Rufus comes around to me. “I will carry you if you like?”
“Thank you. I need some air.” He picks me up and father carries Zeke. One of the others grabs a couple of blankets. They spread the covers out close to the back porch. Father doesn’t want me to visible. He says even though the pack is spread out he doesn’t want to risk it.
Rufus sits me down in the middle of one blanket, and Zeke sits on the other blanket. Then father howls. He calls to the pack to let them know I have woken up.
One by one the pack comes home. Father sends out others as some come in. Kyle sees me sitting on the ground and rushes to grab me up in his arms. He holds me like I have been gone for years.
“I thought I would never get to see your pretty little wolf face again. I missed you so much. Princess it is so good to have you home.”
“Thanks, Kyle. I am glad to be home. I missed all of you so much. I am sorry I left. I didn’t mean to cause more problems.”
“It isn’t your fault. It’s not like you ran to him and said whisk me away is it?”
Rufus had gone inside to get me something to eat. Everyone was insisting my wolf needed to be fed. Kyle sat beside me on the blanket talking to me ninety to nothing.
Duncan was the next one to show up. He stood in front of me staring at me like he couldn’t believe his eyes. “It is my favorite mate. Princess, if you ever scare us like that again, I am going to tan your furry little ass. You hear me?”
He sat down and pulled me into his arms. He hugged me to him. I hugged him. He whispered in my ear. I am so happy you are letting me hold you. I missed you so much. I was scared for you. I didn’t know what he was doing to you. Did he hurt you… you know what I mean?”
“No, he didn’t get the chance. I was sick most of the time or drugged. Oh, Duncan I owe you the biggest apology of all. It was my fault you had to fight Rufus. It was my fault you got hurt. I am so sorry.” I’m in tears.
“Don’t be. Hey, if that is what it takes to get to put my arms around you like this it was worth it.” As he is holding me the back door opens. I don’t think anything about it. I should have. Rufus is lifting Duncan off me and tossing him across the yard. They shift and the fights start all over. My father comes to my side. He holds his hand on my shoulder.
“It’s good to have you home and everything back to normal.” He gives a little tight laugh not sure how I am going to respond.
I look up at him and smile. Then I add. “I thought Duncan had already lost?”
“Yeah, well, he challenged Rufus again. He isn’t ready to give up on having you by his side.”
“So, it is all going to start all over again.” I look at them fighting, then over at Kyle. Kyle is ready to get in the fight. He is sitting on the edge of his seat with his fist balled up holding him off the ground.
“Sit boy. Sit. Let them fight it out, then you can fight.”
“You are giving me permission Princess?”
“Yeah, I guess I am.” He turns to me and gives me a kiss on the cheek.
Chapter 16
The fighting went on for the next week. Each time one of them said hi to me one of the others was right there to fight. I was so tired of it, but this time, I wasn’t going to run. I would do what a female wolf is supposed to do. I would let the winner claim me. I could only hope it was the right choice. Life is a long sentence to live with someone you don’t love.
The pack had opened the businesses back up. Work had resumed. No one had seen or heard of Max being seen anywhere. I had started trying to go back to school. The pack kept tight reins on me. I didn’t mind anymore.
Rufus, Kyle, and Duncan hadn’t settled anything. My friends at school were so relieved to see me return. I was still weak and funny looking. Even my friends noticed.
Zeke started back to school as well. His skin tone was slowly turning back to tan. The gray left by the poison had really made him look bad.
Two trucks took us to school and three followed us home. Four wolves stayed close to school in the woods. The pack and my brothers that were still in school followed me closely. My friends didn’t complain anymore.
“Have I told you how wonderful it is to have you back?” Eric still tried to get away with stuff like right now he had his arm around my waist. I took my hand and placed it on top of his hand.
“Yeah, about a million times. Thanks, I like hearing it. I don’t think I ever got the chance to say thank you for calling my father. He had no idea what had happened just that I was missing. Thanks for remembering our signal. I wasn’t too sure if you would understand that I was in bad trouble and couldn’t talk.”
