by Marcy Jacks
“I’ve been hunting them. Hunters and shifters alike, anyone who profits off of selling people like you. I find them, and I kill them. They want me, baby. I brought them to you.”
Maddox glanced at him with those sad eyes. “I'm so damned sorry.”
Gus didn't get the chance to process the idea that Maddox went around purposely killing people, instead of it being something that happened by accident when he was out of control of his wolf, because then the bears and wolves broke through the trees, charging at them, and Gus screamed and held on as Maddox ducked and weaved, trying to stay out of range of their claws and teeth.
Chapter Eight
Maddox was such an idiot. And weak. He should have been there. He shouldn't have left no matter what the damned wolf needed, but there was no going back, there was no fighting harder to keep himself from leaving his injured mate alone and exposed.
It was done, and now he was stuck dodging, ducking, and weaving to stay away from the teeth and claws of the shifters who wanted revenge for their friends.
Bastards, the lot of them. Shifters like these gave everyone else a bad fucking name, and now he was stuck trying to keep his mate protected while the three wolves and bear came at him from all angles.
The wolves were more agile than the bear, but it was like a tank, and it was still fast.
It knocked over trees in its path, some of which landed in Maddox's way, forcing him to leap over them, listening to the sound of Gus shouting in pain as the branches whipped at his human body.
He had to lose them. He'd lost them yesterday, and he could do it again.
He needed to get Gus to this pack he spoke of.
It would take him an hour to run into that territory. If he pushed hard enough, if he was lucky, maybe he could get close enough to the territory Gus described and put his mate down, let him run while Maddox fought off the wolves and the bear.
It would be a struggle to keep all of their attention on him while Gus ran, and he couldn't even run quickly because of his injury.
Maddox needed to come up with something, a way to lose a couple of them for good to give his mate a better chance.
He had his idea when his ears picked up the sound of a transport truck in the distance. Honking its horn.
He switched directions, getting off the trail he currently ran, using the man in his arms for his strength.
His soul mate would give him the speed and strength he needed to get through this.
He just had to tap into it.
He narrowly avoided the wolves and the bear as he ran for the road. There it was, just down the hill, and the truck was still there.
In fact, in the distance, he would see another transport truck coming in the opposite lane.
He made his break for it.
“What are you doing?”
Gus clearly realized the plan without Maddox having to tell it to him.
This was going to be close. He prayed he wasn't killing himself and his mate by doing this.
“Maddox! Stop!”
He couldn't. The wolves nipped at his feet as he got alongside of the road, running full speed, managing to stay just ahead of the truck, and when they were about to intersect…he jumped.
Everything slowed down, his brain picking up on details since he could see the tires, smell the engine, and reach out and touch each truck as he passed them by.
The wolves followed him, as he knew they would.
Maddox didn't look right away when he heard the blare of each truck’s horn or the splatter of flesh and bone against a force as powerful as a huge transport truck moving down the highway.
There was a whine somewhere behind him.
Maddox risked the stop to look.
Both trucks also came to a stop. There was so much blood on the road.
One of the wolves, and the bear, stood on the side of the road, watching with abject horror as the truckers got out and checked on each other.
So two wolves had made the mistake of trying to beat the trucks with him.
If one didn't get hit, the other sure as hell did, or maybe both.
God, that was gross to think of even for Maddox.
“I think I'm going to be sick.”
Gus, too, it seemed.
“Hey! Hey you!” One of the truckers pointed at them, seemingly aware the dead animals on their trucks had something to do with them.
Maddox didn't stick around for a Q and A. He sure as hell wasn't going to wait around for the wolf and bear across the road to get their asses back in the game either.
He turned and started running again, taking his mate to the pack where he could be safe from all of this.
Safe from Maddox.
* * * *
Despite holding his mate in his arms and using some of Gus’ energy for the trip, after all that, Maddox was exhausted by the time he finally smelled unfamiliar territory.
He smelled other wolves here. They'd marked the place and everything. This place was theirs, and if Gus was wrong about this, Maddox would be in major shit.
Packs tended to not appreciate it when a wolf who did not belong to their group just waltzed into their territory.
Especially a packless wolf who had little to no control of his wilder side, even with a wolf soul in his arms.
“This is the place. We made it,” Gus said, smiling even as he sounded utterly exhausted.
Maddox couldn't blame him. The energy he'd tapped from his mate would, of course, take its toll after all they'd been through.
“You're sure you will be safe here? These people won't try to take you, will they?”
He didn't like these smells. These were new people he didn't trust, and knowing so many unamused males would be around his mate made the wolf inside his head nervous.
Gus’ attempt at reassuring him didn't go off as planned either.
“They're good. Pretty sure they're fine. I don't know the people who live here that well, if I'm honest.”
Maddox felt the tiny muscle beneath his eye twitch. “You don't even know them?”
Gus smiled. It appeared to be a nervous smile. “Well, they did save me when the hunters took me. They let me stay with them rent-free for a while. These guys are all right.”
