by Peyton Bogue
“You’re okay,” Kai says, rubbing Rhys’s shoulder. “No one is going to judge you. Your boyfriend’s been taken by a psychotic omega. You’re allowed to fall apart.”
Rhys feels a wet chuckle rip itself from his throat, and he sniffles. His cheeks are wet with tears, and he starts wiping them away.
“I smelt his blood on her,” he tells Kai quietly. He opens his eyes slowly and looks at Kai sharply. He hopes his eyes aren’t glowing. “And she started talking about how he was hurt and it just. . .”
Kai doesn’t say anything, and Rhys sniffles again.
“I—I can’t even think,” Rhys says, shaking his head. “I can’t control. . . anything. The pull of the moon is too strong. I can’t even focus enough to try to track him. My wolf is trying so hard to break free, Kai. I can’t control it.”
“You don’t have to explain it to me, Rhys,” Kai says softly, giving him a weak smile. “I know.”
“The thought of him out there like that. . .” Rhys trails off, shaking his head again. “He’s hurt, and the full moon is tonight, Kai. I don’t know if Steele can control himself. I can’t even control myself. Sage is alone with him.”
“We’re going to get him back, Rhys,” Kai says resolutely. “He’s strong and he’s smart, man. You have to believe that he’s going to be okay.”
Rhys nods, taking another deep breath before he straightens. A quick glance around his surroundings tells him that Kai pulled him into one of the precinct's interrogation rooms. Rhys doesn’t see anyone watching them behind the window where he can see the rest of the precinct, but that doesn’t mean that no one saw him beginning to shift. He needs to get himself under control. It’s reckless of him to be so careless with his shift like this, even if the pull of the moon is starting to take effect on him. If Sage were here, he’d be reminding Rhys that he was in control of himself, that everything was okay.
But Sage isn’t here, and everything is not okay. Rhys is going to have to calm himself down on his own.
Rhys wipes his hands together so the blood can flake off of his palms. He takes a deep breath, focusing. Slowly, his claws disappear into his fingernails, and his canines retract back into his gums.
He looks at Kai, and Kai gives him a definitive nod. “You’ve got this,” he says. “We’re going to get him back.”
Rhys nods, standing up as he sniffles again. He wipes his eyes once more, taking another deep breath as he follows Kai out of the interrogation room. Kai gives him a comforting pat on the back as they make their way back to the middle of the precinct.
When they walk up to Sage and Kai’s desks, Mikalina gives him a sympathetic look, her eyes slowly trailing over his face. “Are you okay?” she asks him softly, and Rhys nods.
“Yes,” he tells her. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re fine, Rhys,” she says, waving a dismissive hand as her eyes shine with pity. “I get it.”
“I am so sorry, Rhys,” Hazel tells him, and Rhys darts his eyes to her, frowning. “I didn’t mean to make you panic like that. I didn’t even think—”
“Please,” Rhys cuts her off quietly, trying to keep his voice steady. He’s seconds away from biting her head off. “I know. I just wasn’t prepared to hear about all of that. I don’t like knowing that he’s somewhere out there and hurt.”
Hazel looks at him painfully, her eyes shining apologetically, but she just gives him a small nod. Kai pats his shoulder soothingly again. Mikalina gives him another sympathetic look.
“Did you find out who owns that SUV?” Kai asks after a tense pause, and Mikalina snaps her attention to him once the silence is broken.
“It’s a company car,” she replies, nodding. “Which means that we don’t know who the driver is, but the car belongs to Aleksander Kharkovy.”
“So, someone from Sirin tried to kill us?” Hazel asks indignantly, and Rhys’s chest swells with irritation.
“They might have figured out what we tried to do at the masquerade,” Mikalina says, turning to Hazel. “What did you do with Kharkovy’s check?”
“It’s in my purse,” Hazel says immediately, then pales. “I left it in Sage’s car.”
Mikalina’s eyes glance around the precinct, and she spots the small black clutch on an evidence table and quickly grabs it. She rifles through the purse once she gets it open and pulls out a white envelope.
“I’ll have someone else run this while we look for Sage,” Mikalina says. “If someone from Sirin did try to kill you and Sage, we’ll be able to officially launch an investigation into Aleksander Kharkovy.”
