by T. S. Ryder
Lukas nodded. They continued in silence.
***
They arrived at the sawmill halfway through the afternoon. As soon as the car was parked, the two Alphas burst out and ran inside the old building. Will came up short at what he saw there.
Elena was tied in the center of a circle of candles, her eyes wide as she struggled uselessly against her bonds. Harriet crouched just outside the circle, her skin deathly pale, her usually pretty face looking haggard and worn, with dark wrinkles under her eyes and sharp teeth in her mouth.
"Harriet," Will said, stepping forward. "Let her go. I don't want to hurt you."
"Harriet is no longer here," the woman said, her voice hoarse and cracked. "You mistreated her and lost her. But by her sacrifice, I have returned. And by your mate, I will have my mate again."
Her head threw back, and a deep, echoing howl rang through the sawmill, shaking the very foundations. And then her body twisted, shifting in a giant white wolf. Will stepped back, eyes widening in horror. The Wolf separated from Harriet, and his ex-girlfriend dropped to the floor.
The Geisterwolf howled again and charged him.
Chapter Eight – Elena
Elena struggled against the ropes that bound her. She gnawed at the rope on her wrists, but all she managed was to scrape her skin raw with her teeth. When the Geisterwolf clashed with her two alphas, her heart froze. Fierce snarling filled the sawdust-scented air. Harriet was slumped at the edge of the circle that she had drawn around Elena, but the human only had eyes for the fight.
Will and Lukas worked as one against the creature, one darting in and tearing at its throat while the other circled it and grabbed its hindquarters, pulling it off balance. The Geisterwolf's blue eyes turned blood-red. It pounced on Will, tearing at his neck before it was abruptly gone.
How quickly it disappeared would have been more comforting if she knew it wasn't coming back. But it could reappear as quickly as it had appeared.
The two Alphas circled for a moment, their heads swinging from side to side, noses twitching as they attempted to scent out the creature. But nothing further happened, and they both turned their attention to Elena. Her stomach twisted into hundreds of knots as both came to her. Will used his teeth to gnaw through the ropes while Lukas licked her face and the scrapes on her arms. It felt so comforting that Elena was almost ready to burst into tears by the time she was free.
She threw her arms around Lukas' neck, holding tightly. They were both so brave and bold, so willing to fight for her. Will Shifted and stroked her hair for a moment before he moved to Harriet's side. Elena shivered, looking at the body.
"She set this all up and chanted some sort of incantation," she told the Alphas. "She said shew as going to do the Geisterwolf's work for him and summon his mate, but when she was halfway done, she started screaming. She clutched her head and fell, and then when she looked up, I knew it wasn't her anymore. I don't know what happened…"
Lukas shook his head. "She chose her own fate."
Will knelt beside Harriet and checked for a pulse. His shoulders slumped. "She's dead."
"She brought it on herself," Lukas said again, but this time his gaze was focused on Will. "And she was trying to kill our mate."
Our mate. Elena liked hearing him say that.
Will glanced over at them, and his gaze lingered on Elena. There was such sadness in them that she couldn't repress a shiver. He nodded slowly, although the movement was lethargic. There was a brief moment when Elena swore she could see tears in his eyes before he stood abruptly and turned away from the other two.
"She may have chosen her fate, but that doesn't mean I'm guiltless. I should have treated her better. I should have treated them both better. I never intended to mate either Harriet or Catherine, but I let them believe that I might. This is my fault. All of this is my fault."
Elena shivered but moved from Lukas' comforting arms to go to Will and put her arms around him. "It's not your fault that the Geisterwolf is after me."
"Isn't it? Bad enough that you were being mated to Lukas against your will, but adding me to the mixture only made it worse. And it’s a White Wolf, Elena." Will's eyes were desperate as he searched hers.
"I don't know what that means."
Lukas joined them. He bent and closed Harriet's eyes. "White Wolves are very rare. Out of all the Wolves I know, only one family has a penchant for White Wolves to be born among them."
