Chapter ii: seventeen

“You’ve made a mistake, you know. You’ve played right into his hands. He wants you and he wants that pup. He won’t stop,” Mara growled, pulling against the chains with a laugh. Tana narrowed her eyes at the she-wolf from her safe distance, but something made her want to go closer. Mara, though she did something bad, didn’t seem inherently evil in the way that Fang and Talon were.

“What are you talking about?” Tana growled. Mara just laughed, her one good eyes fixed solely on Tana. A strange grin crept across her face.

“It’s a surprise, of sorts,” Mara said. The tone of her voice indicated that she was hiding something and Tana was not in the mood to play around. With a loud snarl she lunged forward and grabbed Mara by the front of her shirt, slamming her up against the bars and forcing the restraints on her wrists to pull tight. Mara let out a low growl.

“Tell me what you know or so help me I’ll make that scar on your face look like child’s play,” Tana spat. For a split second Mara looked fearful but her expression was quickly masked by the usual, sarcastic persona she put on.

“Fang hasn’t got much time left. He needs an heir or your blood. His wolves are going to turn on him if they think he can’t continue his bloodline. Talon, too. My best guess is that he’s using everything he’s got to distract you so that he can get that little pup of his,” Mara breathed, panting hard against the bars. Tana growled lowly, her emotions muddling her thoughts. Sincere was in the safe house. She was safe. Wasn’t she?

Tana knew they had to go after Fang. They couldn’t just sit around. But what if the search parties triggered him? What if that’s what he wanted, to distract them?

Tana could feel her heart speed up as she released Mara, shoving her back into the cell. Mara didn’t laugh this time. In fact, she didn’t utter a word.

“I did what I did to spare my brother. To save him from the brutalities of war. I may be a monster, but even I have ones I love,” Mara said quietly. Tana couldn’t face her. She couldn’t even hear herself think above the roar of blood in her ears.

“We aren’t so different, you know. I’ve heard about you. Shit parents, helpless siblings. You’d do anything to protect your family because you know the kind of pain that can be experienced,” Mara continued. Tana inhaled deeply, trying to calm her racing heart. She didn’t know what to do. She was rooted in place, her body and wolf fighting with each other.

“The difference is that I let it consume me. I was obsessed with protecting my brother. I drove him away. Somehow I convinced him that I was the cause of any pain he felt,” Mara said. Tana blinked. Tuk had attacked her when she first arrived at the pack. He said everything was her fault. That she ruined everything.

“I’m sorry for what I did, but I would do it a thousand times over if it meant I could protect my brother,” she finally said, slumping down in her cell with the chains rattling at her sides. Tana turned to look at her finally, looked at the burned side of her face, at the defeated woman before her.

“I don’t think it’s my forgiveness that you need,” Tana said. Mara huffed out a small laugh, shaking her head.

“I think I’m too far gone. My brother and I...we are much too different now. But you are not. You need to embrace that power inside of you, Tana. I’ve heard rumours of what it could do. What you were made for. You must end this and bring peace again,” Mara replied, crawling closer to the bars, her expression suddenly panicked.

“But you must go now. Your pups are in danger.”

***

“Doll? Goodness, what’s that crazy look for?” Bea, who had been waiting at the top of the stairs, called as Tana darted out of the pack house with a panicked look on her face.

“Tana? Tana! Come on, talk to us,” Mika yelled. Tana hadn’t even noticed she was there. She didn’t notice anyone now. She just needed to find Sincere. She needed to find Icarus.

“Fang wanted to distract us. Sincere and Icarus are in danger,” Tana breathed, flinching away when Mika placed a hand on her shoulder. Mika narrowed her eyes worriedly, glancing quickly over at Bea, who was frowning.

“The safe house is just that- a safe house. It’s heavily guarded and I’m sure if push came to shove the elders could kick some serious ass. There’s no safer place for them,” Mika assured her. Tana let out a growl at her friend. Her wolf whined but didn’t object. They had the same goal.

“The safest place for them is with me, where I can watch them, where I can keep them safe. Something isn’t right,” Tana snapped. Bea recoiled, fear flashing in her eyes as she stared at Tana.

