Greg’s face turned into a malevolent sneer. “Well, if it isn’t the little boy we turned into a werewolf all those years ago.”
“I’m not a little boy
anymore,” Preston growled.
Tucker and Wesley flew into the cave seconds later and Tucker let out a thunderous growl. The three of them flew at the rogues that had attacked and turned them when they were just children. The air was filled with the smell of blood and anger. Hayden took care of his own rogues and turned back to see Preston, Wesley and Tucker
fighting with two rogues.
“Guys!” Hayden shouted.
“Go!” Preston snarled at the man in front of him. “I think
payback is due.”
“Welcome to pain,” Wesley bared his teeth, lunging at Brian.
“Who was the third man!” Tucker gripped Brian by his throat.
“P-P…” Brian tried to remove the fingers from his throat.
“Pierce!” Greg yelled. “It was Pierce.”
Preston leaned into Brian’s face. “Now you’ll know what you put us through.”
Hayden turned from the fight and ran down the tunnel where Stuart had indicated Jude’s cell was. He ran into rogues along the way and took them out swiftly. The anger he felt at Jude being held captive overcame everything. A light at the end of the tunnel alerted him that his destination was in sight.
“Jude!” Hayden shouted.
“Hayden?” Jude stood up and ran to the bars. A blood-covered Hayden ran into the room seconds later. “Hayden…” Jude exhaled in relief. “Stuart didn’t come back; he went to get the keys.”
“Stand back,” Hayden
warned.
“The bars are specially made —” Jude’s eyes widened as
Hayden shifted his body weight and kicked the bars; three of them flew across the cell.
“Come on,” Hayden put his hand out to Jude. “We don’t have a lot of time.”
“Is Stuart all right? He helped me.”
“He’s with Ross, and as far as I know he’s still breathing.”
Jude looked Hayden over. Blood was splattered all over him. Jude reached out to wipe the blood from Hayden’s cheek. “Are you all right?” Jude asked quietly.
Hayden searched Jude’s eyes. “Were you worried about me?”
“No,” Jude huffed. “Let’s go.”
Hayden grinned as Jude walked toward the tunnels. Yeah, he was.
~~Chapter Six~~
Chance paced Pierce’s room. A fight was raging outside and he could do nothing about it. He knew the team had arrived. Wayne’s growl had shaken the entire cave, causing some of the tunnels to collapse. The lock on the door clicked and Chance ran to it. Pierce stalked in, knocking Chance out of the way and locking the door quickly.
“Jesus fucking Christ!” Pierce snarled. “What the hell is going on? All of a sudden my whole goddamn world is falling down around me!”
Chance gasped as Pierce looked up; the eyes were dark yellow. “You are one,” Chance whispered.
“Yep, sweetie, I sure am.” “You were behind Scott’s attack!”
“Yes, and now I have you. You are going to do what I tell you, or the ones you love are going to suffer horrendously, Chance. I wanted you dead, in fact, I ordered it. My associate couldn’t kill you,” Pierce rolled his eyes. “I was told in Ireland that you were still alive; imagine my surprise.”
“I thought you loved me…” Chance whispered.
Pierce cackled. “Oh please, I don’t love anyone!”
“They were right about you; you are a rapist and a murderer, aren’t you? Everything they said is true.”
“Oh, I’ve become so much worse, babe.”
“Don’t call me that!” Chance snapped.
“Now, I want to know everything, Chance. What being a created one entails, Wayne’s powers, which powers he passes on… I want to know everything.”
Chance narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips.
“Oh, you’ll talk, or I’ll have my boys rip your precious Logan apart.”
Chance started at that. “What?”
A knock on the door
interrupted their conversation and Pierce unlocked it. Two men came in holding a beaten and bloodied Logan.
“Logan!” Chance ran forward and stopped when Pierce produced a sword. Logan’s sword.
“Don’t move, Chance. I’ll slit his throat with his own sword.”
“I’m sorry, Chance.” Logan tried to stand up. Whatever they’d injected him with was taking effect rather quickly.
