Rafe glared at his friend, huffing out. “There’s nothing simple about any of this.”
“Stop being a misery guts,” Jacy went over, slowly, gauging Rafe’s reaction. The past couple of days he’d had to stay clear or his friend would snarl and snap at him. When Rafe gave him a small smile, Jacy thumped his back. “We’ll do it together. Now, have a talk with that Wolf of yours and let’s see if we can get started.”
Rafe gave a curt nod then inhaled slowly before blowing the air out. “Hey, do you know anything about our mate?”
His Wolf howled again, stomping around in his head. “Yes! Go, now!”
Rafe sighed with relief. “Apparently my beast is on board.”
Jacy grinned wildly. “Thank the gods for that.”
A vision of a grey Wolf with a black bushy tail appeared in Rafe’s head, his own beast circling around it. “You know what she looks like? You could’ve let me in on this sooner.”
“Stubborn,” his beast grumbled.
Rafe couldn’t disagree, instead he apologized to his friend. “Sorry for being an ass.”
Jacy’s eyes widened in surprise. Rafe rarely, if ever, uttered those words. “I’d say that’s okay, but really, it isn’t. You’ve been so wrapped up this past while that you’ve been neglecting the Pack. You should know better, Rafe.”
Pack was everything to Rafe and he couldn’t believe he’d acted so out of character so he let his Beta’s comments slide. “Noted.”
“Can we get on our way?” Jacy asked pointedly.
“Sure,” Rafe said a moment before he transformed.
His massive beast waited for his Beta, Jacy’s brown Wolf joining his moments later. Relief flooded Rafe as he realized the urge to hunt was subsiding. In its place was a deep need to find the grey beast he’d seen in his mind. That was the only thing he could think of as he raised his nose then took off through the woods.
Tasha paused at a stream cutting through the trees to quench her thirst. She’d been on the move for hours and was tiring. “No time,” she told herself as she picked up her backpack and leaped nimbly over the small rivulet of water.
As soon as her feet touched the ground on the other side of the stream she gasped, all oxygen leaving her in a loud exhale as emotions flooded her system. Not only that, but a vision of an ebony Wolf with grey tipped ears appeared in her head.
“What the hell?” Tasha shook her head to clear it. She couldn’t slow down, those damn rogues seemed to be catching up to her and she had to move or be caught.
“Ours,” her beast repeated over and over in her mind, confusing her about as much as it annoyed her.
“Not now!” she tried to shut it up. Tasha had to focus and her Wolf misbehaving right now was definitely not a good thing.
Her heart beat faster as she plowed on, visions of the black Wolf prancing with her grey one causing her to trip and fall forward. She barely managed to stop her face from being ripped by a nearby thorn bush. “Damn it, will you stop?”
Tasha implored her Wolf as she picked herself up, brushing herself down and trudging on. The sounds of voices nearby had her heart thudding with fear. She took off running, desperate to put some distance between her and the rogues on her tail.
“Shit,” she cursed as her foot disappeared down a rabbit hole, her body tumbling to the ground, hard.
Pain exploded inside her ankle and she knew it was broken. She could feel bones scraping against each other as she tugged her foot free. Tasha crawled to a nearby tree, using the trunk to haul herself up, realizing she’d have to transform to heal herself.
She’d stayed in human form because of the large pack she carried. It held the locket her mother had given to her on her last birthday, a family heirloom that had been handed down for generations. There was also pictures of her parents, ones that she would never allow to be lost and if she transformed she would’ve had to leave the pack behind.
Her only saving grace so far was that her pursuers had not changed either. If they had she was certain they would’ve caught her days ago. Now it looked like she had no choice, her ankle hurt like a bitch and she had to get away.
If she didn’t then her Pack would have died for nothing, and nobody would know what happened to them. Tasha couldn’t allow that. No. Freaking. Way!
