NIRVANA Tension suddenly rose in the vineyards. I could smell everyone’s fear and anxiousness in the air as they started to arrive to help us defend our territory, but anyone could also turn and betray us. I looked at at least nine unfamiliar heads. I did not doubt Califf’s enforcers, Zack, Lyon, and Tor, but these guys remained strangers to me. “Thank you all for coming. I’m sure she needs no introduction. She’s very popular these days. This is my mate, Nirvana.” “We’re here to help, Alpha Knight, Luna Nirvana,” the guy in his mid-twenties said. If I remember right, his name was Ben from Crimson Heart, Alpha Ryden’s pack. “I don’t know how long it would take, but you can always leave. I will divide your assignments, and I’ll be checking every now and then.” Knight looked down at the map of his property. “I will take care of the northeast. It’s near my house.” “Is this a cliff?” Ben pointed at the map on the southeast. “Yes. That’s the end of my land. Outside of that is the val
KNIGHT That son of a bitch. I should have known better. I was glad it came to Nirvana’s senses when I couldn’t. Her mind worked differently than mine, and she could think of checking out the identities of these guys. Or the scenario could have been worse. “Don’t be reckless. That jackass asked for you, but it didn’t mean you gave him what he wanted,” McKaye said. “Do you have any idea? Now it’s time to share it with the class, Mac. We just lost Gage. I don’t want to lose any more men today. And your sister is down with the hostages.” “Alpha, I just saw four guys down the cliff,” Uncle Lennox reported. “What is it?” Nirvana asked. She must have noticed my reaction. “Uncle just saw four men down the cliff.” “Shit.” McKaye didn’t know what to do. He was torn between staying for his sister or going to his father. “Go to your dad. I’ll take care of the problem in the bunker. I promise I will bring your sister alive.” Somehow, he lightened up a bit as he looked at us. “Thank you.
KNIGHT “Fuck.” I squeezed my eyes shut as if we might have another problem. “I don’t know, Dylan. I told her not to tell me.” “Shit, Nirvana. She didn’t just risk herself, but the entire plan.” He shook his head in disappointment. “I can’t blame her, though. Someone like Dave never joked about threats. I’m sure he planned this meticulously, but Dave doesn’t work with a team.” Luka and I looked at each other as I tried reaching out to Nirvana. Thankfully, as an alpha, I controlled this pack, and I managed to reach our link. “He’s gonna kill his partners.” “I have a feeling he will,” her voice just came through my head. “I will kill him, sweetheart.” “I know you will.” “Please, be careful. I will deal with you later.” “I know, and I’m sorry.” “Stop with mind-linking. He can’t help you now,” Ben mocked Nirvana. “Alpha, I have good news.” McKaye just reached out. “The four guys are the real men Ryden sent for help. Dad and I will watch this area. I can send them to you now.”
NIRVANA My breathing held in my lungs as Liam threw the gas canister on the gate, ensuring no one was stupid enough to follow us. “You didn’t have to do that. You made your point. They won’t follow us anymore.” I turned on my seat to watch the canister break, and greenish smoke spread all over the gate. Fabian and Azrel ran inside. “Oh, yeah. And your pack is not stupid not to even try.” He looked over his shoulder and glared at me. “Knight gave his word not to follow, and he will keep it.” I tried harder to prove a point, though I knew this was useless because they all wanted to get paid. “Do you think I believe you?” Ben snorted. “I’m sure they’re planning at this moment. You are his mate. He will move mountains to come looking for you.” “He could have fought harder for me, but werewolves sometimes get a second mate, right?” “Just shut up.” Liam spat out. “You don’t have to talk. We don’t give a shit about your opinion.” “What does the council want from you?” Ben’s side glan
NIRVANA I shut my eyes close before Asina showed up and exposed what I was. Instead, I played a weak main character in my own story. I sniffled and wiped my tears. I didn’t cry for that reason because I knew why they wanted me. Alive? I wasn’t sure. Maybe the council wanted to make sure they would be the ones to end my life so Cyrius would walk away and live happily ever after. “You talk a lot.” Ben narrowed his eyes at me. “But you’re right on one thing, though.” Before I could blink and ask what I was right about, he just shot Liam in the head. Liam’s brain splashed all over the window. Before John could pull his gun from his back, he was already shot in the forehead. His blood spattered into my face. My jaw trembled as I froze in my seat. For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. My heart pounded wildly to the point it became uncomfortable. I’d never felt so scared in my entire life until today when I knew I could die with a bullet through my head in just a mere second. With wide
KNIGHT I lost her again. Outraged, I cursed myself for being so weak. Though I could have done something, I trusted my mate’s plan. Still, it was extraordinarily difficult to think of anything other than Nirvana. My mind was with her all the time. They could have just killed her, and why refused my offer? “Alpha, I know this is not the right time, but Zack just reported that they are seeing two men closing their post.” “They can shoot them if they post a threat,” I said sourly. Luka nodded, reporting back to Zack. “Any updates?” I asked Zander. “None so far, Alpha. No one has breached the wall.” “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” I didn’t know why I suddenly questioned everyone’s capability when they could quickly throw their blame on me. “You’re under a lot of stress—” “Yes, Dylan.” I was hurt, furious, sick, ashamed, outraged, and I named it. Stress was merely my problem. “You don’t have to tell me that. I’m losing my shit knowing every werewolf in this country is
NIRVANA We took this stupid son of a bitch, Victor, to the house. Knight never took his eyes off him. If we didn’t stop him, Victor could be dead by now. “You haven’t answered my question, Victor. Who put you up to this? Why me?” Knight’s nose flared when Victor still hesitated. “You better give me a reason not to kill you because right now, I don’t give a shit about the council anymore. I’d rather go rogue after what you put my mate through. You put her and my entire pack in grave danger. I want an answer, Victor!” “You want the answer?” He glared at both of us. “We’ve been watching her for weeks now. The moment you found her, the same time this plague began.” I snorted. “So now what? I’m patient zero?” “We both know what I’m trying to say, Nirvana. We have resources all over the world. We know wherever you go, whatever you do?” “Did I break any law or something I didn’t know about?” “We should just put him inside the vault and let him get infected.” Kailin had been trying
KNIGHT “I don’t trust him. After what he did to Vana, he could be one of Cyrius’s minions.” “I don’t trust him either,” Nirvana agreed with Kailin. “He’s telling the truth, and he’s not mine-controlled. What do you wanna do with him, Knight?” I shrugged at Zarah. “I wanted to rip his heart out, but he’s still the head of the council, and the last thing I want is for all the werewolf council members to come after us. Cyrius is enough for an enemy. I think we should work with them.” “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I understood why Kailin disagreed. I didn’t know if I could trust him, but he could give us what we needed. “You should work with him. He has the resources, and they need Nirvana on their sides.” “I still want to kill him.” “K, me too. I just watched two men shot before me, and I’m still shaken up, and I’m still standing here.” Nirvana sighed heavily. “I don’t know if I can ever get through that trauma, but if he went through all that shit to get me, they are desperate,