by Cara Carnes
Ryker didn’t do soft justice, never had. Never would.
Charles dead, guilty of harming the pack, would destroy Dani.
If, by some miracle, Charles was innocent, a cold-blooded killer still threatened the pack. Dani. Everyone and everything Thane held dear.
A growl rose in the air ahead. Thane halted, aware the wait had ended. Charles snarled and prowled in a semicircle a couple hundred yards away.
“Oh, Charles.” The whispered melancholy silenced the wolf before them.
Dried blood caked with debris and grime covered his entire face and what Thane could see of his torso. Untended wounds seeped along his throat and legs. A slight limp slowed him when he headed toward them in a crouched, ready-to-strike position.
Thane summoned his shift, too aware of the defenseless Dani behind him. He admired the fact she hadn’t run straight to him. Then again, the filthy wolf before them wasn’t the brother she knew, and loved. That man had been lost, either by the insanity that’d ended their father’s life or by the loss of his mate.
Either way, Charles no longer existed and the still woman behind him must have sensed the fact. For her sake, Thane intended to go easy on the wolf slowly edging toward him.
Talking down a feral wolf wasn’t an option, and there was zero doubt Charles had gone over the edge. First strike went to him, a lumbering attack impeded by his weakened limbs. Thane nipped one of the gaping wounds. He yelped and rolled. They separated.
“Don’t!” Dani ran toward them. Thane growled and moved to stand in front of her. “Thane, please. Don’t hurt him. He’s my brother.”
The woman had no sense of self-preservation when someone she loved was in jeopardy. Charles halted his growling. Ears flicked forward and head canted to the side, the wolf listened, as though recognizing something.
No. Someone.
Dani. Charles hadn’t gone so feral as to forget his instinct—protect and care for his little sister. Thane shifted to human form and looked down at the lost soul trapped in a hell no one could imagine.
What would he feel if he lost Dani?
“I’m bringing you in, Charles. Ryker has a lot of questions.” Opting for a positive spin, he hedged the truth. “We’re having problems figuring out who to hunt down. The pack needs you, man.”
A rumbled response offered little hope. The man focused on Dani as she maneuvered around Thane. Tears ran down her cheeks. Hands raised, she continued forward.
“Charles? I really need you to listen to Thane. He’s trying to help you, and I don’t trust anyone else right now.” She sniffled and swiped at her face. “You’re our only hope to figuring out what happened that night.”
He growled and Thane grabbed her arm and pulled her back a few steps.
“Dammit, Dani, we had an agreement.”
“You never said you’d hurt him.”
“Sweetheart, how did you think I’d get him to come in? Ferals don’t lie down and obey. You knew we’d fight.”
“That doesn’t mean I was ready to see the two men I love ripping each other’s fur out!”
His heart thudded, his wolf howled. She loved him?
Charles growled and angled toward them. Yeah, her brother still wasn’t a fan, even when feral. Thane acted quickly, drawing her close and kissing her with years of passion he’d held back. When he broke away, her labored breaths matched his.
Her expressive gaze studied him. He faced Charles.
“You want to rip me into tiny chunks like you did Clyve back there? Go ahead. I’m right here, Charles. Man up and fight like a man, not a feral wolf who can’t even stand up straight.”
“Thane!” Dani pounded on his back. “Charles, he’s just worried about you. We all are. You have to come with us. It’s not safe out here. You need the pack, we both do.”
She swayed.
“I swear by all that’s holy, if she passes out or has an episode because of you, I’ll spread you across pack lands in so many pieces Ryker’s descendants will be finding evidence of you centuries from now.” Thane’s voice rose when Charles growled. “Try me. You know how far I’ll go to keep her safe.”
A small gasp fractured the silence, but he kept his attention locked on the wolf pacing and snarling. Back and forth. Back and forth. He paused a few times to shake his head.
“He’s trying to keep me safe, but I’m making it real difficult for him. See, I was supposed to stay in Los Lobos as he went searching for you. I couldn’t just sit around while you were out here. You’ve always been the one keeping me safe, making the pain go away.”
