by Fel Fern
Chapter Eight
Did Zack really expect Riley to sit around and do nothing while Matt and he risked danger? Riley silently fumed, continuing to stare at the facility. He heard and saw nothing, apart from the surface-level activities. The guards changed shift and one convoy unloaded more captives into the multi-story building Riley assumed where they held the shifters.
He clutched his fists and his imagination ran wild. What were these bastards doing to the shifters? Riley couldn’t sit here, but he couldn’t do anything. Wait, he could be useful to Zack. He still couldn’t get Zack’s torn expression out of his head and the genuine pain there. Riley’s loss would really hurt him and Riley couldn’t have that. All his life, he’d been rejected.
No one wanted a flawed Omega for a mate, but Zack cared nothing about his imperfections. Sure, Zack might be overprotective at times, but Riley liked that about it. Zack was a keeper, and Riley could imagine doing couple things together and getting to know Zack better. He’d definitely moved into Darkfall and start his new life there. Not alone, but finally with a wonderful man, a thoughtful mate who—
“Think about your happy ending later,” Riley muttered to himself.
He had work to do. Although his muscles were exhausted from trying to catch up with Zack and Matt, he pushed his body to its limits. Heading back to the woods, Riley realized his error a second later. He seemed to be going in circles. Every tree and bush looked the same. Hissing under his breath, Riley came to a sudden stop in front of a road—not just any road but the same one where Zack rescued him.
Had that only been hours ago? Before that, Riley had been worried about silly things, like his blind date with Warren. Not everything that happened was bad, because if Riley wasn’t taken, he’d never be able to meet his soul mate. It was almost worth it, except Riley couldn’t think in those terms. He needed to save his fellow captives first, together with Zack and his pack.
On one hand, Riley knew he was overstepping. No action would happen, without the approval of the pack leaders, but if he came running to Lucas, Riley could persuade the werewolf. Besides, although he’d been in the company of Zack and the others for a short time, he knew the Darkfall wolves were a tight bunch. They’d do anything to protect their own.
“Who the hell are you and where did you come from?” A voice startled Riley out of his thoughts. He froze, about to turn, but he felt the cold metal barrel against the back of his head. Riley’s heart nearly gave out.
Damn it, he couldn’t panic. Of course there were human spies stationed here after Zack’s attack. He breathed in and out and was glad his voice came out even.
“Shit, dude. Calm down. I’m a hitchhiker.”
“Unlikely story,” said his captor. “Move.”
Riley and the stranger moved to the road and Riley saw where the man started pushing him. He glimpsed the motorcycle hidden in the bushes.
“Turn around.”
Riley obeyed and sucked in a breath, seeing the familiar black uniform. The guards who captured him wore the same thing.
“Recognize me?” the man asked, furrowing his brows, as if trying to decipher Riley.
“Are you from the military? There’s a base in Northfield right? Can you take me there? I promised to meet my friends for a concert.”
The lie came to Riley instantly, but would the stranger fall for his trick? By now, Zack would discover he was gone. Riley was sure Zack would scent him out. The only thing Riley could do now was avoid capture and distract this stranger.
“If you were a shifter, you’d attacked me by now,” the stranger mused.
“Shifter? I’m human, dude. Are you a shifter?” Riley asked, fluttering his eyelashes. Acting clueless seemed like the best option, but it was time to take this another notch. “I won’t ride for free. I don’t cash, but there are alternatives I can pay you back.”
Riley’s gaze slipped to the stranger’s crotch. Christ, his actions disgusted him, but Riley would use any weapon in his arsenal so Zack could find his way back to him. He wouldn’t go so far as to give the man a blow-job, but he could take advantage of his weak moment and grab that gun.
“Well,” the man looked him up and down. “You look like you’ve been walking for a while.”
“Oh yeah, the idiot trucker promised to drop me closer to civilization, but that’s like, ages ago,” Riley babbled. The man snapped his head when the bushes near them rustled. Heart racing, Riley caught two pairs of yellow eyes. Zack really did come for him.
“What was that?” the man demanded.
