Ryder closed his eyes and prayed for patience. It didn’t matter that Brandon was right. He wanted Leah. That was all. After that, he’d deal with everyone else.
“Fine. We find Leah. Then you deal with the fucking humans. I can’t make any promises.”
They went off in separate directions, each taking a small section of the surrounding area in hopes of catching her scent. All the while, his wolf raged and his mind whirled. If he’d left Leah at the den, this wouldn’t have happened. If he’d mated with her, it might have been easier to find her. If he hadn’t let her leave the room and kept her by his side, she might not have been taken. If he…
If.
All ifs.
And no action.
“Ryder!” Bram called out from his left.
“Ryder!” Finn called out from his right.
He cursed and went toward Bram since he’d heard him first. “What is it?” he asked the other wolf.
Sweat glistened on the wolf’s dark skin and Bram let out a breath. “I caught her scent here. But Finn just texted and said he found her scent on another trail.”
Ryder cursed. “They must have taken her jacket or some shit and tried to catch us off guard and confuse us. They know far too much about wolves.”
“We’re out in the open now,” Bram said. “People want to find out everything they can about us. And now the same with witches.” He put his phone up to his ear as it buzzed, and Ryder tilted his head so he could hear the conversation. Sometimes having enhanced senses helped.
“I say we split up,” Finn said. “We each follow the trail and call the others as soon as we can if we find something. We’re stronger together, but we’re not weak apart.”
“I agree,” Ryder said. He didn’t have to speak loudly for the other man to hear as they were all wolves and privacy on a phone conversation wasn’t an option.
Both of them were Heirs and were in charge of the other wolves since neither Alpha was around. They, of course, would let their Pack know what was going on, and had been doing so already, but waiting for Gideon to come to him wasn’t an option. He didn’t want to think about how scared Leah must be. Hell, he didn’t want to think about the alternative to her being scared and alive. He wasn’t sure he could bear it.
“Drake and I will go this way. Brandon and Bram can go with you, Ryder, as they are closer to you.”
They all agreed and made their plans before Bram hung up. Brandon had already made his way to them and the three set out to follow her scent. He prayed that they were on the right trail because he wasn’t sure what he’d do if he lost Leah. It was already a form of torture to be near her and have her in his bed but not have her. It was a mess of his own making, but damn it, he couldn’t lose her. Not like this.
They made their way in silence, on alert and ready to fight. He didn’t know exactly how much of a head start the humans had, or if they had vehicles, but the three of them were running as fast as they could without making a sound. They remained human in case they came upon a non-friendly, but fuck, he wanted to shift and tear the faces off the humans who dared to touch her.
Ryder inhaled again and slowed down. He held up his hand, and Bram and Brandon came to his side. He tilted his head and tried to see if he could hear anything other than the normal sounds of leaves rustling and animals in the forest. However, he could scent the presence of humans. Not many, but enough in a place that there weren’t normally a group of them that it gave him pause. It could be a group of hikers that had gone deep into the national forest, or it could be those who’d taken his Leah.
He could hear a few men speaking in hushed tones and the sound of metal against metal. The scent of gun oil reached his nose and he held back a curse. These had to be the assholes who had Leah. Either that, or they were hunters in the wrong part of the forest. It wouldn’t be the first time, but hell, Leah’s trail led here. This had to be them.
He opened his mouth to say something, but two spirits slid out of the trees and stared at him. They didn’t scream or try to touch him. Instead, the unfamiliar ghosts came closer and nodded at him before turning in the direction of the humans. He narrowed his eyes at them then blinked. Wait. He’d seen these two before. They were two of the apparitions he’d seen around the Coven. The spirits he’d assumed were ancestor witches. And now, they seemed to be pointing him in the right direction without asking for anything from him. He didn’t understand it.
They nodded again at him, and he studied them, noticing that they were a man and a woman in older robes. The woman had Leah’s eyes. She wasn’t Leah’s mother, as this woman looked far older than the woman would have been when she died, but Ryder would bet this ghost was an ancestor of Leah’s. Whether on Luis’s side or her mother’s, he wasn’t sure, but it was clear that these two spirits wanted to help as much as they could.
He wasn’t sure what to do about it. He’d never had this happen before, or if it had, he’d ignored it—the same as he always ignored his gift. But if working with them could help Leah, he would.
“Is she there?” he asked, aware that Bram and Brandon were studying him.
The woman nodded. She held up her hands and showed eight fingers.
“There are eight humans in there?”
She nodded again. The male ghost moved to the side and pointed down a path.
“And we should go down that way?”
The two spirits nodded then faded away, looks of pain on their faces. He didn’t know what that meant, but he knew he owed them. He’d have to figure it all out later. Now, he needed to get to Leah.
Bram didn’t ask him what the hell had just happened, but Brandon’s look spoke volumes. Ryder wasn’t sure he would be able to keep his secret much longer.
“She’s in there,” he said softly.
“You’re going to explain this, brother,” Brandon whispered. “Not now, because we need to get to Leah. But you will explain.”
Ryder didn’t answer but started down the path.
