Chapter 176

The silence that followed was deafening. I waited until the girls standing with Nina and her sister had all fled. “If you don’t move, I will scar you so badly that no one will mate with you.” Toya’s voice was deadly; she meant every word.

“What’s going on here?” Vince’s voice was like nails on a chalkboard right this second. I could not deal with his bullshit right now.

I felt Toya tremble, and I looked at her. She faced me, and I could see a little fear in her eyes, but I just squeezed her side, and she straightened her back. We would face this together.

“Alpha Vince, these two threatened my sister and I.” Nina’s sister was toeing a line she wasn’t ready to face.

I felt my face harden, and I turned to face Vince. Even he flinched back from me. “What do you mean?” He hedged his bet, hoping not to get involved.

“What do I mean? Exactly that. They threatened us.” She nudged Nina, and she jumped in with a smirk.

“Nadine is telling the truth. I was just coming here to give them both my condolences about losing their packs, and they just threatened me. My sister came over when she saw Toya started to shift.” Nina turned to face us. “If you can’t control your wolves, maybe you aren’t fit to be at school and you should leave.” Her mouth dropped open, and she slapped her hand over it. “Oh my. I’m so sorry. I forgot you don’t have anywhere to go.”

Toya lunged, but I held her back. “Toya, Nina is right. If you can’t control your wolf, you will have to leave. She has done nothing to provoke you.”

Toya stumbled back into me as if she had been slapped. Her head snapped at Vince. “She didn’t provoke me?”

Vince stepped closer. “I understand your family is gone, but this is unacceptable.” He turned to face me, and I could see a little triumph in his eyes. “Amy, I know you lost your father, your mother and you still have Morgan. You are still a member of my pack, so you should conduct yourself better than this.”

I felt my eyes narrow, and Vince could feel my anger, but I held my tongue. “You are right. I should conduct myself better. But you will have to excuse us. We just lost our family, and then we have to deal with lesser wolves coming up to us and making fun of that loss. Alpha Vince, how should I respond to someone enjoying the loss of life?”

“What?” Vince turned to face the sisters, but a voice called out that settled me a little.

“Yes, Alpha Vince. How should alpha wolves respond to their jabs?” Rowan walked from around the corner with crossed arms.

“My king, we didn’t–”

“Nadine, I would keep your lies for the rest of the council. I heard everything you and your sister said. I heard Alpha Toya’s and Amy’s responses.”

Her mouth snapped shut with a clink of teeth. “I wasn’t…” Her words trailed off, and she looked down. “As a representative of my council, I expected better of someone in your position. But I realized that after everything that happened today, I really shouldn’t. Your family has proven to be less than reliable.”

“My king, that isn’t true.” Nina rushed to his side and grabbed his arm. “We were–”

“Being bitches,” Toya finished.

Nadine walked over to Toya and slapped her. Neither Rowan nor Vince stopped her, and I felt my anger peak.

“You don’t get to speak to us that way, orphan.” Nadine smirked as she finished, and I snapped my clawed hand out and wrapped it around her throat. Nadine gasped.

“What did you just say?” My voice was deadly.

“I was just–” she started, but I squeezed my hand to silence her.

“You and your sister were just strutting around here, using your close position with the king to lord over other students, lying to get what you want, and using your rank and future positions to bully other students—even ones that have just lost their families. And you do it with no repercussions because you allow it to happen.” I finished for her, looking between both men. “Both of you.” My words were cutting but truthful. “But I stand by my promise.” I refocused on Nadine and allowed Nix even closer so that her words combined with my own. I squeezed Nadine’s throat as I stared at Nina and said, “If either of you so much as look at Toya or me in any way that I find offensive, I will rip your limbs from your body and command your wolves to heal over the wounds so you are a torso, and then I will throw you into a river.”

Both girls cried out as I tossed Nadine to the floor. Vince looked pale, but Rowan turned away.