“I’ve got a print, Lieutenant,” a voice says behind them, and Rhys turns around. A stout looking forensic techie is tapping on a tablet, and he quickly hands the tablet to Mikalina. “I pulled this print off of the door handle of the driver’s side door.”
“This print is redacted,” Mikalina says in frustration, laying the tablet on top of Kai’s desk. She huffs irritably, shaking her head. The techie turns around and walks away without another word.
Hazel glances at the tablet, quirking an eyebrow up as she scans the screen. She furrows her eyebrows, moving to start typing on Kai’s computer.
“This print is from someone in the United States Army,” she mutters, and Mikalina’s head snaps up.
“The Army? Like from the one off of the EL-J46 guns?” Her eyes glance towards Rhys, probably uncomfortable with discussing details of a criminal investigation, but she turns away and looks over Hazel's shoulder before he can say anything.
“Yes,” Hazel replies. “I received an email during the ball that the file was unsealed for me. I was going to open it when I was running Kharkovy's check. Let me pull it up.”
She clicks at the keyboard slowly with the fingers of her bandaged hand, and Kai and Rhys glance at each other briefly while Mikalina reads the screen over Hazel’s shoulder. They both already know what Hazel is going to find.
“Damian Steele,” Mikalina says, and Rhys’s wolf snarls at the sound of the omega’s name. “He was discharged from the Army a few years ago for assault.” Her eyes widen. “Some background check Kharkovy does.” She continues scanning the file. “He served with Sage in Afghanistan, which explains why Sage would know him. Is this the guy you saw?”
“I don’t know,” Hazel says uncertainly. “He looks. . .different here.”
“Different how?” Mikalina asks.
Hazel shakes her head. “He had scars on his face, I think. And his eyes. . .”
Kai crosses his arms and looks at Hazel, asking, “What about his eyes, Hazel?”
“They were a different color,” Hazel replies, shaking her head again. “They were glowing.”
Rhys stiffens, staring at Hazel as he grits his teeth.
“Glowing?” Mikalina asks, confused.
Hazel sighs. “I don’t. . .I don’t know, Mik. It’s. . .they were glowing.”
“Okay,” Mikalina says gently, patting Hazel’s shoulder. She glances at Kai, then flicks her eyes back to the computer screen. “The address listed here is current. Let’s go check it out.” She turns around swiftly, moving towards the entrance of the precinct.
“Listen up!” Mikalina yell to the remaining detectives in the precinct as she turns to them. “Our suspect is Damian Steele. Twenty-seven year old Middle-Eastern male with a deep scar on his left cheek. Short, but dark hair. Now, this guy has potentially taken one of our own, so let's get an APB out right now. This is a hostage situation. Steele is likely armed and dangerous. Do not engage.” The detectives nod at her, and Mikalina glances back at them with an uncompromising glint in her eyes. “Suit up, everybody. Let's go bring Sage home.”
Rhys’s heart clenches inside of his chest as a wave of emotion washes over him at the sound of Sage's name on Mikalina's lips.
“Hazel saw Steele’s eyes,” Kai says under his breath as he glances at Rhys. Rhys grits his teeth.
“I know,” he growls lowly, shaking his head. “We’ll deal with her later. But Mikalina isn’t going
to find Sage at Steele’s address,” Rhys says quietly. Kai nods at him, frowning.
Rhys watches as Mikalina continues to shout orders at the detectives, who immediately spring into action as she passes by them. He glances out of the window again, where a tow truck is finally moving to tow Sage’s Camaro away. He furrows his eyebrows.
“Are there any places close to here that Steele could have taken him?”
“They’d have to be empty,” Kai says under his breath, his eyes tracking Mikalina. “It’d be hard to hold him in a place that had workers or was open to the public.”
“A warehouse?” Rhys snaps irritably.
Kai’s eyes widen as his breath stutters in his lungs. “There’s a Sirin warehouse a few miles from here, but I don’t know if it’s empty. If you think he’s close. . .” Kai trails off, clenching his jaw. “He could be there.”
“I’ll find it,” Rhys says, taking Sage’s dog tags and looping them around his neck. He doesn’t feel comfortable letting them go. He backs away from Kai, already moving to start walking away, but Kai reaches his hand out to stop him.
