by Paige Taylor
“Honestly, I don’t know. Vincent never had to fight for his Alpha status, his father stepped down from the position and handed it to him on a silver platter. He always wanted a larger Pack and more land, but he never had the balls to go for it. Vincent is a master manipulator, he is a lot more intellectual than he is a brawler. Of course, he can fight, he has put down a few wolves for insubordination, but he would never go looking for a fight if he could figure out an underhanded way to get it. I suppose, working with the vampires is that trade off, he doesn’t have to fight the other Alphas, and he can swoop in like the saviour and offer help to those who are left weakened by the attack he orchestrated,” I answer, the theories continuously running through my head, like a never-ending record.
“We will get through this, Ava,” Wade whispers into my ear as Dylan’s hands run soothing circles over my stomach and hips.
“As much as I want to devour your body right now, we have to be up in four hours to start driving again, so snuggle in and go to sleep, Baby,” Wade says, making me laugh. His arms pull me closer into him, while Dylan hooks my leg over his hips and moves closer into my chest.
“Night guys.” I huff, slightly disappointed they didn’t try to make the most of the bed. I close my eyes, and I’m suddenly hit by a mountain of fatigue, and just as quickly as I was annoyed, I’m now grateful that I can just go straight to sleep.
“Yeah. Okay good. No, don’t call the council, yet. I want to make sure we have him before we inform them of what’s happening,” Dylan says before wrapping up the phone call and looking at Wade and me.
“They’ve found those copies of the dossiers of other Packs around the country, as well as the financials ledger, plus a few other things. Steven says they’ve found enough for a solid case against Vincent for the council. Now, we just have to get Vincent to the council,” Dylan answers our questioning gazes.
“Well then, I guess we better make sure everyone’s in position before we march on in there,” I say before sitting down on the hotel room bed. We finally reached North Carolina last night and decided to go straight to a hotel to rest before we went to scope out my old Pack.
I listened to Wade and Dylan check on all the final details while I looked over the weapons, making sure everything was ready to go, before I decided to go get dressed for what would hopefully be my last confrontation. Was it too much to ask to just enjoy my Mating without the threat of a fight looming over our heads?
“I don’t like this, I have never seen these men before in my life. I only left here under a year ago, these people are new, and they don’t look like the ‘ask questions first’ type of people,” I say into my Mates mind, the anxiety of being back at this property only flaring, cold sweat forming on the small of my back.
“We’ll deal with this, Baby, don’t worry. Trust in the plan.”
“Who the fuck are you?” The red-headed stranger demands, staring down at us in the car trying to out Alpha the three of us. I literally roll my eyes at the testosterone this guy was trying to drown us in.
“We’re here to see Vincent,” Dylan replies in a hard tone.
“Well he’s not here. So, fuck off,” Teste replies. Hmm, Teste is a very appropriate name for this guy.
“Tell Vincent, Ava is here to see him,” I say, leaning forward, forcing a bored expression onto my face.
“He doesn’t know an Ava.”
“What? Are you his fucking girlfriend? Get him on the fucking phone and tell him who it is!” I growl at the asshole, letting my own Alpha wolf come to the surface.
“Fine,” he says as he steps backwards and uses the phone to have a very quick phone call before motioning us forward through the large, iron gates that now surround the property. Those definitely weren’t there last time I was here, and I have to wonder if it is to keep the monsters out, or the ‘rescued’ in.
We drive the car up the path to the big, stone house that is the Pack house of Lupine Blood Pack, we drive past my old cabin, seeing new cars outside the door. So many memories flick across my brain; with every tree that we pass, a new memory flies through my head. I feel Dylan’s hand squeeze mine, dragging me out of the thoughts that would distract me if things went south.
Parking the car at the top of the hill, I see a congregation of wolves waiting for us, Vincent in the centre of them, a malicious smile spread across his face. I almost jump out of the car and fly across the space in the desire to ram his head into my knee repeatedly, the only thing stopping me is the calming thoughts being sent down my bonds from the Mates sitting with me in this car.
We get out of the car at the same time, and walk till we are standing shoulder to shoulder in front of the car, staring down the piece of shit in front of me. My stare only seems to make him break out laughing, a sound that causes my blood to go ice cold. Vincent Cross, on the outside, looks like a well put-together man, he has short black hair and a strong six-foot frame. His eyes are like ice blue and cold, which is even more prominent against his porcelain skin and strong angular bone structure.
“Well, if it isn’t our little Ava! Finally come home have you?” Vincent taunts.
“I wouldn’t have been forced to leave if you hadn’t beaten me to a pulp, Vin,” I say sweetly, tilting my head and looking around at the people standing behind him, a lot of familiar faces passing over my gaze, most of their faces morphing from neutral to shocked at my comment.
“I never did anything to you, Ava, you left because you were always a selfish, little shit. You lived off the benefits of the Pack after your parents were too weak to take on a few vampires. You were a useless, powerless wolf, and we are better off without you. So, what the fuck are you doing back? And what, you had to bring muscle? I always knew you were a pussy.” Vincent’s voice grows louder and angrier with every word. That fucking asshole, I can handle being called names, but one does not fucking insult my parents.
