Finding Our Way (Werewolf Wars)

by Bethany Shaw

  “Lark has not told you?” Natalia asked, glancing at Nora.

  “No. What? What is going on?” Sarah demanded.

  “We were planning to go there—to attack,” Natalia said.

  “I want to go,” Sarah blurted.

  “What?” Natalia questioned.

  “I want to go,” she repeated. “I can take care of myself. Last night should prove that.”

  “I am not sure that is a good idea,” Natalia said.

  “If Lark is going, so am I. I want revenge for what they did to my family. Don’t you?” Sarah accused, narrowing her eyes on the she-wolf.

  “Of course I do,” Natalia snapped. “They killed my mother and Adrian’s father. But, I have Adrian and the entire pack to think of, we all have our place, Sarah. Vengeance isn’t the answer,” Natalia explained her voice softening.

  “Revenge is the only thing I have. I am going, especially if Lark is. I’m not watching my sister—my only living relative, run off into danger, without me,” Sarah replied adamantly.

  The room grew quiet as the she-wolf appraised the blonde. Nora fidgeted in her seat not wanting to get involved. A part of her wondered if Sarah went, would she still be invited along? As silly as it seemed she could see where the girl was coming from. The idea of April and Daniel going off without her didn’t sit well. What if something happened?

  “All right. We will discuss it when everyone gets here,” Natalia replied after a long moment.

  “Good,” Sarah nodded. “I can’t believe Lark kept this from me.”

  “She’s just trying to keep you safe,” Natalia reasoned.

  “There isn’t anywhere that is safe. The ranch has been attacked two times this week. I am no safer here than I would be there,” Sarah argued.

  Nora flinched. Realizing again the younger woman was right. There wasn’t anywhere safe.

  ***

  Daniel clung to the bar on the roof of the jeep. Three wolves on foot sprinted toward the property. The black alpha female was flanked by the two white wolves. Behind them, Daniel could make out many more wolves kicking up dust.

  Gene revved the engine, pressing the vehicle faster. “I’m pulling up right off at the main road. We need to transition and escort them back onto the property. I doubt they have enough men to attack. Vincent call back to the ranch and let them know to send any men who aren’t on duty to our south border. I want ten more guys out this way too.”

  Vincent lifted his rear up off the back seat and pulled out his cell. His fingers moved quickly over the touch screen.

  Gene pulled to a stop at the end of the road. “Daniel you’re with me. I can’t see how many they have with all the debris they are pulling up. We’re going to escort the three wolves back to our pack. I’m not running into a fight without knowing how many we’re up against.”

  Daniel needed no further encouragement before hopping out of the vehicle. He yanked his shirt off, tossed it into the car, and quickly slid out of his jeans. Stripped to his boxers, he lunged forward and shifted.

  The second his feet hit the ground, he sprung into action. The tall grass blew against his face as he approached the oncoming wolves. Within a few moments, they reached the trio and turned around. Paws pounded behind them as their enemies drew closer. Gene pulled up on the right and Daniel took the left.

  They darted through the thick brush and Vincent joined them as they passed the car. A blur of fur broke out of the tree lines, and Daniel quickly realized they were from their own pack. The footsteps faltered behind them before pulling back completely. Gene barked and motioned for them to continue on toward the ranch. Once the other wolves joined them, they steadied their pace and quickly reached the property. It didn’t appear there would be a fight today—at least not right now anyway.

  ***

  Nora stared out at the horses frolicking in the pasture. The view from the loft really was amazing. For as far as the eye could see it was green grass, trees, and bushes. It seemed so peaceful here. If she hadn’t witnessed the carnage last night, she never would have believed men had died last night. How could she possibly forget that? She wondered.

  “Hey,” Daniel said as he climbed the top rung and walked across the loft towards her.

  “Hey, sorry I hijacked your hideout,” Nora smiled, turning so her back was pressed against the wooden wall.

  “No problem.” Daniel took a seat beside her.

