“What?” she jeered. “You can’t handle a little sparring? I thought you were better than this, Phoenix?”
Shaking his head, Phoenix wiped at the blood dripping down his chin, his eyes flashing to his wolf and back in anger. “What the hell has gotten into you, Rikki?”
“Rikki, whatever is wrong, this is not the way,” Angel said in a low tone. “Trust me.”
“Trust you?” Rikki growled, turning to her alpha. “I did trust you, and look where it got me.”
Pain flashed through Angel’s eyes, and she moved closer to Chase, leaning into him for support. “I’m sorry, Rikki.”
“I trusted all of you!” Rikki cried.
“I don’t understand,” Nico said in confusion, appearing from around the side of the barn. “You know you can trust us, Rikki. We’re family.”
Target practice must be over, Rikki thought in a huff as more and more of the team showed up. She bared her teeth at them as a low growl rumbled in her chest. Of course, they didn’t understand. How could they? Most of them were with their mates every night, while she had no idea where hers was. If it was one of theirs, they wouldn’t be standing around here at Angel’s farm, they’d be out looking for the ones they loved.
“Rikki…”
Rikki swung around and bared her teeth at Angel when the alpha moved from her mate’s embrace and took a step in her direction. “Stay away from me.” Rikki glared at them as she slowly turned in a circle. “All of you, stay the hell away from me.”
“That’s enough,” Chase growled, his hand on Angel’s arm halting her movement. “I know you are going through a lot right now, little wolf, which is the only reason I’m giving you a free pass this time. You will not disrespect my mate again.”
“You are not my alpha,” Rikki snarled, her eyes trained on the dangerous man.
“Yes, Rikki, he is,” Nico said quietly. “We have all sworn our allegiance to the White River Wolves. Once Chase and Angel fully mated, he became our alpha, and Angel his alpha mate. We answer to both of them.”
She knew Angel had finally accepted Chase’s mate claim, hadn’t thought anything beyond that. Now, Rikki’s heart constricted as she realized what that meant. There would be two people who had control over her, not just Angel. It was hard enough for her to answer to Angel, she was afraid having to obey both would be nearly impossible. Her chest tightened, her breath coming in short, harsh pants. “I haven’t,” she rasped. “I follow Angel, and only Angel.”
“That’s not the way it works,” Angel said, pulling away from Chase to walk over to Rikki. “I am so sorry, my friend. This is all my fault. I just couldn’t let you go, but I never thought about what it would mean to you. I know how difficult all of this must be for you, with your past.”
Everything was crowding in around her, and her wolf was rising quickly to the surface. Rikki tried to shove her back down, somehow knowing a lot of the issues she was having right now were because of her, but it wasn’t working. “I agreed,” she whispered, her hands out to her sides as she clenched and unclenched her fingers, her claws punching through the tips of her fingers.
“Yes, but you were in so much agony,” Angel said, reaching out to place a gentle hand on her arm. Chase growled deeply in warning, but she ignored him. “You were bleeding out quickly, almost gone from us. You weren’t thinking clearly, and neither was I.”
Shaking her head, Rikki reiterated, “I agreed.”
“Yes, but you didn’t fully know what you were agreeing to.”
Lifting her head, Rikki met her light blue gaze. “Yes, I did. I wanted to live, Angel. I didn’t want to leave this world. I didn’t want to leave my mate.”
Angel’s brow furrowed, and she let her hand fall to her side. “That isn’t what this is about? Your anger at being turned?”
“And it can’t be about Chase being your alpha, because you didn’t understand that until just now,” Flame said, her hands resting lightly on her hips. Cocking her head to the side, her long auburn hair resting over the swell of her breasts, she asked, “Does it have something to do with Jeremiah? Cause if I’ve learned anything this past year living with shifters, it’s that the one thing that makes them lose control is if it involves their mates. It would only stand to reason, as angry as you’ve been, that this has something to do with yours.”
Angel gasped, her eyes widening in comprehension. “That’s what this is about, isn’t it, Rikki? Jeremiah? Why would you be so angry at us about him?”
