“Hollie’s not picking up her phone,” Kyle said at last. “I know she might be busy, but...this just doesn’t feel right. I’ve called the diner as well. Nobody picked up the phone.”
Shane glanced at the clock. “Well, the diner should be about to open in a few minutes. We came in to the garage extra early today because we have to rush the job for Mr Khatib. But...it’s still early morning, so most people are just getting to work right now,” he pointed out.
Kyle scowled. “Joe and Maria would have picked up the phone at the diner. They were already pottering around the diner when Hollie arrived this morning.”
Kyle strode to his car. “I need to find out what’s going on.”
“Me too!” Ian said, jogging after him.
“Wait for me,” Shane called out as he locked up the garage in a hurry. He jumped into the car just as Kyle peeled away from the curb.
“Is Hollie in trouble?” Ian asked, gripping the edge of his seat. Kyle was driving like a maniac, hurtling down the street and rounding the corner on screeching tires.
Kyle gave a terse nod. “Something feels terribly wrong. My bear is warning me to get to Hollie right now.”
The three men were out of the car as soon as Joe’s Diner came into sight. The lights in the diner were off, and everything was just too still and silent.
At the end of the street, he saw Lucy strolling towards the diner. She was just coming in to work.
Kyle tried the front door and an alarm bell went off in his head when the door swung open easily.
He stepped into the diner and smelled blood at once.
Blood. And wolves.
He followed the scent of human blood and found Joe and Maria knocked out cold on the floor. There were small drops of blood on the floor.
“Go find her,” Shane said urgently, as he crouched down beside Joe and Maria. Ian was already on the phone, calling for an ambulance.
Kyle rushed into the kitchen and saw the chopping board and some ingredients neatly laid out on the counter. Hollie had been working here.
He went back out to the diner and sniffed the air. The lingering scent of Hollie’s fear and distress made his bear rise to the surface.
His bear roared in his head.
“The Black Blade pack took Hollie,” he snarled.
Kyle was about to charge out the door when Lucy walked into the diner. The petite waitress let out a startled cry when she nearly collided into Kyle.
“What’s going on?” Lucy gasped.
“Stay with Joe and Maria,” Kyle said quickly. He could hear the wail of the ambulance siren in the distance. “An ambulance should be arriving soon.”
“Ambulance? What…?”
“The Black Blade wolves knocked Joe and Maria out and took Hollie,” Kyle answered, striding to the door.
Lucy’s eyes widened but she gave a jerky nod. “Go,” she said. “Go get Hollie. I’ll make sure Joe and Maria get to the hospital safely.”
As Kyle ran to his car, he heard Ian’s angry shout behind him.
His friends were coming after him.
“You’re not thinking of leaving us behind, are you?” Ian yelled.
“They’ve taken Hollie back to the pack house,” Kyle said grimly.
“And you’re thinking of facing a pack of wolves all by yourself?” Shane said. “Are you insane?”
“He just wants to have all the fun,” Ian huffed.
Kyle turned to face them. “Those wolves are dangerous. There’s no telling what they would do. I don’t want to drag you guys into this...”
Ian gasped and slapped a hand over his heart. “I can’t believe you just said that!”
“Yeah.” Shane glared at Kyle. “You just insulted us, and our friendship.”
“He thinks we can’t handle a bunch of whiny wolves,” Ian said, looking disgusted. “And he thinks that we’ll let him do this on his own.”
“Fucking insane,” Shane agreed.
Kyle blew out a breath and yanked his car door open. “Get in,” he growled.
He knew he wouldn’t be able to get rid of his two very stubborn buddies. And he could use their help. They were lethal in a fight.
Kyle, Ian and Shane were a force to be reckoned with.
The Maverick Mechanics led humble lives, kept a low profile and conducted their business honestly, but they weren’t pushovers. They never looked for trouble, but when trouble came a-calling, they pushed back and fought hard to protect their own.