"Mine," Will said. "The Geisterwolf could very well be my ancestor. It could be going after you because I decided that you were my mate, without asking you. All this is my fault. If I wasn't such a pig-headed, stubborn—"
Elena pressed a hand over his mouth. She hated that he was blaming himself. "It's not your fault. You couldn’t have seen this coming."
Will pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. Her skin sizzled and if it weren't for the fact that the Geisterwolf's attack and Harriet's dead body lying on the floor, she would have suggested that they stay a while. Both Will and Lukas were already naked, after all. But now was the wrong time to even think about it.
"We're not going to let the Geisterwolf hurt you," Lukas said. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. But unlike previous times, he didn't try to take her away from Will, instead seeming content to sandwich her between them. "And after this is all over, I will annul the contract that my father drew up. You don't have to be my mate… I'll lease the land to your father."
"But—"
"But the important thing is we won't let that thing hurt you," Will said. He stroked her face, his eyes fiery. "We won't let it hurt you."
***
When Elena opened her eyes, it took her a moment to remember where she was. It wasn't Will's house. She remembered quickly enough. After what had happened with Harriet, they had gone to Xavier and Timothy's house. Their mate, Amelia, had taken the baby to go stay with a friend of hers who had two Bear mates, leaving the Wolves alone to strategize.
Elena got up. It had to be close to dusk, and she already heard Will and Lukas' voices just outside her room.
"So it's true," Will said, his voice heavy with regret. "The Geisterwolf is my ancestor and it chose Elena because she's my reluctant mate."
Elena flinched. She looked around for her clothes, which she had discarded when she went to bed.
"You can't blame yourself, man," Lukas said. "You didn't know. Although it is a little ironic."
"What is?"
Elena paused, wanting to know what Lukas was going to say.
"For a long time, I've had a lot of anger towards my father for leaving the pack in a mess for me to clean up. Part of the reason I wanted to bring you in was so that I didn't actually have to do anything. I wanted to be free to dote all my attention on Elena and love her the way my father never loved my mother."
Will chuckled at that. "I wouldn't hold your breath on that on, Lukas. I've never had to do anything in my life. The old Alphas are right. I'm a screw-up."
"Come off it. You single-handedly made your pack the wealthiest in the area."
"A fluke."
Elena crept to the door and put her hand on the handle, but didn't open it. Not yet, at least. The conversation she was overhearing was just too tantalizing to interrupt, even though she knew that it was rude to eavesdrop. Lukas had just said that he wanted to love her–but didn't that go against everything he had told her already? That he didn't want her for a mate?
"My parents doted on me as though I was the king. I had no experience being an Alpha when they died. I've never been held accountable by anybody before, Lukas. And Elena… I realize now what I was doing with Catherine and Harriet was a desperate attempt to fill the hole in my life that was meant for my mate. I've never felt this way before. It's like… it's like she's the most perfect thing that has ever happened to me."
"I know the feeling. I've loved her before we met, and when I heard that she didn't want to be my mate… I guess I panicked."
Warmth flowed into Ele
na's chest. It filled to bursting and she pressed a hand over her mouth to smother the giggle that rose up in her. They loved her. Despite everything, they loved her. It was a feeling that she hadn't been expecting. At that moment, she wanted them more than anything. But it was almost dusk–they didn't have time before the Ghost Alpha attacked again.
"As soon as you explain that to her, she'll understand," Will said. "Me, though… I don't know how she can ever forgive me for the way I treated Catherine and Harriet. I messed things up so bad. I don't know if I'm ever going to be happy."
Elena flung open the door. Will and Lukas stood in the hall, clothed for once, and both jumped when she stepped out of the room. Her heart pounded as she looked from one to the other. "First off, did you two know I was awake before you started revealing your souls to each other?"
Both Alphas stared at her in shock, as though they had never seen her before. Elena grinned–it was answer enough. She took their hands in her own and remained grinning broadly at them, though she didn't know what to say. What did one say when one overheard the men that she thought were protecting her out of a sense of duty, maybe with a little lust on the side, say that they actually cared for her?