Dropping her pack Tasha held onto the tree with one hand, attempting to get rid of her jacket with the other. Large fingers snatched hold of her hand resting on the tree, and she couldn’t stop the surprised squeal that rang from her mouth. The arm belonging to the fingers was thick, strong and attached to a man that came into view as she tried to shake off his hold.
“Let me go!” She struggled hard. Her ankle gave way and she plummeted to the ground as the rogue grinned evilly down at her.
“Over here!” he shouted as she scrambled like a crab away from him.
“Shit,” she mumbled, her head swinging left and right looking for his friends.
Tasha struggled to regain her footing, her toes the only thing that touched the ground on her damaged side. Even that was like hot lava running through her ankle as she limped away from the man closing in on her.
“You have nowhere to run,” he snapped out, his disgusting breath causing her to gag.
“Well, well, what do we have here, boys?” A slimy voice had Tasha’s head spinning around to see four more rogues closing in.
The man that spoke was the tallest and the look in his eyes told her he would show no mercy. Her blood rushed through her as her fight or flight went into overdrive. Neither of which was a good option, not with a broken ankle anyway.
“What is wrong with you?” Tasha spat out. “Why are you doing this?”
“Nothing is wrong with us, doll,” the obvious leader drawled. “We’re getting paid, plain and simple.”
“What?” Tasha asked, shock reverberating through her. “To kill an entire Pack? Why?”
“Does it make any difference if you know?” the leader said harshly. “The outcome will be the same for you.”
Tasha shook her head as his eyes narrowed, traveling up and down her body. Her insides churned at his look and she tried to put some weight on her ankle. If she could move maybe she’d have a chance.
Nope. Pain lanced through her causing her to bite her lip to stop from yelling out.
“But first you’re going to pay for making me and my men hunt you down.” He licked his lips and that had Tasha almost throwing up. “What happens now is your own fucking fault. You should’ve just stayed put and it would’ve been over and done with nice and quick. Now, bitch, you’re going to suffer.”
“No!” Tasha screamed as they closed in. With no way out she feverishly thought how she could end this as quickly as possible.
She’d rather die than have these men touch her.
Her knife! She’d kept it in her sheath at her waist.
She wasn’t stupid enough to think she could take these rogues on, but she could take her own life. Not something she’d ever thought about before, however, with these filthy mutts closing in on her she knew it was the only way out. She could not, would not allow them to capture her and do unspeakable things to her. No. She refused to be yet another of their damn victims.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” she whispered as she tugged the blade free.
Rafe’s Wolf sped through the forest, a sense of urgency deep inside him that told him he had to hurry. Their mate was in danger and he had to get to her, fast.
Jacy was behind him, struggling to keep pace with Rafe’s beast, but that didn’t slow him down. His Wolf urged him on, hurtling through the trees toward their mate. His blood boiled when he heard a scream, the sound reverberating through him as red hot fury spilled through him.
He was near, but would he be in time?
Another high pitched yell, full of anger and fear, came through the woods, his Wolf full of desperation as he surged onward. As he broke through thick underbrush he took in the scene before him.
A young woman with long aubu
rn hair stood, surrounded by five men who were closing in on her. Damn rogues!
Rafe could scent it on them as he slid to a silent stop, looking for the biggest threat to their mate. A tall man sneered at the girl, his words spearing Rafe’s heart.
“What happens now is your own fucking fault. You should’ve just stayed put and it would’ve been over and done with nice and quick. Now, bitch, you’re going to suffer.”
The girl shouted, “No!” as the rogues closed in.
Rafe caught a glimpse of steel in her hand as he leaped past her, landing on the man who’d threatened his mate. His Wolf’s powerful jaws locked onto the rogue’s throat, ripping it to shreds before slashing his chest with his claws. His beast took no chances, shredding the man’s torso in seconds and wrenching his still beating heart free, dropping it on the ground and attacking the next threat.
He could hear Jacy’s own attack. His Beta was ferocious when riled and Rafe knew he would show no mercy. Neither would he.
