Suddenly all four wolves looked up as a large helicopter hovered overhead. Jake stepped closer to Shadow and used his body to block the dust and small pebbles that now pelted them. A moment later, he saw four shifters he never thought he’d see again. Shadow’s team had arrived.
♦ ♦ ♦
Blaze and his team hit the ground running. He’d seen the two wolves ready to attack Jake, but he also knew there were more out there. He motioned for Tank and Falcon to search out the others while he and Dove launched themselves at the wolves near their downed members.
Luckily, the two wolves were easily defeated. Obviously, Alpha Clifton still had not invested in well-trained rogues. Blaze glanced around but didn’t see Tank and Falcon. The leader shifted, “Check on the others; I’ll watch these two.” He watched as Dove dissolved into the darkness. He had no doubt his team could handle whoever was left, but he didn’t want to take any chances.
A shimmer alerted Blaze that Jake had shifted. “You can go with them,” Jake said softly, “I can watch over Shadow.”
“What’s wrong with him?” Blaze asked instead as he knelt beside the fallen shifter. He noticed the partially healed wound on the wolf’s shoulder. It was healing, but obviously would take a few more shifts and rest to finish. He ran his hands down Shadow’s body and was surprised at the growl he heard from Jake.
“Stand down! I’m checking him for injuries,” Blaze ordered. But Jake didn’t back away. Instead, he partially shifted to his wolf form.
“It’s his hip. Sammy tried to patch him up, but there was a chunk missing. It’s probably infected by now because he had to use it to get this far. Now back away from my mate,” Jake growled.
“Your—you’ve gotta be kidding me. When?” Blaze was going to have to find somewhere to hide. Apparently, the love potion or whatever was hitting everyone lately was still spreading.
“Well, it was kind of sudden,” Jake said as he knelt beside the unconscious shifter. “I mean, we’ve—or maybe I should say Shadow has wanted this for a while now but I—well, I wasn’t quite ready.” Jake ran his hand down Shadow’s face, gently pushing aside a strand of dark hair. “If he’ll still have me, then I want to explore where this goes from here.”
“Is he your semme’ mate?” Blaze had to ask but wished he hadn’t when he saw the sorrow fill Jake’s eyes. He’d only seen that look on those who had lost someone close to them. He glanced around the plateau and wondered where his men had disappeared to. Besides, whatever was between these two was none of his business.
“No, my semme’ mate died during the Great War, but if Shadow wants to wait for his, then I’ll understand. I’ll stay by his side as long as he’ll let me,” Jake said quietly. Blaze looked skyward. What was it with everyone telling him their darkest secrets today? Before he could respond, he heard fighting further down the mountain.
“Go to them; I’ll be fine with Shadow,” Jake urged as he shifted back to his wolf and stood over the unconscious shifter. Normally Blaze would have taken him up on the offer, but he’d seen the man’s arm. He was injured as well.
“They’ll be fine. But you stand here and guard him for a moment while I call Alpha Grant to make sure he’s found your sister. Then we’ll all get out of here.” Although, getting Shadow to the helicopter was going to be interesting. He glanced over when he saw Tank appear followed by Falcon and Dove.
“We got them all, Boss,” Falcon said as he shifted and walked over to take a look at Shadow. When Jake growled, he slapped the wolf on the nose. “Back off, Jake, I know he’s your boyfriend. At least he should be after all the chasing he’s been doing over the past few months. But I need to look him over to get him ready for transport.”
Blaze looked at Jake and nodded. “He’s our medic. He’ll be looking you over as well, so you might as well shift—that’s an order.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Alpha Grant held up his hand as the rest of the wolves formed behind him. He’d left two of the sentries with the helicopter to guard it. After all, it wouldn’t do to have the enemy get control of it. While he knew Gunner was well trained, numbers were always better. He headed for the log cabins located on the outer part of the lodge. Jason had told him the door would have a large bear carved into it.