  “What happened earlier?” Nora questioned curiously. She’d seen them come back with a female and two males, but they’d hurried inside to Gene’s office right away.

  “Derek Stiles, he’s an alpha who has been helping us, his pack was attacked last night too. Only thing is, he didn’t have the numbers we did. His daughter and her two protectors barely made it out. They got out by car, but were run off the road similar to the way we were. If we hadn’t intercepted they probably wouldn’t have made it here,” Daniel explained picking up a piece of straw and twirling it in his fingers.

  “That’s horrible,” Nora exclaimed.

  “Yeah. The girl, Melissa, she’s pretty shaken up. She lost her whole family.”

  “I can’t begin to imagine,” Nora sighed, leaning her hand against the wall.

  “We aren’t’ going to let Juarez do the same thing here,” Daniel said, placing a hand on her knee. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “You don’t know that,” Nora mumbled.

  “No, but I won’t let anything happen to you, Nora. I promise,” Daniel assured.

  Nora mustered up a small smile. She believed the sincerity in his words, but some things were out of his control.

  “Come on, I have to feed the horses. Do you want to help?” Daniel asked. He stood up and offered his free hand to her. Nora slipped her fingers into his and let him tug her up.

  “I’ve never fed horses before,” Nora commented. Daniel was only inches away from her and she leaned forward closing the distance between them. His lips met hers and Nora gasped as he pressed her against the barn wall. Daniel’s tongue slipped inside her mouth causing her to moan.

  Daniel pulled back after a long moment. “There are too many eyes around and, unfortunately, I have work that needs to get done.” He gave her a chaste kiss. “We’ll pick this up later though.”

  Nora nodded and held his hand as they padded across the straw. Daniel went down the ladder first and she followed. She was looking forward to a nice, normal day. Hopefully, it would stay that way.

  ***

  “So, we are in agreement then?” Gene asked, looking around the room at Natalia, Lark, and Devon.

  “I don’t see what another option we have given the information,” Devon answered leaning back in his chair. He entwined his fingers with Larks and squeezed her hand.

  Gene turned his attention to Natalia who gave him a grim nod of her head. She pursed her lips as she spoke. “We have to be smart about this. The best thing we can do is do the unexpected.”

  “Then it’s settled,” Gene declared, banging his hand against the desk. He pulled out his phone and began typing on it. “I’ll text everyone and tell them to come to the office immediately.”

  “There is something you should be aware of, Lark,” Natalia sighed shifting forward, resting her elbows on the desk. “I spoke with Sarah earlier, she wants to go too.”

  Lark bit her lip and turned to Devon. She let out a long breath. “I’ll have a talk with her after we speak with everyone else.”

  “She is angry. I am not sure you will talk her out of it,” Natalia warned. “I fear that she is desperate. If we do not give her an outlet, she could take matters into her own hands.”

  Lark closed her eyes. “She is beyond angry. Last night, she lost it. That kind of anger—rage could get her killed.”

  “At least she’s doing something,” Devon reasoned. “Rage is dangerous, but revenge gives you something to fight for. A reason to live. The way she’s been the past few weeks, I think she needs something to focus on. We could give her an outlet to take h
er anger out on, while keeping an eye on her.”

  “I can’t see her get hurt,” Lark shook her head.

  “And she doesn’t want to see you get hurt either,” Gene said softly. “It’s a dangerous world we live in, Lark. There is no way of telling what is going to happen. At least together you would know she was safe.”

  Lark frowned meeting his eyes. Gene’s heart clenched in his chest. Being with Preston had been both a blessing and a curse. He had had to watch his brother die, but he had been with his baby brother as he drew his last breath. Still, he was glad he’d been with Preston.

  A loud knock sounded on the door and Gene straightened up in his chair. He needed to put on a strong face in front of the pack. “Come in,” he called.

  The door creaked open and April and Jackson walked in followed by Daniel, Nora, and Claire.

  “We should ask Sarah and Vincent to be here too,” Lark suggested after a moment. “If she’s coming, then Vincent will come too since we asked him to look after her.” Lark picked her cell phone up off the desk and swiped her finger over the touch screen.

