by Grosso, Kym
“Wolf. Not ours,” he barked out, raking his fingers through his hair. Handing it off to Logan, he peered over the fence that led into a thin patch of woods next to a small road. No car. No trash. No clues. It didn’t matter, because he knew where they’d taken her. And he knew for certain who exactly took her. When he found Gerald, he swore he’d rip his throat out vein by vein. If he weren’t a dead man before, he’d just signed his own death warrant.
“Back to the clubhouse. I want every wolf there. I want to make sure no one else is missing and if anyone saw anything,” Tristan ordered.
Silently, Logan nodded. His Alpha was about to go on a tear, and he prayed they’d find Kalli. Cursing his damn visions, he couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen this coming.
Pack members filled the large all-purpose room in the clubhouse. A hum of nervous conversation echoed off the cedar walls. After a quick change of clothes in the locker room, an agitated Tristan entered the open area, parting the sea of people. Instantly it became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone sat, cautiously watching their Alpha.
Looking to Logan, who’d dressed quickly as well, Tristan assessed the situation. “All wolves accounted for?”
“Yeah, everyone’s here except for Simeon. I sent him to the airstrip to make sure the jet was ready tonight, and to change flight plans. We’re set to go.”
“Listen up everyone,” Tristan began in a deadly serious tone. “We’ve suffered a security breach this afternoon. We believe that at least two persons, possibly wolves taking CLI, came onto Lyceum Wolves’ property via the north gate. Somewhere between the barn and my cabin, they abducted Kalli.”
The crowd released a small roar of murmurs at the news.
“Settle down,” he ordered. “Now I know that most of you noticed her on last night’s run…at the spring. I was planning on a formal introduction to the pack later this week, but now it seems there’s no other way for me to do this. So for those who haven’t been listening to gossip, she’s mine; I’ve claimed her.”
A few gasps could be heard. Tristan nodded in response. While most wolves knew he’d claimed Kalli, it seemed as if a few hadn’t heard the news. Most of the pack was still happily surprised that he’d found someone after leading Lyceum Wolves for over fifty years as a single wolf.
“And she’s my mate,” he added, as the room fell silent once again. They all registered the seriousness of the situation. An Alpha’s mate kidnapped. Tristan and the pack would suffer enormously if anything happened to her. He would simply not recover from such a loss. While he would assuredly go on without her, he’d probably have to step down as Alpha due to the excruciating grief. There’d be infighting and challenges for his position, despite Logan’s status.
“Like I said, I planned to formally introduce her to you after we took down the Wallace pack. We were going to complete our mating afterward. But now…” His words temporarily trailed off as the thought of Kalli dead raced through his mind. It killed him, but he refused to show weakness in front of his pack. As always, they needed him to be a rock, and he never disappointed them. “Tonight we go in to take out Wallace. But before that happens, I want to know who was on the property today. Ellie said the clubhouse was locked up tight. No humans were there after the morning food delivery. Janie told me Doc Evans was out of town; that’s why she called on Kalli to check the horses. Somebody here must have seen something, scented something. If you’ve got anything to say, now’s the time. I want the truth,” he demanded.
A barely audible cough came from the back of the room as Julie stood. “Alpha.” She lowered her eyes. “Coming back from town in my car, I passed the stables. I noticed the mares were in the south field. The boys were in the northern field. I saw two men near them, but I just assumed they were Doc Evan’s workers. The interns, you know. They come with him sometimes. I didn’t stop. I should have stopped. I…I’m so sorry.” A tear escaped at the realization she could have seen the intruders.
“Were they going toward the barn or the field?”
“Toward the fields, into the woods.”
“Julie, this is really important.” Tristan fixed her with his stare. “What else do you remember? What were they doing?”
“Just walking. They had on backpacks, but again, sometimes Doc has a pack too. I had the windows down, and smelled the humans. Nothing appeared strange…so I kept driving,” she muttered.
“Did you see or scent anyone else besides Janie, Kalli or the horses? Humans? Wolves? Animals?”
Recognition flashed across her face. Her eyes darted across the room and then to the floor.
