[Mammoth Forest Wolves 01.0] Liam

by Kimber White

  “Sorry about that,” Keara said.

  “Keara?” In all the commotion, I’d barely registered the two others hanging back in the shadows of the rotunda. A middle-aged man and woman stepped forward now. Their companion still lay prostrate on the ground. He’d stopped groaning. That wasn’t at all a good sign. The older man wore a golf shirt over a pot belly and had just a few wisps left of silvery hair. His companion, a thin woman with darkly dyed hair and thick glasses, hung back a bit.

  “Thanks, Bernie,” Keara said. “You sure you guys are all right?”

  Bernie smiled. “Thank God Mac was there. I swear those patrols looked out to kill tonight. I’ve never seen ‘em get that close. I don’t know how the hell he didn’t succumb.”

  Keara pushed the hair from her face and cast a furtive glance toward me. I had the impression she didn’t exactly want me to hear all of this. Politeness might dictate that I’d excuse myself, but that wasn’t really an option.

  “You heard him. Just a low-level minion. It wasn’t Ten...er...it wasn’t the Shadow Springs general or anything. As long as you’re all right,” Keara said. She put her arm around Bernie. This drew a reaction from the woman I assumed was Bernie’s wife.

  “We’re okay,” the woman said. “But you’ve got to do something for Brady.” She sobbed the last word.

  “Let me,” I said. I pushed past Keara and the others heading for who I assumed was Brady on the ground. I had the presence of mind to grab one of Keara’s lanterns.

  When I got close enough, my heart dropped. Brady was just a kid. He’d looked so big. He was a shifter, to be sure, but he had the fresh, rosy, unshaven cheeks of a twelve or thirteen-year-old. I approached him slowly, like I do any wounded animal. I bent low and held my hand out. Using my best bedside manner, I smiled and held a hand out to him.

  “Careful there,” Bernie said, drawing close. “Brady’s got a bite on ‘im. He’s a good boy.”

  “Is he yours?” I asked. The wet shine in Bernie’s eyes gave me all the answer I needed.

  “He’s our grandson,” he said. “He’s all we got left.”

  “She doesn’t need to know any of it,” Brady said. He tried to make himself small, turning toward the wall. I could instantly see the problem. Brady had three red claw marks across his arm and his shoulder was popped out of its socket.

  “I can help with that, I think,” I said. The minute I did, I realized it would probably be easier if Brady were in his wolf form. I’d assisted on dislocations with a couple of German shepherds before.

  “I can do it myself.” Brady gave me a determined stare. Sweat poured from his brow and before I could stop him, he rolled over and jammed his shoulder against the wall. The sickening pop sent empathy pain shooting straight through me, and I cried out along with him. But, he’d done it. I didn’t give Brady a choice. I gently took his arm and examined it. He indeed had done it himself.

  “Let me at least wrap that for you so it doesn’t move,” I said. “And some of that Tramadol Liam took from the clinic wouldn’t go to waste here. What do you weigh, Brady?”

  Keara came to my side with one of the green pill bottles from the clinic. I counted out the pills and handed them to Brady. I got a fearsome pout for my trouble, but he took the pills.

  I dusted off my legs and stood. If I expected gratitude from Brady’s grandparents, I was soon disappointed.

  “This can’t go on, Keara,” the older woman said. Her eyes darted from me to Keara.

  “Ellie, don’t start,” Bernie cautioned her.

  Ellie’s face looked ashen. For a moment, I thought she might vomit. Instead, she started pacing at the other end of the round cavern. There were boxes stacked along the wall. A few scattered ones on the floor sat open. Inside, I could see canned goods, loaves of bread, and other groceries.

  My wheels started to turn. With the medicine Liam had stolen from the clinic, it became abundantly clear that perhaps Liam and the others were planning on staying down in these caves for the long haul. But, if Mac or the other shifters didn’t have to worry about getting injured the way Keara might, what in God’s name did they need the drugs for? If Brady was a shifter like them, why wasn’t he healing the way Mac seemed to be?

  “I mean it,” Ellie’s voice rose and echoed across the open space. “I didn’t sign up for this, Keara. Those wolves would have killed Brady. It wasn’t just some warning. What do you think’s gonna happen if one of ‘em gets their claws into Bernie...or me? They’re after Brady now, and you know it.”

