by Kimber White
I wished I had marked her. God, I should have. Because then, I would have been able to tell her goodbye. She would have been able to hear my voice thundering in her mind and know it would be all right. As long as she made it to safety, I wasn’t afraid to die.
Joel moved first. He was no Alpha, but he was the strongest of the shifters left to guard Birch Haven. Still, in that split second, I made a choice that probably made all the difference. It was Chris who had targeted my Eve. So, I would spend my last few seconds ripping his throat out.
I dodged at the last second, gunning for Chris. Springing up on powerful hind legs, I bared my fangs and sank them into Chris’s throat as he leaped along with Joel’s wolf. I felt Joel’s fangs in my side but there was no pain. Not then.
Chris’s lifeblood filled my mouth. I’d hit my target. His heart betrayed him, pumping blood through the frayed artery in his neck. Then, I waited for Joel’s bite to take my life.
It didn’t.
Instead, the third, brown wolf plunged his fangs into Joel’s side, tearing him away from me. Joel was bigger, stronger, but the brown wolf had the element of surprise. As Chris’s eyes glazed over and lost sight, I turned and arched my back, ready for one last kill.
But, Joel was already dead. His companion had betrayed him. He took one last deadly swipe with his paw, nearly ripping Joel’s head off before he threw his own head back and howled.
I shifted in one breath, standing on unsteady legs. The other wolf shifted too. Blood poured from a deep gash along his temple. Joel had managed to claw him just before he died.
“There’s still time,” Joel’s betrayer said.
At first, the shock of the last few seconds made it hard for me to process his words. Then, I looked behind him. Women were pouring out of the dormitories and running across the quad. The bulk of the Pack had moved off toward the north boundary of Birch Haven. God, Gunnar and Payne had held out longer than I could have hoped.
“Mac!” Eve’s scream cut through the din. She was alive. She was whole; she was heading straight for me.
She came to me. I don’t know what I must have looked like to her. Blood poured from the side of my head. My ear was torn clean off. But, I felt none of it. I only felt Eve’s warm skin against mine as she threw her arms around me.
“Baby,” I gasped. “You’ve got to get out of here. You’ve got to run.”
“Trey?” she said, staring at the third wolf. “Why?”
Trey was young, blond, skinny for a shifter with a haunted look in his gray eyes. He lifted them slowly and focused on her. “Because we aren’t all like Joel and Chris.”
Twenty
Eve
He was whole. He was alive. Deep wounds cut through Mac’s head and chest. There was so much blood, I didn’t know how he was still upright. But, even as I ran my hands over the hard muscles of his battered chest, I could see the jagged ends of Joel’s bite marks begin to heal.
Mac put a protective arm around me, pulling me close. I’d cut the ties Joel had used to bind me on the sharp edge of the van’s bumper. They’d only left a scratch, but Mac brought my hands up; his eyes flashed silver. His concern was almost comical in the face of the deep gashes he bore all over his body.
“No time to stand around!” April shouted. She came from the van with Jasmine and Kat. Girls ran in a panic all over the quad.
“You have to get them out of here,” Trey said, his eyes wide with terror. I didn’t know how to feel about him. He’d just saved Mac. But, he was part of the Pack. With Joel and Chris dead, he was free, but for how long?
Mac stiffened behind me. “I know a place.”
“No!” April shouted, defiant. “I’m done with shifters for good.”
Lena came toward us, shuffling like the walking dead. She shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun.
Mac had the presence of mind to grab his pants off the ground before going to her. In the excitement, it hadn’t even registered that he was still naked from the shift. So was Trey. He dropped his eyes and retrieved his own pants before turning to face Lena.
Before Trey could get anywhere near her, Mac went to her. He was careful; gingerly he put one hand on her arm, then crooked a finger beneath her chin. He brought her face up slowly to meet his eyes.
Lena’s body wracked with one great sob and her shoulders quaked. “What took you so long?”
Mac broke. He pulled his sister to him. He was so strong, so tall he could rest his chin on the top of her head. “You’re safe,” he whispered. “They’ll never touch you again.”
