The Loneliest Alpha (The MacKellen Alphas) (42 page)

His
hand curled into a fist. “Baby, I love you. There is no forgetting about you.”

She
finally faced him, all raw emotion painted on her beautiful face. “Gavin, I don’t
want to go. I’m scared.”

His
face fell and he couldn’t keep from pulling her into his arms and holding her
tight. “Nothing’s gonna happen to you. Jo’s going to be with you, you’ll be
with your old pack. Will doesn’t have the means to get down to Arizona. This
isn’t about you anyway. It’s about me and him. I have to take care of this and
I won’t’ do it with you in danger.”

“I’m
doing this for you.”

He
kissed her cheek. “I know. When you come back, we’ll do this right. We’ll get
mated, set you up a real workshop in the basement, get you everything you need.
I promise.”

She
gave him a shaky smile and kissed him. Jo’s truck rumbled up the drive,
breaking them apart. After his SUV was totaled, he’d decided to buy a beat-up
pickup, saying if it was going to get trashed he’d rather buy trash.

“Gavin,
Alicia,” Jo said with a nod. Understanding the awkwardness in the air, he
grabbed the boxes and loaded them into the back of his truck.

“I
guess this is goodbye then.” Her voice caught.

He
squeezed her tight, giving her a long, lingering kiss, breathing her in so he
could recall the way she smelled and felt in his arms after she was gone.

“I’m
going to call you. All the time, all right?”

She
nodded, held his gaze for a long moment and then kissed him fiercely before
running to the truck.

Jo
grimaced. “You need to check in, just give me a ring. I expect to be there late
tomorrow night. I’ll take it easy. We’ll stop in a hotel on the way. Don’t
worry, we’ll keep separate beds,” he said trying to throw in some humor.

Gavin
couldn’t even smile. “Yeah. You keep her safe.”

Jo
nodded. “With my life.”

Gavin
watched his mate and cousin drive away and felt his heart going with them.

CHAPTER 27

Two weeks
later

Gavin
faced his pack for the first time since he took alpha position almost four
months ago. A bonfire roared behind him, big enough to burn a car into rubble.
He’d called this pack meeting for several reasons. The significant reason being
that he hadn’t seen his mate in two weeks, she refused his calls, and he wanted
this fiasco over with. According to Jo who stayed with Alicia, she refused to
talk to him because it hurt too much. Yeah, well he wanted to talk to his
fuckin’ woman so much his heart bled. And that hurt a lot too.

So
he was at the end of his rope. They still hadn’t caught Will and he’d finally
done the deed and called in the Justicars. Dmetri Demidov, a vampire and
Brayden Erickson, a much older vampire were leading the charge to find Will for
multiple murder attempts. They had the evidence, now they just had to find him.

It
hurt to call in the Justicars. He’d wanted to permit pack justice, but pack
justice for trying to murder the alpha’s mate meant death. It might make him
weak, but he couldn’t kill his own brother. Not his baby brother, the one he
used to babysit when he could barely walk. Hart had recommended letting the
Justicars take care of it and he’d finally agreed. Let them mete out justice.
Will would end up spending the rest of his long life in prison with other
violent offenders. The thought made him sick to his stomach but once he
reminded himself of what he’d done to Alicia, he knew it was a necessary evil.

Once
his cousin, Elliot MacKellen, gave him the all-clear signal that everyone in
the pack had gathered, Gavin raised his voice. “Quiet down now.” It was time
for the show to begin. He’d carefully planned it for two agonizingly long
weeks.

Excitement
was high in the air. He could almost hear what they were thinking.
What did
the alpha want? What had they learned about the murders? Where did his woman
go?

“I
brought you all here today for good reason. There has been too many secrets in
our pack since I took charge and I’ve finally realized we can’t allow these
secrets to be here anymore. They pollute us.”

That
definitely got everyone’s attention. The pack fell silent, eyes watchful.