"It's true, isn't it?" she asked. "Both of you actually love me. This isn't just some sort of Alpha thing or because of the Geisterwolf. Even if we weren't in this messed up situation, you'd still love me."
Lukas nodded. "I do. I love you. I don't expect you to feel the same way—"
Elena cut him off with a kiss. Her body pulled towards him, a throaty moan escaping. As soon as she was done with Lukas, she turned to Will and gave him the same kiss. Her eyes slid shut as both Alphas pressed their bodies against her.
"I do," she whispered. "I love you. Both of you. And after this is over, I will gladly be your Alpha female."
Chapter Nine – Lukas
The ceremony had to be performed with only the three of them present. Any others that were included would only lend strength to the Geisterwolf. Lukas wished that they could have the strength of the packs and other Alphas backing them up, but the fact was that it had to be just him, Will and Elena. For all the times that they spent protecting her with the help of other Wolves, in the end, it was down to Will and Lukas to finish this and stop the Ghost Wolf from ever coming back.
The site for the ceremony was remote, on the top of a mountain that overlooked both the Cedar Grove and River Basin packlands. Lukas' hand shook as he lit the various candles set up in a circle. When he glanced at Will, he saw that the other Alpha was fingering his lighter and wondered if he was wishing he could smoke. He hadn't since Harriet's death. Lukas had even seen him throw out all his cigarettes.
"The full moon is already in the sky," Elena said.
Lukas nodded. "The Geisterwolf will be here as soon as the sun goes down. But we're ready."
"Good. Because if you die protecting me… well, I won't ever talk to you again. That goes for you as well, Will."
The other Alpha managed a small smile, but it faded quickly. And no wonder. The outcome of tonight could be dire for all of them. It was only their strength that stood between Elena and the Geisterwolf's plans for her. And if they failed?
They couldn't fail.
"Are you ready?" Will asked Elena, pacing around the circle of candles.
"Yes."
Lukas knelt in the candles with her, his heart hammering. The last red clouds from the setting sun were turning to a dusky purple, and he took a deep breath. Elena's eyes were wide as a howl pierced through the air. Will growled and Shifted, the creamy Wolf he was huge and intimidating in the night. Lukas did his best to ignore him, and the pale shadow just beyond the other Alpha as the Geisterwolf began to coalesce.
The Geisterwolf leaped at Will, mouth gaping wide. Will stood his ground, biting at the Geisterwolf's throat. Elena gasped, her hands pressed to her mouth. Lukas pulled a knife from his belt and slashed himself across the palm.
"Elena Aldana, I am your mate and I will be forever more," he said rapidly, quoting the words Xavier has drilled into his brain. "I love you and I do give myself willingly to you from this day forward."
He turned the handle of the knife to her. She took it, her shoulders hunched and head bowed, as though she was desperately trying to ignore the fight going on just beyond their circle of candles. A chill wind blew over them, making the flames flicker. Will howled in pain.
"Lukas Shultz, I am your mate and I will be forever more. I love you and I do give myself willing to you from this day forward," Elena said in a rush.
She drew the knife across her palm without any hesitation and grabbed Lukas' hand. Their blood mingled, and the Geisterwolf let out a pained howl. It stumbled, giving Will time to regain his footing and redouble his attack.
Lukas jumped to his feet. He Shifted as he leaped from the circle of candles. His connection to Elena had been cemented, weakening the Geisterwolf, but they had to move quickly. It was Will's turn to perform the ceremony, and it was Lukas' turn to hold off the Ghost Wolf until that was done. A howl ripped from his throat as he dodged in, ramming the Geisterwolf with the full weight of his body.
The Geisterwolf stumbled, falling close to the edge of the mountain cliff, but as Will retreated, the Ghost Wolf snarled a deep, terrifying sound. Lukas charged it as it charged him. When they collided, Lukas felt the impact jar throughout his whole body. It knocked the wind out of him. He bit at the Geisterwolf but had to release it because he couldn’t breathe.
