She declined his offer of coffee and they set out for the Alpha’s home after Caine had draped her in a heavy, warm coat. She felt an increasing anxiety in her chest that she didn’t think was entirely her own. She sensed it was coming from all her mates.
* * * *
Gabriel arrived at the derelict ranger station well before the scheduled sunrise meeting. The morning air was freezing, his breath misting instantly as he parked his truck and walked around the crumbling building.
He couldn’t see any of his pride out in the forest, but knew Max and Dane would be out there if the Alpha had ordered it. He could scent that Finn, Axel, and Samson had already arrived and was about to step up onto the collapsed porch to join them inside when he heard the soft footfalls of paws on undergrowth. Many paws, and they were approaching rapidly.
Max and Dane moved silently. They were cats. These were not cats approaching. “Finn, we have company,” he said softly.
Finn, Axel, and Samson were beside him in an instant. The vampire also stood on the porch, his eyes closed, his face impassive.
“There are fifteen wolves approaching rapidly from the north,” Aiden said, his eyes now fixed on Finn. “Your cats are aware of their presence.”
Gabriel found it unsettling that the vampire was able to hear their thoughts when they were shifted, but in this instance it was proving advantageous.
“I don’t think there is going to be a meeting,” Finn said. He looked at Samson and Axel and nodded. They both shifted, their clothes disintegrating as the huge cats took their place on either side of Finn. “Tell Cooper to put the mates in the safe room now.”
“It is being done, Alpha,” Aiden said. Stepping off the porch Aiden approached Finn, but Gabriel stepped in his path. The creepy bastard was not getting near his Alpha.
“The wolves are enraged. They have come to destroy the pride,” Aiden said.
Before the vampire could say more, the sound of howling and snarling filled the air. The clearing around the ranger station filled with wolves.
* * * *
Drake was patrolling the grounds around the Alpha’s house when he heard Samson. “We have fifteen hostile wolves here. Finn wants the mates in the safe room now.”
“Jordanna hasn’t arrived yet,” Drake said. His cat wanted to run back to her, but he was here protecting the other mates and he wouldn’t leave them.
“I’ll call Caine,” Cooper said. Drake lost touch with him as he shifted to make the call. As pride enforcer, Cooper coordinated the safety of the pride in both shifted and human form.
Drake heard a howl of pain and ran into the tree line in the direction of the noise. Within seconds he found Michael standing over a bleeding wolf. “It won’t have been alone,” he said and climbed swiftly up the pine tree beside him.
Sniffing at the wolf, Drake saw it was breathing, its head wound already starting to heal. Michael informed Cooper while Drake leaped into the low branches of a nearby tree and waited. The wolves never looked up.
There was no good reason for the wolves to be here at their Alpha’s home. Which left only bad reasons. Drake had just settled into a crouch on the branch, being careful not to dislodge any of the snow, when the scent of wolf assailed his nostrils.
His rumble of anger was silent, but it vibrated through the branch he was perched on. A small trickle of snowflakes rained down. “Fuck. Cooper has shifted, we need to warn him.”
“He’ll hear the fight. There are at least a dozen wolves converging on the house now,” Michael said.
Tilting his head, Drake saw that Michael was right. He could hear the noisy canines running in from every direction through the forest. They were heading straight for the Alpha’s home.
Drake watched as three wolves changed course and ran toward their fallen comrade, the scent of his blood having finally reached them in the still morning air.
Drake pounced as soon as the last of the three wolves had passed under his branch. He howled long and loud as he tore his claws across the wolf’s throat. He wanted to make sure Cooper had time to get his mate and cub to safety, as well as Peata and Bethany.
Calder’s snarl shook the snow from the trees as Michael and Drake converged on the remaining wolf. Michael had disabled the first wolf and the remaining one was backing away from them. Its fear and uncertainty tainted the air.
“What the fuck do we do with her?” Drake asked. The female wolf was small, her eyes wide with fear.
“We leave her and go help Calder,” Michael said, bounding away toward the house.
