CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED & FORTY ONE


    Talia’s POV


    Nn leaned close to me. “That proposal is insane,” he said, his voice low enough that only I could hear it.


    “I know,” I said.


    “Then, why are you agreeing to this?”


    “Trust me. I know what I am doing,” I responded.


    If we didn’t go along with Landon’s proposal, then the other packs would agree with Landon that we were overreacting. I was against infecting something on purpose, but if it meant the other packs would do what they needed to do to protect themselves, it was worth it.


    “I am sure you have a prisoner or two in your dungeon you could test the blood on,” Landon suggested with a sneer.


    “No. We will not be using prisoners for your proposal,” I said firmly.


    “Have you changed your mind, Luna?” Landon asked.


    “No,” I said. “Testing on people who are already in our custody is not something we are willing to do, regardless of what they


    have done.”


    “Then, what do you suggest, Luna Talia?” Landon asked.


    “We propose testing the blood on hunted prey instead. The effect will be visible, and no person will be harmed in the process.”


    Several of the Alphas nodded immediately. A few took a moment to consider it, but none of them objected. My alternative was practical and it removed the argument about cruelty entirely.


    Landon’s smug expression did not change, but his eye did twitch as he noticed that he was not getting any support as he originally thought.


    “You have gone soft,” he said, looking at Nn. “A few months with a Luna and you cannot bring yourself to be too cruel to prisoners. I did not expect that from the Alpha of Bloodmoon.”


    ‘Don’t let him rile you up. He’s trying to provoke you to get what he wants,’ I told Nn through our mind link.


    Nn smirked and said, “Soft or cautious? You do not fully understand how quickly the mad rogue infection takes hold once it enters the bloodstream. Testing on a smaller prey animal limits the risk to everyone present, including your own people.”


    “We can send one of our warriors to…”


    Landon scoffed, cutting me off. “Hunting is my specialty. I can manage this on my own.’


    I looked at De and De stepped forward. “Alpha Landon, I can take you into the forest and help you identify suitable prey. We can have something ready within the hour.”


    “Ten minutes,” Landon said. “I do not need more than that.” He turned and walked toward the tree line with two of his warriors


    behind him.


    “Henry, Walden. I want both of you at the edge of the forest before Landones back out. Stay out of sight but stay close,” Nn ordered through our pack link. “If whatever he brings out gets loose, I want you in position to restrain it.”


    “Understood,” Henry said through the mind link. Walden gave a short nod and moved without a word.


    Nn turned to Marco and said, “Bring the mad rogue blood from storage, but keep it sealed until we are ready to use it. We will also need restraints.”


    Marco nodded. “I will bring the chains.” He left, moving quickly back to the pack house.


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    Colin walked up to me and said, “You know he is not going toe back with something small.”


    “I know,” I sighed in frustration. “Landon has a point to prove. Whateveres out of that forest, it will not be a rabbit.”


    “He is being foolish. I don’t even know how he became an Alpha with how hot tempered and reckless he is,” Nn added.


    “The same could be said about you, Alpha Nn,” Colin teased.


    “And what is that supposed to mean?” Nn asked, his eyes narrowing.


    “Just like you, he wants to prove he is not afraid of whatever is in that blood.” Colin paused. “He also wants to prove he is better at this than everyone here.”


    “That is where you are wrong,” Nn snorted. “I have a healthy respect and fear of the infection.”


    “Either way, whatever Landon has nned is going to produce something memorable,” Colin said.


    “I am counting on it,” I said. “I’m hoping no one is harmed in the process.”


    We gathered outside the forest entrance. Walden and Henry were at the edge of the tree line in their positions. Marco returned with a sealed container and chains. He stood back and out of the way.


    Ten minutes passed. Then a few more and then we heard movement.


    Branches snapped. Something heavy was being dragged through the undergrowth, and the sound of it reached the group before anything came into view. Several of the Alphas near the front took a step forward to make a line to protect the Lunas who hadn’t retreated just yet.


    Landon came through the tree line with his hand wrapped around a rope. On the other end of the rope, restrained at the neck and dragging its feet against the ground, was a gray bear.


    It was not a small one.


    It was fully grown and it was not happy about being dragged. It roared as it pulled against the rope with enough force that anyone less than an Alpha would have lost his footing, but Landon hauled it forward without visible difficulty.


    Landon stopped in front of the group and dropped the rope, cing his foot on it to keep the bear in ce. He folded his arms, a smug smile curling across his face.


    “I think this makes the perfect prey for the test. Don’t you agree, Luna Talia?”


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