Chapter Seventy: Briar

Briar could hardly think of anything other than the pain in her neck. It radiated through her body, making it hard to breath, and almost impossible to put together words to speak. Her fingertips were burned, although they weren’t in nearly as bad shape as her neck, since she had only been allowed to claw at the horrible silver band for a few minutes before one of the warriors had brought in restraints and her hands had been bound.

Her entire focus was on the pain coursing through her body, emanating from the collar. She had known that silver was painful to wolf-shifters, but she had never before seen it used on anyone, much less felt it pressed tightly against her own skin.

Besides the collar, no one else had raised a hand to her. Hux had briefly come in, his eyes skimming over her chained form, before shaking his head and making a comment, that Briar only half heard, about how Cara would be a much more elegant Luna. She wanted to tell him that that was fine by her, she only wanted to take her family and leave this place, and never come back, but she couldn’t find her own voice amid all the pain.

Beta Poe had come in too and she’d heard him ask if the collar was really necessary. She was, after all, only an Omega. Whatever guard remained, told him from the door, that his own daughter had ordered it, and as acting Luna of the pack, only Hux could overrule her. The man, who Briar supposed if what Harlow had told her was true, was her father, looked regretful for a moment, but that didn’t stop him from turning and walking out of the room.

When they’d brought Briar up onto the stage, she’d been vaguely aware of the crowds that had parted so that Cadoc could lead her through. She stumbled up the steps and when Theon’s former third tugged at the chain and told her to kneel, she collapsed on her knees, letting out a small whimper, as her vision narrowed, growing dark at the edges.

Briar welcomed the darkness, hoping that she might escape the pain if she lost consciousness. But even that relief remained out of reach, and by the time Hux reached the stage, her vision was almost clear again.

Hux began to speak, somewhere towards the front center of the stage, but Briar couldn’t hear him through the rush of blood in her ears. Forcing her head up she scanned the crowd, but she couldn’t find a friendly face anywhere. Leaning forward and laying her head against her hands, she turned her thoughts to her mate.

She knew, even after spending only a short amount of time with Torin, that he would do whatever it took to reach her. The question that caused an uneasy pit to form in her stomach was whether or not he’d reach her before it was too late.

Harlow

It was completely silent for a long moment as every pack member, along with the pack’s guests, were focused entirely on the announcement that Hux had just made.

Harlow’s gaze darted from Kayla and Cara, to Briar, bent forward and possibly unconscious on the stage, to the Alphas and Lunas in the front rows, some of who looked as though they approved of what Hux had just said, while several others were frowning.

Hux smiled, a small, cruel smile, that Harlow knew only too well and a moment later Theon burst out, through the doors of the Packhouse, looking much the worse for wear. Harlow sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes on the man who she had thought, for a brief moment, that she might have a future with. They hadn’t had all that much time together, but he’d treated her better than just about any other man she’d ever met. She knew that that bar hadn’t been set terribly high, yet she couldn’t help but feel that, after a lifetime of being overlooked, Theon had really and truly seen her.

Out of the corner of her eye, Harlow saw Cadoc tighten his grip on the solid chain that was connected to Briar’s collar, and then he was standing and pulling her to her feet, even as Theon reached the bottom of the stage.

“Let them go.” Theon’s voice thundered through the open space and Harlow said a quick prayer that he would win whatever battles he faced before the day was over. She knew without a single doubt that things would go much better for her if he was in charge, than whatever would happen to her if Hux won the day.

Hux crossed his arms, his expression smug as he stared down at the man who he had grown up alongside.

“No.” Hux’s arms dropped down towards his sides with his palms facing forward, his posture challenging his former Alpha as he held his stare, refusing to look away. “I challenge you to fight for the title of Alpha of this pack. The loser dies. And with him his mate.” Hux jerked his head in Briar’s direction.

“I don’t want to fight you, Hux. You’re like my brother.” Theon’s voice was calm and commanding, but even after spending only a short time with the man, Harlow could tell that he was furious with his former friend. “And I certainly don’t want you, or your mate, to die.” The stress that he put on “or your mate” made Harlow think that Theon didn’t care all that much if Hux lived to see another morning, but he likely didn’t want to see Cara seriously hurt, not after all the years they’d spent together.

Harlow’s eyes rose to the spot where Cara had been holding Kayla, only to find the space entirely empty.

It had only been a few moments since she’d last spotted her daughter, but her heart pounded in her chest as she scanned the crowd, trying to find the young girl again. There wasn’t anything she could do to save Theon, he was on his own, but it was absolutely her responsibility to protect Kayla, especially if the threat came from the child’s father and her aunt.

And so, as Theon and Hux faced each other, ready to fight, Harlow began to plot, watching for the opportunity to break free of her captors so that she could save the only person that she had ever truly loved.