by A C Wilds
A small noise has me opening my eyes to look around. A weird scent goes up my nose, it’s familiar but my brain doesn’t place it right away. Turning around there’s nothing there, but on the mirror, a message is scrawled.
‘We’re not done yet, pup.’
A chill of fear goes through my system and I scream out loud and through the bond. He’s in the cabin. He’s here. Jumping out of the tub I reach for my towel. My heart beating so fast I think it might come out of my chest. There are no weapons in here. I’m totally vulnerable.
“What happened?” Bruno rushes in the room, but I’m still letting out a scream. I’m so afraid that I’m shaking.
“Clara, it’s me. Stop screaming, look at me.”
My eyes dart around the room and finally settle on Bruno. He’s here holding me. He’s here. He’s here.
“The vampire was in the bathroom. I … I’m so fucking scared. Bruno, look.”
He turns around with me still in his arms and notices the message on the mirror. His anger is palatable, floating through the air. Nile and Ralph bust through the door frantic and ready to fight.
“What the fuck is that?” Nile says, pointing to the mirror. A growl rips from Ralph’s lips.
“The vampire is in the cabin or he was. That’s what he called me when he kidnapped me.”
“How did he get in here? How did he know Clara was here?”
“The vamp we brought here. He’s his sire, maybe they have a link like we do. Gods, we led him right to us,” Nile says, his sorrow coming through the bond. He steps up to me and pulls me from Bruno’s arms. Squeezing and rubbing my back, he reassures me with whispers of his love and protection in my ear. I sink into him, welcoming his comfort.
“Go see if he’s still secure. And if he isn’t, then we hunt,” Bruno commands Ralph. He doesn’t hesitate, turning and doing Bruno’s bidding. I hope the gods we can find and kill him. He needs to be stopped.
Ralph
In our home. He broke into the cabin and threatened our mate. My blood boils with anger. I’m going to kill this vampire. My steps are rushed as I walk to the back of one of the outer cabins. He’s in the root cellar of the storage building. We chained him to a chair that was bolted to the concrete floor, but since we don’t know his strength it’s like we’re going into this blind.
It’s cooler down here, not that my wolf is affected. The chair sits in the corner of the back room, with the vamp still tied to it. His head snaps up as I come into view.
“What happened? Your aura is pulsing with anger.”
“He was here, in the cabin, Cole.”
“What? You need to let me loose. I have to get out of here; he’s going to kill me. He’s a sick bastard and if he finds me here the torture will be nothing you could ever imagine.”
“You’re not going anywhere. We need you, and that means you’re coming with me. First, you’ll answer some questions and if I don’t get the right answers, it’ll be very painful for you.”
He swallows down his fear and nods his head. I can tell he’s going to make this easy for me. Too bad, I would have loved to bash his head in.
“What do you want to know? As I told you before, I want nothing to do with any of this. I’ve been wanting out for a long time and you all have helped me. I’ll be running for the rest of my life, but it’s better than doing what that sick fuck wanted me to.”
“Do you have a telepathic link to your sire? Did he use that to find us?”
“Yes, and no. We can’t speak inside each other's minds, and we can’t tell where one another is, but we can share emotions. He’ll know if I’m scared, happy, or injured. He gets a lot of his vampire powers from his children. It’s why he has so many.”
“He shares your magic?”
“Exactly, for every vampire he sires, he gets a quarter of their magic. If they are stronger in human form, then the more magic he’ll get. Most of my brothers and sisters are geniuses, athletic superstars, or naturally strong. He doesn’t turn the weak.”
“And you are?” The question hangs in the air as he decides on whether or not to tell me. I growl to nudge him on and he flinches.
“I was a criminal. Really good with my hands, could sneak into anywhere, steal anything, kill anyone. I took on high-end contracts. The ones that deserved it the most.”
“You’re telling me you were an assassin as a human. What happened to you as a vampire? You seem so tame and innocent.”
He smiles big at that moment and stands up, the ropes falling at his feet. My eyes go wide with shock. What in the hell? My wolf goes on guard and I growl aggressively so he knows not to make a move.
“This proves my cooperation even more. What I say is true. He needs to be stopped. I was turned without my consent, and I’ve been looking for a way to get away from him for centuries.”
“How did he know she was back here?”
“I imagine he put a tracker on her, or he guessed. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out she’d go home. It’s the first place he’d look.”
“Out there is a bunch of wolves that will want you dead. You stink, and now that they know what a vampire smells like, they’re going to be on high alert.”
“I can handle myself if it comes down to it, but I’d rather it not. Control your wolves and I’ll be on my best behavior.”
Wearily I motion for him to follow me. Bruno isn’t going to be happy about this, but I’m starting to think we’re going to need this vampire’s help to take down Cole.
“What’s your name?”
“Jack Cole. We take the name of our sire when we’re turned. It’s to let other vampires know who made us.”
“I’m Ralph, beta. Alpha is Bruno and gamma is Nile. Try not to piss anyone off and maybe we can get through this without any more bloodshed.”
