He expected Bodil to grill him, ask him about what was going, why would they be under such instructions, such explicit instructions. What had he gotten her baby sister into? Wasn’t he doing his job? Couldn’t he be trusted to do a task she asked him to do? What good was he if he couldn’t?
He didn’t expect her to say “There is no leading Breukelen alpha. Only the Breukelen. Our father died two minutes ago.” Down the line at him before disconnecting the phone line.
Booker looked back at the phone in stunned amazement at the words that were still ringing around in his head. “There is no Breukelen alpha, only the Breukelen, our father died two minutes ago.”
“AGGHHH!” He yelled in frustration shaking the steering wheel back and forth as he threw the phone away from him. He opened his car door so violently it was almost of its hinges as he leapt from the confines of the car, needing space and the blanket night sky and moon presence to greet his wounded soul.
11
Before Paris could say anything further, Addison gunned the car out of there and through the pathway that Kingsley had managed to create them by moving the one pick up truck. The Porsche sped off into the night as Booker looked at them leave.
“Head straight and don’t stop for anything.” Paris instructed his friend. “It’s normally a short drive from here, we should get there in less than five if we don’t have to stop.”
“So what the hell was that about then man? I mean, Shit?” Addison spoke trying to concentrate on the road. “Where the hell did they come from? How’d they know we’d be coming through here?”
“Good questions.” Paris replied. “I think I’d like to ask Conall Wakely that.” He said with a low growl to his voice. He looked at Addison who glanced across and noted the look of dangerous seriousness on his alpha’s face.
“Oh, you really would. Shit.” Addison replied looking back out at the road ahead.
“First things, first, we need to get Bg back to her family home. Make sure she’s going to be okay. Then you, Kingsley and I, my friend, are going to have a couple of words with Conall Wakely. That loups-group needs to learn a lesson in manners.”
“Manhattan Maen style.”
“Right.” Paris said pointing ahead of them. “Turn up there.”
“You sure you want to do this man. We’re on Breukelen territory and they’re bound to have a way to deal with their own kind. This could upset the balance of things, and after what happened recently with the Braganza pack, do you think that’s wise? The Breukelen have proven they’re willing to fight when they have to. As one united front. How many of the Manhattan Maen would do that if really required?”
“Conall Wakely, is a Breukelen loups-grou who beat the woman in my arms, senseless. I found her barely conscious in her own home, covered in blood and broken because she broke up her relationship with him.” He looked at Addison and paused.
“Bodil Sommers told her people to keep an eye on him, nothing more. This was straight after she found out her little sister, the woman in my arms, had been pulverised by that hybridge. After seeing what he had done to Bg. Her people, the Breukelen were supposed to trail him around, keep a close eye on Conall Wakely. Well where the hell are her people now? How did Conall Wakely make his way all the way out here, and manage to gather enough foe together to ambush us. When he knows, I am with his ex-girlfriend?” Paris said his tone rising more and more.
“Where were the Breukelen assigned to track Conall Wakely? Where were they when their own alpha’s daughter, Bg, needed them to help her? Where were they when their people needed to be reined in? When their neighbouring pack’s alpha, peacefully entered their territory with no intention of fighting, violence or bloodshed?”
Addison looked at him quickly and back at the road. “Think about it man, that’s all I’m saying. I mean, I know you’re justified and not without cause. I know you have a righteously wicked temper on you too. But you just met this girl. No offense but is she worth the trouble that the fallout from this could cause?”
Paris turned his head slowly to Addison, and narrowed his eyes. “I’ll risk it, for her.”
“Okay, okay,” Addison complained gulping down a vat of saliva. “You know I’m into her, I think she’s cool man. Cool. But I ain’t never seen you get worked up over any woman before. Let alone one from another pack! So you know, it’s my job, as your friend and lieutenant to ask these things. Make sure you’re you know…feeling sane. Where to now, still straight ahead?” He asked safely.
