by Zana Wilder
I shrug, I can't really hold my brother's impatience against him. Liz's life is in danger. Aaron hasn't marked me, and yet I feel sick to my stomach at the thought of him in in danger. I don't know how Tavey's feeling but given their bond is complete I bet it's a whole lot worse.
There's a shit load I have to learn about my new extended family – grizzly bears included. But just the idea that they're my family is an amazing feeling. We need to find Liz first, then I'll explore this thing with Aaron and get to know my family.
Fuck, I hope we reach her in time.
Although my presence in the council boardroom isn't disputed this time, I'm still relegated to mooching around at the back, poking at the dusty bookshelves, and playing observer. There's a lot of gesticulating and over enthusiastic shouting but it finally sounds like plans are coming together. It's disappointing that no-one has any great ideas for how I might be helpful. I really hate feeling this useless, I don't know how Aurora manages to stay sane – she must feel like this most of the time without her wolf.
I tune back into the arguments in time to realise that the weaselly looking kappa Rennard is the main sticking point now. He seems obsessed by the idea that this must be a trap for Tavey, and that we should be far more cautious. He even moots that they shouldn't go at all. Given that the Coven can have no possible idea we managed to mind-link Liz, even I think he's being ridiculous.
The pack dynamics are interesting, and by that I mean interesting-weird. My dad, the beta, is glaring at the kappa, like he can't follow his thought process and Tavey looks ready to deck him. The more stubbornly adamant Rennard becomes, the less the rest of the council seems to be on his side.
I'm getting agitated – this is wasting time. Mind-linking Aaron I demand he do something. He's alpha blooded and someone needs to take charge if his father won't, or can't.
Aaron suddenly interrupts. “Rennard, shut the fuck up, and let us get on with it. If you're too scared of the Coven, then sit this one out. In fact, you should step back from the council entirely if you've lost your balls.” That's my man, direct and to the point - a leader.
I watch Rennard puff his little chest out and start lambasting Aaron. His tirade doesn't last. In two rapid strides Aaron towers over him, and a quick left hook collides with Rennard's bottom jaw, knocking him out cold.
I catch Connell's glance at his son. I'm pretty sure that's pride in his eyes. Connell continues as if nothing has happened. Stepping over his kappa's unconscious body he declares abruptly that the attack will go ahead, immediately. So he's not ready to give control to his son just yet I muse. This is still his shit-show.
Thank god everyone seems relieved the decision is made. No-one gives the kappa a second glance, they all follow Connell stepping over Rennard's body as they start to prepare, leaving him lying on the floor.
Inside I'm battling with myself. I can't overstep my place in this new family, my position is still precarious. But I have to be part of this – I have to help Liz.
“What can I do?” I blurt out, accidentally speaking aloud to the whole room and via mind-link to Aaron, Tavey and Angus. The three of them clutch their heads. Oopsie!
I grin to myself. Maybe being a shifter and a witch is making me more powerful. My thoughts are interrupted by Aaron yanking me aside. He's trying to look stern but I can see his eyes are dancing
“Firstly, you will deafen us all like that! And secondly, if you think I'm letting you put yourself in danger after I've just found you again...” he tails off seeing the determination on my face.
“I'm going Aaron” I say, trying to keep my voice steady and firm “Make no mistake, if you leave me behind I will follow. And make you regret it.”
No-one is telling me what to do again. Not even an alpha. He gives a black scowl before enveloping me in a bear hug. I'll take that as acceptance.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Aaron's POV
Watching Freya stand up and claim her place in a very dangerous fight, in an even more fucking dangerous war is brilliant, and terrifying. I'm so so proud of her, and I want to ban her from coming entirely.
My wolf's in full panic mode for her safety, to the point I briefly consider locking her in my room, and dealing with her wrath later. The idea of handcuffing her to my bed is distinctly attractive... Of course, my fiery haired witch wouldn't stand for being left behind.
