Authors: Kimberly Hunter
Sasha heard everyone before she saw them, Flynn in the lead. Rhonda was trying to pick herself up out of the broken stall, shards of glass all around her. She was pretty cut up and bleeding, but that wasn’t about to stop Sasha. She had been pushed past her limit. Way past.
“Jesus!” Flynn exclaimed, seeing the destruction and Rhonda’s bleeding form.
Sasha was standing in the middle of the room, her power and anger whipping around her, waiting for Rhonda to get up. They weren’t done yet. Not by any means.
“Oh my God!” Charlie gasped when she too saw what was happening.
The last thing Sasha needed was an audience. “I want everyone but Flynn and Roan to leave the room,” she growled with her back turned to them. When she didn’t hear feet moving, she turned and let them know she meant business. “Now!” she roared, and they all left. Rather quickly.
That definitely made an impact. Of course, the glowing eyes and power-fueled anger helped.
“What’s going on, Sasha?” Roan’s voice was even as he remained a safe distance from them.
“Rhonda broke into the house and threatened to kill everyone in their beds,” she explained, seeing Rhonda get unsteadily to her feet, blood pouring from a gash on her forehead. “But not before she killed me first so she and Jenna could watch Flynn”—she paused for a second, seeing red and making a move toward Rhonda—”die slowly.”
“Sweetheart, I’m all right,” Flynn assured in a soothing voice. “I was on my way back when I smelled trouble, though I didn’t think Rhonda would be this bold.”
Sasha nodded but kept her eyes on Rhonda, who was swaying slightly.
“Yes, so it begs the question, how did she get in here?” Roan’s voice sounded curious.
“I was trying to find out when she got stupid and clammed up.”
“Ah, the crash I heard,” Roan surmised with pride in his voice.
“I won’t tell any…of you anything,” Rhonda snarled. She was trembling visibly with pain and not a little fear.
“You got
part
of that right,” Flynn growled, his tone angry.
“What do you mean?” Rhonda looked apprehensive with the question. As well she should be.
“Well, even though Roan is your Alpha, you didn’t attack him. You attacked Sasha. And you, of all Lupa, know the consequences of attacking a female Alpha.”
“I didn’t attack you for the Alpha position.” She looked at Sasha with fear.
“No, you attacked for the sake of your daughter, who should be the one with enough guts to do the job herself and not let her
mommy
do it for her,” Sasha sneered.
“Exactly,” Roan agreed. “So, you see, Rhonda, you have two choices. Submit or die.”
She laughed, coughing up blood. “Don’t give me that shit, Roan. I know I’m dead, so why should I tell you anything?”
Sasha stepped up to her, minding the broken glass, and looked her dead in the eye. “Because if you don’t, I’ll make you wish for death long before you have it.”
She meant every word she told Rhonda. She wasn’t a violent person. She had only been in one fight in her entire life, but she wasn’t that same person anymore. She wasn’t Sasha Edwards, mild-mannered Southern girl, the pushover her family continued to use and abuse and working a dead-end job she hated. Oh, no. She was Sasha LeGuer, True Mate to Flynn LeGuer, and Alpha, and she was going to protect her Pack and her True Mate at all costs. Rhonda apparently believed Sasha, because her eyes widened with shock, the smell of her fear a palpable thing in the room before her shoulders slumped in defeat.
“Where is Jenna, and how did you get into the house?” Sasha asked again with steely authority.
Rhonda took a deep, rattling breath. “There’s a tunnel, probably part of an old mine, which leads under the house to the main barn. Jenna was to wait forty minutes, then follow. After everyone was dead, we were going to set the place on fire and burn the evidence.”
“You were going to do her dirty work so she could reap the benefits?” Sasha roared, grabbing Rhonda by the throat again.
“Sasha!” Flynn shouted.
“No, Flynn, this is what she was meant to do, who she was meant to be. Let her finish it,” Roan said.
Sasha didn’t turn to see Flynn’s response, but felt that he eventually agreed with Roan. Though reluctantly.
“She’s my daughter,” Rhonda choked out, like that was good enough to justify murder.
“Your daughter won’t live long enough to enjoy her plan,” Sasha promised. “And you won’t either if you don’t leave now. As of this moment, you are banished from the Pack. If you return, you will be dealt with accordingly. Understood?” She then threw the sorry excuse for a Lupa to the floor in disgust.
“But, you can’t. The Pack is my home!”