Bram merely mumbled something about secrets and powers and contacting Finn, but didn’t say anything specific. Ryder didn’t care at the moment. He just needed to find Leah.
They made their way down the path, and he almost growled as he saw the makeshift camp. The eight humans had set up large tents that smelled of weapons and chemicals. This must have been where they’d stored the bombs before they tried to take down the compound. There weren’t any guards on this end, but he knew they might make a patrol this way at any moment. All eight of the humans were at the other end, and because it wasn’t that large of a camp, he could see them all.
They surrounded a large wooden pole, and Leah stood strapped to it, her head down as if she were still drugged.
His claws ripped from his fingertips, but he held back the growl of agony that threatened to break free.
“They’re going to burn her at the stake,” Bram muttered. “Fucking barbarians. And they say wolves are the animals.”
“We need to get her. Now.” Ryder took a shallow breath. “If she’s unconscious, she can’t protect herself.”
“That’s probably one reason they used the damn drug in the first place,” Brandon added. “That and getting her here so quietly. You saw Leah when she woke up in our medical bay. She fought back. She’d fight now if she could. Damn bastards.”
Ryder let out a breath through his nose. “Bram, you go left, Brandon, you go right. I’ll go down the damn center since they’re not watching the tents. We get Leah out and find out whatever information we can about them from their uniforms or spare notebooks, and all of that. Then we get out of here. I don’t trust this.”
“Got it,” Bram said. “We meet at the Talon den if we get separated? It’s closer than the Redwoods.”
“Deal.”
The three prowled toward the camp in human form. He knew they’d shift if things went to shit, but he hoped they wouldn’t have to. Ever since the Unveiling, they’d been careful not to become their wolves outside the den wards. They co
uldn’t trust the human factions that wanted their deaths, nor could they trust the merely curious ones that got too close. There might be humans who thought the wolves should be left alone, but they weren’t the ones in this camp. They weren’t the ones with his mate tied to a damn pole about to be burnt at the stake.
“Luis said this one needed to die. That she would be an example for all witches,” one of the humans said. “So we’ll kill her now and live stream it so the others know not to fuck with Humans First. She’s not human. She doesn’t deserve to breathe our air.” He let out a breath. “And when we’re done here, we’ll find that arrogant prick of a witch and kill him, too. We might be doing his bidding now because it’s easy, but our doing anything he wants won’t last.”
Ryder held back a growl even though his wolf raged. He wanted to kill them all. That fucking Coven leader. Leah’s father had orchestrated all of this. What the fuck? He shouldn’t have been surprised, but hell. This was too much. And Ryder had heard of Humans First before. He knew it was a small group of humans who wanted everyone different to die. It seemed their propaganda was working because this was a lot more organized than it had been in the past. He’d tell Gideon all of this, of course, but first, he needed to get Leah down.
He couldn’t risk them lighting the fire.
He could hear Bram in one tent, hopefully gaining any intelligence he could. Ryder knew the others couldn’t hear it because they hadn’t looked over. Bram was being damn quiet, but Ryder was wolf.
He hoped Brandon was on the other side, doing something similar. However, Ryder couldn’t take on eight armed men at once and save Leah at the same time. Things were about to get tricky.
“Burn! Let the witch burn!”
Ryder let out a growl then. Low. Deadly. The humans turned to him, and he sprinted toward them. He was so fast that they hadn’t had a chance to shoot at him before he had two of the men down. He didn’t kill them, not with the live stream they’d spoken about going, but he did knock them out. Bram and Brandon came forward, knocking out a couple more before the guns began firing.
Ryder cursed as a bullet grazed his side. It burned, but he ignored it. He was about to hit another human when the man closest to Leah held up a match and grinned.
“Too fucking late, asshole!” He let the match fall, and the wood beneath Leah’s feet caught flame. She remained unconscious, the ropes around her chest and waist keeping her upright though her head lolled.
Ryder did the only thing he could do and shifted. He tore through his clothes, his bones breaking, tendons snapping. He’d never shifted this fast in his life, and he didn’t know why he could at that moment, but he’d take it. He knew he might have fucked over his family by becoming wolf on camera, but he didn’t care. Not right then. He couldn’t cut through the ropes without fangs and claws, and Leah needed him.
His body screamed in agony as he continued the shift even as he kept moving toward her. He’d never moved like this while shifting before and it only made the pain worse, but he pulled through it. As soon as he could, he leapt up on the burning pile and bit through the ropes, clawing at them at the same time. Bram and Brandon yelled from behind him and he trusted them to take care of the humans while he did this. As soon as Leah was free, she fell forward and he caught her on his back.
“Ryder?” she coughed, her voice sounding drugged.
Thank the goddess.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and climbed on top of him as much as she could. As soon as she was secured as much as possible, he leapt off the pile and landed on burnt paws. He growled but kept running with Leah on his back. He got as far as the trees before she fell off of him. He stopped and shifted back, just as painfully as before. As soon as he was able, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her temple.
