by SJ Himes
“I would agree. This is shaping up to be exactly like the previous incidents that have been occurring in Black Pine territory. We need to move fast, before they kill the Suarez wolves. We can’t wait for the traitors to show up and reveal themselves, not if you want your people alive,” Kane spoke, adrenaline revving up his heart rate. They needed to move, and fast. It was already too long since the Suarez wolves were taken; if the traitors didn’t get whatever it was they wanted from the Ashland wolves soon, then they would be killed, exactly like the wolves abducted in similar situations in Black Pine territory. “Most packs were killed in the first week after they went missing; your people have no time.”
“Agreed. We move now.” Heromindes nodded to his people, who all stood and backed clear of the table, heading for the stacks of black combat gear littering the far wall of the room, or stripping down, preparing to Change. “I will ask that your people take the lead. Mine will secure the perimeter and provide backup.”
Kane stood as well, and his people with him. Sophia came immediately to his side, her short body a bundle of raw energy, the scent of her blood rushing through her veins filling the air around her. Kane grinned at his top beta, who grinned back. Burke stripped his gear, dropping his clothing on top of their bags, and Kane’s lieutenant knelt on the cold floor as the Change took him over. They all politely looked away, as no matter how experienced or old a wolf was, Changing was an awkward and painful endeavor, and no one liked an audience.
“Burke is my Speaker, Alpha. He will coordinate the incursion, if you would be so kind as to allow him into your pack links.” Kane gestured to the large chocolate-brown dire wolf that appeared at his side, head level with the top of his waist. Burke was impressive in his wolf-form, large and sleek, not overly muscled, but still considerably strong. Even more impressive were his mental abilities; his telepathy so far beyond any other wolf ’s, he had no equal in the combined Northeastern clans he had no equal. Burke’s deep snort of amusement reminded Kane that they weren’t alone, and he shouldn’t be running his fingers through the brown wolf’s hackles. Kane pulled his hand back, and saw the glimmer of amusement in the Clan Leader’s eyes as he kindly pretended not to see anything.
“Very well. I’ve heard of Speaker Burke’s abilities, and I am thankful he’s lending them to us.” Heromindes faced the large wolf squarely, and Kane felt the cool rush of power from the Clan Leader using his pack connections, sending out active lines to the wolves present. Kane caught the mental line tossed his way, drawing in the wolves sworn to him, before mentally ‘handing’ the entire web of connected minds to Burke. His lieutenant took them all easily, and Kane was able to see in his mind the effortless way Burke wove the Black Pine wolves and the Ashland pack together, with his mind acting as the bridge. Kane could sense the Ashland wolves, and from the startled looks they were getting, the Ashland wolves could sense them in return through the new links. Speakers were as rare as alphas gifted with the fully developed Voice. This wasn’t easy—only the most powerful of alphas could handle this many minds, and overcome the natural walls built between different packs. Burke could have done this without Heromindes, his mind strong enough to breach the inherent defenses of the Ashland pack links, but it was far, far easier to do this with cooperation.
Kane felt Heromindes’ awe at Burke’s extraordinary ability, before the Clan Leader got himself under control.
*Count yourself lucky that I can sense his unwavering devotion to you, Kane. If he was not so content to be yours, I would Challenge you for him. He is an asset I would dearly love to have in my own Clan.* Kane heard the private thought Heromindes sent him, and the truth under the slightly wry tone. *If not for his love for you, and your Voice, I would not hesitate to take him from you.*
*Thank you for the compliment, Alpha. Burke is indeed exceptional. And he is mine.* Kane replied, meeting the Clan Leader’s gaze dead on. *Shall we begin?*
*Under your lead.*
*Thank you.*
“I need everyone’s attention,” Kane spoke, keeping his voice level. Every set of eyes turned to him, and Kane made certain his face was blank, no emotion evident. “Black Pine will lead the initial incursion on the complex. Ashland wolves will secure the perimeter. No one escapes, friend or foe. Kill only if necessary, it’s a last resort. We need the humans alive, but priority is the safety and recovery of the Suarez wolves. Sophia and I will lead the strike team once the perimeter is locked down. Clan Leader Heromindes and Speaker Burke will be handling communications, and Shaman River will enter once the building is ours, to attend to the Suarez wolves. I believe you all have your assigned teams and positions already.” Kane saw Sophia nod in confirmation, and he turned back to the wolves watching him, mindful of the Clan Leader watching and listening.
