by 1
After making quick work of washing and shaving, she pulled her wet hair into a bun. Sandy chose a faded pair of comfortable jeans to wear, and a green form-fitting t-shirt completed her choice of clothes. Heading downstairs, she smelled eggs and potatoes and headed toward the kitchen.
Stepping into the room, she froze. “Adam?” she whispered. Before she could rush to the prone form of her mate, an arm snaked around her neck and a cloth was pressed to her nose. She opened her mouth to scream, but that only rushed the foul smelling chemicals into her system faster. For the second time in as many days, darkness swamped her.
Chapter Nine
“Has Adam checked in yet?”
Devon glanced up from his maps and shook his head. “No, Alpha.”
He could feel the worry flowing off Ben as the bigger man moved across the study toward him. Ben ran a hand through his short brown hair and growled low in his throat. “He should have checked in by now. It’s after one in the afternoon.”
Wow, is it really that late? Devon looked at the clock to confirm Ben’s words. “I’ll call him.” He grabbed the phone before his alpha could reply and dialed. Several seconds later, Adam’s voicemail picked up. “Adam, give me a call.” He disconnected and then rang another number, but it, too, went to voicemail. “Hey, baby. It’s Devon. Have Adam give me a call, would you?”
“Shit. There’s no reason for them not to answer,” Ben snarled.
Chuckling, Devon replied, “Well, there is, but it wouldn’t stop Adam from checking in. He’s too responsible for that.”
Ben’s glare had Devon pushing away from the table and crossing the small room to stand before his alpha. Cocking his head to the side, Devon realized it was more than just Adam not checking in that bothered Ben. Since they were alone in their home, he wrapped his arms around the other shifter, offering comfort. “No word back from Rance yet?”
Ben shook his head, resting his hands on Devon’s shoulders and accepting the calmness the embrace would bring. “Not yet. He was more than a little pissed to find out two of his cougars ignored his orders.”
“Yeah. I bet.” Devon drew away from the man and headed out of the room. “Is it okay if I head to Sandy’s?”
Ben grunted. “I’m coming with you.”
He knew there would be no arguing with the man, even if he wasn’t Devon’s alpha. He grabbed the keys off the counter and headed out the door, Ben hot on his heels.
Ten minutes later, Devon turned the SUV into Sandy’s driveway. As soon as he opened the door, the scent hit him. Ben’s snarl told Devon that his alpha smelled it, too—cougars. Then another scent hit him. Wolf. He recognized it as one of their pack, but not which one.
But from the low, continuous growl escaping his alpha’s throat, Ben might. He followed the man’s sprinting form around the side of the cottage to the back yard. The sight that greeted Devon caused a howl of rage to escape him as he jogged up the porch steps.
The sliding glass doors were shattered shells, glass spread across the dining room floor. He followed Ben through the yawning hole, shards crunching under their booted feet. They spotted Adam sprawled across the floor of the kitchen. Blood pooled under his chest and slices and scrapes covered his bare torso, arms, and legs from the knee down where his shorts stopped.
“Roger was here,” Ben growled.
Devon nodded, dropping to his knees beside Adam. He knew his friend still lived, or they would have felt their mate-bond to him snap, and Devon planned to keep it that way. After verifying that the shifter’s pulse was steady and strong, he began systematically checking each cut and scrape. In some he found glass pieces and he carefully removed them.
Ben appeared several moments later with a first aid kit. “How’s he doing?” he asked.
“Most of these are superficial scratches from the glass breaking on him. If I had to guess, I’d say a cougar came in through the sliding door, showering him with glass. It would have disoriented him enough to get his claws into him.” Devon grunted as he rolled Adam to his side. “These claw marks are pretty deep, but it’s the gash in his head I’m worried about.
“There’s blood on the corner of the table,” Ben commented as he leaned forward and inspected the wound. “It looks like he hit his head on it. Knocked him right out.”
“Then they dragged him in here,” Devon said, lifting his chin toward Adam’s outstretched arms. “But why?” he asked, doctoring the gashes. He was pleased to see that they were already knitting back together.
