Capítulo 28

Kristie had no interest in pack affairs and was unconcerned with the education and development of the pups. She ignored requests from the she-wolves, especially the low and unranked. Kristie brought no sense of unity or cooperation. Instead, she let resentments fester, and the pack structure slowly broke down. Only one wolf held it together. She worked quietly behind the scenes. Others sought her out for advice and comfort. Taking the pups' care onto herself, she provided a place for them to belong and learn new skills. She even took in two orphans as if they were her own.

How could he have been so blind? Kristie was not Luna material... Phoebe was.

Michael sighed. Despite her rejection—and it had to be a rejection—she carried on her duties even without a Luna's authority, quietly knitting the pack's deteriorating bonds. But that was over as soon as Alpha Jason set foot on their territory. No doubt he scented his mate immediately. The BBQ had to have been the moment he finally saw her. Michael recalled how Phoebe briefly appeared before disappearing with the pups. Alpha Jason did a remarkable job keeping a low profile considering how long he had been looking for his mate. While he remained at the party, Beta Luke had disappeared. Michael hadn't thought anything of it at the time, but now he realized the visiting Beta had been sent to keep an eye on his pack's Luna until Jason could claim her himself. He had been too distracted trying to keep Graham sober during Jason's visit to pay attention to the warning signs.

How was he supposed to keep the pack together now? His Alpha was soused, and their Luna was an airhead. Neither one of them had any desire nor the ability to lead the pack.

Graham woke with a start, shoving away the omegas trying to drag him to bed after cleaning him up. Growling dangerously, he scared the pair away. They disappeared, leaving Michael to handle the disoriented Alpha.

"There is no more beer," Michael said as Graham stumbled toward the fridge. "You drank it all."

"Buy more."

"With what funds? The pack is broke."

"Get more."

"All of our businesses are in foreclosure because you've been too drunk to maintain them."

Graham spun around, ready to fight, but suddenly crumpled in pain. He sank to his knees, unable to stand.

"What's wrong?" Michael asked.

"She's with him!"

Realization hit Michael. Graham's wolf never relinquished its bond, and now he was feeling her betrayal as she mated with another. If his wolf was this obsessive to have maintained the bond, there was no way to convince it to break it now. "Doc!" Michael opened his mindlink to the pack doctor.

"Beta?"

"How much wolfsbane would you need to temporarily break the bond of one's wolf?"

"That depends. For how long?"

"At least a few hours."

"Why would you need to?"

"It's for the Alpha."

"...I see. I'll be right there."

Michael waited until he heard the knock. Letting in the doctor, they hesitated as their Alpha writhed on the floor. Grimly, the doctor prepared a syringe with a clear liquid. Once ready, he nodded to Michael. The Beta held down their Alpha as the doctor injected the syringe's contents. They stepped back as Graham snarled before falling silent. He lay sprawled out on the floor. Breathing sighs of relief, they watched as he lay passed out.

"How long will it last?" Michael asked.

"I'm not sure how long he will stay out, but his wolf should stay quiet for a couple of hours... maybe."

"Only a couple?"

"Alphas have a much higher tolerance for wolfsbane than other wolves, and he's been a heavy drinker for years. Given the disconnection between him and his wolf, it's difficult to estimate how his recovery will be affected."

"Let's just hope Alpha Jason decides to take it easy given it's his Luna's first time."

The doctor hesitated, then asked, "Then it's true... Phoebe really was his mate... and should have been our Luna."

Michael nodded.

"I guess that makes sense. Certainly explains a few things."

"What do you mean?"

"Only that there always seemed to be a particular aura about her. It was calming. She wasn't like the other low-ranking she-wolves."

"You knew her well?"

"No. She came to the pack hospital regularly to visit her friend, a nurse. Betty, no, Brittany. They were really close."

"Is that nurse still here?"

"No. She's gone. You didn't know? One of Alpha Jason's warriors was her mate. She went with them."

"Hmm. He took those orphans she was caring for too," Michael sighed. "That means all her close bonds are with her in her new pack."

