by Victoria Sue
Taegan glanced at Cy running up and then looked at Silas. “On his way from where?” he repeated.
Silas stepped forward. “From talking to you,” he said slowly like Taegan was slow-witted.
Taegan frowned. “Caleb wasn’t with me. I’ve been meeting the team leaders to plan the raid.” He looked into the cave. “He may be laid down.”
Silas’s face changed and he looked beyond Taegan to the hillside and then back to Taegan. “Taegan, Caleb went to talk to you and the others over an hour ago.”
Taegan’s mouth was suddenly so dry he couldn’t swallow. “Why?” he ground out, hardly able to breathe as a hard fist grabbed his chest and squeezed.
“We think we know what Warwick is doing. The witch thinks she has to sacrifice a hybrid tomorrow to enable the Alpha powers to revert to Warwick. There is a reward—”
Taegan stumbled. He’d heard him. Caleb had heard him talk about using him as the distraction. He’d heard DeRose talk about bonding, and … Taegan’s heart crashed into his chest hard, he’d heard Dargan say he just had to reject him to cause his death.
He turned to Cy. “Saddle two horses quickly.”
“Taegan, what did you do?” Silas asked sharply.
Guilt, worry, fear. All those and more made him snap at Silas. “Exactly what you asked me to do. I’ve kept him close. I promised to not let him out of my sight because of the bonding. You said I had to keep him happy until you came back”
“You fucked him to keep him close? How could you?” Silas yelled in outrage and Taegan lost it.
“Me? At least I’m doing something. I haven’t spent the last twenty years following other people around. I’ve been living my life. What have you got to show for it, old man? Gray hairs and a few lousy paintings?”
“Taegan,” Renee cried and glanced at Silas who stood frozen. “You apologize to Silas right now.”
“Apologize?” Taegan scoffed. “Why should I?” Rage buzzed in his head fueled by desperation. “At least I’ve done something about the person I love. I haven’t spent twenty years mooning behind a wine glass and burying my head in the sand. Don’t think I don’t know how you look at her. You’re not even man enough to tell her, are you?”
It was the harsh crack of skin against skin, more than the shock that sent Taegan stumbling back a few paces. He gaped at his mom, and put a hand to his cheek that stung like hell. The silence was absolute and no-one moved.
“How dare you?”
Taegan recoiled a little at the fury in her voice and realized with sick clarity he had just gone too far. “Mom,” he started.
“No,” she bit off. Her nostrils flared as she pulled in a hurried breath. “Let me tell you exactly why Silas has been following us around for the past twenty years, shall I?”
“Renee, it doesn’t matter—”
“Oh, I think it does.” She cut Silas off. “This explanation is years overdue.”
“Renee—” Silas said desperately.
“No.” She shook her head. “You gave up your life to keep us safe. It’s about time he knows.” Taegan gaped. He’d never ever seen his mom so angry.
“Silas wasn’t a gamma. He was Alpha Darrick’s nephew. His older brother, Jonathan, was his heir, and I was a maid to Jonathan’s mate. Silas knew it would ruin my life to turn me into anything resembling a pleasure slave — and as Cara’s personal maid I had respect and protection — but any hint of me being bedded by a wolf would take all that away and the other gammas would consider me fair game. So instead of sending me away, which was his right to do as the Alpha’s nephew, he took himself away from temptation, and I was heartbroken.” She gulped and glanced back at Taegan. “I met your father two years after Silas had left. He worked in the stables and we married. Six weeks after that he hit me for the first time.”
Silas made a bitter, haunted sound in the back of his throat and clutched at Renee. She took his hand and he gently pulled her close into the crook of his arm, gazing at her with such a look of adoration. “Silas returned for his brother’s choosing. The house servants, including your father, were allowed to eat and drink at the celebration, and your father was busy partying with his buddies. Silas had heard you had been born and he wanted to see us to make sure we were happy. The Alpha in Niandes he had been working for had just died and he had been offered a beta commander position with his brother. He wanted to come home but he knew if I still felt the same, he wouldn’t be able to stand the temptation. Silas walked into the storeroom five minutes after your father had caught me in there and was drunk enough to rape me there and then.”