“Ryder…”
“Leah…”
He didn’t know what was going to happen next, but she was safe in his arms. That had to count for something. Because if it didn’t…well…he wasn’t sure what he’d do.
BRAM
“I cannot believe you let yourself get hurt like this, Bram. I thought you were faster than a couple of measly humans.”
Bram winced as Charlotte stung not only his pride but also his side as she cleaned up his wound. She had gentle hands, but every time her skin brushed against his, he stiffened, unable to control himself. He hoped she just thought it was pain from the gash on his side and not the strike against his soul that it actually was.
“There were more than a couple,” he grumbled. “And it’s a lot harder to only slightly maim them with my strength, I’ll have you know.”
Charlotte let out a snort, but he saw the worry in her eyes. He reached out for her wrist without thinking. They both froze at the contact, but he didn’t let go. He’d already reached out, so he may as well deal with the consequences.
“I’m okay, Charlotte,” he said softly. His wolf nudged at him, wanting more, but he ignored it. “We found Leah and got the information we needed. I’ll heal.”
Bram had never seen anything like it. Ryder had jumped through fire, literally, for the woman he claimed was not his mate. He might want to deny it, but Ryder would have to face the truth eventually. Bram knew how that felt far too well.
He’d known for too long that the woman in front of him was his. His wolf had wanted to claim her ever since they’d both been old enough to understand the full consequences and joy of mating. He knew her wolf wanted him, as well. And when he and Charlotte had fallen for each other and subsequently into bed to cement their bond, their worlds had shattered.
The bond never came, and now Bram was left alone and broken. He’d never known of a couple who’d gotten it wrong like they had. Perhaps it was just heavy attraction between them, but he wasn’t sure that was the case. All he did know was that every day he and Charlotte remained as close as they were, they were only delaying the inevitable.
They weren’t mates.
Or they were, but without a bond, which was just the same in the long run.
“Bram,” she whispered.
He let her go before sighing. “I’m fine, Charlotte. Leave me alone for a bit, okay? I just need to think.”
“Think about what?” she asked.
He met her gaze and pulled himself back from running a hand through her dark hair. “Just go.”
She pressed her lips together then backed up before turning away. He closed his eyes once she’d let the door close behind her. Damn it.
He wasn’t enough for her. Something was missing, and he didn’t know what, but there had to be an answer. And having them side by side in pain wasn’t it.
I’m not enough, he repeated to himself.
He would never be enough.
As always.
Chapter Ten
Leah closed her eyes, willing her body to stop shaking. She’d been back at home—Ryder’s home—for almost half an hour now, and yet she couldn’t make her body stop shaking like a damn leaf. She was safe. Ryder was safe. The rest of the Pack members were safe. The men who’d taken her were now in custody of the human police. Until the laws changed, she was still a citizen—witch or no—and the Humans First group had kidnapped her. The fact that Ryder and the others had been in control enough to let the human authorities take over, rather than doing what they wanted and taking out the price in the others’ flesh, told her how much each step cost.
The drugs were out of her system thanks to the water they’d given her during the car ride back to the den. She’d been able to at least heal that part of her quickly. She still needed to work on the few cuts and abrasions on her skin, as well as the burns on her shins.
She shuddered a little more violently this time.
Goddess, she’d almost been burned at the stake. It was like the Middle Ages all over again. She’d heard horror stories growing up, as well as seen it done in movies, but she’d never thought in a million years that it would happen to her.
And yet, her people were dying from it beca
use of the Humans First group. The authorities were doing their best, but in all reality, she knew she couldn’t trust them fully. Not when the lines of the law were blurring for some. Just because the police had said they would take care of it, this time, didn’t mean they would the next. It was up to each individual officer and detective, and with the way the world was changing, she wasn’t sure she could put her faith in them.
Leah licked her lips and winced at the taste of smoke on them. She wasn’t sure she’d ever look at a campfire or s’mores the same way again. If she hadn’t been drugged, she would have probably been able to douse the fire and save herself, but her captors had rendered her unable. It killed her that she’d been so defenseless. She hadn’t reacted quickly enough during the chaos of the bombings and that had cost her.
It could have cost her Ryder.
She cursed herself at the thought. He’d risked his life for her, and yet he still didn’t want her as his mate. And the fact that she’d even thought that last part just told her how off she was. She shouldn’t be worrying about mating and bonds while there were real issues at hand. Mating could take a back seat, along with her emotions.
First, she needed to stop shaking. Then she needed to make sure Ryder was okay. After that, she could deal with the fact that she hadn’t been able to defend herself. Emotions could wait.
Forever if it were up to her.
As soon as they’d walked into Ryder’s home—her safely in his arms—he set her on her bed. It didn’t matter that he was hurt more than she was; he apparently had to carry her. She’d let him because she’d still been working the drugs out of her system, but now she was feeling much better and wanted to see if he was okay.
Gingerly, she pushed herself to her feet and let out a breath. It only hurt a little, and once she took a bath, she’d be back to her normal self. While it annoyed her that she couldn’t heal others in the same fashion, at least her magic could keep her somewhat whole.
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