“We’re not safe,” Jasmine stepped forward. “Not here.”
“She’s right,” Trey said. “You don’t have to trust me. But you need to get your people out of here.” He turned to April. The girls of Birch Haven seemed drawn to her as if she’d become a de facto pack leader for them.
“Take the buses,” Trey said, pointing to the south end of campus. “The Pack won’t follow. Not yet. Not while the Alpha’s on the run.”
The Alpha. In the distance, we could still hear the howls. Mac let go of Lena and stiffened beside me. Pain came into his face. His friends were out there. God help them. I tightened my grip on him. I was selfish. Those men had risked their lives for mine. I knew Mac would feel he owed them. But still, I couldn’t bear to lose him to the battle raging in the distance.
“You’ll die,” Lena said through another sob. She felt what I did. If Mac left, it would be suicide.
We found an unlikely ally in Trey again. “He knows who you are,” he said. “The Alpha knows who Eve and Lena are to you now. I don’t want to scare either of you any more than you are. God, I’m sorry for what the Pack has put you through. But, their best chance is if you get them out of here.”
Lena ran a hand over her face. “I can’t fight off a shifter. I’ve tried.”
“You don’t have to fight anymore,” Mac said. He held me in one arm and Lena in the other. “I’m getting you out of here. Now.”
“Fine,” April said. “You do you.”
“April,” I said. “Mac has friends. We can hide you.” It might not have been my place to offer it, but April had done so much for me. For Lena too.
April smiled but shook her head. “Thanks. But, I told you. Wherever I go, I want it to be far away from shifters.”
“Thank you,” Mac said. He stepped forward and shook her hand. April was tentative, but she smiled. “Get these girls across the border. Any border. I can connect you with help. I’ve got plenty of non-shifter contacts that have just as much reason as you to fight against what’s happening here in Kentucky.”
“They should be safe enough if they go fast,” Trey said. “But Mac’s right. Just get across the border.”
“Come on,” Jasmine said. “Please!”
She pulled on April’s arm. Kat had started directing traffic. The panic in the quad became an organized evacuation as dozens of women headed for the three yellow buses parked on the other side of the physical plant. I hoped Nikki was among them. Joel was dead. I wished I had enough time to find her.
“Go,” I said, stepping out of Mac’s arm. I took April’s hand in mine, then pulled her into a hug. “Stay safe, you.”
She looked Mac up and down. “Same to you. You sure I can’t convince you and Lena to come with us? Haven’t you had enough of shifters?”
Smiling, I took Mac’s hand again. I wanted to tell her I hadn’t really started. But, Mac’s wolf eyes glinted. He was getting antsy, sensing something in the distance. We were running out of time. My heart tore in two knowing it likely meant his friends had also.
“What about you?” he said to Trey. “I can’t take you with me today. There may be a place for you with my people. But, there’s a process. You’ve been under Pack control for a long time.”
Trey nodded. “I know. I understand.” Trey’s face fell. He seemed resigned to his fate. I didn’t know how to feel. Just an hour ago, he seemed willing to turn me over to Chris. Then, he saved Mac’s life.
>
“Get yourself to a little town outside of Lexington. River Run. There’s a laundromat downtown. Only one. Tell the manager Mac Morris sent you. We’ll take it from there.”
A tear fell from Trey’s eye. He shook Mac’s hand. We watched as April and the others fired up the buses and tore out of the parking lot hellbent on freedom. As wolves howled in the distance, the first driver barreled through the front gates of Birch Haven, knocking down the town’s welcome sign. Again, I said a silent prayer for Nikki. God, let her be on one of those buses.
“Time to go,” Mac said. Lena smiled up at him.
I let go of Mac’s hand and went to Trey. “Thank you,” I said. “Good luck. I hope you make it.”
His clenched as he took my hand. “I’m so sorry. For all of this.” Then, he took two steps back, turned, and ran at top speed away from the howling woods.