Taegan almost closed his eyes, sick at what he knew he was going to hear. “And Silas stabbed him,” he finished. It all made sense.
“No,” Renee whispered, the tears in her voice finally trickling down her cheeks. “Silas didn’t kill your father, I did.”
Taegan’s lips parted but no sound came out. He reached a hand out to steady himself but there was no-one at his side.
“I grabbed a knife used for opening the sacks of flour. I was sick of being hit, of being raped. He had lost his temper with you only the day before and I knew it wouldn’t be long before you felt his fist.”
Taegan didn’t know what to say. He had been so wrong about so many things for so many years.
“You know how many wolves treat their she-wolves, Taegan. They have little rights, and human females even less so. They all knew Eric was beating me, but he was my husband and had that right. Even my mistress was helpless to interfere.”
Taegan nodded. He knew. It was wrong.
“My scream had been heard and servants rushed in. If anyone had known I had killed my husband the gammas would have immediately put me to death. No question, and I have no idea what would have happened to you.”
So very wrong.
“Silas immediately said he had done it. That he wanted to bed me and Eric had rushed in and threatened him with a knife. The humans were disgusted even if they daren’t show it. To them, it had been a wolf taking what he wanted and some insignificant human had gotten in his way.” She paused and turned to cup Silas’s cheek. “You saved our lives.”
Silas solemnly wiped the tears from her face. “And I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
Renee smiled and turned back to Taegan. “He left his family for us, Taegan. He knew I was safe with the mistress and went back to Niandes.”
Taegan forced himself to listen. It seemed all he could do today was hurt the ones he loved.
“I couldn’t stand the hypocrisy of the other servants that pitied me because a wolf had murdered my husband. You were old enough to know about it and when my mistress died, Alpha Darrick released me and let me choose any of her jewels to take with me to sell. We went to Re-Pal. Silas returned six years later and when he found out we had gone, he came to look for us. The night he saved you from the collection gang was the first time he had seen you since you were born.
“But the irony is that he didn’t know it was you, Taegan, until you told him who you were. He was saving a human child because he is a good man, not because he wanted me to feel beholden to him.” She turned to look at Silas. “I have loved you for over thirty years.”
Taegan felt almost uncomfortable in their presence. It was very obvious the love was mutual. “But why didn’t you tell me?”
Silas shot him an incredulous look. “Tell you what, exactly? You hated the wolves. I couldn’t risk anyone ever finding out Renee had killed your father, and you were a child. You carried enough anger in your heart as it was, what would have been the point of putting anymore in there?”
“Silas has protected us both all this time, Taegan. He gave up his pack for us, his life. So next time you call him an old man who paints and drinks wine, just remember why.”
Taegan took a step nearer and shook his head. “I am so very sorry.” He glanced up at Silas and held out his hand. “I owe you my life, and that of my mom’s. You have been my friend and kept my secrets and my counsel for years
with no thanks. I cannot begin to ever repay you for that.” Silas clasped his hand tight. He took his mom’s with his other one. “You don’t need it, but you both have my blessing, my love, and my respect. I have spent years missing a supposed father when you have been protecting me and being so much more than that for years. I would be honored to count you as such if you could ever stand to have a son like—”
Taegan’s words were cut off as he was enveloped in a big hug by Silas, and for a second he hugged him back.
“Now,” Silas said, determinedly stepping back as Cy appeared with Skye and his mount, “we need to find Caleb.” He unbuttoned his shirt. “I can cover more ground than you two and I have hunting rights granted many years ago by my brother. I can get near the pack house, but you can’t.”
Taegan put a hand on his shoulder. “He may have gone to Caedra.” But even as he said it he knew it was a lie. Silas lifted a disbelieving brow. The knowledge settled heavy in his gut. They both knew Caleb had gone to offer himself to save the children. He just hoped they could get there in time.