They emerged from the trees to find Calder surrounded by five snarling wolves. Blood coated the snow from the injured and dead wolves at Calder’s feet.
Calder was a massive cat, easily half as big again as the largest wolf he was now facing. His size and the blood covering his coat had given the wolves reason to pause, but they were out to kill. They scented of rage, not fear.
Drake and Michael didn’t slow as they assessed the scene in seconds and ran silently to Calder’s aid. As Drake leaped and dug his claws into the hindquarters of an unsuspecting wolf, it snapped its head around and howled in pain.
Drake sunk his teeth into its side and tore out a chunk of fur and flesh. His aim was to disable, not kill. Despite the unprovoked attack on their pride, they would only kill when there was no other choice.
“We have wolves approaching the town,” said Rowan.
Calder shook his head, and the wolf in his jaws flew thirty feet in the air and collided with the brick footing of the Alpha’s home with a sickening thud. It didn’t move as Calder stalked toward the wolf nearest him.
“What the fuck is this all about?” Drake asked rhetorically.
“I fear, young wolf, that I have brought this danger to your pride,” Aiden said, his voice feeling strange in Drake’s mind. “I will kill those responsible, slowly, for making me a party to their deception.”
Chapter 17
“I don’t know the reason for this hostility,” Finn said, his voice frighteningly calm. “We are still willing to talk.”
Gabriel shifted as the wolves ran straight at them. They had paused only momentarily, their lips curled as their snarled and howled.
They were bigger than the wolves, but the dogs had the advantage of numbers. Samson stayed by Finn’s side until their Alpha shifted, and then he followed suit and moved forward to meet the attack.
Gabriel ripped the throat out of one wolf, as another landed on his back and dug in its claws. Gabriel spun and dislodged it, their heads smashing together as they each went for the others throat.
Max and Dane could be heard fighting in the forest. There were more wolves still coming.
The sounds of pain and the scent of blood filled the air. Gabriel swiped at the wolf, his claws severing the beast’s carotid. It fell lifelessly to the ground as another wolf bit deeply into his side.
He swirled in a circle, his speed dislodging the wolf. A chunk of Gabriel’s flesh ripped painfully away in the wolf’s locked jaws. He stumbled before facing the wolf. As he bunched his muscles to leap, Aiden appeared from nowhere, twisted the wolf’s neck, and disappeared.
Turning to meet the next attack, he noticed the clearing was now silent. “I want that one alive, Axel,” Finn said. Gabriel limped to Finn’s side, stepping over the dead wolves, the smell of blood sickening.
Axel was holding a wolf by the neck in his jaws. The wolf remained still, for if it moved it would have its throat torn out by Axel’s sharp teeth. It was a large wolf, but Axel was bigger. Samson padded to Axel’s side and shifted. He grasped the wolf by the head with both hands and Axel released him.
Max and Dane padded into the clearing. Max was dragging another wolf by its scruff. It struggled weakly, its whines filled with pain.
“This female did not fight,” Max said, disgust creeping through their mental link. “I didn’t, however, want her to leave and join the fight elsewhere.”
Aiden came to stand on Finn’s other side. His clothe
s covered in blood, his normally calm demeanor was gone. The vampire was seething with rage. His eyes blazed red, his fangs long and bloody. His hands sported bloody appendages that were more akin to talons than fingers.
“Any other survivors out there?” Finn asked, turning his head toward the trees.
“None that are conscious,” Dane said. He came to stand at his brother’s side, sniffing at the wounds Finn bore. “Are you badly injured?”
Finn shook himself. Blood sprayed off his coat as though he’d been swimming in it. “Thank you, Dane. Most of the blood is not mine.”
“If you wish to question the wolf, I am able to tell you his thoughts,” Aiden said.
Finn shifted, long scratches covered his body. The healing wounds still weeping blood. It ran in streams down his torso and limbs. “Thank you for your help today, Aiden. If the wolf will not shift, I would appreciate you communicating his answers.”
