The Hard Way

The Hard Way

RYDER

Wilson cuts Mell a little deeper, but he doesn't anticipate an attack from both sides.

Finn closes his jaw around his leg, snapping his femur. He cries out and sinks to his knee, and I don't waste time. I grab his face between my hands and break his neck.

His limp body falls over and I step back, shaking from head to toe. Finn shifts back and his eyes meet mine. I part my lips to speak, but I can't get a single fucking word out.

"We have to move quickly," Mell rasps. I turn my attention to her and see that she has a hand pressed to the cut. The silver won't allow her to heal quickly, so we're going to need help. "Once they find out he's dead..."

I can hardly believe what I've done. I can't even feel relieved because Aria is still in Moon Rose, surrounded by all those monsters. I reach Mell and tell her, "We need to find more Nocturns and get this checked."

"I'm alright."

"Are you sure?"

She cackles. "I've had worse done to me. We have to find a way to get to Aria! Moon Rose is a long drive away. How do we get there without attracting attention? That's what we have to worry about from here on out."

"I can get a car and we can leave now," Finn tells me. "It's a good thing I was around here. What happened?"

"It's a long story," I tell him before glancing at Mell. "We can't leave without getting rid of everyone who stands with Wilson and Dorson. We'll come back to a hellhole and Ironclaw will be lost forever. I don't even know what we'll find in Moon Rose. We have to destabilize them."

"How will we do that?" Finn questions. "Their security is tight, and we can't fight all of them. I think it's safe to say that there are more of them than us around here. If you count the mounting deaths..."

The plan that springs into my mind is brutal but effective. Right now, we can only assume that everyone who is tied to Dorson is a traitor, and so, they all have to be dealt with.

Right now, we have the perfect opportunity to do that.

"We received explosives three days ago, right?"

Finn tenses and his eyes widen. "You mean...that would kill a lot of people!"

"We don't have a choice." I look over at Mell and she nods. "It's either that, or we'll never see the end of this."

He steps forward. "Other innocent people are staying there, not just Dorson and his Nocturns."

"Then we try to retrieve them," Mell suggests. "I'm staying there, so I know exactly who to approach. It will have to be quick."

I shake my head and they both look at me. "If Wilson came all the way here, it's because he suspected something. He didn't overhear us, so maybe this is a part of a greater plan. He planned on killing me, so there's no way Dorson doesn't know. You approach the packhouse, Mell, and they'll know something went wrong. We can't have that."

"What do we do, then?"

Five minutes later, we're dragging Wilson's body inside our house and all three of us head toward the packhouse. Finn is going to plant the explosives in a way that makes sure the entire house will go up in flames, Mell will try to warn the innocents, and I will speak to Dorson to distract him.

It's the only way.

Afterward, we're leaving for Moon Rose. I can't guarantee that everyone who's working toward the dream Wilson described to me will die, but because all communication is down, hopefully we can get to Moon Rose before they find out what happened.

I don't want Aria to get hurt in any way.

I reach the gate while Mell and Finn hide. I count five guards in total and because none of them are Nocturns, I think we have a fair chance here. They're not Ironclaws, though, so my power does not influence them.

"I want to speak to Alpha Dorson," I inform them. "Now."

They exchange a look and I see uncertainty in their eyes. One of them tells me, "Please wait here while we—"

"Wait?" I interrupt. "This is my pack. You don't ask for permission to let me into my home. I'm Alpha Ryder Drexel."

My intimidating tone is enough for them to open the gates without calling anyone. As soon as they open, Finn and Mell emerge from the woods in wolf form and they attack the guards. We can't have them telling Dorson that we're here or he'll know there's trouble.

I want my presence to surprise him completely.

They both head their separate ways and all I can do is pray to the goddess while approaching the front door. I've had a hard time praying for the past couple of weeks, mostly because of the death and devastation. It kills me that we're doing this to each other, and sometimes I find myself thinking that I wish I'd never started this war.

Maybe Anne was right to isolate herself and try to live the best life she could away from all of this.

Maybe there's no easy way out of this. Maybe our plans were too big for the world.

Who knows how all of this will end now that we're about to lose most of our Nocturn support?

I enter the house. It's completely quiet, which means that most people will be asleep when the bombs go off. I make my way to my office first, which is where I expect Dorson to be. I bet that, right now, he's waiting for Wilson to return with good news.

I've always been a thorn in their side and they've been wanting to get rid of me for a long time.

The door is closed and I stand in front of it for a few moments while trying to calm myself. When the first explosive goes off, I'll have a few seconds to get out of here or I'll be stuck here and die alongside everyone else.

By then, Dorson will have to be dead.

I open the door without knocking and see him facing the cabinet that used to be my father's. The fucker's pouring himself a drink. It never ceases to irritate me just how he thought he could make this place his home while excluding me. I place my hand right over the hilt of the knife in my back pocket and slowly pull it out.

Without looking at me, he asks, "Is it done?"

While standing in the doorway, I tell him, "You bet your ass it is."

He turns around so quickly that he drops the glass in his hand. It smashes into thousands of tiny pieces. His furious eyes meet mine and I watch as he struggles to make sense of what he's seeing.

I close the door and walk further into the office, blocking the exit.

He's not getting out of here.

Before he can get another word out, I throw the silver knife at him and it lodges right into his right shoulder. He cries out in pain and pulls the blade out after sinking to his knees. He tosses it to the side and then raises his eyes to mine.

I walk up to him steadily to pick up the knife. He tries to put some distance between us but I'm not the one who's been shocked by silver. I stab him again. He raises his arm to shield his face and I stab it, too.

If he shifts or uses his powers to subdue me, I'm as good as that.

"Where's Wilson?" he grits out angrily. "What the fuck did you do to him!?"

"I'd worry about yourself if I were you," I spit. "You sent him there to kill me, didn't you? I wanna know why. Why did he follow Mell?"

"Fuck you!"

I stab him again and he cries out. "Tell me or I'll end you right this fucking minute!"

"Wait!" he yells, putting his bleeding hands up. "Don't! Just...Let's make a deal. Whatever you want! Just don't hurt him!"

I have to suppress the urge to tell him that Wilson is long gone, but I have a feeling that I could use this situation to my full advantage.

So, I tell him, "I won't hurt him on one condition."

His desperate eyes meet mine. "Anything."

"You tell me who the fuck you people are and what your entire plan is. I mean it."