Once Upon A Midnight

by Stephanie Rowe

  There was no other way to describe the betrayal they both felt.

  To see her getting cozy with another male the day after he marked her as his mate? Oh, fuck no! That shit is just not going to work, for Lucas or his wolf.

  What he wouldn’t give to be anywhere other than at a pack function. This wasn’t the type of shit he wanted to air out in front of the pack, but he didn’t have a choice in the matter.

  Erin knew he would be there. Her wolf scented him the second they walked in the door. Did she think he had super powers of the calming variety?

  He didn’t, and never claimed to.

  She issued a challenge and he was about to respond.

  Lucas prayed Rafe wouldn’t divest him of his testicles for what he was about to do…and considering the Alpha had front row seats…

  The possibility was real.

  He might as well kiss his balls goodbye.

  Erin and her date turned the corner.

  Lucas watched as the smile fell from her face as he blocked their path.

  Lucas eyed up the wolf in front of him. He stood a little shorter than his own six-foot-two frame and their weight appeared to be equal. That’s where the similarities ended.

  Lucas had jet black hair, his adversary was a dusty blond. Wade was covered in tattoos, whereas Lucas only had a few.

  “Hey, Lucas, my man. How’s it going? Everything all right?”

  “Wade.” Lucas crossed his arms over his chest. “I’d say it’s good to see you, but I’m fighting my wolf right now. He wants to rip you limb from limb.”

  Wade cocked his head to the side. The look of confusion evident. “Dude. What the fuck? Why?”

  “You’ve got your hands on my mate. You know how wolves are. All protective and shit.”

  Wade backed away from Erin. His hands up in surrender. “I had no idea, man.”

  “Yeah, she got a pretty new mark on her neck yesterday, but she seems intent on covering it up.”

  “Is this true?” Wade spun to face Erin.

  With a roll of her eyes, Erin pulled her long hair to the side. “Fine. Yes. He bit me and saved my life, but I refuse to call this a mating mark. I have no desire to be anyone’s mate.”

  Horror filled Wade’s face. “You can’t refuse your mate. Don’t you know what will happen? The legend—”

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake. I am so sick of the legends. The legend this. The legend that. Blah, blah, blah, blah.”

  Erin threw her hands in the air. “Don’t you ever think that maybe, just maybe, the legends are all stories that were just made up to control us?”

  Wade shook his head in denial. “Erin, be careful what you say. The Fates will curse you.”

  “And see,” Erin started on another long winded rant, “that’s another phrase that pisses me off. Fuck the Fates. What happened to free will? Why can’t I choose who I want to be with? Where do they get off telling me who I can and can’t sleep with for the rest of my life? As far as I’m concerned, the Fates have already cursed me.”

  The muscle in Lucas’s jaw twitched at the thought of Erin bedding anyone but him.

  A startling growl rose from Lucas’s chest. The glow from his sapphire eyes left no mistake that his wolf was seconds away from taking control.

  “Take it down a notch, boy.” Erin eyed Lucas.

  “My mate will speak to me with respect.” The glowing in his eyes intensified. His wolf wanting to prove exactly who he was to her.

  “Please! Just because you bit me on the neck doesn’t mean we’re mates. We’re missing a little thing called the mating ceremony, which seals the deal, and as long as that doesn’t happen, you have no control over me.”

  “Erin,” Wade tried again to reason with her. “You can’t do this. Your wolf will die if you deny the Fates.”

  “I don’t believe in the Fates. I already told you that. I don’t buy their hocus-pocus-I-curse-thee majik.”

  “How can you not? That majik, it’s the same majik that runs through our veins. It’s the very reason we exist. To deny it is to court death.”

  “Here’s a newsflash, Wade. We are all going to die. That, my friend, is the only guarantee we have in this life.”

  Wade sucked in a deep breath. “Lucas, man, I’m sorry. I had no idea.” He turned to Erin. “I can’t be a part of this. I won’t.”

  “Buh-bye.” Erin waved Wade off and turned her attention back to Lucas.

