“Revenge? Punishment for the captives? An attempt to be the newest alpha?”
“But Greg didn’t know about the captives. Most shifters are extra honest, Shay. I would have known if he was faking it. The captive situation was news to him.”
“Then somebody wanted him out of the way so they could take the lead.” He shrugged. “That’s the most likely explanation.”
“But Greg wasn’t alpha material. He told me so himself. And the pack wouldn’t accept an alpha who cheated. That’s why Aiden had to leave. The alpha has to win a challenge honestly. It’s about honour and trust and stuff.”
Shay frowned. “That turns the heat back onto you, Ava. You just destroyed our best motives so far. That only leaves us with a motive for you killing him. Self-defence, and a way to protect Esther.”
“But I didn’t need to protect Esther anymore. Greg was going to fix everything. He told me to expect to hear from him. I offered to be Esther’s champion, to fight for her honour, and he was happy to agree. He promised that the issues between Esther and the pack would end. He left me to organise it.”
“It’s just your word.” He gave me a pitying look. “I’m afraid Greg didn’t make it home last night, Ava. He was found close to the courthouse.”
“But I… I saw him walk away. I watched him leave. He confronted me outside the courthouse, but then he left. I swear it.”
“If that’s true, then somebody is trying very hard to make you look like the guilty one.”
“It’s the paragon,” I said immediately. “It has to be. He hates me, and he hates Esther and the werewolves, and I persuaded the Senate not to listen to him last night. He has it in for me. He has to be the one who set this up.”
“Why would a paragon bother with all of this? Why wouldn’t he just attack you himself?”
“Because he can’t.” I clamped my mouth shut before I said too much.
“Is this another secret that I’m not supposed to know about? Fine. If you’re sure, I’ll confront him. But you’re still coming with me this morning.”
“Okay, but it has to be him.” I grabbed my jacket. “Who else have I pissed off lately?”
He gave me a bemused look.
“Oh, shut up,” I said.
As we left my garden, we spotted Peter having an argument with one of the recruits.
“Ava!” he called when he saw me.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I’ll be back later.”
“I’ll call Breslin,” he replied as I got into Shay’s car. I really hoped I wouldn’t need my solicitor.
Chapter Eleven
“Where are we going?” I asked when the car took an unfamiliar route.
“I told you,” Shay said. “To see the Senate.”
When I gave him a nasty look, he sighed. “They take important meetings in a place outside of the city. It’s safer there.”
“For them?”
He shrugged. “I’m just the messenger boy, remember?”
“More like the courier.” I sat up straight. “Am I being arrested? Because I can’t sit in a cell again, Shay. I just… I can’t.”
His expression grew wan. “I know. They just need to speak to you. It’s for your safety. The shifters are on the warpath. There’ll be destruction if they go up against you. The Senate are afraid that a minor war will break out. The press will be all over it.”
I huffed in response. The Senate cared more about its media presence than anything else lately. “You do believe me, though, right?”
“Very few people are stupid enough to kill twice while the suspicion is still on them from the first time,” he said, but he was smiling.
“I just find it unsettling how everyone wanted me to kill things during the war, and now that it’s over, I’ve to fit into all of these rules.”
He glanced at me. “Wars aren’t supposed to last forever, Ava.”
“I know that. But sometimes it’s hard to fit into that mind-set again. The one where everything is black and white. It just bothers me sometimes is all.”
“What, exactly?”
I shrugged. “I dunno. It’s okay to kill some things and not others. Like, who draws that line? I can kill a mouse, but not a dog. I can kill a vampire, but not a shifter. And the werewolves can kill birds and deer, but never humans.”
“If lines aren’t drawn, how does anyone know where to stop?” he asked. “You’ve got to put your trust in the laws, or everything falls apart.”
“Do you?”
“Huh?”
“Do you put your trust in the law? It wasn’t so long ago that a vampire called Reuben was a consultant to the old Council, and he was allowed to kill the occasional virgin. Who does that law protect?”
He gritted his teeth. “That law is gone.” He looked at me. “Right?”
“I don’t know what laws still exist. I never knew the shifters would be allowed to punish Esther, did I?”
“The more people who know about that, the easier it will be to stop it from happening again,” he said. “You’ve said it to me many times, Ava. It takes a long time to change ancient laws. I’m sure the Senate will do the best they can.”
“Mac was bribing people. Daimhín, at the very least. A year in, and the whole thing is a corrupt farce.”
“Mac’s dead, and Daimhín can be replaced.”
“And who’s going to replace her? You can’t trust a vampire. They thrive on self-survival.”
“Plenty of people think of you as a vampire, and you’re not like that.”
“Does that mean it’s legal to kill me? I mean, that’s what the shifters thought, right?”
He gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. “Why is it every time I have a conversation with you, I feel a little dirtier about associating with the government?”
“I’m not trying to make you feel guilty. I swear, I’m not. I’m just trying to make sense of a lot of things that have been bothering me.”
“I’ve been doing that myself. For some reason, it’s easier when I’m not anywhere near the Senate.”
