon, Eason and I were kids.”

Ethan sighed. “Alpha Shadow is on the payroll for the WSU and the President. The last attack was completely about the patent. They called it off because one of the President’s family members caught the Silver Flu and wouldn’t survive long enough for someone else to get the vaccine together. The explosives weren’t real then, but they’re real now because Alpha Shadow needs them to be to cover his tracks.”

I shuddered. “On record, Eason would be dead... and everyone who would be looking for him would be too.”

He'd be able to do whatever he wanted to Eason.

“We're running out of time," Ethan said. "My father would have used people already in the city to keep an eye on you and kidnap Eason. Do you know where the families that Alpha Shadow called out are?”

I blinked, and my gut plummeted.

“I... have no idea.”