Lost Wolf (A New Dawn Novel Book 4)

by Rachel M Raithby

  “You’ve fought beside us,” Tyler added.

  “I pretended to for as long as I needed to complete our goal. Castor should be alpha, not this exc—”

  Bills words died in his throat as Nico’s knife grazed his throat. “That’s enough bullshit from you I think,” Nico said, mouth a hard line.

  “Bill is right in some ways,” Bass said, surveying them all. “Castor shouldn’t have been cast out. He should have followed me or died for the insolence.”

  Gasps erupted. Tyler couldn’t quite believe Bass had said them. It was like they’d all been sucked into an alternate universe, even Katalina was gazing wide-eyed at Bass, not even attempting to hide her thoughts.

  “I’ve been too lenient in my attempts not to be my father,” Bass explained. “That was a mistake, one I will not be repeating.” In one swift action, Bass moved with the speed of an alpha. One second Bill with standing defiantly even in defeat, the next lying dead, his neck broken, and body sprawled at an odd angle.

  Shock rocked through Tyler and the pack members around him. Zackary gasped beside him, turning his face away and gripping Tyler’s hand.

  “It’s okay,” Tyler whispered, squeezing the boy’s hand, as he moved his body to shield Zackary from the view. Tyler had not seen the resemblance between Bass and his late father before, and it was clear by the atmosphere around them that no one had expected Bass to deliver death as Bill’s punishment either. Tyler had never known Bass to kill in cold blood; it seemed war had far worse consequences than death.

  Zackary began to tremble behind him. Tyler was torn between wanting to help the boy and needing to see this betrayal through.

  “Hang on, Zac,” Tyler murmured, turning to look him in the eyes. “Keep control. You’re safe.”

  “To anyone thinking of jeopardizing this pack and the alliance, or if any of you didn’t agree with what I did today, or are guilty of the same crimes, I urge you to leave or come forward. You have twenty-four hours to make your crimes known. After that, there is no redemption available to you, and this will be your fate,” Bass continued, pointing at Bill’s dead body.

  Tyler’s back faced Bass as he kept his attention on Zackary, but that didn’t stop Bass’s words from traveling down his spine like sharp icy claws. This will be your fate.

  Every little mistake Tyler had made because he’d been too caught up with Regan entered his mind. Was this the same? Was he as bad as Bill? Is this my fate?

  Silence followed. Tyler’s shoulders suddenly became heavy; his stomach lurched with unease. Regan appeared in his mind—silk black hair draped over a pillow, her dark-blue eyes full of joy, and her smile like sunshine. Will she be punished too?

  Urgency gripped him. Pulling out his phone, Tyler text Regan.

  Tyler – Babe, I’m sorry I won’t be coming tonight. Something came up x

  He slid it away, ignoring the vibration that indicated her reply. It didn’t matter that Zackary knew and it made meeting easier. Tyler couldn’t risk Regan’s life. Even if there was the smallest of chances, he couldn’t do it.

  “Well, shit,” John whispered beside him. “I did not see that coming.”

  “Bill or his death?” Tyler’s voice sounded empty even to his own ears.

  “Both. I trusted that man. Fuck, I even let the bastard babysit my kids.” John shook his head, bewildered. “How could he do this to us?”

  “I don’t know,” Tyler whispered.

  Bass continued talking, but Tyler couldn’t concentrate on his words. It was as if the blood in his veins had frozen. The crowd started to disperse, and Zackary tugged on his hand, not letting him go. Tyler studied him, the fear on his face, the need for escape. He was only fourteen, and he’d been a wolf for no time at all. But nothing Tyler could have done would have prepared Zackary for seeing a man executed.

  “Please,” Zackary begged.

  Tyler glanced around; everyone was leaving but the inner circle and those who’d arrived with Bill. Yet it was his job as an enforcer to protect his pack, and right now, that meant taking Zackary far away from here.

  “Come on,” he murmured, guiding him away.

  “Ty? Tyler?”

  “Yeah?” Tyler forced his focus on John.

  “Where are you going?” John asked.

  “To help Zac. Fill me in later okay?”

