by M. L. Briers
“Just as long as you’re not expecting me to join in.” She shot back and saw Cade’s dark gaze snap to his brother.
“Don’t even think about answering that in the affirmative brother.” Cade growled out territorially and Whit swallowed the chuckle that was threatening to explode from his throat.
“Let’s go Vic- before your mate get’s all fangs and fur on me.”
Vicky wasn’t sure that she took a whole breath in all the way back down the bumpy track, until she saw the cabin come into view. She had glimpsed Cade’s wolf numerous times as they came back down the track, her heart skipping in her chest every time she sighted the beauty of his beast and every time Whit sniggered at her and she shot him a disapproving look after losing sight of her mate each time.
The gun sat snugly in her hand against her lap all the way back, she wasn’t about to put the damn thing down until morning came or until someone made her- even safe within the confines of the truck, with Whit’s imposing frame next to her, it still gave her that extra sense of security she craved, now more than ever after their encounter with the human Were’s.
“They’ll be coming then.” She muttered into the silence of the cab and heard Whit blow a breath down his nose.
“Let’s just say- I wouldn’t bet my life on a quiet night in front of the tv- but even if they don’t come tonight- Cade has no choice now, but to finish this- Marcus’s mate- the attempt on you at the cabin- Blue’s cabin on fire- those three in the woods- it’s just gone too far.” Whit put the car into park and cut the engine- eyeing the whole area as Blue walked down the stairs to greet them and Cade’s wolf stepped out of the woods, running a circle around the area and meeting up with Marcus on the other side of the truck.
“We’re good to go- wait for me to get your door-“ Whit was out of the truck and on his way around to her by the time she muttered.
“I’m not totally helpless damn it.” Popping open her door, she dropped down from the truck and her feet decided they couldn’t agree which way to go, so they tried two different directions and she was in Whit’s strong arms before she knew it, glaring up at him in annoyance as he grinned down at her, a flick of his brows upwards.
“Helpless no- unstable- well-“ He left it hanging in the air between them as she groaned at him. Yanking her against his hip, he half walked- half carried her to the steps of the cabin. “You can do stairs right?” He grinned down and she elbowed him in the ribs, the huff of a breath leaving his body as he caved forwards, a small growl of disapproval following her up the stairs.
“Serves you right brother-“ Cade mused as he brushed past him in human form, following his mate and Whit shook his head in amusement.
“Perhaps you should teach your mate some manners brother.” Whit shot back good naturedly and Cade chuckled his amusement.
“Perhaps someone should teach you- not to poke the bear-“ Cade offered as Blue nodded her head in agreement.
“Cade has a point Whit- you have a lot to learn about females.” Marcus had shifted back to human form and was coming across to where Blue waited for him.
“I’m excellent with female’s thank you Blue-“
“Your cabin’s all but gone Blue- they must have torched it as a distraction tactic-“ Marcus informed her under dark brows and watched her give a slow nod of her head- everything she owed was in those walls- but now was not the time to reflect on that, although they all knew she would be more than eager for some payback tonight.
“I can bunk down anywhere- it’s not important-“ She went to turn but Marcus caught her wrist, keeping her in place as he stared down at her, his features becoming softer.
“You can stay with me-“ Marcus’s words were a statement of what was going to happen, he wasn’t putting it out for debate and she sensed it. Her eyes grew softer for her lover, as a smile touched her lips and Whit hummed his own little tune as he climbed the stairs to the cabin.
“About time.” He muttered, knowing full well they would both be able to hear him.
Cade pulled Vicky into his office, closing the door behind him, he grabbed a pair of jeans and yanked them on, not even bothering to button up as he took the gun from her hand and placed it down on the desk, before he reached for her jacket, pulling the zip down he made quick work of discarding it and pulling her into his arms, practically squashing her against his chest and all without a word being spoken between them.
His hands roamed her back and got lost in the thickness of her hair as he used every ounce of his connection with her, to not only assess her wellbeing and mood, but to sooth her.