As they neared the edge of the woods, he saw a light brown wolf running toward them. He waited and watched to make sure no one else followed the wolf as it approached. His eyes opened wide when he heard the sound of soft whimpers on the wind. This had to be Sammy, and she was running with the pups. It could only mean one thing; someone had scared her.
The alpha motioned for the others to fan out and check their surroundings. The last thing he needed was a surprise. Alpha Grant shifted as Sammy arrived in front of him. She tilted her head in submission. “Don’t worry, Sammy, you and your pups will be safe with us. But why have you run?” He watched as she shifted, carefully balancing the backpack she carried.
“He knows I’m here!” Sammy panted.
“Who?” Grant asked as he glanced around them. So far, it appeared they were alone.
“Alpha Clifton. He called me on the phone at the cabin. How did he get the number?” She asked as she gently lowered the backpack and began to move the clothes around. A moment later, Grant got his first look at the pups. They couldn’t be more than a week old.
“What did he want?” The alpha heard the wolves he’d sent out to scout return. Dakota shifted to report while the rest crowded around the backpack to have a look at the pups.
“We didn’t see anyone, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any enemies. The woods are thick, and the property is large. We should start moving toward the chopper,” Dakota said softly; as he glanced back toward the lodge. “Ah, maybe we should start there now,” he pointed to the bobbing lights heading their way. The orange jackets gave the people away.
“Hunters!” Alpha Grant growled, “everyone, head to the helicopter now. Sammy, you stay in the middle. Can you still carry the pups, or do you need one of us to do it?”
“I’ve got them,” Sammy replied as she put the pack back on and quickly shifted to her wolf. Grant had to give the she-wolf credit. Not many would have such a cool head or the ability to still fight after so long a journey.
Alpha Grant took the lead with Sammy behind him. Sparky and the sentry ran beside her while Dakota brought up the rear. They needed to get to the helicopter before the darn human hunters found them. Alpha Clifton must have called the lodge and reported wolves in the area.
While humans knew about shifters, they still couldn’t tell the difference sometimes between wild wolves and shifters. It was why there was no hunting allowed anywhere on the Windy River pack lands. There were also some humans who still hunted because they thought shifters were evil.
They ran silently through the night until they came to the helicopter. Gunner and the other sentries were standing guard. Alpha Grant shifted and began to give orders. “Gunner, get the helicopter started. There are hunters coming this way. While they may just think they are after wild wolves, I can’t take the chance that some won’t be involved with Alpha Clifton.”
Sammy had shifted and was carefully moving the backpack around so she could carry it. She glanced at Alpha Grant, “He has humans working for him. That’s why I was afraid to go to the main lodge.” She shook her head, “I guess my instincts were right when I headed toward where Jason said you’d be.”
The alpha nodded. “It was a good call. Now get on the helicopter with the rest of my men. I’m going to call Blaze to see what is going on with him.” Grant stepped away from the helicopter so he could hear. Blaze answered on the first ring. “Are you secure?” Alpha Grant asked.
“We’ve secured the area but have two wounded wolves up here. They can’t walk out of here.” Blaze replied. Grant groaned. They had to get airborne quickly before the hunters arrived.
He went to the helicopter and yelled at Gunner, “Can you pull Blaze and his men up from the plateau? They have two wound
ed, and we need to get out of here before the men with the guns show up.” Grant glanced back toward the lodge. The bobbing lights appeared closer. They were running out of time.
“Sure, we can send down harnesses and use the winch to pull them up.” Gunner patted the dashboard and grinned, “My baby can do just about anything!”
Grant smiled at the man and quickly relayed the information to Blaze before he climbed into the helicopter. He noticed that Sparky and Dakota were already rigging the harness to the winch. A moment later the helicopter rose into the sky. Grant noticed the hunters had stopped at the edge of the woods. Apparently, they weren’t willing to fire on a military helicopter.
However, the alpha wouldn’t relax until all of them were on board and flying back to his pack lands. He watched in fascination as the helicopter hovered over Blaze and his men. Shadow was the first to be put in the harness with Falcon hooking his to the line as well. Next came Jake and Dove followed by Blaze and Tank.
