A Wolf's Quest

by Hannah Steenbock

  It seemed that all of us were now in various stages of upset. I could tell that Ben was holding back on his grief for my sake.

  “He died well,” Ben added, with just a tiny crack in his voice.

  Beth took a deep breath and stood. “There is a farm we run, up and out of the valley. I don’t think Theo knows about it. I want you both there tonight.”

  “We can take Sylvie’s car. It shouldn’t sit in the parking lot here anyway, just in case.” Ben’s voice was steady again.

  “I agree.”

  “They don’t know where I am. I didn’t tell them about the hike,” I said, trying to help. “But I packed everything, I had planned on leaving today.”

  “So Theo knows you were leaving?”

  “They will have to check my room to be certain, but yes, they will know tonight at the latest, since I won’t have cooked dinner for them.”

  Beth frowned again. “They?”

  “Theo and Eric, my cousin. They expected me do the housework. I didn’t visit to become their maid, so I decided to cut my stay short.”

  She snorted at that. “I’m beginning to like you, Sylvia.”

  I managed a smile. “Thank you.”

  “Now. You two get yourself off to Ben’s apartment. Your bond needs privacy. I’ll send someone with food.”

  I could feel Ben relax immensely. “Thank you, Beth.”

  “At sunset, you leave.”

  “Yes,” we said, once again in unison, and Beth shook her head with a smile.

  Chapter 11

  Ben

  Beth escorted us to Sylvia’s car in person, which was a huge honor. I gently settled Sylvia into the passenger seat and Beth entered the location of the farm into the GPS system herself.

  “Now, you won’t have reception up there, but they do have a landline. Call us when you get there. They are expecting you.”

  I nodded. “Thank you again, Beth. I’m more than grateful that you’re protecting us.”

  She smiled and there was that twinkle in her eyes again. “You know, I don’t mind getting the better of Theo. Get going and be safe.”

  “We will be.” To my surprise, she opened her arms, and I hugged her. She was stronger than she looked, and I smiled to myself.

  Yes, my father had sent us to the right place.

  I got into the driver’s seat and adjusted the seating, then reached out to put a hand on Sylvia's thigh. She smiled at me, and my heart melted.

  We had spent those hours in my apartment snuggled in bed, just holding and kissing each other, and it had been wonderful.

  And taking Sylvia to safety was even better.

  I hadn’t driven a car in a while, but hers was small and easy to handle. Soon, we were gliding along on the road, heading north and west, and every mile we put between Asheton and Theo felt good. The GPS made it even easier, and I had to admit that it wasn’t just a toy to sell new cars. It warned me with plenty of time to get the exit we needed, and then it led me to pick a road that wound up the mountain in many turns.

  There was a car behind us, the headlights showing clearly in the dark.

  It followed us, not closely, and I didn’t waste much thought on it, since there was no way the driver could overtake us. It was difficult enough to make all those turns keeping the car going smoothly, and suddenly I realized I wanted to impress Sylvia with my driving.

  I almost laughed out loud at that insight and relaxed. She was quiet, letting me drive and trusting me, which filled my heart with even more love.

  We were clearly bonding, there was no doubt about it anymore, especially as Beth had already acknowledged it. I would have more explaining to do but it could wait until we got to safety.

  The car behind us came closer until the headlights blinded me. I turned the mirror down, but they were still uncomfortably close.

  “It’s Theo,” Sylvia said suddenly, with fear lacing her voice.

  I couldn’t risk looking into the mirror, I needed my sight for the road.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. And Eric.” At that moment, the car behind us ran into hers, very deliberately, bumping us.

  Sylvia’s breath caught and I felt my hands grip the wheel harder.

  They were driving that big, black truck with a large cattle bar. I sped up, knowing it wasn’t safe. With a bit of luck, this little car could handle the turns better, though.

  But I couldn’t lead them to Beth’s hidden farm.

  They stayed close, trying to get at us again, but I managed to speed up to avoid them.

