“He is your mate?” Marcus smiled.
Kane nodded. “And your daughter’s as well.”
Marcus jerked his head up narrowing his eyes at the wolf. “Mate? You said my daughter was your mate as well as his?”
Flynn moved closer to the Alpha not knowing if he was going to go for the wolf’s throat. The Beta eyed the other wolf with a now suspicious glance and waited.
“Yes, she is Vander’s mate too.” Kane never flinched or backed down from the Alpha. He knew if he did, then the Alpha would see it as being cowardly and he was anything but that. Kane never backed down as the Alpha got into Kane’s face.
“Mate?” Marcus chuckled. “We will see about that, wolf. You’re not good enough for her.” The Alpha waited as he baited the wolf that dared to say his daughter was his mate.
“She is my mate, Alpha, and Vander’s. I won’t back down because you are an Alpha. She will be mine, ours,” Kane said and pushed out his power to the Alpha. Flynn laughed out loud breaking the silence and the Alpha’s rage building up inside of him.
“You have guts, wolf, or you are just plain stupid,” Marcus said and frowned.
Kane could see the struggle in the Alpha, finding out his missing daughter had not one but two mates would certainly do it. However, Kane wasn’t going to lie about his intentions with the wolf’s daughter, he intended on mating her and Van. “I knew the moment we found your daughter’s picture. I also knew the moment I met Vander Collins. I can smell her scent from here and I know what she is to me. I will find her,” Kane gritted out.
Marcus couldn’t help but to like the young wolf for his guts and tenacity. But Waverly was his only daughter and he felt the pain and the guilt for sending her away for all those years and then for now, making her go on the stupid vacation that led to this. She meant everything to him and he didn't know if he was ready to share her with anyone.
“Like I said, wolf, we will see.”
Chapter Five
Waverly opened her eyes and smiled, two mates. One human and the other shifter—both strong—and her wolf whined a little. She wanted to be with them, damn it.
Since she had been captured, the dumbasses had been playing with her. Cutting her and waiting to see how long it took her to heal. The man, Josh, seemed to have a completely different agenda than the others.
She had heard them talking about impure women who cheated on their mates and didn’t understand what they were talking about. None of the mated pairs she knew did that, it was impossible for a ‘true mate’. Of course, she had heard about situations where two wolves mated because they were lonely and had not found their true mates. Everyone had, and those matings could be broken if a true mate was found; however, it was rare. Wolves took their commitments seriously.
However, Josh Campbell was more curious about how much pain she could endure, not that he was any less curious about her healing. He questioned her about how long it would take her to die. It was fucking freaky listening to his questions. Waverly knew he was a human, but most of the others were shifters she didn’t know.
Last night they had moved her, she had been lucid enough to look around, and was going to show Vander where she was being held. Now, she was somewhere new, and didn’t look even remotely familiar. The other place had been easy enough to recognize, it was by the school where she had visited, she had heard the bell.
“Look who is awake!” A woman laughed and clapped her hands. “I have been so looking forward to meeting you.”
Waverly turned and frowned at the woman who entered the room she was being held. She looked familiar but she couldn’t place her. She was older than Waverly, blonde hair, and skinny. She was a human, and her eyes held hatred that took Waverly by surprise.
“Who are you?” Waverly growled. Given the chance she would kill this woman, she could feel it.
“Who I am doesn’t matter. What you should be concerned about is what I want,” the woman said.
Waverly rolled her eyes. “Fine, what the fuck do you want?”
“So feisty, I need information,” the woman said and her eyes narrowed. “About Flynn Mitchell. I need to know exactly where he came from.”
Waverly looked at the woman surprised. Why the hell was she asking about her father’s Beta? It made no sense, then of course nothing really made sense anymore about the situation. “Why?”
“Because if you don’t tell me, I will kill you slowly and painfully.” The woman smiled.
“Well it sounds like either way I am dead, so why do I care how you kill me.” Waverly laughed.