He spoke with more confidence this time, but it was too late. The wolf inside Maxwell’s head was still growling at him, and he struggled to keep it back.
“Are you all right?”
Maddox clenched his jaw. “I thought holding you in my arms would make it easier for me to hold back the anger of my wolf. But knowing you don't know these people that well makes it worse. I don't want to leave you alone with these people if there is risk, and the smell of you, touching you, makes this feeling worse.”
“Oh, well, that's fine because I won't be alone. You're going to be there anyway, so it'll be fine so long as you can see no one is hurting me, right?”
“Right.”
Maybe he said it in a strange way because Gus was suddenly looking at him with suspicion in his eyes.
“You are going to stick around, right?”
If Maddox looked his mate in the eye, it would be obvious he was lying.
So he didn't look Gus in the eye.
“Of course. I am your mate and protector, after all.”
“Uh-huh.”
At least Gus dropped it. That was the most important part as far as Maddox was concerned because then the smells of other males were getting closer, and a voice called out to them.
“You're on the wrong land, pal.”
Maddox tensed.
Gus looked relieved.
“Hey, Collin!”
Two males appeared from behind the trees and shrubs.
Maddox didn't like that. They had come closer than he would have thought anyone would be able to get to him without his notice.
That was off-putting to say the least.
One of the men had hair that Maddox could only describe as being strawberry blond. The other had short chestnut hair that loo
ked as though he'd gelled it.
Really? Maddox didn't think there were any shifters out there who actually did that.
Why bother primping hair when there were more important matters to deal with?
Like destroying hunters.
Both men were shirtless. They wore pants but had no shoes on.
That he could respect. Though it was possible to shift while wearing clothes, some shifters believed it was easier to shift and run with less clothing on.
As though it somehow weighed the wolf down when the man transformed into wolf.
He didn't know how it worked, but it was definitely Maddox's preference. It also allowed him to see the wolf paw print tattoos on their chests.
So these wolves also adhered to the tradition.
He liked too many things about these wolves without knowing a damned thing about them. Maddox growled.
“You are the wolves who protected my mate?”
Both men looked at each other. Maddox did not know which one was Collin.
“Yeah, that was us. Who the hell are you?”
“Maddox, you can put me down now.”
Gus seemed excited as he tapped on Maddox's chest.
Maddox was torn.
On the one hand, he did not want to let go of his mate and risk anything happening to him. The protective instinct from the wolf was taking control.
On the other hand, if holding Gus like this made the wolf inside him that much more unstable, then maybe it was for the best that he released Gus into the care of these men.
“He told you to let him go, buddy,” said the male with the gelled hair.
Maddox growled, putting Gus down onto his feet.
But not because he was being told to. Just because it was what Gus wanted to.
The clear limp Gus had as he went to the two men made shame well up within Maddox. Both shifters looked suspiciously at Maddox before smiling in welcome to Gus.
“It's good to see you guys again.” Gus sounded as though he meant it as he threw his arms around both men's necks.
Maddox looked away from that.
No need to be jealous. There was no need to feel any sort of jealousy when he knew that Gus only moaned for him. Maddox was Gus’ mate. Not either of these males.
Still, it struck his pride hard to watch Gus hold other males like this.
One smelled alpha. The other smelled of a powerful beta. It was all over their pheromones.
Gus skipped right past the pleasantries, explaining who Maddox was, how they had met, and who they were running from.
The blond male hissed. “Fuck, Gus, I'm so sorry. We should have been there for that.”
“Yes, you should have.” Maddox couldn't help but throw that one in for good measure.
Both males glared at him. Gus laughed nervously, immediately trying to dispel the tension in the air.
“It's all right. Maxwell made it clear to me that he couldn't be around all the time. I understand. By the way, Maddox, this is Collin, and this right here is Flynn. They work for Maxwell. They were the ones who rescued me, though I can't really remember that.”
Maddox nodded. He didn't want to be rude to the people who had saved the life of his mate, though the petty wolf inside him wished it had been him.
Maddox didn't like knowing there had been a time when he didn't know Gus existed, that his life had been in danger and he’d been oblivious to it the entire time.
But that had been the case, regardless of how much he didn't want it to be true. So some respect was due.
Even the wolf inside knew this.
“Thank you for what you have done for my mate. I am grateful to you and your pack for this.”
Both men looked at him, and Collin, the blond, was the first to speak. “Gus has become something of a friend. Some of the others we rescued are ones we have been keeping an eye on, as well, but it's been…trying. There's not many of us to spread around for a job that big.”
Collin looked back at Gus, a sorry expression on his face. “Are you sure you're not hurt? Too badly, that is?”
The man looked down at Gus’ bandaged foot.
Flynn got to one knee, touched Gus’ leg, and a pained expression crossed his face.
“I should have been there.”
The wolf inside Maddox sat up straight at words like that.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Flynn stood, and Maddox was suddenly very aware of the other man. He was a beta, so maybe that was why Maddox hadn't noticed it right off the bat, but he sure as hell noticed it now.