It was time for me to leave Birch Haven behind. Mac turned us toward the south. We passed through the park, stepping over the very spot where I first met him. We took to the banks; Rough River churned at our feet. With each step, my heart felt lighter. As if with every mile, the chains of that awful place and the memories it held fell away.
It happened that way for Lena as well. Her posture changed, becoming straighter as she ran beside her brother. I don’t know how long we ran. It should have taken something out of me. I wasn’t a shifter like Mac, after all. But, I drew strength from the steady beat of his heart, his pulse becoming my own.
We emerged in a clearing beside the highway. Mac had his own SUV tucked in a ditch. We climbed inside. As Mac put the car in gear and peeled out, I let hope fill my heart as we headed for a new kind of freedom.
Twenty-One
Mac
Mammoth Caves had been my home for so long, I’d forgotten the wonder that they were to fresh eyes. Now, I saw them as Lena and Eve did for the first time, filled with awe and reverence.
Eve ran her hands along the smooth, stone walls, marveling at the high natural ceilings and remarking on the sophisticated network of passageways we had claimed. The vision had never been mine. It was Keara’s and now Molly’s.
A series of LED lights strung along the path lit the way as we headed into the main rotunda. Molly and Liam were waiting. Molly’s eyes shone with fresh tears as she saw me with the women I loved. She rushed forward and threw her arms around me. I could see on her face she wanted to do the same to Lena and Eve, but hung back, cautious.
Lena hadn’t said more than two words the whole way back. She put her fragile trust in me that I’d get her to safety.
“We’ll take care of you,” Molly said. Lena towered over her by a good five inches. Yet somehow, she seemed so small as she let Molly smooth the hair away from her face. “I’ve already got it all arranged.”
“You must be Eve,” she said, turning from Lena.
Eve gave me a cautious look then extended her hand. “I must be.”
“I’m so glad you’re here. We’ve been waiting.” Molly’s eyes flicked to mine. She wasn’t a shifter, but Molly had gotten freakishly good at reading minds around here. “I’ll bet you’d love to freshen up. We’ve got that figured out down here too. Mac, do you mind if I steal your girl for a little bit? It’ll give you and Lena a chance to catch up.”
Eve reached back and gave me a quick squeeze of her hand. I felt her reticence to leave me. At the same time, her eyes lit up as Molly talked and she took in her surroundings. This would be her home now, if she’d have me. I could already see Eve’s wheels turning.
“I’d love that,” Eve said. “I’m a mess.”
“You’re a supermodel,” Molly said. “You should have seen me when Liam first dragged me down here.”
Liam caught my eyes. I gave him a quick shake of my head. A muscle jumped in his jaw and he dropped his chin. There was no word from Payne or Gunnar. I had to get Eve and Lena settled, but then Liam and I would have decisions to make.
He left with Molly and Eve. I put a light hand on Lena and turned her toward me. Her breath hitched and her eyes went up and up until they settled on mine.
Lena crumpled against me, letting me draw her into a hug. “I’m so sorry,” I said, smoothing the hair away from her face. “I tried for so long to find you.”
A single tear fell from her face, but my strong, beautiful sister managed a smile. It tore me in two. Her perfect, ivory skin was marred now by a jagged scar through her arched ruddy brow. I knew she bore other scars I couldn’t see. On instinct, I slid my fingers to the back of her neck. She had one more scar there too.
Hissing, Lena pulled herself away. She rubbed the back of her neck. “Don’t,” she said. “Don’t think of it.”
I had a million questions for her. Had he hurt her? Had he broken her? Who was he? My wolf stirred. I knew she could see it in my eyes. A war raged within me. If only I’d been there to slay my little sister’s monsters for her.
“He’s dead,” Lena answered the question that mattered more. “I killed him in his sleep. His name was Shelby Cole and he was weak. Lucky for me. That’s the secret the Alpha doesn’t want to be known. A girl like me, a human girl, could be strong enough to kill a member of his Pack.”
Tall for a human, Lena was small to me. She was bruised and battered. But, my sister was mighty. “No one will ever hurt you like that again,” I said. “I swear it.”