Rafe managed to kill two in human form before they had a chance to transform. When he turned around after his second kill, he came face to face with a huge brown beast. It’s fangs snapped at him, a snarl erupting from its throat as it launched an attack. Rafe’s powerful beast met it head on, soaring high to clash mid-air, teeth and claws meeting in a battle for the ultimate prize: life.
As soon as they met in battle, Rafe knew this rogue had had more than his fair share of fights. His dirty tactics annoyingly nasty, but Rafe’s beast dealt easily with everything thrown at him and soon the rogue lay dead in a pool of blood.
His head spun around, looking for the next threat. Jacy had killed two, one wolf, one human-form, but the remaining rogue held his mate firmly in front of him, a shiny blade in his hand. His blood turning to ice in his veins.
The dirty scumbag held the knife against the pale white skin of her throat. Rafe stalked forward, snarling and pawing the ground in anger. The man shook his head, sneering.
“Stay there or she dies,” the man spat out as his arm around her throat tightened.
“No,” the girl, his mate, choked out. “Don’t kill him, we need him to get information about . . .”
“Shut the fuck up!”
Rafe watched as the rogue grabbed her hair, tugging her head back violently and spitting into her face. The look of revulsion on her beautiful features causing his beast to go into a frenzy of bloodlust.
A roar of stifled fury tore through the forest, his beast shaking with pent-up anger. He lifted a front paw, slamming it down onto the ground, leaves and dirt spraying up as he tried to keep the rogue’s attention fully on him. His Beta was limping, the rogue smirked as he watched Jacy finally fall to the ground and crawl away almost had Rafe attacking.
“Don’t worry,” Jacy spoke to him through their link but he barely heard the words as his Beta hauled himself away.
Rafe’s beast paced back and forth, head swinging low and growling. “Stay there, mutt.” The rogue sneered, tugging his mate against his body and forcing her to walk backwards.
A yelp of pain from her caused Rafe’s heart to physically ache for her and it was then he noticed how she held one of her feet. Only the toes touched the ground and she could not put any weight on it at all, hopping as the rogue used her body as a shield.
Her face was pale and drawn as she hissed through clenched teeth. Pain obviously running through her. Seeing his mate suffer was like a knife to his heart as he paced.
“This is how it’s going to go down,” the man bit out, his eyes never leaving Rafe. “I’m going to leave and I’m taking her with me, as collateral, and if you follow then I’ll slit her neck so quick you won’t know it’s happened until her blood soaks the earth. So, you mangy mutt, back off, now.”
Rafe’s fur rippled across his body at the mere thought of losing sight of his mate. Her eyes were wide as she locked onto his, hers were the most beautiful shade of grey he’d ever seen. She pleaded with him in that look and he knew he could not allow the rogue to take her.
But how was he going to rescue her without harm?
Jacy’s voice almost gleeful as he whispered inside his head. “Countdown begins . . . now. Get ready, Rafe.”
Rafe shook his head, trying to clear it and also look for his Beta. Where the hell was he? He’d looked badly injured as he’d crawled away.
“Three, two, one – go now!”
Jacy yelled through their link as he hurtled through bushes behind the rogue, his jaws clamping onto the man’s shoulder, the one attached to the arm holding the knife.
Rafe sprang forward, transforming mid-stride and snatching his mate from the arms of the fucker that held her captive. He picked her up, cradling her in his arms as Jacy pinned the rogue to the ground, his jaws at the man’s neck.
“No!” the woman in his arms yelled, waving an arm around. “Don’t kill him. We need him.”
“Jacy, do as she says,” Rafe ordered as she looked up into his face with thanks written all over her pale features.
“I’m Tasha and my Pack has been destroyed.” She leaned her head against his shoulder. “We need to figure out what’s going on or all Wolves could be in danger.”
She gasped out the last words before falling into unconciousness.
Rafe tightened his grip, holding her firmly against his naked body and fought not to take vengeance on the rogue lying bloodied before him.
“Jacy,” Rafe ground out, jaw clenching and unwilling to utter the words he knew he must.