Rikki’s wolf pushed to the surface, and before she knew what was happening, she began to shift.
“Rikki?”
“You didn’t save him!” Rikki ground out, past the fangs that had erupted in her mouth.
“Save him?” Angel frowned, shaking her head. “Rikki, I can’t help what Jeremiah…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Rikki snarled, “He’s my mate! That makes him family! You should have brought him home to me. Instead, you all left him there. With that bitch, Ebony. My mate is in danger, and it’s your fault. You left him!”
Chase quickly closed the distance between them, his finger going into a loop on Angel’s pants. Tugging, he hauled her back next to him, away from Rikki who was in mid-shift.
“No!” Angel said, shaking her head in denial. “He left us, Rikki! Once we figured out what he was doing, we searched for him. So many times. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t find him. He was evading us. This last time, when we saw him, we tried to get him to come home. He wouldn’t listen. He walked away from us. There was nothing we could do.”
Rikki froze, pain slamming into her at Angel’s admission. Her mate had walked away from them? From her? Slowly, her fangs receded, and she collapsed to the ground. He’d had the chance to come home, to be with her, but he’d chosen to walk away? Her heart shattered in her chest, and a loud howl ripped from her throat. Her mate had left her.
“Oh, Rikki,” Angel whispered, tearing from her mate’s arms and dropping to her knees beside her. Reaching out tentatively, she placed a comforting hand on Rikki’s shoulder. “He didn’t want to leave you. He loves you so damn much. He’s doing what he is doing because of how much he cares. He’s trying to get rid of everyone who could cause you harm.”
A shudder rippled through her, and Rikki threw back her head and howled in despair again. Maybe he was doing what he was out of love for her, but it didn’t change the fact that he could have come home. Instead, he chose to walk away from her. If he really wanted her, wouldn’t he be there right now?
“Rikki, listen to me,” Phoenix growled, kneeling beside them. “Think about it. That man loves you enough to be out there fighting a war that could get him killed. He’s in the middle of the fucking trenches. He’s worked himself so far deep into all of it, that if they found out who he is, his death would not be an easy one. But he’s doing it for you. Because he loves you.” Rikki stiffened, the thought of Jeremiah in that much danger brought her wolf to the surface again. Her gaze locking with Phoenix’s, she growled, her eyes flashing wolf and back. He leaned in, placing his forehead to hers. “I say, get mad, little sister. Get pissed the fuck off. Get up and fight. That man doesn’t need you laying in the dirt crying. He needs you fighting for him, like he is doing for you.”
Slowly, Rikki pulled away from Angel and stood. She was shaking, the struggle against letting her wolf free a hard one. “She’s angry,” Rikki rasped, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “So angry.”
“Your wolf?”
Rikki nodded. “She’s mad as hell at the world. I’m having a hard time controlling her.”
“That’s why you are so pissed at everyone,” Angel said quietly as she rose to her feet and stepped back by her mate. “Your wolf is.”
Her eyes fluttering open, Rikki whispered, “She doesn’t understand why he isn’t here…and neither do I.”
“Because he’s a dumbass,” Trace muttered.
“She wants out,” Rikki admitted, ignoring him. “Wants to f
ight someone. Something. I try to push her back down, but it’s so hard.”
“So, let her out,” Phoenix said, a small grin turning up the corners of his mouth. “Maybe a good rumble is all she needs.”
“What?”
His hands going to the snap on his jean, his grin widened. “It’s been a week or so since I’ve sparred in wolf form. Let’s have a little fun.”
“Fun?”
“Hey, just don’t go for the throat.”
Her eyes went to his hands, and her cheeks colored. “Can’t you go do that in the barn?” she snapped. “I don’t want to see your dick flying around. Jesus, you’re like my freaking brother.”
Nico let out a roar of laughter. “There’s our Rikki.”
