by Tami Payton
I look at Cammie and smile. “Zander is sending some guys to escort us to the meeting spot. Mason and the guys will meet us there and then we will get you home.” She nods and I relax. Step one of my plan is going as planned. If everything works out the way it’s supposed to then it will all be alright. I smile again as Zander’s guy run into sight. Let’s get dear Cammie home safe and sound.
MASON
I’m feeling anxious as everyone is taking their seats. The show is supposed to start in ten minutes but no one has showed up yet. I figured Micah would have been here by now, we haven’t seen Gage yet either. My phone is going off and I jump. Damn my nerves are shot. I look down and see that there’s a couple of messages from Sam. Get out of there now! We’re getting the other girls out now. Cammie has been found and is out. Meet back at the cabin. MASON GET THE FUCK OUT NOW! I stare at the phone for a few seconds before I feel Cameron elbow me. “Fuck man, did dad text you as well? We need to go before all hell breaks loose.” I nod. “Fuck yeah, alright you head out first. Use the bathroom excuse and I will head out right after you.” He nods and gets up, good thing it hasn’t started yet. I wait a minute or two after Cameron leaves and then make my way to the door, just as I walk through it, I hear one of the guards yelling about how the girls have escaped. I haul ass towards the exit and yell at Cameron to haul ass. “Cameron, go! They’ve figured out everyone is gone!” Cameron takes off with me close behind, we shift as soon as we hit the grass and don’t look back.
We take off, running as fast as we can. I can hear the guards coming after us. Fuck! We can’t have them following us to the cabin. “Cameron, we need to lead them away from the cabin. We need to run in the opposite direction until we lose the.” I communicate with Cameron through my wolf. Cameron looks over his shoulder and sees the guards. “Fuck, you’re right. Ok, let’s head towards the river and cut through to throw them off. That should wash away any off our track and scent.” I nod and we cut to the left towards the river, hoping this works. I run full speed. I need to get to Cammie as soon as I can. It takes about ten minutes to get to the river and we cross it and then hide inside a small cave about twenty feet from it. We wait as the guards catch up and watch them search the boarder of the river. “Where the fuck did they go! Spread out and find them!” The one guard yells and the rest scatter down the riverbank. I watch as the main guard runs his hand through his hair and curses under his breathe. “God Damn it. Micah is gonna fucking kill us if we don’t fucking find them. These assholes have fucked up everything and we let them slip through our fingers.” He kicks the ground, frustrated. “Sir, there’s no sign of them anywhere. We’ve searched the entire riverbank. There’s no tracks or scent of them anywhere. I’m sorry. They’re gone.” The guard hangs his head and backs away, scared for the reaction that’s coming. “FUCK! Ok, let’s back track and see what we can find. These asshole’s have to be here somewhere. I want these entire woods searched. Everywhere. Do you understand me? Bring in every fucking man available.” The guards nod and take off. We wait a few more minutes to make sure they’re gone before we leave our spot and then come out.
Damn, that was close but it worked. “Fuck. That was close, I’m glad they didn’t decide to cross the fucking river. I honestly don’t think those guards are all that smart.” Cameron laughs. I shake my head. “I don’t know about all of that but what I do know is that we’ve got to get to the cabin and quick. If they’ve decided to expand their search than the cabin is in their reach. We need to get there and get everyone out and I mean now. Who knows how soon those guards will get out there?” Cameron’s eyes go wide. “Oh shit, that slipped my mind. We just got her back; I’m not losing her again. Let’s fucking go. I need to see my sister.” I nod. “You’re not the only one man.” We shift again and take off like our lives depend on it. In away they do, ours and the ones we love. My heart pounds inside my chest. After all this time of being away from her I’m finally gonna get to see her, hold her and God Damn it I’m not letting her fucking go.