“What was what?” Riley grabbed his wrist. “Come on, handsome. What do you say?”
“Let go—” the stranger began, but didn’t finish.
Zack jumped out his hiding place, tackling the guy to the ground. Fear laced though Riley. The gun clattered to the ground and Riley swiped it. With shaky hands, he aimed the gun, but Zack and the guy moved too fast.
The mercenary plucked the largest looking hunting knife from a sheath on his leg and managed to slice Zack across the nose. Riley tried to aim again, but something jerked him back through his jeans.
Whirling, Riley relaxed, seeing Matt, but the wolf gave him a severe look, probably telling him no interfere. He looked back, worried. The mercenary managed several slashes, but Zack managed to get hold of his throat. One bite and Zack ripped out the stranger’s throat, blood gushing and spilling across his muzzle.
Certain the stranger was dead, Riley ran up to him, hugging him tight. Explanations spilled from his lips. “Zack, thank God. I didn’t disobey your orders, I wanted to run back to the cabin and get Lucas to help. The guy came up behind me.
Someone chuckled, and Riley saw Matt shifted to human to speak. “It looks like we need to keep a close watch on your Omega, Zack.”
“What did you see?”
Riley nervously ran his hands across Zack’s fur while Matt gave his assessment.
“There’s no helping it. We’re heading back. Once we give our report, the pack has no choice but to react before the humans decide to move their operation,” Matt said.
That didn’t sound reassuring, but Riley knew they wasted enough time. He should have listened to Zack in the first place, but there was no time for regret. The three of them headed back to the cabin, with Zack letting him ride him again. By the time they arrived, the sun had set. Riley’s blood turned cold, seeing the cars parked along the cabin. He could smell a mix of people of wolves.
One wolf with a red pelt came up to them, gesturing no doubt, for them to follow. The mystery of where everyone was became clear. The red wolf led them to the back of the cabin. Riley got off Zack, swallowing as eyes turned to them. He counted. The Darkfall pack numbered close to fifty and Riley bet there were more back in the town of Darkfall, keeping watch on their fort.
He knew not many Alphas could control a pack this size easily.
“Looks like the heroic idiots finally came back,” someone muttered close by.
A deep voice cut through the crowd. “Zack, Matt. Approach.”
While the man didn’t yell, everyone there, Riley included, heard him. The pack parted and Riley caught sight of the speaker. There was no mistaking the tall, muscular, scarred, dark-haired man with hard eyes and voice was the Alpha.
Two others stood by his shoulder, a slightly shorter but no less buffed man and a surprisingly blonde slender woman who looked out of place. With a jolt, Riley recalled three siblings ruled the Darkfall pack, so the man and woman were probably the Alpha’s Beta and Gamma. Five more others stood close by, pack enforcers, Riley knew.
Sudden fear crawled down Riley’s spine. Even normal packs wouldn’t tolerate the presence and especially the involvement of an outsider. What would they do to him? Thankfully, Zack kept him close and Riley clutched at his fur.
“Start talking,” the Alpha didn’t even give Riley a second glance.
Zack and Matt shifted. Even then, Zack laced his hand with Riley’s, giving him a reassuring squeeze, which didn’t h
elp one bit. Riley was more worried for Zack.
“Sergio, we did as asked,” Matt began.
“Matt, I’ll do the explaining. I started this,” Zack said.
Matt nodded curtly, but he looked worried, which didn’t help Riley’s nerves one bit.
Sergio didn’t look the least bit appeased or forgiving once Zack finished.
“Did you not consider the rest of the pack while you acted on fucking impulse, Zack?” Sergio asked in a dangerous voice.
“Zack risked his life for me. He’s not to blame. I’m at fault, too,” Riley interrupted, ignoring the pinch on his arm Zack gave him.
“And who are you, little Omega?” Sergio asked. Riley’s resolve wavered as intense yellow eyes turned to him. “Outsiders have no voice in our pack.”
“We don’t have time for this, Sergio. We need to deal with these fuckers and rip them a new one,” the Beta interrupted.