  Sylvia was gripping the handle above the door, gritting her teeth. I admired her for her determination.

  The tires squealed on the next turn and the car drifted a little. I gritted my teeth, as well, knowing I was driving at the limit of my ability.

  They bumped us again when I had to slow down for a hairpin curve.

  We were getting closer to the farm, so I leaned on the horn, hoping they would notice something, hoping to warn them.

  More curves, and then a stretch of straight road, although I could see the next curve ahead.

  I accelerated, but they were faster. I tried to keep the little car in the middle of the road, trying to not let them catch up, but the massive truck thundered closer anyway and then Theo rammed the little car with full force, hitting the left rear corner, slewing us around.

  I hit the brakes and gripped the wheel but it was too late. Sylvia's little car spun off the road, tipped over the shoulder and tumbled into the dark forest.

  Metal screeched, glass shattered, and all I could do was to pull my arms in tight and protect my head. The seat belts tightened painfully and the airbags blew with a massive bang.

  The car rolled twice and then slammed into a tree or two, coming to a rest at an angle.

  Wolf fury filled me and I heard myself growl, even as I turned off the ignition and opened the seat belt so I could lean over to Sylvia.

  She looked at me with her teeth bared, in matching fury. The dust of the airbags covered her face and made her look even more feral.

  Yes, we were bonding, and that gave me a moment of wild joy. It grew when I saw she was basically unharmed.

  “You need to run, Ben. They will come after us, and they will kill you. I may get the benefit of doubt.”

  Her voice was calm and clear, and I loved her even more for that.

  Her plan was sound. I leaned over to kiss her.

  “Will you be all right?”

  “Yes. I just can’t run with that ankle, and I will need you to rescue me. Go and get help.” Her lips twisted at that. And then she told me Theo’s street address in the same calm voice.

  I couldn’t help admiring her. I stole one last quick kiss, kicked out the windshield and crawled out of the wrecked car.

  “There he is!” someone shouted, and I thought I recognized Eric’s voice.

  I ducked and ran, doing my best to avoid the car’s headlights and the strong floodlight one of them carried. A shot rang out, and I knew my chances of escaping were getting slimmer. I ran downhill and to one side, and when Silvia screamed, I paused and looked back, and the floodlight caught up with me.

  Another shot rang out and a mighty fist slammed into my shoulder, knocking me off my feet.

  The flash of pain was next, and my vision dimmed, even as I forced myself to keep rolling, to avoid being an easy target, all wolf senses screaming.

  I tumbled into a tree, feeling two ribs break and that pain was so much that I lost the grip on reality for a few heartbeats.

  Sylvia was still screaming, cursing, fighting them, causing chaos, and she was magnificent, doing her best to distract them and letting me get away.

  One of them was methodically searching the forest with his strong light, however, and just as the beam was about to hit me, I managed to roll behind that tree, to curl up in the hollow below its roots and lie there, panting, in pain and close to blacking out.

  Chapter 12

  Sylvia

  “
Got him.”

  The deep satisfaction in Theo’s voice made me shudder. I hid my fear for Ben by yelling at them, made myself scream with everything I had, trying to drown out any sounds Ben might be making.

  Because I had seen him tumble, had seen him fall out of the cone of light from Eric’s floodlight.

  Theo had shot my love, and I hated him for it with intense fury.

  Now I had to make sure they had their hands full with me so they wouldn’t have time to hunt Ben down. So they wouldn’t get a trophy video of his death. My heart twisted at that thought.

  I crawled out of the car, that ankle be damned. As I had hoped, Theo ran over to me, intent on catching me, slinging his gun on his back.

  “No, you’re not getting away, you bitch!”

  Something shifted inside me at his crass curse. This was no longer my Grandpa. This was the enemy. I screamed at him, although I wanted to snarl and growl.

  Was I connecting to Ben’s wolf?

  If so, Theo must never know, because then he would kill me on the spot.

