First Moon (New Moon Wolves) BBW Werewolf Romance Read Online Free PDF Page B

the girl.”
    “What?” Tao pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it in disbelief. Had he heard his alpha correctly? “She’s not Owen. In fact, she saved me.”
    “Today maybe, but tomorrow will be different. You know how Nick’s bite works. He’ll own her. We can’t shelter her as long as he’s alive.”
    “So we’re just going to execute every innocent person he bites?” Tao knew the alpha spoke the truth, but his conclusions didn’t sit right.
    “I’m afraid so. It has to be done. Would you want to be a wolf under Nick’s paw?”
    “No, sir,” Tao said, his jaw clenched.
    “While he’s on the run, we’ve got to contain anyone he can use against us. The sooner you catch him, the better.”
    “What happens when I catch him?”
    “You bring him home and I’ll convene the elders who will decide his fate.”
    “They’ll kill him, won’t they?” Tao asked, his voice tight.
    “It’s a possibility, one I happen to think is the right thing to do.” Dan’s voice was heavy with regret. “I love all you boys like my own, but Nick is a danger to himself, to humans and to us. No one wants another Owen.”
    Tao swallowed a snort. No one in Deerton had wanted them either. He and his brothers were wolf born, myths come to life, power no one understood and that had made them uneasy outsiders in the only home they’d known. Half the reason Tao served as the pack’s enforcer was so Dan could keep a close eye on him.
    Focusing on the conversation at hand, he said, “But why does the girl have to die if you’re going to execute Nick anyway?” Tao had never known his alpha to be bloodthirsty or have a disregard for life. Then again, the pack had never seen such a situation, maybe it was bringing out Dan’s true colors.
    “Because she has to do anything he says while he’s alive. I’m not exactly thrilled at the idea of him having dozens of made wolves out there acting on his every command. He could build an army that we can’t stop. What if they came to Deerton?”
    When Tao didn’t say anything, Dan continued, “Believe me, son, I’m not happy about this. It’s an awful situation and I’m asking you to do awful things, I know this, but the pack comes first.”
    “What if,” Tao paused choking on the words he said next, “I killed Nick instead?” He closed his eyes. A dull ache took up residence in his chest, a ball of guilt and horror. Had it really come to this? How had his brother gone so wrong?
    Dan fell silent for a moment and then said his voice heavy, “As alpha, his death should be at my hand, but considering the circumstances, I’ll cede my right to you. But can you do it, son? Can you look him in the eye and kill him? Your own brother?”
    Tao swallowed hard. “Yeah, I think so.” No. There’s no way I can do this. I’m not a killer. His stomach roiled with tension. But I can’t kill Audrey either. She doesn’t deserve to die.
    “Can I trust you to do what needs to be done to protect the pack? You have to choose, Tao. It’s either the girl or Nick. I’ll let you decide, but it has to be done. Do you understand?”
    “Yes, sir,” Tao said with a heavy heart.
    “You want me to send some of your brothers up to help?”
    Tao shook his head. “No.” Let him be the only one with blood on his conscience. “I’ll take care of it.”
    “Keep me posted.” The line went dead then as Dan disconnected.
    Tao hung up and stared out into the woods that ringed Audrey’s tiny ranch house. He’d hunted deer and rabbits, tasted their blood still hot from their bodies, but he’d never raised a hand against a human or fellow wolf. Not until he’d dragged Owen to the pack clearing.
    He rubbed his forehead, the impossibility of the choices before him weighing heavy on his mind. His alpha had taken Owen’s life without blinking, leaving Tao to wonder if he himself was that much weaker to have so many doubts about his orders.
    Up until Nick lost his mind, the Deerton pack