Oh, Riley liked this Beta every bit.
“Going all-out on these humans without the right resources and information isn’t wise,” Sergio said. “How many wolves will die for Zack and his Omega’s foolishness?”
The Alpha began to turn his back, but desperation clawed at Riley. He saw all the faces of the captives, those with him in the convoy, and remembered how they looked. Some were fearful, but it was those wearing hopeless expressions that lingered in his mind. Those shifters looked like they knew no one would save them.
“You’re just going to turn your back on these victims, because of your pride? What kind of Alpha are you?” Riley taunted, regretting his words a second later.
Sergio whirled, eyes narrowed. A howl of fury tore out from him, and the sound made the other wolves react in snarls and growls. Riley backed against Zack, realizing with one word, Sergio could make all his wolves turn against Zack and him. Sergio advanced on him, teeth lengthening to canines, hands blurring to claws.
“Who the fuck do you think you are, little Omega? You know nothing of me or my pack. I don’t trust you one bit.”
Zack planted himself between Sergio and Riley. Riley gripped him tight.
“Get out of the way, Zack. This outsider needs to be taught a lesson.”
“Whatever you want to do or say to Riley, you need to confront me, too.”
“Why, Zack? Does this stranger mean so much to you?” Sergio sneered.
“Riley’s my mate,” Zack said simply.
There were some indrawn breaths at his proclamation and Riley could feel eyes on his back, no doubt glares of hatred. Of course a guy like Zack would be anyone’s ideal match. Too bad Riley would defend his mate until his last breath. If this was the end, so be it. He’d go down with Zack. At least he tried, did his best, although it pained him to think Zack and he wouldn’t have a future together.
“Sergio, please calm down,” a female voice said quietly. Riley peered over Zack’s shoulder to see the blonde walking up to Sergio and placing a gentle hand on his arm. She didn’t flinch when Sergio growled at her.
“Michella, stay out of this,” Sergio snapped.
Michella shook her head. There was strange calmness about her. Riley had never seen a female shifter look so serene or in control. She spoke soft enough for Riley to hear, but the rest wouldn’t. “What will Ron say, if he saw you like this? Doesn’t Riley remind you of your mate?”
“This is different,” Sergio grumbled.
“We don’t have time for this. We need to make a decision about these humans now,” Alessio interrupted. “Everyone who came here wants a piece of these assholes. They might not be in our territory, but its close enough. Doing nothing will affect our reputation, too.”
“Ales has a point. Shall we deal with Zack and,” Michella paused, meeting Riley’s gaze for a second. Was it Riley’s imagination, or was there amusement there? Michella continued, “Interesting mate for later?”
Sergio glowered at her, and then grunted. “Fine, we’ll call this to a vote. Those in favor of confronting these humans?”
The growls and yips were answer enough. Riley wasn’t naïve enough to think all the men and women there harbored good intentions. They probably wanted some violence and bloodshed, but it didn’t matter as long as they retrieved all the captives.
They began to plan. Despite Riley’s initial negative impression of Sergio, he could see Sergio was a good Alpha, who questioned Matt and Zack about the facility again.
“You must be tired. Come sit with me,” a voice said.
Riley blinked, finding Michella by his side. When did she move? Zack looked at them, and then nodded to Riley, telling Riley he trusted the Gamma. Michella led him to a back into the cabin and the kitchen.
“Sit, please. I won’t bite,” she added, nodding to the seat opposite her.
Riley sat, unsure why he was more wary of her than Sergio. While she looked around his age, around her twenties, she acted much older. She grabbed two beers from the fridge, handing him one. Riley wasn’t sure he could trust her, although Zack clearly did.
“Are you hungry?” At the shake of his head, she joined him at the counter. Riley accepted the beer she handed to him.
“Zack told us his side of the story,” she said. “Can you tell me yours?”
Sighing, Riley recounted his tale. For some reason though, it was easy talking to Michella. Michella didn’t interrupt, only gently asking questions, or nudging him to continue when he halted too long. Riley confessed truths he’d never tell Zack, like how he was beginning to fall for Zack. That he felt guilty, about persuading Zack to help him free the captives. When he was done, Riley didn’t felt exhausted. It felt good, letting it all out.
