There was a time not too long ago when Jase had wanted to give Sarvarna the benefit of the doubt. He didn’t question that there was corruption in the Alpha Pack, but in the beginning he’d believed Sarvarna to be an innocent bystander. Talley thought it was because Sarvarna was beautiful, and if he were being honest, that probably had something to do with it, but mostly he hadn’t thought a girl could be so cold-hearted. His experience with people of the female persuasion, which was considerable, made him believe they truly were the gentler sex. Even his sister Scout, who could hold her own in a fight with anyone of any gender, was more tender hearted and compassionate than any of the guys he knew. So, initially he believed Sarvarna to be under the power of the evil, controlling Stefan, the husband who had taken her as his bride despite the seventeen year age difference.

He couldn’t have been more wrong.

After just a few days with the Alpha Pack he saw who was pulling the strings. Sarvarna wasn’t some damsel in distress who needed saving, but a power hungry queen, dolling out poisoned apples to anyone who got in her way. And Jase had led the Fairest of Them All into the woods, handed her off to a living time bomb, and then crawled back to the castle in an attempt to attempt to distract the queen from their trail.

As far as Jase could remember, the woodsman ended up dead in this story.

“I was wondering if you knew the location of Pack Leader Hagan,” Sarvarna continued, upping the difficulty level of this conversation. Idle chatter and a bit of flirting weren't effortless, but they were easy enough. Evasion and subterfuge were a bit more challenging. Luckily, he’d picked up a few weapons along the way.

“No idea,” he said, meaning it. He purposefully never knew where Toby was, or the specifics of what he was doing.

Unfortunately, Sarvarna seemed to have a much better idea of his cousin and former Pack Leader’s whereabouts. “He’s with the Northcutt Pack in Virginia. Isn’t that interesting?”

Jase was sure she would find it more than interesting if she knew Toby was there to gather support to overthrow the Alpha Pack.

“Northcutt Pack? In Virginia?” He tapped his pencil on the desk exactly seven times in an effort to make it seem like he was having to think about it. “What is their Seer packing?”

“Strength,” Sarvarna replied. “It’s a decent Sight, but she’s nearly sixty years old. Surely Toby doesn’t mean to marry her.”

“I think Toby has had enough marriage for one life time, and even if he hadn’t, I’m pretty sure he’s not suffering any type of grandma complex.” Jase couldn’t decide if he was more disgusted by the thought of Toby making out with an old lady or annoyed at Sarvarna’s hypocrisy. Like she had any right to comment on someone else marrying out of their age range for the purpose of gaining a bit of power. “I’m sure he’s there for Charlie. I remember him saying something about if he only knew whether or not Charlie actually had the strength to recover, then he would know how to proceed with his treatments.”

“His brother’s condition is upsetting him, isn’t it?”

“He’s having a hard time.” Seeing someone you love on the brink of death does that to a person.

“Perhaps he should have considered this possibility before he jumped to defend that little witch, then.”

Jase heard a snap and realized he’d broken his pencil in two. Splinters of plastic and pieces of lead littered his desk.

If flirting with Sarvarna was playing a basic level and lying to her was fighting the Big Bad at the end of each world, then not reacting when she talked about Scout was running headlong into Bowser’s castle. The coyote inside him screamed for him to defend and avenge his sister, but his human side knew these games were how he would accomplish it. Surely if he could control himself while Scout was locked in a cage for weeks and watch as they led her to the site of her attempted execution, then he could hold his tongue when Sarvarna called her names.

“Scout was raised as a member of our family. Toby felt obligated to protect her.”

“It was a misplaced obligation, and an insult to me.”

You’re an insult to the Shifters, Seers, and decent humans of the world.

“I promise he didn’t mean it like that. My cousin doesn’t always think things through. He didn’t understand how hurtful his actions were until it was pointed out to him.”

At the mockery of a trial Sarvarna orchestrated, Toby had been unable to follow through with Liam’s plan to sit there silently while Scout was sentenced to death. Unlike Jase, he had stood up for Scout, not caring about what it would cost him. Once Scout had successfully escaped, Toby was punished for his loyalty. Severely. But the broken bones and bruises were nothing compared to not knowing whether Charlie lived or died. Jase hadn’t been there - he was where Toby should have been, at the hospital waiting on updates about Charlie’s condition - but others had told him how when he’d been allowed to catch his breath between assaults, Toby had only ever asked about his brother.

After that night, Toby made a show of falling in line with the Alpha’s wishes. He literally went to his knees, begging for forgiveness. Since groveling was one of Sarvarna’s favorite things, she had pardoned him, although her dislike of him was more than evident by the way she spoke to and of him. It was okay, though. While she might merely dislike Toby, he actively and passionately despised her.

If Toby was smart, he would have gone on with his life as quietly as possible, keeping all his hatred and rage locked inside. But the Hagan Pack wasn’t known for being smart. They were, as Jase’s gramma liked to lament, overburdened with bravery and confidence. So, instead of the beaten down follower Sarvarna thought she’d gained that night, she’d created a dangerous enemy, one who wouldn’t rest until she was removed from power… or more preferably, this world. If Sarvarna so much as suspected that he was really down in Virginia to convince the Northcutt Pack to join him in trying to overthrow the Alpha Pack, she would have Toby executed. No trial. No second chances.

“There are whispers,” Sarvarna said. “Rumors that your cousin is still loyal to the Thaumaturgic. They say his allegiance is to her, not me.”

“Toby? Loyal to the girl who shot his brother?” Not that Scout had really shot Charlie, but the Alpha Female didn’t know that.

“You can see why I’m so put out, can’t you? After all I’ve done for your family, and he chose that… thing over me.”