by AJ Jarrett
“I said”—the man paused and the distinct sound of a shotgun cocking traveled to his ears—“who’s out there?”
“Let go,” he snapped at Holden.
“Dude, no way.” Holden pointed in Jake’s mate’s directions. “He’s got a fucking gun in his hands. He’s prepared to shoot and that means even you. Mate or not.”
“The bond between mates is strong. I’m sure once he catches smell of me he’ll put it away.”
Holden looked from him then to Seth who just shrugged his shoulders. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
“Are you serious?” Holden whispered dramatically. “He could get shot, that’s what.”
Jake peeled Holden’s fingers from his arm. “I’ll be fine. Trust me.” He gave his friend one last reassuring smile then stood up. “Hi,” he called out in a friendly tone. His mate widened his stance and aimed the gun at his chest. Jake put his hands up in surrender. “I’m not going to hurt you. I swear it.” He took a few more steps forward.
“Stop right there, mister.” Jake could see his mate’s knuckles glow bright white from the hard grip he had on the gun. “Just turn around and forget you ever saw me or this place.”
“Why would I do that?” Jake’s arms fell to his sides. “Can’t you feel it?” He continued to walk toward his mate.
“I said to stop!” the man shouted. “Get off my property!”
Jake ignored his mate’s warning and kept walking. Maybe if he got close enough the other man would feel the connection and put the gun away.
He smiled at his mate who never dropped the gun. The barrel aimed right at his chest and for one brief moment Jake thought he saw a slight hesitation in the man’s resolve, but no. His mate curled his finger and a shot rang out.
The force of the impact had Jake stumbling back a step. He kept his eyes on his mate’s face. No look of regret, just one of triumph.
What the hell? He shot me. Jake fell to the ground. The hard dirt floor didn’t soften the impact. Warmth spread out across his chest and he stared blindly up at the graying sky. The nerves in his body came awake with a jolt and pain fanned out from where he’d been shot. His vision went fuzzy and he thought he felt someone touching him. All sound was drowned out by his heartbeat pounding in his ears. He wanted to get up but he couldn’t get his body to comply.
Jake let his eyes fall shut. If he just rested for a few minutes he’d be okay. He’d heal and be fine. And when he woke up the first thing he’d do is take that shotgun from his mate and toss it off the nearest cliff.
That was Jake’s last thought before his mind went blank and darkness pulled him under into comforting nothingness.
* * * *
“What the hell is wrong with you?” a dark-headed man shouted at him as he ran to the man lying on the ground.
“Who…” His voice hitched as he tried to speak. For some reason he felt like what he had just done was seriously wrong. Besides being the first person he had ever shot something else didn’t feel right about what had just happened. Almost like he felt the man’s pain in his own chest.
“Give me that.” A tall man with blond hair stepped forward and ripped away his only line of defense.
Carl took a cowering step back. Without the shotgun he and Casper were left vulnerable. What if his old pack sent these men for them? What if they were going to take them back?
Oh god no!
“What do you want?” He took one step back then another trying to get closer to the cabin. He needed to get away and find Casper. His younger brother had gone out hunting earlier and hadn’t gotten back yet. He prayed if Casper saw the commotion he’d stay away and hide. “Get off my property.”
“Yeah, right.” The blond man laughed. “You are on my land, you gun-wielding moron.” He pointed to the man on the ground. “Why would you shoot him? He meant you no harm.”
Carl looked to the bleeding man then up to the other. Words failed him. Fear had him wanting to bolt but not without Casper.
Just then a howl ripped through the trees and he saw a streak of brown as it raced toward him. He turned in time to wrap his arms around Casper’s neck, holding him back. Carl didn’t know these men and didn’t want to chance they’d hurt the only family he had left.
“Shh, calm down, Brother,” Carl whispered into Casper’s ear. He could feel his brother’s pulse racing under his thick fur. Casper settled down and sat at his feet. He rubbed a hand over Casper’s head then stood up to face the other men. The blond man still held his gun and stood there staring at him like Carl was a lesser man than him. It angered him. He wasn’t weak. “I said to get off my property and give me back my gun.” Rage fueled his courage. Courage he hung onto by a single thread. “Did our pack send you here?”
“Huh?” The blond-haired man looked at him like he had grown a second head. “What pack?”
“Seth, help me.” The man turned to look at the one kneeling on the ground next to the man he had shot.
Carl watched as the man helped his friend pick up the one bleeding. His face had gone pale and Carl wondered if the stranger was dead.
“Do you have any first-aid supplies in your cabin?” the dark-headed man asked.
A whine had him looking down at his brother, and Casper’s sad eyes pleaded with him. Knowing it was the right thing to do, Carl waved them toward the cabin. “We don’t have much but you can help yourself.” He stopped walking and held up a hand. “But after that you have to leave. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, yeah, now get out of the way.” The blond man pushed past him, carrying the other. He shoulder-opened the door and went inside.
Casper nudged him in the thigh and Carl walked toward the cabin. Once inside he saw the blond man lay the injured man down on the makeshift bed he and Casper shared. The other man rummaged through their cabinets until he found the little first-aid box they had. It was one of the few items he had stolen. When he and Casper escaped from their alpha’s house they only had the clothes on their backs and even that wasn’t much. Carl hated to have to break the law but they needed supplies. He made a vow to someday pay back for everything he had taken.