She stepped forward. Every protective instinct in Thane screamed for him to react—drag her back—but he remained still, watching. Preparing a strike if necessary. The Charles he’d known years ago would never hurt Dani, but the agitated beast cornered against a mountainside wasn’t the man he once was.
“I still remember the day Thane left, not because the pain gutted me. It did. What I remember most was sitting on the boulder he and I always shared, the one I thought so secret no one would ever know it existed. I wanted to die or crawl into a corner and sleep for an eternity.”
The statement rattled Thane. He’d hurt her worse than he’d expected. How would he ever make the pain go away?
Charles halted his pacing and canted his head to the side as he sat on his haunches. Listening.
“I must’ve fallen asleep because I remember waking with strong arms wrapped around me, lifting me. For a heartbeat, I thought he’d come back to me then I scented you, and I shattered into a million more little pieces. I knew Thane wouldn’t ever come back. I’d never be carried in his arms ever again.
“You carried me all the way home without a word. Took me up the stairs, covered me, and kissed my forehead the way Mom always did when I was a little girl.” Dani swiped at her watery cheeks and sniffed. “Do you remember what you said to me when you finally spoke?”
Charles whimpered and settled fully on his belly with a mournful expression.
“I can’t take the pain away, but I won’t leave your side until you navigate the darkness. Don’t shut me out. Let me be your light, the reason you keep going.” She laughed. “It was the cheesiest shit and exactly what I needed. So I’ll skip to the end, Charles. Don’t shut me out. Let me be your light, the reason you keep going.”
Charles whined. Dani moved toward him and, even though Thane loathed the idea of her approaching, he realized no force of nature could stop her. She settled on her knees beside Charles and swept her hand along his neck.
“Sweetheart, you can’t touch him. There could be evidence.”
She gave him a look but pulled her hand away.
“I can’t imagine how much you ache, Charles. My loss wasn’t nearly as horrid as yours. Sonya loved you with her entire heart. She wouldn’t want you running away, isolating yourself from life.” Her fingers glided gently over his raw wounds. “You’re hurt and so devastated you probably don’t even feel the pain. Please, let us help you.”
Thane watched in shock as Charles shifted. The man was disheveled and torn up everywhere. His scraggly brown hair fell over his eyes in stringy clumps. Tears slid through the grime along his cheeks.
“She’s dead, Dani. She’s dead.”
“I know, honey. I’m so, so sorry.” She wrapped her arms around her brother and rocked gently as he howled mournful grief Thane felt deep in his own soul. He stood sentry as the two cried and rocked, neither saying anything. Probably because no words could end the soul-wrenching pain.
Dani sang softly, her sweet voice barely audible over the pelting sleet gently striking them. Each note lessened the howling rage from the man she held closely. By the time the lullaby ended, Charles slept. Head lolled against her shoulder, mouth open, he was out cold.
“Obviously, it runs in the family,” Thane commented.
“He probably hasn’t slept at all.” Dani looked up when he approached. “Neither have you. What do we do? I don�
��t have the heart to wake him.”
“He’s injured and covered in evidence I’m not willing to jeopardize. Stay here with him. I’ll build something to pull him back.”
“That’s a long way, Thane.” She eyed her brother. “I can help.”
The offer made him smile. They both knew there was no way she was dragging her brother’s massive body down the mountain. He leaned down and captured her lips in an all-too-brief kiss. “Later, when we have him sorted, we’re having a long conversation.”
The visible swallow and her widened gaze made his heart turn over. “Remember what I said earlier, sweetheart. I’m not leaving. After all I’ve heard since then, not even Ryker could get me away from you now.”
Chapter Seven
A melancholy shroud more reminiscent of Magnum’s era held Los Lobos in a chokehold. The makeshift travois didn’t work very well. Finding a material to stretch across limbs in the middle of nowhere proved almost impossible. Somehow Thane managed, and he hadn’t uttered a single complaint. He hadn’t said much of anything, which concerned Dani.