“To get Sandy in here. He would have been visible from the stairway,” Ben growled out. “We need to hurry and get him home. Then we can track Sandy.”
“How?” Devon asked. “We have no idea where they could have taken her, or who the cougars are.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Ben stated. “We have the mate-bond. We’ll find her through that.” Devon glanced up at Ben’s hard tone. “And if they have harmed one hair on Sandy’s head, their lives will be forfeit.”
Devon silently agreed. He could feel the rage roiling off his alpha in almost palpable waves. After quickly wrapping a bandage around Adam’s head, Devon lifted the man into his arms. “Let’s go. He’ll be fine until Doc Henderson can take a look,” he said, referring to their pack physician.
Ben set a hand on the unconscious Adam’s head for several seconds. His jaw clenched and relaxed several times, and Devon knew how his alpha felt. Angry at those responsible, and afraid of what they could be doing to their other mate. Releasing his grip, Ben led the way through the cottage and out the front door. Ben opened the back door of the SUV and Devon settled the other beta’s body across the seat before sliding in after him. He propped Adam’s head on his lap and ran his fingers through his hair, reassuring the unconscious man that he was no longer alone.
Another ten minutes and Ben had them home. He handed Adam’s still form into Ben’s waiting arms, then leaped from the vehicle. He slammed the door and hurried after his alpha, reaching the deck before the other man.
When he opened the door for Ben, he spotted Doctor Henderson waiting in the front room. He wondered briefly how the man knew to be there, but then he saw the man blink away a slightly glazed look in his eyes, and realized Ben had sent the other wolf a compulsion. A skill only the alpha possessed, Ben could plant an idea into the mind of anyone in his pack, which would be extremely hard to ignore. Devon had only seen him do it once before, telling him afterward that he hated feeling like he was forcing someone to do something against their will.
“Come with me,” Ben ordered the doctor.
“Yes, Alpha,” the middle-aged man responded immediately. “What happened?” he asked as he picked up the large bag at his feet and hurried after Ben, who carried Adam upstairs to the man’s suite of rooms.
Ben set Adam on the wolf’s king-sized bed and stepped back. “He was attacked by a cougar,” Ben growled, his body trembling with rage.
“A cougar?” Devon heard the surprise in the man’s voice, but the news didn’t stop the doctor from unwrapping the bandage on Adam’s head and inspecting it. “Well, the good news is the head wound isn’t serious. Not for a shifter anyway. The bad news is he’ll be pretty dizzy for the next day or so.”
“Devon and I are going to track those responsible. Take care of him,” he ordered.
“Wait!” Adam’s weak voice caught Devon’s attention. Both he and Ben each gripped one of the injured man’s hands, offering him reassurance.
“Easy there, Adam,” Devon murmured. “The doc says you’ll be just fine in a day or two. The cuts and scrapes are healing nicely and the bump on the head will just leave you dizzy for a bit. Soon you’ll be good as new,” he encouraged.
“It was Roger,” Adam whispered.
Ben ran the fingers of his free hand through his beta’s dark hair. “We know, my friend.”
Adam shifted his head to focus on his alpha, unconsciously rubbing into his touch. “There were two cougars, but I didn’t recognize them.”
Nodding
, Ben smiled. “I’ll let Rance know that his rogue cougars have joined up with our rogue wolf.”
“Sandy?”
“We’ll find her,” Devon promised, drawing Adam’s attention to him.
Adam groaned, trying to ease off the bed. “Going with you,” he snarled when Ben eased him back down.
“No, Adam. You need to rest so you can appear before the pack tonight,” he ordered. “Devon and I will be back as soon as we can.”
Devon could read the anguish and frustration in Adam’s eyes. Their mate had been kidnapped on his watch. Even though neither he nor Ben blamed Adam, he knew Adam blamed himself.
Devon squeezed Adam’s shoulder. “Get some rest, Adam. We’ll be back before you know it.”
After a curt nod from Adam, they both moved back so the doctor could work. The man administered a shot into Adam’s arm before patting his hand. “That’ll help you sleep. You’ll feel much better after you wake.”
