A Night Claimed

by Domina Alexandra

  I reluctantly pulled away from her kiss. “You sure you want to go in there?”

  “They are your family. I want to do this.”

  *

  “Can we stop by the station?”

  Rikki nodded without hesitation.

  I faced the passenger side window and shut my eyes. Dinner had gone well, thankfully. My brothers could be assholes, but by the end of the night, they thought she was the greatest woman on the planet. With the threat of a rift between Rikki and my family gone, I was free to contemplate what to do about my career. I had to make a decision. Wasting time on false hope would only prolong the inevitable and worsen my pain.

  We arrived at the station 15 minutes later. Some of the crew were in the bay, washing their rigs for the start of the graveyard shift. I spotted Jr. and waved to him as we pulled into the parking lot. He grinned and ran over to me as I was making my way to the office.

  “You’re not going to come by and say ‘hey’ to me?” His smile evaporated when he noticed my hollow expression.

  Rikki had decided to stay in the car, knowing I needed to do this part alone. I appreciated her being here. This would be a hard transition for me.

  There was no need to tell Jr. why I was here. He read my expression expertly. “I wish you would reconsider.”

  I shook my head, pushing my hands into my pockets. “I can't. I wish I could, but things have changed.”

  “Changed? Changed enough to make you want to leave?” Jr. asked, his distress was hard to mask.

  I understood his unhappiness. We were the best of partners, and that was something that was hard to find. I went through four other partners before being paired with Jr. We had our own language. And now, I was leaving.

  “I'm lost and afraid to do my job. I want to be here, but I can’t right now.”

  “Fuck! Now I have to get a new partner. I wonder how many I’ll go through before I find a decent one.”

  “I'll still be around, and you can always vent to me if you need to.”

  “I'm going to hold you to that.” He hugged me unexpectedly. I tensed for a moment, and then relaxed into his arms. “I’m going to miss you, Bonnie.”

  I never thought a day like this would come. At least not for a few more decades. I turned in my resignation letter in the office, and then went to the bathroom to cry for a while. I wanted to stay. I wanted to stay. I wanted to stay.

  When I finally made it back to the car, I could only apologize. “Sorry I took so long.”

  “Don't apologize.”

  It took us nearly an hour to get back to Mill City, but we didn’t make it back to the house until later. Rikki got a call from Toni as soon as we drove through downtown. I couldn’t hear the conversation, but Rikki’s body stiffened as she talked.

  We turned around at the next street and headed for Banes Bar.

  Something was wrong.

  “What happened?”

  No response.

  “Rikki?”

  I cautiously touched Rikki’s forearm. She jolted and the car swerved with her surprise. Well, this is going to be fun.

  Rikki leapt from the car as soon as we pulled into the parking lot of the bar. She yelled for me to stay in the car. I was not going to do that, and I’m sure she knew it. I climbed out of the car and tried to catch up to her as she entered the bar.

  A foul odor stung my nose as I approached the door to the bar and my heart throbbed in my chest. I didn't need to be a werewolf to know what that scent meant. It was death. I rushed inside to find tables and chairs strewn about in pieces. And then I noticed the bodies. There were several lying on the floor of the bar, their stomachs ripped open to reveal newly rotting organs. I didn’t recognize any so far.

  I spun frantically when I heard Rikki scream. I raced over to where she was behind the bar and saw her kneeling next to Jeanie.

  Jeanie's eyes were open, but her body was lifeless.

  She was dead.

  I knelt at the other end of her body. Rikki's eyes were golden and grief-ridden. She held Jeanie’s head in her lap.

  “It was Cain.”

  Cain. He was no longer in the periphery. Now, he was center stage.

  She stood up slowly after gingerly laying Jeanie’s head on the floor. “Toni!”

  Toni emerged from the back of the bar. “Alpha.”

  “Gather a few of our strongest. We are going hunting.”

  He nodded and hustled out of the bar. I knew who they would be hunting. I wanted to help but I wasn’t sure how.