  “Before we get started, there is something I need to tell you,” Claire spoke up. Gene nodded and the elder wolf continued. “I spoke with Maddie this morning. Juarez made contact with her last night. He gave her a new phone to speak with him. She is scared for Amelia and wants to help her friend. The pair has been together for a long time and I believe Maddie is truly scared for her. I think we can use her to put our plan into motion. However, we must get Amelia and the others back. We cannot let them be sent off to god knows where.”

  “We’re going to do everything we can to get them back,” Devon assured, meeting his mother’s gaze. “From what Melissa Stiles told us, Juarez’s main camp is at the Luna’s. He has amassed quite an army there.”

  “If that is the case how will we get in?” April asked. Her wide, brown eyes searched the room.

  Gene cleared his throat. “For now, I don’t think we can attempt a rescue mission. I know you want to help your sister, but we have to protect ourselves and everyone here first,” Gene explained watching as the brunette flinched. “I will promise you this though, we will go back and set things right.”

  “If we aren’t freeing the women there, what are we doing?” Claire asked.

  The door squeaked open and the room grew quiet as Vincent popped his head into the office. Gene motioned for him to come in and he and Sarah quietly walked across the room to the vacant sofa.

  Devon stood up to address the room. “This is going to be an in and out trip. We want to be back on the ranch within twenty-four hours of our departure. The goal is to take out as many of Juarez’s men as we can. We know from talking with Melissa, and our questioning of Juarez’s men that another attack is not going to happen on the ranch until he gets more reinforcements. Gene and I have scouts out ensuring that no other wolves are coming into town.”

  “If we attack at night, most of the men will be sleeping,” Daniel spoke up. He cleared his throat and continued. “They all reside in a complex off the main cabin. We could hit them there and take them out that way.”

  “Fire?” Nora proposed.

  “That would work,” Lark nodded.

  “But how will we get close enough to do it?” Claire asked. “They’ll sense us from a mile away.”

  “Sarah, Nora, and I will create a distraction as we had originally planned,” Lark whispered. “The three of us can get onto the property easily and if we are caught we just tell them we are lost.”

  “So, what? We send the three women off to do the hard work and we just sit back and enjoy the show?” Vincent asked his brow quirked up as he looked to Devon.

  “We need to use their distraction to our benefit,” Devon explained. “When the three of them trip the alarm, Daniel and I will sneak onto the property on the far end. Hopefully, enough of the men will go to check on the disturbance allowing Daniel and I to go undetected.”

  “Lark’s just an distraction now?” Vincent teased.

  Devon opened his mouth, but Lark spoke up first. “There is something else we wanted to talk to you about.” She stood up and linked her arm with Devon’s. “We want to do our ceremony this Sunday.”

  “That’s fantastic,” Claire exclaimed, jumping out of her seat and pulling the pair into her embrace. “With everything going on I think that is just what we need.”

  “While you are away, Talia and I will get everything prepared,” Gene offered.

  “Thank you,” Lark smiled as her cheeks flushed.

  “I am very happy for you,” Natalia whispered as she walked around the desk.

  “Congratulations,” Nora said with a smile.

  After everyone had offered their well wishes, the room quieted down.

  “All right,” Gene began. “You will leave first thing in the morning. Take a night and relax, dinner will be soon. What time do you want them tomorrow?” Gene asked Devon.

  “Five AM.”

  “Have a good night and be safe tomorrow,” Gene said. He gazed over all the people in the room as they began to leave. Hopefully, they would all be back unharmed.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Daniel piled fries onto his plate before handing the tongs over to Nora. Her fingers brushed against his and she smiled at him as she took them.

  “Thanks.”

  “I don’t know that we’ll make it out to the loft tonight,” Daniel said. He looked out the window, watching as the storm clouds blew in. The trees shook, and some of the leaves fluttered off, falling to the ground. Lightning flashed in the distance, and Daniel sighed knowing they wouldn’t venture off on their own tonight.

