She started talking to the wolves around her, and they turned to face me. There were at least four of them. I didn’t think I could take four grown men. The odds were nearly impossible, but I was prepared to attempt it in order to save Luke.
The men came at me, trying to grab ahold of me, but I kept bouncing away from them with my fists up. Every time one got close, I threw a punch, connecting hard.
“Stupid, bitch!” one snarled.
Then I saw Skinny coming toward me. Even Lance’s second in command had betrayed him! I prepared to fight him, ignoring the grin on his face. He thought I was going to be easy. I would have agreed, but I took training from Alex, and he was one of the best. At least in my eyes, he was.
More shooting took place. Next thing I knew, Skinny was dead on the ground, a bullet hole in the side of his head. I looked around, finding no clues as to where the shots were coming from. Fearing that I would be next, I hurried in the direction of Luke and the rest of them.
Annie tried to dart out of the way, but I reached out, snagging her shirt. She fell back, unable to keep her balance on the ridiculous shoes she was wearing. As she fell, I leaned down to grab hold of her shirt again. Yanking her face up to mine, I glared. “You may only be fifteen, but you’re my responsibility now. Don’t think you can get away with this.”
“You’re a bitch! I fucking hate you!” She snapped her teeth at me.
More shots came, startling both of us as wolves dropped. One after another. How the hell would we explain these bodies? I looked up to find that Lance was lying on the ground, eyes open. Was he dead? Blood was all over him. Tina stood over his body, grinning from ear to ear. She was pleased after beating him. It had been an unfair fight, but we should have suspected that. We didn’t guess his own Pack would betray him, though. I thought they had to be loyal, but apparently not.
Tina lifted up a hand that held a silver knife. She was about to come down on Lance for the final killing blow, but another shot rang out. Falling to her knees, she dropped the knife next to her. Annie and I watched in horror as her body began to crumble to the ground. The witch was dead.
Luke managed to escape from the two men. He worked fast, using skills that I would have never suspected him to know. He kicked one guy to the ground, coming down with a fist. It was like watching the scene in slow motion. The guy’s head bounced up off the ground when he connected his fist to his face. He was dead. I could tell from where I was standing, still holding Annie in my grip.
Looking back down at her, I frowned. “I never knew about you, Annie. When I came down here, it was for a case. That’s when Lance mentioned you. No one ever told me you existed.”
“Had you checked on your family once in a while, you would have known,” she spat.
I wanted to shake her to death, but I refrained, trying to breathe through the anger. “Why would I do that when my life had been nothing but hell here?”
Annie cried out when someone came flying in our direction. The person crashed into me, causing my body to hit the ground hard. My fingers released Annie’s shirt, giving her the perfect opportunity to escape. She hurried to her feet and started running toward the woods. I tried to go after her, but someone grabbed my ankle. When I looked down I saw the wolf that took me down. I swung my leg, kicking him in the face. His head snapped around, breaking his neck instantly. Cringing from the odd angle of his neck, I went to take off after Annie.
Someone grabbed me from behind, wrapping strong arms around my waist. I struggled, preparing to slam my elbow into his stomach, but Luke spoke. “Calm down,” he whispered, his warmth wrapping around me.
“You have to let me go. She’s getting away.” I struggled some more.
“No, she’s not. Look.” Luke pointed in the direction of the woods.
Coming out of the darkness were four people. Three of them had guns. The one holding Annie waved at me. Knowing my eyes were glowing, I focused on the person and grinned.
“Alex!”
Luke released me so I could run to my friend. I wanted to hug him, but Annie prevented that. She glared at me, her teeth bared. Part of me wanted to smack the look off her face, but I held onto my anger.
The rest of the Pack stopped fighting. Their alpha, Tina, was dead, so they had no reason to fight. However, there was a man leading the Pack as they came in our direction. My back stiffened and I felt Luke do the same thing. He moved to stand in front of us, as Alex and his friends lifted their guns up to show that they were ready to go if it was required.