“I killed a man-“ She uttered finally as the tension that had held her whole body stiff, seemed to seep away from her in Cade’s arms.
“You killed a werewolf in a man’s form- a werewolf that was trying to kill you-“ Cade reminded her and she lifted her head from his chest and looked up at him, her eyes brighter and more focused as she gave a slight nod of her head.
“I know.” It was a clarity of the situation that she had been seeking from the moment she had pulled the trigger. She had finally come to terms in her own mind with what she had done and why.
Cade ran his fingertips down over the coolness of her cheek, his eyes searching her face for any sign that her words and her feelings didn’t match up, but he found that she had an inner peace with what she had done.
“I don’t know what I would have done if he had killed you-“ Now that he knew she was going to be alright, he had let his inner worries slip in- the sheer panic and fear that had flooded through him when Whit had called for help- frantically ripping his clothes from his body and letting the rest shred as he shifted to his beast- tearing through the woods, with the only thought in his mind to get to his mate- his heart in his mouth the whole way there- it felt like forever and now she was safe in his arms, he didn’t want to have to let her out of his sight again, even though he knew he had no choice.
“You would have mourned and moved on Cade- for the good of the pack- do you hear me?” She palmed his cheek, her eyes locking with his as she found the strength within herself to make him listen to her.
He reached for her hand and she smiled up at him as he took her hand in his, turned her palm to his lips and pressed a kiss against her skin.
“If something happens to me tonight-“ She started- but he shushed her, his lips following down to hers to silence her words. He didn’t want to hear it, not after what she had just endured.
“Cade-“ She pulled her lips away, looked up into his eyes with purpose, Whit’s words from earlier like warning as to how Cade would be lost without her- echoing within her mind.
“Hush woman and let me kiss you-“ He growled into her skin as he nuzzled against her neck and she chuckled at the feel of his tongue running over his mark on her skin.
“Cade- promise me, if something happens to me-“ He brought his lips to hers, silencing her with a demanding kiss that had her opening to him, as he pressed his tongue against her lips- he wouldn’t be denied this kiss- imprinting it on his memory as he slowly devoured her, until she palmed his chest and pushed back to take a breath.
“We need to ready ourselves- the new moon is almost upon us.” He ground out between clenched teeth, he didn’t want this fight, not now- not this night- he wanted to lay between his mates thighs, take her in a slow stroke that had her moaning beneath him, until he couldn’t breathe without the love he felt for her washing through every inch of him.
His was a love that the Fates themselves should envy.
With the Werewolves already on pack land, Cade ordered everyone to fall back to guard what the pack as a whole treasured most- the pups. It was a waste of time to try to defend the outer perimeter when they were already here. With Anna and Vicky inside the cabin and Blue on a constant circuit around the immediate perimeter, the rest of the pack were running patrols that crossed the land surrounding the main cabin.
Marcus, Whit and Cade ran the inner boundary, with the other wolves on a constant
loop that crossed their paths on an irregular basis- Cade didn’t believe that the werewolves were capable of consciously determining a pattern to their enemy’s behaviour, but he didn’t want to be proved wrong by any of them getting through.
Alternating the depth and timing of the loops would serve two purposes- one to stop a natural gap occurring in their defences, if the Were’s were capable of determining when a space would open up to slip through and to locate any Werewolves that could be in hiding, although again, driven by the bloodlust of the full moon- Cade highly doubted that they would have the patience to wait to attack when it came to it.
He was glad he had hedged his bets when the first attack on their defences came- just after the moon was high in the night sky. The report came in from the north west side of the boundary that established a lone Werewolf skirmish, two of the pack had taken him down with ease, but almost immediately other reports came in from the west and the south- they were either coordinating their approach to force the pack apart, or they had taken positions in human form and now, having shifted under the new moon, were attacking blindly.
‘She wolf is down Cade.’ Reva reported from the south boundary line. Three taken out already and no injuries- it was a good start, add that to the three human form Were’s that they had killed earlier and Cade wondered just how many clan could actually be left.
