Tempted by the Wolf

by Alicia Montgomery

  “I don’t doubt that,” Meredith replied. She looked at her ankle tracking device. “Hopefully, this thing works, and someone will find us.”

  ***

  “If you were an evil mage, where would you hide out?” Alynna asked to no one in particular. When Grant gave her a smirk, she shrugged. “What? We’ve tried everything. For some reason, we can’t track Meredith’s bracelet. I thought that thing could find her anywhere in the world.”

  “She’s either somewhere that has some sort of electrical interference,” Nick stated. “Or…” He shook his head.

  “She’s alive, I know it,” Daric stated. “Perhaps Stefan found a way to disable it.”

  “He would have to know how the tracking bracelet worked, right?” Jade guessed.

  “If he was using my powers, yes,” Daric said. “But, he has taken many powers over the years, some of which I’d never seen him use. He could be generating the electrical field himself so we can’t track her.”

  “So, we’re back at square one,” Grant said glumly.

  Most of them stayed in Fenrir, trying to figure out where Stefan could be hiding and a plan of attack once they knew where he was holding Meredith, Sebastian, and Zac. It had been hours, and they were all exhausted, but the tension and worry kept them working. Nick had urged Cady to go home, but she remained, saying she was going to be here as soon as they found Zac. The Beta didn’t want to cause his wife further grief, and so he relented. Cady had retired to her office to sleep a while ago, while the rest of them had taken turns resting and eating as they continued to work and plan.

  “I…I…” Jade opened her mouth to speak but shut it. She looked at Daric, and then to Grant. “Excuse me, Alpha, I need to retrieve something in my lab.”

  “Go ahead, Doctor,” Grant nodded.

  The Lycan took one last look at Daric and left the room. Daric’s gut clenched. There was something in Dr. Cross’ eyes and face that unnerved him. There was anguish there, but…something else. A spark or a knowing look. He shook his head. Maybe it was the exhaustion that was making him see things.

  “How about you, Quinn?’ Grant turned his attention to the Lone Wolves. Quinn and Killian were gathered around a laptop, while Connor was a few feet away from them, pacing a hole into the carpet. No one would come near the Lycan, the barely-contained rage surrounding him like a cage.

  “Sorry, Alpha,” Quinn said apologetically. “I’m hooked up to all major law enforcement cameras in the world, searching for a sign of them. I’ve also err…borrowed a couple of satellites to see if we can ping her tracking bracelet, but if something’s interfering with the signal, then there’s not much I can do.”

  “Keep trying, that’s all I ask. Daric,” Grant looked to the warlock. “Do you know any other places Stefan and his cohorts might be hiding?”

  “I’ve given you a list of all the ones I know of,” he said. “Any luck looking into them?”

  The Alpha shook his head. “We’ve used satellite photos, and I’ve called in every favor from every clan I know to check out the sites. Nothing.”

  Daric let out a breath. He wanted to ask the Alpha again to remove the bracelet, but he doubted that he would change his mind. Signe said she saw him use his powers in his vision to rescue Meredith, but how?

  The activity around him continued as they exchanged ideas on how they could find Stefan’s latest hideout. Daric was growing impatient. As each moment passed, who knows what Stefan could be doing to Meredith? No, he mustn't think of that. Meredith was strong, and she would survive.

  Dr. Cross quietly crept back into the office, and everyone was too distracted to see her slink back inside. She closed the door behind her without making a sound and made a beeline for Daric, a determined look on her tired face.

  “Dr. Cross,” he began. “Perhaps you should get some rest? I’m sure Sebastian would not want you tiring yourself out. You must conserve your strength for the fight ahead.”

  The pretty Lycan bit her lip and looked up at him with her light green eyes. “Can you really find them?”

  “What?” he looked at her quizzically.

  “If you could use your powers,” she said, lowering her voice. “Could you find Sebastian and Meredith and Zac?”

  A glint of metal in Jade’s hand caught his attention. It was a small electronic device, one that he had seen before when she removed the old bracelet to put on the new one.

