Free Revocation (The Canyon Wolves) by Laura Fields Page A

rule the entire universe. It never would have been
enough.
    Harper,
where are you? What’s wrong? Axel
asked her frantically. She ignored him.
    Conner
sneered. "No. You deserve to be punished, stupid bitch."
    "Why,
Conner? What did I ever do to you?"
    "You
wanted me! Wanted to leave your alpha for me. Ah, you conveniently forgot?
Allow me to remind you of the pack party two weeks ago, then."
    Unbidden,
the memory rose out of the muck of her mind. The room was full with pack
members. They were all gathered at her house, eating and laughing. Harper was
on the couch next to Gabby, drinking red wine. They were giggling together, and
then Harper glanced up, locking gazes with Conner. She winked one blue eye suggestively
at him when no one else was looking.
    It
was completely inappropriate of her, but that one action shouldn't have been
enough to justify Conner's claim. She must have been doing things like that for
a long, long time.
    Harper? Axel had seen her memory, and she
could feel his pain. He was in her head now and she couldn’t get him out.
    She
felt sick. What kind of person was she? Harper hadn’t been attracted to Conner,
but he had been a means to an end. Her mate didn’t want the public to know about
werewolves, so she went to the next most powerful male: Conner.
    Harper
deserved to die here, in this damp cellar. The world would be a better place
without her. She had another sudden glance into the past. Conner was kissing
her, and she was pressed into the wall.
    Harper
knew herself well enough to know that she wasn't enjoying the kiss. Her eyes
were open, and one hand was fiddling with a ring on her pinky finger. This kiss
wasn't like Axel's all-consuming do or die kiss, so why did she do it?
    Harper
began crying as she watched herself cheat on her mate.
    "Did
I sleep with you?" She needed to know, however painful. 
    "No,
damn it. You lost your memories and then fell in love with him again." Conner kicked a piece of metal, and it flew across the room with a
clang.
    "Why
would I do that to Axel? Why?" she whispered, trying to keep from sobbing.
    "Power.
You crave power."
    "No.
I don't."
    He
strode over to her while whispering, "Can't you feel it, Harper? You still
want this as much as I do, so just accept it."
    "You're
lying!" She would not lose her sanity in front of this evil man.
    "Power.
You wanted to help lead the werewolves into society with me.”
    “But
your mate… My mate,” she protested.
    “Power
is stronger than love, my dear.”
    "Going
public would be a disaster. The power would never be worth the lives lost."
Why hadn’t she seen that before?
    "No,
it will be glorious. Think about it. We won't have to hide. We could be
ourselves and be a part of society. Join me again, Harper. Together, we are
dominant enough to lead the new world."
    “I
will never join you. Never again.”
    “Then
you’ll have to die. You know too much with your memories back. No, don’t look
so relieved. It won’t be quick, I can promise you that.”
    I’m
on my way, Axel told her coldly. She
didn’t care how he knew where she was because all she could think about was
getting away from Conner.
    He
yanked Harper by her hair into a sitting position, and a growl slipped passed
her lips. A knife in his hand glinted in the light. He brought it up slowly and
dragged the tip across her cheek. The silver left a burning path as it sliced
through her skin like butter. She screamed and tried to squirm out of his grip.
    Why
was she fighting? She deserved every moment of this. Her wolf, however,
wouldn’t let Harper quit. Wolf took control and knew enough not to change. She
placed her weight on her bound human hands and swung her feet at Conner’s head.
Wolf made contact with a sickening thud, but there wasn’t enough power behind
the blow to do much but startle him.
    She
doubled over and stepped through her linked arms so they were now in front of
her body. Clasping them together, she swung again at his temple. Conner ducked
and