“For shit’s sake,” Fucktard boomed as he stomped toward them, raising the Taser in his hand. As he fished his own keyring out of his pocket, he glared at the second shifter. “Get ready.” Then his hateful stare settled on Emily. “I’m going to toast your ass, bitch.”
She snarled, exposing her fangs. Black fur surfaced on Fucktard’s cheeks, neck, and hands. “You’re going to be licking your wounds for a week,” he promised chillingly, his voice deeper than normal. She thought she’d glimpsed fangs in his mouth when he spoke. He was close to shifting but she couldn’t care less. Let him shock her with the Taser. With the adrenaline rushing through her, she knew it wouldn’t stop her.
After taking a few steps back, she stood before Ashlynn protectively, and then coiled her muscles, ready to spring when she needed to. Her peripheral vision caught Naomi, keys in hand, moving away from her. She knew the plan, to cause the men to separate, and she waited for her chance to strike, eager to taste the blood she’d soon spill.
“Stop moving cunt,” Fucktard snarled at Naomi, undoubtedly reading her intentions.
Naomi ignored him and continued slowly moving sideways. Closer to her than to Emily, Fucktard grunted angrily as he held the Taser out and rushed her. The shifter before Emily narrowed his eyes as fur rose on his forearms. She leapt, eager to reach him before he shifted. He caught her and shoved an elbow under her chin, trying to keep her jaws at bay. Her forward momentum knocked him back and, lacking free arms to break his fall, he landed heavily, his head connecting with the floor with a loud smack. He released a soft oof as she heard breath rush from him and his tight hold on her loosened. In an instant, she closed her open jaws over his throat and bit down as hard as she could. He struggled, his fists pummeling her sides. It hurt but not nearly as much as if she’d been in human-form and she shook her head angrily. Blood sprayed in all directions and he stopped moving.
Cautiously, she released him and stepped back to observe him. He stared upward vacantly as blood continued to flow from his torn throat. Realizing she could smell the death that clung to him, she also registered she couldn’t hear his heart but could detect the heartbeats of everyone else around her. Hearing the two escalated beats to her side, she turned to see Naomi struggling with Fucktard, attempting to hold the hand brandishing the Taser away from her. She surged forward but stopped herself, knowing Naomi needed to face Fucktard on her own.
Naomi head-butt him hard as her knee came up and connected with his groin. He gasped in evident pain as he doubled up and Naomi delivered another head-butt. As he stumbled back, he shifted. Before Emily could worry, Naomi instantly attained her wolf-form and leapt at Fucktard as he rushed her. They collided with a furious snapping of their jaws, and Fucktard’s heavier weight knocked Naomi back. She twisted to avoid his bite and bit into his shoulder then shook her head wildly, tearing a gaping wound. He snarled and wrenched away from her, blood flowing from the injury Naomi had inflicted. It was severe, Fucktard’s coat torn open to reveal flesh, and the sight turned Emily’s stomach. The scent of blood however invigorated her, filling her with a desire to bite again. She tensed her body, ready to enter the fray if Naomi needed her help.
Fucktard growled menacingly as he faced Naomi, the pair slowly circling one another, hackles raised. It was as if Emily was watching a wildlife documentary, surreally taking place in a prison cell. As the two snarled viciously, Emily knew they’d attack again. They did, in unison, their bodies colliding. This time Naomi bore the weight of Fucktard, as the pair fought on their hind legs, their upper bodies locked in battle, wide-eyed, their jaws snapping at one another. Naomi got a hold on Fucktard’s throat and he yelped before snarling again, his lips pulled back so severely Emily could see all his pointy teeth. He struggled mightily but seemed unable to break Naomi’s hold. His eyes widened further, and Emily could see the fear in them. She could also smell it, fetid and welcoming at once, inviting her to attack him, too.
While it took restraint to merely watch, she held her place, for it was Naomi’s battle to finish. With a sharp yip, Fucktard fell back, Naomi atop him. Emily still couldn’t see Naomi’s face nor witness the damage she inflicted, but it was apparent her friend had a deadly hold on Fucktard. His struggling lost its vigour and he whined softly. Naomi’s growls continued as she straddled him, the shake of her head intensifying. With a barely audible yelp, Fucktard’s eyes closed.