  Keara let out a great sigh. “They won’t. Now, it’s been a long day, Ellie. I can never thank you enough for what you’ve done. I can handle the rest of this. You two can clear out if you want. You’re also welcome to sleep here tonight if you’d rather. I think it’s best if Brady stays underground for at least tonight.”

  “Nothing doing,” Ellie said. She went to her husband and peeled him away from Keara’s grip. She looked at me and pointed a crooked finger at my chest.

  “Nothing but trouble, if you ask me,” she said. “It’s too late for Keara, but it probably isn’t too late for you, honey.”

  “Ellie!” Bernie grabbed his wife by the arm and pulled her away. “You mind your own business, now. Thanks for the offer, sweetie, but I’d just as soon sleep in my own bed tonight.”

  “Is it safe?” Ellie asked, eyes wide. She went to her grandson on the ground. “Honey, I don’t wanna leave you, but Keara’s probably right about this one thing.”

  “I’m fine,” Brady said, but he wouldn’t look at her. He kept his gaze fixed on the wall.

  “Of course it’s safe,” Keara said, letting her voice drop to a comforting level. “Mac and Gunnar wouldn’t have left your side if it weren’t. Do you want me to go find one of them to show you the way out, or are you comfortable on your own? Brady will be just fine down here. We’ll let him get some rest and have him back in the store by morning.”

  “Oh, we’re heading out of here alone,” Ellie answered for Bernie. “Those two have brought us enough trouble. Come on.” She jerked her arm away from her husband, picked up a flashlight off the ground, and trudged toward a darkened passageway on the other side of the cavern. I made a note of it. Ellie seemed confident in where she was going. Heaving a great sigh, Bernie put a hand on Keara’s arm and shook his head.

  “She’ll calm down some,” he said. “Don’t worry.” He went to his grandson and smoothed back his unruly brown hair. But, Brady wasn’t ready to give his grandfather any more peace of mind than his grandmother.

  Keara stepped between them and touched Bernie’s cheek. “I know. And I’m sorry things got heavy. We’ll skip your place for the next two weeks.”

  Bernie’s face dropped. “Oh, honey. I didn’t mean…”

  “No, it’s okay. We need to stagger the routine a bit anyway. And you’ve taken such good care of us, we pretty much have a surplus.”

  Bernie looked at the boxes and scratched his head. “Well, you’re a lousy liar, honey. But, you sure are pretty when you do it. We’ll see you in three weeks then. I’ll make sure to set something special aside for you. You just take care of my most precious cargo down here and we’re square, sugar.”

  Keara went up on her tiptoes and kissed Bernie. He blushed. It seemed Ellie had some sixth sense of her own. She took that exact moment to call after Bernie to tell him to get a move on. He chuckled and did a little two-step before heading up the same passageway after his wife.

  This left Keara and me alone with Brady brooding in the corner. Her shoulders dropped as if now that Bernie and Ellie were gone, she could let go of whatever pretense she’d been holding. She turned to me and smiled.

  “Well,” she said. “Guess you could say you’ve jumped into this with both feet, huh?”

  I flapped my arms in exasperation. “I don’t even know what to say, Keara. Near as I can figure, I’ve stumbled into a group of werewolf preppers. What you’re prepping for is what has me terrified.”

  Keara rear
ed back a bit, absorbing my words. Then, she let out a genuine belly laugh. “Well, except for the werewolf part, you’ve just about got it figured. There’s no such thing as werewolves, Molly. These boys are shifters.”

  Not wanting to debate semantics, I went over to the nearest box and flipped open the lid. Baked beans, canned meat, canned veggies. “Well,” I said. “I suppose it should comfort me that these boys eat camp food instead of...well...me.”

  “Oh, they hunt,” she said. “They’re men. They prefer venison. I’m working out how to store that down here too. I need more generators. Actually, I’m hoping Bernie will hook me up with another contact.”

  “What are you hiding from?” I said, straightening. “And why the drug stockpile? If Mac can heal from a wound that grave overnight, it’s not like you’re going to need the painkillers and antibiotics Liam took.”

