Keep talking to us, baby, Wade said calmly. We’re on our way.
I don’t know if I can stay conscious, Wade. I hit my head on the side of the truck.
You hit your head on the side of the truck? Reece asked, his voice filled with worry.
Well, Ethan slammed me against the truck, and I hit my head.
I’m going to kill him slow. Reece’s voice was filled with blood rage.
I think I’m going to pass out, Meeka whispered in her men’s minds.
Before she could hear her mates’ responses, she was unconscious.
“Mommy! Wake up,” Eric whispered against Meeka’s face.
She struggled to focus. She was aware that she was lying on a wooden floor and Eric was lying down next to her, holding onto her face and patting her cheeks lightly.
“Baby?” Meeka whispered, trying to push herself up and groaning at the pain that stabbed through her head. “Eric, are you okay, honey?”
“I’m okay, Mommy.”
Meeka!
Reece’s and Wade’s voices echoed in her mind making her cringe as the pain made her nearly throw up.
Shhh!
Baby, are you and Eric okay? Where are you?
I don’t know, Wade. I just woke up. I only know that I’m lying on a wooden floor in a small cabin.
She looked around and realized that it was the same cabin she had tried to escape to when she had run from Ethan and Boyd so many years before. The memory of what had happened to her there almost paralyzed her. She couldn’t allow there to be a repeat of that action. She had to get her son out of there, and she had to get him out of there now.
I’m at Boyd’s cabin! she screamed.
We’re on our way, Meeka. Can you get out of the cabin and get as far away from it as you can? Reece asked her.
I don’t know. I’ll try.
She stood up slowly, grabbing for her belly as another contraction took hold. She did her best to breathe through it. She reached down and took Eric’s hand in hers and walked slowly to the cabin door.
She said a quick prayer that it was unlocked, reaching out and turning the doorknob. She was sorely disappointed. It was not only locked, but the window in it had been boarded over. She looked at the other windows around the cabin and was upset to see that the same had been done to all of them.
“Mommy, can we get out of here?” Eric asked, his voice immediately dropping to the whisper that he had been taught to use since the day he had been old enough to understand that he had to be quiet.
Meeka’s heart broke at that realization. Her little boy had lived a life that no child should ever have been subjected to.
“We’re going to get out of here, and we’re going home,” Meeka told him quietly. “Daddy and Poppa are coming to get us right now. You don’t have to be afraid. They’re bringing Jace and Jackson with them and all their enforcers. We’re going to be home soon. I promise.”
Eric nodded, his eyes wide with fear. Meeka made a promise to herself then and there that she would never allow her son to look at her that way ever again.
She looked around the small cabin, pushing aside the memories of the horror that she had experienced there. She had to find a way out for her and her son. Every window was boarded over. Ethan had certainly thought everything through—the bastard.
Going to the back door of the cabin, she found it to be locked as well, but the doorknob was rickety and old. She had a hopeful thought that maybe she could jimmy it open. Looking around for something to do just that, she was frustrated to see that there wasn’t much of anything left in the empty cabin.
She looked frantically in every drawer and in every corner of the cabin, but there was nothing she could use. She did her best to remain calm. She didn’t want to frighten Eric even though fear was in full swing within her. As another contraction took hold, she said a quick prayer to Mother Fate to help her protect her son and her daughter.
You must not lose hope, child, Mother Fate told her gently.
“Please help us, Mother,” Meeka whispered. “I don’t know how to save us.”
Be ready to have your son run, Mother Fate told her. He needs to get away from the man who shames the shifter world.
“Eric, when I tell you to, I want you to run as fast as you can,” Meeka told him quietly, not questioning Mother Fate’s warning or advice.
“Are you going to run with me, Mommy?” Eric asked quietly, leaning against her legs and looking up at her with wide eyes.
“I’m going to run, but you’re much faster than I am, honey,” Meeka told him calmly. “I want you to run as far away as you can get. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be right behind you, but I’m going to try to lead Ethan away from us and then I’ll meet up with you.”