This powerful, enthusiastic version of Freya is so unbelievably sexy that if he can't forcibly keep her safe, the next thing my wolf wants to do is claim her. Even as a full blooded alpha I can't help but marvel at this woman's tenacity. She is without a doubt my match. So, she's coming, end of story. Although, I might have to come back to the idea of her in handcuffs later...
The pack arrives en-mass in the woods below the bothy, our cars and bikes left a few miles away. The last stretch will be on foot, under the cover of darkness, in the hope of surprising the Coven.
I give Lyell help setting up his kit. As our resident tech whizz he's going to operate from here, keeping as far away as possible from the main fight. Lyell's strong, but as a grizzly he's bloody slow over long distances, and small tight spaces put him at a huge disadvantage. We can't risk him slowing up our approach, or him being attacked – he's vital to the plan.
Aurora has temporarily given up her teenage sulk and elbowed her way into being Lyell's sidekick for the day. Lyell is a man-mountain, and mostly unapproachable. He was fucking furious initially when I suggested that Aurora would help him, raging he was being left with both a complex job and babysitting duties. As soon as Aurora herself turned up however, he calmed right down.
My wolf-less seventeen year old little sister seems entirely unafraid of the tough, scarred looking man, nearly twice her age.
I was pleased initially, but now he seems far too interested in her for my liking. I keep catching him watching her intently, hanging on her words like a puppy. He even manages to look contrite when she tells him off for forgetting she can't mind link. Contrite? Lyell??! What the hell am I witnessing?
The issue is bigger than I'd considered. We're going in with all comms off, using mind-links only. With Aurora unable to communicate, she'll have to rely on Lyell to pass messages on.
Now that he looks like a horny hound dog, the idea of the grizzly and my baby sister spending a lot of time in close proximity makes my hackles rise. Not just that; Lyell is distinctly distracted by her. Things could all go tits up if he isn't paying attention. I've never had cause to doubt him before, but I feel distinctly uneasy about this.
I mention my foreboding to Freya, wondering if she could perhaps stay back with them. It would solve several problems – keep Lyell on track and Auroa safe, and although I don't mention it, keep Freya away from the main battle.
Freya's scathing reaction is like a physical burn. She is not, much to my mounting annoyance, going to sit behind the lines and be protected while acting like a chaperone. My mate is fabulous, but incredibly, incredibly frustrating when it comes to her desire to throw herself into the middle of things when she doesn't know the first thing about how to look after herself.
My wolf reminds me of all the witches with their throats torn out the night she first shifted, and I have to back down. Maybe she knows the odd thing about fighting. Who's fucking side is my wolf on anyway?!
Freya and Tavey have a plan, something they've been working on for Aurora. They've fashioned a spell to create something similar to a mind-link. They can't link Aurora to the whole pack but manage to link her to each of them and, to my annoyance, to Lyell.
Aurora's face lights up, and from the reaction of the others, she must have started prattling full tilt on their link. I huff away, feeling a little excluded.
I guess though, if I take this feeling of exclusion and multiply it a hundred fold I might get close to what Aurora has been feeling these past months. I've been side-lining my little sister's troubles when she needed me, and the realisation hits me like a gut punch.
I need to up my a
lpha game. If I'm going to take over duties from my father, I need to prioritise shit like this. It's all very well taking command of the attack tonight, but being alpha is far more than being a battalion commander. I have to look after my pack, all of them. My own sister should be a fucking priority.
As the last of the weak winter sunshine fades over the tops of the heather I command the pack to spread out around the hillside. We wait for full darkness to settle and I check in with Lyell – the enemy haven't moved from their stations. There's been no switch up to the routine the scouts observed last night.
It's time.
On my signal the pack throw themselves, belly-low to the ground, up the hill. The cloud cover is on our side, making our dark forms virtually invisible as we flit across the hillside towards the bothy. We have to take out the security guards silently, or we stand no chance of reaching the building before they raise the alarm.
