Page 106 of Hart's Redemption

Elijah looked him dead in the eye without blinking. “You’re still alive.” I couldn’t help but snicker. My man knew me so well.

Mallin puffed with indignation, undoubtedly sensing the truth in Elijah’s words. “This is absurd. Whoever is responsible for their deaths, it never would have come to that but for his involvement, and there is no question of his hand in murdering Zeke.” Ooh, that came dangerously close to admitting fault.

“I was there. Zeke attacked us. He wouldn’t listen to reason. He didn’t even recognize me. Whatever Beatrice Harker did tohim made him a mindless, killing beast. He would have torn through half the pack if Josh hadn't stopped him. A task, I’ll remind you, he nearly died to accomplish.”

Mallin slashed through the air as if slashing through Elijah’s argument. “Enough.Iam the Alpha here. This is not a debate. My word is law, and I decree that Joshua Harker’s punishment for his crimes against the Klamath pack meet that of his mother’s.”

I watched all the blood drain from Elijah’s face. “No,” he murmured.

Mallin looked down at me, and I transferred my gaze from Elijah’s stricken face to meet his penetrating glare. “Death,” Mallin finished ominously, then snapped his head back up to glare at Elijah. “As for you, my patience has run out. It is only out of love of your mother that I do not deal you the same fate. However, your repeated insolence deserves an equally serious punishment. Consider yourself banished. Let’s see how you fare without a pack to feed your narcissism.”

Elijah

I didn’t give a shit about being exiled from the only family I’d ever known. I cared that Conrad hadn’t even pretended to listen to reason and stepped forward to personally execute Josh.

He reached down and yanked Josh’s head back, exposing his throat. His other hand rose high as claws sprouted grotesquely from his fingers. Josh snarled at him, but remained on his knees and didn’t put up a fight.

In two bounds, I cleared the short distance between the crowd and the platform. I caught Conrad’s wrist on its path to tear out Josh’s throat. “I can’t let you do that.”

Blind rage shone in Conrad’s dark brown eyes. “I should have killed you years ago.”

“And I should have challenged you when I learned you set my father up in that ambush.”

All eighty of the gathered pack shuffled uncertainly, but no one moved to intervene. This was an Alpha problem, and I’d just invoked a challenge.

“It’s about fucking time,” Josh snapped as he threw off the silver chains like they were nothing. They hit the ground before him with a thud, and those closest shuffled back.

I looked over at him as he stood and dusted himself off. “Are you okay? What did he do to you?”

“Nothing that won’t heal.”

For the first time, I noticed a deep bruise on the side of his face. My grip on Conrad’s arm tightened, and I turned to look at him. “You tortured him?”

“He deserves worse.” Spittle flew from his lips with the snarl. “To me!”

I only had a moment to be confused when something solid slammed into my back. My hold on Conrad loosened, and he slipped free. I quickly turned to determine what had happened, only to be hit head-on by Neevah, one of the pack’s most notorious troublemakers and a staunch supporter of Conrad. We stumbled back as Josh spun to land a debilitating kick in Cara’s gut when she tried to give him the same treatment.

She let out a pained “Oof” and fell forward.

I shoved Neevah in an attempt to dislodge him, but without leverage, the effort had little effect. From the edge of the bystanders, Eric stepped clear. “No,” I grunted as Neevah slammed his fist into my side. “He can cheat, but we won’t.” I brought my elbow down on Neevah’s collarbone hard enough to hear bone crack, cringing inwardly. He let out a howl of pain and rolled clear.

I pushed up from the platform in time to see Josh dance through Marley’s defenses. Even being one of the largest, meanestweresin the pack couldn’t save him from the fury that was Joshua Hart. Josh’s fist slammed into the side of Marley’s face in the exact spot as Josh’s own bruise. Marley went down like a dead oak while Josh remained panting over his body.

“Not so nice, is it asshole?” he snarled. Dylon moved closer to the edge of the platform, and Josh zeroed in on him. Josh’s eyes narrowed to glittering gems of menace. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Dylon’s gaze slid past Josh to the silver chains only a few meters away.

“Try it,” Josh dared him.

Brains had never been Dylon’s strength. He made it all of two lurching steps before Josh had him laid out as well. I shifted my attention to where Conrad was watching on in shocked horror. From the size of his eyes, it was clear he’d underestimated just how lethal Josh could be. I took a step towards him, and Jaye blocked my path.

“Can’t let you do that, Red.”

“Step aside,” I growled.

“Not interested.” The words had barely left his mouth when I drove into him. Air rushed out of his lungs as I slammed him into the ground.

I wrapped my hand around his throat as he tried to get back up. “Stay down, Jaye. This isn’t your fight. This is between me and Conrad.” He wheezed, unable to form a response. My grip tightened, and he finally nodded, his fingers scrabbling uselessly at my forearm.