“I’m taking over the Pack now. Lance was defeated by Tina, and I am her second in command.” The lead wolf said, his eyes flashing in warning.
Luke growled, stepping forward. “Why would we want a bunch of cowards in our Pack, anyway? The Pack betrayed their alpha to avoid death by another Pack. That is a betrayal that can’t be forgiven.”
The wolves behind the man growled, but he nodded. “We leave your territory in peace, then. I have no reason to want it.” The man sounded like he came from New Jersey. His accent was kind of nice, but I had to remind myself that he was an enemy. I wasn’t supposed to be enjoying anything about him, even though it was pretty hot.
Lance was now on his feet and heading in our direction. He looked really bad. I knew this defeat would probably live with him forever. He lost his entire Pack, and was to suffer the embarrassment of being beaten. My eyes saw something moving behind him. I tried to shout to warn him, but it was too late. Tina was already on her feet, and charging at him with a knife.
Turning just in time, Lance dodged her attempt to stab him. He stepped back, stumbling a little bit. She was bleeding from her head. How the hell was she even alive? Her hand swept out in front of her as she tried to slice him in the chest.
Alex aimed his gun in their direction, but Luke put a hand up to stop him. “Let Lance do this.”
We watched as the two alphas fought each other. Lance swung out, smashing his fist into Tina’s face. She stumbled back, losing her grip on the knife. It fell to the ground, and Lance kicked it away before she could try to grab it again. Tina was kicking out now, trying to aim for his head, but he was too fast, despite nearly being beaten to death. She swung out at him again with her fist, but he grabbed her arm, bending it back so it snapped. I shuddered, unable to peel my eyes away from them.
She screamed, falling to her knees as she held her arm with the other hand. Lance smiled down at her. He grabbed the sides of her head and twisted. Her neck snapped, the noise grotesquely loud. Then, with one swift movement, he tore her head completely off.
“That part was unnecessary,” I said.
Luke started laughing, and the other leader joined in. I didn’t find the humor in it, but apparently what I said was freaking hilarious. Everyone in the field was doubled over in laughter, besides Annie and me. Apparently, everyone had lost it.
Lance held up Tina’s head and showed it to the Pack. “I’ve defeated your alpha. You are to never return to this territory again, unless you want the same thing to happen to you.”
“We have no plans to return, Thatcher,” the new alpha said.
“Who the hell are you?” Lance demanded.
“Johnny Capone. I’m taking the Pack.”
“You know I’m their true alpha.” Lance pointed out.
Johnny wasn’t sure how to respond. He squared his shoulders, as if he was prepared to take on the challenge, but Lance waved him off. “They mean nothing to me now. They’ve betrayed me, and I don’t tolerate that from family. A respectable Pack has their alpha’s back.”
“Daddy!” a little girl shouted from a short distance away.
Everyone turned to watch as a dirty, red-headed girl came running over with her arms outstretched. Lance grinned, squatting down so he could wrap his daughter in his arms. Following close behind was one of Alex’s men, obviously the one that had released her from whatever prison the other Pack had her in. I couldn’t help, but smile that she was finally safe in her father’s arms. She had a
lot to adjust to as a new werewolf. I was an adult, and it was hard for me. I could only imagine what it would be like for her.
I heard someone grunt from behind me. Then Annie was on me in a flash. Her teeth sunk into my neck so fast, I didn’t have time to get her off me. She growled, attacking me so fiercely, I felt paralyzed. My vision went dark as blood loss was becoming a problem. I pressed my hand against my neck, staring as Luke changed his hands into werewolf ones. He slashed at Annie, her mouth falling open in surprise as he sliced across her chest. It was then that I couldn’t focus anymore. I didn’t get to see what happened next, because I was falling to the ground.
Everyone started shouting, coming to my side to see if they could help. Luke hovered over me, his eyes wide with fear. “Stay alive, damn it! Stay alive!” He pressed his hand against my throat to stop the bleeding. “What the fuck happened?”