8
Jeremiah managed to not only get inside the White River Wolves compound, but also slip into the hospital unnoticed, with the help of a special pill the General’s scientists had developed that masked his scent. He also had one that helped block the ability of psychics to slide inside his mind and another that altered the perception of anyone he gave it to. He avoided using the last one, because he hated the thought of messing with anyone’s head. Also, it was still in the testing phase and had really screwed up some of the test subjects, causing them to kill themselves. But the first two pills he used on a regular basis. It was how he managed to stay one step ahead of RARE when they were hunting him earlier in the year.
He found what had to be Rikki’s room. Her scent was there, even though it was faint, making his cock immediately stand to attention. Jeremiah groaned under his breath, pushing down on the annoying prick, hoping to ease the discomfort. He didn’t have time for a distraction. There was too much at stake right now.
The bed was made, the room clean. Rikki may have been there, but not for a few days. Fear began to fill him at what that might mean. Where the hell was she? Alive, or…he wouldn’t let himself continue that thought. His mate was not dead. He would know it. He would feel it deep down inside.
“So, she’s okay?”
Jeremiah stiffened at the sound of a female voice right outside the door. Shit. He’d been caught up in his own thoughts, missing the fact that someone was near.
“Well, she should be fine to spar. Just watch her closely. Her wolf is strong, and from what you are saying, she’s very angry. You need to be careful who you give her as a target to take her aggression out on. If it is someone she doesn’t know very well, she could hurt them. She won’t have any reason to pull back.”
Jeremiah’s eyes narrowed at the conversation. What was going on?
“How long will everyone be at Angel’s? I would like you to bring Rikki back here afterwards so I can do another exam. I’m sure she’s fine, but it’s better to err on the side of caution.”
Rikki. She was at Angel’s. That was all he needed to know. If she was there, that meant she was fine. Safe.
“I know. That woman is so stubborn. Just try to get her here.”
Yes, his Rikki was stubborn as hell, and so damn beautiful his dick was pulsing at the thought of her. The scent that was all hers still in the room aggravated it even more.
“Okay. Love you.”
Jeremiah waited for a long moment until he was sure whomever had been on the other side of the door was long gone and he slipped out of the room. He couldn’t wait for them to come back to the hospital. He only had about four more hours before he needed to get back on the road. Fifteen minutes later, he was back in the Hummer and flooring it to Angel’s, his thoughts on his strong, sexy mate. Damn, he needed her. He didn’t know how much longer he could stay away.
He made it in record time, parking five miles away and hoofing it through the woods that surrounded the area. Confident they wouldn’t be able to sense him with their psychic abilities, or scent his presence because of the pills he’d taken, Jeremiah got within half a mile of the farm before climbing up to the top of a tree and settling in. He was on a hill and had a direct view of the farm below him. Removing his backpack, he took out a pair of binoculars, anxious to see the mate he would do anything for. He paused, briefly having the presence of mind to inhale deeply and make sure he was alone, then put the binoculars to his eyes. It took him a moment to focus them in, and then his eyes widened at the frenzied fight that was taking place below him in front of the barn. Holy shit! If the female wolf was the one the person in the hospital had been talking about, she was right. Not only was the wolf angry, but she was fighting against a huge male for all she was worth. And she was winning.
The team surrounded them, but were keeping their distance. As Jeremiah watched, Nico quickly shed his clothes and shifted, and then he jumped into the fray. The female wolf, her fur full of beautiful brown and black colors, let go of the first threat to take on the new one. Jeremiah tried to get a better look at her, but she was moving too fast. Who the hell was she?
Finally, pulling his gaze from the dizzy speed of the fighting wolves, he slowly tracked his way around the circle, looking for his Rikki. She wasn’t there. He frowned, looking again, and then skimmed the binoculars over every portion of the farm that he could see from where he was. She wasn’t in sight. Maybe she was in the barn?
His gaze going back to the crazy ass fight taking place, Jeremiah decided he was glad Rikki wasn’t anywhere near it. He didn’t know who the female wolf was that wasn’t afraid to take on two male wolves at one time, but he didn’t want his mate in the middle of it. He knew Rikki was strong, but there was something about the female below. She seemed half-wild, and when the males stepped back, she paused and raised her head. The pain and misery he saw in her dark brown eyes floored him. She was hurting so much.
