Dawn’s claws slashed out as she rolled over. The others gasped, taking steps back as she slashed at the wolf on top of her. She wasn’t as strong as he was, and from the look in his eyes, his wolf was out of control. That meant unless she found a way to maneuver around him, there was no way she’d beat him. She might be strong, and had been trained to fight, but she wasn’t the best at it.
“Get away from her!” Dhani yelled. “Dawn! Close your eyes!”
Dawn rolled and closed her eyes instinctively as Dhani sprayed the wolf in the face with her pepper spray. While it might have given Dawn a few moments to collect herself to fight back, she knew that it also could have been a mistake. The others started throwing things they found in the alleyway near the dumpster at the wolf, and Dawn shook her head, awed at the fearlessness she saw in her friend’s actions—though each of them had stark fear stamped on their faces.
She pulled herself up, her claws out—as well as her secret—and she growled. For some reason, the wolf only wanted her, not her friends. It must have gotten her scent and would only stop or move on once she was injured or dead. That was fine with her, because her friends were human and wouldn’t survive this. Dawn wasn’t sure she would survive this.
The wolf took that moment of hesitation and pounced again. Dawn darted to the side and slashed her claws down its side. It let out a pained howl, and she did it again.
“Get behind me,” Dawn yelled, her fangs descending. She was just dominant enough that she could partially shift, but she didn’t have time to do a full shift, nor the inclination to be so vulnerable.
“We’re not leaving you,” Cheyenne yelled. “I’m calling 911.”
“Don’t, we will handle this on our own,” a deep voice growled, and Dawn nearly spun around, startled. Mitchell came to her side, also partially shifted, and she almost let out a relieved breath. Though she hated being the damsel in distress, she was no match for this wolf, and they all knew it. She’d be able to fight and probably hurt the rogue, but not when she was trying to keep her friends safe and wasn’t able to shift to full wolf form. She was at a disadvantage, but if she fought alongside Mitchell, she had more of a chance. “Get your friends out of here, Dawn.”
“I’m not letting you fight alone,” she said quickly. “There’s something off with this wolf.”
Mitchell spared her a glance, and then things moved quickly. The rogue leapt at them, teeth bared, and she and Mitchell ducked out of the way. While she’d seen Mitchell train with some of the wolves in her den, she’d never seen him move like this before. One moment, he stood next to her, claws out. The next, he was like smoke, drifting from one side of the wolf to the other, tearing through the wolf’s fur. The rogue kept coming at her, snapping it’s drooling jaws, so she couldn’t just run away and leave Mitchell to fight even if she wanted to. It would only follow her, and someone else would get hurt in the process.
She rolled to the side again, aware that her friends hadn’t left the alley but were far enough away now to be relatively safe. The rogue came at her again, and this time, she and Mitchell somehow worked as a team, taking the wolf down to the ground. From the manic look in its eyes, she knew there would be no saving it. Somehow, whoever this was had let their wolf take control to the point they’d lost whatever made them sane. They were no longer wolf or human, just pure rogue. Mitchell met her eyes quickly before snapping the wolf’s neck in a clean break.
Her hands shook as her claws and fangs receded, and she met Mitchell’s gaze once more. He’d saved her and her friends, and she didn’t know how to thank him, wasn’t sure that he’d accept her thanks anyway. All she knew was that she never wanted to be put in this situation again. She’d train harder, fight harder, and find a way to protect herself so no one would have to come to her rescue.
“You fought well,” Mitchell growled, his wolf in his voice. “He was so far gone, and a whole lot bigger than you. There was nothing else you could have done. I’ll take care of the body, and my team is on the way to clean up. Meet me in your den this afternoon. We need to talk.” He paused and gestured over her shoulder, and she turned to see her friends starting at her with wide, hurt eyes. “And I think you need to talk to them, as well.”