“But, Mommy…” Eric started.
“Don’t worry, baby,” Meeka stopped him. “Daddy and Poppa will find you and then they’ll come and find me. Jace and Jackson will be here to take care of all of us. You have to promise me that when you start running, you won’t stop, and you won’t look back no matter what you hear.”
“I promise,” Eric whispered after thinking a brief moment.
“Okay. Good boy.”
There was a noise at the front door of the cabin. Both she and Eric froze. When the door slowly opened, Meeka walked toward the door, ready to do what she had to do in order to protect her little boy.
The door opened wide, and the door frame was filled with the broad body of Ethan Webber. He stepped inside and reached out to grab her wrist, pulling her toward him and grabbing her hair with his left hand to tug it and force her head back.
“About time you woke up,” he snapped, snarling at her. “Beckett and his dogs are on their way here. You’re going to be a good little girl and sit here until they come into the cabin.”
“Why would I do that?” Meeka asked, gripping his wrist and holding on tightly with her left hand.
“Because if you don’t, I’ll tear the boy apart slowly,” Ethan said calmly. “I don’t need him to be alive to act as bait.”
The fury that filled Meeka was instant and powerful. She was not going to allow this man anywhere near her son. Reaching up with her right hand, she raked her nails across Ethan’s face before gouging his left eye and pressing deep with her thumb. His howl of pain just made her press even harder.
“Run, Eric!” she screamed.
Her little boy did as he was told, running past the two of them and out into the forest that surrounded the cabin. Meeka didn’t let go. Using all the strength she had, she pushed against Ethan’s body, taking advantage of the moment of surprise and pain she had inflicted to catch him off-balance. She slammed him against the door frame and felt great satisfaction when she heard the sickening thud of his skull connecting with the solid wood.
He slid down to the floor, growling as he struggled to stand. She didn’t wait for him to pull himself together. She pushed out of his hold as he grabbed for his face. As another contraction took hold, she couldn’t prevent the moan from escaping her as she pushed by him and ran out into the forest, praying her strength would hold out so she could get as far away from him as possible.
If the bastard was going to kill her, he was going to have to catch her first.
Chapter 39
Jace drove his truck with determination toward the cabin on the land that used to belong to Randall. Anger filled him as he thought about the terror and the pain that Meeka and her young son had to be feeling because of Ethan Webber.
“Did you know that Ethan Webber was Boyd’s brother?” Jackson asked Wade and Reece calmly.
“Yes, but we only learned of his involvement with Meeka recently,” Wade answered for the both of them. “We never really saw him when we were a part of Randall’s pack.”
“I remember he was an asshole just like his brother,” Reece spoke up, his growls filling the back of the cab.
He looked out the back window and saw Simon and Warren driving behind them with Ryker, Garrett, Eli, and Maxwe
ll in their truck. He was thankful that the six men who had been enforcers for Randall were there to help.
“He was,” Wade agreed. “He was one of Randall’s lackeys. He moved away before the night all of us left Randall’s pack land. Obviously he came back four years ago to get Randall and Boyd to kill Meeka.”
Jace’s deep, rumbling growls answered their words. They knew that their alpha was doing his best to keep under control His respect for his pack, especially the women and the cubs, was something that was legendary. It was part of the reason why the other packs in the area that lived under the same beliefs and traditions were willing to ally themselves with him.
“Meeka and Eric will be fine,” Jace said finally.
“I pray that they will be,” Reece said softly. “I don’t want to live if anything happens to them.”
Jackson and Jace looked at each other in complete understanding of what Reece had just said. They would give up on life without Laurie, too.
“Mitchell said he had a dream this week,” Jackson offered, solid conviction in his voice. “He said he saw all of us having a barbeque in the back of the family lodge.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Wade asked, confused.
“Mitchell has the gift of sight, Wade,” Jace reminded them.
“We know, Alpha,” Reece said, nodding his head as he thought about Suzie’s brother who had inherited the gift from his mother.