We finally make it to the cabin and there’s one of Zander’s guys posted out front. He raises his gun at us and Cameron growls at him. I quickly shift to show we’re not a threat. It makes me feel better that he’s willing to protect who’s inside, even if it’s against us. Sure, he didn’t know it was us but I feel good that he was ready to protect my girl. “Sorry Mason, Cameron, I wasn’t aware it was ya’ll. I didn’t know and was just playing it safe.” He looks scared so I put him at ease. “No need to apologize. You did exactly what you were supposed to do, protect who was inside. You didn’t know if we were a threat or not. Good job.” He nodded. “Thank you, Sir.” He grabs a bag that’s next to him and hands it to me and I raise my eyebrow at him. “Um, clothes Sir. Sam left some out here for anyone who may need some.” I smile, Sam is so protective over Cammie. He doesn’t like to many naked men who aren’t pack around his daughter. “Thanks.” I grab out a pair of jeans and shirt then toss it to Cameron. I head inside and am pulling on the shirt as I walk through the door. I stop in my tracks as soon as my eyes land on Cammie. She’s curled up on the couch next to Sam, she looks like she’s been crying and my wolf growls. I want to go and gather her in my arms and never let her go. Her eyes lock onto mine and everyone in the room disappears. It’s just her and me, no one else. I feel my body being pulled towards he, my legs moving on their own and the next thing I know I’m on my knees in front of her.
“Mason.” She whispers and the sound of my name on her lips is heaven to my ears. It’s enough to snap me out of my trance and I snatch her up and gather her in my arms and crush her to me. My lips find hers and the rest of the world falls away. All I can focus on is the taste of her, the smell of her, how she feels in my arms and how I’m never letting her go ever again. She’s mine and I can’t believe it’s taken almost losing her to make me see it. I don’t know how long we stay like this before I hear someone clear their throat behind us. “Hey dude, I understand you’re excited to see her but I want to see my sister. So, get the fuck out of the way.” I pull away from her, although I don’t remove my hands from her completely. I need to have some part of me touching her to make sure she’s really here. Cameron comes over and sweeps her up in a hug. “God Cammie, we’ve been so worried about you. You don’t know how fucking glad I am to see you.” She starts crying again as she hugs Cameron tighter. “I’ve missed you guys too. It feels so good to be out of there. Thank you all for coming for me.” She looks around and her eyes land on Jenny and that’s when I finally realize that she’s in the room and my blood starts to boil. My fists curl at my sides and my wolf is on the verge of coming out as I growl at her. I step forward. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Cammie looks at me with confusion in her eyes. “Jenny was the one that found me. She brought me here when she saw me. What’s the problem?” I look from Cammie to Jenny and then at Zander. Something is off and I need to find out what the fuck it is and soon.
JENNY
Fuck! The way Mason looks at me I think he’s gonna rip my damn throat out right here and now. I swallow and take a step back, my back hitting the wall behind me. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Zander yet but as soon as he arrived, he made sure that there were two guards put on me. I’ve been under watch at all times. I can understand why, he thinks I betrayed the pack. I mean I did but I’m gonna make him think I didn’t. All he needs to know is that I did it to keep everyone safe and did it for Cammie’s sake. Cammie spoke up and I could see the confusion on both Cameron and Mason’s faces as she informed them that I was the one who helped her. “I’m only here to help Mason. It may not seem like it but I promise, it’s true.” He narrows his eyes at me and the look he gives me sends chills down my spine. “I don’t fucking believe a word that comes out of your damn mouth Jenny. Right now, I don’t have time to deal with you, we need to get the hell out of here, they’re sending guards out to check the area.” He looks over to Zander. “Zander, do you have a way to contain her so she can’t get away and betray us
again? That’s all we need again.” He cuts his eyes at me and I roll my eyes. “If I was gonna do that I wouldn’t have brought Cammie here. I would have just taken her back to Micah. Give me some credit Mason. I never betrayed anyone. No one has given me a chance to explain myself and until they do you can’t keep saying I betrayed anyone.” I cross my arms across my chest and raise my chin in the air. Standing my ground so it looks like I’m not guilty.