After they were all settled, Grant tapped Gunner on the shoulder. “Take us home.”
Chapter 8
Sammy sat in the suite she’d been put in. It was large enough for them to put in two cribs for the pups. It even had a small kitchenette in it, so she could heat the bottles without having to leave her room. The Doc had been up already and pronounced that she and the pups were in good health. All they needed was food and rest.
She knew she’d have to fill Alpha Grant in on what happened while she’d been with Alpha Clifton. But for now, all she wanted to do was sit in this comfortable chair and watch the pups who were as much her own as if she’d birthed them. She still couldn’t understand why the bastard wanted them back, but she hoped if she stayed in this pack, they’d be safe.
Well, as safe as anyplace could be. She heard a soft knock at the door. “Come in.” Sammy smiled as her brother walked into the room. He still looked tired and still favored his injured arm, but otherwise, he’d come through in decent shape. She noticed the smile on his face didn’t reach his eyes, though.
The she-wolf motioned for him to sit in the other chair. “So, spill it, is Shadow doing better?” She’d seen the other shifter in the helicopter and knew he was in bad shape. Falcon told them the wound on his hip had become infected, and the doctor wasn’t sure if he’d ever gain full use of it again. The bite had gone deep and damaged some of the underlying muscle.
Jake sighed. “He’s awake, but the infection is still running through his system. Doc says he’ll survive and now thinks he will most likely be fine after a few more shifts and some rest.”
“Well, that’s good news, isn’t it?” Sammy pressed.
Her brother stood and looked down at the pups as they slept. “I’ve been thinking. Without a mate, you’ll need someone to help you with these two. I know I said I wouldn’t babysit until they were potty trained,” he grinned, “but they are technically my nephews so I can make an exception for them.”
Sammy shook her head. “What about Shadow?”
“I don’t think he wants me anymore,” he turned to look at her with sorrow in his eyes. “He told me it wouldn’t work out and that you would need me. I tried to tell him I could still help. But he said it was going to take him time to heal, and it wouldn’t be fair for me to have to care for so many people at once.”
“So, that’s it? You’re going to give up without a fight?” Sammy stood with her hands on her hips. “First of all, who says I need anyone’s help to raise these pups? The last time I checked, I’ve been doing it since the moment they were born and not under the best circumstances either.”
“But—” Jake began. Sammy held her hand up to stop him.
“Did it ever dawn on you that Shadow is just giving you what he thinks you want?”
“I told him when we were on the plateau how I felt, but he claims it was just the circumstances.” Jake turned to her and held his hands out to his sides, “How can I convince him that I’ve loved him for a while now?”
Sammy chuckled. “Men, I swear sometimes I wonder how you manage to function at all.” She watched as her brother sat and waited for her to continue. “Look, he’s pushing you away for the same reason you’ve been running, little brother—he’s afraid.”
“Shadow’s a warrior. He’s not afraid of anything!” Jake objected. But Sammy wasn’t having any of it. She knelt in front of her brother and put her hand on his thigh. She could feel the tension in her sibling and wanted to ease it. But her brother had to fix the problem.
“Even warriors are afraid. Everyone is afraid of the same thing. Do you know what that is, little brother?” Sammy asked softly. When he shook his head, she continued, “Giving their heart to another. Allowing another to see you at your worst and know that it won’t matter. Being there for another to catch them and knowing they will be there to catch you. Don’t you get it, little brother, he’s afraid you’ll reject him again.”
Jake took a deep breath before he stood and looked out the window. “You know when Blaze came and tried to help Shadow, I almost attacked him. I announced to him and his men that Shadow was mine.” He glanced back at her, “he may not be my semme’ mate, but I can’t imagine my life without him in it.”
Sammy stood and wrapped her arms around him. “So, go to him, tell him how you really feel. I know it’s not the ‘manly’ thing to do, but he can’t read your mind or your heart. You have to let him in and if he still says no—then I’ll go kick his ass for you.”