“Vincent Cross, Alpha of the Lupine Blood Pack, I challenge you for your position. I challenge you for consorting with Vampires and willingly giving up Pack secrets, putting the lives of wolves’ country-wide at the mercy of Vampires for more land and Pack growth.” I shout across the space between us, making sure every wolf present can hear the reason I am challenging him.
I feel the shock of my Mates down our bond, in combination with their shouting and hands trying to pull me back behind them. I know they are worried for me, but I need to do this for not only myself, but for the wolves in this Pack who deserve honesty.
“Well, that was a hell of deviation on the plan,” I say looking up into the faces of two very angry Alpha Mates.
Chapter Nineteen
“Ava, are you fucking serious right now?” Wade yells, while Dylan looks close to imploding; my little stunt not really following the plans he had spent weeks making.
“I can’t take it! I need to do this! Please, just trust me to do it,” I plead, trying to keep my tone down as I hear Vincent still laughing obnoxiously in the background.
“Fucking hell! Well, we can’t change it now. You are in for a very serious conversation after this fight, Ava,” Dylan says aggressively before pulling me into hard hug.
“Are you serious right now? Do you honestly think you could win this one, Little Ava?” Vincent’s smarmy voice breaks through the moment I was having with my Mates.
“Beat him into the ground, beautiful,” Dylan says through clenched teeth.
“Gladly,” I whisper, before turning around and narrowing my senses and sinking into my ever-familiar, killing calm.
Vincent approaches, his steps heavy as his body swaggers towards me, his eyes focused on my face. His condescending smile is a clear indication that he is still not taking me very seriously, but then again, why would he? Last time he saw me I was a low-level wolf who did martial arts for fun.
Vincent’s steps get faster the closer he gets until he is practically running at me, he launches himself toward me, the dirt flying up around him. At the last second, I step to the side so that
he sails past me and has to reorientate himself, his body still moving away with his back to me. I use my advantage and charge at him throwing my full body weight into a hook to his face as soon as he turns around, causing his head to whip to the side, blood flying from his mouth. I follow through with a few quick jabs to the stomach, not willing to give up on my lead. Vincent’s face morphs from confidence to pure shock and pain after the rapid fire of my punches cease, his breath becoming locked in his throat. I move in closer, grasping his head between my palms and connecting my knee to his face several times before I throw his body toward the ground, the anger and physical exertion making a loud growl rip from my throat.
I take a few seconds to catch my breath, but Vincent manages to recover from the punches faster than the average person, and he launches himself across the space between us with his fist cocked, delivering four quick-succession jabs before I can move my hand up to block the attacks. My forearms take the load of the pain until I drop to the ground and sweep his legs out from underneath him, his large weight vibrating the ground as he lands with a thud. I jump on top of him, my quads squeezing in against the sides of his torso and ram my wrist into his nose, breaking the cartilage. My arms are moving of their own volition, punching him in the eyes to make each eyebrow split, letting the blood flow restrict his vision. Vincent rolls me over and pins my hand to the floor whilst he punches my stomach repeatedly, my stomach convulsing and moving vomit into my throat, being unable to take a breath while the stones on the ground dig into my spine, restricting my ability to move. We continue like this for what seems like an eternity, trading punch after punch, each having the position of dominance for a short time before the other overpowers, both of us covered in dirt, blood, and sweat that is coagulating across both our faces and torn shirts. Vincent’s large weight is on my chest, delivering punches to my face and the side of my head. I kick my legs out, trying to shift the weight off me and not making any headway, panic starting to seep into me, making my limbs move spasmodically to shift the weight.
“Doesn’t this remind you of our last night together, Little Ava?” Vincent whispers to me, his blood pouring off his face and onto mine. That one sentence was like a vacuum, it sucked me back into my memory; the feelings of hopelessness, fear, and agonising pain haunt me. The memories flooding my psyche as I lose sight of my surroundings, my senses flicking between reality and echoes of the past. It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real. Just as quickly as I was sucked in, I was pulled back out. I am not the scared little girl anymore! I let an almighty scream rip from my throat before I brace my muscles for my next move.
I lift my legs and lower body up off the ground in one huge thrust, and hook my feet over his head pulling it backwards and taking his weight off the top half of my chest. It’s enough to help me roll out from underneath him and bring myself to my feet. I lower myself into the fighting stance, the dirt and rocks flying out from underneath my feet and obscuring our vision for a few seconds.
Before I could move into another attack, Vincent shifts into a wolf. If that’s how he wants to settle this, then fucking fine with me! I deliver a quick power kick to his head as he gets closer before going through the shift myself and letting my wolf take the reins.
My wolf and I roar at Vincent, who delivers a growl of his own before tackling me in the middle of the open space. Vincent’s teeth snap repeatedly towards me, before he manages to sink his teeth into my shoulder. The pain is immediate and excruciating as his teeth have cut straight into the nerves that run down in the limbs, but it’s not enough to stop our fight. His movement leave his torso and underbelly wide open. I push forward biting straight into his soft tissue and ripping it away from his body, leaving his deep muscles and organs intact but the superficial tissue dangling from his stomach. He whimpers and let’s go of our shoulder, crouching lower to protect his belly, while I circle him, leaning on three legs to take the pressure off the damaged nerve of the fourth leg.