  I got my feet under me and ran uphill, mildly surprised that my ankle didn’t bother me, until I stepped on a dead branch and it twisted again.

  With another scream, I fell, still intent on drawing both Theo’s and Eric’s attention on me.

  Eric reached me first.

  “Easy, Cuz, it’s us, easy!”

  His words made no sense at all. I slapped away his hands when he tried to grab my wrists and scrambled uphill again, pain be damned. If I reached their truck first, I could drive away in it.

  And leave them behind to hunt Ben.

  No. That plan wouldn’t work. But maybe I could make them think that it was my plan, and buy more time for Ben.

  If he was still alive. That tumble had looked bad.

  I could not allow myself to doubt him, I realized. I called up my fury and slapped away Eric’s hands again.

  “Sylvia! We want to help you!” he yelled, and I finally understood what Theo must have told him.

  “Leave me alone!” I screamed at him, and he actually hesitated.

  Theo did not.

  He grabbed me around the waist, and I screamed some more and twisted out of his grip. I allowed myself to fall and roll downhill for a distance.

  Theo cursed and ran after me, grabbing me again. I clung to a tree, locking my arms around it as he pulled at me.

  “For God’s sake, Sylvia!”

  “I’m not going back with you!”

  “You will!”

  Our shouting match went on, and he kept pulling at my jacket, until it tore. I found some satisfaction in resisting him, knowing that he would take me to his house in the end, but making it as hard as possible.

  “Sylvia, please.” Eric was begging me, and I thought I could hear a sob in his voice. “Please, don’t fight us. We really want the best for you.”

  “You just want a maid!” I screamed at him, and he actually took a step back.

  “That’s where women belong,” Theo roared. “In the kitchen!”

  I kicked him as hard as a could, and he cursed me even more. Could I hold out long enough for Ben to bring help?

  I saw his fall in my memory and knew I couldn’t expect him to.

  “I know exactly why Mom moved away!” I yelled back, and the shock on his face was visible even in the low light from my dying car.

  “How dare you,” he growled.

  “Because you will always hold women back!” I screamed, trying not to give away Beth’s secret, and the look of relief on his face would have been comical if I hadn’t know the real reason.

  I kept up the screaming, fighting both glee and shock that he had practically admitted to killing my aunt.

  Where was Ben?

  “Eric, hold her!”

  When Theo let me go, I ducked and scrambled uphill again, evading Eric’s hands. Theo uttered another string of curses, this time aimed at Eric.

  I kept struggling upwards, even as Theo reached me. Something hard hid my head, and my legs went out from under me. A moment later, Theo had picked me up and thrown me over his shoulder, in an amazing show of strength.

  The dizziness left quickly, and I returned to struggling and screaming, although my throat was getting raw.

  Surely Ben must have gotten away by now?

  I grabbed Theo’s cap and slapped him in the face with it, and he cursed again. A few steps later, he threw me on the ground and knelt on my arm.

  “Now cut it out. I’m having enough of this.” He lashed out with his fist, but I moved my head away and he slammed it into the ground.

  “Grandpa, no!” Eric grabbed his arm, and Theo violently lashed out at him. Eric fell and rolled down the hill for a short distance.

  I was still looking at my shocked cousin when Theo struck again, and this time, he hit me.

  The world turned dark for a few moments, and when I could see again, Theo had me over his shoulder again and was opening the door of his black truck.

  I grabbed the frame, determined to fight him for as long as I could, screaming at the top of my voice. My face throbbed where he had hit me, and I felt my eye swelling shut. Yes, it hurt, but it was nothing compared to the pain I felt when Ben had gotten shot.

  Theo punched me in the face again, and when I gasped in shock, he threw me into the truck’s cabin.

  “Eric, get in here!”

  I kicked him when he tried to climb into the driver’s seat and he grabbed my injured ankle. I screamed in pain, pulling m legs in, and he slipped into place. From under the dashboard he pulled out zip ties and even though I struggled and fought, he had me bound quickly, ankles, knees and my hands behind my back. I could tell it wasn’t the first time he had done this.

