The Crucial Shift (The Ariane Trilogy Book 3)

by Michelle Dare

  “It’s on now, big boy,” I say, motioning with my hands for the wolf to bring it.

  Ford yells to me again. “They’re under attack by the Diaminsey. Get back to the mansion!”

  What? I quickly scan the area around me, ignoring the wolf at my front. Wolves are running all over the property, blood is splattered on the front door of the house. I thought this was one of Merrick’s pack screwing with me. No, this can’t be happening.

  My mom, Mira, Fairyn, and Lealla are all huddled together with Kiara, Ford, and Solomon shielding them, fighting off whoever dares come near them. I was singled out. I was pushed from my friends and family on purpose. Freaking wolves!

  I’m about to lunge at whoever it is in front of me, when a massive red wolf runs up alongside me and grips the white wolf by the neck, slamming it to the ground on its side. The red wolf rips into its flesh, tearing the white wolf’s throat out. There’s no coming back from that. Then the red wolf shifts.

  Merrick stands before me. “Get them out of here, Ari. Four of our wolves have already been killed and two of our humans. Go!” he shouts.

  I look over at Ford, who is protecting my mom from the auburn wolf he’s currently fighting. “Get her out of here!” I scream.

  “I’m not leaving without you!” Blood pours from a cut on Ford’s face where the wolf’s claws just sliced him. It starts to heal immediately.

  “Get them out of here, Ford. Now!”

  He clenches his jaw but flashes my mom away then returns with a very angry Orion who shifts the second Ford releases him.

  Once all four of our humans are gone, I turn back to Merrick, seething. “Lead us to him.”

  Orion is by my side, daring any other wolf to come near me. He growls and snaps at anyone who even walks by. Everything I felt, the initial shock of being hit, landing on the ground, getting the air knocked out of me, and anger, Rion felt it, too.

  “He’s gone,” Merrick states angrily. “I tried going after him, but once he saw me coming, some vampire showed up and teleported him away.” I have a pretty good guess who that vampire was.

  “He left all these wolves here?” I ask. Two fighting wolves tumble past us.

  “He doesn’t care about his pack, Ari. Only himself. It’s all about what they can do for him and nothing else. Now help me get rid of them,” he growls.

  I nod as he quickly shifts back into wolf form. Placing my hand on Rion’s back, I say, “Let’s get them.”

  Thoughts of worry over my safety float to me, but I quickly push them aside. I need to help. No way can I go back to the mansion and let Travis’ pack get the upper hand.

  My safety doesn’t matter. What does is the sight before me. Without another hesitation, I jump into the fray. Wolves are fighting wolves all over the front yard and into the woods.

  Something catches my attention off to the side. A wolf has a human pinned against a tree. Not on my watch, furball.

  Orion can tell where I’m headed and runs faster than me to tackle the wolf to the ground as it backs up to lunge again at the human. Taking the woman by the hand, I tug her toward the house, but she won’t move. Her brown hair is tangled, her eyes wild, and her shirt is shredded at the bottom, a few streaks of blood on the thin material.

  “You have to come with me. Please,” I beg. I don’t want to have to pick up this woman, but I will. She tries to shake my hand free. She doesn’t know who I am or that I’m on her side. “I’m Zayda’s niece, Ariane. I’m here to help. Now, come with me. I need to get you to safety so I can save others.”

  Saying who I am snaps her out of her haze. She runs with me toward the house. I don’t think, until we’re already moving, that I can teleport us. Someone must see us coming because the front door opens as we barrel toward it. Once inside, I spin and take in all the afraid faces. There are a few of Merrick’s wolves in here, and one quickly shifts to explain to me that it’s safe and they’re guarding those inside. That no Diaminsey wolves have gotten into the house. I let him know who I am as well. Hopefully, I’ll be rescuing more and bringing them into the house. Nodding once, I turn and run back outside.