“I’m
going to start by tellin’ you all what happened to my face. I know many of you
have asked but I evaded. I wasn’t ready to talk about it. Now I am.” He cast a
sidelong gaze at Marcus, Harry, and their youngest brother, David. They were
all seated at the front row, away from everyone else with a guard on them.
Marcus and Harry sat in cuffs, still under arrest for suspicion of murdering
Emma and Anthony. They didn’t have any evidence against the youngest Graham
brother, but they cuffed him all the same.

“After
the alpha challenge, I got drunk as many of you saw.” The pack laughed,
remembering, and Gavin smiled. “However, somethin’ happened after I got home.
When I woke up, this had been done to my face. I was covered in blood and salt.
In my gut I’ve always know who did it, but I didn’t have any proof.” Marcus
smirked. “What I didn’t know, folks, is that my own baby brother played a part
in it. It was his knife that Marcus Graham used to cut me up. It was his anger
at me for taking over the alpha challenge that made him go on to do vicious
things.”

His
sisters watched him with tears in their eyes. His brothers, with bowed heads.

“Of
course, I never thought Will had anything to do with it, but after he kidnapped
my mate and held her hostage, he admitted some things to her. He admitted to
being there and helping Marcus that night. And…while he isn’t here to hear me
say it, let it be known that I forgive him.”

People
gasped, even his own family looked surprised.

“Fact
is, I love him. He’s my brother and I understand his anger. He tried to scare
Alicia away from me. First by running her and Jo off the road, then poisoning
our food to make us sick, and then…” He faltered as the images came back.

The
horrifying images of her battered body stuck in the bottom of that hole, of the
bruises across her body, that eye swollen shut, and the fear in her eyes. The
look of terror that wouldn’t go away no matter how much he held her. It broke
his fucking heart.

He
cleared his throat. “And then he took her and hurt her, leaving her to die in a
rotten hole. But he’ll pay for his crimes. And so will Marcus Graham.” Gavin
strode toward Marcus. “See, folks, I’ve asked you out here tonight not only to
explain those things to you, but because I’m finally ready to finish somethin’
that started the night we fought through blood and sweat to decide the next
alpha. That’s why I challenge Marcus Graham to death rites on the basis of his
attack on me and the murders of Emma Linchman and Anthony Clipton.”

The
crowd flew into whispers. Death rites wasn’t something thrown about casually.
The two participants fought to the death. One who’s been wronged can issue
death rites, though the other party does not have to accept it. To not accept
it would make you a coward and shunned as weak in the pack.

Gavin
knew Marcus would accept. His ego wouldn’t let him ignore the challenge. He
didn’t just think he was better than Gavin, he
knew
he was in his
twisted mind. As to Gavin’s claim about Emma and Anthony, he still had no
evidence, only his gut instinct. And one way or another, Marcus would pay for
his crimes tonight.

Marcus
stood proud, a fiendish grin on his face. The crowd quieted to hear what he’d
say.

“I
accept.”

“But—”
Gavin drawled and loved the flicker of hesitation in Marcus’ eyes. “Only if you
admit to what you’ve done and give these families some peace.”

Gavin
waited, looking confident but knowing his plan could fall apart easily. Marcus
could back down now and refuse the challenge. He could dispute Gavin’s claims
with a shrug and never say another word about it. Or he could do as Gavin hoped
and fess up to his crimes, because Gavin knew Marcus wasn’t someone who was
ever ashamed of his deeds. In fact, he relished everything he did, because he
believed he was right. His arrogance would be his downfall.

“Uncuff
me,” Marcus said, wearing the smile of a killer.

Gavin
nodded at the guards and they released him. Marcus rolled his wrists around and
strode forward her, cocky as ever.

“Do
you accept or not?”

“Oh,
Gavin, I accept. I’ve waited a long time for this. But I won’t admit to
anything but what I did to your face.”

That
was to be expected. Gavin walked over to Harry and laid that next part of his
plan into place. He whispered into the brother’s ear for only him to hear.

Marcus
stiffened. The one thing that brought the Graham’s together was their family
loyalty and Gavin was about to use it against them.