“Then you know that his dreams have been accurate,” Jace said softly. “He told us about the dream that warned us that Meeka would be injured in a car accident.”
Reece growled softly at the memory. He still carried guilt about causing that pain and injury to their mate.
“Mitchell said that we were all there for the barbeque,” Jace continued. “He said he saw you both sitting at the picnic table on the deck.” He looked over his shoulder briefly and smiled at the two men. “Wade, you were holding Eric. Reece, you were holding Meeka as she nursed your daughter.”
“Move this damned truck, Jace,” Reece said, punching the back of the seat.
Jace smiled silently as he pulled up to the open area that was situated at the entrance to the pack land he had never expected to come back to. The last time he had been here, they had rescued Suzie, Meeka, and Eric. He was ready to burn the whole damn place down to the ground so that no one else would ever again be tormented by this pack of wild dogs. He held no respect for them just as they held no respect for the magic or the blessings of the shifter community.
“Boyd’s cabin is this way,” Jace said, pointing to the area off to the left.
He stalked toward the cabin with sure, even strides, knowing his men would follow. It took them only ten minutes to reach the cabin. Standing silently, they observed the scene before them. Boyd was sitting in the doorway, his face displaying several deep scratches. His right eye was gouged and bloody.
“Your mate is a fierce soldier,” Simon said from behind Reece and Wade.
“Yes. She is,” Reece said proudly.
“Damn bastard,” Wade said, growling. He ran toward the cabin, not focusing on anything but the man there. “Where are Meeka and Eric?” His voice boomed through the silence of the early evening.
Birds scattered at the sound. Ethan pushed to his feet and grabbed for the gun that was tucked in his waistband at the base of his spine and pulled it free. He raised the gun and sited Jace.
“Welcome, Beckett.” His voice was deep and held obvious contempt for the alpha. “It took you long enough to get here. You’re too late.”
“Why do you say that?” Jace asked calmly. “It looks like we’ve made it here in time to see your disgrace.”
“I’ve had it with you and your pack, Beckett,” Ethan said as he stepped down the front stairs of the cabin and stood directly in front of Jace only fifteen feet away from him. His arm never wavered as he kept the gun leveled at Jace’s head.
“So you plan on killing me?” Jace asked calmly.
“I’ve got enough silver bullets in here to take care of all of you,” Ethan continued.
“You know, I’m really sick of this silver shit,” Simon said as he took his place beside his alpha.
“I agree,” Warren said as he took his place next to their beta.
“We’ve all had enough of it,” Ryker spoke up from behind them.
“Using silver just shows how weak you are,” Garrett added. “If you really want to prove you’re the better wolf, shift and fight.” He and Ryker walked around to stand on either side of Webber about four feet from him.
Ethan looked at the men who surrounded Jace Beckett and knew he didn’t have a chance in defeating any one of them.
“Your pack killed my brother,” he said, ignoring all of their comments. “I heard about it from Alpha Hayward. I’ve also heard how you’ve tainted your pack with humans. Can’t fuck a woman without help. Can’t keep the bloodline pure. You’re as much of an abomination as that little bastard that Meeka birthed.”
Reece and Wade both lunged for him at the same time. Ethan was able to shoot off two rounds before he was thrown to the ground by Ryker and Garrett as the rest of the men of Beckett’s pack rushed to do their jobs and protect their leaders.
Reece and Wade held Ethan down in the dirt, pressing his face into the ground and growling as they fought to control their wolves. Both men wanted to rip the bastard apart for what he had done to Meeka and Eric.
“Where’s our mate?” Wade yelled, his hands already morphed into claws. “Where’s our son?”
Ethan laughed, groaning as Reece punched him in the side and pressed his knee into the small of his back.
“Something funny, you piece of shit?” he asked, his wolf clawing at him to tear the shifter’s throat out.
“She’s not your mate. He’s not your son,” Ethan gritted out despite the way his face was pressing against the ground.
