Wolf Unleashed (The Royal Heir Series Book 2)

by Jen L. Grey

  I tried hard not to laugh. "I can sit back there."

  "No, I'll do it." He took a deep breath and attempted to smooth out his features. "I need to cover our ass anyway."

  Once all that was settled, Kassie had us flying down the road.

  At first, I'd been worried that the other two vehicles wouldn't be able to keep up, but they were holding their own.

  "Does anyone have a clue what Nicholas’s next move might be?" Mason looked out the window and tapped his fingers on his legs.

  "There are so many scenarios that could happen." Tommy sat in the middle of the back row and tried to shrink his body as small as he could. Even with that, he was barely able to fit between Ella and Louis.

  "This guy likes mind games." Louis scooted closer to the side of the car. "He's going to try to fuck with you."

  "The prince is right," Kassie growled and tightened her fingers on the steering wheel, causing her knuckles to turn white.

  "He'll want to taunt us though and make it last for as long as it entertains him." Mona pulled a clip from her bag and pulled her long hair up in a twist. "So I'm sure we'll be seeing something very soon."

  "Do you think we should go by The Portal and check in with Rose?" She and her coven had been dealing with the vampires a lot recently. "Maybe she can give us an update on what her coven is seeing."

  "You need to stop working with that bitch ... I mean witch." Kassie's eyes flicked to the rearview mirror and glanced at me.

  "You totally didn't mean witch," Ella called from the backseat.

  I agree with Kassie. Mason reached over and took my hand in his. There's something not right with her.

  But she helped me all those years. That's not something I could throw away so easily. Not many people would do that. After all, do what you will, but harm none. That was the witches’ motto I’d always heard growing up.

  Some witches perform dark magic. Mason squeezed my hand.

  But she wouldn't be part of the coven here if she did. I'd never seen any indication otherwise.

  Maybe she is good, but it's better to not involve anyone else. His concern filled the bond between us. He'll just have one more person to hold over you.

  Now, that hit hard. He was right. Okay. That makes sense. I just wished we could use their help to find him quicker or something. I felt helpless right now.

  Me too, but I think it's better if we don't.

  Even though I didn't like what I heard, the fact that he was standing with me now and making decisions with me meant the world. Dad often told me that if he didn't have Mom by his side, he wouldn't be half as good of a ruler. When they made decisions together, it always produced a better outcome than when they decided things on their own.

  Of course, it wasn't for everything. Although the major decisions, like war, needed more than one person calling the shots.

  The familiar road that led to James's pack appeared right in front of us. As we drew closer to the subdivision, my nerves went crazy. I felt an eerie feeling shoot up my spine.

  We were being watched.

  I turned every which way in the car, searching out the windows. I didn't see a damn thing. Do you feel like we're being watched?

  No. He followed my gaze and frowned. But hell, I'm not surprised. None of us can even smell him except you. I don't see how he's able to do these things.

  Me neither. He'd lived more than three hundred years longer than us. If I remembered correctly, my dad had told me about thirteen years ago that the vampire prince had been born in the sixteen hundreds. But he's older than dirt, so there's no telling what he's picked up over the years. The only thing I could bank on was that he was getting arrogant and would make a crucial mistake.

  As we pulled into the subdivision, James and five of his pack members were standing as a group just outside their house. They all turned their gaze to the Suburban as we pulled into their driveway.

  It didn't take long for all seven of us to crawl out of the vehicle.

  "It's good to see you." James hurried over, hugging Mason then Ella and me. "We've missed you all so much but wish you were visiting under better circumstances."

  "I'm just glad to be home." Ella hugged her dad hard and pulled back.

  "And you're still here?" James's eyes widened when they landed on Louis. "I figured you'd be back in Europe by now."

  "No." He grinned as he held his hand out toward James. "I have a feeling I'll be staying here for a good long while."

  We didn't need to get into all this right now. First off, Ella needed to be the one to tell them he was her mate. And second, we needed an update. "Have you heard or seen anything?"