“Renee?” Everyone looked up at the worried tone as Elspeth, Jenner’s sister came into the cave.
Renee stepped away from Silas. “What is it?”
Elspeth looked around frantically. “Missy needed help to go pee. I was gone for barely a few minutes.”
“What’s wrong?” Taegan asked.
She bit her lip. “I can’t find Gia.”
Chapter Fifteen
Caleb huddled in the Zari tree. He knew these woods like the back of his hand, and he had spent many times crouched in this particular one because it gave the best view of the pack circle. He had loved it when he had watched his dad train his gammas. He used to hide and dream of the day when it would be his turn. Then one day when he was about fifteen, Warwick had entered the circle with Mason and had asked his dad to give Mason some tips in hand-to-hand and knife throwing. Warwick had joked and slapped Mason on the back and said there was no better person to teach him than his Alpha.
Caleb had watched, stunned. And then Mason had shifted and his dad had given him some pointers on which parts of the body to go for to get a swift kill. He had closed his eyes as the shard of jealousy that had speared him nearly ripped him apart. Both him and his dad were becoming increasingly worried he hadn’t shifted. Alphas always shifted early, and Caleb was now later than many of cubs much younger than him. He was also smaller; a good three inches shorter than Mason. His dad refused to talk about it though. Whenever Caleb commented on his size, his dad would laugh and ruffle his hair and say a growth spurt was coming. He could feel it. In the last few weeks as his birthday came and went the jokes had stopped. He knew his dad was worried.
Caleb had registered the silence and opened his eyes. His dad was turned away from him, cleaning his favorite knife, and Mason had just shifted back. It took a second, but then Mason lifted his head and looked straight at Caleb. His lips had curled in a mocking smile and he raised his hand. Claws immediately sprang razor sharp from his fingers. Mason’s eyebrows lifted as if he was waiting for acknowledgement. Caleb couldn’t move. Mason had known he was there all the time. Mason had turned when his dad had called him and they had both left the circle together.
And up to two hours ago it had been the last time he had ever climbed this tree.
The sound of horses’ hooves made him look up, and he was shocked when they were close enough for him to see who it was. Warwick led them in, looking even worse than the last time he had seen him barely ten days ago. Two, no — three children were slung over saddles. Sorin’s heart. One of the gammas yanked an unconscious girl from his saddle. His heart lurched as he saw the other child clutched by one of the gammas. Small, with short black curls not long enough to cover the blood on his temple. No.
“Get them inside,” Warwick ordered, “and double the guards on the perimeter.”
Caleb clasped his mouth shut as one of the gammas dropped Gia from his saddle and the little boy shrieked in agony as he fell awkwardly on his ankle. Another gamma, Barret — who he recognized — and hated — grabbed him and backhanded him, his cries silencing immediately as he fell like a rag doll. The third child — a girl — was older, maybe fifteen.
“If you’re gonna kill them anyway, Alpha, can we have some fun first?” Barret leered at the whimpering girl.
Warwick curled his nose up in distaste. “Don’t you have enough slaves to bed?”
Barret laughed as the girl struggled. “I like the young ones.”
Warwick grunted and peered at the elaborate sundial at the entrance to the pack circle. “Do what you like with the human but keep the others safe. I am returning to meet the rebel who’s decided he prefers the smell of gold to the taste of freedom.” They all laughed and Caleb drew in a sharp breath.
• • •
“Can you trust him?” Barret asked, then turned and spat on the ground.
“He gave us this one, didn’t he?” Warwick nodded to Gia. “I think that’s a good sign and we will simply kill him when he has told us where the hideout is.”
Barret shuffled. “But why today?” he grumbled. “Good riddance, I say.”
“Because.” Warwick took a step forward and Barret took a hasty one back. “The abomination is there and I want him to pay,” he snapped.
Caleb closed his eyes in horror. They were going to raid the caves to find him.
