Page 62 of An Uncertain Claim

The momentum from the close-range shot sent the animal flying backward. He nearly took my foot with him, but luckily, his mouth opened just as the bullet struck. A thud shook the ground when he landed in a heap a few feet away. Carefully, I attempted to stand, but stumbled a few times from the pain in my ankle. Finally, I managed to get balanced on one foot and hopped my way over to the wolf. I wanted to make sure I’d killed him and not just wounded him further, causing him more pain. I was an excellent shot, but in those circumstances…I didn’t think anyone would blame me for hitting the target off center. Still, I didn’t want to be the cause of more suffering for this shifter.

It looked as though he was gone, but when I was barely a foot away, practically standing right over him, his eyes slowly opened. They had turned green, and the irises marked them as human. They were filled with despair, and they dropped to the gun still in my hand, before returning to my face. He blinked, flashing back and forth between man and beast a few times. Finally, the wolf emitted a whine and the man inside begged me to put him out of his misery. The wolf’s head tilted down, almost as if he nodded.

Suddenly, something in me broke open and I was overwhelmed with horrible pain and a desperation to die, if only to be free of the torment. I shook my head, confused, because somehow, I knew it was this man whose emotions were flooding my mind.

My panther was whining, aching for the dying wolf.

Holy shit.He was pushing them into me, asking me, in the only way he could, to help him. And the only way to do that was through the pack link. He was a Silver Lake wolf.Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

His cry for help whooshed into my brain again and I couldn’t deny him. He was going to die, but I could make it quick. Take away his agony, give him peace.

My cat nudged me, urging me to help him, even if it meant by ending his life.

I raised the gun again and I saw the relief in his eyes before he closed them once last time. The bullet hit him cleanly between the eyes, killing him instantly.

“Geoff!”

My head flew up at the sound of a man’s bellow.

“What the fuck have you done?!”

All the blood drained from my face when I met the eyes of the one person who distrusted me the most, who was determined to believe I had a nefarious plan, who would never believe the truth.

Ephraim had just witnessed me killing his packmate in cold blood, and from the look on his face, I knew I was about to meet the same fate.