  “You could at least thank me, you know.”

  With the threat of another male in close proximity to his mate gone, Lucas’s eyes returned to normal.

  “Thank you for what? Ruining my date and my plans for the evening?”

  “For saving your life. Or did you forget that you were bleeding out yesterday when I found you?”

  Lucas witnessed something unexpected, a rare flash of vulnerability in his mate’s eyes. He pushed on, this time with tenderness in his voice.

  “The only one who could have saved you was your true mate. You know that.”

  Just as she was about to crack, Lucas’s cellphone vibrated, losing any traction he may have gained with her.

  “What?” Lucas barked into the phone, keeping his focus on Erin.

  Lucas clicked the end button and pocketed his phone.

  “I gotta go, but this isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Griffin watched as another member of Black Paw strolled closer to the edge of the forest. He stood, with his men, silently waiting as they checked the perimeter. Their scents masked by a black-market cloaking spell.

  One-by-one, they picked off the ones who strayed too close to them with tranquilizer darts.

  The solution: a high dose mixture of diazepam, triazolam, oxycodone, and heroin. The cocktail was deadly to humans and could leave weaker wolves with long lasting problems.

  The darts packed a punch for even the strongest wolves, and had never failed him.

  Once the tranquilized wolves were down for the count, they were shackled in silver restraints and pulled deeper into the forest. Griffin would decide what to do with them later.

  He slid his hand inside his pocket. His fingers brushed against several capped hypodermic needles.

  There were a few occasions when he wanted his captives to wake up sooner from the sedation. Those special cases called for the antidote he carried in his pocket.

  “We have three more headed this way,” Brandon announced.

  Grabbing his gun from the holster, Griffin sighted in on the one closest to him. “On my mark. Three. Two. One.”

  Three shots fired in unison, hitting their intended targets. One of the wolves in question, let out a lone yip before falling to the ground with the others.

  “Good shot. Grab them before someone sees them,” Griffin ordered.

  “Do you think anyone heard whatever that noise was?” Brandon pulled the wolf by his legs.

  “I’ve never heard a wolf make a sound like that. I can’t imagine it meant anything, or that anyone could have heard it. Not with the party going on.” Griffin holstered his gun.

  “At this rate, we’re going to run out of darts.” Jayden held out the remaining dozen darts as proof. “We need to come up with a Plan B. I scented a couple hundred wolves on the grounds. There is no way we can take them down with twenty-five of us and a handful of darts.”

  Griffin eyed his lieutenant cautiously as he lit a smoke and took a deep inhale, followed by another. “One more word and it will be twenty-four of us and a handful of darts. Don’t forget who you’re talking to.”

  Jayden glanced away from his Alpha, with a sneer on his face. If he thought Griffin missed his look of disdain, he was sadly mistaken.

  Looks like another wolf will die before the night is through.

  With that small exchange, Jayden signed his own death warrant.

  “Plan B—” Griffin tugged at the zipper of the black duffle bag resting at his feet.

  “This is Plan B.” He handed each of the me
n a Remington 1911 R1 equipped with a silencer.

  “I have all the extra clips we’ll need. The only two that I want alive for now are the Alpha and my traitorous mate.”

  Griffin holstered his gun. “Feel free to shoot first and ask questions later for the rest of them.”

  “What about her family?” Jayden asked, eyeing the bag warily.

  Taking another long drag of his smoke, Griffin indolently answered, “Keep them alive. For now. I want Mina to see that it was her betrayal that cost the lives of her mother and sisters.”

  Eyeing the Alpha’s home, he conjured images of what it would mean if he were the one to kill Black Paw’s Alpha.

  Technically, he was still the Alpha of Twisted Tail. Even though he’d fled when they came under attack. There was no challenge issued, no one had officially stripped him of the title, and as far as he could tell, he was still alive.

  The muscle in Griffin’s jaw twitched. There was no comparing Twisted Tail to Black Paw. They were light years apart. One was a cheap re-heated fast-food burger. The other was the most delectable, most mouthwatering cut of prime rib you’d ever find.