  John glanced at Zackary. “Go, go help him,” he agreed with a nod.

  And as Tyler led Zackary away, his mind struggled with the reality Bill’s death and Bass’s words had given him. He had no choice but to tell someone about Regan, someone he trusted to be rational, someone who’d make sure Regan wasn’t harmed even if he was.

  Katalina. He decided. It has to be Katalina.

  Chapter 37

  She hadn’t been able to stop herself from flinching when Bass had delivered the killing blow. As it was, it was a miracle she hadn’t closed her eyes. A part of her understood his actions; the hardened, primal part, but her soft heart? It couldn’t take this side of Bass, the side born from the casualties of war.

  Katalina could feel the pack’s emotions as if they were a living beast inside of her—hurt, shock, and betrayal. Bill’s actions were going to affect some more than others, but for all, it was another chip at an already worn-out armor.

  Glancing at Bill’s still form, Katalina wondered what they’d do with his body. Burying him with the other members of the pack wasn’t an option; she’d settled on burning him when her ears tuned into Bass’s conversation with his enforcers.

  “Deliver him to Castor,” Bass said.

  “What?” Katalina gasped, certain she’d heard wrong.

  Bass’s gaze swept toward her, his mask securely in place. This man was a stranger to her. He wasn’t the soft, loving man who curled up with her on a night or the hard protector who’d strike down anyone attempting to hurt her. This side of him came from his father and what he’d been wrongly taught was strength. A chill ran down her spine.

  “I’m going to deliver Bill’s body to Castor as a message,” he repeated.

  Her blood ran cold. “Will that not just cause him to retaliate? I think enough messages have been delivered today.”

  “Possibly, but Castor is going to attack at some point either way. He cannot be allowed to continue thinking he has the upper hand. I need to send a message.”

  “When?” John asked.

  “Now. You, Logan, and I will take him. That leaves Tyler, Noah, Jacob, and Dax in charge of the pack’s defense, and Nic, you’ll be with Kat,” Bass instructed.

  Katalina didn’t bother saying she didn’t need a babysitter; he wouldn’t listen to her. He was beyond reasoning. Bass was out of her reach and she feared he might always be.

  The group broke up, Noah reassuring Bass he’d fill Tyler in when he came back from dealing with Zackary. Katalina didn’t voice her opinion on that. She didn’t say that Tyler shouldn’t have needed to help Zackary because a fourteen-year-old boy shouldn’t have ever seen a man executed. She didn’t say a word when he said goodbye as he left to deliver Bill’s body. She didn’t tell him to be careful, or that she thought what he was doing was a bad idea. Instead, Katalina forced a smile and watched as he walked away, wondering at what point in this war Bass had become so lost that she couldn’t stand the sight of him. And how had she not noticed? Why had she not done something when he’d first turned down the wrong path?

  “So, shall I bring Livy over for a movie?” Nico asked her when she turned away from watching Bass’s departure.

  Katalina focused on Nico’s face.

  “Kat?” he said, warily.

  “I’m sorry, Nic, but I’m not staying here. I can’t stay here.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked, reaching for her.

  She stepped out of his reach. “I’m sorry, Nic,” she repeated. “But I can’t stay here. I need to be with my family.”

  “But, Kat?”

  Katalina shook her head. “Don’t follow, Nico. I can’t stay here. I’m going
to my family. I’m going to River Run.”

  She ran from the cabin, Arne giving chase after her as Nico shouted her name. There was an emptiness spreading throughout her body, a hollow ache in her heart. She was in shock, so much so that she’d not realized the significance of her words. My family. River Run. Not Bass, not her aunt and uncle, but River Run. Jackson.

  He was already waiting for her when she tore from the trees as if an invisible ghost was chasing her. His arms opened for her as she neared, and as Katalina fell into Jackson’s arms, she felt she could breathe for the first time since Bill had fallen dead.

  “It’s all right, Kat,” Jackson soothed. “It will be all right.”

  Tears fell from her eyes as she shook her head. “I should have done more. I should have stopped him.”

  “You’ve done all you can, Kat.”

  “Then why didn’t you say anything when he was coming here?”