The Geisterwolf had no such weakness. Its teeth clamped around Lukas' shoulder, sending pain jolting through his body, and flipped him onto his back. Lukas kicked and bit at it. There was a look of triumph in the ghost's eyes as it used its weight to crush down on him. Its jaws locked around Lukas's throat. He was able to get in a single gulp of air and then nothing.
A streak of a creamy white jumped over him and rammed into the ice-white of the Geisterwolf. Will.
No, Lukas wanted to say. Leave me. Protect Elena.
Will pounced on the Geisterwolf's back, savagely tearing at its neck. The creature released Lukas and turned, snapping at Will. Lukas rolled to his feet, but his brain spun from lack of oxygen and he stumbled. He shook his head, trying to regain his senses.
An unfamiliar howl echoed in the air. The Geisterwolf's ears pricked, and it turned its head briefly. It howled in answer, and Lukas froze in horror as a second Wolf shape started to form. This one was a rusty brown, glowing with a duller light than the Geisterwolf. Its paws were planted the ground, its whole body leaning away as it was dragged by an invisible force towards Elena.
The Geisterwolf's mate. She was here.
Lukas jumped at her, barking and growling in desperation, but he merely melted right through her form. And then the Geisterwolf howled again, and its mate was pulled forward, thrown into Elena's body.
Elena screamed, clutching her head. Fur began to sprout all over her body. She twisted, contorting, her head leashing back and forth. Her ears grew sharp then rounded again. The fur shrank back into her body only to burst out again, thicker than ever. Lukas was horrified, but a bark from Will broke him from his transfixion. The other Wolf was pinned to the ground, blood spraying from a wound in his shoulder.
Fire filled his belly. He was not going to lose his mate! Lukas jumped, snarling, onto the Geisterwolf's back. He clamped down on the Ghost Alpha's spine, shaking his head side to side in an attempt to break the creature's neck. It howled in pain, and Will retreated. He jumped over the candles and landed in his human form beside Elena.
The Geisterwolf shook Lukas off, but the smaller Alpha dodged in front of it, not letting it closer to his mate and partner as Elena recited the words of the ceremony. Lukas may have been told all his life that he wasn't good enough to be Alpha, that he was from weak stock and his father's weakness had been passed onto him, but at that moment he didn't care.
He lunged again, this time getting a killing grip on the Geisterwolf's throat. The larger Wolf pawed at him, claws scra
ping over his face. One of them tore into the delicate skin of his eyelid. Blood blinded him, but he tightened his grip until his jaw felt like it was about to crack. He wasn't going to let go and let this thing hurt his mate!
The Geisterwolf began dragging him towards the circle. It was choking, blood staining its white fur, but it determinedly pulled him along inch by inch. Lukas could see from the corner of his eye what was happening. Elena drew the knife over her hand again and passed it to Will. Her eyes rolled in pain, teeth too large for her mouth, clothes starting to rip as her body transformed.
Will recited the words quickly, stumbling over them, as Lukas tried to find purchase on the ground and pull the Geisterwolf away. His efforts were in vain. As soon as its paw stepped into the circle, Elena threw her head back. A pained howl ripped through the air as her body Shifted, turning into the form of a Wolf.
"I love you and I do give myself willingly to you from this day forward," Will shouted.
He grabbed Elena's nearest paw. A bright flash of blinding light, then Elena was human again. She crumbled to the ground.
Lukas' heart stopped. Was she dead?
The Geisterwolf tore itself from his grasp and charged towards Elena, but Will was quicker. He used his body to knock the Ghost Wolf off course, tearing at it as he snarled. Lukas jumped onto the Geisterwolf's back, trying to find his previous purchase. The creature swiped at both of them. Chunks of fur went flying. Blood flew every which way. It showed no sign of weakening. How were they meant to stop it?
The cliff.
Lukas' eyes met with Will's, and he knew that the other Alpha had the same idea. Together they threw their weight on the creature, not only keeping it separate from Elena but now fighting to drive it towards the cliff as well. They worked in perfect unison, the technique honed over the month they had spent fighting this thing already. Lukas danced around it, nipping and biting, distracting it just enough for Will to get a good grip, to use his weight to push it backward.