“I would never forget something as important as you. When you called, and said I was in trouble I knew I had to listen. Mel had told us about her call, from you. Said she hadn’t gotten a chance to really find out anything.”
“No, I had to cut it short because he was always lurking around. Then I discovered he had the phones bugged. He was hearing everything I ever said.”
“What happened to him?”
Rufus was now by my side. He almost growled the answer out. “He got away!”
Eric very quickly removed his arm from my waist. He saw the look in Rufus’s eyes. He was learning that my family was very overprotective for a good reason.
“I guess I better get to class. I’ll catch you at lunch.”
“Sure.”
Rufus slid into Eric’s space and put his arm around me. He looked at me then grinned. I smiled at him. I had stopped fighting with the three mates who wanted me. They took turns being friendly. Each hoping they were winning me over. In a way I guess they were.
“So, doll what you say we skip class and go out behind the gym and make out?” He was trying to be funny. I had to admit I laughed at his accent. I wasn’t sure who he was trying to imitate, it didn’t matter.
“Sure, doll, you me and the entire pack. Sounds like fun. Real romantic.”
He growled and looked behind us. “Yeah, I guess it would be if they were all female’s wolves.” He raised his eyebrows up and down with a silly grin on his face.
Now I was really laughing hard. Then Duncan slid up to my other side. “Did I hear you say orgy?”
“In your dreams wolf. Don’t you both have class in the other direction? Wouldn’t want you to be late.”
“Not until you are safe inside your class.”
“Fellows I got this.” Kyle slides up beside us pushing Duncan out of the way. “Hey babe, looking for me? I can take it from here you two. The little lady and I have plans. Chemistry class is just the perfect place to get cooking.”
Rufus growled before letting go of me. The kids at school had been told that I had gotten kidnapped. That my family would be in and out checking on me from now on. That my family that went to school with me would be staying by my side. So, when we walked down the hall, everyone kind of gave us a wide span.
“So, babe what will we cook together today?”
“Hum let me see, wolf stew. No, wait, that’s not it, penis stew.” I watched them out of the corner of my eye.
“Ouch, that hurt. Someone got up on the wrong side today?”
“No, sorry. Kyle… the fights, when will they end?”
“I don’t know. Soon I hope. I am pretty anxious to get you alone. Not here either.”
I elbowed him in the side. “Oh, stop.”
“What’s wrong? Something isn’t right with you today.”
“I don’t know. I was fine a minute ago, then I got this weird feeling like we weren’t alone.”
“Come with me.” He whistled and the others came running from way down the hall. Each anxiously looking around.
“What’s wrong?”
“She has a funny feeling that we are being watched.”
“Cara, why didn’t you say something a minute ago, before we walked away?”
“It just hit me. It hit me… when I walked past the glass door to the south baseball field.”
“Stand still.”
Rufus whipped out his phone and called Marcus. He told him I had a feeling someone was watching and where. The front door of the school flew open. We all turned. No one was there, but there was a fog filling the air.
“Gas get her outside.”
“No, that is what he wants us to do. Tell Marcus school is under attack.”
He had. With our senses, the gas was quickly taking over. We ran into the nearest classroom. Rufus shut the door behind us. He then grabbed a girl’s sweater and stuffed it under the door so no gas could leak in. The teacher was yelling at us.
Rufus yelled back. “Under attack. Someone has just thrown tear gas in the hall.”
She picked up her phone and called the office. No answer. The office was right by the front doors. The office door was open. They more than likely had gotten a good dose.
“Call the police. Cara come, let’s get you out the window. He will be watching the doors.” Rufus lifted a window and was just about to pull me out when we heard a gun go off. He dropped to the floor pulling me with him. The other wolves did the same. Then I smelt blood.
“Someone is hit.” I tried to go to them. Rufus held me in place. He held me against the concrete wall in front of him protecting me with his body.
