Roni snickered. “Yeah, you’re a bitter, unhinged bitch, and I’m a socially challenged tomboy. Go judge me.”
Trey looked at Kerrie curiously. “If you care for Marcus so much, why did you want him dead too?”
“He betrayed me,” she replied, but her eyes were on Marcus. “He chose her over me. And he needed to know how it felt to lose a mate, to lose everything.”
Looking murderous, Marcus growled low in his throat. “And that’s exactly why you’ll die today.”
Ally’s head began to badly pound as Kerrie’s emotional state repeatedly swung from enraged to bitter to confused to pained to disoriented. The female was, in a word, lost. In which case, Ally had to wonder if they were looking at this from the wrong angle.
Turning her attention to the female kneeling beside Kerrie—a female who was filled with greed, ruthlessness, and naked ambition—Ally said, “It wasn’t Kerrie’s idea to take out the hits, was it? She’s eager to see Roni and Marcus dead, no doubt about that. She’s been obsessing over it for some time now. But that girl ain’t thinking clearly enough to have been able to arrange hits, hire people to kidnap families, and cover her tracks while doing it all. Not without a little help and advice, anyway.”
Derren arched his brows. “That’s a very good point.”
Sure she was right, Ally continued speaking to Miranda. “You’re an opportunist. You saw your cousin’s pain, her need for vengeance, and you saw a way to use that for your own personal gain. I think you gave her the idea to take out the hits. I think you pointed her in all the right directions—always careful not to dirty your own hands. That way, if Kerrie failed, the blame wouldn’t fall on you. But if Kerrie succeeded, you got yourself more land and power.”
Kerrie looked at her cousin. “Miranda?” The female didn’t respond—she was too busy glaring at Ally.
Taryn sighed at Kerrie. “Basically, you thought you were the mastermind behind all this, but that wasn’t the case. Your cousin exploited your deteriorating emotional state for her own gain. At least you can be satisfied that it didn’t work out well for her.”
Kerrie shook her head. “No. Miranda wouldn’t do that. She owed me.”
“Owed you how?” asked Nick.
“She wouldn’t have had the position of lone Alpha if it hadn’t been for me. I had a vision, I told her the Alpha male would die.”
Nick’s gaze slid to Miranda. “And you ensured that you were in the perfect position to take over when he died, didn’t you?”
Miranda sniffed haughtily, but her fear was no longer hidden. It was in her eyes, her scent, and her body language. “My pack will come to free me.”
Nick’s smile had a cruel edge to it. “You know that won’t happen. You’re a malicious, traitorous, self-serving bitch—they’ll be glad to be rid of you.”
“They’ll—”
Nick declared, “I’ve heard enough. Let’s get this over with.”
Going to her brother’s side, Roni said, “Nick, you promised. You agreed she was mine.”
Holding up a hand, Taryn stepped forward. “I get you want your revenge, Roni—this bitch could have cost you both your mate and your pack. But I could have lost the same. My pack needs vengeance too. We could both have the honor,” proposed Taryn with a shrug. “I’ll make her suffer on behalf of my entire pack. And you could do it too because, well, you’ll explode inside if you don’t.” After a long moment, Roni nodded her agreement.
At that point, Kerrie looked ready to piss her pants. Ally would have felt sorry for her if it weren’t for the danger the Mercury and Phoenix Packs had been subjected to because of this female. Many of the wolves had endured serious injuries thanks to the cougars and the grenade—including Derren, who had also been shot. That wasn’t something Ally could ever forgive.
Nick’s claws sliced out, making the female kneeling in front of him jerk. “Fine. Roni and Taryn can have Kerrie. But Miranda here is mine.”
Jaime sighed in disappointment. “You guys get all the fun.”
“This is what Betas are for,” Derren reminded his Alpha. “I can take care of this.”
“Yes, you can . . . but I need this.” Nick’s anger with the female was almost palpable. “My mate would be long dead if it wasn’t for Ally’s vision about the grenade, Derren. I wouldn’t have survived the loss of her, which means Willow would have grown up without her parents.” As Shaya’s hand rubbed his back soothingly, Nick’s shoulders relaxed a little.
Derren nodded. “If you’re sure.” He went to Ally’s side and draped an arm around her shoulders.