“Because your mates will feel every cut too. Is that how you want them to remember you, broken and weak.” The woman laughed.
“You bitch,” Waverly yelled and looked at the woman closer. “Wait, who are you?”
“It doesn’t matter. What does is that you need to give me some information before I kill you. Our witch is telling us there are three Alpha trios that will stop us. Once we kill you it will all change, but my husband wants to make sure the other Alpha in question is not going to cause problems,” the woman said and picked up a knife and held it in her hand.
Waverly snorted. “Flynn is a Beta.”
“No, when you die he will be named Alpha, and we need to make sure that he won’t be a problem,” the woman said and walked to the table. “You know, my son will find another, he’ll forget all about you when he realizes how weak you are,” the woman said and then cut Waverly’s arm deeply.
Chapter Six
Jewel made a noise in the room. When Kane looked quickly he saw her sitting on Waverly’s bed, gasping for air. That got everyone’s attention real quick, Vander appeared suddenly, as if he could feel that something was going to happen with his partner, or maybe it was Waverly, because Kane felt a tightness in his chest like nothing he had ever felt before.
Marcus was about to plow into the bedroom when Vander told the Alpha to wait. “She is in a trance and she is having a vision. Let it play out. This could help us find her.” Kane looked at Vander hoping to find a hint of what was going on in his mind, but the detective’s face was blank. He had to be feeling the same thing he was.
Thankfully everyone watched as Jewel gasped again grasping the bedspread between her fingers. Tears fell down her cheeks. The hallway became very tense as the men all began to feel the urge to find the female who was hurting and help her. The daughter, the pack mate, the mate to these powerful men was somewhere feeling helpless and alone, it was not acceptable to them that they couldn’t help. The power that was ruminated in the air was thick and could be felt by all.
Vander leaned against the wall with his eyes closed and his head tilted back. He felt like a knife was stabbing him in his heart, shit, he needed to get a hold of himself before the others saw him struggling like this. It would not do any good for them to see the detective in charge of the case lose it. Kane must have been feeling the same thing because Vander felt Kane grab his hand. Shit, this hurt, ignoring the pain, he opened his eyes and looked at his partner. The tightness in his chest seemed to lessen, it was as if Waverly had known someone else was watching, he felt her frown when she realized Jewel was with them, and just like that, she was gone.
Finally, Vander saw Jewel shake her head as the vision left her. She wiped at the tears that had fallen from her eyes. Breathing in deeply, she looked up into the Alpha’s eyes first, then she let her gaze wander to each of the men in turn, until her gaze finally landed on Vander and he sucked in a deep breath when he saw what was in her eyes. Pain, anguish, loneliness, and most important, Vander could tell by Jewel’s expression that Waverly was in bad shape. He knew it as well, but he also felt her spirit, Kane had too.
“What did you see?” Vander asked brusquely and Jewel motioned for them to come into the bedroom. Marcus walked in first and sat down in the chair in front of Jewel.
“Tell me,” the powerful wolf ordered.
Vander looked around the room and wanted to shout to his partner to stop and not tell th
em anything. He had seen what the sick bastard could do. He knew when Jewel told the Alpha what his daughter was enduring that it could turn ugly. Of course, Jewel would have to be honest with the Alpha, Vander should have thought about that. He watched as his partner put out a hand, laid it on the Alpha’s leg, then took a deep breath.
“He has her.” Jewel knew she couldn’t keep this from him.
“Who?” the Alpha demanded.
“The man we are looking for, Josh Campbell, the real Josh Campbell. The Redeemer we knew was sick, and he has gained followers and one of them has taken Waverly. I am not sure who else was there, I could see a woman,” Jewel said slowly.
Vander knew Jewel was talking about his mother. She had to be. He knew the Alpha had already heard about this, they all had but still hearing the words come from her was a nail in the coffin.