Aiming for the guard closest to me, I leap at his throat and bring him down with barely a sound. Wrenching his head sideways I feel a satisfying crack and he twitches twice before lying still. I don't love killing the way some shifters do; I do what it takes to protect my pack. This time I admit, cringing to myself, it really did feel deliciously good. The two other guards are brought down by Tavey and Angus in slick, silent kills – everything is going well so far.
Lyell is watching his heat-map closely and reassures me that no-one has made any unexpected moves. We're safe, but only for the moment – the guards usually radio in their update on the hour. Lyell has only fifteen minutes to hack the dead security guard's tag and let us to sneak through the next hurdle – an alarmed electronic perimeter 10 meters from the building.
Every fucking meter we can get closer, without our enemies being aware, is significantly safer for my wolves, and less risk for the hostages. Fuck knows what the Coven will do to them if they realise we're coming. I strongly suspect the hostages are expendable, but I can't say that to Tavey.
Just to add to the tension of the moment Rennard fucking reappears. I should be glad of the extra pair of hands but this man just plain up annoys me, on all levels. He won't stop bitching about being unjustly set on. I send him off to lead the group on the right flank, just to get him the hell out of my hair. Something about him always sets my teeth on edge.
We creep forward as far as we can without disturbing the perimeter. From here I can just about see all of the bothy. Slow tendrils of smoke curl up into the crisp night air from two guards standing outside having a quiet cigarette. They're so close I can smell the sweat and grime emanating from them.
The guards are human thankfully, shifters at this range would have sensed us already. They stroll around the bothy, away from the doorway. I feel my wolf grumble. I'd have liked to dispatch them myself but they're moving towards Rennard's team on the right flank. If they stay over there, I'll have to leave them to that arsehole to deal with.
Lyell's frustration with the security system is radiating down the pack-link. The bear is a tech whizz, but after everything going smoothly with no casualties so far, the success of the mission now rests on his ability to disable the alarm. Tavey fidgets beside me, and our link starts to vibrate with impatience. Everyone is on edge.
The smoking guards have wandered even closer to Rennard's group when I finally hear Lyell give a triumphant snort and declare he's nearly done. Thank fuck... we might get really close to the building before they realise what's happening. The chance of the Coven letting any hostages live if they get the head's up on our arrival is slim.
Suddenly everything's wrong. Without waiting for Lyell to finish Rennard leaps across the security line and barrels into the guards. The klaxon like alarm is eardrum shatteringly loud and incessant.
What the hell is the bugger thinking? This is a mess. I curse loudly and order everyone forward into the melee. Rennard hasn't even disabled the guards – one gets to his walkie-talkie and manages to garble a few words into it before scrambling around to face the advancing pack.
“What the hell Rennard...” the guard splutters before an enraged Tavey floors him and rips his throat out.
“What the fuck Rennard?!” I echo snarling violently.
Rennard shrugs dismissively “Your pet bear was taking too long”
On cue Lyell mind-links us that the bothy door is shutting automatically, and that we have company - his heat-map shows movement in the nearby building – the rest of the guards are mobilising.
Looking up I see a solid looking steel door coming down across the bothy doorway and leap toward it. I squeeze through the rapidly shutting entrance and somehow Tavey makes it in behind me.
“GET IT OPEN” I bark at Lyell down the mind-link
“Yes boss” comes the reply.
Tavey and I stand back to back in human form – there's not enough room in here for two wolves. The sound of feet pounds towards us from both upstairs and downstairs. Shit. I was so determined to get in here where the hostages were, I didn't consider the consequences of getting shut off from the rest of the pack.
The guards quickly surround us and I'm alarmed to see silver knives in a few hands. This is going to get nasty. Is this their normal precautions or were they pre-warned somehow? They start feigning attacks on several sides at once, testing us, searching for a weakness. Lyell better get that fucking door open soon. We block the onslaught as best we can, desperately avoiding the weapons.
