Liam moved the branches away from the door, revealing a hand scanner. Placing his hand on it, a green light scanned his hand, speaking the word, “Authorized,” before the door itself unlocked. He grabbed the door, pushing it opened. It got stuck at first, but with a good shove, it finally opened.
Inside, this little shed was filled with yard tools, mowers, rakes and other things of that nature. Liam walked to the back of the shed, pressing a hidden button behind a set of chainsaws.
Suddenly, a door opened up in the false flooring, revealing a set of stairs. He started down it, waving for us to follow.
Alaric kissed my cheek, before making his way down the stairs. Following him, I felt Nathan’s gaze burn into me as he trailed behind me. Downstairs, I moved to stand by Alaric, who wrapped an arm around my waist. I knew he could feel my uneasiness, so I was grateful for the comfort.
The room had all kinds of equipment lined against the walls. Guns, trapping nets, bear traps, ammo, spears. Anything you could ask for, he had. This room was the size of my whole hotel room. On the back wall, from the ceiling above, was a set of hanging lights, where a table had been placed. It held different things.
Walking closer, I noticed the sets of handcuffs, infection control items, tablets of some sort, and paperwork scattered everywhere.
Liam opened a drawer, grabbing out a small black bag and a set of gloves. Putting them on, he then grabbed a set of silver handcuffs. The smell of sulfur and silver burned my nose, making me use my hand to plug my nostrils.
“You can never be too careful,” he said, placing the cuffs into the black bag he had pulled them out from. “I’ll send these gloves with you, and make sure you do not touch these handcuffs with your hands. They’re specially made from silver and will work against any creature you come across. Right now, we don’t know if he’s just a human or something else. So, it’s best to come prepared.”
I nodded, as he handed me the bag and the gloves he had on. Next, he went back to the table, and grabbed a hidden duffel bag underneath it. He handed that bag to Alaric, saying, “This has all the traps, ropes or anything else you might need. I’ve had my Beta pack some camping gear into the trunk as well.”
We nodded, as Liam turned the lights out and we headed back upstairs. Once we were out of the shed, Liam pushed the door closed and put in a code to lock it. Walking back to the front of the house, I noticed a black Jeep Cherokee parked in front. The engine ran, while a soft white smoke appeared from the muffler. The hatch was open, with our bags and equipment neatly packed inside.
Alaric and I walked to the trunk, placing the black duffel bag next to the others while I set the smaller bag on top. He closed the trunk, walking me to the passenger’s side door, opening it for me just as Terry walked down the steps of the pack house, holding a file of paperwork he had gathered. Nathan had climbed in the back seat, saying nothing as he watched us while getting himself comfortable.
“Thank you,” I said, taking the file from Terry before climbing in. Terry nodded, smiling at me. “No problem, be safe on your trip.”
He turned to Alaric, giving him a stern look. “Take care of her; don’t let her do anything stupid.”
He laughed, nodding before shaking the Beta’s hand. “I will; don’t worry.”
Behind me, I heard a low growl from Nathan but nothing more. I grabbed my phone from my pocket, checking the time. It was 9 p.m., perfect for heading out and getting up the mountain with no one to see us. The last thing we needed was someone to ask what we were doing. We said our goodbyes, as Alaric closed my door and rounded the front of the vehicle to climb into the driver’s seat. I waved back at Amy and the others as Alaric pulled away from the pack house.
CHAPTER 16
DAHLIA
THE THREE-HOUR drive was awkward and filled with silence.
I tossed and turned in my seat, uncomfortable, as I tried to find a good sleeping position. When I determined I could no longer sleep, I groaned and straightened in my seat.
Alaric held a hand over my thigh, his palm up, waiting for me to take it. I smiled at him, taking his invitation. As his thumb rubbed the top of my own, his eyes were glued to the dark road ahead.