  “No,” Rikki barked, sensing my intent. “You will stay with the rest of the pack.”

  Part of me wanted to argue. But Rikki was right and honestly, I preferred not to see the result of a hunt. I wasn’t ready for that yet.

  Whatever history Rikki shared with Jeanie meant a lot more to her than she let on previously. Rikki loved this woman once. Perhaps, in her own way, she still did.

  “If you are going to head out to hunt Cain, you need to make me a promise first.”

  I combed her hair from her face as she raised her gaze to meet mine. She leaned into my palm.

  “Anything,” she whispered.

  “Come back to me.”

  A smile was in her eyes, but it never manifested on her lips. I kissed her. I kissed her and she embraced me. I kissed her and the smell of bodies disappeared for a while.

  The sound of someone clearing their throat broke the spell our kiss produced. It was Lloyd. He was staring at us blankly, waiting for Rikki’s orders.

  “Take Bonnie home. Protect her.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The atmosphere in the main house was tense. Most of the pack had gathered together in the living room and were mostly silent. I was sitting on the couch surrounded by Izzy, Rosemary, and Cecilia. They were taking turns holding a sleeping Remy. Lloyd was outside with a few members of the pack patrolling the grounds around the house.

  I couldn’t stop thinking about Rikki and the wolves she had taken with her. If the gut-wrenching scene at Banes Bar was any indication, Cain wasn’t someone to be trifled with, and he had no interest in stopping until he got what…who he wanted. This is what Rikki had feared, and now I truly understood for the first time. Being an Omega was both a gift and a curse. I would always be in danger because of my abilities.

  Lloyd burst into the room. His skin was caked with a mixture of dirt and blood. It was difficult to determine whether the blood was his or not until I noticed three distinct cuts on his right arm. He was out of breath.

  “We have rogues here.”

  Time moved at a surreal pace. Everyone’s eyes were on me, waiting for instruction. Rikki was not here, so I was the de facto Alpha as her mate. I couldn’t shut down. I had to think of the others…the baby…

  “Rosemary and Ric – take Izzy and Remy upstairs to Rikki’s panic room. Once they are secured, I want Ric to return to the living room and we will make a plan.”

  “I can fight,” Rosemary argued.

  “I need you to protect the baby and Izzy, Rosemary. You are their best chance.”

  Ric nodded and called for Izzy to follow with Remy. Rosemary proceeded behind them.

  I faced the remaining pack members in the living room. “Do we have guns?”

  “Rikki keeps them in the garage,” a wolf named Edward replied hastily.

  “Okay, I need all submissive wolves to go to the garage and grab as many guns as you can. Then secure each window and door to the main house. Stay in pairs if you can – one in human form and one in wolf form.”

  Many of the wolves began talking amongst themselves, assigning roles and discussing their fear or excitement over the action to come. I was too focused on the next task to think of who waited for me outside. Maybe that was for the best.

  “Where is Cecilia?” I asked, suddenly aware of her absence.

  “She ran outside as soon as I came in. She’s too stubborn for her own good and she’s going to get hurt out there,” Lloyd growled, tearing at his cloth
es. He wanted to shift.

  “Damn it!” I threw my hands up in outrage. I should have expected Cecilia would do something like this.

  Ric reappeared in the living room. His body was rigid with apprehension. He didn’t want to leave Izzy and Remy, that was obvious. But he knew he could be of more use to the pack fighting with us instead of hiding in a panic room.

  “Subtlety is not a strength of wolves. They'll come straight through the front door with the force of a battering ram.”

  I listened. I couldn’t respond. I really didn’t know how to direct the wolves. I was far out of my element. I was a healer, not a warrior.

  Ric understood my silence and asked, “May I?”

  I nodded, tucking my hair behind my ears nervously.

  “Greenly,” Ric called to Greenly who was loading a shotgun, “you and Nelia stand outside on the porch. Edward, Lloyd, and I will patrol the perimeter.”