“Turn here and then next right.” Paris instructed pointing out the streets ahead.
“I feel very clear minded in what has to be done and why. I would think if our positions were reversed and you knew what is was to feel so strongly for another person, like I do for her, that you’d do exactly the same. We’re almost there, how’s our tail, are we being followed at all?”
Addison looked in the rear vision mirror and back ahead. “No we’re clear.”
“Does this mean, you love her?”
“Ease down, we’re entering a neighbourhood. Don’t want to draw suspicion to us, just ease down and go the regular speed limit.” Paris replied ignoring his last remark. “Don’t want her neighbours thinking we’re trouble. This is her street. It’s the biggest house on the block. Impossible to miss. It’s right at the end.” Paris said waving them ahead.
Addison decided to let his friend slide and let the comment go as he let out a low whistle. “That’s an impressive bit of architecture,” He said softly looking at the grandeur of the Sommers family home. It was old but the rest of the neighbouring houses seemed to look dated by comparison to it.
“Yeah, nice isn’t it, drive up through the gates, right onto the ground, to the front door. I’ll wait out front while you get the key from the back.”
Addison parked the car and ran around to Open Paris’s door for him, as he pushed up out of the passenger seat with Bg still draped heavily in his arms. As soon as the night air hit Bg Sommer’s skin she bucked upwards and gasped, as if taking in air for the first time. Paris grabbed a hold of her tightly looking down at her, taken by surprise.
“Bg? Can you hear me sweetheart?” Paris asked nodding his head at Addison. Bg’s eyes rolled backwards and flickered back and forth.
“She’s gonna shift man.”
He moved quickly to the front porch, noting her temperature rise and the sweat pour off her body as her skin began to shimmer and he saw the movement of her shoulders roll forward. She was about to go into a Shape shift. Paris laid her out on the front stoop and watched as the shift began on her body.
“Must have been the moonlight, look,” Addison said looking up at the moon.
“It’s in prime position now.”
Paris only looked at Bg as her shoulders rolled forward and seemed to collapse. He heard the snapping of her bones breaking and re-aligning themselves. A small sound not unlike a whimper came from her lips, as her eyes continued to flutter, rolling back and forth.
He felt a hard pain in his chest and he grimaced. She was going to go through a painful shift. Again. Paris’s mind raced as he walked away from her and turned his back and ran a hand through his hair. She hadn’t wanted him to see her shape shift the other night and he hadn’t. He knew she’d be mortified if he watched her undergo the changeover now.
“She held on, as long as she could, fighting it. Got caught in the fight.” Paris said softly as the form of Bg thrashed about in the red sheet, and started to change into that of a grey wolf, behind him.
“Hey man, let’s go around back open up the place and heard her inside. After that fight scene back at industrial, she might have picked up on the pack mentality back there and see us as the enemy when she comes to.”
“No, you go, now, and close those gates asap! I’m staying with her.” Paris replied turning back around as the red sheet that had covered her, began to get shredded and a werewolf’s growl could be heard as she gripped, ripped at the material around her.
“I
guess you were going to tell me when you’re ready, like when you’ll share a shape shift with me.” Paris said to himself out loud, watching the sheet’s thrashing movement.
Addison ran around the side of the large house to the back and found the back door mat, lifting it up found the house key he had been told would be there. Unlocking the back door he made his way through the house to the front, opening the door and looking for a light switch and a key pad as Paris stood before Bg Sommers the werewolf who was standing on all fours, growling at Paris. The sheet, torn up around her.
“Addison, lock those gates now.” Paris said softly. “No sudden movements or she might try to bolt or rip my throat out, neither of which is appealing to me.”
“At least not till a second date.” Addison muttered moving back through the house towards the kitchen. Searching the wall and remembered Booker had said it would be in the kitchen. He headed back to the room and found the keypad.