While Rufus held me down, he told Kyle to call home for backup. “Call father.”
“On it.” He already had pushed the button. I listen as he informed my father that the school was being attacked. That we were sitting ducks. They were shooting through the window with silver bullets and the hall was filled with tear gas.
While he was talking on the phone Duncan crawled over to the wall and leaned his back against it. He was holding his arm. I could see blood.
I pushed Rufus out of my way and rushed over to Duncan. I had to remove the bullet. I started trying to dig it out and Rufus threw me aside.
“Don’t touch it. Silver, remember?”
“It will kill him if we don’t get it out.” I argued.
Rufus growled at me. “It will kill you the same way.”
Dawn was in the classroom and close to us. She heard us talking. “Cara what is he talking about.”
“Our family is allergic to silver. It is poison to us.”
“I will help.” Dawn got on the floor on her hands and knees then crawled over to us.
“Stay low to the floor. He is still there somewhere I can smell him. Princess come here don’t touch that I swear I will…”
Another shot and a kid behind us screamed. It was a blood curdling scream. I turned to see her fall to the floor. I tried to go to her, but Rufus had me pinned tight against the wall.
He whispered in my ear. “You can’t help her. It’s too late.”
“She’s dead?” He shook his head. I hadn’t to let my senses calm down enough to realize she didn’t have a heartbeat. Then we heard sirens in the distance. Would that be enough to make Max run off?
“Stay with me. This chaos is just what he is hoping for. He thinks the police showing up and forcing students outside will cause a diversion. If he thinks he is going to swoop in and grab you he’s got another thing coming to him.”
“What happen to the wolves who were watching in the woods?”
“I wish I knew Princess. Your father and the others are on the way. We stay put till we know it is all clear. Kyle, you ok?”
“Yeah, he missed me.”
Rufus started calling out to each of our pack brothers to count them and make sure we were all together and safe. Duncan had been the only one of us to get hit. Thankfully, it was just in the upper arm. Whoever had shot him was either a bad shot or…
I started screaming. “It’s a trap call father hurry. Stop them. He wasn’t after us. He is after whoever comes into to town. Rufus?”
He didn’t question me he pulled his phone out and dialed. Father answered, but trouble had already found them. The pack had taken off in four trucks. The entire pack was going to come to the rescue.
“What?”
“You want to tell her, or should I?” I grabbed the phone. With all the screaming from kids and teachers and all the shouting, I couldn’t hear my father.
“What happened?”
“Calm down Princess. Let Rufus talk to you. I need to help out.” He hung up on me. I stared at the phone. No one had ever hung up on me when there was trouble. I turned in Rufus’s arms and stared at him. The rest of the pack saw something was up and scooted in closer to us.
“What happened? What’s wrong? Rufus please you are scaring me.”
“Calm down Princess. Please stay calm none of us can lose it this close to a room full of students. They’re ok. Just an accident. Seems someone put a bomb in one of the trucks. It exploded going down the road just outside of town.”
“Oh no. No, someone’s dead. Who died?” Rufus wouldn’t tell me. I reached out. I thought about it. Zeke was in school. Not in this room, but he was close by and alive. Marcus was in the woods outside the school supposedly. Why hadn’t he warned us of an attack? Lucian was home with father unless he had gone into the office. Raul was at home working on the books. Aidan was…? Where was Aidan today? Working at the construction site?
Amos and Cane were in the school safe. I didn’t know about the rest of the pack. Some were working in town at one of the stores. Some were at the construction site.
“Rufus, tell me who died?” I had tears running down my face and I was shaking. He held me in his arms. He looked at the others, then back at my face.
“Tell me?”
“The truck the bomb was on was carrying… Raul and Aidan. I’m so sorry.” I was hysterical. He knew I would be. He held on to me so tight it hurt. But he also knew if he let up for a second I would bolt and run for the road.