  I walked to the other side of the antechamber away from Brady. I lowered my voice but guessed it might not matter. If Brady was a shifter, he probably had ears at least as good as a cocker spaniel.

  “What’s wrong with him?”

  Keara let out a sigh. “He’s just young, that’s all. Hasn’t come into his full strength like the grown men have, yet. And he’s being raised by two non-shifters that are getting on in years. It’s frustrating for him not having a real father figure in his life. Fourteen is hard no matter what species you are.”

  Keara chewed the inside of her cheek. If I had to guess, she was gauging how much more to tell me.

  “I didn’t turn Liam in,” I said. “I had the chance to. In fact, I lied for him. I still don’t know why. But, geez, Keara. Even if I wanted to tell anyone about this place or those boys, who would believe me?”

  Keara gave me a kind smile. “Oh, more people than you think. Shadow Springs has been overrun by shifters for two generations. Most folk just look the other way or explain it away. It’s easier to deny what’s right in front of you.”

  It seemed such an odd thing to say, except the instant she did, it felt right. I should have been shocked when Liam shifted in front of me. Instead, it felt...normal...somehow. Logical. Like finding out the truth about Santa and realizing it was the only thing that made sense.

  “But what are you hiding from down here? The pack? Those wolves that chased us? Keara, what would have happened if they caught Liam?”

  Keara’s face darkened. “Maybe you’ve had enough truth for one day, Molly. Why don’t we just get you set up for the night?”

  “No. I want to know.”

  She took one great breath and let it out in a whoosh. “I think you already know. I think you sensed it. But Molly, if those wolves had gotten ahold of Liam tonight, they probably wouldn’t have just let him die. They would have just made him want to.”

  Nine

  Liam

  “You should have told us!” Jagger slammed his fist against the cave wall, causing rocks to rain down on all of our heads. The growl erupting from his chest moved through me, calling to my own wolf.

  Mac and Gunnar hung back, letting Jagger do most of their venting for them. I held my ground. Leaning against the mouth of the small cavern, I waited for Jagger to finish. He’d been like this ever since we left Bernie, Brady, and the women in what we now called the Supply Cavern.

  “Exactly what was I supposed to say?” I said. I projected calm, but inside I raged just as fiercely as Jagger did. “Keara made it pretty clear we needed a contact for medicine. Well, I found one.”

  Jagger whirled on me. His wolf eyes blazed. He knew better than to take another step toward me. In this close a space, one of us would get hurt if it came to blows.

  “She’s not just a contact,” Jagger said. His pursed his lips together, trying...and failing...to hold back his temper.

  “What would you have me do?” I asked. “Should I have just left her up there for the Chief Pack to find? What if they’d tracked me back to the clinic through her? Molly doesn’t deserve to get hurt because of me.”

  Jagger let out a bitter laugh. Mac and Gunnar stayed strangely quiet. Of all of us, Jagger should have understood better than anyone why protecting Molly meant so much to me. He’d told all of us for the last year how it was when he saw her the first time. He’d known in an instant they were fated. It was no different between Molly and me. Except so far, I’d had the strength not to act on it. If I were a bigger man, maybe I wouldn’t have chosen that moment to throw that in his face.

  “Relax, Jagger,” I said. “I’m strong enough not to do anything I can’t take back.”

  He curled his fist and dug it into his thigh. Flaring his nostrils, he turned away from me, shoulders hunched. Jagger’s need to shift to process his rage burned through him. He was my cousin, but not my Alpha. Still, the tension boiling off of him affected us all.

  “Does she know?” Mac finally spoke up. The wound on his chest had all but healed. Dried blood covered him.

  I couldn’t bring myself to admit the truth to any of them yet, even though they were all shrewd enough to pick up on it. Molly was mine. They could sense it the same way we all felt Jagger’s connection to Keara.

  “About what?” I asked. “She knows the Chief Pack Patrol is dangerous and out for blood. She knows enough to be scared of them. That’s a good thing. She knows we’re down here now and there was no help for that. As far as the rest of it? No. I’ve said nothing.”

  “You don’t have to say anything,” Jagger said through gritted teeth. “She can feel it, Liam. We can all feel it. And I’m telling you, if you care what happens to her, send her home and don’t ever look back.”