‘Go back to running the line-‘ Cade ordered crossing Marcus’s path an instant before the howl went up from just behind the cabin- both wolves ears went back as they clawed at the ground, snow and earth tossed up under their paws as they took off in two different directions to come around each side of the cabin in a pincer movement, that would hopefully, yield an advantage on the attacker.
‘ Two got past me- heading to the cabin.’ The disgust at his inability to deal with both Werewolves at once was evident in the young Lycan’s voice- along with the pain of the injury he had sustained while trying to stop them.
‘Whit- cabin. Blue be ready- Maria assess Cole’s injury-‘ Cade barked out his orders as he rounded the cabin, eyes searching, snout automatically sniffing the air for their scent.
‘I’m good Maria- keep the line.’ Cole offered as Marcus came at Cade from the other direction- both wolves searching the air for the scent that eluded them.
‘Where the hell did they go-?’ Marcus growled out, poised for an attack that didn’t come as Cade was, the sound of glass shattering in the quiet of the night had both wolves digging deep to follow the sound. The Werewolves had breached the Cabin.
‘They’re inside-.’ Cade growled venomously into the collective as all of the Lycan’s immediately started to fall in on the cabin- the need to protect the pups sending them wild with fear.
The moment Anna had relayed what was happening outside to Vicky, she knew she had to get the pups to a safer location. If the Werewolves managed to get inside the cabin the children would be sitting ducks- spread out as they were across the downstairs- the kitchen and living room was awash with children and there was no way that Anna and Vicky could protect them like that.
Between the two of them they rounded everyone up and sent them upstairs to Cade and Vicky’s bedroom- the older children acting as natural protectors to the younger one’s- leading them into the room and settling them down.
“Casey lock the door behind us and two of you push the dresser in front of the door- stay quiet and stay inside.” The oldest of the children nodded soulfully back at her, as she gave her a quick smile of reassurance, before pulling the door too and listening for the sound of the lock. The heavy dragging sound of the large dresser, that was being pushed up against the door in no way comforting to her. It had taken two pups to move the dresser, it would only take one werewolf’s strength to move it, she was sure.
The solid wood of the door might afford them some extra time for Cade’s pack to get back and defend the children, should it come to it, but ultimately she was sure the werewolves would be able to break through eventually. She felt the fear rise within her for the safety of the children, if Cade and the pack couldn’t hold the line around the cabin then it would be left to her and Anna to keep them safe.
“I’m going to shift-“ Anna was stripping her clothes from her body as Vicky tore back down the stairs- almost naked in the hallway- Vicky nodded in agreement, flicking the safety from the gun in her hand, just as the sound of the window shattering at the end of the hallway had her head spinning towards the beast that entered through the window, raising the gun in front of her- she took the shot without hesitation.
CHAPTER TEN
“Cade they’re inside!” Vicky screamed out as loudly as she could. The bullet ripped through the werewolf’s skull and sent it crashing to the floor, paws splayed as it slid under its own momentum along the polished wood, leaving a trail of blood in its wake as it came to a stop on its side. Vicky’s attention centred on the wolfs path across the floor, just in case she had just clipped it and the beast rose again, but it wasn’t that wolf she needed to worry about as another followed it through the broken window, landing on stable paws a few feet shy of its clan member, its eyes glowing red with the blood lust as its glare of intent met with Anna’s wolf .
The sound of snarling filled the air from both sides of where Vicky stood as she rounded on the second beast, her arm raised to take the shot- when a Lycan wolf almost landed on top of the beast- the animal entering through the smashed window, jaws snapping as he hit the beast in the side, knocking it off balance and bringing it crashing down under his superior weight.
The sound of glass exploding from the direction of the kitchen had Anna’s head whipping around- Vicky was caught between watching Marcus take on the Werewolf and another breech of the property.
