Elise tried to move into a more comfortable position, but nothing alleviated the pain. Her broken leg throbbed and the various abrasions covering her body stung. Trying to keep Marla talking so the woman held off killing her, Elise brought up more questions. “Why do you need control of the pack? If you want to be an Alpha female, why not just go with Ryne and start over?”
Marla laughed sarcastically. “Are you serious? As if I’d ever go off and live like a pauper while Ryne tried to establish a pack somewhere. Being Alpha female is only a means to an end. I want money and this pack is loaded. Northern Oil is offering a fortune for the land, but most of the pack is too stupid to take it. Only Rose, myself, and a few of the others seem to see things clearly. If we sell out to Northern Oil, we’ll be rich.”
“But you said that this was your home and you couldn’t leave it.”
“I lied. Being a wolf isn’t that great. Rose hated being the Omega of the pack and wanted out of that stupid hierarchy system. And me, I could happily live as a rich human for the rest of my life, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.”
“But how?”
“Don’t you worry your little head, Elise. I’ve been planning this for ages. First I got rid of Zack by cutting the brake line—”
“So that’s why you pretended to be ‘Marlene’ and hung out with Marty!”
“Oh, what a clever girl you are.” Marla mocked. “You’re right. Marty showed me enough about how an engine works that I can hotwire it or sabotage it. Once Zack was dead, I figured Ryne would be the logical replacement since he was older. When it looked undecided, I gave matters a little push. I thought Ryne would win a challenge, so I told him that Kane had sabotaged Zack’s brakes. Being the impulsive, hot-headed type that he is, Ryne issued the challenge before he had time to think things through. Unfortunately, he lost and it set me back a bit. I’d been working on Ryne for weeks before then, convincing him that selling out was the right choice, and now I had to start all over again.”
So that’s why everyone thought Ryne was behaving differently just before the challenge, Elise realized.
Marla stared disinterestedly at the various rocks and trees that decorated the ravine, her lip curling slightly as if she found her surroundings somewhat distasteful. She gave a quiet snort, before returning her focus to Elise. “With Ryne gone, I went to work on Kane, trying to convince him to sell out. I poisoned the water, set traps, had the electricity turned off, called the fire inspectors. Even that picture was part of the plan.”
“The picture?”
“Remember how worried Kane was? How he thought someone might notice that the wolf in the picture isn’t a real wolf? If someone comes to check it out, the pack could be discovered. I might even hire a few actors to do that, now that I think about it. People poking around town, looking for wolves is a guaranteed way to spook our Alpha. You see, Kane cares too much about his pack and that’s his weakness. If I can convince him it isn’t safe here, he’ll agree to sell out and move elsewhere. Once the cash is in his hands, I can electronically siphon it from his account into my own Swiss one.” Marla stopped and looked down at Elise, scowling. “Everything was going great until you showed up.”
“Marla, if it’s money you want, I can talk to Kane. I’m sure he’d give you some.”
“Some!” Marla scoffed. “I don’t want some. I want it all.” She checked her watch. “Well, as much as I’ve enjoyed this scintillating conversation, I’d better go get Ryne’s clothes on again. If I’m going to kill you, I want his scent all over you.” Winking, she kicked Elise’s broken leg. “Don’t go anywhere while I’m gone.”
Elise tasted blood in her mouth from where her teeth were biting into her lip. She wouldn’t cry out and give Marla the satisfaction of knowing how much that had hurt, even though her body was screaming with pain. Closing her eyes, she listened to the sound of retreating footsteps until they could be heard no more.
Finally she could let her aching body relax. Unclenching her hands and her jaw, Elise took stock of her situation. She was alone at the bottom of a ravine, with a broken leg, a money-hungry she-wolf coming back to kill her at any moment, and a dead body for company. Blinking, she reached up a shaky hand to brush a lone snowflake from her face. Yes, she was alone and no one knew where she was.
Chapter 31
Surrounded by the quiet stillness of the woods, Elise sat at the bottom of the ravine, listening to the sound of her own laboured breathing. Every square inch of her body hurt. She’d just completed what felt like a herculean task by working herself into a sitting position and sliding her way over to the base of a small tree. Now, as she leaned against the trunk, she fought against the waves of blackness that threatened to overtake her. The move had been excruciating and her immediate plan, to put as much distance between herself and this location before Marla returned, would have to wait until the urge to vomit and faint had passed.