  “It wasn’t my place, Katalina. He’s an alpha. It’s not my place to question him. It will be okay, you’ll see.”

  “You didn’t see him. It was as if he wasn’t Bass at all.”

  “Shush, Katalina, I’ve got you, shush.”

  Gripping Jackson tightly, his hold safe and comforting and with Arne pressed against her legs, Katalina cried. She cried for Bass and the hard choices he’d been given. She cried for the simple, human life she missed, and most of all, she cried for the realization that there was nothing she could do, no choice she could wish to take back and change. She cried because Bill had to be made an example of. His death had to mean something. It had to be the message that would say they would not roll over like dogs. Dark Shadow was their home, and they’d kill to protect it.

  Chapter 38

  Bass stumbled, dropping Bill as he did. His lungs had seized up, a sharp pain cutting into his heart.

  “Bass? Bass, what is it?”

  He clawed at his chest as if he could get the invisible shard that was cutting into him out of his heart. Logan and John held him up, their concerned voices all around him, but Bass couldn’t focus. All he saw was Katalina. His love, his heart.

  What have I done?

  He’d felt the first niggling sign when she’d found him beating Bill, but he’d ignored it. He’d already prepared himself for the fact Katalina wouldn’t agree with or like what he’d planned to do. He’d made up his excuses, justified the means.

  He’d been given too many hard choices lately, and made mistakes. He was stumbling down a road he wasn’t sure he could walk anymore.

  We’ll make the world fit you. That was his vow, his promise. And he’d failed her.

  The pain subsided as he felt Katalina’s pain through the mating bond freeze and turn to ice. She was in pain and he wasn’t there.

  A message came through on his phone, already telling him what he knew in his heart.

  Nico – Bass, Kat’s gone. She’s gone to River Run, to Jackson.

  His mate had been breaking, and he’d been so caught up in his own mess to realize. She’d run to someone else, to Jackson, because it wasn’t the war causing her pain this time. It was him.

  Bass wondered if she’d come back to him or if she had gone to River Run for good. He wanted to turn around, to race until his lungs were on fire, and his muscles screamed, until she was in his arms being comforted by him, her mate.

  But instead, Bass stood tall, squashing down any last trace of pain through their bond. He smiled and nodded to his packmates, reassuring them everything was okay. Picking Bill up, Bass carried on toward Indiana’s land to deliver his message, and with each step he took, he knew he walked farther away from a world that fit Katalina, the Katalina he’d once known.

  Chapter 39

  Mia – Hey, have you heard from Katalina?

  Regan – No why?

  Mia – I was on patrol this afternoon, and Kat shows up crying. She ran right into Jackson’s arms….

  Regan – Oh no, poor Kat. I wonder what’s wrong?

  Mia – Go find out! Duh.

  Regan – I’m sure she doesn’t want me bothering her.

  Mia – You guys had a sleepover like a week ago! I bet she could use a friend right now that isn’t male.

  Regan – I guess you’re right. I’ll let you know if she’s okay.

  Mia – Tell her I send love and tequila xo

  Regan – XOXO

  Closing the study book she’d been reading, Regan moved her notes to the side and climbed from her bed. She checked out her reflection in the mirror, then groaned at the mess that was her hair. Pulling a hairband from her wrist, she gathered up the long locks and twisted it into a messy pile on her head, securing it with the band.

  “Hmm.” She bit her lip studying herself. “It’ll do.”

  She headed downstairs and passed her mom in the kitchen calling out as she went, “I’m heading out. See you later.”

  The front door opened seconds after Regan had shut it. “Where’re you going? Shouldn’t you be studying?”

  Regan rolled her eyes, then schooled her face into a smile before turning to face her mother. I need to move out. “I can do accounting in my sleep, Mom, I’m just heading to Jackson’s, nowhere dangerous.”

  “To see Katalina?” her mom said, raising her brows and crossing her arms at the same time. “That girl is trouble, Regan.”

  Regan gritted her teeth. “Is that because she mated a Dark Shadow, or because she stopped a war?”

  Her mother tutted. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately. It’s like you’ve suddenly decided you’re fifteen again.”