Out the corner of my eye I see the sturdy metal door fly open, bursting off its hinges in a screech of metal and magic.
“Sorry, couldn't wait to see you again” chirps Freya as the pack swarms inside to our aid.
Thank the moon goddess for that woman and her magic! There's no time to think though, we're fighting in such close quarters the slightest wrong move could be fatal, especially with those blades.
I'm dispatching the nearest guard when I feel Tavey's focus shift. Looking up I catch a glimpse of him vanishing towards the stairs. Cursing I manage to incapacitate my opponent and follow Tavey. He's not thinking straight – he needs backup.
Tavey crashes along the tiny stairwell heading down towards the cellars where we think the captives are being held. All I can hear is his big frame bouncing off the walls and him hollering for Liz.
We barrel into the tiny room at the bottom together. The stink of unwashed bodies, blood and despair assaults our nostrils abruptly halting us. Normally having an acute sense of smell is a bonus, but it makes the pungent aromas down here almost unbearable. Several very dirty, scared looking faces peer at us from behind solid looking cell doors.
There's no fucking locks in sight – the doors are electronic. Tavey's lurching from one door to another searching for Liz. He's about as much use as a chocolate teapot like this. Lyell, on the other hand, might be able to help... I try picturing the doors in my head while mind-linking Lyell.
Almost immediately I can feel Lyell's smugness radiating down our link. He seems ridiculously bloody pleased with himself. There's a massive metallic clank which causes both Tavey and I to spin around, looking for the enemy. It takes a couple of seconds for me to register that the noise was the cell doors unlocking. That bear deserves a fucking medal!
The filthy, confused hostages stagger out blinking, but there's no Liz. My heart drops, we were so sure she would be here. It smells like she's been here recently, her scent is still lingering around the edge of the room. Tavey looks like he might tear the place to pieces, or break apart inside, I'm not sure which. My beta is coming undone at the seams.
Over the confused babbling of the hostages, I hone in on a rhythmic thumping almost at the same time Tavey does, and we dive towards a door at the other end of the room. It looks like a broom cupboard, but flinging it open I'm shocked to a stand-still.
Behind the door is a sterile surgical theatre suit. Metal counter tops glint and sinister looking implements hang on the walls, a metal gurney sits in the middle of the room under bright white lighting. More cells built into the wall house further hostag
es – these ones look more like fucking vet's crates. What kind of barbarian does this to anyone?! On the very end, locked inside a tiny cage is Liz. Tavey and I almost rip the thing in two getting her out.
Liz leaps into Tavey's arms with a shriek like a wounded animal, and bursts into tears. She's covered in bruises and already looks scarily thin. I've never seen Liz cry... and its dirty, ugly, racking sobs. I can't bring myself think of what they might have done to her here. I have to turn away to keep a lid on my anger.
Some of the hostages, are so malnourished and weak I'm worried how they're going to make to long trip down the hillside. Most of them are just standing huddled, holding each other up and looking bewildered. There's a whole mix of shifter types and the odd witch but they're clutching on to each other regardless of creed.
Shuffling out of the cells last comes an emaciated older looking woman. A puff of wind could blow her over. Her feet are dragging- she has barely enough energy to move them.
Freya and Angus charge into the cellar together breathless and covered in blood, just as I see the old lady teeter in the crush of bodies. I push my way across to support her, stopping her from falling, while still trying to eye Freya. She's covered in blood, it fucking better not be hers. She catches my eye and grins wildly giving me the thumbs up, and a wave of relief hits me.
Freya's eyes drop from my face onto the frail witch in my arms and she gasps in unison with Angus.
“Auntie Morgan!”
“Morganna!” Angus bellows grabbing the witch up from me so roughly I'm worried he'll hurt her.
Looking from the witch to Angus to Freya, I feel I'm missing something. I peer, confused, into the witch's face. Fuck me! Under all that dirt, grime and grief I finally see the resemblance to Freya, and to Tavey.