“You gave up your right to be a part of this Pack when you helped your daughter and attempted to murder my family and True Mate in cold blood. You don’t deserve to be a Pack member or even a Lupa, for that matter.” Sasha glared. “You have until dawn.”
Sasha had barely turned to go to Flynn when she heard a growl of rage behind her.
“No!” Flynn and Roan shouted at the same time, seeing Rhonda leap at Sasha with a piece of glass in her hand, aimed at Sasha’s back. But Sasha was already in motion, catching Rhonda’s hand with the glass in it and wrapping her fingers around Rhonda’s throat again.
“I won’t leave my family. I won’t leave my Pack,” Rhonda snarled, struggling to stab Sasha with the glass.
Squeezing the hand with the glass in it tighter to prevent getting stabbed, Sasha looked into Rhonda’s mad eyes and saw that the woman would never stop, would never back down. She would choose death over banishment.
“So be it.” Then snapped Rhonda’s neck like a twig and let her lifeless body slump to the floor.
Sasha wasn’t sure what she felt right then; she was pretty much numb. Later, when all the excitement died down, she’d let her mind go back over these moments. She doubted she’d feel remorse for killing Rhonda. I. The woman had been a threat.
Flynn came up behind her, but he didn’t touch her. “Sweetheart, you okay?”
She could feel his worry about how she was going to handle her first kill. Could feel his sympathy that she had to do it at all, and his guilt because she had already been through so much. But overall, she felt his love. His unwavering love and acceptance. She didn’t think she could have loved him more in that moment than if she had spent a lifetime with him.
She turned around and faced him. Rhonda’s blood was on her hands, literally and figuratively. “I’m fine Flynn, really.” Her anger and glowing eyes were gone now that Rhonda was no longer a threat.
“I’m so sorry for this.” His light eyes showed the depths of his sorrow.
“Don’t be. This wasn’t your fault.”
“You know what I mean, Sasha.”
“I know, but don’t mourn what I’ve lost. Rejoice in what I’ve gained.”
“And what is that?” he asked, clearly wondering what she meant.
“Everything.”
“Everything?” A ghost of a smile showed on his handsome face.
“Yes. This is who I was meant to be, Flynn. What I was supposed to be. Where I was meant to be—with you and my family. It may have taken several lifetimes and being born human to get it right, but I’m where I belong now, and I won’t let anyone take that from me. Never again.”
“I love you.” He then gathered her in his arms, holding her like he never wanted to let her go. She didn’t want him to let go. She wanted him to hold her forever.
“I love you too.” Her arms wrapped tight around his waist as she snuggled close, his scent and warmth surrounding her in a comforting cocoon. Then suddenly Sasha smelled a familiar scent and stiffened in Flynn’s arms. “Jenna,” she growled.
Both turned to watch her saunter into the room. She was, of course, naked like the rest of them, probably because she changed somewhere along the line. She was also a little dirty and had a wild look about her. Especially the eyes, like she had finally gone over the edge. Oh, and the big gun she had aimed at them sort of helped bring that point home. It probably explained how she got past the others as well. A Lupus could heal a lot of wounds. A bullet in the brain was not one of them.
“Well, well, isn’t this sweet? The True Mates are playing kissy face,” she sneered and then roared with rage. “And over my mother’s dead body!”
Roan made a small move, like he was about to pounce, but thought better of it. Jenna caught the movement and pointed her gun at him.
“Oh, I don’t think so, Mr. High and Mighty. You might be Alpha, but a bullet to the brain can kill you like any of the others.” She grinned, waving him back with the gun. Roan didn’t move an inch.
“You were warned, Jenna, of what would happen should you test me.” His power started filling the room.
Sasha could feel the strength of it as his anger fueled it. Could see his eyes glow almost pure white with the intensity of it. And he was powerful, nothing like what she imagined or felt earlier in the clearing. His type of power was something else, something raw, almost primal. Woe be to the one who would feel the full force of that power. But it wasn’t going to be Jenna. This was between them, always had been.
“None of that, Roan.” Jenna cocked the gun. “We all know the reason I’m here and why.”
Sasha looked at Flynn, then at Roan, feeling his power recede a bit. Then she looked at Jenna. “Yes, we know.” She stepped out of Flynn’s embrace.
“Sasha.” Flynn reached for her, his eyes begging her not to do this.
“No, Flynn, this has to end. The cycle must be stopped.”