“You got it, Beta. Lead the way.”
I give him my back, not worried about his intentions. My wolf is always good at telling if someone is a threat, and right now I’m comfortable with Jack’s truth.
13
Meeting
Clara
Bruno calls a pack meeting to go over what happened with the vampires. He invites the rest of the wolves that have arrived for the Christmas Summit. This situation affects us all.
“We have a threat. The vampires aren’t just assembling, they are taking wolves for experiments. Clara was kidnapped by a vampire and they attempted to do experiments on her, but she escaped right before it happened?”
“Who helped you? It seems a little odd that you were in there for a few days, and then mystically found your way out,” a wolf from another pack says. He’s not an alpha, but he is a dominant. His mouth must get him in a lot of trouble.
Bruno’s growl thunders around the room. “How dare you question my mate.” He advances on the wolf, but I pull him back.
“He has a right to be suspicious. It all was a little too neat. They didn’t try to experiment on me until the last day I was there. And I think I know why. A guard who was inside the room with me and the good doctor, helped me escape. He started the fire and allowed everyone to leave. Dean Wesson saved me and a lot of wolves. I’ll be forever grateful.”
“Dean Wesson from Battleridge?” Samuel asks. His voice sounding a bit excited.
“I don’t know. He only told me he was in the Army and was part of a division. I believe it was called SN. Never told me what it stood for.”
“Fucking Dean,” the wolf retorts, running his hand through his hair.
“Who is this Dean Wesson?” Bruno questions. He side-eyes me like we need to talk about this further.
“He’s pack. I haven’t seen him in years. Ran off and never came back. His parents still grieve, thinking he’s dead. We had no idea he was serving in the Army.”
“Why did he leave? If he had family and a pack, it would have to have been something big,” Bruno states. It is mysterious why he would leave. And how did he know about the facility?
“We don’t know. He left in the n
ight with the twins and never came back. They didn’t want to be found, because we looked for years.”
More questions pop into my head for the mysterious Dean. If I ever see him again, I’ll make sure I get the whole story. Bruno looks satisfied with the answer and continues on with what we need everyone to know. We can solve the Dean puzzle later on.
Ralph walks in seconds after he’s finished with a vampire in tow. I smell him before I see him, and my wolf growls in response. I look to Bruno for answers, but he just places his hand on my shoulder.
“Bring him into the office,” Bruno commands. Ralph directs the vampire in the other direction.
The room erupts in anger and I back into myself. I can’t deal with a room full of angry wolves. I close my eyes and try not to think about the past; the yelling and abuse I endured. I have to get out of here. I rush out and head to the kitchen. Nile is close behind me; I can feel his presence at my back. Whirling around I attempt to yell or fight, but he wraps me in a hug. Making me lose all the emotions that were swirling around inside me.
“Don’t worry about him. You’re safe and home now. There’s nothing that’s going to hurt you. You’ll never be out of my sight again.”
I laugh into his chest. “You can’t be with me everywhere.”
“Yes, I can. I don’t mind showering with you every day. And when you need private time, we’ll use the windowless bathroom in the basement, and I’ll be right outside the door.”
I jab him in the stomach, and he bends over in mock agony; making me chuckle. He recovers and holds my face in his hands.
“I promise you; they will not win this. We’ll find out what they are doing and put a stop to it.”
“I want to be included. Don’t think you can shut me out or make me the damsel in distress. Nile, I was attacked by Cole and I am seeking revenge. We need to stop them from taking more wolves.”
“Bruno isn’t going to be happy about this, but he’ll understand. We were crazy, out of our minds when you were gone. Seeing this through is going to be important to all of us.”
I hug his middle and take comfort in his words. I had four days of being without them, and it affected me more than I thought it would. For so long I was taken advantage of and now it feels like I’m changing. My wolf has always known this would be true for us, but it took me being away from them for me to truly see how much I care.
He grabs my hand and leads me out of the kitchen and into the hallway toward Bruno’s office. So many emotions are passing through me, that I’m not sure how to act right now. It seems like I’m going from scared to furious in seconds.
“Start from the beginning. I want to know everything. If what you say is true and you want to get out from under your sire, then help us and you’ll have pack protection,” Bruno says through the door. He must be speaking to the vampire. Who else would know exactly what was going on at the facility? I don’t even know the whole story.
Slamming it open I give Bruno a hard look. He can feel my anger, but it needs to be said aloud. “Why are you negotiating with a vampire?” I don’t care if anyone else sees me challenge my alpha. I’m back to furious and a vampire this close to me after everything that’s happened is making my wolf want to jump out and rip into his throat.
My hands begin to shake, and I take a step closer toward the chair he’s sitting in. I’m two seconds from attacking him, but Nile holds me back. I let out a loud growl and my eyes flash with my wolf. We’ve never attacked this aggressively before, but right now I don’t care. They tried to torture me, treat me like a lab rat. It needs to be stopped.