  Why settle for the dollar menu burger when the prime rib was in his reach? All he had to do was take it.

  “The Alpha’s mine to kill,” Griffin ordered.

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  Rafe watched the heated debate between Lucas and Erin before it abruptly broke off. His ear twitched. His wolf picking up Black Paw’s silent alarm.

  The sound, nothing more than a light yip, to the untrained ear would have meant nothing. Unlike any form of communication they’d ever heard. To the members of Black Paw, it meant they were under attack from a rival pack.

  His wolf bounded to the front of his mind, urging him to shift.

  There was only one pack that would dare to breach their lands. Twisted Tail.

  He would finally get the chance to sink his fangs into the twisted fuck who ran the pack. It was the moment he had been waiting for.

  Apparently, Lucas heard the alarm as well and met Rafe’s hard stare. Without a single spoken word, Rafe nodded to Lucas, giving the order to gather his top fighters.

  “Mina, listen to me. You need to find my mom as fast as you can. Twisted Tail is here. The two of you need to work together, and lead anyone who can’t fight to the hidden tunnels in the basement. You’ll be safe there. Griffin will never find you.”

  “You can’t possibly expect me to run and hide. What do you want me to do, Rafe? Cower in a corner in fear for my life?

  “Honey, please, he’s here for you. For your family. Don’t make yourself a target. It’s your job to keep yourself and your family safe, along with all those who can’t.”

  “But—Rafe!” Mina huffed, “I can’t ask this pack to fight my battles. I won’t allow them to be hurt protecting me while I’m hiding from the fight.”

  Rafe combed his fingers through his hair in frustration. He could command Mina to do anything he wanted, but the reality was, he didn’t want to. There were many Alphas who never batted an eyelash when it came to issuing commands. It was within his right to do so, and a normal part of life in any other pack. Not at Black Paw.

  His pack obeyed him because they respected him, because they trusted him. Not because they lived in fear of him. He worked hard for that trust. That respect. It wasn’t something he was about to throw away because his mate decided to be stubborn.

  She needed to understand what was at stake.

  Painting a giant bulls-eye on her back for Griffin and Twisted Tail was the last thing he wanted. Focusing on the enemy and keeping his wolves safe was going to take all of his concentration. He couldn’t afford to be distracted worrying about his mate.

  Rafe stood, taking a deep breath. “Mina, look around you. There are plenty of us to fight. The only thing I want you to worry about is keeping those who can’t fight safe. For whatever reason, if Griffin or one of his goons find the tunnels, I need someone strong enough to defend those who can’t protect themselves. Everyone here at Black Paw is needed and each has a task to perform in emergency situations. We’ve got this covered.”

  He left out the part of his contingency plan to keep several stronger wolves behind, hidden in the tunnels. Just as a precaution.

  Mina nodded, begrudgingly agreeing to his plan. “Please be careful, Rafe. And remember, Griffin and his wolves will not fight fair.”

  “I know. Besides, you will be able to keep track of everything with our mating connection.” Rafe leaned in to kiss Mina’s forehead. “Now go.”

  Once Mina was off to find Grace, Rafe motioned for Lucas to approach.

  “Walk with me.” Rafe headed outside to scan the area. “What do we know so far?”

  “Not a whole lot, boss. Several of us heard the alarm that someone managed to sound, but I have no idea who it came from. The only issue reported tonight was a couple of our wolves not checking in after their scheduled patrol. I’ve sent others to look for them and haven’t heard back yet.”

  “Twisted Tail is here. On our lands,” Rafe confirmed as he cast an eye over the forest just beyond the clearing.

  Lucas took a deep breath, scenting the cold night air. “I can’t smell anything.”

  “Neither can I. That’s why I can’t tell how many are here. They must be blocking their scent somehow. My wolf was the one to sense them.”

  A muscle in Lucas’s jaw twitched. “Masked their scent?”

  Rafe nodded, knowing exactly where Lucas’s train of thought was headed. “I don’t think Erin would have helped them. They tried to kill her, remember?”

