Fifty One

“What the hell!” Eva yelped, instantly retaliating with a fist to the male’s nose.

Ethan grunted as he doubled over, hands covering his nose as dark red rivulets of blood began seeping between his fingers and dripping onto the forest floor. Eva didn’t hang around to see the flash of black eyes as she ripped the needle from her arm and darted back towards the pack.

She barely made it two steps before Ethan was on her, tackling Eva to the floor. She hissed from the impact of hitting the earth, struggling against the male while he tried to restrain her. Growling, she brought her knee up sharply between Ethan's legs, the wolf above her grunting in pain. It was enough of a distraction to allow Eva to push Ethan off of her and scramble to her feet.

The moment she straightened, her world tilted as a wave of dizziness hit her. The force of it was so strong that she stumbled, her limbs suddenly feeling heavy and weak at the same time. The forest around her seemed to spin into a blur of sickening colours.

"I have to say, you put up more of a fight than your mate did." Ethan’s voice broke through the dizzying haze coming down on Eva like a tonne of bricks. “Albeit, we gave him a much stronger dose. Maybe we should have done the same for you.”

“Get off of me!” Eva slurred as Ethan pulled her up, trying to push him away but her arms wouldn’t cooperate and she just felt so tired. “Where’s Daniel? What did you do with him?”

“Don’t worry, he’s fine for now. I said you will him soon and you will.” Ethan replied as Eva slipped into the thick darkness.

---

Bethan had never wanted to be involved in her brother’s plans but when it came to Ethan no one got a choice, especially Bethan.

Bethan had always known Ethan despised her. Instead of being like the typical older brother who looked out for her and scared off potential suitors, he spent the first of Bethan’s life ignoring her and then the second half of her life belittling her and taking out his temper on her. Initially she assumed that it was because their father would beat Ethan whenever he was in a bad mood but the older Bethan got, the easier it was for her to recognise that dark cruelness in her sibling's personality. It was always simmering under the surface, influencing everything Ethan did.

After dad died, Ethan treated Bethan like nothing more than a tool to use to manipulate others. The Hellhound pack were not the first people Bethan was forced to manipulate and, if Ethan got his way, they wouldn’t be the last. Personally, Bethan hoped he killed her after this. No one would want her as a mate (as Ethan frequently told her) and the thought of being Ethan’s emotional and physical punch bag was not something Bethan wanted for the rest of her life.

He had dangled the idea of killing her in her face the night of the attack. She had been wedged into the back of the van between two of the rogues that followed Ethan like obedient puppies. They had been over the plan enough times that everyone was able to recite it off the top of their heads, even Bethan who would only have a small part in the whole plan.

They had followed the Emerald pack members all the way to the borders of the Hellhound pack and were now sitting in an old van, camouflaged by darkness as they waited for the emerald pack wolves to turn up.

“Bethan, stay here unless I call you.” Ethan had muttered before he and the rogues stepped out of the van as lights approached from the bend in the road.

Bethan had remained silent, watching from the darkness of the van as her brother and the rogues halted the car carrying the five unmated wolves. Her heart was hammering in her chest, praying that the oblivious visitors realized something was up and got the hell out of there before Ethan could execute his plan. She had thought about trying to warn them but her fear paralysed her and all she could do was watch in horror as the Emerald pack wolves were duped into thinking the men before them were members of the Hellhound pack there to escort them to the party being held several miles away.

They fell for it hook, line and sinker.

It was perhaps no more than ten minutes later that one of the rogues came jogging out of the void under the forest canopy making a beeline for the van.

“Ethan wants you.” He explained, waiting for Bethan to follow him out of the van and into the forest.

Almost immediately the scent of blood hit Bethan’s sensitive nose and she almost gagged, a shudder running through as she wondered if Ethan had changed his mind and just decided to kill the wolves instead.

Sadly, she was wrong.

Stumbling into the small clearing, Bethan's eyes automatically sought the five lifeless forms on the wet ground, their clothes torn and blood oozing from numerous wounds. They were deep and large and if any of the bodies had been human they would have died. However they were werewolves and so benefited from the ability to heal quicker than humans. Yet these wolves were not healing. Their ability to recover had been stalled.