I walk forward until I’m close enough to push off the ground and lock my teeth into Vincent’s neck, the impact of the manoeuvre making us roll to the ground, each of us fighting for the top position whilst bleeding out through multiple injuries. His flailing head swings around and connects with mine with such a force I almost lose my grip, the pain radiating through the skull was enough to cloud my vision. I shift back into a human, the control over the body’s actions quickly becoming solely mine. I lock my hands around his neck before he can get away from me. My forearm closes over his windpipe, tightening every second that he refuses to submit.
“Ava, don’t kill him, we need to give him to the council,” I hear a voice whisper into my head, but am unable to identify who it is, my focus still on the scum of the earth I’m currently choking out.
“I fucking know that! I’m just trying to get him to submit or fucking pass out!” I scream in response, Vincent’s still struggling wolf form trying to fight its way out from my grip.
Vincent’s movements start to slow and eventually his body gives way suddenly, almost causing me to crush his throat as the weight of his body shifts from his legs to my arms. Not that that would be a great loss to the world, but we need him alive for proof to the council. I throw his body to the side, waiting for it to turn back to human form before we can tie him up.
I look around the circle that has surrounded us, some faces looked on shocked, some happy, and others angry, but what has me pinned is the gaze of my friend David, whose face is streaming tears, and a smile so wide I can’t help but try to smile back. The action causes my lips to split open again, and fresh blood floods into my mouth that I need to spit out. It’s the first time I have seen him in almost a year, and I want nothing more than to just take a minute to say hello to an old friend, but I can’t just yet. I turn back to my mates who have spent the last minute tying up the now unconscious, human Vincent. My gaze connects with Dylan and Wade’s, as I let the killing calm’s reign over my senses release, allowing me to hear the hushed tones of the people around us. The emotions of my Mates flood into me through our bond, warming me from the inside out, their lights in my soul burning brighter than ever. Their concern, anger, and complete love being the most recognisable feelings I can identify. I try to reciprocate and send feelings of comfort and love down all my bonds, not just the two that were standing in front of me. I beckon Wade over with my hand and push myself to my feet, a big feat at the moment considering the blood loss from my injuries and the severe fatigue drilling my body, making my head thump like if it had been stepped on by an elephant.
“Get me inside that damn house quickly. I’m going to pass out, and it cannot be in front of the Pack,” I say into his mind. I allow him have an arm around my waist, but I cannot have him carrying me. Dylan is keeping an eye on Vincent, so I only have Wade to help me with this. The Pack needs to see that I can do this with minimal help. We walk towards the big stone house and up to the front door, which opens without me seeing who is there helping us. As quickly as I can go, we storm through the first floor of the house, Wade throwing open doors left and right trying to find one with a bed while I brace my weight against the wall. It’s not until we are about six doors deep into the hallway that we find a vacant bedroom. He quickly kicks the door closed behind us and helps me lay down, his touch feather light and so tender.
“I fucking did it!” I whisper in wonder. My brain struggling to comprehend that I did what I never thought I could ever do. I feel Wade’s hands brush the hair away from my face and down the sides of my arms.
“You were amazing, Baby, but you need to rest now. We’ll look after everything until you wake up,” His voice echoes across my fading consciousness.
Chapter Twenty
My eyes start to blink open, and the first thing I do is move from my toes to up to the top of my head evaluating what was still injured and what was healed just like I had after the first vampire attack. My back was still a little sore, my forearms still a bit tender from the beating they took, my eye fe
lt a little swollen but not closed over with fluid, which is a good thing. The headache I had before I passed out was still present, but it currently feels more like baby elephants rather than full-grown elephants parading around inside my head.
“Are you finally awake, Beautiful?” Dylan asks from my right. I turn my head to the side, ignoring the stiffness that is restricting the movement to look at my handsome Mate. Damn, he looks good in that black, tight, full-sleeve shirt and jeans.
“Fucking hell. How long was I out?” I question, still running my eyes over his features.
“Sixteen hours. We think that there might have been a few more internal injuries than we first thought, hence the longer healing time,” he explains, coming to sit beside me on the large bed, his hands stroking the hair out of my face.
“So, what’s been going on since I passed out?” I ask, anxious to hear what had happened in the wake of Vincent’s loss.
“Well, the wolves that were acting as guards disappeared straight after your fight. Vincent is still unconscious; that bite you took out of his stomach is still healing over. Wade and I told people what had been really going on, but we said that you would speak to them when you recovered.” Dylan’s hands continue to run over my arms until his fingers reach mine, bringing my hand up to his mouth to kiss along each of my knuckles.
“Well, okay then. So, I take it the paper copies of everything were found?” I ask, shuddering at the intense sensations Dylan’s soft mouth was sending through my body. I have more pressing matters to attend to than jumping Dylan right now.
“Yeah, we’ve called the council and given them a brief run down on what has been going on. They are meeting us at one of the holding facilities here in North Carolina, it’s about an hour’s drive from here.”