Dawn swallowed hard as she nodded. She had no idea what she was going to say to them, wasn’t sure there was anything to say. Blood covered her hands and arms, and she had a few nicks and scrapes on her cheek and neck. She didn’t look like herself, didn’t look like a simple barista.
No, she looked like the monster she’d fought to hide.
And now she’d have to explain to her friends why she’d lied to them.
Chapter Seven
Flashbacks of blood and screams filled Mitchell’s mind, and he let out a curse as he made his way to the Centrals’ den. He couldn’t get over how close Dawn had come to dying just a couple of hours ago in that alley. That rogue had gone for Dawn and only her, no matter that her three friends were easier prey. The fact that Mitchell had been there in the end, as well, should have taken some of the attention off her. The wolf should have focused on the predator in its midst, the one that could end his life. It didn’t make much sense to him, and when Kameron showed up with his team, Mitchell said as much.
The wolf hadn’t smelled of any Pack Mitchell had been near, but that didn’t mean much. When wolves went completely berserk like that, sometimes, their Pack ties severed so severely that even the subtle scent of who they once were washed away in the ebbing panic.
Mitchell’s hand tightened on the steering wheel hard enough that it made a creaking sound. Not wanting to break the damn thing, he loosened his grip and let out a breath. He hadn’t meant to even be near the coffee shop that morning. But Brie and Avery had needed a few things from the bakery next door and didn’t have time to make the trip themselves with Avery’s new training schedule and the fact that Fallon was going through a not-sleeping phase, which meant that Brie and Gideon weren’t sleeping either. And because, apparently, Mitchell was a glutton for punishment, he’d once again offered to go into town for them, knowing he might end up too close to the coffee shop and Dawn’s scent for his sanity.
But instead of seeing her work, he’d watched her fight. She’d surprised him with the gracefulness of her moves, but she shouldn’t have. She was a maternal dominant and had the instincts to back that up. With more training, she might have beaten the wolf on her own. However, she’d been trying to protect her friends at the same time and had the disadvantage of being in human form while the rogue was fully shifted.
She also hadn’t run when Mitchell told her to, but now that he was thinking a little more clearly, he didn’t blame her. She was a fighter and wouldn’t leave anyone alone against a rogue. She’d worked with him, anticipating his moves and fighting alongside him. He wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that, but he knew he’d have to train her to fight even better. His wolf wouldn’t have it any other way, and since he denied the damn thing everything else in the world these days, he’d give the wolf—and her—that.
He might have felt a bit like an ass, leaving her to talk to her clearly surprised and worried friends, but he wasn’t there to comfort her. She was just his trainee, or at least she would be. Nothing more. He’d made sure that one of the soldiers who showed up soon after his call stayed behind to watch out for her. His wolf had pulled at him, not wanting to leave her alone, but Mitchell had been stronger than his need to see to her safety himself.
He hated these feelings, loathed these urges. And he’d be damned if he let himself give in.
Pushing those thoughts from his head so he wouldn’t dwell on it for the rest of the day, he pulled up to the Central den and nodded at the single sentry at the gate. The Centrals weren’t big enough to have that much of a force protecting their territory, but hopefully, that would change soon. He might talk to Gideon and Kade about helping share resources from the other two Packs until the Centrals got on their feet. He didn’t even bother thinking about Blade, as the Aspen
Alpha wouldn’t even think about it.
The sentry let him inside, and Mitchell drove through the wards, the magic sliding over his skin not as intense as the one at home. That made sense considering there weren’t as many members connected to them. He frowned as he parked in front of a grouping of homes. Were any truly connected without Pack bonds? He wasn’t sure and made a note to himself to ask around later. He didn’t know when these wards had shown up in the first place since they hadn’t always been there to protect the deserters.
Cole walked out of the small home he shared with his parents and sister and gave Mitchell a nod.
“Thanks for coming by,” the future-Alpha said, holding out his hand.