I looked around but was unable to see anything due to the increasing darkness from the night sky. The only thing I could see was whatever the headlights showed. He turned his right blinker on, making a turn onto a lone dirt road. Rocks and potholes greeted us, causing the car to dip into the ones he couldn’t dodge.
Nathan grunted awake, mumbling something under his breath as he straightened.
“We’re here,” Alaric muttered, slowing down as he came to a dead end in the road. We were about two or three miles away from the highway. He turned the vehicle around and backed it in. The simple maneuver was to make our escape easier when we captured the individual.
Alaric turned the vehicle off, unlocking the doors so we could climb out. Nathan followed behind slowly, failing to utter a single word.
My mate pulled open the hatch, grabbing my duffel bag and handing it to me. He did the same for Nathan, who took his with a cold expression on his face. Alaric stuffed the small black bag into the side pocket of his own duffel.
I moved back to the passenger’s side door, opening it and grabbing the file Terry had given me.
Back beside my two cohorts, I closed the hatch before opening the file and, with the flashlight on my phone, I searched through the paperwork until I found a small map that showed the house’s location. Alaric locked the vehicle and stuffed the keys into the front pocket of his jeans.
“Here,” I said, motioning for them to come over and look. On the paper, Terry had drawn a line showing where we were to an X that marked the location of the house. “It looks like it’s about seven or eight miles up the mountain here.” I pointed ahead of us and into the darkness. “It’d take us several hours to walk up there on foot, so it’s best to go as our wolves. Luckily, our duffel bags are waterproof, or everything inside would be ruined. The rain will mask our scent, so there’s that, but it’ll make it harder to locate where we are. It should only take about an hour to get there, if we don’t take any breaks.”
Nathan nodded, placing his own bag in front of him before shifting into his wolf. His brown-gray fur was ruffled, but he shook himself to even it out. His emerald eyes bore into me, but he turned away, grabbing his duffel bag, and waited for us to do the same.
Alaric shifted next; he walked to stand beside me, placing his wet nose on my shoulder. It was cool against the aching scar as I patted his head before putting the file into my duffel, zipping it up and shifting myself.
I felt my body rearrange, my spine grow and realign, and my paws and snout form. Fur sprouted and my fingernails changed to claws. This time didn’t hurt at all; it was more of an unsettling feeling but when I stood and shook my black fur, it went away.
I rubbed my head against Alaric’s side, receiving a satisfied growl from him, to let him know I was ready. With my own bag gripped between my teeth, we set off, running at a good speed, enough to where we could move easily with the bags in our mouths.
The scent of rain and mud filled my nose. My eyes scanned everything around us as we continued to run. Our paws flung mud and leaves around us, and before I knew it, we were already a little bit into the forest.
The darkness of the night covered us well as we stopped next to a fallen tree, taking a break to set our bags down and rest a little.
I twitched my nose, looking around at our new surroundings. My eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness around us. Looking up, I noticed an owl stared down at me from a branch, its amber eyes blinking curiously. It was high enough we couldn’t reach it. It hooted before flying off.
Alaric rubbed his body against mine, letting me know we’d be moving again. I saw Nathan stare at us with anger in his eyes. His wolf, Hendrix, nodded at me, silently accepting whatever he saw in my eyes. Hendrix already knew my choice; he was upset but he understood. It was Nathan who couldn’t unde
rstand. He had to abide by our laws and traditions, everyone did.
Picking up my bag once more, I weaved through the forest, making sure to watch out for the carefully laid out bear traps and holes this man had placed everywhere. He must’ve known we were coming, because the further up the mountain we travelled, the more traps had been placed.
He was smart, I’d give him that, but it’d take more than this shit to get at us. If we had been humans, we would’ve been caught right from the get-go. It took us a good forty-five minutes to carefully weave through the dark forest, trying not to make any noise and finding a few dying animals trapped along the way.
We stopped when we noticed the bright lights that came from the cabin and illuminated the area. We ducked behind a nearby tree trunk, seeing someone scream into a phone while pacing back and forth from one window to the next.
