In the Company of Wolves(83)

Thoughts like that should have made Jayna so weak in the knees that running would have been impossible. But she wasn’t feeling weak. She was feeling furious—furious that Liam had shot the most fragile and gentle member of a pack he used to call his own, furious that he was running with her now like she was nothing but a disposable means to an end. Jayna wanted to kill him for being so cruel.

Liam was just up ahead. Jayna tensed to launch herself at him when she caught sight of Kos and his soldiers running into the barn. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why. She assumed Eric had lured them out of the house on purpose. The fact that he was holed up in the barn didn’t make sense. Wouldn’t he just be trapped in there?

Gunshots sounded inside the barn. Her blood ran cold. Every instinct in her body screamed at her to run into the barn and save Eric.

But how could she do that and save Megan at the same time?

She was so caught up in the emotional tug-of-war inside her that she almost didn’t see Liam stop and turn to face her. Jayna skidded to a stop just as he dragged a semiconscious Megan around in front of him like a shield. Blood soaked half of Megan’s shirt and ran down her jeans. She looked so weak that if Liam hadn’t been holding her, she would have certainly fallen to the ground.

Liam pointed his gun at Jayna and pulled the trigger. Jayna dodged to the side to avoid the bullets, depending on reflexes and speed she never knew she possessed. But Liam had some pretty fast reflexes himself.

While she avoided the first few bullets, the next one bit deep in the muscles of her left arm. The pain stunned her so much that she forgot to keep moving. That earned her another bullet through her leg, knocking it right out from under her.

Jayna tumbled to the ground, fully expecting Liam to put the next bullet through her head. When the shot didn’t come, she looked up to find him glaring down at her over the barrel of his pistol, his eyes filled with hate.

“You brought all this on yourself, you know that, right?” he said in a tone so flat and emotionless she barely recognized the voice as his. The gentle and compassionate alpha who’d taken her off the streets and treated her like his little sister was long gone.

Between the sounds of fighting coming from the barn and watching the life drain out of Megan, it was hard to pay attention to what Liam was saying, but Jayna forced herself to try. She needed to figure out a way to get him to let Megan go before it was too late.

“I was taking care of everyone,” he continued. “But you couldn’t just be a good little beta and play your part, could you? You always thought you were better than me, questioning everything I said.”

Jayna opened her mouth to tell him that wasn’t true, but he cut her off. “I never understood why you kept asking why women couldn’t be alphas, but now I do. You wanted control of the pack all along.” He motioned at Megan with his pistol. “Well, you’ve been pack leader for all of a day now. Tell me, how’s it working out for you? How’s it working out for the rest of the pack?”

Jayna started to push herself to her feet, but she froze when he pointed the gun in her direction again. She held up her hands in a gesture she hoped would placate him.

“You’re right, Liam. I did betray you. But I never wanted to be the pack leader. I just wanted us all to be safe and together. If you want to kill me for that, fine. But you don’t need to hurt Megan. She, more than any of us, doesn’t deserve this. She deserves to live.”

Liam stared at Jayna so long that, for a minute, she thought she might have gotten through to him. But then he snorted.

“Still trying to act like the alpha,” he sneered. “Saying anything you can think of to save your precious pack. But a real alpha understands that you can’t always save everyone. Sometimes the pack has to pay for their alpha’s bad decisions. What kind of lesson would it be for you if I let Megan live?”

Jayna shook her head as he turned the weapon away from her and pointed it at Megan’s head. “I think it would be fitting if I let you watch me kill your precious little Megan before I shoot you. She was always more loyal to you than me anyway. That way, you can die knowing you completely failed as an alpha.”

Tears stung Jayna’s eyes. “Liam, don’t! I’m begging you.”

“Begging?” He let out a harsh laugh. “Yet another reason you could never have been a pack leader. An alpha never begs—ever.”

Jayna held her breath as he pressed the muzzle of his handgun against Megan’s temple. She curled her good leg under her, ready to launch herself at Liam even though she knew she’d never get to him in time.