“No, no you can’t go. Stop fighting me. Princess that maniac is still out there. There is nothing we can do. It’s too late. Honey, please just hold me. Hold me, hit me, whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
I thought to Zeke, there dead Zeke, Raul, and Aidan. Dead. Zeke where are you?
“What? No, no, Princess they can’t be. I am coming to find you, where are you?”
“Miss Tilley’s room. But there is gas in the hall. Zeke, you can’t come. He is shooting through windows. Duncan got shot with a silver bullet.”
“I’m coming to get you.”
“No, Zeke No.” I didn’t mean to say it aloud. Rufus held me tighter I was struggling hard to get away from him. Kyle had to help him hold me down.
“What happened to Zeke? Princess talk to me, what happened to Zeke?” Rufus ask.
“He is going into the hall. He is trying to get to me here. He won’t listen. I can’t make him stop. I told him they were shooting silver bullets and gas in the hall but he won’t stop. Rufus, they’ll kill him for sure.”
“No, they’re gone. Whoever was out there I am pretty sure left, or they would have fired again by now.”
“Not if they can’t see their target. He is trying to kill my family. He doesn’t want you all to be able to rescue me next time.”
“You sure? Oh, oh man your right, that must be what he is thinking. Oh, Princess no, it won’t happen. I am not about to let him have you. No, you hear me, I won’t let him!” Rufus was screaming at me so loud the classroom became quiet. Everyone was staring at us. Dawn hadn’t been able to get the bullet out of Duncan’s shoulder. The teacher was now digging into Duncan’s shoulder. She wasn’t having much luck getting the bullet out either.
“Cara, what is it, sweetheart?” The teacher ask.
“He is targeting my family now. He wants to kidnap me again. He doesn’t want them to rescue me. He will be eliminating them one by one. Then he is coming for me.” I was crying hysterically and hitting Rufus in the chest. He knew I wasn’t trying to hurt him.
“Princess we won’t let him.”
“He has already killed two of my brother’s today. How the hell are you going to stop him?”
“He what? How do you know that Cara?” The teacher asks.
&
nbsp; “Rufus’s cell phone. He called my father. A car bomb. Their Dead” I couldn’t talk any more I had to do something. I kicked Rufus in the nuts. When he let go I tried to run. Zeke was coming in the door and ran to me as I was halfway out the window. He grabbed my legs and helped Rufus and the others pull me back in.
“No, Cara. No, you must stay out of sight. Princess stop fighting us. Stop it you hear me. Stop it now!” It took five of them to hold me down. I fought till I was exhausted. By that time, my father had made it to the school. The police had started clearing the building. When father tried to find out where we were, no one knew. He howled and Rufus answered. The human’s just thought he was yelling.
When he got into the room they were still holding me down. Zeke was trying to calm me along with the others, it wasn’t working. Father took charge. He had them move off me one at a time till he had a good hold of me. They told him I tried to bolt. He grabbed me up in his arms and hugged me to him.
“Princess you can’t just go running off. He would have you in a heartbeat. He has killed four of us today already. Two of your brothers and two of the pack. I won’t lose you too. Princess, it’s all right. I won’t let him get close to you.”
Rufus filled him in on what I had said. How I thought he was going to try and kill them one at a time. My father went stiff. He knew I was right.
“Mr. Black, we need you to go to the police department and fill out that report now.”
“Officer Herald can’t you see my daughter is upset. Give us a moment.”
“I’m sorry, but the chief thought it best to get your family under cover. Please, we have the S.W.A.T team waiting out front. A bullet-proof van to take you. Your family needs to come now.”
Father carried me so he could keep his hands tight on me. He knew I would run to keep my family safe. “I know what you are thinking and going to him won’t stop him from killing us. If he thinks killing us to keep us from saving you is the thing to do, he is going to try no matter where you’re at. Princess, think about it.”
“Cara your father is right. Think about it. He thinks he will have you one way or another. He knows we won’t stop fighting for you. It doesn’t matter where you are he will just keep coming at us. You can’t stop him.”
One Princess One Pack One Villain Page 18