Turning her attention to the female kneeling beside Kerrie—a female who was filled with greed, ruthlessness, and naked ambition—Ally said, “It wasn’t Kerrie’s idea to take out the hits, was it? She’s eager to see Roni and Marcus dead, no doubt about that. She’s been obsessing over it for some time now. But that girl ain’t thinking clearly enough to have been able to arrange hits, hire people to kidnap families, and cover her tracks while doing it all. Not without a little help and advice, anyway.”

Derren arched his brows. “That’s a very good point.”

Sure she was right, Ally continued speaking to Miranda. “You’re an opportunist. You saw your cousin’s pain, her need for vengeance, and you saw a way to use that for your own personal gain. I think you gave her the idea to take out the hits. I think you pointed her in all the right directions—always careful not to dirty your own hands. That way, if Kerrie failed, the blame wouldn’t fall on you. But if Kerrie succeeded, you got yourself more land and power.”

Kerrie looked at her cousin. “Miranda?” The female didn’t respond—she was too busy glaring at Ally.

Taryn sighed at Kerrie. “Basically, you thought you were the mastermind behind all this, but that wasn’t the case. Your cousin exploited your deteriorating emotional state for her own gain. At least you can be satisfied that it didn’t work out well for her.”

Kerrie shook her head. “No. Miranda wouldn’t do that. She owed me.”

“Owed you how?” asked Nick.

“She wouldn’t have had the position of lone Alpha if it hadn’t been for me. I had a vision, I told her the Alpha male would die.”

Nick’s gaze slid to Miranda. “And you ensured that you were in the perfect position to take over when he died, didn’t you?”

Miranda sniffed haughtily, but her fear was no longer hidden. It was in her eyes, her scent, and her body language. “My pack will come to free me.”

Nick’s smile had a cruel edge to it. “You know that won’t happen. You’re a malicious, traitorous, self-serving bitch—they’ll be glad to be rid of you.”

“They’ll—”

Nick declared, “I’ve heard enough. Let’s get this over with.”

Going to her brother’s side, Roni said, “Nick, you promised. You agreed she was mine.”

Holding up a hand, Taryn stepped forward. “I get you want your revenge, Roni—this bitch could have cost you both your mate and your pack. But I could have lost the same. My pack needs vengeance too. We could both have the honor,” proposed Taryn with a shrug. “I’ll make her suffer on behalf of my entire pack. And you could do it too because, well, you’ll explode inside if you don’t.” After a long moment, Roni nodded her agreement.

At that point, Kerrie looked ready to piss her pants. Ally would have felt sorry for her if it weren’t for the danger the Mercury and Phoenix Packs had been subjected to because of this female. Many of the wolves had endured serious injuries thanks to the cougars and the grenade—including Derren, who had also been shot. That wasn’t something Ally could ever forgive.

Nick’s claws sliced out, making the female kneeling in front of him jerk. “Fine. Roni and Taryn can have Kerrie. But Miranda here is mine.”

Jaime sighed in disappointment. “You guys get all the fun.”

“This is what Betas are for,” Derren reminded his Alpha. “I can take care of this.”

“Yes, you can . . . but I need this.” Nick’s anger with the female was almost palpable. “My mate would be long dead if it wasn’t for Ally’s vision about the grenade, Derren. I wouldn’t have survived the loss of her, which means Willow would have grown up without her parents.” As Shaya’s hand rubbed his back soothingly, Nick’s shoulders relaxed a little.

Derren nodded. “If you’re sure.” He went to Ally’s side and draped an arm around her shoulders.

Trey stepped aside, making it clear he had no interest in contesting Nick’s desire to deal with Miranda. “Make it hurt.”

Squatting in front of Kerrie, Taryn spoke in a level yet menacing tone. “Because of you, a bomb might have taken out most of my pack—including my mate and son—and destroyed my home. My best friend would be dead, thanks to a fucking rifle grenade. And that’s not counting the other attacks on both my territory and this one. All things considered, you don’t deserve to breathe.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” proclaimed Roni. Abruptly, she used her claws to slice cleanly through Kerrie’s jugular. A heartbeat later, Taryn swiped out her own claws, mercilessly gutting her victim.

Miranda gasped in horror as her cousin painfully died right before her eyes. When she tried to speak, Nick cut her off.

“If you’re thinking of pleading for mercy, don’t bother. Your life means nothing to me. My mate and my daughter? They’re everything to me. This is for them.” He shoved his claws deep into Miranda’s chest, shaping the heart they could all hear pumping fast with fear. Then he twisted his hand sharply and closed his open fist slightly, slashing through the organ.

It seemed to take forever for Miranda’s body to finally give out, but in reality her death had been swift. It hadn’t been pleasant for Ally to watch, but the executions had been necessary. Kerrie—and Miranda as an accomplice—would have been responsible for many, many deaths had Kerrie’s plot worked. They knew what they were risking, knew what the punishment would be. It was how the shifter world worked.