  “I swear,” he whispered back to her. “On the life of my mother and Meredith. I will find all of them and bring them back.”

  “Can I trust you?” she asked.

  “I love her.”

  Jade took a deep breath. “I’m sorry,” she said loudly. “I have to do this.”

  “Jade?” Lara asked as she approached them. “What are you—”

  “It’s the only way!” Jade pressed the keyfob to Daric’s wrist. The metal bracelet snapped open. “Go!” she shouted at Daric.

  “Thank you,” he said gratefully. “I swear, I’ll get them back.” As he looked up, he saw Nick, Liam, Lara, and Connor running towards him, lunging to catch him. But, they were too late. Daric called on his power and disappeared into thin air.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  It seemed like she and Sebastian had been stuck in the cold, dark room for days, but it couldn’t have been more than 12 hours. No one came in and out, but food had magically appeared three times now. Meredith helped Sebastian reposition the chains so he could at least move around, but she couldn’t seem to remove it from his body.

  “You have to eat more,” she told him as she spooned some stew into his mouth. “You’ve only had three bites of each meal. I know it’s not gourmet, but we need to keep our strength up.”

  He turned his head away. “I’m not hungry. You eat it.”

  “Fine.” She took his food and began to eat it. God, she was still hungry. This magical baby in her was hungry all the time and—“Hey!” she stood up. “You’ve been giving me your food because you know I’m eating for two.”

  Sebastian grimaced. “If you’re anything like Jade, not even both our meals are enough for you and your baby.”

  “But you can’t starve yourself for me,” she retorted.

  “I was in the Marines, and I was locked up for a whole month by those monsters who took me and turned me into a beast. Believe me, I’ve survived on less.”

  “Fine, but you’re going to eat at least half of the next meal, ok?”

  “I’ll try,” he assured her.

  Before Meredith could answer, the door suddenly flew open and Stefan stepped inside, followed by Victoria. She got a glimpse of the outside, but not enough to tell her where they were, only that it was dark and the ground was covered in snow. Snow at this time of the year? Where were they?

  Meredith got into a defensive stance, but Stefan laughed. “What are you going to do, she-wolf? You think you can get to me before I obliterate your body into nothing?”

  “You motherfucker! Touch her, and you die!” Sebastian bellowed.

  Stefan let out another cackle. “Ah, the Creed Dragon. Tell me, how do you like your new jewelry? As you may have guessed, this is no ordinary chain. It’s made from silver mined from the Zhobghadi mountains. Though to most people, it may seem like ordinary metal, it’s quite effective at subduing dragon shifters.”

  “Fucking bastard!” Sebastian let out a yell and struggled against the chain, but it only made him drop to his knees in pain.

  “What have you done with Zac, douchebag?” Meredith asked. She turned to Victoria. “Are you going to let this asshole kill your grandson?”

  “Why would I do that?” Stefan asked. “Zachary Vrost comes from the bloodline of the most powerful witches in the world. It's a shame it was tainted with dirty Lycan blood, but I’m sure once we bring him up the proper way, he’ll be useful to us.”

  “You monster!” Meredith cried.

  “Tsk, tsk, don’t worry about it, my dear,” Stefan’s red eyes narrowed into slits. “You won’t
be around to see young Zachary grow up to be my most loyal servant.”

  “Grant Anderson and Nick Vrost will never let that happen!” Meredith declared. “You know Nick would burn the world down to get his son back.”

  “They will never find you,” Stefan declared. He stared at the bracelet on her ankle. “I’ve disabled the tracking device on your little toy. Oh, don’t worry, it’ll still explode if you try to remove it or change into your Lycan form, but your precious clan will never find you.”

  “I swear, Stefan,” Sebastian said in a deadly voice. “When I get out of here, I’m going to burn you alive, you motherfucker.”

  “Once I figure out how to use the control spell on you,” Stefan began. “You’ll burn the entire New York clan alive. Including your pretty little mate.”