Let’s back away a little bit and set up camp. I motioned, adjusting my bag and making my way back a little way. The spot I found was protected by overgrown bushes and gave good cover.
I moved through the bushes, surprised to find a little hole in the tree.
Shifting to my human form, I cautiously dipped my hand to feel around the small hole. Finding nothing, I shifted back to begin digging a bit into the earth in order to create enough space where we could stuff our bags for safekeeping.
Back in my human form, I quickly pulled a pair of shorts and a t-shirt from my bag to put on before Alaric and Nathan handed me their bags to stuff inside the makeshift hole. I nabbed the extra bag Alaric had grabbed from the trunk, pulling out a pair of radios; it’d help us maintain communication while two of us stayed here and the other went to scout.
I looked at Alaric and Nathan, who had both shifted back to their human forms and were now squatted down in front of me. Alaric tilted his head, staring at me with something fierce in his gaze and a smile on his face. Nathan had purposefully looked away from me and my gaze. Something crazed lurked behind his eyes; it was like a demon on your shoulder.
I cleared my throat, causing Nathan to glare at me with sadness in his eyes. “Who wants scout duty first? I don’t know about either of you guys, but I know I want to get out of here before it becomes daylight.”
They nodded, with Nathan staring at me intently all of a sudden. He took a breath, the hot air billowing in front of him. “I’ll do it; get some rest. I’ll make sure I know the ins and outs of his house, and I’ll watch his movements and keep you updated on anything suspicious.”
I nodded, handing him the second radio. “It’s already set to the channel you need. In case it somehow changes, it’s three.”
He nodded again, shifting into his wolf while dangling the radio by its string in his mouth.
I followed him to the edge of the cover of our tree, placing a hand between his shoulder blades as the soft fur laced through my fingers. “Be careful. I don’t want you confronting anything dangerous. Understand?”
His emerald eyes looked up at me with determination and a hint of sadness, as he blinked in understanding. He then strode off quietly into the night, leaving me there hoping whoever it was inside didn’t notice or do anything idiotic.
Alaric moved behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist before pulling me flush against his warm body. He sensed my anxi- ety, as he placed a kiss against my head, saying, “Don’t worry; nothing will happen. Now…” He removed himself from me, taking my hand in his and pulling me away from the view of the house. “Let’s get settled in. This could take a while.”
I nodded, remaining silent, as I tightened my grip on his hand and followed him back to the cover of the bushes. He had placed a thick blanket down, making a little barrier from the damp ground underneath us.
Thunder roared above us as he sat down, pulling me into his lap.
I took a breath, snuggling closer. Our body warmth melted together as he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against his chest. I didn’t think I could get closer, but there I was—almost skin to skin with him—our clothes the only thing separating us.
I rested my head against his chest, listening as his heartbeat steadily got quicker. I could feel his erection underneath me; my core grew damp, as he slowly breathed to calm himself. I knew he was doing his best to control himself when he took a hand to push us apart a little.
Looking into his eyes, I watched as they changed from blue to the same deep ocean color I came to love. I swooned a little when he lowered his head so that our faces were almost touching.
“May I kiss you?” he asked, his husky voice laced with lust as he studied my face for an answer.
I nodded, no words forming. He moved his hands up to my face, delicately placing them on both sides of my own, before gently pressing his moist lips to mine. The sensation I felt sent shivers through my body, making me push myself closer, to deepen the kiss.
I moaned, as our tongues danced and his hands found their way up my shirt. He nipped playfully at my lips, opening his eyes and looking into mine. I saw my future in them, and I was happy. I knew I was making the right choice.
I moved my head, exposing my neck as he started kissing down it. With each kiss, it sent sparks down my spine and through my body. He groaned when his erection twitched beneath his jeans. This time, he exposed his neck to let me do the same. I started trailing kisses down his exposed skin, suddenly stopping at the nap of his neck.