  I’m no more than two steps into the grass when Orion is at my side. I spot a wolf up ahead who has a man on the ground, his arm bleeding heavily as the wolf bites into him. Orion reads my mind. He runs along the periphery, not wanting to alert the wolf to his presence, then sneaks up behind him, biting the wolf on the leg. This causes the wolf to let out a cry of pain, dropping the man. Had he rushed the wolf and knocked it over, more flesh could have been torn from the man’s arm. I go over to the man, kneeling down by his side. He’s barely hanging on to consciousness, so I teleport him quickly back to the mansion.

  “Desmond!” I yell the second I hit the marble floor in the entryway. Blood quickly seeps from the man, coloring the floor crimson as other wolves run into the area. Desmond rushes in after them, stopping when he sees the man in my arms. “He’s one of Merrick’s men. Please try and save him.”

  Desmond’s lips draw into a thin line. The man is human. Hopefully, Desmond can heal him, but I fear he might have lost far too much blood for that to be possible. “I’ll do what I can,” he says, taking the man from me.

  Wasting no time, I’m about to snap my fingers and return to Merrick’s when Dante appears at my side. “Take me,” he commands.

  Merrick needs all the help he can get, so I grab Dante and off we go back to Merrick’s. Dante wastes no time shifting and taking off to help those who need it. From what I gathered from Orion, each pack has a different scent. Since we stayed at Merrick’s, the Avynwood Pack took turns scenting our clothes when we got back so they knew who a friend was when we fought Travis and his pack. Of course, I didn’t know any of this was happening. I didn’t find out until later. Wolves have an amazing memory. Those scents are ingrained in them.

  I’m unsure where Orion is, but I spot Ford near the house, tearing out the throat of one of the wolves as he feasts on its blood. A chill creeps up my spine. Him drinking blood is probably something I’ll never get used to. His eyes find mine and he winks as he continues to drain his victim.

  7

  Eventually, Merrick and his pack, the wolves from Avynwood that were brought through, the vampires, and I, gain the upper hand. Those in Travis’ pack who are left standing take off as soon as they realize they’re no longer winning. There’s probably a couple of vampires nearby waiting to teleport them back but not wanting to fight... yet. This wasn’t the main battle. This was only a prequel of what’s to come, and I have no doubt, the war will be much deadlier.

  Looking out over the yard before us as we stand in front of the house, the lights on the house illuminate the bloodbath that took place. The once green grass is covered in bodies—whether human or wolf—and blood. Hopefully, none of this reached outside the ward. The thought of another innocent human getting hurt makes my chest hurt.

  Rion’s hand squeezes my shoulder. “It’s night time. The park is closed.”

  “What about the wolves?”

  Merrick walks up and wraps an arm around my aunt’s waist. She leans heavily into him as tears cascade down her cheeks. “Two vampires were spotted not far from here, teleporting the wolves back. There aren’t any running loose in the forest. I had a few in my pack do a sweep.”

  I’m about to ask Merrick how many of those laid out on the ground before us are his but think better of it.

  “Most of them are Travis’,” Rion says in my head.

  Ford appears in front of me. I peer up at him. There’s no exhaustion in his features. Quite the contrary. He’s riding high on all the blood he drank. “Five wolves, three humans total,” he tells me how many Merrick lost so only I can hear.

  “Three? Does that mean the man I brought to Desmond—” Ford shakes his head. He just returned from the mansion, briefly stopping in to check because he knew I’d want to know. I was hoping I could have saved the man. He lost so much blood.

  All around us, people are crying. Wolves
are howling because of the loss tonight. It splinters my heart, cracking it open that they lost those they loved. If we would have gotten here sooner, maybe we could have saved more.

  “You can’t think like that. We can’t walk around wondering what if,” Rion says in my mind. “Focus on where we go from here. How we can prevent this from happening again.”

  “How can we help?” I ask Merrick.

  We spend the next couple of hours cleaning up the land and moving the bodies for a proper send-off. With war coming at any time, Merrick wants to have the ceremony for them all at once, tonight. With the help of Ford, Desmond brought back the man I asked him to save. He was wrapped in a sheet as Desmond carried him to the large pile of wood and laid him down next to the others. Members of Merrick’s pack worked at building the platform, which will send them on their final journey. The bodies of Travis’ pack members will be burned separately. He won’t be coming back for them. Merrick doesn’t want them with the others in his pack who died.