Jacy’s head turned to Rafe, blood dripping from his jaws, his eyes questioning.
“He’s our prisoner.” Rafe shook his head in disgust. “Transform and escort him back to camp. I’ll contact Levi and get him to send out some guards to help.”
His beast moved off the rogue, nudging him to get up. When the man lay still, Jacy nipped his thigh.
“I suggest you do as you’re told, otherwise my Beta will inflict a hell of a lot of pain on you but he will not incapacitate, or kill you. It’s your choice.”
Rafe didn’t bother waiting to see what happened. Jacy was more than capable of dealing with the man so he started back to camp. Levi was shocked when Rafe spoke to him through their link but he was already on his way with two more Wolves to help Jacy.
Striding quickly through the forest with his mate in his arms, Rafe took the time to take in every detail. Her hair was a mess, dangling down over his arm and tickling his bare skin, it was filthy and bore testament of her time running from the rogues. Her words earlier causing sadness to seep into his soul.
An entire Pack killed?
That was outrageous and he’d make damn sure to do everything in his power to get to the bottom of what happened. The grief he felt inside her almost taking his breath away and he guessed she’d lost loved ones. Rafe remembered too well how he’d felt when his father died. It was cataclysmic and the worst thing he’d ever experienced.
It had been unexpected. He was Alpha. Strong and fearless but something as simple as a drunk driver had ended his life. His mother barely hung on and it was through the grace of the Goddess that she’d survived. Her own grief at losing her soul-mate was the most horrendous thing Rafe had ever witnessed.
Days, weeks, and months passed in a blur as they all fought to keep her with us. Her desire to just fade away was so great that Rafe thought on many occasions that he would lose her too.
Luckily, with the help of the Pack, she’d finally turned a corner. The first time Rafe saw her smile after that fateful day made his insides flutter and his heart rejoice.
What his mate had endured was far worse. Her entire Pack, everyone she knew and loved, had been snatched from her and Rafe knew she would need a lot of support to deal with that. No matter what it took, he’d make sure she recovered. She was his mate, his love, the center of his life from this moment on. Rafe could afford her nothing less than everything he had.
Her scent ingrained within him, deep down, as if it had always been there and he knew w
ithout a single doubt, that this woman was his.
Rafe stopped, on alert, when he heard Wolves heading his way. He’d been so lost in his own thoughts that they were almost upon him by the time he heard them. Sending out his Alpha power he recognized Levi and two guards stampeding toward him. Levi’s massive light brown beast skidding on the wet leaves when he saw his Alpha.
“Jacy should be on his way, behind me, but I have to get her back to camp.”
Rafe noted Levi’s eyes widen as he inhaled, his beast’s nostrils flaring at the change to his Alpha’s scent.
“I’m sure you know what she is, but just to enforce how important she is. She is my mate. Now, go and help your Beta and I’ll want to see you at my cabin later. We have a problem with rogues.”
The brown Wolf lowered its head, whining once then taking off with lightning speed. Levi was one of the quickest Wolves he knew, his pace so fast that few could keep up. The two guards he’d brought with him falling behind within seconds.
Rafe smiled as he pictured the rogue’s face when Levi arrived. He was large, much bigger than most other Wolves, and he was an imposing and scary sight. When he wanted to be that is.
It was one of the reasons Jacy and Rafe chose him to deal with the Pack guards and dole out punishment when it was due for minor infractions. Anything serious was dealt with by Rafe, or Jacy if he wasn’t around, but they rarely had major problems within the Pack.
That may no longer be the case. Not if rogues had the power to take out an entire camp.
Rafe had to find out what happened and how to stop it. He refused to allow rogues to kill any of his people and he’d do whatever it took to ensure their safety.
He’d go so far as to call in the dreaded Council.
Rafe hated their rules and regulations but they had manpower behind them. If required he’d go cap in hand and ask for their help.
Even if the thought made him want to puke.
A Ravenous Pack: Wolf's Hunger 5 Books Page 3