“She elbowed me, and then swallowed something. By the time I tried to grab for her, she was already chewing the fuck out of Riley!” Alex said, his voice slowly fading away.
How was a bite killing me? I didn’t understand. I thought only silver could hurt werewolves. Though, how much did I really know about our kind?
Nothing. I knew nothing.
“What the fuck is that silver shit coming out of her mouth?” Alex asked.
“She drank silver liquid. Not sure what it is.” Someone else said.
“She bit Riley with her mouth covered in silver!” Luke growled.
“She’s convulsing!” Alex shouted.
“She poisoned herself in the process.” Luke sighed, looking back down at me.
My eyes fluttered closed, but someone was shaking me awake. “Stop. Leave me alone.” I grumbled, feeling warmth come over my body, and it wasn’t because it was hot out.
“No! Never give up! Never surrender! Never die, Riley! Those are the rules you and I live by. You’re mine forever. Stay awake, baby. Stay awake!”
I couldn’t keep my eyes open. Darkness was clouding over me. That’s when I lost the fight. Darkness took over.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Waking up in the hospital was the last thing I expected. I thought I’d died. Glancing over at Luke in a chair, I smiled. He waited with me. Did I expect anything different? Hell, I didn’t know. Our relationship was brand new, and who knew what being mated to someone included. Was it a permanent place at my side? Did it mean I had to follow him around, like a puppy? What all did it entail? Did that mean we had to get married? Have children?
I opened my mouth to say something, only to let out a wheezy cough. Luke’s eyes flew open, blue meeting mine. He was immediately scooting closer to my side, hands on my arm.
“You’re okay!” He beamed with delight.
“Of course,” I croaked, rolling my eyes. Wincing in pain, I decided it was probably best to keep my eyes forward. My head was hurting ridiculously bad. “Water,” I croaked.
Luke nodded, grabbing a Styrofoam cup with a straw poking out of the top. When he pressed it to my lips, I took a few sips. “Thanks.”
“How are you feeling?” he asked, setting the cup down without removing his gaze from me.
“My head hurts like a motherfuc—”
“Children present!” Lance sang, walking through the door to enter my hospital room. In his arms was a beaming, red-headed little girl. She looked at me, immediately frowning as she clutched her father. He went to set her down, but she held on for dear life. “It’s okay, Jenny.” He sighed, glancing over at us. “She’s afraid to let go of me.”
Understanding, I forced a smile. Who knew what I looked like now considering, I’d been through a Pack war. “She’s been through a lot.”
“Same with you,” Luke said, clutching my hand.
Lance nodded, taking a seat in a nearby chair. “You look like shit, Riley. It’s a good thing you mated with Luke—otherwise, you’d be dead.”
Confused, I raised an inquiring eyebrow. “How’s that?”
Lance tried to pry Jenny away from him, but she scrambled, grabbing his shirt again. “The magic you felt from the moon the night you mated?” When I nodded, he continued. “That same magic was still in you when Annie tried to kill you. So, it healed you. The magic is in you for like a day or two. Nothing can separate the two of you.”
Luke smiled. “Awesome, isn’t it?”
I shrugged. “It’s a miracle.”
Part of me felt sad that Annie decided to fight against us. We could have been so much more as sisters. I would have given her the best life—at least to the best of my ability. She wouldn’t have had to think about Luna Hill again. Only, she decided to attack me with silver. What a bitch.
Wondering if she survived, I asked, “What about Annie?”
“Dead.” Luke said, looking away. “She died from the silver swelling up her airway. The girl ended up suffocating.”
Rubbing my temples, I held back the tears that were forming. She was the only family I had left. The only family I could have loved. Luke squeezed my hand, offering a look of sympathy. I sighed, looking away from everyone and out the window of my room. It was dark outside. The stars dotted the black sky, offering only half a moon tonight. How long had I been out for? Asking the question out loud, I frowned when they looked at each other.
“About a week. They didn’t know if you would come out of the coma,” Luke replied, squeezing my hand again.