"You need to infiltrate the pack by pretending to be from the Emerald pack." Ethan stated while the rogues worked on hiding any evidence of them being there. "You will befriend the new Luna and get her to trust you."

"And what if I can't?" Bethan asked, her voice quiet.

"Then I'll kill you myself." Ethan replied nonchalantly as if discussing the weather.

Bethan would have been distressed by the threat but this wasn't the first time he had threatened her life and Bethan had become so immune to it that she wished he would just kill her. He never did though because she was a commodity; a currency used to keep the rogues loyal. Her uses hadn't run out just yet.

"Here." Ethan pushed a small vial into Bethan's hand. "Drink this."

"What is it?"

"Just drink it!" Ethan growled, eyes flashing black as his wolf threatened to take over.

Bethan winced at the flash of dark eyes and pressed the vial to her lips, drinking down the watery contents. No sooner had she swallowed, Ethan snatched the bottle away.

"Will you tell me what that was?" Bethan asked.

"Something to prevent your injuries from healing." Ethan replied. "Now remember what I said, when they ask who did this, you tell them it was the beta. Silver coat and black eyes."

"Yes, Ethan." Bethan whispered.

Bethan was grateful that Ethan's first punch sent her stumbling back, her head hitting a rock and knocking her out. When she woke, several days had passed and she was in an unfamiliar room surrounded by unfamiliar people. Her body throbbed from her injuries as she was able to heal again. That's when Eva had come to her. Bethan admitted to herself that she envied the older she-wolf's beauty. Her hair and eyes made her look like she was a goddess and her personality was kind and strong. Eva didn't treat her like a victim or with any malice. She was supportive and wanted to help. For a moment, Bethan wanted to tell Eva the truth but her fear of her brother was always in control and she was never going to be free even if Eva helped her.

So like a coward, Bethan played along and watched helplessly as her brother inserted himself into the lives of the pack, waiting for a chance to pounce. He had her listen out for clues as well, telling him everything she learned.

"They're not mated." Bethan spoke when they were alone for the first time since the night of the attack. "Neither of them have a mark."

"Damnit!" Ethan snarled, hands curling into fists. "That means I can't just kill the bastard."

Ethan's plan had never been complicated, it had just been sneaky enough to catch people by surprise. Using the attack as a way in, Ethan planned to kill Daniel and his family before marking Eva as the title of Alpha would fall to her. He would simply take that title from her by forcing her to be his mate and then killing her. The pack laws meant that simply challenging Daniel wasn't enough. An Alpha could only be appointed by blood, by mating or by the pack. Since Daniel and Ethan were not related, there was no blood right and the pack would never vote Ethan in, especially when they learned who his father was.

Stealing the title by mating with Eva and then killing her was Ethan's only choice. That was made difficult because Eva and Daniel hadn't mated. If Daniel died then the pack would either vote in a new Alpha or the title would go to Daniel's sister.

"I will figure something out." Ethan finally muttered. "Did they believe you about who attacked you?"

"I think so." Bethan nodded.

If Daniel and Eva had believed Bethan and jumped to the conclusion it was Kade Bethan was referring to, they didn't believe it for long. Only a few days later, the beta's name was cleared and in the process it seemed he had rubbed Ethan up the wrong way. Now Ethan wanted him gone and he was going to do whatever he could to get Kade out of the picture including getting Eva shot in the process.

"Well if maybe you had done what you were meant to then she wouldn't have been shot!" Ethan had hissed as Bethan sat on the floor, nose dripping from her nose onto the bathroom tiles. "God you're so useless!"

Bethan agreed. She was useless. There was nothing she could do. For whatever the Moon Goddess had given her this miserable life and Bethan had no choice but to live it; constantly failing everyone around her. She didn't care so much anymore if she disappointed Ethan because she had always disappointed him but Eva was different. Bethan didn't want to disappoint her. Even the thought of betraying Daniel was sickening. Sure he was rude and blunt but he wasn't like Ethan. He cared about people and not just what he wanted.

Bethan knew she couldn't let this happen. She had to do something but drumming up the courage seemed impossible after so many years of being a coward.