“I see,” she said after.
Outside, Riley could hear the other shifters getting ramped out. Planning was, clearly over. He warily gave Michella a look.
She smiled at him. “I’m not here to distract you. I wanted to know you a little better to satisfy my curiosity. We were beginning to worry about Zack, you know. Honestly? I’m glad you came along.”
“What the hell are you?” Riley blurted, aware that was rude, but he didn’t care. “A mind reader? You can’t be a normal shifter.”
“I read emotions easily than most people, nothing more.”
“Are you going to tell me not to get involved? To stay back and expect Zack to fight alone?” Riley asked, knowing she was going to stay behind in case something happened.
“No. They tried that, didn’t they? It didn’t stick. You’d be more helpful if you came along.”
“I—” Riley faltered. “Who’s Ron?”
“Sergio’s mate. He nearly risked the pack to get him, too.” Michella nodded outside. “Go join your mate, Riley. Zack would be glad to have you.”
“I can’t shift. I’m practically human.”
“We all started out as humans. Some shifters forget that.” She rose from her seat. Riley followed her to the living room. She plucked a shotgun from the wall of weapons, looking like she knew how to handle it, and handed it to him.
“Do what you can. Don’t get killed.”
“Thank you.” Together, they headed out. Michella walked up to Sergio, and exchanged some words.
“Talk went well?” Zack asked, coming beside him. He’d somehow managed to find clothes and Riley saw he was packing ammunition, too. A shotgun was slung over his shoulder and two more revolvers were tucked in his belt, along with two knives.
“I think,” Riley muttered, noticing Zack looking at his gun. “I’m coming with you this time.”
“I figured.” Zack kissed him on the lips. “I made the mistake of keeping you back. Let’s finish this together, love.”
“Love?” Riley’s breath caught in his throat.
“Yeah, I love you, Riley Stevens. I wanted you to know that, in case something happens.”
Tears filled his eyes. Riley gave Zack a punch on the shoulder, but it was a half-assed effort at best.
“I love you, too, idiot. Nothing’s going to happen.”
Zack chuc
kled. “Some of us are taking their cars. Better to have a combination of claws, teeth, and weapons this time.”
Zack led him to a waiting truck and Riley wasn’t surprised to see Matt was driving. Two other wolves sat in the back seat with Riley. Given they were all large men, Riley had to squeeze himself in.
“Riley, this is Jared and Isaac,” Zack introduced.
Isaac grunted, looking like a man of few words. Jared meanwhile, gave him a grin. “Nice to see Zack’s finally found his match.”
Unable to help himself, Riley grinned back. Was it because of Zack, or did he feel right at home with the Zack’s pack? All his life, he’d been trying to fit in.
Well, the search was now over, but they needed to survive this evening first.
Chapter Nine
Zack squinted ahead of the road. Half of the pack had gone in their animal forms, using the woods to their advantage. The facility lay a mile ahead of them. Zack expected gunfire, a fight on their hands, but while the lights in the compound were on, it was deadly silent. Matt killed the engine.
“What’s happening?” Riley called from the back, but Zack had no answer yet.
A wolf ran to them, shifting back to human.
“There’s no one in there. The facility’s been abandoned.”
Zack pursed his lips. Up ahead, he could see more wolves approaching the fence. No one shot at them. What would Sergio do? Giving chase seemed redundant now that the humans had left, but Zack knew the scent was still fresh.
A howl broke from the left of them, Sergio’s call. Adrenaline surged in Zack’s veins.
“What does that mean?” Zack heard Riley ask.
“It means the hunt is still on,” Zack found himself answering with excitement. “The humans couldn’t have gone far.”
Matt started the engine again and they were in motion. Only two roads led to the facility, the one they took, and the other that led back to Northfield. Zack rolled down his windows. He could smell lingering traces of gasoline, men, and guns, confirming the humans took this way. They drove in silence for a bit, the tension in the vehicle palpable.