A shocked gasp had Emily spinning to see the first shifter she bit staring at Fucktard’s body, still holding his crushed and bleeding hand against his chest. When she growled, his sightline moved to her. He looked terrified before he turned and ran, and the thought she’d scared him called to some primal place within her. Without thinking about it, she rushed him, eager to bring him down. He didn’t come close to making it to the door before she rammed him mightily, her head connecting with the back of his thighs to send him sprawling. He cried out when he landed belly-down on the floor, pinning his injured hand under his body. As her jaws closed over the back of his neck, she thought of nothing, filled only with the desire to spill his blood. Her hard bite resulted in blood filling her mouth. Hot and aromatic, it spurred her to shake her head, tearing the wound brutally. As blood drenched her coat, she bit down again and felt bones splinter in her jaws. Only the smell of death caused her to release the man, knowing she’d killed him. The knowledge had zero effect on her. It needed to be done, end of story.
Turning back to the others, her wolf-eyes perused the carnage. Fucktard had reverted to human-form upon his death. Naomi dipped her head and wagged her tail, relating the message she was unharmed. Ashlynn’s expression seemed a combination of awe and worry. Emily’s eyes fell on Nathan to take in his shocked look.
“Emmy. Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Figuring the amount of blood on her prevented Nathan from visually determining her welfare, she shook her head. He released a relieved sigh. “Great. Okay, you and Naomi stay in wolf-form. I’m going to remain in human-form to help Ashlynn. I’ll shift if I need to.”
He turned to address his sister in the adjoining cell. “Can you unlock my cell or should they shift back?”
“No, I can do it,” Ashlynn assured him.
A few moments later, the small group stood together. Nathan, after carefully scrutinizing Naomi and Emily for injuries, looked to Ashlynn. “I’m going to carry you. You don’t look well.”
“I can walk. Carrying me will slow you down if you need to shift quickly. I can do it.”
He didn’t look convinced but nodded nonetheless. “Okay, let’s get out of this damn place.”
***
Taking in the first sight of his brother in years, Mark fought not to react outwardly. He had to calm his racing heart before Logan detected it, for his brother already wore a condemning look. Logan had changed, dramatically, and Mark knew he wouldn’t believe his story. Discretely, he sucked in a deep breath and willed his body to quiet as he approached Logan. His brother stood in the middle of a room devoid of furnishings save one single chair. Undoubtedly an interrogation room, it unnerved Mark as much as the unsettled look in Logan’s eyes. Logan dipped his head toward the door and the two shifters who’d led Mark into the room left and closed the door. Then those disturbed eyes fell on him.
“This story should be entertaining,” Logan began, his voice deep and threatening, “considering you’re supposed to be in custody.”
Hardly surprised Logan had dispensed with small talk, Mark shrugged as nonchalantly as he could. “I’m sure you figured out I cut a deal with SASS, just as you’ve figured out why I’m here. I’m supposed to come in here and convince you that I’m on your side, and get you to drop your guard so SASS can swoop in here. I don’t care about that, or even the captives here, aside from Ashlynn. SASS will raid soon, so you have to get out, now, as quickly as you can. There are only a few agents outside but two units are coming as backup. When they arrive, they’ll all storm this place.”
Logan audibly blew out a breath. “And you’re telling me this
in exchange for your mate I suppose.”
“Yes. She’s all I want. I don’t give a fuck about the rest.”
“Bullshit. You’ve been a SASS agent for years. As I see it, all of this is a ruse. Everything, from the day you contacted me offering me inside information from SASS. You’ve been a plant from day one. You never wanted to join SASS in the past and suddenly not only were you an agent, but a disgruntled one, willing to provide me with information. It’s smart, I’ll give you that, but I don’t buy it.”
“You’re wrong, but I don’t care if you don’t believe me. I joined SASS to put an end to you, I admit that. What I told you when I contacted you was the truth. After what I’ve seen, how SASS runs shit, how the Alliance does, I’m done. If the Alliance has their way, we’ll all be halflings in another few generations.” He spread his arms slightly, consciously trying to present an open posture. “I still don’t believe wholeheartedly in what you’re doing and I don’t approve of how you’re doing it. Seriously, though, I just don’t care. I’m done. With the Alliance, SASS, and you. I just want Ashlynn.”