Gabriel thought it a measure of the trust the Alpha now held for the vampire that Finn believed Aiden would translate the wolf’s thoughts honestly.
Aiden had moved so fast that Gabriel had only tracked his movements by the trail of dead wolves he left in his path. Whereas the cats had all killed only if it were necessary, Aiden had offered no such mercy. He was apparently not a creature that forgave betrayal easily.
“Are you also able to keep me informed of the situation at my home and in the town?” Finn said. “Or is the distance too great?”
“I can hear your pride mates, young Alpha.”
Gabriel was anxious about Jordanna. She had left home with Caine, but had yet to been seen at their Alpha’s. He felt no distress in their bond, but he wouldn’t be happy until she was in the safe room with the other mates.
* * * *
Caine and Jordanna had only been on the road a few minutes when Cooper called him.
“The meeting at the ranger station was an ambush,” Cooper said. “We’ve had one wolf here, but Michael took him down.”
“Is Finn safe?” Caine looked at Jordanna and saw her eyes widen at his question.
“Unknown at this stage, they’re fighting. Be careful on your way here.”
Cooper ended the call. Caine knew Cooper needed to shift and check on his brother. The call had just been to warn Caine of the danger.
As he rounded a bend in the road, he saw a tanker truck parked across both lanes. The road was narrow with no shoulder, the tree line nearly meeting the road. He braked as hard as he could, but they were going to hit the truck.
Caine turned the wheel in an attempt to hit the truck on the driver’s side, but the wheels had locked. He had no time to shield Jordanna as they slammed into the truck.
* * * *
Drake looked up after releasing the dead wolf from his jaws. Cooper stood in human form on the porch of his home. He had a wolf by the neck in both hands, its jaws snapped inches from Cooper’s neck. “I will snap your neck if that is your choice.”
Cooper seemed to have the wolf under control as it stilled, hanging limply from Cooper’s grasp. The sound of whining was the only noise in the Alpha’s yard. Calder and Michael were doing a sweep of the bodies as Drake approached the house.
He was suddenly filled with fear. It squeezed at his heart and froze the air in his lungs. He snarled and shook his head. It was Jordanna’s fear. Then it was gone. “Gabriel?”
“Does anyone see Jordanna?” Rowan asked. “She was scared, but now I can’t feel her at all.”
“Is this about your mate?” Cooper said, his eyebrows furrowed. At Drake’s nod, Cooper continued. “I spoke to Caine only a few minutes before the attack. I’ll call him again.”
Drake remained silent as Cooper dropped the wolf on the porch and put a booted foot on its head. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed. The call went unanswered. Cooper’s scowl deepened.
“Everyone must remain where they are until we’re sure this is over,” Cooper said, his eyes a shining amber as he showed his anger.
“We have a live wolf here. Finn and Samson are going to find out what this is all about,” Gabriel said.
“Cooper can’t reach Caine,” Drake said. “He needs us all to stay where we are for now.”
Rowan and Gabriel roared in his mind, their anger and frustration joining with his own. But none of them questioned the decision of their Beta.
Drake thought he’d experienced pain when he’d been injured in the service. But that was insignificant compared to the pain he felt now. He needed to find his mate. But his duty to the pride meant he had to stay and protect the other mates, and Finn’s cub. Drake stayed silent and watched.
“We’ll find her as soon as we can,” Cooper said. His reassurance did nothing to soothe Drake’s pain. He channeled the pain into rage at the wolves who had again hurt his mate.
* * * *
Gabriel felt as though he was burning alive. He was so enraged that he wanted to tear apart the wolves that were still living. He wanted to find the truth of this whole attack by shredding them.
Finn raised an eyebrow in question at Gabriel’s sudden distress.
“They are unable to contact his brother, and he has felt fear from his mate,” Aiden said. He stalked toward the wolf Samson held. “Perhaps you could shed some light on that?”
The wolf stilled. It rolled its eye in Finn’s direction.
“He says he will shift and speak to the Alpha,” Aiden said. Aiden looked at Samson, who seemed reluctant to release the wolf. “I will kill him if he tries to flee, soldier.”
