He shifted back into his human form, positioning his body so that he wasn’t exposing himself to Grace and relayed to her everything he had sensed.
“So, they’re keeping the kid in one room, and by what you said, they’re scared?”
“Yeah, that’s what I sensed. Some of the kids are in a bigger room with the adults, but the majority of them are together in that second room, and they’re not happy about it.”
“Let’s head there first, then,” Grace said.
Derek agreed and shifted back into his wolf form. Together, they crept along the corridor until they came to the room that he sensed the teens were being kept in. He stood outside the door and whined softly so that Grace would know they were in the right place.
“I’ll go in and check on the kids,” she said, her eyes glimmering in the dark. “You coming in might scare them, so you keep watch.”
Derek nodded his head, and Grace stood up straight. She pushed the door open, then gasped and staggered backward.
The scent of human waste was overwhelming and Derek resisted the urge to retch. A multitude of voices assaulted his ears.
“Let us out,” the teens cried.
Grace stepped aside and Derek finally saw what had caused her to stagger back. About twenty children were locked in individual cages. They each had a food and water bowl, and a small ragged blanket. They were forced to relieve themselves in the corner of their cage, as far away from their food and ‘bed’ as they could get.
Grace clapped a hand over her mouth as she took in the full horror of the situation.
“They’re keeping the kids prisoner,” she whispered.
Derek whined and ran over to the closest cage, noticing a padlock securing the only opening. The child within screamed and scuttled backward, leading in their own excrement.
“Please don’t hurt me,” the child whispered hoarsely.
Grace rushed to Derek’s side, crouching down so that she was on eye-level with the child.
“Don’t worry, we’re here to help,” she whispered soothingly.
“But... but... the wolf. The Carnegies said the wolves want to hurt us,” the child said, tears rolling down their cheeks.
“No, we’re here to rescue you. The wolf is here to help. The Carnegies have been lying to you. They’re your enemy, not us.”
Derek bowed his head and lay down in a move of submissiveness to show the child he was no danger.
Grace reached up and tried to remove the padlock on the cage, but it held firm.
“Where are the keys?” she asked.
“The crazy lady had them. She doesn’t let anyone else open the cages, and only feeds us if we’re good.”
Grace cringed. “Rebecca Carnegie?” she asked.
Derek let out a low howl in answer as if he agreed.
“Then we have to find her. We need to get the keys and release these children,” Grace said.
Derek shook his head.
“What? We can’t leave them here.”
Without another word, Derek walked out of the room and back into the hallway. Grace hesitated for a moment, staring around the room at the captured children. “We’ll be back, I promise,” she told them before running out of the room to find Derek.
He was waiting further back up the corridor, closer to the rear door they’d entered through, once again in his human form, crouching so not to expose himself.
“What the hell?” Grace asked, rushing towards him and coming to crouch by his side. “Why aren’t we hunting Rebecca Carnegie down and freeing those kids?”
“It’s too dangerous,” Derek said, his voice low. “I very much doubt Rebecca will be alone, and even if she is, she’ll be armed. There’s no way we’re getting the keys from her. It would be safer to contact the police force and my pack, and tell them to bring wire cutting tools or something.”
“Okay. Okay. We’ll head outside and call them in a moment. Let’s see if we can work out how many Carnegies are here and what weapons they have, first. You said there were other rooms? Take us to them.”
“Okay, but we need to stay out of sight. If we’re spotted, they’ll kill us, and then no one will be able to alert the authorities.”
“Agreed.”
Derek shifted back into his wolf form, using his heightened animal senses to lead the way past the room where the children were being kept in cages to the main room where he sensed both adults and teens.
Grace stood up straight and peered through a crack in the door. In the main room there were about five teens, including Heather, and at least double the amount of Carnegies. Every adult in the room was armed with rifles or guns. They were all looking up at a podium, where Rebecca Carnegie stood, giving a presentation and pointing to a projector behind her.
“These are the monsters who live in your town,” she said, pointing to a projection of the pack hunting in the forest surrounding the Shadowbrook estate. They’d found a deer, and were feeding on it. Though human food kept them more than sustained, the pack still needed to hunt, otherwise, their animal urges would take over and they could become a danger to the town. They only ever prayed upon animals within the estate though. When Derek had joined the pack, he’d taken a vow never to hunt outside the grounds of Shadowbrook.
Rebecca Carnegie wasn’t explaining that though, and instead, twisted what they were doing into something disgusting.
“Look at them. Look at the blood dripping from their fangs. They’re worse than animals - they’re monsters. And imagine what those monsters will do once they’ve murdered all the local animals. How long will it be before they’re tearing your pets to shreds? Worse still, what happens when they start hunting babies and small children? You need to protect your town.”
“And it gets worse,” Rebecca Carnegie continued. “They’re stealing women from the town, and defiling them. Creating filthy half-breeds. Do you want those mutt children in your school? What happens if one of those monsters turn their attention to you, or your older sister? Your mother? They’ll drag them off to Shadowbrook and do unspeakable things to them. Everyone knows sleeping with animals is forbidden, and for good reasons, but what happens when the animals take away your choice?”