  "Nothing." James turned around and pointed at the four men behind him. "Actually, we were just discussing that.” He turned back. “I'm sure you all remember Queen Elena."

  "Yes, we do." An older shifter lowered his bald head and smiled. "I'm Terry."

  "It's nice to see you again."

  "And we feel the same way." He grinned. "Let me tell you." He pointed his finger at Mason. "I'm still trying to get my head wrapped around the fact that you're going to be King soon."

  "Me too." Mason laughed as he patted the older man's shoulder.

  I turned around as the others climbed out of the two other cars. The wind picked up, and I noticed something blowing in one of the branches of a tree. "We need to check that out."

  "You mean, I need to check it out," Kassie growled as she turned to see it herself.

  "Nope, I meant we."We need to take a look. The material looked awfully similar to the shirt Alec had been wearing when he disappeared last night.

  I pivoted on my heels before Kassie tried to stop me physically. Yes, I might be dumb, but for some reason, I knew the vampires were long gone. They wanted me to find this, and they did a damn good job making sure I did.

  Mason's footsteps crashed behind me, and soon he caught up. What are you ... His body tensed as soon as his eyes found the fabric of Alec’s shirt. "No."

  "Get your ass back here." Kassie ran toward us with Mona and Tommy right on her heels. "You can't just take off like that."

  The metallic scent of blood hit my nose as I edged closer. There was a dagger stuck through the shirt, pinning it onto the tree.

  "I thought you said you hadn't seen anything?" Mason kept his eye on the shirt but talked loud enough so his dad could hear.

  "We didn’t." James hurried over and stood next to his son. "Is that Alec's?"

  "Yeah, it is." What kind of torture were they putting him through? "But I don't see anything else. You'd think they'd leave a note or something."

  My phone rang.

  My body tensed as I removed it from my pocket.

  "Don't answer it." Kassie reached out her hand. "Let me handle it."

  The problem was that the prince didn't want to speak to her. It was me he truly wanted. "I'll put it on speaker."

  Ella ran over and took in the scene. "Just answer the damn thing."

  Not wasting any more time, I pressed the green ANSWER button. "Hello."

  "So, I see that you found my present," Nicholas's voice purred on the other line.

  "How do you know that?" Someone had to be close by, watching. "And is Alec alive?"

  "Now what fun would that be?" He tsked and chuckled. "If you're wondering if that is, in fact, your heartbroken shifter's blood, I'll fill you in by letting you know that it is. However, he's still managing to stay … somewhat alive."

  "You bastard!" Ella yelled at the phone and narrowed her eyes.

  "I've been called that a lot through the years." The vampire prince chuckled. "At this point, I take it as a compliment."

  "You're calling for a reason." Mason wrapped an arm around me so that he was closer to the phone. "Why don't you get to the point?"

  "I'm not sure if I like you or if I’m more annoyed by you." Nicholas huffed. "Either way, this is what Elena has brought on herself. I mean, I'm just asking for her blood, nothing more."

  "You know that will nev
er happen." Even though I'd love to be able to save Alec, it couldn't be at the cost of our pack.

  "Hm." Nicholas paused, leaving us in a long moment of silence. "I'm not too torn up about that. This is rather fun. We'll be talking again very soon."

  I reached to end the call when Nicholas said, "Oh, and Elena?"

  "Yes."

  "Don't underestimate me." His voice turned hard. "I can kill everyone who's close to you. It wouldn't be the first time you had to live through that, right?"

  My blood turned to ice, and I forced myself not to panic. This was my worst fear confirmed. "Go fuck yourself." I tried to sound strong, but it fell flat; at least to me.

  A maniacal laugh filled the line. "I'll be seeing you soon."

  When he disconnected, everyone stood around in silence. Not only had he managed to get close to the pack's territory, but he was able to watch us without us noticing him. That shouldn’t be possible.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The next few days passed in slow motion. We hadn't heard one damn thing from the prince, and we were all at our wit’s end. I sat on my bed and stared out the window.