A sudden scream broke the silence of the forest. Reece and Wade jumped to their feet, looking at Jace in a panic.
“Go to your mate,” Jace told them. “We’ll find Eric.”
Neither man spoke as they turned and started running toward the sound of their woman’s scream. Their mate needed them.
Ethan pushed to his feet, laughing softly as he leaned down and attempted to pick up the discharged gun. Before he could reach it, he was knocked back to the ground by two of the men who had accompanied Beckett to the cabin.
“I have the gun, Alpha,” Eli said as he straightened and stepped back, pointing the gun directly at Ethan Webber’s head. “Go ahead and try something, Webber. I would be more than happy to be the one to take you out.”
Ethan looked up at the man holding the gun. He looked like someone he had known a long time ago. He couldn’t quite place him though.
“Do I look familiar to you, Webber?” Eli asked, his deep voice angry. “You should remember me. You followed me and Maxwell when we were meeting our mate. You and your brother held us down while Randall whipped us for daring to love a woman who belonged to a pack that supported triad matings.” He squatted down beside Webber and snarled, his canines dropping as he faced the man who had destroyed their chance for happiness.
Maxwell stepped forward, his eyes flashing golden as he viewed the man who had not only hurt them, but more importantly, had hurt their woman. Because of him, their woman’s mother had beaten her, had destroyed her spirit and had shamed her, and had made her submit and think that she wasn’t worthy of any happiness. He reached out and wrapped his large hand around Webber’s neck, using his powerful grip to inflict a good amount of pain on the man.
“Our mate was hurt because of you,” Maxwell said softly, the coldness in his voice typical of the man he had become. “You deserve to die.”
Jace stood slowly, reaching down to help Simon to his feet. When he saw the blood that stained the left sleeve of Simon’s T-shirt, his stomach clenched with anger.
“You’ve been shot, Simon,” Jace said calmly.
Simon
looked at his arm and shrugged. “I’m fine,” he said curtly.
Jace shook his head and reached out to rip the sleeve off Simon’s shirt. Seeing that the bullet had gone clean through Simon’s arm, he was somewhat relieved. It was a better situation, but not a safe one. Silver was already coursing through the enforcer’s body.
“I want you to get back to pack land right away,” Jace told him. He turned to Warren and looked him over, glad to see that he was uninjured. “Warren, you drive. Take him directly to Drew. Tell him he was shot with a silver bullet. He needs to be taken care of immediately. Call him and tell him you’re on your way.”
“I’m fine, Alpha,” Simon protested, running his hand over his completely white, closely cropped hair.
“You’re not,” Jace stopped him. He returned his gaze to Warren and saw the anger and concern in his blue eyes. “Get him to Drew. Now.”
Warren nodded and reached out to pull Simon’s arm over his shoulder to help the huge man to his truck. “Let’s go, partner,” he said gruffly.
“You just want to drive my truck,” Simon accused him, making him laugh softly.
“Yeah, that’s why,” Warren said sarcastically. “I wouldn’t be able to drive your truck unless you were bleeding from a bullet wound and silver was poisoning your system.” He tugged Simon toward the truck and opened the passenger door, helping him into the cab and slamming the door behind him. “Idiot.”
“Ryker, you and Garrett go with them,” Jace ordered. “Make sure that they allow Drew to treat them both.”
“I’m fine, Alpha,” Warren protested.
Jace growled as he pointed to the blood that was saturating the right thigh of his jeans.”
“Sweet hell,” Jackson swore, stepping toward Warren and reaching up to shred his pants with his morphed hand, easily tearing away the rough material of Warren’s jeans with his claws.
“How bad is it?” Jace asked.
“Another clean shot,” Jackson answered. “You guys are incredibly lucky.”
“Yeah. Real lucky,” Simon muttered, looking at Warren and shaking his head.
“Shift and get into the truck,” Jace ordered. He turned to Garrett and Ryker and saw how the men waited for his direction. “One of you men needs to drive.”
Meeka's Reluctant Mates [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 37