“Don’t be sorry, I’m sorry. I should have listened—”
“Aww, isn’t this fucking touching?” Pierce slid the sword through Logan’s abdomen.
“Don’t!” Chance shouted. Logan’s loud cry reverberated around the room and Chance’s blood began to boil.
Pierce leaned into Logan’s face. “I want you to look into the eyes of the man who killed your parents, Logan.” Pierce grinned as Logan’s eyes widened. “Oh yes, I killed Hayden’s, too. In fact, I killed all of your little army’s parents.” Pierce twisted the sword that Logan was still impaled upon. “Now, if you want your sweetheart to live, start talking.” Pierce eyed Chance. “Right after that, I’m going to fuck you, and then I’m going to make you one of us.”
Chance closed his eyes, power raced down his arms to his fingertips.
“What are you doing? Did you not hear me?” Pierce removed the sword from Logan’s stomach, and slid it swiftly into his shoulder. Logan howled in pain.
Chance opened his eyes and directed them at the two rogues holding Logan. The room heated and the two men’s clothing burst into flames. Blood curdling
screams rose from both of them as they tried to extinguish the flames.
“Chance,” Logan panted. “Pull it back…”
Chance narrowed his eyes at Pierce, a flash sparked in the room and Pierce was immediately engulfed in flames. A loud,
agonized howl left Pierce’s lips and Chance felt his anger building. Pierce was rolling around on the ground, writhing in agony, as the flames engulfed him completely.
“Chance! Pull it back!” Logan struggled to his feet.
Chance panted, his heart rate pounding. “I…I can’t…”
Logan limped towards Chance, the room was so hot his shoes were melting to the floor. Whatever magic Chance had used had incinerated Pierce and his flunkies; they hadn’t even had time to heal as werewolves did when injured. He reached Chance and put his arm around his shoulder.
“You can, just concentrate,” Logan faced Chance, looking into his eyes. The heat in the room had spiked and now flames crawled up the walls, spreading across the ceiling.
“I can’t!” Chance squeezed his eyes shut. “You have to go!”
“I’m not leaving you.” Logan took Chance’s hands. “I won’t,”
~~ Wayne had cornered two rogues and Locke snarled in their faces. Wayne’s jaws parted and a loud menacing growl ripped from his throat. Wayne stepped forward, snapping his jaws.
“Don’t do it, man! Or I won’t tell you where the kids are!” Petey shouted. Jesus, he’d never seen a created one up close, and he hoped he never did again. The damn wolf was at least seven feet tall.
Wayne shifted instantly. “What kids?”
“He’s lying!” Locke hissed.
“No, I’m not. Two boys. Now if you want to know where they are, you let me and Carl go.”
“Dammit!” Wayne snarled.
“Deal, or not?”
“One of you comes with us, we see the kids, you’re free to go,” Wayne said.
“Guys.”
Logan’s voice came through Locke’s headset.
“What is it?” Locke asked.
“Get out of here now; Chance can’t contain his power.”
Locke’s eyes went wide and he spun around to look at Wayne. “We have to get out now; we have minutes at the most.”
Wayne grabbed Petey and Carl. “Change of plan
s, you both come.”
Wayne ran in wolf form with Locke behind the two rogues. They headed deeper into the mines, into tunnels they hadn’t seen before. Petey stopped at the mouth of one of them and Wayne could hear soft crying. Petey pulled a lever and a door opened in the wall. Wayne pushed Petey in first and his eyes went wide. Two boys, about four, were huddled in the corner.
“Son of a bitch,” Wayne whispered.
~~ Logan’s skin was blistering from the heat in the room. The door was blocked by a wall of flames and Chance’s whole body was shaking with the power about to explode outward. He reached for the headset Logan wore.
“Nikolai?” “I’m here; what’s going on, man?”
“Are you up top?”
“Yes. Dude, you need to like breathe or do some Lamaze and shit.”
“Thank you, Nikolai, for being my friend.”
Nikolai froze. “Don’t say that; you’ll come down from this.”
“No, I won’t…I can’t…thank you, for everything.”
The mic clicked off and Nikolai ran for the mines. “NO!”