“That’s why I’m here,” Heather called out. “One of those monsters slept with my sister, and never called her afterward. She was heartbroken. They just use people in town to sate their animal urges and then abandon us. Rebecca is right, how long will it be before they’re hunting us?”
Derek felt sick. What Rebecca was saying was everything he feared about himself. While Ben and the others had proven they were different, that they could suppress their darker urges, Derek feared that his would one day overwhelm him and he wouldn’t be able to control the monster within.
His mind filled with the image of a bloody body, as a man lay dying on the ground at his feet, writing in agony.
Derek was about to turn and walk away when something Rebecca said stopped him dead in his tracks. “And these monsters don’t just plague Lenox. There are packs of these shifters,” she said the world like it was something dirty. “All over Massachusetts. Probably all over the country. Us humans need to band together to exterminate this threat to our humanity.”
Derek had heard enough. He stalked away, Grace hot on his heels. He didn’t slow until he reached the rear doors, a growl escaping from his mouth. He changed back into his human form, and the anguish was clear on his face.
“They’re doing all this yet we’re the monsters?” he raged.
Grace approached cautiously, extending her hands in a soothing gesture. “No, they’re the monsters. They’re brainwashing those kids and keeping them in cages, all to turn them against your pack, and other packs out there. Shifters aren’t the problem. People like the Carnegies are.”
Derek shook his head sadly. “Even if you and other people in Lenox don’t view us as a threat, plenty of people do. And maybe they should, we are animals. You saw those photos. We’re killers.”
I’m a mur
derer, Derek thought though he didn’t voice it aloud.
“No. Animals hunt. That’s their nature. Besides, how is what you do that different from humans who hunted deer and other animals with guns? I don’t believe you’d ever hurt a human. And what’s all this rubbish about the pack defiling women in town? I gave my body and soul to you willingly, and I’m sure Lana and her friend gave themselves to Ben and Josh willingly too. You’re not monsters dragging women away to violate them.”
Derek bowed his head. She wouldn’t be defending me if she knew the truth. But I can’t tell her the truth, at least, not now. To protect Grace, Derek kept his secret silent and instead said, “Even if you and others in town know we’re no danger, there are enough humans who fear us that this could be a huge problem. Especially if the Carnegies are planning to target other packs too. It’s like they’re building an army to hunt us.”
“Then we’ll stop them. We’ll call the police and your pack. We’ll save the kids, and bring the Carnegies to justice.”
“Okay,” Derek agreed, pushing open the rear door. “Let’s go back to your car and call them.”
“I can’t leave the kids,” Grace insisted. “You call for backup. I’ll stay here and see if there’s any way I can free them.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Derek said, his voice low and dark. “I’m not leaving you here with the Carnegies.”
“I’m not leaving the kids here with the Carnegies. Go, I’ll be okay. I’ll stay hidden in the room with the children. I’ll be okay, I promise. Go back to the car and call for help.”
“Okay, but you have to stay hidden. And if you think someone is coming, try to sneak away.” Derek pulled Grace to him, acutely aware he was naked and crushed his lips against hers. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
61
Grace
Grace watched as Derek shifted back into his wolf form. She held the door open for him, and he bounded outside. A small smile spread over her lips as the light caught the golden tones in his fur. Her gaze never left his form as he sprinted away, past the dumpster, until he vanished from her view.
She took a deep breath and prepared herself to go back to the room where the children were being kept. She still couldn’t quite believe all they’d seen and heard. The children in cages, surrounded by their own waste was bad enough, but then they’d come upon the room where Rebecca Carnegie was ‘preaching’ to the new recruits. Preaching was the operative word in Grace’s mind. Rebecca had reminded Grace of a clergyman giving a sermon. Only she hadn’t been spreading a message of peace and love. She’d been spewing hatred and prejudice as she attempted to turn teens of Lenox against the Shadowbrook pack.
The words Rebecca had spoken made Grace shudder, and her skin crawled. How could anyone think those things about the pack? From the moment she’d learned the truth about the men and women living at Shadowbrook, Grace had accepted the wolf-shifters in her town. She’d spoken to Ben and Josh Stokes, and their father before them, around town on a few occasions, and she knew she had nothing to fear from them. Once she’d learned they were all firefighters too, her respect for them had grown. It didn’t matter that they could transform into wolves, the Shadowbrook pack were part of the community. Then she’d gotten to know Derek and she realized they were so much more than that.
As Grace had watched Derek leave her, running to alert the authorities of where the Carnegies were, she had realized she was in love with him. She’d known it from the moment she’d given her body to him, but she was only able to admit it to herself now. She loved him with all her heart and wanted to plan a future with him... if they ever got out of this.
No, not if. When, she told herself firmly.