  “That may be true, but I still don’t like it.”

  “We’ll get to the bottom of it later. Right now, we need to deal with the mutt infestation.” Rafe’s voice was little more than a growl as his wolf picked up a slight movement along the tree line.

  “What’s the plan, boss?” Lucas cooled his heels, waiting for Rafe’s commands.

  “Let’s go back inside and gather as many as we can.”

  “I don’t mean to uh…question the Alpha and all, but do you think that’s wise?”

  Rafe headed for the house. “I do. Griffin has no idea what the powers of a true Alpha are. He’s certain that he pulled a fast one on us. That his little trick has us fooled. Let’s let him believe in his plan for a little bit longer. I want everyone to pull back from the tree line until we have a plan of attack.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Mina hustled to find Grace and warn her about the imminent attack. As much as she hated it, Rafe was right. Her priority needed to be getting everyone to safety.

  Griffin would use whoever he could if he thought it would give him an advantage over Rafe or any other wolf. He had no qualms about using a woman or child as a shield. It was a situation Mina desperately wanted to avoid witnessing again.

  Grace was easy enough to locate and much to Mina’s surprise, her mom was by Grace’s side. She hated to be the one to destroy the happiness they both seemed to have found at the party, but she would do anything to keep them safe.

  Though her words were hurried and at times garbled, Mina managed to relay the message.

  The smile on Beth’s face fell instantly. Slews of profanity flew from her otherwise conservative mouth. “That son of a bitch. Who does he think he is?”

  “It’s okay, Mom. Rafe will handle this, and we are going to let him.”

  “Mina, how can you say that? That twisted fuck is after all of us. We can’t—”

  Mina shook her head. “Mom, I had the same conversation with Rafe a few minutes ago. He insists that we’re responsible for getting everyone to safety.”

  Grace glanced at them. “Rafe’s right and we need to listen to him. There are plenty of strong fighters here at Black Paw to take on anything those bastards can dish out.”

  Beth nodded.

  “Follow me. We need to get moving.”

  Grace grabbed a few of the older couples standing nearby and asked them to join her
as she led the way to the basement.

  “I wanted to avoid a mass panic, that’s why I’ve asked you to join me. Twisted Tail is here and they’re looking for a fight. They came for Mina and her family. Little do they know, they are part of our family now. From the sounds of it, their leader doesn’t know the first thing about values, traditions, and family. Rafe is on top of the situation and he’s gathering able-bodied fighters as we speak. What we need to do is get everyone else to safety.”

  “Well, they can fuck off. Mina, Beth, and the girls are Black Paw now,” Callie called out.

  “They’re happy here. Why can’t Twisted Tail leave them alone?” George asked

  “What can we do to help?” Deb offered.

  “That’s why I brought you all here. We’re going to go back up to the ballroom and start directing everyone down here. I need a few people spaced along the path so those who haven’t been down here before don’t stray and get lost. I also want the door to the tunnels unsealed in case we need to make a quick escape.”

  Grace glanced around the room. “George, Will, can the two of you take care of the tunnel?”

  “Sure thing,” Will answered, and George nodded.

  “I’ll set up a few activities to keep the kids busy,” Deb replied.

  “Perfect. Thank you.” Grace motioned for Mina and Beth to follow her.

  Making their way back upstairs, they started directing members to the basement.

  “Mom, I’m going to track down Kenzie and Bree. Can you look for Eric and Lanie?”

  “I’ll find them. You get the girls and tell them to get their asses to the basement. No arguments.” Beth gave Mina a quick hug. “Promise me you’ll be careful. It’s you he’s after. The rest of us would just be icing on the cake.”

  “I will, Mom. I promise.”

  Mina dashed through the main house and into her bedroom to grab her cellphone. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, sending a quick text to her sisters. After all, they were teens. They were glued to their phones. Right?

  “Meet me in the kitchen, pronto.”

  Kenzie immediately replied, “OMW.”

  Nothing from Bree. She tried calling her.