“Gee thanks, sis, but I think I can handle it from here,” he pulled from her arms and kissed her on the forehead. “Are you okay? I mean, really okay?”
Sammy sighed. “Well I won’t lie, and say it was a picnic. But I’m here now, and the pups are here. We’re safe for the moment. I refuse to look back, Jake. If you are always looking backward, you’ll only end up falling on your face. No, I’m looking forward and so should you. Now go and get your man!” She gently shoved him toward the door. She smiled when he turned to give her a quick salute before he exited the room. Now if only she could convince herself to follow her own advice. That might take a bit more time.
Shadow groaned as the door opened. Couldn’t anyone leave him alone? Maybe if he pretended to be asleep, “It won’t work, buddy, I can tell you’re awake.” Blaze’s voice filled the room. Well crap, he couldn’t ignore his boss. Shadow opened his eyes and glanced around the room. At least Jake had finally listened to him and left.
“So, where is your shadow?” Blaze chuckled.
“Hardy har har, is that the best you can do?” Shadow wanted to roll his eyes, but lately, even that movement hurt. The doctor told him he would recover in time but had warned him it wouldn’t be overnight. He still had the damn IV in his arm, and it would remain there until the infection in his system was gone.
Blaze sat in the chair in the room. He rubbed a hand through his short blonde hair before he began to speak, “I wasn’t going to interfere, but I thought you should know something before you decide to walk away from Jake.”
Shadow groaned as he tried to sit up. Blaze stood and helped him, even fluffing the pillows behind him until he was comfortable. The injured shifter waited until his boss sat back down in the chair before he spoke, “Look, I know you’re trying to help, but his sister needs him more right now.”
“Wait, let me get my waders on, it’s getting pretty deep in here.” Blaze leaned forward his eyes now serious as he continued, “When we arrived, Jake was facing off with two wolves. He stood his ground over you and refused to leave even though he knew it wouldn’t end well for him or you.”
“I told him to go. He should have gone. What if you guys hadn’t come, huh? What would have happened to Sammy and the pups?” Shadow’s voice rose, but he took a deep breath to regain control.
“There’s more. When I tried to check on you, he growled and almost attacked me.” Blaze sat back in the chair before he continued, “When I told him to stand down, he refused. He told me that he didn’t want me touching you because you we
re his mate.”
“He what?” Shadow asked.
“Yeah, he not only told me, but he said the same thing to Falcon. Somehow, Falcon already knew something was going on between you two. Hell, Jake even growled at the doctor until Alpha Grant ordered him from the room.” Blaze rubbed his hands down his jeans, “I don’t know why I’m here telling you this, but for some reason, I seem to be the one helping others to straighten out their romantic lives.”
Shadow’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. “You what?”
Blaze chuckled. “That’s right. It seems that a number of folks who are having issues find me a good listener. So, I figured, if I could play Cupid for them, I certainly should do it for one of my team.” Shadow noticed the slight blush on the man’s sun-tanned cheeks. He tried to remember the last time Blaze had ever sat down and given him advice—unless it was battle related.
“Since when have you become the ‘love doctor’ for the pack?” Shadow couldn’t help but tease the large man. He’d always known that below the gruff military exterior beat the heart of a marshmallow. Blaze didn’t often let people see this side of him.
Blaze stood and shrugged. “Part of being a good leader is listening. But if you think I’ve gone soft, wait until you’ve healed. Don’t think I’ve forgotten you going against my orders and following Jake.”
“And now he’s back,” Shadow chuckled. He thought about what the leader of their group had said and realized maybe he should have given Jake a second chance. It was just so hard after the man ran from him for so long. Blaze sat on the edge of the bed and punched his arm lightly. “Hey, wounded man here!” Shadow rubbed his arm.
“You’re going soft, Shadow. I see some extra training with Tank in your future. Now get some rest, that’s an order.” Blaze stood and left the room before Shadow could reply. Damn, he should have kept his mouth shut. The last time Tank gave him special training, he limped for a week.
Out of the Shadows Page 6