Samson looked to Finn for his decision. “You may release him, Samson.” Finn stepped closer to the wolf as it hung four feet from the ground in Samson’s hands. “But I will kill you if you try to flee.” His eyes flashed bright, his canines long and gleaming as he snarled at the wolf.
The wolf had begun to shift even before Samson had released him. A man now stood in the center of the circle of cats and humans. He was of average height, with dark hair and eyes. He was bleeding from the wounds Axel’s teeth had inflicted on his neck. He was also furious.
“Aiden, why have you betrayed your life debt by siding with his killers?” the man asked. He took a step toward Aiden, but froze when snarls sounded all around him.
Aiden stroked a hand over his chin as he surveyed the man. “Patrick Werner, may I introduce you to Finn Frederick, Alpha of the Eminence Pride.”
Patrick’s eyes flashed a bright green as he looked up at Finn. “The man who instigated the murder of your friend and plots to take over our lands?” He snarled at Aiden, his rage leaving its acrid scent in the air.
“I’d be interested to hear where you learned this from, wolf,” Finn said. His eyes blazed brighter than the wolf’s and his thunderous voice shook Gabriel’s bones.
“This is what you told our new Alpha, Aiden.” The wolf looked at Aiden’s furious expression and Gabriel saw doubt cross his features. “Is this not what you discovered when you tracked the witness here?”
Finn and Aiden both glared at the wolf, but Finn held his hand out for Aiden to speak.
“I arranged for a meeting between the two Alphas. That is all. They were to decide upon an appropriate venue to interview the witness,” Aiden said. “The witness is being protected because she is a mate.”
“I don’t understand,” Patrick said. “We have attacked the entire pride because we were told you said they were coming to kill us. Coming to kill our children. To wipe us from existence.”
“That explains the females who came to fight,” Finn said. He ground his teeth together in anger. “They have pups?”
The wolf merely nodded, the enormity of his mistake beginning to sink in. He looked behind Gabriel. “Richard West lied to us.”
Gabriel turned and saw that a few of the injured wolves had risen and were standing in a group behind him. Max and Dane stood guard on either side of them.
“Tell the rest of the pack and stop the attack on the cats immediately,” Patrick told the wolves. “What’s go
ing on Aiden?”
“You need to find your mate, Gabriel,” Finn said. “You are all released to find her. We will help when we can.”
“Wait,” Patrick said. “Is this missing mate also the witness to Liam’s murder?” He continued at Finn’s nod. “Richard said you were holding her prisoner and planning to kill her for witnessing your attack on our Alpha. He has gone to free her from her captors.”
Gabriel relayed the information to his brothers as he started to run. They had taken her on pride land which meant the cats had the advantage of knowing every inch of their territory. They would find her. They had to find her.
* * * *
Caine was awoken by a burning pain in his side. “Jordanna.”
He was met with silence. Taking in a deep breath, he scented the sweet lavender of her blood mixed with his own. He blinked his eyes open and tried to make sense of what he saw.
He was still buckled in to the seat of his truck and suspended upside down in the air. The truck was upside down. Extending his claws he ripped himself free of the seat belt. The pain in his side increased as he landed heavily on the roof of the truck. Broken ribs.
He’d had worse injuries and survived. He scrambled out of the shattered windshield and looked for Jordanna. The tanker was still in the road, but Jordanna was nowhere to be seen. Her blood called to him, but his cat was better at following a scent. He shifted, his broken ribs snapping into place and making him yowl. His rage made his vision red, his focus acute.
His mind was immediately flooded with the anguished calls of his brothers and Rowan. “We crashed into a truck they set across the road at the bend near the Harris property. They have taken Jordanna.”
Caine listened as his brothers and Hunter told him of the wolf pack’s misguided attack. They were lucky not to have lost any of their pride. The wolves had greatly outnumbered them, but they had been a peaceful pack under Alpha Liam’s rule, so they were apparently not practiced at fighting.
Jordanna [Eminence Shifters 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 15