Cammie looks at all of us and I can see her anger rising. She holds her hand in the air. “Hold up. What’s this about her betraying everyone? She told me that Zander brought her in to work with Sam as a tracker to locate me.” Mason nods. “Yeah, she was and she did. It’s a long story that ended with a fucked up ending and now it’s even more fucked up and I don’t know what she’s trying to pull. I don’t trust her.” Sam interrupts. “I don’t either, no offense Zander. I don’t feel comfortable with her just walking free and clear.” Cameron chips in his opinion. “Um, I agree if she takes off, I don’t see anyone finding her again.” Zander nods and agrees with everyone. The asshole, I grit my teeth. “Well, I don’t see how this is gonna work. It’s not like you can tie me up, we need to shift to get the hell out of here. So, like it or not you’re gonna have to put some kind of trust in me.”
Cammie smiles, and steps in front of Mason. “I think I can help with that.” She reaches down and grabs the bag that she had with her when I found her. She pulls out a bracelet from inside and I look at it and frown. “Is that what I think it is?” Sam asks. Cammie nods. “Yeah, I found some as I was escaping and grabbed them in case I ran into any guards. I figured they would come in handy and they actually did. I managed to take down a couple of guards and place them on their wrist. We place it on Jenny, it will stay on when she shifts and she won’t be able to go anywhere.” Mason laughs and shakes his head. God, I really want to kill that Bitch now. Mason looks at Zander. “That ok with you Zander?” He nods. “Actually, I think it’s a really good idea. Jenny come over here and I will place the device on you.” Cammie hands it to him as I walk towards him with my head down. I’m shaking with anger and take a deep breath. Remembering this is part of my plan, I have to play nice before I strike.
CAMMIE
My head is spinning with everything that’s going on around me. When Mason walked through the door, he was all I could focus on. My wolf, my body and damn it my heart all called out to him. My head keeps telling me to stop, to think this through, that I need to slow down and go over everything but all my other instincts have taken over and won. When he pulled me into his arms I was done, our lips meet and everything else just disappeared. We were the only ones in the room, nothing else mattered anymore. Everything felt right and I was ok with that. Then Cameron interrupted and I didn’t know if I was relieved or not. I noticed that Mason refused to let me go, he kept some part of his body on mine. It was as if he was afraid, I would disappear again if he let me go. It felt so good to be able to hug my brother again. God, I’m never taking advantage of the fact that I now have family ever again.
Then the mood in the room changes and I feel Mason’s anger rise inside. I shudder, it feels weird to be able to feel his emotions again. I also welcome them at the same time, I missed him so much and yet I didn’t at times. I shake my head, man I’m so confused. He’s laying into Jenny about being a traitor to everyone and betraying the packs. “Jenny was the one that found me. She brought me here when she saw me. What’s the problem?” I turn to Mason with a confused look on my face. If she really did betray everyone than my first instinct of her when I saw her was right. I will kill the Bitch. I go back and forth listening to her trying to defend herself and as they talk about how to handle getting out of here with her an idea comes to me. I bring out one of the bracelets I took from the warehouse and show it to everyone. “I think I can help with that.” I reach down and grab the bag that I brought with me and pull out a bracelet. “Is that what I think it is?” Sam asks. I nod. “Yeah, I found some as I was escaping and grabbed them in case I ran into any guards. I figured they would come in handy and they actually did. I managed to take down a couple of guards and place them on their wrist. We place it on Jenny, it will stay on when she shifts and she won’t be able to go anywhere.”