“Where are we headed?”
“Last I heard, all this stuff was being handled out at the barn.”
Dani halted. “The barn.”
“Yeah, it isn’t like we have a jail or anything, and we need something defensible and away from the centralized pack. I’d haul him out to Ryker, but I’m thinking that’s not wise.” Thane paused and repositioned his hands. Blood from broken welts coated his palms. “The barn’s all I can think of.”
“Then think of somewhere else, dammit. You’ll drag him to the barn over your bloody, mauled carcass.” She punched his chest and glared. “Use your brain, Thane. If I was the one dead in a barn and you found me, and then went feral because of it, would you really want some dominant, insensitive ass who finds you bringing you back there for questioning?”
His jaw twitched and he had the decency to look away. “Clearly I wasn’t thinking.”
“Clearly.” She crossed her arms. “We’ll take him to the old homestead. It’s not mine, exactly, but I’ll declare squatter’s rights since whoever bought it hasn’t bothered moving in.”
“You don’t know who bought it?”
She shrugged, the pain too new. It’d only been a few weeks since the sale had finalized. “I didn’t ask. Seeing someone else in a home I couldn’t keep in my bloodline would hurt badly enough without shaking their hand and wishing them luck. It’s a small, small town. I’m happy they’ll live a happy life there, but it was supposed to be mine.” Ours.
“If it meant so much, why did you sell?”
“Upkeep. Money. Acceptance.” She sighed heavily. “The reasons change depending on my mindset. Honestly, it needs serious work I don’t have the money or resources to pull off alone. Sure, Charles would’ve helped but he had….”
Emotion clogged her throat.
“I thought you’d decided to break the cycle, cut out the hurt caused there.”
He’d always been too astute. “I’m thinking the middle of the road in front of Gee’s Bar isn’t the place to have this conversation, Thane. If you haven’t noticed, everyone’s looking at us like we’re Will Smith dragging the alien in Independence Day.”
He blinked.
“Seriously? You haven’t seen Independence Day?”
He shook his head and smirked. Her belly fluttered.
“Well, consider yourself warned. Kinsey loves her some Will Smith, so she’ll be hooking you up with his movies, whether you want them or not. They’re old, but they’re classic.” She looked up at him. “We’ll make popcorn. A date.”
He leaned in and kissed her lips. Pleasure coursed through her even though he chuckled and pulled away.
“You think a date with me is funny?”
“No, sweetheart. I find you believing I’m down with a human I don’t know hanging around during our first date since I got back hilarious as hell.” Her insides swooshed. “The only thing I’m watching on our first date is the sexy look on your face when you come on my cock.”
Heat rose in her cheeks. Embarrassed, she glanced around at the pack crowding in front of Gee’s. The massive bear shifter stood off to the side, attention focused on Charles, who still slept soundlessly.
Thane’s statement made her wish they could forget the trouble awaiting them wherever they landed. But, like a bad omen, Ryker appeared in the middle of the road, flanked by a couple of dominants.
“Stay behind me,” Thane said.
Dani stood beside the travois, guarding Charles from prying eyes as best she could. She’d give anything for a blanket, something to cover him with. She and her brother hadn’t been tight with many of the pack, had preferred to live somewhat secluded, but she’d expected a bit more common decency. Staring was rude.
“Stop growling, Dani. They have every right to stare. The only reason we aren’t being outright mauled by some of them is because of Ryker. Keep quiet and stay behind me. We’ll be out of town soon enough.”
Arguing the finer points of his statements in the center of town wasn’t a good idea, so she remained silent. She seethed and tried staring down Ryker as he and the dominants approached. She should remember their names, but so many had come and gone the past few months, she’d given up keeping track.
“Dragging his carcass through town is ballsy. Stupid, but ballsy.” Ryker paced around Thane and glared down at Charles. “Pretty sure I said alive.”