“A week? Are you serious?” I looked up at the ceiling. I lost an entire week. Silver was more badass than I thought. And that was with moon magic to help me live!
The silence in the room was becoming unbearable. I looked around for the TV remote, deciding that was better than nothing. Just as I found it, someone else entered the room. Grinning, I held my arms open for Alex. He came in for a hug, looking gorgeous as ever in his dark jeans and black shirt. He was definitely every woman’s dream. Unfortunately, I saw him as a brother. So, any of those kind of thoughts were far from my mind.
He was really tan from always being outside. I didn’t know exactly what he did, despite being best friends. Supposedly it was security, but I had a feeling it was a cover. The guy obviously had secrets, if the stuff I found in his house told me anything. “How’s the girlfriend?” I asked, earning a glare from Alex.
“Fine,” he said through clenched teeth. “How are you feeling?”
I shrugged. “Alive. Though, I have to know how you knew where to find us.”
Alex sat on the edge of the bed, grabbing a hold of my hand. “I came down because you never called. You’re supposed to call me every night. When I tried to call you, there was no answer.” He glanced over at Luke, and something passed between the two of them, but I wasn’t sure what. “I met Luke when I went to the police station. He had a hard time believing I was who I claimed to be, but eventually he opened up about your location. Especially once he figured out I was a wolf.”
My mouth fell open. I had to get used to my werewolf senses. I should have known instantly that he was a wolf. As soon as he walked in, alarm bells should have been going off. Instead, when I concentrated to see if I could tell, I only got his cologne.
Seeing the confusion on my face he grinned. “I work for the government, honey. They have all sorts of tricks to keep the enemy from identifying you.”
“I want that!” I punched him in the arm, only to regret it when my body complained about the movement.
A nurse came in, smiling at everyone as she went over to my vital machine. She lifted my wrist, pressing two fingers to the pulse there. “I think you need some rest, Riley. Your family can come back tomorrow if they want. Plus, I think Brad is jealous that he can’t come in here due to the doctor examining him.”
Family. I looked at everyone in the room, including the little girl I just officially met. They were my family, even though some of them really should have been in jail. I smiled, nodding once. “Brad! I totally forgot about him.” I felt my face heat up in embarrassment. He was a good kid. Looking at everyone, I said, “I
will see you guys tomorrow, but Luke can stay.”
“Of course your husband can stay,” she said, putting my hand down.
I went to open my mouth to say that he wasn’t my husband, when he widened his eyes in warning. Holy crap, he made us fictionally married. I squinted my eyes at him to show that I saw what kind of game he was playing. The nurse smiled, thinking we were just having some kind of lover’s tiff. She hurried out after everyone else said goodbye and closed the door.
“Married? Really, Luke?”
“Only thing I could think of so I could stay around you. Plus, they wouldn’t tell me any information otherwise. You have no other family, Riley.” He pointed out.
Realizing the last of my biological family had died with Annie, I stared out the window of my room. It was sad to think that I was now the last of Coles. My parents were murdered, and Annie had basically committed suicide. It was a terrible ending to a tragic story.
Feeling myself getting drowsy, I turned back to Luke, who appeared concerned. I decided he was unsure how I felt about him calling himself my husband. I went to open my mouth to tell him it was okay, but I was already closing my eyes.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I watched as the husband of my new case went into his apartment building, disappearing through the door. Yep, he had another home besides the one with his legal wife. He’d had it approximately six months. According to his wife, he’d received a promotion that required a lot of traveling, when actually he just got another apartment for him and his mistress. It was common practice for a cheating spouse. It wasn’t just the men who did it, but the women, too. I just happened to catch a lot more men. Unfortunately for husbands, the wives were often stealthier, revealing not a hint of cheating.
Coming back home to Chicago was a happy relief. I was so glad to get out of Luna Hill. It was nice leaving behind the town with so many bad memories. Johnny had removed all the bodies himself. I wasn’t sure what he did with them, but it was enough to satisfy Luke.
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