“That’s it. Move out. Speaker Burke will alert you all when we start,” Kane ordered, and the assembled wolves arranged themselves in preordained teams, the rear door of the building opening silently to the back alley, as they poured out, two and four-footed death and retribution racing towards the apartment complex.
“What about me?” Gerald snarked from his spot on the crates, arms crossed, a petulant frown on his two hundred year old face. Kane and Heromindes both sent him a look, no patience with the lesser alpha and his attitude.
“Stay here and guard the gear.” Kane grinned at the growl and pout from the unranked alpha, and he followed Heromindes out the door, the winter air clearing his senses and focusing his mind. He had traitors to hunt.
A BULLET zipped past Kane’s face, inches from killing him. He plastered himself to the wall, too big to be anything other than a prime target in the narrow hallway. Sophia dropped to her knees at his feet, firing twice, killing the human who was shooting at them in the hall outside the last apartment they had to clear. Four more dead humans littered the length of the dingy hall, the overhead lights flickering, the walls streaked with blood and claw marks, some fresh, and some old.
Kane helped Sophia to her feet, both wolves stepping over the dead humans bleeding out all over the torn, ragged carpeting. Kane dropped his weapon, the harness for the now empty shotgun pulling the weapon around to his back, out of the way. He flexed his hands, and his fingers sprouted inch long claws, black against his blood-streaked lightly tanned skin. Sophia brought her shotgun up, the short barreled weapon ideal for close combat. Blood covered them both, the breaching of the abandoned apartment complex taking far too long.
They paused outside the door, Sophia dragging the limp corpse away from the threshold, blood soaking the thin gray carpet underneath. She dropped the body with a soft thud, and knelt on the floor, shotgun aimed at the door. Kane stood to the side, ready to kick in the door once she was ready.
*Burke, breaching last door. Humans dead in hall, fifth floor, northwest corner of building, I can smell multiple wolves inside. Have Shaman River ready.* Kane alerted his lieutenant, and he got a wordless reply, a sensation akin to a brush of cool fingers on the back of his neck. He heard a whispering in his mind, a constant hum of words, and it told him that Burke was speaking to multiple wolves at once, conveying status updates and orders.
*Sophia? Ready?* Kane asked the beta at his feet, and she smiled, white teeth flashing in a feral grin, her sweet face a macabre mask of bloodlust. The blood sprayed on her face made her appear uncivilized, the shade of a warrior long dead and turned to ash. He grinned in return, a growl rising from his chest.
Kane spun on his heel, one large booted foot lifting, kicking forward fast and hard. The cheap door splintered in a cloud of shards, raining across the room. He kept his momentum going, spinning out of Sophia’s way as she entered the room in a blur of black combat gear, looking for threats. Kane followed on her heels, body partially Changed, fangs splitting his jaws, nails turned to razor sharp claws.
It was a small apartment, and they were in the living room, thin pallets arranged sloppily on the floor, huddled bodies on each
. Sophia cleared the corners, and sprinted down the hall, clearing what must be the kitchen and bathroom as she went. Kane sent a quick look to the wolves on the floor, noting chests rising, and the scent of sickness and blood. They were alive.
He followed Sophia, his beta stopped outside a closed door that must lead to the apartment’s bedroom. It wasn’t locked, the doorknob missing and the hole for it empty. Sophia knelt quickly, took one look, and promptly stood at his side, radiating fury. Her whole body was humming with it, every muscle tense.
Kane was too large to kneel and look, and he quirked a brow at her, questioning silently what she saw. She held up four fingers, two alone, then two more, a pause in between. Two friendlies, two bad guys. She pointed to where the corners of the room would be, and grinned, her teeth sharper now than they were minutes ago, her eyes glowing. Kane felt a rush of air come through the hole in the door, and the scents coming from inside the room made his blood boil and his body wrack with shivers, the urge to Change and kill nearly overwhelming.