Jewel’s ex-husband had known what he was doing. Getting close to the pack, and then playing this game of hunting all in the name of revenge. Everything in the man’s hidey-hole showed them he was focused on the shifters. Jewel and Van missed something, but soon they would figure it out. Until then, the members of both packs were going to have to be careful, they were playing a chess game with a lunatic, and had no clue whose move it was.
“What did you feel?” Marcus ground out.
Jewel closed her eyes in sorrow and when she opened them, Vander could see she was struggling. “He is torturing her, letting her heal and then starting again,” Jewel whispered, “But she is fighting him, not letting him get off on her pain.” Vander and Kane both shook with rage, although Vander would brush it off as if he would feel this way for any victim, he was still shaken by the depths of his anger.
The howl that came from Marcus shook the windows as he leaped up and shifted into his wolf. The movement startled Vander who looked on in amazement as he watched as the Alpha lost it. The clothes tore from his body when he shifted, then he jumped out of the window shattering the glass everywhere, leaving them in a state of shock.
Vander looked at Kane who was standing in front of Jewel as if to protect her from the crazed Alpha, damn, it had happened so fast, he wasn’t sure what to do. Then he saw Flynn fall to his knees howling in pain. Nobody moved as the howling continued around the house, first a few wolves and then more joined in. Vander could hear the howling of other wolves outside as he watched in horror as Flynn moaned in pain.
Jewel could see the look on Vander’s face as he watched the Beta moan in pain on the floor. “They can feel the Alpha’s pain,” she whispered and Kane looked at Vander and nodded.
“Their Omega is gone and in pain, the Alpha is letting them know what is happening,” Kane said quietly.
“I would think a phone call would be better,” Vander muttered and shivered, the sounds were eerie. "Why is it not affecting you, Jewel? You were part of this pack," Vander asked frowning at his partner.
"Were, is the correct word. I am now part of the New York pack. I will always have ties and be accepted here, because it was my original pack, but now that my position has changed, I only feel a small portion of it, not enough to bring me down as the others." Van nodded, there was nothing for him to say, he had much to learn about pack life.
Vander remembered Jewel when she howled and moaned in pain after Josh was killed or rather, his fake death. A sound he never wanted to hear again and yet, here he was. He couldn’t help Jewel then and he couldn’t help the Alpha now. The only thing he could do was promise that he would do everything in his power to find her. Suddenly the words seemed useless as he struggled over the feeling of helplessness that came over him. He should be able to solve this. Vander looked around and then nodded when Jewel said they needed to leave and allow the pack time to grieve and pull itself together.
As they walked out, Vander could hear their pain as the pack howled into the air throughout the valley. He watched as men and women came outside dropping to their knees and shifting into their wolves, howling up into the air. This is what love felt like when you lost someone, but Waverly wasn’t gone yet. He had to find her before it was too late, he had to. Vander realized there wasn’t going to be any other acceptable outcome.
Jewel and Kane followed him silently, he could almost feel the pain they both had. Of course for different reasons, but the tension in the air still was an indication of the situation. Vander got in the car and started it, finally blowing out the breath he had been holding, he put the car in drive and started down the driveway. Still there was silence in the car.
As they pulled to the end of the long driveway, a wolf came tearing out of the woods heading straight for their car. Vander slammed on his breaks as the wolf darted in front of the car. Everyone sat back, and watched as the big black wolf shifted. Marcus walked over to Vander’s side of the car. He leaned down and the look of pain was etched on his rugged face. “Find my daughter.” It was more than a command—it was a plea for his daughter’s safe return.
Vander nodded as Marcus shifted again and took off into the woods. Vander watched until they no longer could see the Alpha. He turned around and looked at Jewel. “What did you see?” Vander didn’t wait for Jewel to speak before he put the car into drive and drove back toward the office.
“Waverly was tied to a table just like the others. She is being cut in various places, then allowed to heal, then cut again. She isn’t being used as the others were. There are others watching this time, as if the man with the knife is trying to educate them on where to cut her. She is being defiant, and yelling at them. Telling them they were all going to die. She is strong.” Vander could hardly concentrate on driving after hearing what was happening to Waverly.