Kyle knew he could depend on his two best friends.
But…this wasn’t just a streetside brawl.
Shane and Ian were risking their lives here.
The Black Blade pack was led by a highly psychotic wolf with delusions of power and grandeur. Jake Carven was a sly, savage wolf who had no morals or ethics. His son, Jasper, was just as power-hungry and brutal. They were driving straight into the territory of the Black Blade wolves and they would be grossly outnumbered.
“Guys...” Kyle began quietly.
Ian held up a hand.
“Don’t.”
Kyle raised a brow as he threw his friend a sidelong glance.
“I’m working my bear up to a psychotic rage right now,” Ian said as he gnashed his teeth. “Don’t distract my beast. I’m going to unleash my berserker rage on those wolves!”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Kyle drove down the long, silent road towards the pack house of the Black Blade wolves. Shane peered out the window and made a face. “You know, I’ve lived in Nightbrook all my life and I’ve never been out here. This place is really isolated. No houses, no shops, no street lights. Just a long, lonely road edging the forest.”
He let out a wry laugh. “I guess this is the ideal place to bury a body. No one will even find the bones,” he added under his breath.
Ian turned around to scowl at Shane. “Shut up. Hollie’s not dead.”
“I didn’t say anything about Hollie,” Shane spluttered. “I was just saying...”
“Just shut up,” Ian snapped. “You’re annoying my bear.”
“I thought you’re working on your berserker rage,” Shane sneered.
“I want my bear enraged, not annoyed. There’s a difference...”
Kyle tuned out his friends’ banter and squinted down the quiet road. There were just trees, trees and more trees. Where was the pack house?
His bear growled and Kyle drove faster. He was on the right track. He was getting closer to Hollie, and his bear could already sense his mate.
“There.” Kyle pointed.
He parked the car at the side of the road a little distance from the pack house and killed the engine.
The house was a huge, rambling bungalow surrounded by a tall iron fence. It backed into the forest and was almost hidden by the surrounding trees and tall grasses.
Kyle scanned the property and pointed to the forest. “We should get in through the back. The trees will provide us some cover.”
“Yeah. There might be snipers at the windows, waiting to shoot us if we walk in through the front gate,” Ian deadpanned.
They pushed into the forest and made their way to the back of the property.
They scaled the fence quickly and dropped silently to the ground. There was no sound coming from the house. No movement or shadows in the windows.
Kyle tested the back door and the knob turned easily.
He walked through the quiet kitchen and down the hallway. Ian and Shane followed closely behind.
The house was strangely, unnaturally silent.
Kyle sniffed the air. The scent of wolves was all around, but there was another muted scent wafting out from behind those wide double doors at the end of a long corridor.
Soundlessly he made his way to the double doors and tensed.
Wolves, he mouthed to Ian and Shane.
The two men nodded and silently unsheathed their claws.
They were ready for war. They were prepared to fight to the death.
But what they we
ren’t prepared for was the sight that greeted them.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Kyle pushed the wide double doors open and stopped at the entrance of the large dining hall.
“What the…!” Ian exclaimed, slamming into his back.
The floor of the dining hall was covered with wolves. These wolves belonged to the Black Blade pack, but they were all lying on the floor in a weakened, semi-conscious state. Some were in the throes of death while a few were already dead.
Many of the wolves were forming at the mouth and were in a half shifted state. They couldn’t seem to complete their shift and were writhing on the floor in agony.
“They’ve been poisoned,” Kyle said. He inhaled deeply and finally identified that sickly sweet scent in the air. “Wolf’s bane.”
“There are at least thirty wolves in here,” Shane said. “I think that’s half the pack.”
“Who would poison half the pack?” Ian said.
“The other half of the pack,” Kyle answered grimly.
“What?”
“They poisoned their own pack mates,” Kyle said. He scanned the room quickly. “Hollie isn’t here.”
As he turned to go, a hand grabbed his ankle.
