Alpha Ember (ALPHA KANE BOOK 2)

43. Juste moi?

Ember

After convincing my dad to join the pack members who were watching television in the living room- and promising him a proper conversation later- I rushed up the stairs at top speed...and ran into everyone else. They were coming down slowly, grim like a funeral procession.

"Rina couldn't kill Light," I guessed, fingers clenching on the wooden banister.

"She did kill him," Tyra replied, my question snapping her out of it. She stomped the rest of the way down with a scowl. "But then someone else shot her too and we lost the connection."

Someone shot Rina?

I stood frozen in place, mind flipping through a list of potential culprits even as they descended the stairs without me. But it was no use wondering who could've shot Rina, all I kept seeing was Rina's beautiful aquamarine eyes and the hostility she wore as a second skin. She'd been so certain she could get the job done, but instead we'd thrown another innocent person to the wolves in order to keep ourselves safe.

"Ember."

Kane removed my hand from the banister and I glimpsed the dents my fingers had unintentionally made in the wood before Kane led me towards the others. "Whoever shot Rina won't get away with it," he promised.

"You don't think Arius could've done it?" Tyra asked, tapping her foot irritably.

Ian shook his head vehemently. "I know the guy- sort of," he amended at my raised brow. "He wouldn't stab us in the back like this, I mean, what would he have to gain by shooting Rita? We already agreed to give him the stupid crown, what else does he want?"

Tyra pointed at Kane. "Arius seemed like he really wanted to kill Kane."

Kane pursed his lips. "He did."

Tyra scoffed. "You should stop making a habit of pissing off people."

"He can't help himself," Ian replied absently. "I can't count the number of times I've wanted to reach out and just-"

Jett cut in, "If Arius did it with the intention of humiliating and murdering Kane then where would his next destination be?"

"Here," I guessed.

Kane's hands landed on my shoulders, pulling me back towards the stairs. "If he's coming for me, I want all of you out of the way."

I spun out from his grip, turned so his back was to me and I was the one urging him towards the stairs. "If he's coming for you, you should be the one getting out of the way."

The withering look he gave me might've given me pause a few years ago. Now I just reached upwards and patted his cheek. "If you want to stay downstairs and address the bad guy coming to kill you, you'll behave. Otherwise you're going upstairs."

"I'm not going to carry him up there," Ian said.

I rolled my eyes. "No one asked you to."

Ian threw an arm around me, flicking me on the nose. "Fortunately for you though, I love a good fight and I'm willing to tell you all the dirty ways to win."

Maybe he was the one who belonged upstairs. I almost suggested it too, but just like he'd known I wouldn't run away if our plans went sideways, I knew he wouldn't sit this one out either.

We were all in on this together, for better or worse.

There was nothing left to do but prepare for whatever- or whoever- was coming.