by Kayla Wolf
”My friend came through. I sent him the number, and he was able to trace the origin of the call. He said the wolves were pretty stupid about it, that basically anyone could’ve tracked the call.”
Lachlan’s eyes widened. “You have an address?”
”More of a rough location. But if we know roughly where she is, we can start searching. Come on!”
Lachlan took a deep breath, pulling himself out of bed and dragging on the nearest clothing he found as his mind raced. “We should be careful about this. Half of us should head to the spot we arranged to exchange the ransom. They’ll have sent some of the pack there at least.”
They headed into the living room—where to Lachlan’s surprise, his friends were already gathered. Bryce was holding an official-looking briefcase, and Lachlan raised an eyebrow at the guy, who grinned a rare grin and flicked the case open. In it were stacks of newspaper, cut up to mirror the shapes of bills.
”Saw it in a movie once,” Bryce shrugged. “Should buy us some time—at least, until they open it.”
”Right,” Lachlan said, frowning. “Bryce and Emerson, you guys head for the grocery store car park. The rest of us will start searching the area Daniel’s narrowed Serena’s location to.”
”It’s not far from where the peninsula joins the mainland,” Daniel explained. He had his phone in his hand with a map open. “We should drive as far as the main road goes, then continue on foot. Or on wing,” he added, raising a hopeful eyebrow at Lachlan, who shook his head.
”No. Not in broad daylight. We can’t risk being spotted by humans.”
”It’d be a lot easier to spot a white van—”
”No way,” Lachlan said firmly. “We stay in these bodies as long as we can. And speaking of subtlety… we’re going to avoid a fight if we can, okay? I don’t want any humans getting hurt because of our conflict. Harvey?”
The guy jumped, looking guilty. “What?”
”I know how close you are to this,” Lachlan said gently. “Can I trust you to be smart?”
Harvey looked at him for a long moment—then nodded, his jaw tight. “I’m not stupid. I’m not going to start an all-out war. But if we have to defend ourselves…”
”Absolutely. We won’t start a fight—“
”—but we’ll finish it,” Emerson interjected, his eyes full of amusement. “Yes, boss.”
But before they could leave, Lachlan had some daddy duties to take care of. Delilah was extremely interested in where her dad and all his friends were going—he tried to distract her, jollying her along with her toy horse, but she was having none of it.
”C’mon, Lilah. You’re going to aunty Alice’s! You love Alice—”
”Want to go in the car,” Delilah said firmly, pointing imperiously towards the car where James, Harvey, and Daniel were waiting for him. He fought down his frustration.
”Delilah, I really need you to—“
”The car!”
”Baby. Please.”
She stared up at him, her brown eyes full of confusion and hurt. He scooped her into his arms for a hug, and she put her arms around his neck, clearly baffled that she wasn’t allowed to go with him and her uncles. For a moment, he was terrified she was going to throw one of her tantrums. But it was almost as though she sensed how important this was—and with a little huff, she let go of his neck and let Alice take her. The doctor had come around to pick her up, and he heard her breathe a sigh of relief as the tantrum was averted.
”Thanks, Alice.”
”Least I could do, Lachlan. Go get Serena back, alright?” Her bright eyes were burning. “Show those wolves who they’re messing with.”
”Serena!” Delilah said brightly, raising her chubby fist into the air. “Serena!”
Lachlan shook his head, smiling a little as Alice carried his daughter away down the road. At least she was in safe hands—one less thing to worry about.
It felt good to be on the road, finally. He sat in the back seat with James—Daniel was in the passenger seat with the map in hand, and Harvey had insisted on driving—far too fast, but Lachlan didn’t care. There was a tense kind of energy in the car—a feeling of expectation, of menace, and of readiness. He thought back to the lives these guys had had before they’d settled down on the peninsula. All five of them had been pretty rough and tumble—from the stories he’d heard of the old days, they weren’t the kind of dragons you wanted to mess with. Of course, neither was he. But it felt good to have them on his side, heading into a fight against an unknown enemy. Especially when something so important was at stake.
They were almost at the mainland when Harvey slowed the car down. Lachlan could see him frowning in the rear-vision mirror, and he leaned forward, concerned.
”What’s up?”
”Can you hear that?”
”Hear what? The others will be at the grocery store by now, we have to get moving—” James said, impatient as always. But Harvey had pulled the car over. Lachlan trusted his instincts—he rolled the windows down, listening as closely as he could. The sound of the forest, the distant roar of the ocean… and there. The unmistakable sound of… howling? Yelping?