“You...”
Kyle looked down at the white-haired man who was holding on to his ankle in a vice-like grip. He was the only one who was fully in human form.
“I...I’m Jake Carven,” the man croaked. “I’m the Alpha...”
Kyle crouched down and stared at the shivering, sweating old man. Blood dripped from his nose, and the tips of his fingers were black with rot.
“I have come to kill the Alpha of the Black Blade pack,” Kyle said dispassionately. “If you’re really Jake Carven, then I’ve come to kill you.”
The man coughed out blood as he laughed. “You don’t have to lift a finger. I should be dead in the next few minutes.”
“Who did this to you, Jake? Who poisoned you and all these wolves?” Kyle said.
Jake bared his bloodied fangs. “I should have killed him when he was a pup.”
“Jasper?” Kyle narrowed his eyes. “Your son poisoned you?”
“I told him to let her go,” Jake snarled. “When Jasper brought Hollie back to the pack house, I saw your mate mark on her. I told Jasper that Hollie is now mated to an alpha bear. I warned him that the bears will stop at nothing to get her back. There will be bloodshed and destruction. Hollie isn’t worth the fight.”
“But he didn’t let her go, did he? Where is she now? Where is Hollie?” Kyle demanded.
Jake wheezed. “I told him that I wouldn’t back him in a fight with you. I can’t afford to sacrifice so many wolves. I’ve heard about you. I’ve heard how you obliterated a hyena pack that tried to extort money from you. You guys keep a low profile, but you aren’t to be trifled with.”
Jake started convulsing and his eyes turned feral. His hands turned to paws and he growled. He was losing his hold on his human form.
“I gave the order that we should just hand Hollie over when you came for her,” Jake panted. “I should have seen the seething anger in Jasper’s eyes. He decided to override my order. To do that...”
“He had to get rid of you, since you are his Alpha,” Kyle finished.
“Yes. He had already recruited half the pack to his side. He had been secretly recruiting his own army. He got one of the cooks to poison our drinks.”
“Wolf’s bane is a fast-acting poison. You ingested the poison not too long ago,” Kyle said.
“Jasper gathered the pack in the main dining hall. He said he had an announcement to make. He proposed a toast. All of us raised our glasses, but only half the pack actually drank.”
“He murdered half the pack, just to get Hollie?” Shane shook his head.
“No. It wasn’t about Hollie. It’s all about his ego,” Kyle snarled. “It’s a power trip for him.”
Jake let out a rattling laugh. “You know my son better than me. I thought I could control him. But...”
“He’s your son, and your weapon,” Kyle said. “His brutal, savage nature served you well. He dealt with your enemies ruthlessly and kept everybody in line. Jasper was dangerous, but you didn’t want to believe that your own son would turn on you.”
“Payback’s a bitch,” Ian quipped.
Jake growled. “The forest...”
Kyle understood. Jasper had escaped with Hollie into the forest.
As Kyle charged out of the pack house, he heard Jake Carven’s eerie, fading laughter.
Ian shuddered. “Why is he laughing? He’s dying! I think the poison will reach his heart in the next minute or so.”
“Yes. But he knows that we are going to kill Jasper. We are now his weapon. He knows he’s dying, but he also knows that his murderer isn’t getting away. He’s getting his revenge,” Shane answered as they ran after Kyle.
“Revenge from beyond the grave,” Ian said. “He really is a vindictive, vengeful sicko to the very end.” After a pause, he added, “Well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Hollie struggled hard as Jasper dragged her deeper and deeper into the forest. About thirty members of the Black Blade pack followed him. The other half of the pack were dead.
She had heard Jasper ordering one of the cooks to mix Wolf’s bane into the drink. She had been in the dining hall with the whole pack when the drinks were served.
Jasper had insisted on her presence. “She’s one of us,” he’d declared. “Hollie is ours.”