“Rhys, I can’t go with you, man. Mikalina’s probably going to have me go check out Steele’s place, and you shouldn’t go alone.”
Rhys huffs. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do. You need to go with everyone else here so that no one’s worried about where I’m at.” He pointedly lowers his voice. “If Steele pushes me too hard, I’m going to have to push back, Kai.”
Kai’s eyes blaze into his, bright and fiery. “I don’t care if you kill him,” he says. “He tried to kill Sage. I just. . .be careful, okay? Sage’s worries about you are completely valid. It’s a full moon tonight. Keep your head on.”
“I’m going to tear out his fucking throat,” Rhys growls, and Kai gives him a supportive pat.
“Okay, man.” He eyes Rhys seriously. “Get Sage back. Make sure that he’s safe.”
Rhys nods, glancing at where Mikalina is talking to the remaining detectives over by her office, before he turns around swiftly, running out of the doors of the precinct.
PART FOUR
TEETH
FOURTEEN
“Wake up,” Sage hears, and a harsh slap to his face has him tumbling into consciousness with a start. He looks up angrily, but Steele just gives him a cocky grin.
“You know what I don’t get?” Steele continues conversationally as he takes a few steps away from Sage’s metal chair. He’s completely unbothered, as if he didn’t just slap Sage so hard that Sage's teeth ache from the impact.
Sage doesn’t say anything, just spits blood out onto the concrete again.
Steele gives him a smirk. “If you want to forget about the time your entire team deserted you, why do you still wear your dog tags?”
Sage glances down at the middle of his chest and shifts a little, but he doesn’t feel the cool metal against his chest. He looks up when Steele laughs harshly.
“Oh,” he says mockingly. “I ripped them off your neck. I thought I might have been doing you a favor. I wouldn’t want to be reminded of a time where I’d given up hope, either. I guess you and I are alike in that regard, aren’t we?”
Sage scowls at him and clenches his jaw.
“What? No smart remark? Not in the mood to talk?” Steele taunts, chuckling.
Sage squares his shoulders and looks straight ahead even as his teeth chatter from the freezing air of the room.
“That’s alright,” Steele says, and Sage’s eye twitches. “I’ll do all the talking. You know how much I love to hear myself talk.”
Sage scoffs, but continues to remain silent. He looks at Steele with a blank look, then rolls his eyes.
Steele snarls at him, and the sound of it makes Sage’s heart skip a beat as he tries to suppress a flinch.
“You know, I thought that your boyfriend might have been here by now,” Steele tells him, taking a step forward. The fluorescent lights above them glint menacingly against his lengthened claws when he raises them up so Sage can see him pick at them. “For as much as you talk about how much stronger he is than me, I must say I’m highly underwhelmed so far.”
Sage scowls, grinding his teeth. He tries to school his features to look unbothered. He knows that Rhys is coming for him. He also knows that Kai wouldn’t have let Rhys go off on his own right now, not when Kai knows that Rhys is struggling to control his wolf and is most likely being influenced by the pull of the full moon, even though the moon hasn’t risen yet. He knows they would’ve wanted to form a plan. Sage isn’t going to let Steele’s snide comments affect him.
It still doesn’t stop the way Sage bites his lip so hard it starts to bleed again.
“You’re not even going to ask what that circle is for?” Steele asks, smirking. “Come on, Sage. I know you better than you think. You're dying to know, aren’t you? Go ahead,” he says, motioning towards the powder. “Ask me.”
“You don’t seem to be forthcoming with any actual answers,” Sage replies, shrugging. He fights a grimace at the sharp sting across his chest. His wrists are aching. “And to be honest, I don’t really care what you have to say anymore.”
Steele’s smirk falls off of his face, and he growls as he flashes his electric blue eyes in warning again. Sage just rolls his eyes once more, trying to seem uninterested. His entire body hurts.
“God, the mouth on you,” Steele says, running a hand through his hair. His hand shakes slightly, and for the first time, Sage sees him falter slightly as he takes a deep breath to rein his wolf back in. His eyes dim back into their normal brown after another silent minute passes. “You should really watch yourself, Cap. It’s not the night for you to pick a fight with me.”
