one of the Enforcers on the phone.
“What happened?” she demanded when he hung up.
“She went into labor this morning, and when the nurse returned with her son, she killed the nurse and tried to attack her own child.”
“Where’s the baby? Was he hurt?”
“No, a doctor and an orderly managed to save him. He’s with his father.”
“Are you going to question her?”
Jarrod nodded. “They were forced to heavily sedate her for right now.”
“You said that the nurse returned with her son,” Mary said angrily. “Briony said she didn’t want her child taken from her. She didn’t want to participate in the Mage ritual. So was the child taken from her forcibly, or was she just browbeaten into it?”
“I will definitely talk to Petra about that when she returns. I told her that all mothers must be told they have a choice, and if Briony was pressured into it, there will be consequences. But that doesn’t explain why she’d try to harm her own baby after he was brought back,” Jarrod said, shaking his head. “Did you see anything off about her when you talked to her? Any indication of mental instability?”
“Not in the slightest,” Mary said. “What do you mean, when Petra returns?”
“She apparently left for a weekend off.” Jarrod frowned when he said it.
“And you don’t find the timing odd?”
“It’s not ideal,” he admitted. “I swear I’ll get to the bottom of whatever’s happening. In the meantime, my uncle is using this as an excuse to try to stir up more trouble, so I’ve got to go talk to the council again. I’ll be back this evening.”
The door opened, and an Enforcer stuck his head in. “Sir, are you ready?”
* * * * *
Earvin sat in the town hall’s conference room, boiling with anger. That pathetic cub Jarrod, and Jarrod’s mewling supporters, weren’t due for another ten minutes.
He’d had his fill of weakness. When he was Alpha, he’d scourge all of the weaklings from his pack with cleansing fire.
He snarled into the phone. “Where the hell are you?” he demanded.
“I told you,” Petra whined. “I’m in the woods. On vacation. You know these things take a toll on me.”
He knew that every time they were forced to make the necessary sacrifice for his glorious mission, Petra practically had a breakdown and had to flee the pack lands for a few days, to hide out in the woods and snivel in self-pity. But this time her absence was putting him and all his plans at risk.
“Thanks to that fat bitch Jarrod brought in, everyone’s starting to ask questions!” he barked at her. “And I don’t think I need to remind you that we have another delivery this week. This is not the time for you to disappear. You need to return immediately so we can strategize.”
“Fine. I’ll be back first thing tomorrow.”
Why should it take so long? He’d said immediately . He didn’t make suggestions; he gave orders.
“Where, exactly, are you?” She was avoiding the question, he noticed. He’d never really cared where she went off to sulk, but now a nagging worry was forming in the back of his mind.
“It’s a private place where I go to recover,” she said, her tone apologetic. “It’s important to me that it stay private.”
“As your Alpha, I order you to tell me.” If she tried to say that he wasn’t the Alpha, that bitch was dead.
“I can’t, Earvin. I need this time to myself or I wouldn’t be able to carry out our important work.” Her tone was humble and wheedling, but her refusal sent a cold jolt of alarm through him. Was it possible that there was another reason she left the pack lands immediately after every sacrifice? What was she really doing, and where did she go? He’d never had her car searched before she left… Clearly he should have, but it had never occurred to him that she might betray him in any way.
He struggled to contain his rage. She’d refused a direct order from him; she’d sealed her fate. For now, though, he needed to
“What happened?” she demanded when he hung up.
“She went into labor this morning, and when the nurse returned with her son, she killed the nurse and tried to attack her own child.”
“Where’s the baby? Was he hurt?”
“No, a doctor and an orderly managed to save him. He’s with his father.”
“Are you going to question her?”
Jarrod nodded. “They were forced to heavily sedate her for right now.”
“You said that the nurse returned with her son,” Mary said angrily. “Briony said she didn’t want her child taken from her. She didn’t want to participate in the Mage ritual. So was the child taken from her forcibly, or was she just browbeaten into it?”
“I will definitely talk to Petra about that when she returns. I told her that all mothers must be told they have a choice, and if Briony was pressured into it, there will be consequences. But that doesn’t explain why she’d try to harm her own baby after he was brought back,” Jarrod said, shaking his head. “Did you see anything off about her when you talked to her? Any indication of mental instability?”
“Not in the slightest,” Mary said. “What do you mean, when Petra returns?”
“She apparently left for a weekend off.” Jarrod frowned when he said it.
“And you don’t find the timing odd?”
“It’s not ideal,” he admitted. “I swear I’ll get to the bottom of whatever’s happening. In the meantime, my uncle is using this as an excuse to try to stir up more trouble, so I’ve got to go talk to the council again. I’ll be back this evening.”
The door opened, and an Enforcer stuck his head in. “Sir, are you ready?”
* * * * *
Earvin sat in the town hall’s conference room, boiling with anger. That pathetic cub Jarrod, and Jarrod’s mewling supporters, weren’t due for another ten minutes.
He’d had his fill of weakness. When he was Alpha, he’d scourge all of the weaklings from his pack with cleansing fire.
He snarled into the phone. “Where the hell are you?” he demanded.
“I told you,” Petra whined. “I’m in the woods. On vacation. You know these things take a toll on me.”
He knew that every time they were forced to make the necessary sacrifice for his glorious mission, Petra practically had a breakdown and had to flee the pack lands for a few days, to hide out in the woods and snivel in self-pity. But this time her absence was putting him and all his plans at risk.
“Thanks to that fat bitch Jarrod brought in, everyone’s starting to ask questions!” he barked at her. “And I don’t think I need to remind you that we have another delivery this week. This is not the time for you to disappear. You need to return immediately so we can strategize.”
“Fine. I’ll be back first thing tomorrow.”
Why should it take so long? He’d said immediately . He didn’t make suggestions; he gave orders.
“Where, exactly, are you?” She was avoiding the question, he noticed. He’d never really cared where she went off to sulk, but now a nagging worry was forming in the back of his mind.
“It’s a private place where I go to recover,” she said, her tone apologetic. “It’s important to me that it stay private.”
“As your Alpha, I order you to tell me.” If she tried to say that he wasn’t the Alpha, that bitch was dead.
“I can’t, Earvin. I need this time to myself or I wouldn’t be able to carry out our important work.” Her tone was humble and wheedling, but her refusal sent a cold jolt of alarm through him. Was it possible that there was another reason she left the pack lands immediately after every sacrifice? What was she really doing, and where did she go? He’d never had her car searched before she left… Clearly he should have, but it had never occurred to him that she might betray him in any way.
He struggled to contain his rage. She’d refused a direct order from him; she’d sealed her fate. For now, though, he needed to
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