”Wolves,” Harvey breathed. Then he was out of the car and running up the road. The others were right behind him, James swearing under his breath as they fought to catch up. But as they rounded the bend in the road, it became clear there wasn’t much more running to be done. Because up ahead of them, in broad daylight, was what looked like an entire pack of wolves.
Lachlan didn’t even think about it. The transformation rippled through him instinctively—the sight of the wolf pack charging towards his home had triggered it as surely as anything. Around him, he could sense his fellows shifting form, too. In their draconic shapes, they looked almost identical, but over the years, Lachlan had figured out the subtle differences that marked them—James, a little lither and more maneuverable than his fellows, Harvey, who had a deep scar in his right shoulder, and Daniel, whose scales were a shade paler than the rest of them. The four of them closed up across the road, facing down the snarling, howling wolf pack that was hurtling towards them. At least two dozen wolves, maybe more—but something was wrong. They were being led by a red wolf, but there was something in their body language that was off.
Is that the Alpha? he heard James ask in the telepathic voice dragons shared in their draconic form.
No. Look at them. That wolf’s not leading—it’s being chased.
The realization hit Lachlan like a truck. The red wolf was staring up at him as it ran, and as he looked into those silver eyes, recognition rushed through him. It was Serena.
But there was no time to celebrate—not just yet. The enemy pack was almost on top of them, and he roared, lowering his head and flaring his wings to look as menacing as possible. The other four did the same, and the pack slowed. Serena skidded to a halt in front of them—then turned, snarling and growling, to face the pack at Lachlan’s side.
For a frozen moment, the two armies regarded each other. Then, at some unspoken command, the whole pack rushed at them at once—and Lachlan was surrounded by howling, snapping wolves. But this wasn’t like the fight he’d had back in the clearing. This time, he wasn’t alone. This time, he was fighting not only for himself… but for his friends. And for Serena.
The battle was brutal. The wolves weren’t holding anything back… but neither were he and his friends. Harvey, in particular, moved like a machine, ruthless and deadly. More than once, Lachlan caught himself staring at his friend, a little taken aback by the ferocity with which he attacked and dispatched his foes. James and Daniel held their own, too—they were both so quick, and they worked well together, teaming up to take out wolf after wolf like an elegant double-act. There was blood on the road, and the sun was high, and though he knew he should be worried about a human being seeing this carnage, all Lachlan cared about was keeping Serena safe.
She was scaring the hell out of him. Soaked in blood, she just kept fighting—he calle
d to her to get out of danger a few times, but either she couldn’t hear him, or she was choosing to ignore him. He’d never seen a wolf fight solo—and what she lacked in technique, she made up for in ferocity. He was glad she was getting her revenge. But he was acutely aware of the injuries that were stacking up on her body, the deep bite wounds on her legs and shoulders, the blood that was running down her muzzle as she fought. She couldn’t sustain this pace—and though he did his best to absorb some of the blows and bites that came her way, he couldn’t protect both of them forever.
A gray wolf lunged forward suddenly, and Lachlan roared, reacting instinctively to block the wolf from reaching Serena. The wolf snarled, and he saw a few members of the pack glance warily up in response. Ah. So this was the Alpha. Serena was growling, clearly ready to take the Alpha on—but he could tell from the way she was holding herself that she didn’t have much fight left in her. So he lunged, as quickly as he could, clamping his jaws down hard around the back of the wolf’s neck. It was a lucky blow—the gray wolf collapsed, yelping in pain, and that seemed to break the spirit of the rest of the pack. They melted into the forest, a few of them supporting wounded members of the pack, and though Harvey looked like he was about to chase after them, a quick instruction from Lachlan kept him in place.
To his surprise, he could feel the wolf shifting forms—he withdrew his head cautiously, ready to pounce again in case it was a trap, but the human who stood before him looked absolutely beaten. He was an older man, with red hair a little like Serena’s, blood running down the side of his head from a deep wound in his head.
”Please,” he said, his voice broken. “Please don’t kill me. I’m Serena’s father.”
Lachlan recoiled in shock, turning instinctively to the red wolf at his side. She was breathing hard, her head lowered and her silver eyes glinting with hatred as she stared at the man—but when she took a step towards him, her legs gave out underneath her, and she crashed to the road. The beaten Alpha took the opportunity to turn tail and run. Harvey moved to pursue him.
Harvey—no. We’ve won. Let him go.