“There’s only Band-Aids and alcohol wipes in here.” The dark-haired man sounded panicked. “We need to get him to a hospital.”
“And say what?” the other man asked. “If we go to the hospital they’ll ask questions that we cannot answer.” Carl noticed the man looked at him and his brother when he said that. “If we can get him back to my house I can call a friend.”
“You don’t have any friends!” the dark-headed man shouted at the other. He started to pace the floor.
“When I moved to Clawson I introduced myself to the pack in the area. It’s small and they have their own doctor.” He shrugged. “I can tell them there was an accident and get their assistance.”
“Good, then let’s go.” The dark-headed man grabbed a few paper towels and held them against the bleeding man’s chest.
The blond-headed man lifted the man off the bed and headed for the door. Without knowing why Carl stepped in his path. He looked down at the man’s pasty white face and felt a pain in his chest as if he had been shot. He couldn’t explain it but he didn’t want the man to leave.
“Get out the way or he’s going to die,” the man said in a gruff voice.
Carl stepped out of the way and watched as the men walked away. Something gave way in his heart and it screamed for him to go after them and follow.
He flinched when he felt a light touch to his arm.
“I can tell you are frightened of something but I swear we didn’t come here to hurt you.” The dark-headed man looked out toward his friends then back to him. “Just please don’t leave. We just want to help you and your friend.”
“He’s my brother,” Carl said without thinking about it.
“I had a hunch.” The man smiled. “I have to go but please don’t run off. It would kill Jake if your bullet doesn’t first.” With that the man took off running after his friend
s.
Carl watched until they were only specks in the distance.
“Do you believe them?” Casper’s voice sounded small and fearful.
“I’m not sure but I feel like we can.” He turned to his brother. “If they came here to kill us or take us back they would have done so. I think we should wait.”
Casper wrapped his boney arms around his thin body and Carl stepped forward to hug his brother. “Don’t worry, Casper. I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”
“I know you will, Carl,” Casper whispered against his neck. “And I’ll keep you safe.”
After a few minutes Carl let Casper go and told him to get dressed. Both their stomachs were growling and Carl thought it best to make some supper. Casper had caught a rabbit while out hunting and he took on the responsibility of gutting and cleaning it while his brother sat and watched.
The graying sky had darkened by the time he was finished. He tied the meat to a stick and carried it inside to lay over the fire. Every so often Casper would rotate the meat so it would cook evenly.
Carl went into the tiny kitchen and poured some water over his hands to get them cleaned. He stared out the window hoping he might see the men come back with word that Jake was okay.
Jake.
The name flowed off his tongue like a leaf flying in the wind, smoothly and without effort. He didn’t know what it meant and tried to tell himself that he didn’t care. Keeping Casper safe was all that mattered. Because if he knew anything it was that their alpha wouldn’t stop until he had them back and that was something Carl could never allow to happen.
Chapter Four
Jake slowly opened his eyes and realized he was back in Seth’s cabin. His thoughts instantly went to the young man in the woods and he tried to sit up. Pain radiated from his chest straight down to his toes. He fell back on the bed, gasping for breath.
“Dear god!” he cried out.
“Oh good you’re awake,” a man with gray hair and glasses said as he stared down at him. “You gave your friends quite the scare, young man.”
“Huh?” Jake scrunched up his face as he tried to remember what had happened.
“You were shot, you idiot.” Holden came into view. “When someone points a gun at you, you fucking stop moving and do as they say.”
The old man waved a finger at him. “Your friend is right about that. A person with a gun who is willing to kill another person has nothing to lose so you need to be more cautious.”
“I didn’t think he would actually shoot me.” Jake rubbed his hand over his chest. His fingers brushed along the bandage taped to his skin. “We’re…”
“Mate or not he had a gun!” Holden threw his hands in the air and paced the bedroom floor. “Had you been killed your brothers would have ripped my throat out and I wouldn’t blame them if they did.”
Jake didn’t feel comfortable talking about wolf issues in front of a stranger. He fidgeted on the bed and tried to use his eyes to convey to Holden to keep his mouth shut.
“It’s okay, son.” The man patted him on the shoulder. “I’m the doctor for my pack. Seth called me and explained what happened. Trust me, I won’t tell your secret if you don’t tell mine.” He winked at Jake.
“Oh.” Jake didn’t know what to say. Seth had said he wasn’t a people person yet he knew the local pack. “Well thank you, Mr…”
“The name’s Merle.”
“Thank you, Merle. I really appreciate the help.” He looked down at the bandage on his chest. “How bad was it?”
“Not too bad. I had to dig the buckshot from the shotgun shell out of your chest. You’ll heal but you will definitely have some scars.”
“Thanks again, Merle.” Scars he could live with.
“Don’t mention it. Glad I was able to help.” Merle started to pack up his belongings. “Being as you’re a wolf shifter you’ll heal just fine but if any complications arise have Seth give me a call.”
