I chewed my thumbnail and waited to see what he’d say.
“I would have preferred someone with a more camera-ready face to show how easily you monsters blend in, but we took what we could get.” He gave a shrug and smiled. A chill ran through me as I recalled the car that had attempted to drive me off the road only hours earlier. I’d suspected it might be the Church, and now I wondered how close I’d come to being in the cage next to Hank. I was already a public face for the pack. Werewolf Princess Goes to College was the most prominent headline that came to mind. Was kidnapping me another part of the Church’s plan? I’d thought they wanted to hurt me, but I was starting to think they wanted something much, much worse.
“This is not a ransom demand,” Timothy went on. “We want nothing from you. We want nothing to do with you except to see your whole species wiped out. We merely present this creature to you so you can understand the lengths we are willing to go to. And soon the whole world will know them as well. You may think we are afraid of making enemies of you. We are not.”
Someone off screen handed Timothy a long pole. On the end were two prongs. I didn’t have time to think about what it was before he jammed the prongs into Hank, and a loud zap rang out. Cattle prod. Hank screamed, and his body jerked, limbs dancing at awkward angles with a mind of their own. My heart broke to watch a man I knew get treated like an animal.
This was why we’d hidden in the shadows and why our secrecy had meant so much to us. It was our worst fears about human nature coming true. I’d long believed we could live in peace with humans even if they knew us for what we really were, but since the veil had been lifted I was realizing how naïve my hope had been.
Seeing Timothy torture Hank the way a future serial killer might assault a cat made me sick to my stomach. It didn’t matter that Hank was a bigot who hated almost everyone he met. He was pack. Pack was family.
My sickness turned to rage in my belly.
As Hank’s body went limp, the camera faded to black.
“Is he dead?” My voice came out higher than I’d expected, bordering on hysterical.
Beside me, Wilder shook his head. “No, that much voltage wouldn’t kill him.”
“Our guess is they’re preparing to do something much more public. Something they can use to show the whole world they mean what they say.” Callum’s words were steady and empty of feeling, but I knew my uncle well enough to hear what wasn’t there. He was as angry about this as I was.
“We have to do something. Can’t we release the video to the press?” I sounded less manic this time, trying to mimic Callum’s tone. He gave me a sad smile and sat back in his chair.
“If we could, I’d have done it already. In his email Deerling made it clear that if this video gets made public, so do the names and addresses of every wolf in three states. Mutually assured destruction. And if we attack them, as I’m sure they want us to, they’ll use it as evidence we are the animals they claim.” Before I could interject he added, “But I don’t plan on sitting idly by.”
Wilder got to his feet. “I’ll go get him.”
“Don’t be an idiot,” Ben spat, his tone conveying all the venom I’d seen outside. Even after we’d watched Wilder’s brother tortured, he still hated the family. That was some deep-rooted anger, and I promised myself I’d get to the bottom of it, but not now.
Callum waved his hand to silence Ben, and in turn we all went still. Something about my uncle made me feel more like a little girl than a woman. He intimidated with no effort. It was part of what made him a good leader and an imposing parental figure.
“Mr. Shaw, sit down please.”
Wilder hesitated before returning to his seat. He didn’t appear pleased about obeying, but he also didn’t argue. Smart man. He wouldn’t make it far in the pack if he crossed Callum with the same vehemence as he locked horns with Ben.
“You will not go after your brother on your own, am I understood?”
Wilder didn’t speak, clearly debating what he could say that would allow him to rescue Hank without lying to his king outright.
“Fine,” he grumbled at last. He sounded angry about it, and I couldn’t blame him. As much as Ben and I tended to disagree, if anyone had taken him, I would have crawled on my belly through the fires of hell to get him back.
“I assure you, I’m taking this threat very seriously,” Callum said.
I saw the fire in Wilder’s eyes and grabbed his wrist, squeezing it before he could say anything he might regret. Whatever reply he was about to use died on his lips, and he turned his attention from Callum to me. Glancing down at my hand on his forearm, he seemed to realize what it was I’d done, and instead of jerking his arm away, he gave me a nod.
Things could have gone downhill fast if Wilder had issued anything challenge-like to Callum. Kings hated to be questioned, and they liked it even less when people spat in the face of their authority. I wasn’t sure if Wilder had been a part of a different pack before returning to St. Francisville, but it appeared like he had a lot to learn about dealing with werewolf royalty.
“If there’s anything I can do to help, please tell me.” Wilder’s teeth were almost gritted together as he struggled to stay polite.
“Of course. And, again, we are in your debt for bringing Eugenia home to us.”
Wilder didn
’t bother looking at Callum. He was staring right at me, and the sharp focus of his attention made me uncomfortable and exhilarated all at once.
“I was glad to do it,” he said, getting back to his feet. This time no one stopped him from going, but my hand felt empty without the warmth of his skin.
Callum turned to Amelia, who had remained silent through the whole revelation. “Have someone keep an eye on the younger Shaw. I’m not sure I believe he’s ready to put all his trust in us just yet.”