He punched in the code and looked back out towards the open front door. Paris gave him the thumbs up sign that the gates were closing. Addison’s mobile phone rang and he reached into his jeans pocket, pulling it out the same time Bg the werewolf growled and turned about running inside, leaping straight at him.
Addison dropped the phone to the ground as moved into the kitchen and slammed the kitchen door closed hastily. Paris closed the front door behind them quickly, yelling at Addison to get out the back way again, locking the door behind himself. Addison did as he was told, sprinting out the back door, setting the lock, and putting the house key back under the mat again. Before rejoining Paris out the front of the house grounds.
“Man, you’re girlfriend has a serious bite first attitude on her.” He said as they walked towards the high brick wall and wrought iron gates.
“You were probably asking for it. You’re always causing trouble, Addison.”
“Me trouble?” Addison said in mock surprise. “Says the guy who’s about to make the war of Troy look docile when he ignites two werewolf packs in a blood feud.”
Paris put his hands on his hips and stared back at his friend. “A blood feud, little bit dramatic don’t you think?”
They stopped before the black wrought iron gates. “You honestly don’t think this going to get that bad? Man where is your head at? You ain’t fucking with non’s here. You’re fucking with a very well-oiled fighting pack. They’ve just proven their worth to the whole tri-state county. Who the fuck would be stupid enough now, to piss them off? Oh wait, hang on, I know the answer to this…”
“I can handle relations with Bodil Sommers of the Breukelen.”
Addison shook his head and laughed heartily. “Oh you have got it so wrong brother. It’s not the alpha female of the Breukelen you should be worried about!. It’s the smaller one, the beta in there who just went for my jugular. When she comes too and finds out what you did you’re in for a hell of a legendary fight.”
“I can explain my actions to Bg and I will.” Paris replied trying to keep his anger at bay, at the way Addison was speaking to him.
“It’s not a matter of explaining it to her man, she’s a woman. They all get prissy over being deceived, out of being out of the loop on shit like this. On fighting. Mark my words, she’ll be unhappy. No a normal woman, would be unhappy about this plan of yours. Your loup-garou, girlfriend is going to take unhappy to a whole new level of fiery hell.”
“You don’t know Bg like I do.” Paris replied stoically. “She’s not like that.”
“I don’t think you know her enough yet, to make that kind of statement.” They both fell silent and looked up at the wrought iron gates.
“Now what?” Addison asked looking back over at Paris. “Scramble and climb?”
“So I need to know,” Paris said turning to Addison. “Are you with me on this or am I doing it alone?”
Addison tilted his head and looked at his friend and held out his hand. “Did I ever tell you it was my goal in life to make the world better, one day at a time?” “No.”
“Well that’s because I never said that and I’d hate to have an early night anyway. Seem like a waste of a lunar night.” He said smiling back at Paris. “Justification, justification, justification, bad thing happens now” He said as his friend grasped his hand tightly.
“Thank you.”
“So you’re just going to leave your car here, and what? Casually walk up to Wakely and grab him?”
“Something like that.” Paris said turning and smiling at his friend. “They had their turn now it’s our turn now.”
“and I’m trouble.” He muttered unappreciatively. “So I guess you want to jump that?” He replied sizing up the automatically closed gate.
“What, afraid you haven’t got it in you anymore to leap tall buildings in a single moonlit bound?” Paris said chuckling at his friend before crouching down and springing up high and clearing the top side of the ornate iron gate with ease.
Paris landed on the other side of the gate and grinned back at Addison. Straightening up again. “Come on hombre we used to do this all the time. It’s a piece of cake. Didn’t even hurt the joints and look” He said holding up his hands. “Still have all my limbs and my head.”
“It’s debatable whether you’re in your right mind or not. But still Okay, technically I can survive this jump but I still happen to be rather fond of my head; specifically, how it's attached to my neck. Oh come on, this is an easy one. We did harder than this before.”
“When was the last time we did this?”