The man didn't put his hands on Gus, but it was in his eyes that he wanted to.
Fuck, no. How could Maddox possibly leave his mate here when there was another male who had eyes for him?
“We should take you to the hospital.”
“No.” Maddox stepped forward. “No hospitals. Just make sure one of your healers looks at him.”
Flynn narrowed his eyes. “He's not a shifter. He's human. I can drive him there myself if you won't do it.”
The wolf wouldn't allow for it, and it wouldn't allow itself to be challenged like this from some insolent beta of all things.
Maddox growled, and he stepped forward, ready to fight.
“You will do no such thing. I said it was too dangerous. Do you think I'm fucking around with you?”
“Okay, so that's fun.” Gus immediately stepped in Maddox’s way, hands up, as though trying to calm a wild animal.
Maybe he was.
“I'm fine, you guys, and I think Maddox is right. If it doesn't need a doctor, then there's no point in racking up the bill if my foot just needs a fresh bandage, right?”
Both men looked at him, as if they didn't entirely believe him, but then Collin seemed to agree.
“All right, no problem. Come with us. We’ll let Maxwell know the hunters are on the move again and then see about your foot. Maddox, you should pick him up again, still a twenty-minute sprint from here.”
He was clearly the more intelligent of the two. He didn't try to pick Gus up himself, and he didn't ask Flynn to do it either, nor did he assume that Maddox was too weak to hold his own mate.
Maddox went to Gus, pulling the man into his arms.
“Lead the way.”
Collin nodded then quickly shifted. His transformation much more graceful than anything Maddox had ever done.
He hated to admit he was jealous of that.
Flynn continued to look at Maddox with distrust in his eyes, and Maddox's petty glee returned.
That he was the one who had something this man did not and he was able to hold on to his mate while Flynn had to look on and feel jealousy made Maddox feel powerful over the other man.
Gus was his, and he would never allow another male to touch him if he had his way.
“Lead the way,” Maddox said, laughing on the inside for this beta’s misery.
Gus glared at him for that, but he knew his mate would forgive him for this.
Chapter Nine
The farther they travelled onto familiar territory, the more Gus could tell Maddox was becoming agitated.
“Is it the smells?”
Maddox nodded, his jaw tight. He clearly didn't want to be here, and Gus found himself struggling to think of anything he could say or do that would make it better.
Why bother coming all this way if Maddox couldn't be here for long without his inner wolf wanting to be let out? Wanting to fight?
“Maybe we won't stay long. Just long enough that we can get some help and get a new bandage for my foot, and then we can move on if your wolf…doesn't like it.”
He almost said can't handle it, but he figured that would be an even bigger insult to the other man, so he luckily held that one back before it could make its way out of his mouth.
Maddox kept his responses short and curt after that.
Gus didn't blame him. If he was struggling, then Gus only thought it natural that the man would want to keep his focus instead of speaking
.
But Gus still wanted to comfort his mate, so with nothing else to do, he leaned against the other man's chest as Maddox jogged the rest of the way to Maxwell’s home, hoping that his touch and warmth would be enough to make Maddox feel somewhat more in control.
To make him feel better.
They made it in no time. The sun was starting to go down, and with how dark it already was because of the gray clouds and damp, cold air, it was to the point where Gus could hardly see until he spotted the lights of the houses and trailers on Maxwell’s territory.
Gus sighed. He was so glad to be back to civilization. He couldn't wait to get inside and warm up.
Even while leaning against a man who was basically a living heater that hadn't stopped the chill from worming its way into his bones.
“God, finally.” Gus looked up at Maddox just as Collin let himself into Maxwell’s home.
“You're going to like it here. The wolves here might ask questions, but they're good people. We’ll be safe.”
Maddox cringed for some reason.
“Yes.”
Gus didn't get it. Was that all he was going to say?
Maybe it was because Flynn was still looking at them. Didn't he know it was a bad idea to stare at an alpha like that? Maybe Gus should tell him.
But then Maxwell came out of his house, along with his mate, Noah.
Sam was there, too. He ran over from the home where he lived with Collin.
God, Gus was so happy to see them.
He didn't remember much of his time in that hellish pit where he and the others were being kept, but he knew that if it hadn't been for Sam and Noah, he might not be here. They'd kept him safe when he could barely move on his own.
Maxwell took a look at Gus and Maddox then invited them in, and Gus couldn't be happier.
His foot was looked at, and something that stung like bitch was poured onto his wound. He cursed the omega doing it to him as he fought back tears from the pain, but then his foot was wrapped, he was given something for the pain, and a warm tea was pushed into his hands.
“You'll be all right, but if that coloring gets any worse, you'll need a hospital.”
The omega looked to Maddox.
“I know you alphas don't like being told what to do, but keep holding on to him, try not to take any more strength from him. See if you can give it instead of taking it. That might prevent the infection from getting worse.”