by Lily Graison
The hush that previously hung over the area vanished in a second. The first snickers and laughs rang out moments later, followed by more robust laughter. Rayna saw Victor move out of the corner of her eye and avoided looking at him. She kept her gaze locked on those in front of her. Those laughing at her. “That was my first reaction too,” she said, smiling to hide her nervousness. “It took seeing to believe it, which is why we’re here today.”
At that moment a wolf’s howl echoed through the park. The hair on Rayna’s arms stood on end and her wolf shifted restlessly against her bones. Her pulse leaped and hot tears scalded the back of her eyes.
The joy she felt when another howl filtered through the park rushed through her body in an instant. She knew that wolf. Regardless of what happened today, she knew she wouldn’t be alone.
Her mate had come. Garrett was in the park.
Chapter Eighteen
Garrett looked over his shoulder when he heard another howl. He saw Nicolas and two other men nod at him before they walked toward the tree line that edged the park. More howls filtered through the area and he turned his attention back to the stage. Rayna was still standing by the microphone, her eyes wide and searching. She knew he was there. He smiled before moving closer.
Victor was at Rayna’s left and Carmen stood near the back of the stage. Four other men flanked them all. Wolves, he suspected. When he was close enough for her to see him, he lowered the ball cap on his head to shield some of his face from view. Having Rayna spot him was one thing. Having Victor or Carmen spot him would ruin Nicolas’ plan.
He waited for the signal, his gaze locked on Rayna and knew the moment she spotted him. Her eyes blazed amber for a brief second before she smiled.
Garrett raised his hand, tilting the hat slightly so she could see his face. Her smile widened and his wolf howled inside his head. He hoped when the time came, he could call the beast forward. Rayna’s life may depend on it.
Nicolas’ signal was given. A loud, multi-layered series of howls and growls and just as he assumed, the crowd gathered in the park reacted. A few screams, some laughs from those who refused to believe werewolves were real and the nervous giggles of those who were unsure. A look over his shoulder, spotting Nicolas and his friends near the tree line shifting and Garrett took a breath before shouting, “Rayna! Jump!”
She didn’t question the command. She jumped from the stage and ran into the crowd. Garrett raced to reach her before Victor’s men did.
* * * *
Rayna pushed her way through the people lining the stage and the stunned faces of those she passed rushed by in a blur. Her only thought was to get to Garrett and not on whether Victor’s men were following her. She was sure they were.
The growls and howls she’d heard earlier were ringing off in different directions throughout the park. Apparently Garrett hadn’t come alone. When she reached him, he grabbed her arm, turned and ran.
“If we’re separated, head to the lake.”
“The lake?” she asked.
“Yes. Remember the spot I took you to for our picnic?”
She nodded and glanced over her shoulder. Victor’s men were behind them. “They’re coming.”
“I know. Just keep running.”
She did. They cleared the mass of bodies littering the grassy area and Rayna was relieved to see Judith by the forest edge. When she turned and ran into the trees, Garrett released her arm. “Follow Judith.” He gave her a slight push in that direction and it wasn’t until she’d reached the safety of the trees that she realized Garrett hadn’t followed her in.
Rayna stopped and looked back over her shoulder, watching him head back into the park. “What is he doing?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Judith tugged on her shirtsleeve and tried to get her to turn. “Let’s go. Garrett wanted you safe.”
Safe? And what about his safety? She fumed as she watched him run back toward the stage. What the hell was he doing and why? Lifting her head and looking back at the stage, Rayna noticed Victor wasn’t there but Carmen was. And from the looks of it, she was shifting.
Garrett was closing in on the stage and Rayna puzzled over his actions. Had Carmen been telling the truth about him? Had he sold her out to be a Breed Leader? To put her aside for Carmen?
The implications were like acid to her lungs as she watched him run toward the stage. Hot, scalding jealousy ate at her conscience and one glance at Carmen was all it took for her to react.
She ran after Garrett, Judith’s voice echoing in her head as she yelled her name. When she hit the throng of people still watching the stage, she pushed her way through them.
Carmen held them all spellbound. In unusual fashion, she wasn’t doing the quick, instant shift she seemed to be fond of. She was prolonging it and everyone watching seemed to be mesmerized. The look on their faces showed confusion, the murmurs she heard confirming it. They weren’t sure of what was happening.
A few startled screams led the way for the panic that followed as Carmen lifted her head, long canines bursting from her gums as she howled. Those closest to the stage ran, running into those next to them and within seconds, the park was in chaos.
Those trying to get away stopped Rayna’s pursuit of Garrett and a glance around her showed others were shifting. In moments, the park was filled with multiple breeds. And just as she’d feared, they were attacking the people in the park. The screams echoed in her head, the scent of blood hung heavy in the air and the sight of those poor souls who found themselves food for the monsters would be etched into her memory forever.
Pushing her way through the crowd, searching for Garrett, Rayna nearly made it to the stage when she was grabbed. She looked up, tugging on her arm and stopped squirming when she saw it was Victor. For a man who looked old enough to fall dead any moment, he was strong.
“Ms. Ford, you’ve ruined my carefully laid out plans.”
