Chapter 114

Grace

We rode back in an Enforcer van. I watched the city go by, unable to shake the tension in me. The uncertainty, the fear, was thick enough to choke me.

Then, Charles was talking.

"I'm going to get you to City Hall. Don't get into any cars, don't leave the building. I'll have Cecil and Richard brought here, as well as Kelly."

I bit my lip. "I... I don't know if I want them in the building. Can't you send them somewhere that won't blow up?"

"The city isn't going to blow up," Charles said. "And do you really want them that far from you? Now?"

"I want to be out looking for Eason."

"That's definitely not under the alpha job description."

I scowled at him as he took my hand. "Right now, we don't know where he is. He could have gotten free. He could be with Ethan's father. He could be anywhere, but we have to act like everything is okay, and more than that, you need to address the citizens of the city. It's really the one thing only you can do. The rest you should delegate."

"Is this another one of those lessons?"

"Definitely."

My shoulders slumped. He was right, of course. I didn't know how to shoot a gun or do more than throw a solid punch. Giving the address was probably the best thing I could do, but every fiber of my being screamed at me to be out there, searching for Eason, and the speech was a waste of time.

No one believed I had anything under control. What was even the point of pretending otherwise?

He knows you're going to fold, unlike your father.

The car came to a stop. He got out first, scanning the area before helping me out and walking me halfway up the stairs.

"ETA about ten minutes. You'll get some time with them before the address is supposed to air. Use that time to focus on doing what you can."

"I can do more."

He shook his head and kissed my forehead. "You've done enough."

The words made me twitch as he walked away. They rang in my ear, rattling something in me: guilt, anger, some unresolved and half-remembered memory. I didn't know, but before I knew it, I was charging after him. Time blurred around me. I could almost smell Devin's cologne.

I could see him sneering in my memories.

You’ve done enough.

I couldn't even remember what he'd been so upset about, but the injustice of it felt fresh like I was just now experiencing it.

"I haven’t!" He turned back.

"Grace--"

"I can't just stand by and give this useless speech while Eason's out there, captured, or worse!"

"Grace, go back--"

I reached him. "If I'm really alpha, then I should be out there looking for him, not acting like some TV puppet when no one gives a damn about what I say anyway."

"Grace, I’m telling you--"

I growled. "We don't know where he is or what they'll do to him. He's out there because of me, and I--"

Charles grabbed my arm and yanked me down the last few steps as gunshots rang through the air. The ground rose up as I was slammed to the ground and rolled just under the Enforcer vehicle. The gunshots rang out in a deafening echo. Panic raced through me, drowning out my anger.

"Stay down!" Charles barked at me, pressing close to the van's side. His voice was tense. The sounds of bullets ricocheting filled the air, and the scent of gunpowder stung my nose as I looked up. His uniform lit up in a dazzling display of protective magic. Bullets clinked against the magical shield, deflected as he reached into his utility belt and cursed. I heard the sound of tires on the road rushing down the street at us.

Then, the attackers' car came to a screeching halt, Charles swung around the side of the van and gunshots rang out. The new shots sounded different and softer, and the scent of gunpowder didn't increase in the air.

"Now!" He yelled and swung back towards my side of the jeep.

A gleaming gold barrier appeared between us as he reached down and dragged me from under the jeep. The gold barrier followed us up the stairs as he hustled and pushed me ahead of him. I heard more gunshots behind me, digging into the steps I had left behind, bouncing off his shield as I tried to keep pace with his urging.

I reached the entrance just as I heard more tires on the ground, more boots, and shouting. My legs shook and wobbled as we reached the top. Then, the door flew open, and I was shoved inside as if a wall of air had pushed me. I stumbled and rolled, coming to a stop just as Charles hustled back down the stairs toward the sound of gunfire. I stared after him, dazed, and then I noticed the little ripples of light about halfway down the stairs where bullets seemed to ricochet.

"What the..."

I pushed myself to my feet, squinting at the door. Another barrage of bullets went by, ricocheting off the invisible wall. I turned around, looking for someone, until I found the old clerk. He'd been working here since I was a kid.

"Alpha Wolfe..." He frowned. "You look like you've been tossed around..."

My face heated. "There's... a gunfight happening outside, and there's a wall of magic on the building. When did it get there?"

He hummed thoughtfully, peering at me over his glasses.

"I'm surprised... Well, I suppose I'm not surprised. It was the last thing your mother arranged before she passed," he said with a tinge of nostalgia. "Your father was supposed to get the same for the house, but..."

He didn't need to finish the sentence; the unspoken words hung heavy in the air. My heart sank as the mention of my father's unfinished plans resonated with me. I couldn't help but wonder if Eason had known about these protective spells. Was that why he had appeared so unperturbed, so confident, in the face of the danger surrounding us? A sharp pang of guilt coiled in my stomach. Had he thought that I knew and thus he wasn't just trying to rile me up by appearing flippant? My mind raced, considering all the possibilities. Knowing about the surveillance, what had stopped him from putting the enchantments on the house? Had it been on the list and left untouched when I kicked him out?

I wanted to believe that he didn't know about it, but it felt so unlikely. I turned back to the front doors and looked out. The gunfight was still going. I could see Enforcers hurrying people down the street behind big walls of light that moved with them. Charles hustled a group of people up the stairs and behind the barrier. I opened the doors for them. The scent of blood and tears filled the air.

I heard the clerk getting up.

"Bring me the first aid kit," I said, helping a man to sit down as his companion panted and swooned. I tried to give him first aid for the bleeding gash in his leg and smacked my hand away.

"Don't fucking touch me," he growled. "When the hell are you going to step down? You think it's funny that people are getting hurt because of you?"

I swallowed. The words stung like a physical blow. My eyes welled up with tears, but I couldn't afford to break down. Instead, I swallowed hard and forced myself to stand my ground.

"I understand you're upset," I began, my voice trembling. "But please, let me help you. We're all in this together, and together, we can make it through this."

He sneered. "Together? You don't know what the fuck that even means. You know, if I'd known all of our complaints would have gotten us here, I would have campaigned to keep your brother as alpha. He might be fucking disgusting, but we'd never be in a position like this. Get the fuck away from me."

I swallowed. "Don't talk about my brother like that."

"Fuck him and fuck you too." He snorted. "What are you going to do? Put me in jail? Go ahead. We'll all be dead in a few days because of your bullshit."

"The least you could do is evacuate the city," someone else said. "Just because you want to die doesn't mean everyone else does."

I withdrew my hands as he glared at me. I left the first aid kit beside him and decided to back away. I wasn't in a place to deal with his anger or anyone else's scorn.

I had enough guilt to deal with.

Then, someone shoved me. I stumbled, and a burst of pain exploded across my face. Someone gasped, and my anger flared. I snarled and looked up, frozen as a young woman snarled down at me. Her eyes were full of tears. Blood trickled down her face from a gash on her temple, but none of that was what shocked me. I stared up at her, frozen and unable to speak, as eyes that were so much like mine glared down at me.

"It's your fault! If it weren't for you, my Dad wouldn't have been shot!"