Tristan rushed to her, taking her by the arms. “Look at me, Julie,” he insisted forcefully. “Who else was at the barn?”
Julie raised her gaze to his, then her eyes settled on Mira, who’d been sitting up toward the front of the room. Inspecting her perfectly manicured nails, she pretended to ignore Julie.
“Are you sure?” Tristan spat out; his voice rose.
“Yes, as wolf. I didn’t see her, but I scented her at the barn. I’m certain,” Julie confessed, shaking her head.
The atmosphere in the room crackled with a surge of fear as if they were waiting for a volcano to erupt.
Tristan closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he contemplated the scenarios of Mira’s involvement. It couldn’t be possible. She’d been mad about Kalli from the very beginning, jealous even. The public submission at the springs had only served to stoke her anger. But they’d been friends for so long. She knew he’d claimed her. It would crush him, but by Goddess, he needed to know if she was involved in the abduction.
“Mira!” Tristan yelled as the others cowered slightly. Every wolf could sense the powerful waves of anger emanating off of their Alpha.
Mira’s head snapped to attention upon hearing her name. With a confident stance, she stood up and faced him, placing a hand to her hip. Inwardly she shook in fright, but she couldn’t let them know. She’d done the right thing in sending her away. Kalli was a half breed whore who’d pollute the pack. She didn’t belong in Lyceum Wolves. He’d thank her eventually.
“Yes,” Mira responded flatly.
“Mira, you’ve been my friend for a very long time, but I’m only going to ask you this question once. I expect truth. Do you understand?” Tristan growled.
Lowering her gaze slightly but still maintaining eye contact, she nodded. “Yes, Tristan. As always.”
Logan started to approach the pair, but Tristan held up a hand, halting him. He shot him a warning look and then narrowed his eyes on Mira once again.
“Were you involved in Kalli’s abduction?” Tristan asked in a low menacing voice.
“I…I was just out running. I didn’t do anything,” she protested.
Sensing deception, Tristan did something he normally didn’t do. Opening himself, he let his mind touch Mira’s. He wanted her to feel a mere sliver of the sheer wrath that pulsed throughout his being.
As it hit her, Mira gasped in pain. “Tristan, don’t,” she pleaded.
Logan ran forward. As beta, Tristan’s emotions ran through him as if he were experiencing them himself. Tristan held up his palm again, stopping him from moving, all the while never taking his eyes off Mira.
“Stand down, Logan. Do not challenge me,” he ordered. “Mira, what did you do?”
Looking to the floor, she shook her head back and forth in denial, yet she felt compelled to tell him. He’d know. There was no way to lie to him. Surely he’d understand that she’d done this for the pack. Steeling her nerves, she looked directly into his eyes. “No, I did not take her personally. But yes, I called them to take her. She’s not pack.”
As the words hit him, the slicing agony of betrayal cut at his heart.
On your knees!” he commanded, enraged by what she’d done to him. When she refused to listen, his power discharged, spilling over, forcing her to the floor. Standing back, he held his fisted hands at his sides. “Why Mira? We’ve been friends for over a century
. How could you do this to me? To the pack?”
Mira stumbled to the ground, submitting. Tristan’s surge of anger held her at the carpet.
“I did this for the pack! She doesn’t belong here,” she cried in defiance. “I am Lyceum Wolves. Daughter of Alpha. I know how things should be. You wouldn’t listen. Something had to be done. She has her own pack! And now she’s there! You’ll never get her back!”
“Correction, Mira. You were the daughter of Alpha. You were Lyceum Wolves. I can’t believe you’d let others come onto our territory…take my mate. But you betrayed me. The pack. You put everyone at risk. I can’t understand this.” Tristan shook his head, still unable to believe that his best friend had done this to him. Petty jealously was one thing; questioning his leadership was a direct challenge. None of it could go unpunished.
“Mira, if you were a male, I’d kill you on the spot for treason. But in deference to our friendship, I hereby strip you of your lineage.”
Mira screamed as she realized what he was about to do to her. “No Tristan! You can’t!”