Mitchell reached forward and shook it, easily letting go without a dominance battle. He and Cole each knew where they ranked with each other and also knew that would change once Cole became a true Alpha. At the moment, Mitchell could easily take the kid, but as time progressed, Cole grew stronger by leaps and bounds. Soon, Mitchell wouldn’t be sure who would win in a true battle, and his wolf was oddly okay with that. He wanted the Centrals to survive, and to do so, they needed an Alpha strong enough to take care of his people. Cole also needed a core group of wolves around him to support his journey. From what Mitchell saw, there were a few around Cole’s age—if not a bit older—who could fit that bill. Dawn, to Mitchell’s mind, would fit into any role Cole needed. He had no doubt the moon goddess would bless her with something. She had such promise.
Promise, once again, that wasn’t for Mitchell.
“Are the others ready?” Mitchell asked, his voice rougher than he intended.
Cole gave him a curious look and nodded. “Yes, they’re over in the field where we usually train.” He paused as if collecting his thoughts. “Thank you for coming to Dawn’s aid today.” The growl in his voice was unmistakable. “She should have been safe with her friends and working, yet some wolf attacked her.” The other man balled his hands into fists. “Do you know who it was or why he did it? Or was it just a random attack?”
Mitchell remembered the way the wolf only had eyes for Dawn, even though Mitchell and the others were in the alley with her. That wolf had caught her scent and wanted nothing else. That could have been because the wolf scented her first, and since his mind was broken, he had wanted only her…or it could have been something far worse. Since Mitchell didn’t have those answers, though, he knew he shouldn’t let his mind go down that path.
“Kameron and his team are working on it now. When we have more information, we’ll let you know. But I can tell you that the wolf didn’t smell of Pack.”
Cole’s eyes went wolf. “But that doesn’t mean anything.”
Mitchell gave the other man a tight nod. “True. But Dawn did well.”
“Not well enough,” Dawn put in as she came up from behind Cole. Mitchell had scented her, but since his wolf seemed to always scent her these days, he hadn’t known she was so close. “I need to train harder.”
Cole wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “You’re a damn decent fighter already.”
“Decent doesn’t keep me alive,” Dawn said with a growl. “I don’t want to be the damsel.”
Mitchell shook his head. “You weren’t a damsel. You’d have fought him off, I think.”
“You think.” She pressed her lips together.
“Yeah, I think. And don’t be angry with me for stepping in. I was there. I wasn’t just going to walk away because you felt the need to prove yourself.”
She pulled away from Cole and snarled at Mitchell. “Did I ask you to walk away? Did I yell at you? No. I’m grateful you were there because we both know that my making it out of that fight alive with my friends unhurt wasn’t guaranteed. I’m never going to push away help when I need it. I’m only annoyed that I required it at all. Hence the need for more training.”
Mitchell pushed back his wolf, who for some reason, liked the way she fought and growled at him. Now that she was here in front of him, he wanted to growl because her scent set him on edge. And he wouldn’t be leaving that precipice anytime soon considering that he was going to be the one training her to defend herself and the others around her.
Damn it.
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
Cole looked between the two of them, brows raised and his wolf in his eyes. “Now that we’ve got that taken care of, let’s head to the field.”
“One minute, Cole,” Mitchell forced out. “I need to talk to Dawn.” He didn’t add alone, but it was implied.
“It’s okay, Cole,” Dawn said softly, surprising Mitchell. Cole gave them one hard look before turning around and making his way to the clearing where the training would be held.
“Are you really okay?” Mitchell asked, his voice low. He hadn’t meant to ask that, hadn’t meant to be with her alone at all. Kameron was the Enforcer and had already asked her things like this. Hell, his cousin had probably already made sure Dawn was fit for training and had every detail from the attack memorized. But that still didn’t settle Mitchell’s wolf.
Dawn nodded, her eyes not meeting his. He blew out a breath and reined in his wolf since he knew she wasn’t dominant enough to meet his eyes if his wolf was so close to the surface. Most people couldn’t meet them period, but Dawn was far more dominant than she gave herself credit for. When the Centrals became a true Pack, perhaps the bonds would aid her in seeing that.