  “How can you say that?” I pushed off the wall. “You of all people.” I had to tread carefully. Every man in this room was here, one way or the other, because of the choice Jagger made. When faced with his own fated mate, he chose to break away from the Chief Pack to be with her. He was my cousin, my kin. Mac and I came to the caves because of him. At least, that’s what I’d told myself up until now. Gunnar, and Payne? We’d collected them along the way when staying with the pack would have meant certain death for each of them.

  “Jagger,” Gunnar stepped forward. “Liam’s got a point. Look, I don’t like this new development any more than you do. It puts us at risk. You know how much I love Keara. Any one of us would put her life before ours. But it also makes her that much more valuable to the Chief Pack. If this Molly chose to be with Liam...well...then we’re twice as vulnerable.”

  “She won’t choose it,” I said, my voice tasting bitter in my throat. “Because I won’t give her that choice. Not now. We’re on the same page, Jagger. But, you know I can’t walk away. And she is in a position to help us. Keara’s right. If we’re going to be down here long term, we have to be able to take care of the people who come to us for help. Some will be human. Some...will be like Brady. Other shifters might not be as strong as you’re asking me to be. And, God forbid, maybe someday it’ll be Keara who needs antibiotics or some other medication. Molly might be willing to help us. She hasn’t shied away yet.”

  Jagger shook his head. “That’s because she’s drawn to you. I’m telling you, the longer you’re around her, the harder it will be to resist. If she is what you think she is, there will come a point where neither of you will be able to stop yourself.”

  “Well, we’re not at that point yet, are we? God. I can’t think of three weeks or three months from now. It’s all I can handle thinking of three hours from now.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Jagger said, straightening his back. The rage had left his face and he cracked what might even pass for a smile. “For her sake, I hope you’re right. Because, we’ve had two close calls in one night, Liam. It sounds like both you and Mac barely got to the caves. And Payne…”

  My heart jumped. Payne. In all the excitement, I hadn’t even bothered to ask where he was. He’d gone on a run up north, helping another rogue shifter cross the border. He should have been back by now.

  “Anyone heard from him?” I said, giving voic
e to what we all feared. If Payne had been caught…

  “Liam?” Keara poked her head in, preventing me from taking my mind to the worst case scenario. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’ve held your new friend off as long as I could. She wants some answers and she wants them from you.”

  Jagger and the others exchanged grave looks. I squared my shoulders and turned to Keara. “I’ll take care of it.”

  My pulse pounded as I took the winding passageways. Keara didn’t have to tell me where I’d find Molly; my heart knew the way. The air went out of my lungs when I saw her. Keara had made a discreet exit, leaving the two of us alone.

  Molly stood with her back to me. Keara had set her up in one of the smaller caves and brought lanterns in so she wouldn’t have to wait in the dark. There was a small pallet in one corner where the rocks had formed a natural ledge. Molly would be safe here. She might grow cold, but I longed to keep her warm.

  She brushed a lock of hair away from her face. Her breasts rose and fell with her steady breaths. It all happened in a fraction of a second before Molly became aware of me. I felt the heat flush through her as she turned to face me.

  “Molly,” I said, my voice cracking. God, I’d been away from her for no more than an hour. I craved her touch again. Jagger was right. The longer I spent in Molly’s presence, the harder it would be to tear myself away. I would though. I would find a way. Keeping her safe was the only thing that mattered anymore.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I know this has been a lot for you to take in all at once.”

  She drew in her bottom lip, deepening the dimples in her cheeks. “You could say that. I suppose I should be curled up in a fetal position somewhere babbling. Maybe I still will. It’s just...I don’t know. It all feels…”

  “Natural?”

  She parted her lips with a smack. “Aw, hail no. Not natural. I don’t know what the word is. I was going to say...er...real. It just feels real. And I think that’s because of you.”

  My heart lurched. Of course I’d be fooling myself to think Molly hadn’t sensed the connection between us. Only I knew what it meant, but I wasn’t yet strong enough to tell her. I could tell myself it was to protect her. There was that. But, the truth of it was, I was too damn scared she’d turn away from me. So, I was selfish. Jagger was right. Probably the safest thing for Molly would be to leave and forget she ever met me. The thought of that sent fresh pain ripping through me.