“Silence!” he bellowed, delivering another wave of his power, muting her defiance. “Not only have you engaged in treason by inviting dangerous enemies onto our land, you’ve challenged your Alpha. In a physical challenge, it’d be unlikely you’d survive. Therefore, I must consider a suitable alternative. You will start a new life in another pack. I will notify other possible Alphas this evening. In the meantime, you will be confined to your cabin and are not allowed to leave this compound. Tomorrow, I’ll inform you of your new location.”
Mira beat the floor with her fists, “No, no, no…this is my pack. You can’t do this!”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Mir. It’s already done. Do not challenge me further, or I’ll take drastic action. Now get up off your knees and get out of my sight. Declan, assign guards to Mira. She’s no longer Lyceum Wolves. As such, she’s not allowed to leave her cabin or interact with the others.”
“Yes sir,” Declan nodded.
“Logan, find out who Mira spoke to from the Wallace pack. See what she knows and then meet me over at the jet. I’d do it, but I swear I might kill her. Honestly, my wolf is demanding no less than her death, but she’s been with us forever. Goddess help me, I’ve got to show her mercy.”
A frozen glare glossed over Mira’s face as Declan led her out of the room. Pack members looked away, incredulous that she’d deliberately bring strangers into their sanctuary. It was a miracle no one else had been taken or killed. Tristan, aware of how his anger had affected them, concentrated on sending an air of repose into the otherwise distressed crowd.
“My wolves,” he addressed them calmly. “Keep diligent watch until I return. Willow’s in charge while I’m gone. I’m asking that you stay indoors, no running until we’re sure the situation in South Carolina’s been contained. Understood?”
With a nod toward Willow, Tristan pounded out to his car. He’d expected that Mira would have been hurt by him taking a mate, but never had he anticipated such treachery. She’d put the entire pack at risk out of some misguided sense of loyalty. Unforgiveable, yet he couldn’t bring himself to mete out the deserved retribution; death. Hoping she’d find peace in a new pack, he fired up the car and let his thoughts drift back to Kalli.
Instinctively, he assumed Gerald would keep her alive, perhaps torture her, rather than kill her. Reports indicated that there were only two females left in the pack after he’d killed them off, one by one. No pups had been listed, although Tristan suspected that they could have somehow gone undetected in the flyover. Eleven remaining males kept court at all times of day.
Now that Kalli could shift, she’d have a fighting chance of staying alive. She was strong and intelligent. If an opportunity for escape presented itself, he was confident she’d take it. Rubbing a hand over his face in frustration, he considered how they would have transported her. Drug or silver would be the easiest way to ensure she couldn’t shift. Surely they would have flown Kalli out of Pennsylvania, realizing he’d tear the state apart looking for her? Glancing over to the clock, he saw it read seven o’clock. If they managed to leave within the hour, they’d arrive by ten. Every muscle in his body tensed. Blood boiling, he was ready to embrace the retributive justice that would come at his hands tonight.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kalli vomited onto the floor, unable to control the nausea. Unsure of what drug they used, she thought it had to be some kind of an animal tranquilizer. Wiping the spittle from her lips, she cracked her eyes open, trying to assess her surroundings. The irrefutable smell of human urine and feces permeated the small cemented room in which they’d placed her. Her wrist burned as the silver handcuff, attached to an old metal cot, cut into her skin. The threadbare mattress chafed at her legs, but at least they hadn’t entirely restrained her. She struggled to sit up, but managed with a sigh, as she leaned against the cold concrete.
Although it was dark, her eyes quickly adjusted to the light. Taking in the barren accommodations, she noticed a small square window in the wall half way toward the ceiling. More of a hole really, it left no room to escape. The one foot by one foot portal was missing its glass, allowing a cool mountain breeze to seep into the room. Sniffing into the air, a stir of painful memories told her exactly where she was. Wallace pack. Heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains; spectacular waterfalls, scenic vistas, wild flowers. Yet the only thing this place held for Kalli was a lifetime of abuse and torture.
Heart racing, she struggled to remain calm as the door to the room flew open. And although the ray of bright light blinded her, she’d never forget the horrific scent of Gerald or the smell of whiskey on his breath. Telling herself she was stronger this time, she fortified her mind, readying for his attack.