  We decide to leave before they light the wood, wanting to give the pack their privacy, but not before speaking with Merrick and my aunt first.

  “What now?” I ask. “There’s no safe place for our humans to go unless someone has a hidden property no one knows about that we can use.”

  “I’m not sure what to do,” Merrick replies. Zayda sniffles as she fights back more tears.

  “How did he find you up here?” I ask.

  “Travis always knew where I was. Knew I had my own pack, but we left each other alone. I didn’t get into his business and he didn’t get into mine.”

  “But then I brought trouble right to your doorstep in the form of my presence.” Guilt hits me hard. It was because of me more were killed. I can’t let that guilt take up residence again. Instead, I’ll turn it into anger and let it fuel my desire to end Travis.

  “Travis and his pack killed my mate’s brother. You didn’t bring that trouble here, Ariane. He did. Once I found out what happened, he knew I would come for him. I’m sure he was aware of who my mate is before he sent everyone here. Whether you came or not, Travis put us on this path of collision, not you.” Merrick is right. They were going to end up fighting.

  “Take care of your pack,” Rion states and shakes Merrick’s hand. “We’ll let you know when we find somewhere safe to move everyone.”

  Merrick nods and Zayda engulfs me in a hug. I grip her tightly and tell her I love her. The war hasn’t even started yet and already more people are dying. We have to find a safe place to keep the humans so it’s one less thing on our minds. Everyone needs to focus on the war and how to end it that much sooner.

  The vampires and I teleport those with us back to the mansion. Two others in the Avynwood Pack, Hayden and Cooper, also volunteered to come and fight with Merrick and his pack.

  Back at the house, I stand in the entryway and rub my temples. We still need a place, and I have no clue where to take them. It’s not like my family is wealthy and has houses all over. Even if we did, Travis would no doubt know about them.

  “I may have a place that could work,” Ford says.

  My head snaps up. “Really? Where?” He holds out his hand for me. Rion stiffens. “I’ll be right back to grab you,” I tell him. “Promise. Let me see it quick, verify it’s good, then I’ll come back and we’ll get you and Aries.”

  Rion nods, but it’s not with ease. He’s not happy about me leaving, and truth be told, I don’t want to be apart from him, but Ford is no threat. I’m mated now. Ford knows this and has never physically hurt me. There aren’t many people I trust implicitly, but Ford is one of them.

  I accept Ford’s hand, and in a flash, we’re transported. When we arrive, we’re on a paved driveway. It’s dark, but the lights on the house show off the exterior.

  There’s a three-car garage, a high entryway with a tall window over the front door. The house goes to the left of the garage and to the right. It’s one story, but in the middle, it appears to be two because of its high roof. Natural, warm brown tones blend the home with the tall fir and pine trees around it. I wasn’t sure what I expected. Knowing Ford and his family, maybe a villa in Italy, but not this. This seems more rustic, romantic even. Cold nights around the fire or stargazing on clear evenings.

  “Where are we?”

  “Portland, Oregon.”

  Turning to him, I ask, “How many homes do you have?”

  “A bunch. Some I share with my family. Others are just mine, like this one and the one in Duck.”

  I move my hand from his to his arm. “One day, you are going to make someone an amazing mate.”

  “Not interested,” he shoots back.

  I brush off his comment. “How many acres?”

  “Fifteen. It’s not small but not large either. There are no houses on top of it, so as long as everyone stays inside and doesn’t cause any kind of chaos, no one will bother them.”

  “I doubt they will be out here partying while the rest of us are risking our lives so they can be safe. How many bedrooms?”

  “Six with six bathrooms.”

  “Okay. This definitely works. They’ll have to share, but it’s far away from North Carolina, and Travis doesn’t know about it, right? He can’t know this exists.”

  Ford shakes his head. “This isn’t a place I think about often. I’ve had some... not so pleasant memories here. I tend to tuck those away in the back of my mind. Even if someone went poking around in there, they wouldn’t find it. You haven’t yet.”