  Ric turned to me. “You don't have to fight but standing out there with us will send a message. No one expects—”

  “No.” I grimaced. “I want to be out there. I need to find Cecilia.”

  I hadn’t sensed Cecilia’s presence for some time and dread was setting in. If anything happened to her, I would blame myself. I couldn’t handle any more deaths. I should have kept an eye on her. I knew she was a stubborn wolf, so I should have known that she would rush outside impulsively.

  Ric and Lloyd were shifting.

  Edward smiled at me encouragingly. “We got this.”

  I hoped he was right.

  A howl disrupted the quiet, night air. I recognized its timbre. It was Cecilia.

  “Whenever you're ready,” Edward said.

  I nodded. I pushed open the door.

  I looked at Ric and Lloyd who were already in their wolf forms. “Do not shoot until I make the first move.”

  There were 16 wolves of my pack at the house. 16 against an unknown number. The forest was black, concealing anything and anyone that moved through it. It was silent except for an intermittent breeze that disturbed several of the trees.

  I detected movement near the tree line, and I froze. I raised my arms in preparation for a brawl but dropped them once I saw the figure of a wolf coming into view. Cecelia emerged from the thick, black blanket smothering the forest. She stumbled and was forced to her knees by the kick of an enormous boot. As the rest of the body was revealed, my breath caught in my throat.

  Soil and roots.

  Moon and tide.

  Cain. Of course. The destruction at the bar was a sick lure crafted especially for Rikki. Cain knew she would search him out, and I would be left behind at the house under minimal protection.

  “Th-This was your intent all along.” It was not a question.

  He shrugged and flashed a devilish grin. “I told you I would come for you.”

  In the space of a heartbeat I realized that someone in our pack was a traitor. Rikki and Jeanie’s past was not common knowledge, which meant that Cain had been made privy to information that led to this moment. I stared at Cain from the porch. Cain returned my gaze. The link I felt with him was something so ancient and primal that my body shuddered with his closeness.

  Ric and Lloyd flanked me, watching Cain and the few rogues that were walking out of the forest with a sense of dread. Cecilia was alarmingly close to Cain and was clearly in pain. It would be impossible to rescue her at this point.

  My expression hardened, my cheeks nearly turning to stone. “Hand over Cecilia, Cain.”

  Cain snorted, his grin never leaving his face for a moment. He pointed to Cecilia who was still on her knees. “This one? No. We could have so much fun with her.”

  Well, it was worth a try. I knew who he wanted, though. Cain didn’t come here for anyone else but me, and he wouldn’t leave unless I was going with him.

  I sighed in defeat. “I will go if you leave my pack alone and unharmed.”

  His eyes widened with the thought of his victory. He picked at his fingernail. “Of course. I don't care for anyone here. I came for you.”

  He was full of shit. He wanted me, that was true. But he also wasn’t going to leave the house without sending a message to Rikki for keeping me from him. That message would be a violent one.

  “You need to let her go,” I said brusquely. I couldn’t afford to let my fear show.

  He took a step forward, his boots crunching the leaves beneath them. “Soon as you are in my arms.”

  Ric snarled as I slowly stepped off the porch. I held up my hand, warning him against any threatening movements. My shoes felt as if they were leaden. Each step required all the energy my body could offer. I cautiously eyed his rogues as I came closer. All of them were male. All of them were indistinguishable from one another. Each of them a statuesque Adonis.

  I stopped when I was about 10 feet away from him.

  “Let her go.”

  Cain licked his bottom lip, his eyes never leaving mine. He snatched Cecilia up from the ground forcefully and shoved her forward. She limped back to the house, never meeting my eyes.

  I took another heavy step forward.

  He grabbed my arm and brought me against his chest. His strong grip made me shriek and I bit my tongue in an attempt to keep myself quiet.

  He chuckled as I squirmed in his possessive embrace. His lips brushed against my ear as he said, “You belong to me, Bonnie. Once we are mated, we will bring many cubs into our pack. Strong cubs that will subdue every other pack around.”