"Were you thinking of trying to lure her back?"

"The thought crossed my mind, but Alpha Jason definitely isn't letting her out of his sight."

"Alphas are very possessive," the doctor shuddered with the memory of Jason's aura. "Especially ones like him."

"Fire! Fire!"

The panicked call stirred both of them to action. Leaving the unconscious Alpha, Michael and the doctor darted outside and followed the link, eventually coming to Phoebe's cottage, or at least where it used to be. It was engulfed in angry flames. The flames had spread to the garden. The burning herbs added an odd aroma to the rising smoke. Standing in front of the conflagration was a proud Kristie.

Marching up to her, Michael gripped her arm, "What did you do?"

"I took care of the problem," she smirked.

"Do you have any idea what this is going to do to him?"

"This is all that bitch's fault," Kristie huffed. "This pack is better off without her."

"She was the only one holding this pack together!" Michael growled.

"Watch it, Beta! I'm Luna!"

"You were never Luna!" Michael declared to the stunned pack members. "You've done nothing but tear this pack apart! And I will not protect you any longer! I renounce you as my Luna!"

He marched away from her toward the growing crowd.

"Get back here, Beta!" she ordered.

Her Luna aura washed over him without effect. The disconnect between her and the pack was too great. She had no power to make demands of them anymore.

"I said get back here!" she demanded, but he ignored her.

"Get buckets now!" Michael ordered the other pack members. "We have to keep the fire from spreading. Let's go!"

The pack members complied. Soon they made a baling brigade and splashed water along the perimeter of the fire, keeping it contained as it slowly consumed itself. After an hour, it had burned itself down, and the chances of spreading were minimal. Michael sent the majority of the pack to bed, selecting a handful of warriors to guard and watch as the embers slowly died.

"You are going to pay for undermining my authority," Kristie growled as Michael continued to stand watch.

"What authority? You've squandered what little you had," Michael snorted. "You think those wolves you dragged to your bed did so because they were in love with you? Abusing your authority is the surest way to lose it."

"Y-you... take that back."

"Truth hurts, doesn't it? You've been here for years and never took the least bit of interest in this pack. Well, now it's turning its back on you. And you have no one to blame but yourself."

Before she could retort, a howl of rage echoed around them. Michael cursed under his breath. He had forgotten all about his Alpha. Spinning, he saw Graham bristling with rage, baring his fangs as his wolf fought for control.

Michael looked to the pack doctor, who shook his head. He didn't have another dose on him. Graham stumbled forward, his gaze on the slowly dying flames. "What happened!" he demanded.

The pack members still gathered bared their necks, but none dared to speak as his aura washed over them. It had been a long time since they felt his authority. "I said what happened?"

"I did what you didn't have the balls to do," Kristie declared, tilting her nose up.

His rage-filled gaze fell on her.

"You need to stop obsessing over that whore. I'm your Luna, remember?"

Before she said another word, his hand shot toward her, slashing open her throat. Wide-eyed in disbelief, Kristie crumpled to the ground like a puppet that had its strings cut.

"Graham, you need to calm down," Michael said.

"Were you in on this too?"

"No! Of course not!"

Graham growled, his wolf barely in check.

"Look, I'm sorry. Maybe if I'd been paying closer attention when you first brought Kristie here I would have realized... what's done is done. We have to focus on the pack now. We can still put it back together... and later... you can find a new Luna."

"I already have a Luna!" Graham snarled.

"She's gone! She's been claimed by another! You can't challenge him..."

"Watch me!"

With a howl, he suddenly shifted into his large, brown wolf. Michael took a step back. It had been years since he saw his Alpha's wolf. He bared his neck to the enraged Alpha wolf. He certainly didn't want to be seen as a threat. With a snarl, the wolf leapt off into the night.

Shit.

"Beta?"

"I need trackers! The best we got! Now! And someone dispose of this garbage," Michael scoffed at the Luna's torn body. His concern was for his Alpha and his pack. He didn't have time to worry about her. At least she couldn't do any more damage.