  “True, but I also don’t go digging deep into your head. You’re sure you’re okay with the pack using it?”

  He lets out a long breath. “When will you understand that I’ll do whatever you want?”

  “Probably never. I’m not one to take advantage of others.”

  “Another reason people love you.”

  This conversation is close to going down a road I don’t want it to, so I need to get us back on track and get people moved. After shooting off a quick text to my aunt, letting her know we found a place, I text Rion that I’ll be right there. This house will be tight between the humans in both packs, but they’ll have to make it work.

  “It’s fully stocked with dry goods,” Ford says. “They’ll only need to run out to buy the cold stuff. The house is furnished and clean. I have a maid service that comes every two weeks since I never know when I’ll need the place. There are two SUVs and a sports car in the garage. The keys are inside each vehicle. They’re welcome to use them, though I wouldn’t suggest the flashy red roadster to get groceries.”

  I smile. “Sounds good. They’ll like it. Any place where they’ll be safe will be good, especially after tonight.” Just thinking about all the Quivakond lost has anger rising in me. Merrick is Travis’ brother—his blood—and he treated him terribly. I’m not one to wish death on anyone, but Travis has to go. As long as he’s roaming this earth, a trail of misery will follow.

  We teleport back to the mansion to grab Aries and Rion.

  Solomon is there as well and, as soon as his eyes land on Ford, he nods his head. “It’s a good idea taking them there,” he states. “But I know it’s not easy for you.”

  Ford rolls his eyes. “Please don’t pretend with me, brother. You don’t care. Stop acting like you do.”

  “I’ve never been able to win with you.”

  I’m about to interject, but Ford turns my way, and the look on his face has me biting my tongue. Solomon is sincere. I read that much from him, but this is painful for Ford, though he isn’t offering up why and I’m not probing him for it.

  “Let’s go visit the Pacific Northwest,” I say. “We need to get moving with this.”

  My phone vibrates in my pocket. Zayda. She says to come by in an hour and a half to start picking up their members and teleporting them. I respond and let Aries and the vampires know as well. Hopefully, this time there won’t be an attack when we get there.

  When the five of us arrive at the house, Rion immediately shifts into wolf
form and lets me know he’s going to scout the property. His nose as a wolf is much stronger than his as a human. He’ll quickly find out if there are any other shifters nearby, or paranormals, for that matter.

  Aries, Solomon, Ford, and I walk through the house and check out the rooms. It’s much more spacious inside than I had thought. The bedrooms are massive, and there are two living areas where people can sleep. I doubt the floor will be comfortable, but it’s that or possible death.

  Ford shows us to the garage and the SUVs. He tells Aries he’d prefer it if no one touched the red car. Solomon strides over to it, and I don’t miss his hand balling into a fist as he looks down at the shiny roadster. Something bad happened here. I could probably go into Solomon’s mind and find out what, but it would be a personal violation to Ford. If he wants to share the story with me, he will. Until then, I’m not going to ask him anything about it.

  “This will do just fine,” Aries states. “Thank you for offering my pack and Merrick’s this place as a refuge until the war is over. If there is ever any way we can repay you, please let us know.”

  Ford’s eyes find mine and hold them as he replies to Aries. “All I ask is that you help keep Ariane safe. I want her to come out of this alive.”

  “For once, I agree with you,” Rion says at my back.

  Aries steps forward to clasp Ford on the shoulder. “We’ll do our best. She’s part of our family now, and we always protect who’s ours.”

  “I can handle myself, you know? Just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean I can’t kick some shifter butt.” I had to say something to break the tension.

  Aries chuckles. “No one’s questioning your ability, Ari. We want you to be safe, that’s all.”

  “I’m sure between Rion and Ford, I won’t be able to move two feet in any direction without a shadow.”

  “You got that right,” Rion agrees. His arm encircles my waist from behind, gently tugging me to him. “I didn’t scent any shifters or paranormals nearby. We’re clear.”