  “It’s okay. We could sit at the table with everyone else. There are two spots,” she shrugged.

  Daniel let out a long breath as he looked over at Devon. His brother may be taking him on this mission, but he was quite sure he wouldn’t be a welcome addition.

  “We could find April or just go up to my room,” Nora suggested when he didn’t answer.

  “Yeah, let's do that. We’ll be with everyone all day and night tomorrow,” Daniel agreed. He went to the fridge, grabbed two cans of coke for them and waited for Nora by the door.

  He walked ahead and used his arm to push and hold the door open for her. Nora went to the stairs and headed up them. Daniel tried to ignore the sway of her hips as she climbed up, but her plump bottom was right at his eye level.

  Nora opened the door to her bedroom and led them inside. As she shut the door, Daniel noticed her twist the lock before walking to the dresser. She set her plate down and popped the top of the rectangular box her pills were kept in. Nora placed a pill in her mouth and swallowed, then did it again. When she was done, she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and picked up her plate.

  “You need your drink?” Daniel asked, offering one of the cans of coke to her.

  “I’m use to taking them,” Nora sighed taking the can. “Thanks.”

  “You been taking them long?” Daniel asked as he picked up his hamburger and took a bite.

  “A little over eight years.” She cleared her throat and took a seat next to him. “So, are you ready for tomorrow?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

  “Will it work?”

  “We’ll have to hash out a few more details on the way, but I think the plan is solid,” Daniel said shoveling more food into his mouth.

  “I feel bad for April. She is so close to finding her sister—maybe—and we have to leave Emma behind,” Nora sighed.

  “We’ll go back for her. Gene and Dev are going to make things right,” Daniel assured. They would too, he was sure of it.

  “What kind of ceremony are Lark and Devon having?” Nora asked, changing the subject.

  “A mating ceremony. It’s an old custom. I’ve actually never been to one before. Em and Marcus mated before I came here. Most of the time wolves just do a traditional wedding to stay with the times,” Daniel explained.

  “So it’s not a
wedding?” Nora asked around a bite of hamburger.

  “It’s a bit more intimate. It means more to a wolf.” Daniel dunked one of his fries in ketchup. “Basically they will declare each other as their mate in front of both packs. The ceremony will cement Lark’s place within the pack as the alpha female.”

  “I’m looking forward to it. I think your mom was right. This is just what everyone needs to improve their morale,” Nora declared. “We will get to go?” she asked after a moment.

  “Yes, it’s for the whole pack. I’ll take you,” Daniel offered.

  “As a date?” Nora asked, chewing on her lower lip.

  “Yeah.”

  “I’d like that.”

  ***

  Nora maneuvered through the still crowded kitchen to throw her and Daniel’s plates away. Daniel had ventured over to the counter to pick up a few muffins for them. She hoped there were some of the cherry almond ones left. They were her favorite.

  He held one up, meeting her eyes with a small smile on his face. Nora threw her things away and met him by the door.

  “Were there any blueberry?” Nora asked, remembering they were Daniel’s favorite. She peeled back the wrapper and sunk her teeth into the soft muffin.

  “Nah, I got a cinnamon streusel one. I’m pretty sure Dev hordes all the blueberry.” Daniel pushed the door open.

  “I can see why, it all tastes amazing.” Nora looked out the large window in the front room. It was pouring. Puddles of murky water pooled in the yard. There was no way they’d be going outside tonight. “I have Netflix on my laptop. Do you want to watch something?”

  “Like what?” Daniel asked around a mouthful of muffin.

  “I don’t know. There are lots of things to stream,” Nora shrugged.

  A loud chorus of cheers came from the kitchen and Daniel turned back to look at the closed door. He nodded once before turning his emerald gaze back onto her. “Sure.”

  “We could go back in there if you wanted,” Nora offered.

  “No, let’s just hangout you and me,” Daniel said, brushing his fingers over her elbow and down into her palm. He entwined their hands and started up the stairs.