“Look who the cat dragged in. Our little hybrid slut thought she’d hide from us. We always find what’s ours,” he cackled as he approached her, shining a spotlight into her face. “Old Morris lucked out, didn’t he? Thought he’d find something up in the big city. We was lookin’ for some bitches to bring back here. We’re low, ya see. But we knew there’d be plenty of girls we could take. Big city won’t miss ’em. Little did he know he’d find you.”
“I’m not who you think I am,” she protested.
“Oh, yeah, I know who ya are. Fancy degrees, I hear ya made a drug to hide your wolf,” he laughed. “Worked real well too. Dumb ole Lyceums didn’t know we was even there. Well, now that we got ya, you’re gonna make more of those pills. We can sell ’em on the streets. Got big plans for ya, you know?”
Overwhelmed by the odor, Kalli cringed in his presence. As if she were in a swamp at night with gators, she could see the red flecks of light reflecting off his cold black eyes. She wanted so badly to shift, but as long as she was silvered, she couldn’t. If somehow she could get the cuff off, she could summon her wolf. In her mind, she’d made the decision to die fighting. Dying seemed a preferable option compared to a lifetime in Wallace. No matter what happened to her, she wouldn’t let him manufacture the CLI. He’d never be able to do it without her.
“I don’t belong to you anymore,” she spat at him. “My mate. He’ll come for me.”
He ran a finger down her neck. Linking a claw into the rim of her t-shirt, he tore it open, revealing Tristan’s mark. “Claimed, I see. But mated, not yet. I can tell a mated bitch, and you’re not one. Close but no cigar.”
Refusing to give quarter, Kalli defiantly sat with her bra exposed, refusing to let him see how terrified she was.
“My mate will come for you. You’ll be dead by morning.”
“Maybe you’ll be the one who’ll be dead after I let a few of my men go at ya. Not many bitches around here. Now here you are, fallin’ into our laps.”
He ran his hand down her chest, but when he attempted to paw her breast, Kalli struck him between the eyes with the palm of her hand, ramming his nose.
“Fucking bitch,” he screamed as blood spurted from his nostrils. In response, he struck
Kalli across the face with the back of his hand. Her head smashed into the cinderblock with a resounding crack.
She saw stars as the pain radiated throughout her face and then through the back of her head. Feigning unconsciousness, she kept her eyes closed. It wasn’t hard to fake given the injury to her head. She sighed in relief as she heard the door slam as he left, leaving a string of curse words in his wake.
Racking her brain for a way to escape, she needed to get out of the cuff. She was no Houdini, but she’d watched plenty of television shows where people unlocked their own handcuffs. What did they use? A credit card? No, that was for doors. Come on Kalli, think. A paperclip? A pin? Where the hell would she get a pin? Her hair, still in a ponytail, only had a rubber band in it. She still had on her shoes but they only held laces. Then it occurred to her that she was wearing a wired bra. She wasn’t crazy about the idea of stripping inside of her hellhole prison but if she could get the cuff off, she’d open the door, shift and wouldn’t need her clothes.
After managing to unhook her bra, she bit at the fabric with her teeth until a small hole emerged. Threading the wire out, she bent it back and forth until it broke into two pieces. She proceeded to shim the lock by inserting the small wire between the notches and the ratchet. Within a minute, the lock clicked open. Smiling to herself, she had her own plan for Gerald, and it involved him and a dirt bed.
Challenging the Alpha while silvered may not have been the brightest idea she’d had, but damn if she’d deny her mate. Tristan was coming for her. Released from the poison shackle, she could feel it in her blood. Her wolf called to the surface, and she swore she could sense him on the land, in the air. She was certain, in that moment, that Gerald would, indeed, end up a cadaverous, lifeless piece of flesh by sunrise.
Locked and loaded, Lyceum Wolves hit the ground. In a smooth landing, the plane taxied onto the private airstrip nestled on a small strip of land within the mountains. As soon as they came to a grinding halt, Tristan, Logan, Declan, Gavin and Shayne poured out of the plane into two waiting SUVs. Tristan could feel her as soon as they hit the rocky soil. The smell of blood hung in the air, and he swore he’d have vengeance.