  Sebastian let out a rage-filled scream and stood up, struggling against the chains. With a wave of Stefan’s hand, Sebastian disappeared into thin air.

  “Where did you send him?” Meredith lunged at Stefan, but he swatted her away like a fly. Her body went flying across the room, hitting the wall.

  “I don’t think so, she-wolf,” he sneered. “You will be my prisoner until the day you die. Should Daric or the Alpha try to rescue you, I will kill you before they can get to you. I’m going to enjoy watching my former protégé suffer as you die slowly in front of him.”

  Meredith felt a metallic taste in her mouth, and she spat out blood. “Not if the Lycans kill you first.”

  Stefan laughed. “Really now? Let’s see how you feel when you see this.” He opened the door of the cabin with a wave of his hand.

  Meredith’s eyes widened as she looked outside. The knot in her stomach grew, and though she hated to admit it, they were in serious trouble.

  ***

  Daric cursed as he walked through the empty halls of the Spanish-style villa hidden deep in the Andorran mountains. This was the sixth hideout he’d been to in the last couple of hours, and still no sign of Stefan or the other mages. It was a long shot that the master mage would actually be in one of the places Daric knew about. But still, he had hoped that he could find at least some clue as to where Stefan would be holed up.

  Regaining the use of his powers brought him some relief and satisfaction. He had missed being able to flex his magical muscles, and he had forgotten how convenient it was to simply move from place to place using his powers, or create food or drink he wanted. Right now, though, it seemed so empty. Before, his powers made him feel like a God. There was nothing in this world he couldn’t have or create. But this time, he was without the one thing he really wanted—no, needed. The need to hold Meredith in his arms and know she and their child was safe was consuming him. The thoughts of what Stefan could do to her or could be doing to her was driving him mad, and he had to stop every few hours to control his emotions. No, Meredith needed him to be calm and smart. To keep searching.

  He walked around the villa some more, trying to collect his thoughts. As he sat on one of the crumbling stone benches in the garden, he stared at the wildflowers that were now overtaking the once-pristine grounds. Wildflowers. If he closed his eyes, he could almost smell Meredith’s scent that reminded him so much of his home.

  Home.

  Daric’s eyes flew open. Lara Chatraine’s words came back to him.

  If you search far back enough, you’ll find him.

  Not search far enough. Search far back enough.

  Daric shot to his feet. Stefan wasn’t talking about distance. He was talking about time. Realization swept over him, and he realized what the mage meant. With a wave of his hand, his street clothes turned into a heavy winter jacket, and his leather shoes became snow boots. He closed his eyes again, imagining the long-forgotten fishing village on the fjord. A chill crept over him, and when he opened his eyes, he was standing on the hill that overlooked his childhood home.

  It was twilight, even though it was early yet, as this time of the year, days were much shorter. Overhead, the spectacular northern lights began to appear, illuminating the night sky. That posed a problem. The Aurora Borealis, though beautiful, also quickly drained the powers of blessed witches and warlocks. It was one of the reasons his parents decided to move to the village. During the evenings, at least, Signe could have some rest from her visions of the future, while he and his father could still practice their magic during the day or when they stayed outside of the village. Right now, high up in the valley, he could still feel his powers working, but he knew once he went down, he would feel the effects of the Aurora Borealis like a heavy curtain covering him. It would take more concentration and strength for him to use his powers, and he could be sapped after a few spells. But why would Stefan choose such a place where he would be vulnerable during the long nights?

  As Daric walked closer to the edge of the hill and peered down into the valley, he realized why. Among the rundown cottages of his old village, was Stefan’s army. There were maybe a hundred or so men scattered about and even through the curtain of northern lights he could feel the dark magic controlling their minds. Stefan’s top lieutenants were there, too, about twenty mages in total and Daric knew his best puppeteers would be hidden somewhere where they could see and control the humans, but not be exposed to attack. And lastly, he saw Stefan’s first line of defense—about twenty or so full-grown Lycan wolves chained up to posts around the village. Stefan must have figured out how to modify the spell that controlled the humans to work on the Lone Wolves. Being dark magic, the spell didn’t seem to be affected by the northern lights, as both the human and Lycan slaves remained eerily calm and still.