Everyone agrees it’s a good idea and I hand it over to Zander and he puts it on Jenny. I also hand him the controller, with him being her Alpha he should be the one in control of it. He nods at me. “Thank you, Cammie.” I nod back and step out of the way as Jenny makes her way towards Zander with her head down. I sigh as everyone starts to get ready to head out, I can’t wait to get home. “Hey, are you ok?” Mason pulls me to the side and I can see the worry in his eyes. I nod. “Yeah, I’m good. I just can’t wait to get the hell out of here and get home. It’s been a rough couple of weeks and I just want to be back home and a long way away from here.” He pulls me into his arms and holds me tight. I inhale his scent and my body relaxes. “I’m never letting anything happen to you again. These past few weeks have been hell without you. Not knowing where you were, what was happening to you, if you were ok. It was the worst thing I’ve ever been through. Let’s get you home so I can make sure that you’re safe.” I swallow at his words and my heart swells. Damn, he’s making it hard to resist him. I smile at him. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go.” He kisses me and pulls me to the door.
Sam is standing on the steps and is guiding everyone in the directions they need to go. “Ok, everyone knows where they need to go. We will meet up at the trucks that are parked in town and then head back to the compound. We will debrief there. Be safe, if you think at any time you are being followed then take a different route.” Everyone agrees and takes off. Cameron and Sam walk towards me and Mason. “Cammie you are with us, you and Mason will travel side by side. Cameron will take the front and I will have the back. We don’t want to take any chances. You have the best chance of knowing if anyone from inside is around since you know their scents better than we do. So, if you catch wind of them let us know.” I nod to Sam. “Yeah, although they’re not hard to pick up. They all sort of smell like old river water, it’s kind of like they bath in it. I guess it’s a well water thing. I mean when I showered, they always gave me extra lotions and moisturizers.” Mason growls at the mention of me showering and I automatically know why. He’s thinking of them videoing me. I grab his hand and squeeze it, trying to calm him. He squeezes my hand back and kisses my forehead. Sam nods. “Ok, so everyone keep a heads up. Let’s head out and try to stay together. I’m not losing anyone again.” He gives us all a serious look and then we all shift and take off.
It feels so good to shift into my wolf and she yips with joy. Mason nudges my neck and licks my nose. He turns his head and takes off, I’m right behind him and we follow Cameron. I look over my shoulder to see Sam behind us, strong and alert. He’s watching over us, making sure we’re safe. I feel so proud to call him not only my Alpha but my dad as well. “Ok, we’ve got about ten more miles to go before we reach the meeting place. Cammie are you ok back there? I know it’s been awhile since you’ve shifted and I don’t know how having that bracelet may have affected you. I want to make sure you’re ok.” Cameron is checking on me and as much as I appreciate it, I huff. “Cam, I’m fine. If I need to stop or am having any problems, I will let you know. Stop trying to treat me like a baby.” Mason laughs or his wolf makes a noise that sounds like a laugh and I cut my eyes towards him. He refuses to look at me. “And what do you think is so damn funny?” I ask him. He shakes his head. “Oh, you know the fact that you would actually ask for help. I think that’s actually damn hilarious.” I growl at him and am about to respond when Sam interrupts. “Hey! That’s enough. I think we have bigger things to worry about right now than you guys arguing. Cammie if you start to feel sluggish or anything you need to inform us. We need to get out of here and can’t afford for you to play tough. Is that understood?” He’s not playing and I can hear him on the edge of his Alpha voice so I just nod and agree.<
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We’re almost to the meeting point and Sam has gotten a message from Zander stating that everyone else is already there. I’m so relieved, almost home and safe. My fur suddenly stands on end and everything goes on alert. Mason senses my fear. “Cammie, what is it? What’s wrong?” I shake my head. “Someone is coming. They’re about two miles out, maybe three. It’s someone from the warehouse.” I lift my head and sniff the air again and then realize who it is and my blood boils. “It’s Gage. He’s here but he’s alone. He’s still searching for me.” Mason stops in his tracks causing Sam to almost run into him. We all stop and watch as Mason shifts, the rest of us follow wondering what the hell he’s doing. “Mason, we don’t have time for this! We have to go!” I’m yelling at him, yes, I want to kill Gage but getting out of here is more important. He shakes his head, murder in his eyes. “No, that asshole is mine.” He picks up the bag I was carrying and takes off towards the area that Gage is in.