Vince grabbed his son, restraining him as he bucked and flailed in his arms.
“Don’t, Nik,” Vince tried to soothe his son.
“Is everyone out?” James spoke into his headset.
“On our way!” Wayne shouted, carrying the children in his arms.
More of the teams shouted they were out and James looked over at Derek. They clasped hands as they listened to the men saying they were okay and out of the mines. ~~
Logan put his arms around Chance’s neck and held him.
“You need to go!” Chance pushed him away. “I can’t…I’m so sorry. Just go, Logan! I mean it!”
“I’m not leaving you; get that through your head! We are meant to be together, I’ve never seen that as clear as I do right now.”
Chance sobbed in Logan’s arms. “Please, just go, I don’t want you to die.”
“If you’re gone, I don’t want to be here anyway.” Logan cupped Chance’s face in his hands. “I love you, Chance.”
“You…love me?”
“I have loved you for a long time.” Logan pressed his lips to Chance’s.
The air crackled and Logan’s hair stood on end. All the air was sucked out of the room and the fire pulled into the center of it, circling Chance. Logan held onto Chance as the floor began to shake. Their eyes locked as Chance’s body began to hum, vibrations radiating from him. Logan wrapped his arms around Chance.
“It’s coming!” Chance
screamed.
Logan barely had time to look into Chance’s eyes before the room became one big ball of bright, white light.
~~
James felt the ground move beneath him as an explosion went off. Flames licked up from every opening in the ground that led to the mines below. Large cracks formed a few yards away from them and the ground began sinking into the mines below. James shielded his eyes and watched the north side of the ridge, checking for his teams. Wayne came first, holding two children, and then the rest of the packs came into view. Bloodied and battered, but alive. They all walked together, side by side, the mated ones holding each other for comfort.
Vince held his son. Nikolai was sobbing in his arms and Vince tried to soothe him. Wyatt walked up to them, his own eyes filled with tears. He put his hand on Nikolai’s shoulder, hoping to comfort him somehow. He’d never seen Nik cry, and he knew he never would again. Chance was special to Nikolai. Wyatt knew his friend would never be the same. It was quiet, as they all stood around saying a silent prayer for Logan and Chance. Locke crumpled to the ground, looking at the gaping holes in the Earth. He’d lost everything in seconds. Noah crouched down, taking Locke into his embrace.
James knew he should say something, anything, but God help him in that moment he couldn’t think of anything that would make the whole fucked up situation right.
They’d never lost someone close to them in the pack.
Werewolves were immortal, at least Wayne’s pack were, but this… no one could survive this. He hadn’t thought he’d ever have to deal with the death of any of his men. Now the crushing pain hit him as he thought of innocent Chance and the man who loved him enough to die with him.
Jude stood with Hayden, Scott and Ross. The silence was crushing. All of them wept for the loss of their friends. Scott was in Tristan’s arms, the sadness etched on his face. Hayden’s mic crackled and they all turned toward the sound.
“We’re okay,” Logan’s voice rasped over the microphone.
Nikolai looked up, wiping his eyes.
“We may need some help getting out, though,”
~~
Screams and shouting came through Logan’s mic as he caressed Chance’s face. The room was blackened and Pierce’s body was a pile of ash, as well as the two men who had been with him. Logan was untouched. In the protective circle of Chance’s arms, he’d been spared. They both had. A bright light enveloped the room; the top of the cave cracked, sending chunks of dirt spraying onto them. Logan tried to shield Chance and realized the dirt and rock was being
deflected by something around them. He put a tentative hand out and hit an invisible wall. Logan looked up to see blue sky.
“Protection spell?” Logan asked, with a wry grin.
“It worked,” Chance grinned, dropping the protective circle.
Energy filled the room and Logan searched Chance’s eyes.
“Are you doing that?”
Chance shook his head. “No.”
Logan shielded his eyes as a light seemed to become brighter and brighter, enveloping him and Chance. The air became charged as the bright light became a ball, circling them. Logan glanced again at Chance, who shook his head.
“It’s not me, I swear.”