The snarky comment on the tip of her tongue fell away when Victor’s eyes blazed amber orange. His intense gaze burned into her, his wolf guise showing on his face and Rayna felt her own wolf respond. It slinked along her bones, the feel of cool fur brushed against her skin and pain started to thrum throughout her body.
He was calling the wolf, just as he said he’d do. Her vision blurred as panic took hold and she knew then, nothing she did would stop the beast from being born.
As the pain increased a panicked gasp tore from her throat and Rayna searched the crowd. “Garrett!”
She staggered as the wolf pushed. Rayna bit back a groan and locked her knees when the pain racing through her limbs caused them to buckle.
The many times the wolf had tried to surface, Rayna wondered then what it would actually feel like to give the creature full rein. She knew the pain would be staggering but this wasn’t what she was expecting.
Sweat coated her skin in seconds, leaving her clothes sticky and clinging to her body. She could feel the slow slide of it rolling down her back and the intense heat she felt made it near impossible to breathe.
A glance at Victor showed him smiling at her. His mouth opened as he spoke but she could hear nothing but a dull ringing inside her head. His words were lost to her as she concentrated on the wolf. If she could push the beast away like she’d done before then maybe she could find a way out of this.
Her last thought vanished as mind numbing heat and prickly stabbing pain tore an anguished scream from her as her body seized, her muscles seeming to rip all at once and every inch of her flesh felt on fire. The pain throbbed and raced along her limbs until her lungs ached. Her knees buckled and she hit the ground, the impact jarring her teeth. The noise died, the blood rushing past her ears deafening her to everything around her.
A glance at her hands showed the bones shifting, undulating under her flesh as hair grew in dark patches and raced up her arms. Her throat felt tight, her eyes burning while her pained screams echoed in her head.
The people closest to her ran when she looked at them, their faces
a mask of horrified disbelief as they tried to get away while others stood paralyzed. Every muscle in her body felt like it snapped, her bones not substantial enough to hold her up. She saw the camera crew then, their cameras aimed at her and the smiles on the faces of those men working the cameras let her know they were part of Victor’s collective.
She heard her name, the sound distant and echoing across the park. She blinked and tried to focus her vision and that’s when she saw him. Garrett, pushing his way through the crowd and the tears filling her eyes fell, scalding her flesh as they ran over her cheeks. She watched him run toward her, relief filling her when she heard him yell, “Don’t take your eyes off of me!”
He was followed by Gavin and Dillon. When they reached her, Garrett fell to his knees beside her, lifted her from the ground, and ran.
“Look at me, Rayna!”
Rayna tried to focus her gaze and blinked past the pain. Garrett’s face was a blur. “It hurts.”
They stopped by a large tree in the center of the park. The air was cool there, the tree limbs bathing the area in dark shadows. Garrett sat her down and said, “I know it hurts.” He grabbed her face, tilting her head up. “Concentrate on her, Rayna. Push her away. You’re in control of her, not Victor.”
She tried. But still she felt the wolf pushing. The pain was so intense everything around her faded to black. Garrett’s insistent pleas for her to push her away were the only thing she heard. Long minutes of fear and pain gave way to a slower pulse. She wasn’t sure how to push the wolf back. She remembered trying to call her in the warehouse. How she’d mentally grabbed her and pulled. She did that now, only in reverse. She pushed. Pushed until the pain started to recede.
Garrett’s smile brought a fresh round of tears to her eyes. A glance at her hand showed the bones had stopped moving. The hair growing there was shrinking back into her skin and the pain, that mind numbing pain, was subsiding.
When she felt whole again, she smiled up at Garrett. “I think she’s gone.”
He kissed her and dragged her to her feet. “I want you to go back to the forest. Stay with Judith.”
She looked at him and shook her head. “No.”
He looked stunned. “No. What do you mean, no?”
Rayna staggered when he grabbed her arm. “Are you a Breed Leader?”
Now he looked confused. “Why the hell would you think that?”
“Carmen said you were.” Rayna swallowed to moisten her throat. “She said you gave me over to Victor in exchange for becoming a Breed Leader.”
“Rayna… ”
“And that you and Carmen had this all planned.”
“And you believe her?” he asked.
Her body still ached and the park was in chaos. Rayna knew they didn’t have time for this discussion but she wasn’t moving until she knew. “I don’t know what I believe.”
“Do you believe I love you?”
His voice was a soft whisper, his words spoken with so much emotion it tore at her heart. “I thought I did.”
He moved toward her, his arms wrapping around her. “I have everything I need right here,” he said, his hold on her tightening. “I don’t want Carmen, or the collective, and once this is all said and done, I’ll prove it to you.”
She wanted to believe him. He looked sincere but a small niggling of doubt whispered things she didn’t want to hear.
“Just go back to Judith, Rayna. We’ll talk about this later.” He kissed her, hard and fast before turning her toward the forest and giving her a slight push.
“What are you going to do?”
“Don’t worry about me.”
She frowned at him. “Garrett…”
He was getting angry. She could see it on his face. “I’ll meet you at the lake. Do as I say, Rayna!” He gave her a shove, pushing her in the direction of the forest as he turned back the way they’d come.