  Daric considered his options. He could sneak in, search the huts until he found Meredith, Sebastian, and Zachary Vrost and transport them back to Fenrir. Of course, that meant he could only go to the places he could remember in his mind—his old home and the public areas around the village, which meant he’d be spotted right away. Also, with the northern lights disrupting his powers, he wasn’t sure he’d have enough magical reserves to transport everyone and fight off the mages, humans, and Lone Wolves. With dawn still a few hours away, he’d have to wait and then that would mean Stefan would also have full control and capacity of his powers. He hated to admit it, but toe-to-toe, he was no match for the master mage. Stefan had acquired too many powers and too much magic over the years and Daric had always suspected that the mage was holding back.

  He knew what he had to do. It was a risk, but he had no other choice. He needed an army to fight Stefan and get Meredith back. He closed his eyes and focused on his next destination.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Having been to Grant Anderson’s office several times now, transporting there was an easy task. He just had to make sure he picked a spot that was clear of furniture or other people, lest he accidentally appear inside a sofa or table (not the most pleasant thing in the world) or another person (definitely unpleasant and unsurvivable for both parties.) He decided that just outside the office would be best, as he guessed the Alpha’s office would be filled with people.

  As he appeared in the Fenrir executive offices’ waiting room, Grant’s admin Jared jumped out of his seat in surprise. “My apologies,” he said, nodding to the frightened Lycan. He strode to the door that led into Grant’s office and walked in.

  He expected the different reactions, of course, and even anticipated their anger. Connor and Nick immediately attacked him, and though he was tempted to simply swat them away, he knew he deserved their anger.

  “Get them off him!” Jade pleaded to the others.

  Nick managed to land a punch, which was a surprise, but Daric supposed it was a long time coming. Connor, on the other hand, wrapped his gigantic arms around him, restraining him and bringing him down to his knees.

  “Did you find them? Where’s Sebastian?” Jade asked as she rushed to his side.

  Daric raised his head slowly. “I did find them.”

  “And?” The Lycan’s green eyes searched his face. “Are they alive? Did you get them?�
��

  He shook his head. “I couldn’t. Not by myself.”

  While the rest of the Lycans and witches looked on, Grant stood up from his chair and walked over to him. “Well, warlock? Did you change your mind? Did you want that bracelet back on?”

  “I’m sorry for disappearing like that,” he said apologetically. “I know I broke your trust, but I had no choice. Please don’t punish Dr. Cross for doing what she thought was right.”

  “Dr. Cross has been properly chastised,” Grant replied, his eyes flickering over to the Lycan scientist. “But, you said you found them? Why didn’t you bring them back right away?”

  “If you could kindly ask Connor to let me go, I can explain,” Daric said patiently. “We have no time to lose,” he added when he saw the hesitation on Grant’s face.

  “Let him go, Connor,” Grant ordered.

  The Lycan grunted but released Daric quickly. The warlock dropped to the ground unceremoniously but quickly got up. As he brushed himself off, he felt all the eyes in the room on him.

  “Well?” Grant asked.

  He took a deep breath. “I know where they are. Stefan has been hiding out in my old village in Norway.” Daric explained to them what he had seen and what Stefan had done to ensure that Daric couldn’t just sneak in and transport his prisoners away.

  “We need to attack now,” Nick said. “While Stefan himself is vulnerable.”

  “But that’s why he chose that place,” Lara pointed out. “He’s only temporarily vulnerable. The northern lights should only affect his blessed powers. Being blood magic, the controlling spell seems to be unaffected if his puppet masters still have a hold over the humans and Lycans.”

  “We need to help the Lone Wolves,” Killian added. “If they’re under some kind of spell, then you know they’re innocent.”