Lucas felt the hackles going up among the males around him, and he knew it would be a disaster if they shifted and went after August in wolf form. She couldn't be harmed like that—that wasn't his intention when he gave Gunnar the go ahead to antagonize her.
If she was truly destined to be their Luna, Lucas thought a display of her power for the males who were with him would be beneficial. He had no choice but to bring her in on the elder's orders, but that didn't mean she couldn't use the opportunity to impress some of them and leave a conviction in their hearts about who she was.
Many who worked at the behest of the elders were convinced of the inherent danger of the alyko as a whole and of August specifically. They believed she should not be here and that Graeme should not have returned.
But Lucas was hopeful. And he was getting inpatient. He knew the elders were working in the shadows on something, because they had him running around doing strange things now that Marius was gone.
Whatever they had planned could not be good for August or Graeme—the fact that she was in this position now was proof enough. What would it take to push Graeme far enough that he would do what was needed to right the pack?
"Stand down, guards," Lucas ordered as their hackles rose higher.
The males bristled at the command. Their instincts were that they were facing a significant, unknown threat, and being told to stand down meant they couldn't defend or attack as well as they could in wolf form.
When August's black eyes moved to lock with his, Lucas felt a chill of fear shudder through him. It was impressive. He wasn't sure what he had expected from her, but it hadn't been this.
Lucas' attention shifted when he realized another lycan male was headed their way—and fast. This one was in wolf form. He could hear the threatening growl and massive paws pounding the earth at top speed coming from the direction of the market. If it was someone who hated alyko, they were coming to attack.
Without further hesitation, Lucas shifted and sprang in front of August in a defensive position, blocking her from whoever was quickly approaching. Once Finn realized what was happening, he did the same.
August fell back at the shock of having Lucas shift so quickly and lunge her way. She watched wide-eyed as both his and Finn's wolves braced themselves in front of her, facing the opposite direction.
Meanwhile, Gunnar took the opportunity to grab this witch creature by the hair and tug her backward, effectively dragging her through the mud while she yelped in protest. He flipped her onto her stomach and pinned her hands. Maybe if she couldn't see anyone with her freaky eyes, she couldn't harm them either.
"Let me go," she growled—this time with her regular voice—twisting beneath him to try to get free.
Lucas turned to roar at Gunnar to stand down, and just as he did Gunnar's eyes went wide. A massive wolf broke through the trees ahead of Lucas and Finn and leapt clear over them with a vicious snarl.
Gunnar let go of August's hands and stumbled backward, realizing now that this wolf's eyes were set on him.
This wasn't just any lycan. This was the Alpha. The Alpha who hadn't been seen publicly in wolf form for years. The Alpha whose full authority had never even been felt in this pack.
Until now.
Graeme was massive as a wolf—bigger by far than any other male in the pack—and the threatening putter of his snarl as he circled his mate defensively had Gunnar literally pissing himself in submission.
Graeme stalked around the group taking in the scents of those who had threatened his mate and left her in this vulnerable position on the ground. Each male dropped onto their knees in fear, including Lucas and Finn. When he found them all fully submitted, he shifted back to his human form.
He stood silently, letting the rage roll off of him like steam to settle heavily over the others. His chest was heaving as he gave himself a few moments to get control.
These males in his pack had threatened his mate, and everything in him wanted simply to defend and attack—go straight for the throat—but he knew he needed control right now. They were trembling in fear. They were submitted.
He had to remind himself that they were being deceived by the elders, and—as the Alpha who had left them—that was at least partially his fault. This pack was hurting, and these males were not separate from that. They were a symptom.
He didn't dare look at August, because he knew that seeing her vulnerable would make him lose it.
Graeme's back was to her, and she was too stunned by him to move. He was… glorious. The most rugged beauty and power she had ever seen—and she was positive the others felt the same way.
The air around them now was like the aftermath of an asteroid collision—scattered anew, suspended in time almost—and it was yet to settle. But when it did settle… everything was bound to look different.
"Lucas," Graeme finally spoke, the depth of his voice rumbling through all of them to their core. It wasn't angry or out of control. It was calm. Commanding.
Lucas rose from his knees shakily and met Graeme's eyes with a small nod of acknowledgment.
"My sister. Where is she?" Graeme asked, a threat evident but unspoken.
"She threatened to kill a pack member, and the order was to imprison her for the time being," Lucas responded.
A muscle feathered in Graeme's jaw. Fucking elders.
"Samuel is there as well. For fighting those who were taking her," Lucas added.
August sucked in a breath. Greta and Sam were both imprisoned? How had so much happened in such a short time? She just saw Greta in the market.
"Who did Greta threaten?" Graeme asked skeptically. That didn't sound like her. She got into fights, sure, but she never threatened to kill anyone.
"Violet."
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