The next thing I knew, Eva had taken over, sinking our long canines into his neck, causing us to grip our claws into his shoulders to keep him in place. I felt his body shake with pleasure underneath me, as he let out a loud moan. We felt his body in sync with ours; it was faint, but we could feel it.
Eva removed our teeth, licking the area on his neck before sealing it with our saliva. She removed our fingers from him, letting me take over again. My eyes widened, looking down at him. “What just happened?” I asked, scrambling quickly to get off him
He looked just as shocked as I felt. Looking at the two small bite marks on his neck, I saw that they had already healed. “I have no idea.”
Nathan cleared his throat behind us, causing me to spin around to see him standing there, the expression on his face completely over- whelmed by anger. “I was out there scouting, risking my cover, while you two were sucking face and practically getting physical with each other! I had tried to reach you but obviously you weren’t paying attention.” He rolled his eyes, as he quietly stomped to Alaric, who had a hand ruffling his hair not knowing what to say. Nathan stood his ground in front of him, growling these next words. “I found only two exits. There aren’t any traps or anything behind the house, so I’m sure he’ll run that way. If you two are finished, you can fucking go and scout.”
Forcefully shoving the walkie into Alaric’s hands, Nathan shifted and stormed off the forest. Alaric gave me one last look before shifting, he stalked toward the house, making no noise in the process.
I sighed in frustration.
Turning my attention back to where Nathan had headed, I felt the first few drops of rain begin to fall. I wrapped the string of the walkie-talkie around my wrist, as I wove my way through the bushes, searching for Nathan.
The rain came down hard now, but I had located Nathan just in time. He was curled up in a ball, hidden by the bushes, his tail over his paws. He whined softly as I sat down beside him, the rain completely soaking my clothes.
I petted his wet fur, some loose strands sticking to my hand. “Nathan.” I said, looking out over the wooded area; the rain came down like it was about to hail.
He lifted his head up, opening his emerald eyes to stare at me.
What the hell do you want?
I frowned, growling. “To explain, that’s what.”
He continued to stare at me, the hidden crazed-look returning that sent a chill through me. He moved his head so he could rest against my wet thigh. Go on, Alpha. I’m listening.
Sighing, I gather my thoughts. “You know Alaric is my mate. You need to understand that our laws state that once a fem
ale has found her mate, the male who had interest before must accept it. That’s our tradition; you know that even better than I do.” I ran a hand over my face to calm myself as I explained further, “I have no idea what I just did, if I’m honest. Eva had taken over and just did it without warning me. I’m sorry. I know how hard this is for you, but once we get back, I want us and Liam to talk.”
Before either of us could say anything else, Alaric’s voice sounded from the walkie-talkie with a little bit of static. “Dahlia, Nathan, I’ve got movement inside the house. It’s become frantic. I think he knows we’re here. We need to corner him and capture him before he makes a run for it.”
I stood, grabbing the radio and pressing my thumb against the button to talk. “Okay, we’ll go in from the front entrance and move him to the back. I’ll grab the handcuffs and gloves. See you soon.”
I went to the hole in the tree, quickly digging up the spot from earlier and pulling out the first bag before unzipping it to grab the small black bag with the gloves and handcuffs inside. He had a gun tucked inside as well; I checked it to make sure it was loaded and that the safety was turned off. I then grabbed it and stuffed it inside the back of my pants as I stood up.
I wiped the dirt from my hands, as I placed the bag between my arm and body. I watched Nathan quietly stalk down the right side of the cabin, hidden by the shadows.
I slowly made my way to the front door, careful to avoid anything that would cause noise. The front of the cabin was average, with wooden steps and a small rail to the side. As I softly went up the stairs, grabbing the gun from my pants and readying it, I listened to the hushed voice inside.
“What the hell, man?! You really are leaving me for those damn mutts outside? I thought you cared for my safety!” The man practi- cally screamed into his phone; anger laced his voice as he paced back and forth in the room.
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