“Clara, we need to find out as much as possible. If he’s able to give us the information we need to save the wolves, we’re going to have to get used to him being here.” Bruno sounds sensible and it’s the total opposite of what I’m feeling.
Growling out my disagreement, I plop down in Bruno’s chair. Let someone make a comment on how it’s the alpha’s chair.
“Continue on, Jack,” Bruno says, now that everyone is here and settled.
“In the beginning, he wasn’t aware werewolves could offer a vampire any type of power. He created a whole family of children so that he could become untouchable. In the vampire world, the more power you have, the more you are feared. Cole wants to be the ‘Supreme Vampire.’”
“Why? Doesn’t your kind not gather in groups?” Nile asks.
“We don’t usually, but it’s become a problem of late. All the individual clans are warring. Bigger clans are trying to take over smaller ones. There’s no protection between us, and Cole is promising to give them what they want. He’s offering them one vampire who will rule them all. He provides the protection and order they crave, it’s a very tempting offer. In return, Cole gains more power; more than anyone has ever had.”
“How do the wolves come into play?” Bruno questions.
“Your natural power comes from the earth in the form of life, and vampires are death. It’s like having a boost of raw energy pumping through your system when we ingest your blood. It only lasts so long, which is what he’s experimenting with. Depending on where the wolf is in the hierarchy determines the amount of juice the vampire will get. Something like her magic, the one that calms the wolves and keeps them human has almost an unlimited source. She’s the golden egg. His Holy Grail, and now that he lost her, I imagine she is his new obsession.”
A chill runs through me. I’m ridged almost frozen into my spot as I replay the images in my head. It’s almost like I can feel his teeth sinking into my neck. Remembering what he called me before I blacked out. Pup, it’s an endearment your parents would call you, not a psycho vampire.
“Why is Clara so important to him?”
“Clara’s magic is able to give him more power than any of the other wolves. I’m guessing it has something to do with her being an omega.”
“It would make sense,” Ralph says. “Clara’s magic completes us. Keeps our wild magic in check.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t explain why a vampire would gain more power,” the wolf who spoke up in the great room says.
“Look at it this way. She has more humanity in her than the rest of you, which means she’s closer to what a vampire is lacking — life. Clara’s ability to heal adds to the allure.”
“My ability to heal?” I ask, shock on my face. I’ve never healed anything or anyone.
“Omega’s can bring life back into something. You may not have had the opportunity to do so, but I’ve seen it.”
My mind reels. I’m trying to stay sane, but it’s getting harder for me to concentrate on anything. All of this is so fucked up and if it’s true, then the target on my back just got bigger.
After an hour and a thousand more questions we all go back to the room I should have been sharing with the guys. It’s a bit awkward being all together. I don’t know where we stand, or rather, where I stand after everything that has happened.
“If you feel uncomfortable, we can sleep in the other room or on the floor,” Nile says, his voice low and non-threatening. Even though I wasn’t tortured I still feel jumpy. He must be sensing this through the bond.
“No, I think I’d like you all around me. It’s time we start acting like a mated quad.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Bruno says, coming into the room and kissing my head. He goes straight to the bed claiming his spot. Nile and Ralph undress and I head into the bathroom to change. I know how to act with them individually, but as a group, I’m still unsure.
The guys are all on the bed when I come out. Bruno’s laying on his back with his eyes closed, Ralph is turned into Nile with an arm over his side and Nile pats the bed for me to slip into.
I crawl up and adjust myself under the covers. The scents of my mates wrap around me and I can feel their heat lulling me to sleep. The security of having them all around me feels good. I sigh and Nile nudges a little closer. I’m out in moments.
14
Christmas Summit
Clara
There are eight packs in North America; Blackclaw, Bravecrest, Vinewood, Silverpaw, Ravenwell, Battleridge, Bronzetail, and Ironridge. Each holding a territory in the United States. There are packs in Canada and Mexico, but they follow their own rules and have chosen a head alpha for each of their countries. The US is the last to adopt this practice.
I’m seated next to Bruno with Nile and Ralph on either side. It’s odd being included in such an important meeting of the pack. All eyes are on us, some of them are friendly, but others calculating. Bruno has a lot of work to do in order to get them on our side.
“Thank you all for coming to Blackclaw this Christmas season. I know how far some of you have traveled and it’s a pleasure having you with us. There are many points we need to go over before the New Year, but the vampires have become priority number one. They are far more advanced in their efforts than we anticipated. A vampire named Cole Everett has been taking our wolves, experimenting on them to make himself and his followers stronger. Clara was taken and put into a facility where they were planning on taking her blood and experimenting with it.”
The room erupts into yelling and shouting. Some pointing to other packs, others giving the vampire dirty looks. Jack looks like he wants to crumble in on himself. So many angry wolves in one place and everyone’s emotions are heightened. Bruno stands up and slams his hand down on the table before continuing.
“The importance of being united is more imperative than ever. The vampires must not take any more wolves. We’re going to stop this, but we need to work together. We must choose a head alpha.”
“And you conveniently think it should, be you?” Stavo, the Ravenwell alpha asks.