“She’s right, brother,” Roan agreed with a deep sigh. “And as much as I would like to be the one to do it, I can’t. This is between them and always has been.” He merely said what Sasha had been thinking earlier. Maybe great minds really did think alike. Well, at least Alpha minds.
Flynn shook his head, knowing they were right but still clearly not liking it. “Just be careful, huh?”
“Don’t worry, Flynn; I’ll make sure she goes fast and painless.” Jenna pretended mock compassion, pointing the gun at Sasha.
Flynn growled at her, his fingers flexing like he wanted to rip the crazy bitch’s head off. Sasha couldn’t blame him in the least. She had felt like doing it herself from the first moment she met the woman.
Sasha chuckled. “Still hiding like a coward, I see.” She brought some of Tala’s memories forward to help her. What good was reincarnation if she couldn’t use it? “You never could do your own dirty work and get your hands messy, could you?”
“I’m not a coward,” Jenna growled and pointed the gun straight between Sasha’s eyes.
“Really?” Sasha countered sarcastically. “Then why the gun?” She nodded to the weapon in Jenna’s hand. “A true Lupa doesn’t need a gun. A true Lupa uses power and strength and instinct to overcome an enemy.”
Jenna’s face contorted with rage; her body and the hand holding the gun shook with it. Sasha could feel Jenna’s power flood the room as she snarled her denial. “I am a true Lupa! I was born Lupa, born to lead this Pack. You’re nothing, nothing!” She spat at Sasha.
“Then prove it,” Sasha challenged. “Prove to everyone here what you are. What you can do. If I’m nothing, then beating me won’t be much of a problem for you, will it?”
Sasha could see the indecision in Jenna’s wild, glowing eyes. Could see the need to give in to her primal side and fight, warring with her desire to just shoot Sasha and get it over with. But she was betting that Jenna would take the bait. She might be the reincarnation of Neena, but she was still Jenna, still had Jenna’s need to prove that she was the best. And a true Lupa didn’t turn down a challenge, not when she thought she could win. For Jenna, that was especially true.
Sasha knew the moment the thought came into Jenna’s head, because she smiled. Smiled with such overconfidence and malice that Sasha almost tipped her hand just to show Jenna otherwise. Luckily, she didn’t. Jenna needed to be gun free before Sasha let her know just who she was dealing with. And besides, the surprise would be to Sasha’s advantage. Jenna was expecting a weak, non-transformed Lupa. Boy, was she in for the shock of her miserable life.
“You’ll fight me? No interference from the others?” Her eyes were narrowed, as if she couldn’t believe her good fortune.
Sasha nodded. “Just you and me, the way it was always meant to be,” she promised, motioning Flynn and Roan behind her to the far corner. The bathroom wasn’t exactly the right place for a knockdown drag-out, but it was big enough for what she needed to do. Ensure the Pack’s survival. And hers.
Jenna grinned evilly, then laid the gun on the counter and moved slowly away from it.
“The Pack is mine, always has been mine. You’ve never been the one, never,” she taunted Sasha as they started to circle each other.
As a baiting tactic, it was weak, but Sasha didn’t let her know that. Now that they had started this, Sasha needed to make sure that Jenna couldn’t get to her gun again, or the one Sasha had thrown in the sink. She glanced briefly at Flynn and Roan, giving Jenna the impression she was making sure they were out of the way, then gave them an imperceptible nod to the guns. She knew they understood as they made to move like they were giving them more room to maneuver. Jenna didn’t notice; she was too busy running her mouth. Predictable, as always.
“You’re weak. You’ve never been able to defeat me,” Jenna sneered, crouching low as they continued to circle each other. “I’ll always win, Tala, no matter what you try.”
The fact that Jenna called her Tala threw her a bit, but it also let Sasha know just how far gone Jenna was by this point. It also seemed fitting, in an odd way. This was the final battle between them. She and Jenna, Tala and Neena. Yeah, it fit.
“Don’t be too overconfident, Neena. Using deception to defeat me all those times has come to an end,” Sasha countered, playing her game. “We’ll settle this the way it should have been settled long ago. Just us, no one else.”
That pissed Jenna off, because she snarled at Sasha, making like she was going to swipe her with her hand. Good. The angrier she was, the more off balance she would be.
“You will die by my hand, bitch, and Nikos along with you.” She spat the words at Sasha. “Too bad, too. He was such an excellent fuck.” Jenna grinned maliciously, her eyes glowing like flames of hatred.