“I’ll bet.” I leaned forward, instantly uncomfortable as we turned off down a dirt track. Barren trees hung overhead as though ready to pounce. “This is creepy.”
“Just another entrance to the rabbit warren that is the old Council hideouts. Out-of-the-way places like this are the only safe place for the Senate sometimes,” he said, but he looked uneasy, too.
“I don’t like it in there,” I said as the dirt track suddenly ended. Nothing but uneven grass lay beyond the path, but I knew that a secret entrance had to be nearby. And if we went inside, we would walk down endless white halls until I felt seasick.
“Nobody likes it here.” He got out of the car and waited for me to work up my courage.
When I got out of the car, he nodded. “Let’s get inside. Daimhín’s obviously not around during the day, but the others should all be there by now.”
We walked across a field until we came to a very stiff-looking female who glared at us then moved aside, pulling a carpet of grass up to reveal stairs down that ended in a single white door.
“Come on,” Shay said, stepping down.
I took one last look around before following. At the door, he had to show his ID before escorting me inside.
“There are none of your IAs here,” I whispered, seeing unfamiliar faces guarding the doorways inside.
“The Senate have a protection crew,” he said. “My people weren’t needed today. They have their own routines anyway.”
We walked down only one white corridor, but that was enough to spark some bad memories. “Everything changed here,” I murmured. “It’s too weird coming back.”
“You’ll be fine.”
We entered a stark-white room without knocking. The Senate members were sitting around a table, an eerie representation of the old Council and consultants. Behind them stood burly bodyguards, all of them wearing the same uniform, which I didn’t recognise.
“Well, I’m here,?
?? I said, taking a seat. “And I didn’t kill anyone, so would you mind telling me why I’m here?”
“Safety reasons,” Callista said, sounding apologetic.
“I’m not in danger,” I said steadily, but panic had started to rise at the tone of her voice.
“Not your safety,” Willow added, refusing to look me in the eye.
“Can one of you get to the point?”
“There’s been another attack by the werewolves,” James said coldly. “This time, a jogger was found. She left her house at seven a.m., and when she didn’t return, her husband went looking for her. He found… a mangled mess, and he’s about to sue the state for damages. His wife is dead, and he wants to sue. Immediately. That’s the kind of person we’re dealing with. So excuse me if we didn’t want to take chances.”
I glanced at Shay. He looked confused, to my relief. I hated to think he, too, had betrayed me. “What kind of precautions?” I asked as calmly as I could manage.
“We couldn’t afford to have you getting in the way,” Layla said. “It would have only complicated things. We did this for your sake, too.”
“Did what?” Shay barked.
Layla clicked her fingers. A pair of so-called bodyguards stood to attention. “Take her to the cells,” she said. “Until further notice. Afterwards, you can follow the rest of your colleagues to werewolf territory.”
“What?” I exclaimed as each guard took one of my arms and held on tightly.
“What’s happening on werewolf territory?” Shay asked.
“We’re tranquilising the werewolves,” Layla said. “And then we’re going to finish this once and for all.”
“You can’t do that,” I said. “You can’t just wipe them out!”
“You wiped out an entire species last year. Who are you to talk?” she snapped, then shook her head. “I’m sorry. This wasn’t an easy decision to make.”
“You could have fooled me,” I spat.
“You’ll be freed as soon as the werewolf pack has been taken care of. We’ve hired professionals to deal with them, and then it’ll be over.”
“You told me the shifters were the threat,” Shay said accusingly. “You lied to me to get her here.”
“We’re sorry,” Callista said. “But we can’t afford anything that even resembles a civil war right now. The paragon is insisting, and he’s right. We can’t let any more innocent people die.”
“But the werewolf cubs are innocent!” I shouted. “They’re just children!”
“And they’ll grow up to be ferocious hunters that we just can’t handle,” James said, but all of the Senate members looked queasy.
“You’re murdering children over one wolf’s actions!” I cried.
“The actions of the first werewolf to decide they’re sick of being controlled,” James corrected, and with a wave of his hand, the bodyguards dragged me out of the room.
I sucked in a deep breath once we were out of the room. I could escape two unsuspecting men. I could maybe make it to the wolves before anyone else did. If I were lucky, I would find a werewolf and be able to communicate with him. But the wolf wouldn’t be in human form on werewolf territory. So how could I even talk to him? Carl had already told me how hard it was to keep two cubs from going furry at school–staying in human form wasn’t natural to them; it reminded them of captivity. Persuading an adult to turn into his vulnerable form was likely beyond my abilities.
But I couldn’t think that far ahead. I couldn’t doubt myself. I walked obediently toward the cells I hated before abruptly dropping to the ground, weighing the guards down before they even realised what I was doing. I tumbled out of their grip, twisting out of their reach. I swung out with my leg and tripped one, who knocked into the other in the narrow hallway. I could use the space more efficiently than they could, but if they pinned me, I was screwed.
