CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED & SIXTY SEVEN
Talia’s POV
Michael moved to put himself between us and the back of the safehouse with his arm raised. He was about to say something, but Nolan was on him in minutes. Michael slammed hard into his wall with an audible crunch. At least three of his ribs were broken.
Michael stood up slowly with one hand pressed to his side. His breathing labored through his gritted teeth. He tried to put on a brave face, but he was clearly in pain. No matter his experience, Michael was still an old man and could not withstand blows from Nolan who was in his prime.
‘No, no, he deserves this. Don’t take pity on him,’ my wolf growled.
‘I’m not, but if Nolan kills him before we get the antidote, that defeats the purpose of finding him,’ I said.
“Give us the antidote, right now!” I demanded.
“Why would you…” Confusion and then genuine surprise crossed Michael’s face before he frowned. “Alpha King is still alive, isn’t he?! That bastard Robin dared to lie to me!”
“You have learned nothing from your decisions,” I told him. “No one will ever be loyal to you if you always use pain and fear to control them.”
“Shut up. You know nothing,” Michael snapped.
“It is over, Michael. Give me the antidote,” I demanded again.
Michael scoffed. “You think I would give you anything? After everything you have cost me?”
“I cost you nothing. If you had been a better person, raised a better son, you would be a well respected Elder now, but you allowed greed to taint everything you touched. All of this is your fault,” I responded.
Michael looked at me with contempt and said, “I should have killed you when you were in Shadowclaw.”
“And you would’ve failed. Just like you have failed now,” Nolan interjected. “Surrender. Give us the antidote and we will allow you to have an honorable death.”
Michael looked between Nolan and I before saying, “I will never give you that antidote. The King is already a dead man. He just does not know it yet.”
“Enough of your bullshit,” Nolan growled. He surged forward. Michael swung at him, but Nolan caught his wrist and snapped it like a twig before snatching him up in the air and back against the wall by his throat.
Michael’s face reddened and his hand came up to pull at Nolan’s wrist, but he could not loosen Nolan’s grasp. “The antidote,” Nolan growled. “Now.”
“No,” Michael spat. “It won’t change anything.”
“What do you mean?” Nolan asked.
“The poison has been working for months,” Michael explained, “Even if I gave you the antidote today, it would change nothing. “His lips pulled back into a sneer. “The damage has already been done. You are too late.”
Then Michael shifted for attack.
It happened in under a second. One moment Nolan had him by the throat and the next his wolf was tearing tree of his clothes. Nolan took a step back, unphased by Michael snarling at him. “If you think shifting will save you, you…”
Nolan stopped in midsentence and I felt his rage slam into me. It was so oppressive that it made me take a step back.
“Nolan, what’s wrong?” I asked and that’s when I noticed Michael.
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As his wolf, Michael was large, black with grey streaks from age, and had a scar across the muzzle. I saw it then on his forehead, unmistakable against his black fur: three white streaks in the shape of claw marks.
It was him.
Michael was the wolf that killed Nolan’s father.
Nolan shifted almost immediately. The roar that came out of him shook the walls.
Nolan drove straight into Michael. The impact sent them both crashing into the far wall hard enough to crack the plaster. They tussled, both trying to get the upper hand on the other as they growled and snarled at each other.
Finally, Nolan caught Michael by the scruff. Michael flailed, biting at Nolan’s legs to get free but Nolan held on. Michael twisted and bit into Nolan’s shoulder. This gave Nolan the opening he needed and released Michael’s scruff. He clamped down on
Michael’s neck instead.
“That’s it. This is over!’ My wolf said.
Nolan began to swing Michael around like a dog with a chew toy before I heard a sickening crunch. Michael’s body went limp as Nolan ripped his neck open. He collapsed in a pool of his own blood with Nolan standing over him. Nolan watched coldly as the color drained from Michael’s eyes.
Robin was on the opposite side of the room with his face completely white. He had not moved during the fight.
“Luna, I…”
Hearing his voice made Nolan whip around to look at him. Nolan snarled as he approached him, lowering down in a striking
position.
“Luna, please. I’m sorry,” Robin begged. “Please. Don’t let him kill me!”
I quickly stepped in between them before Nolan pounced. Robin deserved to be punished but I couldn’t allow Nolan to kill him in a blood rage.
“Nolan, stop!” I said firmly. Nolan tried to sidestep me, but I made sure to block him from Robin. I could feel the grief and rage through the mate bond. “Stop. This is over, Nolan. Just stop.”
Nolan glared at me, growling low in his throat, but he didn’t move again. I maintained eye contact and then pointed at the exit.
“Robin,” I said quietly without looking away from Nolan. “Find your daughter and leave.”
Robin didn’t need to be told twice. I heard him flee the room with the door slamming shut behind him.
I never took my eyes off Nolan. Eventually, he stopped growling and his shoulders slumped. Nolan shifted back and came up on one knee on the floor with his head bowed.
“I failed you,” he said finally with red eyes. His voice was rough and low. “I lost control and I let Michael provoke me. Now, we don’t have the antidote.”
I crouched in front of him.
“You have not failed me, Nolan,” I said as I placed my hands on the side of his face to force him to look at me. “You have never failed me.”
“He had the antidote… and I killed him,” Nolan replied, his voice laden with guilt.
“Jason was with him the entire time. I’m sure he has it,” I said softly. “You avenged your father… that matters. Now we’ll hunt Jason together, alright?”
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