“I think I’m doing just fine,” Sage bites back, and Steele’s responding snarl has his eyes bleeding back into blue again.
He moves before Sage even realizes it, and then Sage is trying, and failing, to hold back a groan when Steele’s claws wrap around his throat again. He scowls, but Steele just grips him tighter, and Sage thrashes against his hand.
“Go ahead,” Steele growls. “Make another smart comment. I’ll rip your throat out before it gets past those pretty lips.”
Sage glares at him, thrashing again, but he remains silent. Steele grins, making a low noise in his throat.
He backs away after another tense second, and Sage immediately gulps in air. He coughs, and his throat burns.
“If you’re going to kill me,” Sage says harshly, spitting blood off to the side of the metal chair again, “what are you waiting for?”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Steele replies, giving him a wicked smile. His canines are out, and his face starts to shift a little before he takes another deep breath, and his features return to normal.
He’s not in control of himself, Sage realizes. He and Rhys were right. Steele isn’t used to the pull of the moon.
“What’s your endgame here?” Sage asks him, enunciating his words carefully. His vision is starting to go blurry again. Focus, he thinks.
“Have you not been paying attention?” Steele chuckles, smiling at the way Sage releases a small grunt of pain.
“You want Rhys’s territory,” Sage replies, rolling his eyes once more. “I get that. You’re not going to get it. If Rhys accepts your challenge, he’ll kill you. He’s a lot stronger than you are. What makes you think that you can take him?”
“You’re really caught up in the strength thing, aren’t you?” Steele asks, crouching down to survey the circle across from them. He smirks. “There are other ways to get what I want, Kaelan.”
“Such as?” Sage asks irritably.
“What do you think this is for?” Steele asks him, motioning to the circle of powder.
Sage eyes it, then gives Steele an unimpressed look. Steele laughs at him. He smiles widely.
“Is that supposed to be some kind of a trap?” Sage asks, scoffing. “Good luck with that. Rhys is an Alpha werewolf, Steele. There’s no trapping him.”
“
He won’t be for much longer,” Steele replies, growling. He stands completely. “This circle is a circle of wolfsbane. Once he steps into it, he won’t get out. He’ll be completely at my mercy.”
Sage’s heart stops. He tries not to show his reaction to that. Wolfsbane, Steele had said. He knows about wolfsbane.
He might not have been able to smell it on me, Sage’s mind immediately reminds him. The wolfsbane on the ground doesn’t look like the pink herb tucked into Sage’s pocket, even though the wolfsbane on the ground is crushed up. It looks more like black ash.
Maybe the wolfsbane Rhys gave him is different. Maybe Steele can’t tell the difference between the smells of the two scents. Whatever the reason may be, Sage knows that he can’t alert Steele of his own wolfsbane he has hidden in his breast pocket.
“How do you expect to fight him if he’s trapped?” Sage asks, trying to soothe his racing heart. He doesn’t want to alert Steele to his bodily reactions and potentially encourage Steele into looking too closely at Sage’s suit.
“Come on, Cap,” Steele singsongs at him, chuckling. “I know that you’re smarter than this.”
He’s going to trap Rhys, Sage thinks. It’ll be easier for Steele to fight him if Rhys can’t move out of the circle. It’ll be nearly impossible for Rhys to defend himself, hard for him to even move with how small that circle is.
Steele doesn’t want him to be able to fight back, Sage realizes. Steele knows that he’s not strong enough to take Rhys on, not with Rhys being so much stronger than him. But if Rhys accepts Steele’s challenge, how is Steele going to be able to fight him when he can’t move inside the circle either?
Unless, of course, that’s exactly what Steele wants. Steele wants Rhys to be trapped. He wants Rhys to be unable to defend himself. The only way Steele will be able to win in a challenge against Rhys is if Rhys is at a disadvantage. Sage thought that Steele brought him here to act as some kind of a lure for Rhys, as bait, but Steele is clearly smarter than that. He’s got to know that using Sage is the only way to get what he wants.
And what he wants, above all, is Rhys’s territory. Which Rhys isn’t going to give to him. The only way for Steele to get this territory is if Steele takes it from Rhys by killing him.