“We were kids man, and we did so we could go skating in people’s emptied out in ground pools in posh city. Which was only a slightly better reason for doing this for.” Addison replied rubbing his hands together as he looked at the gate again.
“Nothing bad ever happened to you right? I mean, you never got impaled or anything.” Paris teased him. Addison glared at him through the gaps in the gate.
“That’s just plain mean homme, mean.” Addison whined back at him backing up a few paces.
“Well you could babysit my car and my girlfriend for the rest of the evening if you want.” He taunted his friend further.
“Baisez-vous” Addison swore in a low voice starting to crouch down, looking at the top of the gate.
“What was that buddy?” Paris teased putting a hand to his ear. Addison ignored him as he crouched down low and launched himself upwards fast, reaching the top of the side part of the gate, he grabbed on and clambered over the top of it, sliding down to the ground on the other side.
“It was ugly, but I still got it.” Addison replied dusting his hands. They both walked down the street, the way they had come in. “You don’t think the neighbors saw us?” Addison asked looking about the houses they passed by. There were a few lights still on behind closed curtains.
“No. I’m sure there used to quite a few things going on at the Sommers home anyway.”
12
Booker circled around the front of his car, his hands on his heads, pacing back and forth in frustrated silence, glancing back at his car and through the dark tinted window, where he knew Kingsley lay slumped over, dead. Now the Breukelen alpha was dead. Plus who knew about the injuries and fallout from the group in industrial park, especially since he’d bounced a few of them off his car on the way out of there, like a bat from hell.
Booker sighed heavily and dropped his arms, but kept pacing. Things were falling apart rapidly. He had to get it together, hold off the feelings until everything was sorted. That was his job, that was what he did in the pack. He got things sorted out. He stopped pacing and reached into his jacket and pulled out his mobile phone and depressed one of the buttons on speed dial.
“It’s Booker, I need you to put together a crew now, and come out to Industrial City Park lands, and do a round up of some free roaming Breukelen. There’s about fifteen of them, you’re also going to need at least five drivers, to remove their cars also.” He paused listening to the person on the other end of the line repeat his
words back to him.
“I want you to scan each of the Breukelen’s microchips, and secure the data of who they are, they’ll be dealt with later, right now there’s no time for minor infractions like public shape shifting in the open. Keep it on the DL, no contacting next of kin or handlers. There’s more to this than just free roamers. I need to keep it separate without further complications. You report back to me when the job is done. No one else.” He disconnected the phone and looked back at his car.
“One problem solved, one more to go.” He muttered to himself walking back over to the driver side and sliding in behind the wheel. He glanced over at Kingsley. “I’m real sorry man, real sorry.” He slammed the car door closed behind him and started the El Comino up again.
“This isn’t going to be a dignified exit my friend. But you probably already knew that.” Booker said speaking to Kingsley as he turned the car back around quickly and head back down the way he had come, through Industrial City Park. “But at least you’ll be on home turf, so they’ll figure it out.” Booker put his foot to the floor and sped off into the night. He had to get to a Manhattan Hospital while he still had the cover of night.
“I know, it’s an ugly thing to do, a body dump and run. But you and I both know it’s not so uncommon in New York. I mean come on, Queens – explain that to me. And considering the nature of your death along with your genetics, well, it’s the only way really, right? You’d do the same if it were me. I know you would. At least in Manhattan, your alpha will probably have some sort of sway over the powers that be, and the law officials and all that red tape we would otherwise encounter if I walked you in somewhere. I’m sure someone will know what you are and who to contact. You’re a big, and one presumes, smart pack. I’ve got to believe that you’ll be taken care of.” Booker said looking out at the road ahead, refusing to look at Kingsley.
It wasn’t long till he hit Industrial City Park again, and found the crew he’d called for had arrived. Booker stopped his car but kept the engine idling as he got out and nodded his head at a few people. One of them pointed out to the van that had been moved to the side and had people carrying werewolves into the back.
Nature of the Beast Page 10