Adam’s eyes slid shut, and the pair made their way downstairs. “Go find our pack enforcers while I call Rance,” Ben ordered.
Devon nodded quickly. “Yes, Alpha.” It took fifteen minutes to track down Peter and Kiall and bring them back to the main house.
Ben was waiting for them in the front room. As soon as they walked in, he spoke immediately, “Our mate is missing. Devon and I are going after her. I need you two to keep the pack calm if we’re late.” His gaze swept over the two men.
They nodded. “Yes, Alpha,” they both replied.
He didn’t continue to look at them, instead he began stripping. Devon’s brows lifted, but he quickly followed his alpha’s actions and stripped as well. Seconds later, both men shifted and headed out into the forest. Devon stopped when his alpha paused, head cocked to the side.
That’s when Devon felt it, the pull of the mate-bond stretching between them. One line attached to his alpha, who stood next to him and a second urged him to return to Adam’s side in the house. The third drew him into the woods to the south. He turned in that direction, galloping a step behind his alpha, heading toward his missing mate.
* * * *
Adam pried an eye open. The fading light in the room told him the late hour of the day. He had to close his eyes briefly and then reopen them to control the dizzy spinning of the room. He rolled to his side and inched slowly off the bed. Damn, it felt like the hangover from hell. His vision swam, his head pounded, and the room spun. Finally, he made his way to the edge of the bed and dropped to his knees on the floor.
Adam panted softly, struggling to control his senses. Slowly he pulled his clothes from his body. Once naked, he crawled across the floor to the closed door. After a deep breath, he reached up and turned the knob. After he eased the door open, he stopped to listen, hating the dizziness that made him feel so weak.
He heard several voices and waited a moment for his drug-filled brain to differentiate between them. What the hell did doc give me? After a slow shake to his head to try to clear the fog, he crawled forward and headed toward the stairs. At the top, he could finally make out the voices clearly.
“What do you mean if they don’t make it back? Of course they’ll make it back.” The belligerent voice belonged to Kiall, one of the pack’s enforcers.
“I’m just saying…you both need to be prepared to carry out your duty if they don’t return and present their mate tonight at the pack meeting.”
Adam wanted to growl at the doctor’s words. Of course they’d make it. There was no way in hell they’d give up their mate. Taking a deep breath, he released his human form to his wolf. A moment later, he rose unsteadily to his paws and shook out his coat, trying to beat back his fatigue. He sure hoped the doc’s injection would wear off soon.
Padding slowly down the stairs, stopping every few feet to listen to the men in the front room, he crept toward the back door. He could smell that his mates had headed that way, and desperately needed to catch up. But with his swimming senses and aching head, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to. His only hope was to get to his mates in time to help them.
Adam hurried as much as his weaving body would allow until he reached the back door, pausing at the doggie door. He’d scoffed at Ben’s idea to install it, silently laughing at Ben when he said it would be so much easier to get in and out in their canine form, but now he would be forever grateful.
Slipping through the door, he crept down the steps and into the pines. He took a moment to regain his equilibrium. Finally, after several deep, slow breaths, Adam started to move, determination making his steps true as he followed the trail of his mates, and the pull of the mate-bond.
Chapter Ten
Sandy kept her eyes closed and her breathing steady. She knew as soon as they figured out she was awake, she would lose her advantage.
The men who’d kidnapped her spoke of taking over the local wolf pack once Ben and his betas were killed. But how did they plan to kill the wolves? I can’t make a plan to stop them until I know.
“I know you’re awake, Sandy,” the male voice she pegged as the leader said, cold humor filling his voice. “You must be hungry. Come eat something.”
Well, that certainly wasn’t what she’d expected. Sandy pried one gummy eye open, and she struggled to focus. It took several blinks and a hand wiping the sleepers from her eyes to finally realize she faced a wood plank wall. The bed dipped next to her hip and she stiffened.
“Relax,” the man said. “I’m not going to hurt you. You’re the alpha-mate, sweetheart. I need you.”