  Luckily, Xavier and Jaxon's men didn't have a problem hanging around. I'd offered for them to take the plane back multiple times, but they rejected it every single time without any hesitation.

  Hey, are you about ready? Mason entered my room and watched me.

  No, I’m not. Something is off, and I don’t know what to do. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to fend off the cold. Except the coldness was coming from inside of me.

  He shut the door and closed the distance between us. He sat next to me and pulled me into his arms. It’s stress and because you care so damn much.

  You do too. I couldn’t believe that neither he nor his sister blamed me for all of this. If I hadn’t shown up in their lives, they wouldn’t have their best friend missing and probably being tortured to the brink of death.

  I can feel your emotions now. He brushed the hair from my face and placed his forehead against mine. This isn’t your fault. The guilt is pouring off you.

  But it is. If it weren’t for me ...

  Stop it. He put his hand underneath my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes. If it weren’t for you, my mother may be dead now, and I would be miserable.

  Well, you’re still miserable now. We all are.

  I’m scared and worried, but I’d rather live like this every day by your side than to never have met you at all. He leaned his head down and kissed my lips, the touch whisper-soft. The happiness and love you bring me is something that I’d never want to live without. And one of these days, when things slow down a little, I’d love to work on having a little girl who looks exactly like you.

  My heart pounded so hard. I’d never even contemplated having kids before, but now that he’d said it, it sounded nice. And a little boy too?

  I think we should at least shoot for a hundred. He pulled away and pushed me onto the bed, rolling on top of me. I mean, if that’s the case, we’d better start trying now.

  At this point, I couldn’t hold the giggles in any longer. After a moment, I paused and stared into his eyes. I love you.

  I might just love you too. He winked at me, lowering his head to kiss me once more.

  “Elena? Mason?” Tommy’s deep voice sounded slightly muffled behind the door. “It’s time to go. Are you two ... um … ready?”

  “No, we’re not.” Mason mumbled against my lips, making me laugh hard once more.

  “You can’t give them an option.” Kassie’s voice sounded right next to him. “Get your asses out here. Dehlia has already started calling my phone, wondering when we’re going to get there.”

  Ugh! She brought Mom up on purpose. Mason slumped and buried his head in my hair.

  It’s as effective as a cold shower. That woman could be the devil. “We’re ready.” I lifted his face and kissed his lips once more. Let’s go enjoy our day as much as possible with your now-healthy mom.

  Our group arrived back at James's house and found Ella sitting on the front steps by herself.

  "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be helping your mom in the kitchen?" It was Thanksgiving, which had the whole atmosphere of the pack on edge. "You aren't supposed to go anywhere alone."

  Her eyes lifted, met mine, and she frowned. "I just needed some air." She shrugged her shoulders and sighed. "I'm scared."

  Let me talk to her for a minute. I was ready for Mason to argue, but he surprised me.

  "Kassie, I need to go in and check on Dad." He leaned over and kissed my cheek. "Do you mind keeping an eye on Elena?"

  "You do realize I'm a grown woman?" At least he was doing it in a way that was believable. He was too protective over me at times.

  "And you're the queen." Kassie shook her head. "You should know better than this."

  I stuck my tongue out at her.

  "I have no hesitation about leaving you under Kassie's watch." He winked at me as he opened the front door and entered.

  "What's wrong?" I already knew the answer, but I needed to hear her say it.

  "You know what?" She placed her hands on her face. "I can't stop thinking about him. When I even try to spend time with Louis, he's in the back of my mind."

  And I'm sure that didn't go over well. I closed the distance between us and sat next to her on the stairs. "We are all worried."

  "Except, he ran off because of me." A tear fell down her cheek, leaving a trail of moisture behind. "I'm the reason he's being tortured. He could be dead, for all I know."

  "I can promise you that he's not." I reached over and placed my hand in hers. "I can feel his connection to me as can your dad. He isn't dead."

  "There are things worse than death." Her voice was soft, barely a whisper.