Kane tapped a clawed fingertip to the barrel of her gun, and Sophia frowned, not wanting to put away the weapon. *Sophia. We need them alive. As much as it pains me, we need the humans alive. They know who the traitors are.*
*Fine. Alive doesn’t mean whole,* her words were growly and dark, and Kane nodded once in agreement. Alive did not mean whole indeed.
Sophia put the gun away, her harness maneuvering the weapon, just as his did, to her back and away from her arms. She stripped her combat gloves, and her nails grew to claws, her deep brown eyes burning black and green as her wolf-form crept over her in small increments. She knelt on the floor in a crouch, her body twisting enough to accommodate a leap from the floor. She nodded, and Kane smashed the door open, the cheap wood panel swinging on its hinges, crashing into the wall.
Sophia leapt, halfway across the room before the door even hit the wall. Kane was a blink of time behind her, leaping for the opposite corner. There was a large bed in the room, two thin and bloody bodies on it, and two humans were on either side, huddled in the corners, guns in hand. Kane saw the humans fire, time slowed, the bright flash of a shotgun aimed in his direction. He felt the silver shot graze his ribs, the pain negligible, and he forgot about his injury as his clawed hands sank knuckle deep in the human’s torso and arms. His weight crushed the human male under him, squishing him in the corner, the gun dropped to the floor as the human’s arms broke.
Kane lifted the human and rotated on his heels, throwing the semi-naked man towards the door, the space there clear of furniture. The human hit hard, and lay limply, alive but broken. Kane sniffed scornfully, and turned his head in time to see Sophia pinning her target to the wall, zip strips binding his hands, blood dripping from over a dozen long slashes over his face, neck, and shoulders. Alive did not mean whole. Kane huffed, satisfied, as she dropped her prisoner on top of Kane’s, both wolves indifferent to the whimpers of pain from the humans.
“Sir, you were hit.” Sophia pointed a clawed finger at his side, where the shotgun blast had grazed his ribs under his left arm. He felt the burning sting of silver, but it was minor. His body would force the silver shards out, and if they didn’t come out on their own, a shaman could cut him open and excise the remaining pieces.
“I’ll be fine, minimal silver exposure,” Kane told her, his attention on the wolfkin in human form on the bed. His breath caught in his throat, and even the lack of air couldn’t dispel the scents of blood, pain, fear, and sex. Silver and some kind of drug permeated the sick smell that came off their bodies, and Kane reached down a clawed hand, gripping the shoulder of the nearest wolf on the bed. He gently applied pressure, and flipped the small body over.
It was a young male wolf, his dark golden skin and black hair matching him to one of the Suarez youths, one of the five missing children. He looked to be about thirteen, all gangly limbs and awkward joints, and Kane could not sense the boy’s wolf spirit on him. He was pre-Change then, puberty not yet far enough along for his wolf to emerge. Blood covered his naked frame, dirt and semen on his thighs and hips.
Sophia was attending to the other wolf on her side of the bed, a female, just as young, and Kane could only assume she was the youth’s sister. She was naked, in the same state as the boy. Both were unconscious, eyes cracked open enough to show the whites, mouths open, slow, strenuous breaths barely moving their chests. The smell of silver and some kind of drug oozed from their pores, and Kane felt his stomach roll as he fought back the urge to vomit.
*Burke. I need Shaman River, now.* Kane looked to his beta, the hard-nosed warrior woman crying sob-less tears as she stroked the brow of the abused cub, pushing back lank black hair from a face that was beautiful, even under layers of dirt and bruises.
“Sophia.” Kane tried again, voice cracking on her name. She looked at him through watery eyes, and the wolf receded from her face, leaving a woman behind, a beta with the instincts of a mother with cubs to protect. “I’m going to check on the wolves in the front room, stay with the cubs.” He was going to ask her to go check herself, but Kane saw on her face the need to stay with the cubs. He agreed; if they woke, they may not want a male near them, since the odors on the cubs and in the room made it clear the human males were their abusers.