  “Eric, hold her down, dammit! Don’t be such a wuss!”

  My cousin gave me a pleading look but he pulled me into his arms and held me even as I squirmed and kicked as much as I could.

  The zip ties were so tight they hurt and just straining against them with my wrists cut my skin. I gave up on that quickly.

  Theo started the truck, turned it on the narrow road and sped down the mountain, back into the valley.

  There was no point in fighting anymore and I leaned against Eric, trembling with fury, exhaustion and fear for Ben.

  He was out there, badly hurt, alone in that forest, and there was nothing I could do for him.

  Normally, I would have cried, especially as reaction set in, but I didn’t want to give Theo that satisfaction. So I kept quiet, nursed my fury and decided to fight again when I had a chance of getting away.

  “Sylvia.” Eric’s voice was low, almost a whisper. “Please. They bewitched you. We’re just rescuing you. Believe me.”

  Oh yes, Ben had bewitched me, in the best of all ways. Of course, Eric believed Theo, he had no better information, had been raised inside my grandfather’s hate.

  “You’re wrong,” I just said, knowing he wouldn’t believe me.

  Eric sighed and lifted my legs in a more comfortable position, and I was grateful for small mercies.

  “And from now on,” Theo growled. “You will obey me.”

  I had no intention of doing so.

  Chapter 13

  Ben

  Sylvia was still screaming, and her voice and her need penetrated my pain as I huddled below that tree. I had to help her, but how?

  My wolf beckoned to me, whispered to me, although it took me a while to realize that shifting would actually be a good idea. I could move much more stealthily in that shape, and my injured shoulder wound would be less debilitating.

  And there was nothing I had to carry, as my backpack was in the wreck of Sylvia's car. At least it hadn’t gone up in flames.

  I breathed through the pain of my broken ribs, called the wolf, bathed in its fury, and the change hit almost instantly. The pain diminished, held in check by the anger I felt at those two men who had dared to attack me and my mate.

  My… mate.

  I needed to rescue
her.

  It didn’t take long to wiggle out of my torn clothes. My shoulder still burned and I could smell the blood, but it mattered less.

  Sylvia was still fighting, screaming, making it hard for Theo and Eric to get her into their truck. I was so proud of her. Silently, I ran up the hill at a distance, racing for the road, fury dimming the pain of my ribs.

  That huge, black truck was parked up there, the large flat bed open, headlights still on.

  It was a surprise that no other car had passed yet, but this was a remote road in the middle of the mountains. And it was late, most likely after midnight, and any self-respecting farmer was long in bed.

  I sniffed the truck. It was fairly new. I needed to find a way to free Sylvia, but fighting those two was not going to happen, not while Theo had his gun.

  Maybe I could ride with them.

  Something inside me laughed at that idea and I shifted back into human shape. My shoulder throbbed and the pain in my ribs almost made me double over when I pushed myself to my feet. Stepping onto the foot rest at the back of the truck, I pulled my self up and over the edge, dropping into the bed. Immediately, I shifted back into the wolf, fleeing the pain of my poor, weak human body.

  A tool box was lashed into the truck bed, just behind the cabin. I snuggled into the nook between it and the wall of the bed, hoping that they would not check for a hidden passenger.

  Sylvia was still screaming, her voice getting hoarse, and then I heard a fist smacking into a body, and my fury burned even higher. My lips lifted to bare my canines and I growled under my breath.

  How dare he hurt my mate?

  I quickly pushed the wolf back just a little. I needed stealth here, and less fury.

  Not much later, I could hear the scrabble when they tossed Sylvia into the cabin, and crouched low. Theo shouted something, and then my mate went quiet, giving up the struggle.

  The doors slammed shut, the truck’s engine started, and Theo turned around on the road.

  They had not noticed me.

  I wedged myself into my corner, put my head on my paws and closed my eyes. For the duration of the ride, I would let my body heal as much as it could.