“He’s alive. Very little of that’s my doing, if you give a damn.”
Ryker’s gaze swept across Thane’s ratty and bloody clothing. “He put you through the wringer. You’ve grown soft since you left the pack.”
“It wasn’t Charles,” Dani gritted out through clenched teeth. Fisting her hands at her sides, she forced her head down.
“You have something to add to this conversation?” Ryker asked her.
She shuffled toward Thane. The urge to remain silent under the intensity in Ryker’s voice warred with the familial protectiveness. She couldn’t imagine the stress, the monumental effort keeping the pack together he accepted without question. Truth was the enforcer terrified the shit out of her.
“The middle of town isn’t the place for conversation,” Thane stated. “Unless you have a better location, I’m taking Charles to their family homestead.”
“Remote. Obvious, yet unexpected. Fine.” Ryker motioned toward one of the men who’d arrived to stand behind Thane. “Colt will cart him over.”
“I’m not leaving my brother.”
“You’re in a lot of trouble already, Dani. Don’t add to it,” Ryker growled.
She took a few steps back reflexively. Thane was there, in front of her. Staring at Ryker. She tugged on his shirt. “Don’t, please. It’s not worth it.”
“I’m saying this once for everyone to hear. Mess with Dani, mess with me. I respect you as Enforcer. But I’ve been trekking through pack lands, hunting rogues, and chasing human hunters while trying to find a man I’m pretty damn sure isn’t guilty of the shit you think. So, with all possible respect, back off of my woman and save whatever shit you have to address with her until you can have a private conversation.”
Rage wafted off the enforcer as he stepped into Thane’s personal space. “Not many have the balls to get in my face, especially now.”
“She’s been through enough. Take up your problems with me.”
Colt stood to their side, as if ready to intervene if needed. Her pulse pounded in her ears and her vision tunneled until tiny spots appeared. She stood on wobbly legs.
“Thane.”
Strong arms caught her, but it took a while to realize they belonged to Ryker, not Thane. Blackness assailed her.
Thane reached for her, but Ryker gave her to Colt.
“Make sure she’s okay. Have a healer check her out then take her home.”
“We’ll need her when he wakes. She calms him.” Thane forced back the possessiveness cla
wing his insides. Colt looked like he’d drop her in an instant if given half a chance. Mated males—especially the ones with feisty women waiting for them at home—didn’t like handling other females.
“How is Drew?” Thane asked.
Colt shook his head.
“No change,” Ryker said. “Bring her.”
“What’s her deal?” Colt asked.
“Genetic response to stress. Once she got through to Charles’s feral side, he was out. Hasn’t roused once, and it was a bumpy ride for him.”
They headed toward Dani’s homestead. The only reason he hadn’t taken her away from Colt was because she’d want him caring for Charles.
“You mentioned trespassers.”
“Clyve and a couple of other shifters brought human hunters onto pack lands. They were looking for prime wolves for a collector of some kind.”
Ryker grunted. “I’ll dispatch some extra people for the perimeter.”
“Good idea, but they’re handled.”
“Must’ve been tough, handling them with a woman at risk,” Colt commented.
“It wasn’t the first time I made tough calls, probably won’t be the last.”
They fell into an awkward silence when they arrived at the homestead. The small cabin-like home hadn’t changed much. The wood creaked louder; the holes exposed more light than he remembered. Square shaped shifts in color, all of assorted sizes, spotted the bare wall where pictures used to hang.
“You see your family yet?” Colt asked.
“Not yet. It’ll happen.” Thane set Charles down in the center of the room. Colt crouched and settled Dani softly on the dusty floor. “You’ve changed.”
Colt froze. A smile spread. “Mates tend to do that. You’ll see.”
Maybe. Maybe not. If things didn’t go well with Charles, Dani might not want forever with the man who’d brought him in. Thane would be a constant reminder of what she’d lost.
Opting to ignore the obvious gibe from his old friend, he stooped down and shook Charles. “Time to wake up.”