Jake thanked him again and Holden escorted Merle out of the room. Now that the room had gone silent his mind wondered back to his mate. Jake couldn’t believe his mate had shot him. He remembered his mom telling him that sometimes love hurts but he didn’t think she meant it in this way. Even now with as pissed off as he was he couldn’t wait to see his mate again.
“Don’t even think about it.” Holden came back into the room and sat down beside him. “I know you want to get back to your mate but you need to heal first. I think he’ll understand being as he’s the one that shot you.”
“It’s my fault.” Jake shook his head. His mate warned him to not come any closer but Jake ignored him. He saw the fear in the man’s eyes and should have been more sympathetic to his mate’s situation and not his own selfish needs.
“Oh it is, is it?” Holden crossed his arms over his chest and glared at him. “I think it’s mighty impressive how you shot yourself with a rifle. That’s a real great talent. I’m sure Criss Angel would love to learn the secret to your trick.”
Jake rolled his eyes. “I didn’t mean it like that and you know it. I’m just saying I shouldn’t have tried to approach him like I did. He was frightened and shot to protect himself.”
“I agree you shouldn’t have gotten near him but in your defense you aren’t the threatening type.” Holden waved a hand at him. “This guy shot you without even thinking about it. Something for sure has him spooked of other people.”
“Makes me wonder what has caused him to be this way.” Jake’s chest started to ache but it wasn’t from the gunshot wound.
The sound of the front door opening then closing again had him and Holden looking toward the bedroom door.
“Glad to see that you’re okay,” Seth said in greeting.
“Thanks.”
“Where have you been?” Holden shifted on the bed to face Seth.
“I went back to check on our new friends.” Jake’s ears perked up. “They didn’t leave which is a good sign.”
Jake agreed with Seth. And more than anything he wanted to get out of this bed and go to his mate. The other man needed him if he realized it or not. He threw off the covers and tried to scoot past Holden.
“Dude, you can’t go there now. It’ll just make things worse.” Holden put his arm out to stop him from getting off the bed.
“Jake,” Seth said his name. Tearing his attention from Holden he looked up at the other man. “Holden’s right. It’s past eleven. If you go there now it’ll just make things worse. Let’s give them time to adjust and we’ll go back there at first light.”
“But what if they run?” That was the one thing that scared Jake more than anything.
“They won’t.” Seth huffed out a breath. “If they were going to run they would have done so by now.”
“He’s right, Jake.” Holden placed his hand over Jake’s. “I’m not sure if your mate understands what you are to him and I didn’t say anything. It’s not my place but I think he’s worried about you. When we tried to leave with you he stepped in Seth’s way, stopping him.” Jake’s eyes widened. “Yeah. I told him to stay put and we’d be back for them.”
Jake considered this good news. A smile cracked the frown on his face. He could wait a few more hours. He didn’t want to but his friends were right.
Jake cleared his throat. “Thanks for helping me, Seth.” He done nothing but butt heads with the man since they met but he owed the man his life, literally.
“It’s cool.” Seth smiled wide, baring all his shiny white teeth. “Let’s just say you owe me.”
Jake didn’t like the sound of that and the look on his face must have conveyed his feelings on the issue because Holden started to laugh. Never one to hold a grudge Jake had to agree. He did in fact owe Seth a favor or something in the very least. The man save his life after his mate shot him. Jake hoped that one day he and his mate could look back on all this and laugh but they had a lot to work out before they got to that stage in their lives.
* * * *
“Wake up, sunshine.”
/> The familiar voice had Carl opening his eyes in time to see a fist plunging toward his face. He gasped in pain but the sound was drowned out by the continuous blows to his head and body.
“You thought you could leave me, did you?” Another blow to the side of his head. “Silly boy, you’re mine.”
Carl brought his arms up to shield his head but it only left the rest of his body open for his alpha’s abuse. The man hit and kicked him until Carl started to go in and out of consciousness. His body ached and his brain tried to regain focus.
Casper, his mind shouted. Need to protect your brother. Carl rolled to the side and felt around the bed for where his brother should have been but it was empty.
“Stop, please god, stop.” His brother’s fearful cry caused their alpha to stop kicking Carl to a bloody, broken mess. “I’ll go with you, just please stop hurting him.”
“Casper, my dear.” Carl could hear the heavy footfalls as the alpha walked across the room. He turned to watch. “You need to be punished for leaving like you did. Actions have consequences and you’ve been a very bad boy.”
“Tobias, leave him alone,” Carl managed to say. Blood filled his mouth from his busted lip. He swiped a hand over his mouth but it only smeared the bright-red substance across his face.
The floor vibrated under his head as he watched their alpha walk back toward him. He knelt down and whispered into Carl’s ear, “See this is what happens when you try to leave me. Do you know how hurt I was when I found out you had left?” Tobias spoke in a menacing tone. “Losing your brother is your punishment. I’m sure after you spend a few days alone you will make your way back home and I’ll be waiting for you.” The man kissed the side of his head and Carl tried to pull away.
“Anton.” The alpha said the name of his next-in-command and Carl didn’t have time to anticipate the blow. A boot connected with the side his head and his vision went black.