The ball hovered above them, suspended; then it pulsed and slammed into both of them. Logan’s breath was sucked from his lungs and a feeling of peace swept over him. He expelled a breath and opened his eyes to see Chance gazing at him in awe.
“It’s the mate bond,” Chance whispered.
“But…” Logan stammered.
“I love you, too.” Chance said, wrapping his arms around Logan. “I love you, Logan
MacLeod.”
Logan closed the distance between them, kissing Chance with everything he felt. The mate bond had finally hit him, and he couldn’t have been any happier at the fates’ choice.
“I love you, Chance
Christianson.”
Logan’s mic crackled and James Jacobs’ voice filtered through.
“Hang tight; we’re bringing you some rope.”
“We’re not going anywhere,” Logan said, pulling Chance back to his lips.
A few minutes later a rope dropped down. Logan tied it securely around himself and pulled Chance into his arms. Chance wrapped his arms around his neck and Logan pulled on the rope.
“We’re good!”
Chance held on tightly as they were pulled up.
Minutes later, Logan put his hand out to Jacob and they were pulled out of the cave and onto the ground. Chance stood up on
wobbly legs and looked around. All the men were smiling and staring at him, faces covered in dirt, streaked with tears.
“Don’t you ever do that again!” Nikolai shouted, taking Chance by his shoulders and
shaking him vigorously.
Chance’s mouth opened to argue and he was engulfed by Nikolai’s embrace. He smiled, wrapping his arms around his friend.
“I’m sorry,” Chance pulled out of Nikolai’s hug and peered into his eyes. They were redrimmed, and wetness had left streaks in the dirt covering his face.
“Were you crying?”
“What? No.” Nikolai turned to wipe his face.
“Okay,” Chance grinned, taking Nikolai’s hand.
Logan stood, arms crossed, smiling at his mate. He felt eyes on him and glanced to his right. All the men stood staring at him with looks of disbelief.
“I’
m real. Chance’s
protection spell works.” Logan’s eyes fell on the two little boys currently hanging onto Wayne’s thighs. “They were in the mines?”
Wayne nodded. “They aren’t rogue that we can tell. Alexander is going to examine them when we get back,” he said, nodding to the packs’ doctor standing nearby.
Wyatt crouched down to the little boys’ level and smiled. “Hi, I’m Wyatt. What’s your name?” The little boy shrank behind Wayne’s leg, peering out from behind him. “I won’t hurt you, I promise.”
“E-Ethan,”
Wyatt grinned. “Yeah? What’s your friend’s name? Is he your brother?”
Ethan shook his head. “No, he’s—”
“Don’t tell!”
Wyatt sat down in the dirt and smiled at the other little boy. “Do you think we’re mean?” Wyatt tilted his head as the child seemed to think about his question. “We came here to rescue our friends. We care about them very much. We’d like to take care of you now, but to do that, I would like to know your name so I don’t just call you whatever I want.” Wyatt grinned, putting a finger to his chin in mock thought. “Is your name Ralph?” Wyatt kept his laughter in as the boy made a face. “No?”
“It’s Gage,” Ethan provided with a giggle.
“Hey!” Gage grumbled.
Wyatt noticed that Ethan seemed to be in a daze; he
followed his line of sight and realized Ethan was in awe over Conner.
“What do you see, Ethan?”
“He shines,” Ethan pointed at Conner. “Pretty.”
Stuart stood dumbfounded. Kids? Pierce had taken kids? He’d never even known they were in the mines.
“You piece of shit,” Noah growled at Stuart. “Kids? How sick are you guys?”
“I…I didn’t know…” Stuart stammered.
Noah lunged for Stuart and found Ross in his way. He backpedaled in shock. “What the hell?”
“Don’t touch him,” Ross growled. “He helped us in there.”
Wayne silenced the men and turned his attention to the two boys attached to his thighs. “Do you know that man?” Wayne pointed to Stuart.
“Un uh,” Ethan shook his head.
“Nope,” Gage agreed.
“Hands off, Noah,” Ross pushed Stuart behind him.
“What the fuck, Ross?
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