Cade’s wolf was instantly recognisable to her as he past in front of her, a second wolf closing the gap behind him to join Anna as she set off towards the kitchen- the death sounds of the werewolf under Marcus’s jaws tore Vicky’s attention back towards the far end of the hallway- as another Werewolf leapt through the window.
“Marcus behind you!” Vicky screamed out, this time her arm was already in position to take the shot - the Werewolf pushed off from the floor, its jaws open and ready as it launched itself at Marcus- the shot rang out in the pandemonium of the ferocious snarls as Marcus threw his body around to counter any attack he was faced with. The Werewolf dropping from mid air to the floor with a loud thud- not dead, but fatally wounded.
Marcus didn’t take any chances, pouncing on the beast, careful to stay away from the thrashing claws and jaws of the animal as it made a last ditched attempt to satisfy its bloodlust. Clamping his jaws around the wounded animal’s throat- he made swift work of finishing the beast off.
Vicky heard the commotion from the other side of the hallway, her eyes taking in the standoff. Five Werewolves, snarling and glaring at her pack members as another, larger Were came from behind, it’s large jaws snapping in anticipation of the feast it wanted to have.
Vicky heard the sound of glass falling from the window behind Marcus, spinning back around on her feet- she levelled her gun to find Blue joining Marcus, blood on her snout from a fight that had gone on outside- Vicky noted the way Blue brushed up against Marcus’s wolf as she walked in front of Vicky and took up a defensive position in front of her- knowing if the Werewolves were to get to the pups- they would have to go through both her an Vicky, after they took on the Alpha and Beta’s of her pack- things were looking up, but it wasn’t over yet.
‘Why aren’t they attacking?’ Whit growled out in his mind- he didn’t like this, he had never known Werewolves to be so controlled in their actions as they seemed to be tonight.
‘What’s the betting the big one’s Devanaux-‘ Marcus was itching to find out, he wanted a piece of that wolf between his jaws but he knew that rationally, that kill would belong to his Alpha.
‘What are they waiting for?’ Anna nudged a paw forwards to get a better position for launching herself at the Werewolf that stoo
d drawling in front of her.
‘What are we waiting for?’ Blue snapped back as Marcus glared at her for the briefest of seconds- Blue was always too eager to get into the fray and still injured from her last encounter with the clan.
‘Cade?’ Whit tested the waters to see what his Alpha was thinking.
‘We need to take them down as one- we can’t let any get past us.’ Cade was still evaluating the moment, he was uncertain if there were any more of Devanaux’s clan left outside and he was mindful that Vicky had put herself in the firing line between the pups and the clan- he couldn’t screw this up.
The decision was taken out of his hands as all hell broke loose without any warning. The clan attacked as one, surging forwards against their defences, determined to take down as many of the pack as they could this night. Devanaux had committed his clan to this fight and he knew that the odds for survival were next to none, especially for him, even if he managed to get away now, the pack would hunt him down until he was dead. He had one play left- he would take the thing most precious to the Alpha of the pack.
Vicky watched with the horror of knowing there was nothing that she could do to help her pack. She only had the weapon that Cade had given her and yet she couldn’t use it in case she hit one of her own. The silver bullets would kill a Lycan, just as easily as they killed a Werewolf and the close proximity of the fighting meant she couldn’t be sure of the shot.
The first kill went to Cade- with the cry of the wolf echoing through Vicky above all the other sounds, she released a breath and dragged in another as her eyes turned with Cade’s towards his sister’s wolf as the cry of pain was ripped from her throat- the Werewolf that she was attempting to kill, having snapped it head around from where she had it pinned beneath her and sunk it’s fangs into her back leg.
Cade sprang to action, embedding his claws into the beasts throat as he tore at the flesh, the animal releasing Anna from its jaws allowing her to make the kill, stilling the beast as the fighting continued around them, both Whit and Marcus were making easy work of the three remaining Were’s, when Vicky’s eyes caught sight of the Werewolf that had managed to get around the pack and was now intent on her.