  Cain tilted my head and brushed aside my hair. He caught site of one of Rikki’s mating bites.

  A roar erupted from his lips.

  “You bitch!”

  I was flung forward with incredible force. Tasting alkaline earth and the biting flavor of grass, I struggled to rise from the ground. The familiar aching in my gums was a welcome sensation. My wolf desired control, and so I let her have it.

  Cain was oblivious to the signs of my transformations. He was far too occupied enjoying what he believed to be his victory.

  My canines were tearing into his throat before he could blink.

  Unfortunately, he was quick to react. He took my shoulders in his hands and yanked himself free of my teeth. Without being entirely in wolf form, I couldn’t do much damage, but I did enough. As soon as I hit the ground, I picked myself up and sprinted to the house. The roars of the rogues were at my back. Gunfire exploded from the house. The yowls of injured wolves echoed through the trees.

  When my feet touched the front porch, I swerved around to survey the yard. Cain was ripping his clothes off his body to shift. The glow of his golden eyes was hard to miss. Another wave of bullets. I signaled for Ric and Lloyd to head into battle and then knelt next to Cecilia.

  She was naked and shivering. I scanned her body for any injuries and didn’t see anything serious. Some superficial scratches cut across her back. Probably from being mishandled.

  “Get to the panic room,” I ordered.

  She snarled but said nothing.

  “Please,” I pleaded.

  Cecilia grimaced but went into the house.

  A rogue almost managed to surprise Greenly who was at the far end of the porch. Greenly caught his scent in time to fire his shotgun as the rogue closed the distance between them. I shut my eyes as blood burst from his body. When I opened them, the rogue wolf was lying on the ground, his head partially decapitated.

  I never expected to see a sight so gruesome.

  Another rogue wolf wailed as Ric tore into his neck in the front yard. I observed the raw power of Ric's jaw as it squeezed shut on the other’s windpipe. I searched the yard for Cain, but he was nowhere to be seen. However, I felt his presence. He was here, somewhere.

  Nelia, a member of my pack, was forced against a wall by one of the remaining rogues. An almost maternal protective instinct seized control of me, and I lunged at the rogue, ramming into his side at full-force. The rogue was disoriented from the hit, so I took advantage of the moment and kicked him between the
ribs several times until he was removed from the porch.

  The rogue fell to the ground in front of Cain.

  His smile was wide, exposing his canines. Soil and roots. Moon and tides. Our connection was dizzying, and Cain took advantage of my foggy mind to attack. He didn't go for my neck, like I expected. His teeth sank into my shoulder. I screamed and writhed under his bite. I tried to free myself, but he clamped down harder. Blood poured from the wound and the world suddenly started floating away.

  It was blackening.

  Soil and roots.

  Blackening.

  Moon and tides.

  Black.

  *

  I was thirsty. Definitely in pain. 100 percent alive. My eyes flew open. I noticed the familiar colors of my room and relaxed. Something must have turned the tide for the pack. Someone saved me. But how? A fuzzy figure came into view, becoming clearer as it approached. Rikki. She sat on the bed next to me, a glass of water in her hand.

  “Drink.” Rikki held the cup to my lips.

  My lips seemed to part of their own volition, and cool water filled my mouth. I shut my eyes for a minute, savoring the nectary flavor of the water before swallowing. Rikki helped me to take a few more sips before sitting the cup on the bedside table. She took my hand in hers.

  “Rikki,” I whispered with some difficulty.

  She kissed my knuckles and tears spilled from her eyes. “I'm sorry, Bonnie. I’m so sorry.”

  “It's not your fault,” I stated matter-of-factly. I didn’t want her to waste any time blaming herself. “Cecilia? Ric? The others?”

  Rikki smoothed the blanket covering my legs. “They are all okay. Healing like you. Apparently, you were quite the leader.”

  I snorted weakly. “Hell, Rikki, I had no idea what I was doing.”

  “That doesn’t matter now. What matters is that you are safe.”