“Don’t do that either,” Lena smiled. “I know how the world works, my brother. It’s enough you got me out of that place.” Her breath hitched as she held back a sob. I drew her into my arms and kissed the top of her head. We sat on a natural ledge on the wall together. I bore my sister’s pain as she cried the tears she’d kept inside for far too long.
When she recovered, I took Lena by the hand. Knowing Molly as well as I did, I guessed at the place she’d set aside for Lena. Off the main rotunda, I led her down a wide passageway. I had a cavern down here. Right across from it, there was another one. Sure enough, Molly had already made a comfortable pallet and strung the place with lights.
“It’s amazing down here,” Lena marveled. “I mean, we heard rumors. Not about the caves. As far as I know, the Pack has no idea you’re here. Oh, Mac. We have to keep it that way. They can never know. Do you think…”
She didn’t finish the thought. It was too horrible to think about right now. But, it was on my mind too. Payne and Gunnar were out there. They could lead the Pack to the caves if they succumbed to the Alpha’s control. It was the thing we all feared. We’d won an important battle today, but there was still a greater war looming.
Lena had fought enough for one day. As she fell asleep against my shoulder, I gently laid her down and covered her with blankets. I knew my sister. After what she’d been through, I wouldn’t be surprised if she slept for a whole day. She deserved it. I would keep my promise and watch over her. She would never be a prisoner of the Pack again.
Satisfied that she’d at least found temporary peace, I headed back to the main rotunda where I knew I’d find Liam waiting. He was pacing and tearing his hand through his hair. He could already see the answers in my face, but I couldn’t avoid him any longer.
“It was the Alpha,” I said. “He showed up at Birch Haven. Gunnar and Payne went after him.”
“God,” Liam said. “Fucking hell. Are they dead?”
I swallowed past a dry lump in my throat. “I don’t know. The longer they’re gone the more…”
“Don’t say it,” Liam said. “Don’t even think it. Not yet.”
“They won’t betray us,” I said. “You know it. They won’t get taken alive.”
“Stop!” Molly’s voice echoed off the cave walls as she stepped into the light. “We aren’t losing anyone else. You hear me?”
She went to Liam. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her cheek.
“We’ll give it some time,” I said. “Then Liam and I will do some recon in the morning. One way or another, we’ll find out what happened.”
Liam gave me a knowing look over Mo
lly’s head. The less she knew, the better for her own protection. I just prayed the worst hadn’t happened.
“I like her,” Molly said, her eyes brightening. “Your Eve. She’s strong as hell to have survived what she did. Your sister too.”
“There were others,” I said. “Dozens of them. I just pray they got to safety across the border.”
“I’ve got feelers out,” Molly answered. “Eve filled me in on the details. I should know by morning whether those little birds flew to freedom. I think the odds are in their favor.”
“Can’t blame ‘em for wanting nothing to do with our kind,” Liam said. “I wish I’d been there too. If I had…”
Molly silenced him with a kiss. “If you had you’d be A.W.O.L. now too. And I’d have to go out there and kill you myself then drag your ass back here. Now, let’s cut the doom and gloom. Mac, I’ll check in on Lena in a little while. Meantime, I think you and Eve have some unfinished business. She’s down in the grotto.”
Molly gave me a conspiratorial wink that damn near made me blush. Liam chuckled as he drew her away and the two of them disappeared down the corridor.
Twenty-Two
Mac
Molly didn’t have to tell me where to find Eve. Her scent was part of me now. Still, as I stepped through the east corridor into the secret grotto, my heart stopped.
Eve emerged from the water like some ethereal sea nymph. She ran her hands through her honey-colored hair, slicking it back as she hoisted herself up to the stone ledge and dangled her feet.
Eve was beautiful. Amazing. Water sluiced off her naked body, making it shimmer as if she had her own magic. She did. Her nipples peaked. They were pink and perfect as she leaned back and rested her weight on her elbows. Her sweet smile gutted me as I stepped into the light. Dozens of candles lit the room, casting flickering shadows on the walls.