  "Yeah, there are." I’d lived it. My parents’ deaths had rocked me to the core. "But he chose to leave, knowing the danger around us. It doesn't mean you can't still hurt, but you didn't make that decision for him. Exactly as I can't change the fact that my parents decided to run, and it cost them their lives."

  She dropped her hands back into her lap and bit her bottom lip. "I hadn't thought of it that way."

  "You can't blame yourself. Hell, even I want to blame myself. I made the three of you talk. But neither of us is at fault." I reached over and tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear. "People make dumb decisions, and hell, even the smart ones sometimes wind up not working out." I bumped my shoulder into hers. "You doing this is not productive. We need to enjoy this holiday the best we can and make plans on how to find him."

  "But we've tried everything." Ella laid her head on my shoulder. "What more can we do?"

  I'd made a decision last night but hadn't told anyone yet. I glanced at Kassie and saw that her eyes were scanning the woods and not paying all that much attention to us. So I leaned my head on top of Ella’s blonde one and turned my mouth so I breathed the words right into her ear. "I'm going to call Rose, but shhh."

  Ella's body tensed for a moment, but it melted. "I should go tell on you, but honestly, I'm grateful." Her shoulders began shaking, and she sniffled.

  "It's going to be okay." I rubbed her shoulder, thinking my plan should have made it better, not worse.

  "I have no clue why I'm crying." She sat back up and wiped underneath her eyes. "It's stupid."

  "Not really." I stood, knowing if we spent too much longer out here, Louis, Mason, or Kassie would get growly. Hell, all three of them probably would. "We've all been on an emotional roller coaster. Something has to give every once in a while."

  "Okay, can we head inside?" Kassie frowned as she took a few more steps in my direction. "We're just asking to be a target."

  "Yeah, I guess we better not make her too grouchy." I winked at Ella as I stood and helped her to her feet. "Let's go in and see if Dehlia needs anything."

  "Be careful." Ella snorted as she opened the door. "Mom gets a little crazy, and this year is going to be over the top."

 
"Challenge accepted." The past twelve years, we'd usually order takeout or Mona would cook steaks. I hadn't had a true traditional Thanksgiving in years, and I was excited.

  The entire day had been amazing. I hadn't felt like part of a true family in such a long time. Even all of the guards relaxed and enjoyed our time there.

  Mason, Tommy, Kassie, Mona, and I stayed at our old house, but the rest either stayed at James’s house or with other pack members in the neighborhood.

  Despite Dehlia’s insistence, I stayed back in the kitchen, helping her clean up.

  “I told you that I’ve got this.” Delhia shook her head and frowned. “What would people think about the queen cleaning up my kitchen?”

  “That’s where you’re thinking about it is all wrong.” I put the last few plates in the dishwasher. “Here, I’m your daughter-in-law. And hell, cleaning dishes feels right to me. I did that for so long at the Flying Monkey.”

  Mason entered the kitchen, his sexy voice filling the room. “My two favorite ladies in here working together. I never thought I’d be happier in my entire life.” He walked over to me and pulled me into his arms.

  I leaned forward and brushed my lips against his, but when I tried to back away, he held me tight, deepening our kiss.

  “I’m glad you found her.” Dehlia chuckled. “But please stop mauling her in front of your mother.”

  “Hey, if I’m going to get accused of mauling …”

  “Stop right there.” I took a step back. Yes, it was hard to break apart, but it felt weird with his mother’s eyes on us.

  “Fine, but we’re finishing this when we get back home.” Promises darkened his eyes full of desire.

  Right now, you need to go hang out with the people in there. We’ll have to leave soon. Before me, he had spent so much time with his family. I felt bad that I pulled him away.

  You’d better not take long then. He leaned down, capturing my lips once more before pulling away. “You two don’t work too hard.”

  As he walked out of the kitchen, Dehlia smiled at me. “I think we’ve done as much as we can.” She put the last bit of the food in the refrigerator and came over and hugged me. “I’m so happy that you’re part of our family. I know I can’t ever replace your parents, but if you ever need anything, I’m here for you.”