“You need to calm down, Tana. Your eyes,” Bea said quietly. Tana inhaled deeply, screwing her eyes shut as she tried to calm every racing nerve in her body. All she could see was Fang taking Sincere away from her; was him hurting Sincere the same way Talon hurt Lumina and Marie.

“Let’s go! Follow their scent!” Some yelled. It could have been Declan, it could have been Lennox, she couldn’t tell. All she saw was at least twenty wolves shifting before her eyes and taking off into the woods.

That meant one of the Betas had mind linked them. That meant they were in trouble.

“We need to get to Sincere, ,” Tana hissed, shoving past her friends and running as fast as she could towards the safe house. Her wolf granted her more energy and speed, pushing her legs to move faster than they ever had before. She could hear Mika following her and yelling her name, but she didn’t stop. She didn’t stop until she skidded to a halt in front of the safe house and stared at the doors that were gaping wide, taunting her.

The guards were nowhere to be seen but pools of blood were left to soak in the grass. Tana could smell the metallic scent of it very clearly which meant it was fresh. Fang had acted as fast as he could.

“Tana? Tana!” Someone cried out. Erica, bloody and clutching her swollen stomach, hobbled down the steps and stumbled into Tana’s arms when she raced to help her. Tears streamed down the woman’s battered face and disappeared into the grass below.

“They took the pups. We tried to fight them off. They were using silver and wolfsbane. They- they took the guards as well. The elders managed to kill a few but they were overpowered. I couldn’t mind link Lennox- I couldn’t save my babies,” Erica cried, her body shaking as she sobbed. The woman fell to her knees, cradling her stomach like a lifeline.

Tana felt a new rage bloom in her chest. A rage she had never before felt. It ate away at her, festering and growing with every passing thought through her mind. Icarus was gone. Sincere was gone. Fang had taken her pups away.

It was time for her to end this, once and for all.

***

“I’ve had my wolves working on this room just for you for weeks now. Do you like it?” He asked the blonde pup. She looked disgustingly like Lumina, nothing like him. Well, except for the eyes. Those were his eyes. It sparked a sense of pride in his chest to know that he still lived on in this pup.

“I hate it and I hate you! I want my mommy and daddy!” The pup snarled. She had his temper too, it seemed. Not his intelligence, but that could be changed.

“Hold your tongue, pup. Those people aren’t your parents. I’m your father and you’d be wise to remember that,” he growled back, holding the pup’s glare. She flinched slightly, her eyes getting watery, but she didn’t back down.

“No, no, no!” Sincere growled, stomping her foot against the carpeted floor. Oh, how he despite carpeting. However, the pup seemed to like it. Her room with the Dark Wolves had carpet. He knew that much, at least.

“You will obey me!” Fang snapped, grabbing the pup’s tiny wrist and yanking her forward. She let out a cry and tried to pull herself free, the tears that had built in her eyes finally flowing down her face.

“Let go!” She whimpered, pulling with all her might. He grinned at the effort. Even the most spirited wolves could be broken under his rule. He didn’t need her to like him. He just needed her to exist. If his wolves believed he had a fit heir, they would stand down. They would obey him without a sliver of doubt.

“Your mother was a fighter, too. She didn’t learn her lesson and look what happened. Did Tana ever tell you what happened to your mom?” Fang taunted. Sincere seemed to pause at this, her pulling becoming less violent as she turned her red, tear-streaked face up to look at him.

“Mama just got hurt. She’s lost now. She’s looking for me,” Sincere said, her eyes gleaming with terror. Good. She should fear him.

“Your mama is dead. So is that bastard sister of yours. Marie, right? I wanted them dead, so it happened. Unless you want to end up like them, you’ll stop fighting me,” Fang growled, his voice echoing off of the walls, filling the pup’s ears and making her flinch. Her lip quivered with the effort she was putting in to not crying. She couldn’t hold back for long, though. As soon as he released her wrist she broke down into a fit of sobs and crumpled to the floor, hugging her knees to her chest.

Fang would be lying if he said he didn’t feel a twinge of guilt twist at his heart.

He couldn’t concern himself with that now, though. He needed to finish what he had started. Once Tana and her mate were out of the way, he would succeed.

He would finally get what he wanted.