Ryder stared at the man who had caused so much pain, so much fear, and resisted the urge to kill him where he stood. Slowly. Or perhaps not too slowly, as Ryder would rather be back at his den with the woman who made his heart stop—even if he didn’t know what the hell he was going to do with her.
Luis, the Coven leader, a water witch with no qualms about killing, and the father of Leah, sat before him in his ornate, wooden, long-backed chair that looked more like a throne than an assembly chair. His peers surrounded him; the same witches who’d run toward the back exit when the first bomb blew. Only a few of those who remained had come to Ryder’s side during the blast. Those would be the witches the wolves would negotiate with and work with to help their people in the future.
The Alphas had agreed, and now Finn and Ryder would do what must be done to take the next step. Their worlds were burning, literally. According to their contacts in Washington, the government would be revealing their plan and laws soon. Once that happened, the current standstill would end, and they’d have to face whatever came. Ryder wasn’t looking forward to that in the least. But that hadn’t happened yet, and first, he needed to get a few things straight.
The witches in front of him were one of those pieces.
Leah stood by Ryder’s side, healed and angry. Or maybe he was the one who was angry. Leah looked more…resigned about the fact that her father had tried to kill her. As if that had been the inevitable conclusion to the relationship that had never been. He wanted to wrap his arm around her shoulders and bring her close, but he wasn’t sure she would accept it.
Something had changed between them, and he couldn’t figure out what it was exactly. But this wasn’t the time to worry about what his wolf ached for or how the woman beside him made him feel. He had to take care of the problem at hand, then he could worry about himself.
That was how he’d functioned in the past, and that was how he would have to now—even if it hurt like hell.
“You’ve summoned us here for a reason, wolf,” Luis snapped. “Get on with it. We don’t have all day to deal with your people. We have a war of our own to deal with.”
Ryder tilted his head and studied the man in front of him. Sweat slicked the witch’s forehead and his hands were clenched in front of him. Luis knew something was up and was damn worried about it.
Good.
“We’re here to deal with that war, or have you forgotten?” Ryder asked calmly. Leah put her hand on his back, settling the wolf beneath his skin that wasn’t so calm. “We’re also here so you can see that our people, all our people, are alive after the attack.”
Luis raised his chin. “And?”
“Why did you do it?” Ryder asked, his voice low. “Why did you sacrifice your daughter and risk the lives of your people to help the humans who want us all dead? It doesn’t help anything except to perpetuate the violence.”
Gasps sounded in the room, but Luis merely narrowed his eyes. “You dare accuse me of this? What proof do you have?”
Finn growled beside Ryder and pressed a button on his phone. The voice of the human who had called out Luis’s name at the camp sounded as he told of his plans and the connection to Luis. They hadn’t recorded it when they’d been preparing to fight but had gotten his confession again before the cops came. At least, Finn had, once he’d made it to the camp. Ryder had only been thinking about Leah—something that was dangerous. But with the mating urge riding him hard, he couldn’t function like he needed to.
“Lies!” Luis screamed and stood. “You want the witches dead, that is why you come in here with your false accusations. Get out of here before I show you what kind of witch I am. What power I wield.”
“Oh, I think we already know what kind of witch you are,” Leah said smoothly. “You’re the kind of witch who cheats on his wife and lies to the woman who fathered twins for you. You’re the kind of witch who spends years, years, hunting them down and trying to snuff out their lives so the world doesn’t look down on you. You’re the kind of witch who makes contact with organizations who not only hate the paranormal but want to use them for their means so you can kill two witches who truly mean nothing to you. You’re the kind of witch who, after having one twin killed, will find every way possible to have your daughter’s life ended. Even start a war with the wolves in order to get it done. You’re no true witch. You’re a traitor in every way possible.”
Ryder wanted to throw his head back and howl at her words. She didn’t sound broken or defeated. She sounded strong. She sounded wolf.