Michael said, pulling himself to his feet.
“You can’t break your oath,” Allison pointed out.
“I’ve already done that,” Michael said. “More importantly, I’ve betrayed their trust in a way no wolf ever should. I don’t deserve to be here anymore.”
“It’s your choice,” Luke shrugged.
For the first time, Logan gathered his cojones to speak.
“Brother,” Logan pleaded. “Don’t leave. We’re a family, aren’t we?”
“You two are,” Michael said, nodding toward Luke. “Apparently, I am not.”
“Of course you are,” Luke argued. “Don’t go. We can work through this!”
“Not this time,” Michael said. “I disavow this pack. You are no longer my Alpha, and this is no longer my pack!”
Hearing his own words spat back at him, Luke twitched slightly, but made little other indication that he was affected. He leaned against the laurel tree with his arms crossed casually and said nothing.
“Let’s go,” Michael threw at Allison over his shoulder.
Allison shot a helpless look at Logan, but he only bowed his head shamefully and offered no solace. Reluctantly, she followed Michael into the tree line, noticing he didn’t even look over his shoulder as they went.
“The nerve of him,” Michael grumbled as soon as they were well out of earshot. “Taking over my pack and then trying to act like it had been his all along! I’ll show him. I’ll start my own pack, and it’ll be bigger and better than he ever thought of!”
Allison said nothing. This complaining was so out of character for Michael that it was jarring.
“What do you think?” Michael asked her suddenly.
Unable to stop herself, Allison blurted out, “I think you’re acting like a child.”
Michael stopped walking and spun on his heel to face her.
“What are you talking about?” he said, his voice rising far above its natural tone. “How am I acting like a child?”
“All I hear is you whining about what Luke did, but I don’t hear you taking responsibility for what we did,” she said. “From what I gather, Luke had every right to do what he did according to pack law, so…”
“What do you know about pack law?” he interrupted her. “You are nothing but an outsider, and that’s all you’ll ever be, human! ”
Allison’s jaw dropped, and her heart jumped. A dozen thoughts ran through her mind at once, but rather than shouting, lashing out, or striking him as she was wanting so desperately to do, she simply turned and began to walk away.
“Where are you going?” Michael called after her. “Allison!”
She continued to march purposefully away from him, and she didn’t hear his footsteps behind her. She found her way back to Thaddeus’s grave, and Luke and Logan were still there. Their eyes turned to her as soon as they heard her footfalls in the distance.
“Take me to Victor!” she shouted, striding long and fast in an effort to reach them quickly.
Luke said nothing as she approached. Logan’s eyes darted to and fro, undoubtedly looking for Michael.
“Allison, what are you doing here?” Logan asked with pleading eyes.
“I want you to take me to Victor right now,” she said flatly, coming to a stop challengingly close to Luke. Her hands were on her hips, and her eyes flared dangerously.
“Might I ask why?” Luke asked.
“Begging your pardon, but I don’t believe you have any right to ask now that I’ve been surreptitiously ousted from your pack,” Allison said. “Will you take me, or not?”
Luke shrugged and said, “Have it your way.”
“Luke, what are you doing?” Logan nearly whispered in Luke’s direction.
“This is her request,” Luke said. “Who are we to deny it?”
“You’re only doing this because you’re pissed at Michael,” Logan challenged him.
Luke’s face clouded and he struck like a viper, backhanding Logan with
“You can’t break your oath,” Allison pointed out.
“I’ve already done that,” Michael said. “More importantly, I’ve betrayed their trust in a way no wolf ever should. I don’t deserve to be here anymore.”
“It’s your choice,” Luke shrugged.
For the first time, Logan gathered his cojones to speak.
“Brother,” Logan pleaded. “Don’t leave. We’re a family, aren’t we?”
“You two are,” Michael said, nodding toward Luke. “Apparently, I am not.”
“Of course you are,” Luke argued. “Don’t go. We can work through this!”
“Not this time,” Michael said. “I disavow this pack. You are no longer my Alpha, and this is no longer my pack!”
Hearing his own words spat back at him, Luke twitched slightly, but made little other indication that he was affected. He leaned against the laurel tree with his arms crossed casually and said nothing.
“Let’s go,” Michael threw at Allison over his shoulder.
Allison shot a helpless look at Logan, but he only bowed his head shamefully and offered no solace. Reluctantly, she followed Michael into the tree line, noticing he didn’t even look over his shoulder as they went.
“The nerve of him,” Michael grumbled as soon as they were well out of earshot. “Taking over my pack and then trying to act like it had been his all along! I’ll show him. I’ll start my own pack, and it’ll be bigger and better than he ever thought of!”
Allison said nothing. This complaining was so out of character for Michael that it was jarring.
“What do you think?” Michael asked her suddenly.
Unable to stop herself, Allison blurted out, “I think you’re acting like a child.”
Michael stopped walking and spun on his heel to face her.
“What are you talking about?” he said, his voice rising far above its natural tone. “How am I acting like a child?”
“All I hear is you whining about what Luke did, but I don’t hear you taking responsibility for what we did,” she said. “From what I gather, Luke had every right to do what he did according to pack law, so…”
“What do you know about pack law?” he interrupted her. “You are nothing but an outsider, and that’s all you’ll ever be, human! ”
Allison’s jaw dropped, and her heart jumped. A dozen thoughts ran through her mind at once, but rather than shouting, lashing out, or striking him as she was wanting so desperately to do, she simply turned and began to walk away.
“Where are you going?” Michael called after her. “Allison!”
She continued to march purposefully away from him, and she didn’t hear his footsteps behind her. She found her way back to Thaddeus’s grave, and Luke and Logan were still there. Their eyes turned to her as soon as they heard her footfalls in the distance.
“Take me to Victor!” she shouted, striding long and fast in an effort to reach them quickly.
Luke said nothing as she approached. Logan’s eyes darted to and fro, undoubtedly looking for Michael.
“Allison, what are you doing here?” Logan asked with pleading eyes.
“I want you to take me to Victor right now,” she said flatly, coming to a stop challengingly close to Luke. Her hands were on her hips, and her eyes flared dangerously.
“Might I ask why?” Luke asked.
“Begging your pardon, but I don’t believe you have any right to ask now that I’ve been surreptitiously ousted from your pack,” Allison said. “Will you take me, or not?”
Luke shrugged and said, “Have it your way.”
“Luke, what are you doing?” Logan nearly whispered in Luke’s direction.
“This is her request,” Luke said. “Who are we to deny it?”
“You’re only doing this because you’re pissed at Michael,” Logan challenged him.
Luke’s face clouded and he struck like a viper, backhanding Logan with