She nodded, sitting on the bed, and she pulled off her jacket, wrapping it around the girl. Kane found a blanket on the floor beside the bed, and covered the boy. He felt like crying himself, his anger draining away, swamped by a sickening dread and pain. Kane left the bedroom, stepping over the injured humans, ignoring them completely. They would tell Kane everything he wanted to know, then they would die. Horribly.
*Kane, complex is secure. How many wolves?* Burke asked him, his mental voice giving Kane an anchor. He latched on, sending Burke a wordless image of the two cubs on the bed, and he walked back into the living room, letting his lieutenant see through his eyes. There were five wolves drugged senseless in the living room, all naked, beaten and dirty. Most were young, late teens and early twenties. Only seven wolves recovered; seven out of twenty.
Kane felt Burke’s rage, and the echo of Heromindes’ anger as Burke shared the images with the Clan Leader. *I have seven of the Suarez wolves. Two cubs. Five adults. Alive. They need immediate healing. Two human hostages, alive. Where is Shaman River?*
“I’m here, Kane.” The shaman ran through the door of the apartment, eyes burning gold and sky blue, as he took in the wolves on the floor in a quick glance before sprinting past Kane, down the hall to the bedroom. Heromindes was seconds behind River, and Kane met the Clan Leader’s eyes as he ducked his head, clearing the threshold of the apartment.
Heromindes’ eyes were green fire, his teeth sharpened to points, his hands clawed. Anger rolled off the Clan Leader as he took in the state of his wolves on the floor. He was panting, and Kane watched as the Alpha fought back the urge to Change.
“Where are they?” Heromindes growled, the words almost indistinguishable in the rumble of deep sound.
“The humans are alive, in the back room.” Kane darted forward, blocking the Clan Leader as he made to head that way. Heromindes growled at him, a fearsome sound of challenge as Kane stopped him from presumably tearing the human abusers apart. “No, Alpha. We need them alive. We need them alive.”
“Move!” Heromindes ordered, the Change coming on fast. If the Clan Leader killed the humans, they may lose this chance to find out who the traitors were. The Suarez wolves may know, but they were days away from being coherent enough to tell them anything useful.
“No.” Kane stood his ground, and braced himself for a fight. He didn’t want to fight Heromindes, even if it was like this, outside of a Challenge. If Heromindes attacked, Kane would stop him, short of killing him. And even outside an official Challenge, Heromindes would be seen as weak when Kane won, and the power structure of Ashland would suffer, leading to an imbalance of authority as challengers made constant plays for the
position of Clan Leader. It was a position Kane did not want, and when he stopped Heromindes, the Ashland Clan Leader would suffer a major loss of pride, and Black Pine could lose an ally.
“No, Alpha. Control. You need control.” Kane had no doubt he could defeat the other alpha, no matter the size difference or experience. No doubt at all, and he let that conviction come across as he spoke to Heromindes. Let the Clan Leader see it in his eyes, smell it in his scent. If Heromindes tried to get through Kane to kill the humans, he would lose. “Hear me, Alpha. Regain your senses and think.”
Kane would swear to his dying day that he did not mean it. That the dread of fighting and defeating the Clan Leader of Ashland pushed him past his own control, and let a tiny shred of the Voice out. It was small, a mere slip, yet the barest brush of the Voice that Kane commanded was enough to knock Heromindes back several feet, shaking his head, hands coming to his face.
Kane swore softly, and stamped down hard on his wayward talent, repressing the Voice, the ability to command instant and total obedience from any wolf, be they alpha or beta. His talent was so strong, Kane feared that even a shaman may not be immune, and he refused to use it unless a situation was urgent, as even the tiniest exposure was enough to leave a wolf rendered mindless and wholly obedient.
Kane waited, breathless, afraid of the damage he may have done to the Clan Leader, hoping that he hadn’t done anything irreversible. It was rare, but the Voice unleashed in its full glory could forever destroy the free will of a wolf, leaving them a mindless slave to an alpha. It was that version of the Voice, in eons past, that resulted in the ancient alphas going mad with absolute power, coupled with the spirit gifts that were once theirs, before the Great Mother stripped them, creating the shamans.