Jewel stopped talking as Kane began growling in the back seat. Vander looked back in the review mirror at an angry man. The veins in his neck were pulsing in and out. His eyes were glowing yellow. Kane was trying to control the shift but was about to fail. They had seen the same thing, and now they knew, what they were seeing was real.
Shit, this sucked, Vander could feel the emotions flowing through Kane, and knew he was not going to be able to hold it back much longer. There was no denying the whole mating thing, or the connection. Hearing about Waverly had somehow solidified things for Vander. Looking back, he would have been able to tell his partner the second he realized there was no more running. Even though he could fight the feeling, in his heart, he knew and began to accept it.
With a sigh, Vander pulled over on the side of the road and got out of the car, then got into the back seat with Kane. He looked at Jewel who nodded, “We saw and felt the same thing.” Jewel sucked in a breath and Vander knew this was the time he needed to step up and act like a grown up even though it sucked.
He placed his hand on Kane’s shoulder, as the wolf squeezed his eyes shut trying to calm down. “Listen, we will get her back. But I need you calm. Breathe! Take deep breaths. We need to focus so if she contacts us again we actually get her to show us where she is.” Vander started rubbing Kane's arm up and down as he opened his eyes and stared at Vander. He inhaled then blew out his breath so the other man would match his slow and even breath.
Kane’s eyes started to lose the glow, then turned back to blue. “Okay now?” Vander asked as he continued to rub Kane’s arm. It should feel awkward but it didn’t. Vander couldn’t explain it and didn’t want to think too much about it. However, calming Kane seemed like the most natural thing in the world to him.
Kane closed his eyes again, then leaned over to Vander and inhaled, Vander felt it and stiffened a little but then relaxed. Smelling his mate’s scent calmed him in ways nothing else could. Vander wondered what the other man was thinking right now, but with Jewel in the car, he wasn’t going to ask. Waverly was important, and the two men were going to have to have a coming to Jesus talk soon.
Kane couldn’t believe the lust that pored through his body as Vander rubbed his arm, damn it, he should be thinking about Waverly. Vander was safe and in front of him. Kane had lovers before that were male but it felt
nothing like this, just an itch he thought that needed scratched. Never had he ever been attracted to a male like this. Vander was different. He was one of his mates. As Vander rubbed up and down his arm, he couldn’t help but see how it affected Van. His dress pants were parading upward as he continued to rub. He felt Vander’s gaze shift, shit, Van was gonna get freaked out.
Vander stopped immediately, placing his shaking hands in his lap as Kane looked him in the eye. Neither spoke for a moment until Vander finally asked, “Are you alright now?”
“Yes, thank you,” Kane responded politely, damn they sounded like dorks. Vander nodded then looked over at Jewel who had turned around in her seat staring, her mouth wide open.
Vander rolled his eyes and said, “Close your mouth, Jewel, before the flies get in. We need to figure this shit out, seeing her like that is just,” he turned and got out of the car then looked down at his pants that had tented up too. “Fuck, shit, damn it.”
This was fucking embarrassing, Vander thought and then closed his eyes and leaned his head back to try to get control of himself. Even knowing she was strong and fighting, seeing her tied up just pissed him off. If he were a wolf, he would never have been able to control himself as Kane had. Vander shook the images from his head; he was going to kill whoever hurt her, no matter who it was.
In the car, both occupants watched Vander while he tried to get himself together. Kane wanted to step out and tell the man he was going to take care of it. However, from the look on Vander’s face that would not be a good idea right now.
Jewel closed her mouth then smiled at Kane. “She is strong, but I am sure your wolf doesn’t care,” Jewel whispered to Kane.
“I’ve had to push him back so often over the last few hours, when I finally shift, he is going to run. This connection or whatever is like nothing I have ever felt. Even when Ret and Lex described yours, it seems, I don’t know, more,” Kane replied.
Jana Leigh & Bryce Evans Page 4