“And I’m supposed to take you at your word? You’ve betrayed SASS. Why should I trust you?”
“You probably shouldn’t, just like I don’t trust you. Look, I was going to work with you from inside SASS. You’re my brother and, again, I don’t believe in what you’re doing but I still don’t want to see you executed for it. Then Dan made me in front of the others and that ruined my career. I’ve already been in jail and I’m not eager to go back. I convinced them to let me infiltrate your camp as I’m your brother and could get close to you. They jumped at it and think I’m going to take you out and that way, they’ll have an easier time with your shifters. All I want is my mate. She’s carrying my pups. I want to live in the wild with her and our pups, away from all of this.”
Logan’s eyes narrowed slightly. He wasn’t buying the story. Mark sighed as he crossed his arms. “Look. You’re not mated, you don’t understand. All I want is to be with her. That’s all. The rest of this is meaningless to me. Be the king of your castle, I don’t care. Just give me Ashlynn.”
Logan walked a few steps to the window and turned his back to look out it. Mark couldn’t ascertain his mood, and waited. When his brother turned back to face him, his expression had softened. He resembled the old Logan, the one Mark had once loved. “What about Emily? You didn’t ask about her.”
“That’s because I don’t know her. But I do know you won’t hurt her and that’s the extent of my caring for her.”
Taking a step forward, Logan spread his arms. “Join me. Be my brother again. Together we can build the strongest wolf pack that ever existed. You can help facilitate a new dawn for our species, build a better future for all of us.”
Mark shook his head at his brother’s obvious test. Sharing power had never been his thing. “No. That was your dream, not mine. I gave you the heads up on SASS coming, give me Ashlynn, and we’ll call it even.”
Logan’s shoulders hitched up and he sighed deeply. “Fine, you can have her. I’ll get away with as many woman as I can and start over again. You know, I really wish you hadn’t killed Dan. He was my lieutenant. I could have used him right now.”
Remaining quiet, Mark watched his brother carefully. He appeared to have let his guard down, as, while not quite defeated, he looked accepting of the situation. He snatched a walkie-talkie from the windowsill and spoke into it.
“Gord. Get half of the girls into the truck and get them out of here. John can drive them to the location we discussed. Don’t forget Naomi and Emily. I’ll take care of the Tremblay woman myself. Kill her brother. SASS is arriving soon so get the men ready.”
After he’d received a concurring response, Logan tossed the walkie on the floor and then met Mark’s eyes again as his hands rested on his hips. “Last chance. You’re sure you won’t join me? Have a family reunion with Emily?”
“I’m sure.”
“Yeah, I thought you’d say that.”
Before Mark could react, Logan’s hand snaked around his back and returned holding a gun. A shot sounded as pain ripped through Mark’s shoulder, spinning him. He hit the floor hard but jumped up in a flash, snarling as he shifted. Tensing his wolf legs, he then leapt at his brother who shifted in response.
***
Shocked by both Emily’s shift and her brutal killing of two shifters, Nathan held Ashlynn tightly as the quartet made their way through the building. He’d heard a single distant shot a moment ago and wondered if SASS had found them but couldn’t see any signs the rogue pack was under attack. As he looked around warily, he tightened his hold on Ashlynn, not liking how pale she was or how heavily she leaned on him. She didn’t smell right either, and he was certain she was sicker than she admitted to. Following Emily and Naomi, both still in wolf-form, he hoped a rescue team had arrived. Ashlynn needed medical assistance and he didn’t want to see Emily engaged in any further altercations.
The pair rounded a corner and snarled in unison, as hackles rose on both. He cautiously brought Ashlynn around the corner to see three shifters facing them, appearing shocked at their presence. Gently, he eased Ashlynn into a sitting position against the wall as he heard a shifter speak.
“What the fuck? Get back to your cells, now!”
Turning back, he saw the shifter begin to draw a gun from a holster at his side but then apparently thought better of it. Undoubtedly, the pack had strict orders to not kill the captives unless absolutely necessarily. That was an advantage to his small group and he intended to exploit it. These shifters would hesitate to kill him, Emily, Ashlynn, and Naomi, but he wouldn’t hesitate to end them if he could. Knowing Emily and Naomi felt the same way, he shifted and joined his mate and her friend, sliding in between the pair, brushing past Emily. The brief contact warmed his frightened heart. It was their first touch in wolf-form and he savoured the feel of her furry body beside his.