“Are you sure?”
She glanced up at him and then looked down again. “Yes, I’m sure. I was scared when it happened, but more so because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get my friends out of that alley in time.”
Not knowing what to do with his hands, he stuffed them into the pockets of his jeans. “They looked like they were helping you fight back when I arrived.”
She rolled her eyes skyward. “Yep. Idiots. But their pepper spray helped distract the wolf long enough for me to get my bearings and fight back completely.” She bit her lip, and he wanted to lick away the sting. “They didn’t know I was a wolf,” she whispered.
He closed his eyes a moment before letting out a low growl. “Damn. What did they say once I left?”
She shook her head. “Not much.” She met his gaze fully, and for the barest moment, he saw the pain in her eyes. “They wanted to make sure I was safe with Kameron, and then they left.” Her throat worked as she swallowed hard. “I’m going to talk to them tomorrow…but…but for now, I don’t know where we stand. I lied to them for a long time.”
“No, you didn’t lie. Keeping your true nature to yourself is for your safety and that of your Pack. Of all of us. Just because some of us were forced out into the world doesn’t mean all of us had to be.” His claws stabbed his fingertips just thinking about how his family had been forced to reveal themselves to the public thanks to the plans of a madman and technology far too intrusive for anyone’s good. “You were forced out now in front of your friends, but unless there were other witnesses, Kameron made sure all digital evidence was either destroyed or taken into the Talons’ den so we can try to make sense of what happened.”
“Yeah, that’s what he told me before I left. And while keeping my wolf from the public is one thing, I kept it from my three best friends. I knew that what I was doing was wrong after the Unveiling, and frankly, even before that. It might not be wrong in your eyes, but to me, I should have been willing to trust that they wouldn’t walk away once they learned the truth.”
She rubbed her temple, and Mitchell wanted to move forward and help her alleviate the tension in her shoulders. He stopped himself, however, knowing he was just going to end up hurting them both in the process. His wolf might have this odd fascination with her, and he might also be attracted to her, but that was it. He couldn’t let it become anything more, and giving in to these small little urges he hadn’t had in what felt like forever wouldn’t change anything.
“I’m sure your friends will forgive you.” He wasn’t sure at all, but he needed to
get to the field and not be alone with her any longer.
She gave him a sad smile and a shrug of her shoulders. “I hope so.”
“Let’s get to the field, then. You already have more than the basics down, but I’m going to show you how to use an attacker’s weight and strength against them. You’re not going to grow in height, but you can gain in speed.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Yes, it did, and he hoped that he could keep himself and those urges under control long enough for him to teach her how to defend herself. After that, he’d be able to leave and never have to see her again.
It wasn’t fair to her, and it damn well wasn’t fair to Heather for him to keep prowling around Dawn like this.
Annoyed, he followed Dawn to the clearing and took stock of who had shown up for training. It was part of Mitchell’s job within the Talons to work with the soldiers and lieutenants, and here, he would be doing much the same thing. Lieutenants were the wolves who stood guard for the Alpha and were his direct line of defense, the wolves that fought alongside him and his family and the other hierarchy. The Redwoods called them enforcers, but Mitchell wasn’t sure what the Centrals would end up calling theirs once Cole became a true Alpha. The lieutenants were the best of the best of those who weren’t part of the hierarchy. Soldiers were those dominants that would also be protecting the Pack and would work under their Enforcer. No one had a clear title yet, so everyone was training the same at first and would become more specialized once their talents came out in full force and even more so after the Pack became more defined.
The maternal females like Dawn didn’t normally train with the soldiers, but there were only two in the whole Pack, and Dawn was far more dominant than the other woman. The other woman normally trained with the submissives, who still needed to learn how to fight and control their wolves, just not to the extent that the dominants did. Every wolf had his or her place and special skills, and it would be the Central Alpha’s and Beta’s jobs to ensure they were trained and put in the correct roles.
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