The Hunted

Forty

Blake

"Is getting time alone with me a ploy for wanting to slit my throat with a blade up your sleeve?" Henry asked as he settled himself in the chair situated on the other side of the desk from Blake.

"God, you people really think I'm capable of just about anything, don't you?"

"We've learned not to underestimate you. Especially this past week." Blake's throat tightened a fraction but before she could speak, Henry added, "My Mate thanked you but I didn't have the chance. Thank you for saving my daughter and Juliet and Phillip – and thank you for returning Chandra's body home. I know that none of those things must have been easy for you. Juliet told us what happened and how you set them free."

Blake picked at a loose thread on the chair's cushion. "You know...That's the thing. It was easy. The second I saw them, I knew what I was going to do. I didn't have to think about it."

"Did you know what they would do to you for letting them go?" Henry's gaze dropped and Blake followed the direction of his stare to her arm.

The word 'traitor' stood out like a flashing light in a dark room. Unmissable. The wound still stung and she'd been trying to avoid accidentally brushing her arm against things to keep from aggravating it further. She probably should have taken Red up on his offer to get it checked out at the clinic but Blake wanted it to scar. Wanted the reminder of what she'd done.

"I thought Malachi would kill me, actually. He was the reason I went back. I'm sure Red told you about the DNA results that came back about the skin cells we collected from beneath Caden's nails after we found his body?"

Henry nodded once, his hazel eyes grim. His lips pressed into a firm, hard line.

"Malachi killed Caden to send a message to me. He wanted me to remember what werewolves were capable of. He'd been getting reports that I was getting awfully chummy with all of you. With Red."

"Reports?" Blake hesitated a moment, casting a worried look towards the door. Henry's face cleared with understanding. "The office is warded. Ejo set them himself for my grandfather. If that door is shut, no one can hear a thing that happens inside of this office. Our conversation will stay between you and I."

Blake nodded and felt a weight lift from her shoulders. "Red and I have been investigating a theory that someone from your pack was working with the hunters. Killing those humans didn't just bring attention to yourselves – it sparked a partnership."

Henry leaned back in his chair, his pulse jumping in his throat. "Tell me, Blake."

She'd asked Malachi for that same information. If I'd trained you as well as I'd thought I had, you'd already know the answer to that, he'd said to her instead of answering. So she'd taken that answer and thought and stared at the walls and puzzled it out until she knew. Until every tidbit of knowledge she'd been gathering these months finally came together to form a clear image.

"The wolf was killing humans long before Daryl Morris knew about them. Malachi went to Denver a few times in the months leading up to the initial attack on Sanguis Ridge for various hunts. Looking back, I don't think he was there to investigate but rather to plan the entire initial assault on Sanguis Ridge with that wolf."

"Do you have proof that one of mine was deliberately working with Malachi?"

"Nothing concrete but it makes sense when you link it together. Red and I – we were looking into all of the wolves that have reason to hate humans and Malachi has plenty of reason to hate werewolves and other supernatural creatures. I think Malachi pitched it to the wolf. I think he went to put the wolf down but instead struck a deal when they crossed paths. They conspired to start a war and let the better species win, once and for all. To pit both of our people against each other and finish it on the battle field."