The three rogue shifters scrambled to rid themselves of their weapons and Nathan surged forward to attack before they could shift. Blurred movement in his peripheral vision told him Naomi and Emily had followed his lead and the three descended on the trio of shifters. A shot sounded and, as he leapt upon the shifter who’d spoken, he hoped the bullet had gone astray. He hadn’t heard a yelp and both women had attacked their targets so that seemed likely.
His ears filled with many snarls, he bit into the throat of the shifter beneath him, feeling the swell of the man’s flesh. He was shifting but as blood filled Nathan’s mouth, he felt the shifter’s neck return to human size. Fists beat against his sides but they had no effect on him. He shook his head violently, keeping his jaws clenched tightly, to tear the shifter’s throat. Blood rained on his coat and the shifter stopped moving.
As he pulled back, he looked to his side to see Emily repeating his motions. Undoubtedly instinct had set in when she shifted to wolf for she moved like a born-shifter. He turned to see Naomi had already killed the shifter she’d attacked. Emily finished off the shifter and then butt her head against Nathan’s. He whined softly and she returned the sentiment. They were capable of fighting and would continue to do so. Ashlynn joined them and placed a trembling hand on his back.
“Go,” she coaxed. “I’ll follow. It’s safer for you to remain as wolf.”
Trusting she was strong enough to do so, he began to walk slowly, sandwiched between Emily and Naomi, with Ashlynn close behind him. It was safest to proceed as wolf, able to attack quickly, stronger and more agile in wolf-form. He could only imagine Ashlynn believed she wasn’t capable of shifting and his heart sank. She was definitely more ill than he’d thought at first. He wanted to shift back and carry her, but Naomi’s words ran through his head. They had to get out of this building. It was the only way Ashlynn would get the help she needed and so he continued, training his ears on Ashlynn’s shallow breathing as he cautiously darted his eyes around, looking for dangers. He’d do anything he could to ensure the women with him made it out of the building sa
fely.
***
Rejoicing in the blood trickling from the gunshot wound in Mark’s shoulder, Logan targeted his brother’s foreleg. Moving much faster than the obviously shocked Mark, he clamped his jaw on the leg, just above the ankle. Biting down viciously, splintered bones poked his palate, tongue and gums but the pained howl Mark issued was well worth it. He released his hold and Mark pulled away from him. Taking several steps back as he evaluated the injury he inflicted, Logan revelled in how Mark struggled to balance his weight on three legs, as he held his ravaged foreleg tight to his body. His paw dangled uselessly and Logan didn’t think he’d seen a sweeter sight. There was no time to gloat though. The only part of Mark’s story he believed was that SASS’s arrival was imminent.
Lowering his head, he charged Mark, rammed his head forcibly into his brother’s side and slammed him against a wall. As Mark slumped to the floor, he shifted. Hearing a heartbeat, Logan knew Mark was still alive, just unconscious. He debated finishing his brother off and then decided against it. Dying while knocked out was too good a death for him, betraying asshole that he was. It was better to leave him for SASS to deal with. He’d undoubtedly be executed for his deceit and would have plenty of time before the execution to pine for Ashlynn who Logan intended to take with him.
Satisfied with the death he foresaw for Mark, Logan ran from the room. While intent to take Ashlynn with him, he had to ensure Naomi and Emily were also among the females being loaded into vehicles.
***
Ryder kept a wary eye out as Wayne snipped the chain link fence that ran around the compound. He itched to shift and tear into any rogue shifter he spotted but kept his wolf in check. Thanks to Hank, his newfound determination had him ultra-focused, and filled with confidence to handle anything Logan and the rogue shifters threw his way. While Hank had facilitated his present mood, it hadn’t occurred with his acceptance of Ashlynn’s possible death. He hadn’t told Hank but that was the one thing he hadn’t accepted. His raging last night had released the emotions he shouldn’t have pent up but he refused to believe he’d already lost Ashlynn and the pups. They were safe. He merely needed to get to them.
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