So she was forced to join the pack in the hall. Her hands were tied behind her back, and she was forced to stand in a corner. Two lieutenants flanked her, and one of them pressed a gun to her side. It was a warning for her to stay silent.
Hollie watched in horror as half the pack ingested the poisoned drink. The poison took effect at once. In less than a minute, the poisoned members were on the floor, convulsing and forming at the mouth. They shifted involuntarily into their wolves, and the shift sent the poison coursing through their bloodstream straight to their hearts. Only the Alpha, Jake Carven, managed to retain his human form. That would buy him a couple more minutes. But that was it. Jake was dead.
Hollie bit down a cry when Jasper grabbed her suddenly and slammed her against a tree.
“This is the spot,” Jasper said, squeezing her neck.
He released her and Hollie gulped mouthfuls of air. She looked around and realized that Jasper had taken her back to the exact same spot where Kyle had first found her.
“Recognize the place, Hollie?” Jasper taunted. “This is where it all started. Where everything went wrong.”
Hollie shook her head. Everything was already wrong right from the start.
“You almost got away, Hollie,” Jasper said, circling her slowly. “Why did you run away? If you had just returned to the pack house quietly with me, everything would have been fine. Instead, your mate came and ruined everything.”
Jasper leaned in and sniffed her neck. “He mated you. So what?” Jasper laughed and addressed his followers. “This bitch committed treason against the Black Blade pack and was brought to this spot to be punished. She escaped, and her mate killed two of our best lieutenants.”
Jasper whispered in Hollie’s ear, “The Alpha wasn’t pleased at all. He was unhappy with the way I’d handled the matter. He said that I was incompetent, rash and stupid.” Jasper let out a bitter laugh. “He humiliated me in front of the lieutenants. The only way I could regain their respect was to show that I was better, stronger, smarter than him.”
“So you poisoned him?” Hollie said.
“Yes. I showed him what I could do. I proved that I could get rid of half the pack, just like that.” Jasper snapped his fingers. “Jake wasn’t so smart after all. I outsmarted him in the end.”
Hollie shook her head. “You’re crazy.”
“My father made me what I am,” Jasper said, canting his head. He had a faraway look in his eyes. “I
had to obey his every word, and do everything his way. But nothing I did was ever good enough. I kept trying to please him. I was his Beta, but I was really his unquestioning slave and attack dog.”
Jasper turned to Hollie and his eyes hardened. “When he humiliated me and said that he wasn’t going to back me up when the bears came for you, that was it. I knew it was time for him to go. He was of no use to me. Instead, he had become a hindrance to me.”
Jasper gestured at the remaining pack members. “We will now form a new pack. A leaner, meaner pack.”
Jasper smiled. “A new beginning, a brand new start. It started right here. So I will finish it here.” He pulled out a blade from his ankle holster. “You will die today, Hollie.”
“No! Help, help me...please...” Hollie looked around at her former pack mates in desperation. She recognized some of the cooks. These people had worked in the kitchen with her for years.
But when they looked away, she knew that no one would step forward to help her.
They had helped murder half of their pack mates. These people had no conscience. They simply looked out for themselves.
They had betrayed their Alpha and their pack to gain some benefit for themselves.
Hollie swallowed and closed her eyes. She couldn’t depend on any of them to help her.
But she knew who she could depend on.
In fact, she could already sense that he was near.
He had come for her. He would always come for her. He would never, ever give up on her.
Raising her head, Hollie screamed at the top of her lungs, “Kyle!”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Kyle heard his mate yelling for him. Hollie’s voice was clear and strong. She knew that he would find her. She had so much faith and trust in him. He would not let her down.
He knew where she was at once. She was at the exact same spot where he had saved her from Jasper’s clutches. That sick bastard had taken her there again, to traumatize, terrorize and humiliate her.
Bear's Curvy Mate: BBW Shape Shifter Paranormal Romance (Nightbrook Book 2) Page 9