“And I can’t risk him changing his mind. If we don’t go now, he may not go through with it, and I want to know exactly where the hideout is.” Warwick took the reins from the gamma holding his horse.
Caleb took a breath. He couldn’t wait till noon. He couldn’t. He had to stop Warwick meeting whoever was betraying them. Drawing a breath, he glanced at the ten, eleven-foot jump to the ground. No human could do it safely, but somehow the wolf inside of Caleb told him he could.
He landed in front of Warwick and the horse shied in fright. Another step and he would have landed on him — pity.
Warwick reared back, snarling. If Caleb could have shifted, it would have been all over. He would have ripped out Warwick’s throat before he had even realized who it was. As it was, he just waited and counted to three before he heard the panicked shriek from Warwick to his gammas to “get him,” and felt the hard hands that grabbed him from both sides.
Warwick stepped back as his gammas surrounded Caleb and forced him to his knees. Warwick’s nostrils flared and his chest heaved to get the panicked breaths under control, but Caleb never dropped his gaze … not once. He was done cowering, he was done being afraid. He was an Alpha, and as Warwick’s eyes widened, Caleb knew Warwick was realizing the same thing.
Warwick took another step back as the shock on his face hardened to hate. “Make. Him. Bleed,” he growled.
The first punch took Caleb’s breath but he still stared at his uncle. The second had him sprawled to the floor until the gamma hoisted him upright. Agony made his knees buckle with the third, and the forth split his skin, spurting so much blood so he couldn’t see.
He stopped counting at six, curled in a heap, boots landing vicious kicks. He heard his arm break, but couldn’t cry out because the next kick took out what felt like three ribs and what little air there was in his body. His world narrowed to more pain than he had known in the six years he had been held as three sets of boots stamped and kicked until he begged for death, or would have if he could have made any noise.
He tried to escape in his mind. All those hours, weeks, years, he had been captive had taught him imagination had been his only defense, but it failed him now. Instead of the gentle hands and warm smiles he wanted to remember he could only remember the last conversation he had heard.
And in the middle of the blows, the pain, the disgust because he knew he lay in his own piss, what really finished him was knowing that the pain of being beaten to death was better than the agony of Taegan rejecting him. He would be dead either way.
Some small part of Caleb knew he should probably thank the
gammas that he wouldn’t ever be put through that, but the last kick to his head took that thought away too.
• • •
They’d searched for hours. Taegan found it impossible to believe they couldn’t find Gia. He was a child and on foot, and Silas couldn’t scent him outside because of the Sulphur. Then they’d mounted horses to chase Caleb. Silas had run further than Caleb or Gia would reasonably be able to travel and Caleb hadn’t taken a horse. Cy, Jenner, Taegan and Silas finally met in the clearing where they had caught up with the cart containing Anna and Gia.
Silas had shifted back and was bent over, his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Cy threw a blanket around him. Silas nodded gratefully. “Shifting for hours is a young wolf’s game.”
Jenner huffed. “You’re always doing it for the kids.”
“Yes, but party tricks and running for miles are two different things,” Silas admitted, straightening up.
Jenner turned to Taegan. “I don’t know where else to look. He could be anywhere.”
Taegan gazed around as if he was half expecting Caleb to walk out from behind one of the huge Zari trees. The trunks were enormous. He’d spent many years climbing them when he had been a boy. Where was he? What had he done? He could be hiding anywhere.
“We can go to Aldred’s pack and ask Mari if she’s seen him?” Cy suggested.
“You can talk to her safely?” Taegan asked.
Cy reddened slightly. “I managed to last night. I caught her as she was coming back from the bathing room he keeps for the pleasure slaves.”
Taegan turned to Silas. “You and Jenner go back. I’ll go with Cy. It’s too risky if all four of us go and the wolves will smell Silas.”
Silas and Jenner nodded reluctantly, but disappeared into the trees. The clearing was barely fifteen miles in either direction from both pack lands, but Aldred’s pack house was set further back and it would take them the best part of an hour to get there. Taegan pressed his heels into Skye’s sides and she flew forward.