  “Really, Mom? Fifteen? I remember myself at fifteen, and I can assure you I’m nowhere near as bad as that.”

  “Just…” Her mom’s face softened, and for a spilt second, Regan saw the pain and fear beneath. “Just be safe okay?”

  Regan sighed sadly. “I will, Mom, okay? I love you.”

  “Love you too, honey.”

  Walking away, Regan picked up her pace, falling into a steady jog when she turned the corner and was no longer in view of her house. It wasn’t a long walk to Jackson’s and with jogging, it took her seven minutes tops.

  Anna was sitting on the porch swing when Regan arrived. “Oh good, I’ve been waiting for you.”

  “You have?” Regan said, a little taken back.

  “Yes. Katalina needs a friend.”

  Regan frowned. “Aren’t the two of you friends?”

  “Yes. But I’m not the friend who has a Dark Shadow wolf as a mate.”

  “Shush!” Regan gasped, whipping her head around wildly. “One, he’s not my mate, and two, it’s a secret,” she hissed.

  “Oh, yes,” Anna replied cheerfully. “I forgot.”

  “Anna who are you chatting— Oh, hey, Regan, here to see Kat?” Cage asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “She’s in the front room. Come on in,” Cage said. He held the door open for her, then walked out of it himself, folding Anna into his arms. Regan glanced at them for a second, slightly jealous of the two being able to show public affection. She wanted that herself… with Tyler.

  In the front room, Regan found Katalina curled up at the end of the sofa, Arne at her feet, and Toby next to her. Jackson was in the far corner like a silent watcher, guarding over her.

  “Hey, Regan,” Katalina said as she entered. “Word gets around fast here, huh? Who told you?”

  “Mia was on patrol earlier. She was worried about you.”

  “Well, you’re in good company. Come join the ‘let’s worry about Kat because she had a nervous breakdown’ club. Shift up, Toby,” Katalina instructed, nudging him with her foot. “Come sit.” She patted the spot near her feet that Toby had just vacated.

  “I’ll go find some more ice cream,” Toby said, picking up the empty carton, and leaving the room.

  Regan sat next to Katalina and took her hand. “So what are you watching?”

  “Some chick flick. He’s in love with his lifelong friend. She doesn’t know she feels the sa
me way so is marrying some ass who’s all wrong for her…. He’ll stop the wedding, she’ll realize her mistake, and boom, they’ll get married instead and live happily ever after.” Katalina made a gagging face. “If only life was that simple. Stupid idiots. They make me sick.”

  Regan glanced at Toby as he reentered, following him were Cage and Anna. They all looked at her as if she was supposed to know the magic words to say, but Regan felt kind of lost.

  “That bad, huh?” she said in the end.

  Katalina laughed darkly. “Pass me the ice cream, Toby.”

  “She’ll be okay once Bass gets back,” Jackson piped up from the corner.

  Katalina rolled her eyes at him before stuffing a huge spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. “He’s not coming,” Katalina said around the spoon.

  “Sure, he is. Don’t be silly, Kat. As soon as he’s done with what he’s doing, he’ll be here,” Jackson reassured her.

  “No, he’s not. He’s afraid. I can feel it. He’s afraid because he’s broken me, and he doesn’t know how to fix it,” Katalina replied matter-of-factly.

  Her tone frightened Regan a little. She’d never heard her sound so…pessimistic. She squeezed Katalina’s hand gently. “He loves you, Kat, of course he’ll come for you. You’re his mate.”

  Katalina met her gaze. “I know he loves me, nothing will ever change that, but this world, it’s changed me. It’s changed him.”

  An ominous silence settled over the room. Everyone looked at one another, everyone except Katalina, who’d gone back to watching TV. Regan searched her mind for the right thing to say, for anything to say, but she didn’t even know what had happened, if Katalina and Bass had fought, or if something else had happened, and frankly, Regan was too afraid to find out. Instead, she squeezed Katalina’s hand a second time and turned her head toward the TV. If she couldn’t make it better, she’d sit there with Katalina for as long as it was bad. It was the one thing that she’d longed for when Megan had been killed; someone to weather the storm with her, someone to hold her hand in the dark.