“What
is it? What the hell are you saying to him?” He took a step toward them but the
guards tensed and he stopped.

Harry’s
eyes were wide, his teeth bared in a grimace. “No, no, you can’t.”

Gavin
only looked at him, showing Harry everything he needed to see. That yes, he
would.

Harry
stood in a rush. “I did it! I killed those kids!”

The
crowd went wild.

Emma’s
father, Todd Linchman, barreled forward on a roar. Guards could have intervened
but they didn’t. Linchman’s burly shoulder slammed into Harry, taking them both
to the ground. “You murdered my baby girl!” He let loose a series of meaty-fist
jabs before the guards pulled him off.

“Don’t
touch my brother!” Marcus said, his voice deep and measured.

“Maybe
I should be challenging the real killer to death rites,” Gavin said.

His
words spoke volumes. Marcus’s cold arrogance vanished in a flash as he realized
the trap. If he didn’t admit to what he did then Gavin would fight Harry for
his admission. Everyone knew Gavin would win. Harry was younger, weaker.

 “Harry
didn’t kill those kids. I did.”

“No,
don’t do it!” Harry said.

“Shut
up, Harry. I’ll take care of this.” The youngest brother surged forward from
the crowd and guards had to hold him back. His screams sounded like agony as he
watched what was happening between the last of his family.

“Is
there something you want to say?” Gavin asked.

Marcus
smirked, laughing in that soft way as he gazed out at the pack. “Yes, I killed
the girl and her boyfriend. Emma, well she happened to overhear something she
wasn’t supposed to hear. Let’s just say it had to do with getting rid of our
alpha here.”

The
parents of Emma Linchman howled as they held each other, rocking side to side. “What
did you do to her?” her father managed to shout. Tears streamed down his face.

“Beat
her head with a heavy branch then finished her off by drowning her in the lake.
We lykaens can live long, and we might be stronger than humans, but we can
drown just like any other breathing creature, can’t we?”       

“What
about our boy?” a mother said, her red hair sticking to her tear-streaked face.
A man wrapped his arm around her, anguish blazing in his yes. The parents of
Anthony Clipton.

“He
was with her. He managed to outrun us. We got him the next night though, before
he could tell anyone. I took care of him.”

“You
just said ‘we’ got him,” Gavin said. “Who else was with you? Could it have been
Harry or maybe your youngest brother, David?”

Marcus
snapped his mouth shut, all cold grins again. He wouldn’t implicate Harry,
though he had to be the one helping Marcus with the bodies. David had always
been the quiet one they protected. “I accept your challenge, Gavin. Are we
gonna do this or what?”

“Let’s
kill him!” someone screamed in the pack.

“Pack
justice for the kids!” another cried out.

Gavin
almost could have breathed a sigh of relief. He’d planned this moment for weeks
and had finally done it. Marcus and his brother was exposed. Everyone knew of
their crimes.

Gavin
held up his hand for silence. “Calm down, everyone. Calm down.” He waited until
they had themselves under control. “I owe Marcus for a personal slight against
me. I plan to rectify that tonight. Whatever’s left of him though… You can
have.”

Gavin
didn’t attack first. He and Marcus squared off like two predators, each
calculating the other for weak points and strengths. They’d each been in this
position before, four months ago. Since they’d fought each other before, they
each remembered what the other fought like. Marcus was slender and his lean
body gave him speed that Gavin couldn’t replicate. But where Marcus might be
fast, Gavin was strong. He’d ended up beating Marcus into the ground last time
until someone pulled him off Marcus’ squirming body.

“You
each know the rules,” Hart said. “Fight to the death. Fight with honor and may
the best man win.”

Gavin
brought his lykaen to the surface. It felt like seeing an old friend again. His
muscles stretched as adrenaline surged inside him, blood rushing through his
veins making them thicker. His hands curled into fists, tightening his fingers
and cracking his knuckles. Marcus did the same. They took heavy breaths like
two monsters about to battle, sucking in as much oxygen to fuel the body as
possible.