Jeremiah watched the two males slowly start circling the female as she stood still, her sides heaving, her head lowered. She wasn’t done, though. He could tell by the way her eyes tracked the other two. Nico crouched, growling in warning, and she bared her teeth at him. No, she wasn’t done yet.
The female let out a loud howl and then sprang, tackling the other male wolf to the ground. She was on him, her teeth at his throat, when Chase rushed in and grabbed her around the middle, dragging her away and tossing her from him. Jeremiah could tell the White River Wolves alpha was mad as hell.
“Chase, no!”
He heard Angel’s loud cry of agony all of the way from where he was.
“Rikki, you have to stop!”
Rikki?
The female wolf snarled, turning to where Chase was now removing his jeans. Throwing back her head, she howled again, and Jeremiah could hear the pain in that howl. She was suffering and acting out in the only way she could. The beast inside of him came to attention, and he froze. Rikki?
The two male wolves shifted quickly, and suddenly Nico and Phoenix were standing protectively in front of the female, their hands raised as they tried to reason with the alpha. He was having none of it.
“She’s dangerous,” Chase roared. “If the two of you together can’t control her, I will!”
Jeremiah heard the anger in the alpha’s voice and felt something he hadn’t felt in years. Fear. Leaping from the tree limb he was sitting on to the ground below, he raced toward them. Rikki? No, it couldn’t be.
“She’s upset, Chase. She’s been through so much.”
Jeremiah could hear Angel pleading with her mate, but all he could think about was the wolf…and Rikki. Was it really her? And if so, how?
“She’s a fucking menace,” Chase snarled, as Jeremiah broke through the trees. “She’s going to hurt someone. She needs to be stopped. Now.”
Chase shifted and was on the female wolf before they could reply. She fought him, biting, tearing him with her claws, but she was no match for the alpha. In his mind, Jeremiah knew Chase was trying to protect the others, including his mate. A shifter would do anything for their mate. But once Jeremiah got a whiff of the female wolf, there was nothing stopping him. He had no idea how, but it was his Rikki! His claws broke free and he quickly shredded his clothes. Within seconds he
and his bear had become one, and he was roaring a challenge to the alpha. He didn’t give a fuck who the man was. No one touched his mate.
“Holy shit!”
“Oh, my God! It’s a freaking bear!”
“Chase! Get away from Rikki! Hurry! It’s Jeremiah!”
Jeremiah heard them all, but he didn’t stop. A small trickle of blood could be seen from a wound in Rikki’s side, one caused by the wolf who stood over her, swinging his large head in Jeremiah’s direction. When the smell of his mate’s blood hit him, Jeremiah let out another loud bellow.
“That is one pissed-off bear!”
“You would be, too, if you saw your mate pinned to the ground and bleeding.”
“It’s just a scratch.”
“Still smells like blood. To a shifter, that shit’s potent when it belongs to his mate.”
“Jeremiah, stop!”
He ignored it all. He was on Chase, batting at him hard with a large paw, flinging the alpha away from the small female wolf. Standing over her, he roared his rage to all. Chase rose to his feet, snarling in anger as he began to advance toward them.
“Dammit, Chase. You need to calm down and back the hell off!” Angel yelled. “You are only making things worse. That’s Jeremiah, Rikki’s mate. He’s just protecting her, like you were me.” Angel ran between them, grabbing Chase, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck when he would have went passed her. “Stop, please.”
Chase paused, lifting his head and howling his anger. Jeremiah knew if the alpha wanted to get to them, he would, but after a moment, Chase rubbed his head against his mate’s arm, then pulled back from her. Shifting, he growled, “Get control of your mate, bear, or I will do it for you.”
Jeremiah bared huge fangs at him, snarling, his large claws digging into the dirt as he fought the urge to go finish what he’d started. The son of a bitch had hurt his mate. Drew blood. She’d been hurt so much in her life. She deserved better. Raising himself to his full height, he roared loudly again.
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