As one reached out to me, I jumped, grabbed his hair, and used him to heave myself up on his arm with one foot. I threw myself over their shoulders, and as they were still trying to grip air, I grasped both of their collars then banged their heads together. One shoved the other, who knocked against the wall, unconscious. Lucky. The steady one caught me in the jaw with his fist, but I was already twisting away from the full force of the strike. I pushed back, using my spine to pin him against the wall. Gripping his arm and shoulder, I bent and threw him over. In the tiny space, he inevitably slammed against the hard wall and collapsed atop the other bodyguard.
I heard footsteps and looked up in alarm as Shay came running around the corner. He stopped and stared at the guards in a heap on the ground.
“They’re not dead,” I said defensively.
He nodded slowly as he met my eyes. I could only imagine what he saw: red hair falling out of my ponytail, my crumpled and bunched clothes, sweat beading on my brow, and a manic look in my eye.
I bent over to catch my breath. “And if you’re here to stop me, I’m going to have to take you down, Shay. Don’t make me do that. I like you and all, but I can’t let them kill the werewolf children.”
“I wasn’t going to help them, Ava.” He held out his hand and jangled his keys. “I was going to let you use my car. I’ll keep the Senate distracted long enough for you to get out of here.”
I gripped the keys before he could change his mind, then I ran off.
“Ava!” he called out after me.
I hesitated at the corner.
“Use the siren,” he said grimly. “And hurry up.”
I nodded and sprinted up the hallway. I heard the Senate having an argument behind one of the doors, but I didn’t linger. The team the Senate had hired was already on its way to tranquilise the werewolves. The territory they owned was massive, but I had lost the head start, even if I used the siren. I wasn’t even sure if I could find a werewolf on so many acres, but I had to at least try.
I somehow made it out of the old Council’s headquarters without drawing any attention to myself, but I would feel sorry for Shay when the Senate realised what had happened. I was infuriated at the thought of them using Shay to get to me and that the few had made such an arbitrary decision without the say of the rest of the Senate members. Phoenix was going to freak. If he even cares anymore.
I jumped into Shay’s car and started the engine with shaking hands. My heart pounded, and my breathing grew heavy. I could be out of time already. The car cut out, and I swore and tried again. This time, it stayed running. I pulled away from the old Council headquarters and sped on, struggling to remember how to put on the stupid siren.
When I finally figured it out, I jumped from the noise, but at least I was able to speed up on the motorway as cars flowed out of my way as if I were in a dream. The roads were so clear that it might have been a lovely morning to drive if people’s lives hadn’t been depending on me.
Maybe a werewolf had committed the murders, and it was likely one had—even I had to admit that. But the actions of one shouldn’t justify the extermination of the entire species. Even humans punished only the perpetrator of a crime instead of wiping out entire families. And if the Senate set a precedent for taking out an entire species when one stepped out of line, then who knew what it would lead to? I hadn’t fought the Council only to have something worse come along.
The fight wasn’t just about Esther anymore. It was about our country, our future. I didn’t want Emmett, different because he could see and control spirits, or Dita, a descendant of a boginka, to grow up in fear that they might be next. People like Val, and me, would be at risk. I just had to reach the werewolves before the Senate’s goons did. I had no choice anymore.
The drive took too long. I pushed the car as hard as it would go without it spinning out of control. I wasn’t the world’s greatest driver, but something steadied my hands, an inner confidence that I was doing the right thing. Maybe keeping the werewolves alive was a balance of sorts. But a lot of people had wondered aloud whether we needed the werewolves once the Beasts they had helped to destroy were gone.
Yes, I thought. The world needed to keep them alive to understand them. A species who kept their own traditions and cultures while thriving in a brand-new, ever-changing world was something we could learn from.
I felt as though I had taken hours to reach the edge of the werewolves’ territory. I pulled onto a dirt road, my heart sinking as recent car tracks led my way. The tracks eventually turned right, so I moved left instead. I knew not all of the werewolves would be in the same place, but I needed to save Icarus. It was the least I could do after everything he had done for us.
I eventually had to leave the car after spinning the wheels in muddy earth until the car was completely stuck. I got out and kicked the tires then set off at a run, trying to figure out scents as I ran. I pushed out with my other senses, and with those, I caught a lot of different energies. The place was teeming with wildlife.
A loud rumbling sound in the distance sent a tremor across the ground. Some kind of large vehicle, perhaps. I rushed to the nearest copse of trees then started to climb. I blew out a sharp breath and squeezed my eyes shut as the world spun. Clinging to a branch, I counted to fourteen before opening my eyes again. I couldn’t afford an instance of the severe vertigo my fear of heights sometimes wrought upon me.
I counted my heartbeats as I climbed, trying my best to calm my frantic thoughts. Fear made me panic. I didn’t need to count to soothe those nerves, I told myself. But sometimes, the numbers were a kind of meditation.
I counted to fourteen five times in total, then I reached a branch high enough to get a good view of my surroundings. Far off in the distance, a line of large transport trucks were coming over a hill. I wanted to cry. If they were ready to transport the werewolves, then I was too late. But surely, they couldn’t have found all of the werewolves so far. They had to be getting rid of them in batches.
And maybe that meant that other werewolves would investigate. They would run straight into the tranquilisers’ path. But would the werewolves even realise what was happening to them? Were they capable of warning each other?