She spotted Dillon and Gavin. They had Victor pinned to the ground but Rayna could tell the old man was shifting. She didn’t want to be there when he did.
Giving Garrett one last look, she turned and ran back to the forest, leaving her mate and his Alpha’s to deal with Victor.
* * * *
Garrett watched Rayna until she was out of sight. Her earlier questions confused him but he didn’t have time to worry about them. He concentrated on his wolf instead, pulling every ounce of energy he possessed into the shift. When he felt the wolf stir, crawling slowly to the surface, he grabbed it.
Agonizing minutes of fighting and he felt the first bone shift. He didn’t stop, not when the sound of gunfire cracked across the park or when the sound of pained screams rent the air.
Forcing the wolf to the surface, Garrett shifted in agonizingly slow increments. The fancy half-shift he was so fond of was impossible now so he settled for a full shift.
When he stood on four legs, he looked around the park. He saw Judith run from the trees as Rayna approached and he remembered why he loathed this form. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t let anyone know what he wanted. He just hoped Judith would know to get Rayna as far from the park as possible.
He turned and searched for Victor. He found him moments later. He was the reason his mate was in danger and he’d pay the old man back. Victor may have years of effective fighting under his belt but Garrett had one thing Victor didn’t. Youth. He growled and ran back across the park to where he was.
Gavin was shifting when he approached. The side of Dillon’s face was a bloody mass of scratches and ripped flesh. His eyes held a deadly glint. When Dillon called his wolf, Garrett growled, catching Victor’s attention. The old man’s expression showed he knew what he was about to do seconds before Garrett jumped toward him.
They rolled together but Victor slung him away and completed his shift within seconds. His wolf stood on two legs, and Garrett would have been stunned by how effortlessly he’d shifted if he’d had the time.
The old man’s coat was silver, his eyes darker than most. They weren’t the normal amber but a darker orange. Those eyes shining from the wolf’s silver coat gave an eerie picture. He looked intimidating. Good thing Garrett wasn’t intimidated often.
He snarled and leaped at him again, colliding into his body with enough force to knock him to the ground. Victor grabbed him around the neck, squeezing until Garrett thought he’d pass out from lack of oxygen. When Victor leaned down, biting into Garrett’s shoulder, his grip loosened enough to get away from those grasping hands.
Garrett didn’t let a moment pass. He leaped again, teeth bared and bit into Victor’s neck. The pained howl the old man let out rang in his ears and he sank his teeth deeper. When the flesh tore away, Garrett dropped and took several steps back. Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and a quick glance showed several shifters advancing. Dillon and Gavin, now fully shifted, flanked him.
When the other shifters were close enough to attack, Garrett stood stunned as they approached Victor instead of them.
They attacked him as one. Garrett and his pack moved back several feet as Victor’s attackers tore into his flesh. It took Garrett several minutes to realize what was happening. Apparently the position of leader for the Breeds worked the same as it did for the packs. When someone killed Victor, power would transfer. Garrett wanted no part in it. Leading the pack on the mountain was enough, he didn’t need to be in control of an entire area.
“Looks like we’ll not have to fight this time,” Dillon said.
Garrett looked up at him, his lips pulling back into his best impression of a grin. For once, he was glad. He was tired of fighting. He just wanted to get his girl home and live their lives in peace.
His last thought was pushed away as more shifters fell around them. They all wanted a piece of Victor and the old man was holding his own against the others. The fight was vicious and it took only moments for the others to turn their bloodlust on anyone present. The fight had come to them.
“That’s what you get for opening your mouth,” G
avin said, ducking a swing from a werelion. He threw a punch of his own before leaping. Garrett watched the brawl and knew he’d not escape it.
Stretching his neck, he howled, and jumped into the fray.
* * * *
Judith wouldn’t let go of her arm. Rayna would have been upset if she weren’t amused. Apparently the woman wasn’t going to chance her running back to the park.
They cleared a good deal of the forest, the noise from those screaming and fighting dying away until nothing remained but the sound of birds and the gentle sway of tree limbs. They slowed to a fast walk and Rayna pulled her arm free of Judith’s grasp and came to a stop. “I think we’re far enough away, now.” She turned and looked behind her. No sign of Garrett. What was he doing? The image of him and Carmen flashed into her mind. She ignored it and turned to look back at Judith. “Do you think he’s all right?”
Judith rolled her eyes. “Of course he’s all right. Why wouldn’t he be?”
Rayna shrugged her shoulders. “He may be the most arrogant Alpha I’ve ever seen but I still worry.”
“Well don’t. He’s fine.” Judith reached up and tightened the rubber band holding her hair up before taking a deep breath. “Did you see Garrett’s friend in the park?”
“Which one?”
“Chad.”
Rayna raised an eyebrow when Judith’s cheeks bloomed bright red. What was that all about? “No. I didn’t. Why?”
Judith looked away. “Well, he’s human.”
“And packing some serious firepower, I’m sure. I’ve known Chad for years and I’ve never seen him without his gun.”
“A gun will only slow a shifter down unless he makes a head shot.”