That’s why Grace had been so bothered by what Rebecca Carnegie had said. Not only was she terrified of what would befall Derek and his pack if the Carnegies enacted their plan to exterminate the Shadowbrook pack, but she was also disgusted that anyone would think Derek had defiled her. He hadn’t forced her into anything or stolen her virtue or something like that. She’d given herself to him willingly, and in exchange, he’d shown her love, respect, and protection she’d never felt from a man before. How could anyone think that was anything but beautiful?
A righteous anger filled Grace’s soul. She would not let anyone hurt Derek or his pack. Likewise, she would not let any more horrors befell the children captured here. It didn’t matter that their prejudice had led them here. They were only acting to protect those they loved. They didn’t know the Carnegies would corrupt that need to protect, brainwash them and lock them in cages. No one deserved that.
Grace hurried along the corridor until she came to the room where the teens were being held. Before entering the room, she scanned the hallway to make sure none of the Carnegies were coming. Sure she was alone, she slipped into the room.
“You came back?” called the child she’d previously spoken to.
“I promised I would,” Grace said, crouching down in front of the cage. “The wolf who was with me, Derek, he’s gone to get help. The police will be here soon.”
“Why is a wolf helping us?” The kid asked, eyes wide. Grace couldn’t believe the child was even here. They only looked about ten, and in their ragged clothes, their face smeared with dirt, she had no idea if they were a boy or girl.
“Because the Carnegies have been lying to you. The Shadowbrook pack aren’t evil, and they don’t want to hurt the people of Lenox.”
“How do you know? How can you trust them? Mama is afraid of them and Rebecca said they are monsters.”
“Because that wolf who was with me? I love him. His name is Derek Hargrove, and he’s a firefighter. He is a good man, so is his pack. All they want to do is live in town in peace. They don’t want to hurt the people of Lenox. Rebecca is lying to you.”
The child frowned, and Grace understood how this was difficult for them. If the Carnegies had been filling their heads with lies, it would be hard to convince the child of the truth. Especially if the child’s own fears had led them to the Carnegies in the first place. They had said their mom was afraid of the pack. That type of uncertainty was hard to shake.
“They showed us pictures of the wolves killing animals. And two of them took women from the town. Mama is worried about having them all living up there in that old house. She thinks they could take over the town.”
Grace tried not to let her frustration show. She knew not everyone accepted the pack like she did, but she had no idea that some people in town were that scared of the pack.
“Yes, they killed animals,” Grace said, never breaking eye contact with the kid. She needed to convince the child Derek and his pack weren’t evil, and that the Carnegies were the real danger. “But only the animals on their property. And they didn’t take those women, the women went willingly. Just like I went with Derek. You must know about boyfriends and girlfriends, and adults getting married, right? Your dad didn’t kidnap your mom when they got married.”
The kid shrugged. “I don’t know. My dad left us when I was little.”
“I’m sorry,” Grace said reaching into the cage to take the kids hand. “I’m Grace Alcott. I work at the police station and my mom is the police Captain. You can trust me.”
The kid smiled. “I know Captain Alcott. She bought me a Christmas present.”
Grace nodded and smiled. It was technically true. Every year the force donated money to fund Christmas for members of the community who were less fortunate than others. “That’s right. What’s your name?”
“I’m Abbie. My mama works at the diner, and I’m in fourth grade.”
Grace did the quick calculation in her head. If Abbie was in fourth grade, that made her no older than ten. What was a ten-year-old even doing here?
“How did you get here, Abbie?” Grace asked, still holding the girl’s hand.
“Rebecca brought me here in her car. I thought she was nice at first. She said she wanted to help me and Mama, and that she wanted to make the town safe for everyone.
Then she became scary. She locked me in here when I cried and said I wanted to go home.”
What kind of monster is Rebecca Carnegie? Grace asked herself.
“How did Rebecca find you?” Grace asked, wondering how someone so young had got caught up in this.
“I heard Mama talking about the wolves. She’s worried because Miss. Lana in the bookshop is going to have a baby with one of them. Mama thinks this is the start of their plan to take over the town.”
“Lana and Ben Stokes are going to have a baby, yes, but that’s because they love each other. Ben doesn’t want to take over the town. Neither does anyone else in the pack. They just want to help,” Grace insisted.
“I was scared by what Mama said, so I went on the computer to find out if she was right. I was looking for information about the wolves, and that’s when I found Rebecca’s page. She told me Mama was right to be scared, and if I wanted to protect her and everyone else in town, I should meet her in the woods.”
Grace shuddered. It was disturbing enough that the Carnegies were brainwashing teens, let alone a ten-year-old. Grace couldn’t help but wonder, was there more to the taking of children than they’d originally thought. Were the Carnegies kidnapping kids to use them as an incentive to get the people of Lexon to attack the Shadowbrook pack? Worse yet, were the Carnegies planning on killing the kids and blaming the pack. Grace shuddered to think it was a possibility, but after everything she’d seen from the Carnegies, she would put nothing past them.
“What happened next?” Grace asked, unsure if she really wanted to hear more horror stories, but she had to know everything that had happened. Any tiny detail could be useful.
Firefighter Wolves Shifters (A Paranormal Romance Series Boxset) Page 30