Even though his words said she was safe, his chuckle didn’t instill her with confidence. In fact, it heightened the fear she felt. There was something about the man’s tone that screamed malice. But she nodded anyway and chanced a glance over her shoulder at him. What she saw surprised her. He was a good-looking man, with wheat brown hair, and clear green eyes. If she’d seen him in a bar, she’d have enjoyed looking at his well-muscled body and disarming smile.
I can work with this. Sandy reached for the glass of water the man held, keeping a confused look on her face. “I don’t understand. Who are you? Why did you kidnap me?”
“I’m Roger, my sweet,” the man replied. “I’m afraid you mated with the wrong men. My friends, the cougars,” he pointed at the two handsome blond men sitting at the table on the far side of the room—Were all shifters handsome?—“were only trying to rescue you from the wolves yesterday. I’m sorry they scared you,” he oozed.
“Oh,” Sandy whispered. She stared at the cougars for several seconds. As if sensing her scrutiny, both shifters turned to look at her. The slightly smaller man smiled a bit, surprising Sandy. The second man’s cool gray eyes flicked over her almost dismissively before he returned his attention to the bowl he ate from. The scar running from the man’s left eye and down his cheek lent him a dangerous air, and Sandy shivered. Her fear intensified.
Turning back to Roger, she asked, “They told me I have shifter DNA, and that I was sending out pheromones to call for my mate. If they aren’t the right ones, who are?” If she could keep him talking, maybe she could figure out his plans and then find a way to escape.
“Yes,” Roger replied. “That’s right. You’re an alpha-mate, which means you can take three mates and complete a pack’s inner circle. Fate doesn’t always smile on an alpha and give him an alpha-mate that can also mate with his betas. This means packs that have a proper alpha-mate are stronger than those that don’t.”
The man’s tone grated on Sandy’s nerves. She wanted to snarl that she wasn’t a child and shouldn’t be talked to as such, but she held her tongue. Knowing angering the man wouldn’t do her any good, she tried to keep the confused look on her face.
“Ben managed to get to you before I could, and for that, I’m sorry.” Roger exaggeratedly sighed and shook his head.
Sandy fought back the urge to laugh at his theatrics. Who bought this man’s crap? Another glance at the serious men at the table gave her an answer. The two cougars, obviously.
&nb
sp; “You see, Ben’s family only recently began ruling the Catskill Mountain pack,” Roger said, drawing Sandy’s attention back to him. “Nearly a century ago, my grandfather was alpha, but through treachery, Ben’s father Donovan, managed to turn the pack against my family. Under Donovan’s direction they killed my grandparents. Fortunately, a wolf that was still faithful to my grandfather spirited my father away, hiding him with his sister who lives in a pack up north. Eventually, they introduced the boy as their nephew. He mated and two sons, me and my younger brother, Cody. Cody is still living under Ben’s rule, but I fear for his life.” He reached for Sandy’s hand, holding it gently. “Fate sent you to me, to help me right the wrongs done to my family.”
Cocking her head, this time truly confused, Sandy asked, “How am I to do that?”
Roger grinned. “Until yesterday I wasn’t sure of that either, but once you mated with the three men, it all became clear.”
Sandy didn’t like the malicious gleam in Roger’s eyes, and she liked his words even less.
“They told you that they needed to introduce you to the pack this evening, right?”
Sandy nodded slowly.
“I bet they failed to mention what would happen if they didn’t present you, did they? No, I thought not,” he continued even before she could answer. “If they don’t present you tonight to the pack, the pack will be forced to hunt them down and kill them.”
She gasped, her eyes growing large. No! Not my mates! There must be something I can do! No wonder they wanted me to stay with them. It was to keep me safe from psychos like Roger!
Misinterpreting her reaction, Roger patted her hand. “Don’t worry, my sweet. I’ll keep you safe here. As soon as they’re dead, you’ll feel the mate-bond between you all dissolve. You tell me when that happens, and I’ll mate you to me. Then I will present you to the pack as my mate, and you’ll be safe.”