If you’re sure, his friend said doubtfully. But nothing could have been further from Lachlan’s mind. All he could think about was Serena. She was human again—her wolf form having collapsed, her body had shifted instinctively back to her human shape, where her wounds would be less severe. He shifted, too, desperate to hold her in his arms again—but horrified by the extent of her injuries. Her clothing was torn and battered, blood pouring from half a dozen serious lacerations, and there was blood pouring from a wound in her scalp, matting her long red hair to the side of her face. But her silver eyes were open, fixed on his face.
”I got away,” she breathed. “I was almost home—I found you—”
”You’re safe now,” Lachlan breathed, holding her close. “Just—stay with me, okay? We’re going to get you to Alice. You’re going to be just fine.”
”We sure showed those wolves, huh?” she murmured—and then her eyes slid shut. Lachlan felt his heart stop—but the gentle rise and fall of her chest reassured him that she was still alive, just unconscious.
”The wolves,” Harvey said through gritted teeth. He was back in his human shape, but his eyes were on the forest, clearly worried about the pack.
”You do what you have to do,” Lachlan said, rising to his feet with Serena in his arms, heedless of the blood soaking through his clothing. “I’m taking my mate home.”
Chapter 18 – Serena
Serena woke slowly. That, in itself, was a surprise. She couldn’t remember going to sleep… had she been in bed? What was going on? Then the memories came back to her in a rush. Setting fire to the bushes…. breaking out of the house… the terrifying high-speed chase she’d led a whole pack of angry wolves on. She’d bolted through the forest, faster than she ever remembered running before, only knowing she was heading west—heading for the shoreline. And then, thank god, when she’d broken out of the forest, she’d seen the very road that led down the peninsula. She knew she was leading the angry pack of wolves directly to the water dragon settlement—but what choice did she have? They were going to use her as a weapon against her friends. So she’d sprinted down the road, desperately hoping that she’d find help before the pack caught up with her…
And help she’d found. She’d never forget the sight of those four dragons, standing side by side across the road when she rounded the corner. For a second, she’d been terrified that they’d think she was one of the other wolves, one of the bad guys—after all, nobody had ever seen what her wolf form looked like. But somehow, Lachlan had figured it out. He’d recognized her, even in the heat of the moment. He’d saved her life… and the four dragons had helped her fight off the pack.
And had she dreamed it—or had her father been there, too? She had a memory of his face covered in blood—and she found herself hoping quite sincerely that he was dead. That was a strange thought—she’d never thought of herself as a very violent person. Then again, she’d never been locked up before, either. She supposed traumatic experiences like that taught you a lot about yourself.
She could feel pain, distant but very present in her body. But there was a warm feeling in her right hand, surprisingly soothing. She fought to open her eyes, found it oddly difficult… almost like the effects that that horrible silver bracelet had had on her. But when she finally opened her eyes and took in her surroundings, she found that it wasn’t silver in her hand—it was Lachlan’s hand, holding hers tightly. She blinked at the room, recognizing it after a confused moment or two as the very hospital room where she’d sat by Lachlan’s bedside, so long ago. Well, here they were again… with their places swapped.
”Lachlan?” Her voice was a croak, and she cleared her throat and tried again. But he was awake, his bright blue eyes fixed on her face, fear and hope and enormous relief in his expression.
”Serena! You’re awake!”
”It’d take more than a couple of wolves to kill me,” she tried to bluff—the worry on his face made her feel awful. But he saw right through it.
”You scared me.”
”I know,” she said softly. “Sorry. I just—I wanted to get back at them. Guess they took a few more bites out of me than I planned.”
”Alice patched you up.”
”She’s amazing.” Serena winced. “How long have I been asleep?”
”A day or so.”
”Delilah—”
”Is safe and sound, hanging out with her uncle Emerson,” he said, a smile playing across his face. “You worry about yourself for a minute, alright? We nearly lost you.”
”I know.” She took a deep breath. “What happened? With the pack?”
”Harvey chased a few of them down while I brought you back here. Made it very clear that they weren’t welcome on any part of the peninsula going forward.”
”And Cyrus? The Alpha?” She hesitated. “My—father?”
Lachlan’s face went dark. “That’s no father. He might be your biological parent, but that’s the end of it.” His expression softened. “I let him live. Was that—what you wanted?”
”No,” she said softly, biting her lip. “But—it’s okay. I wouldn’t have wanted you to have that on your conscience, anyway.” She smiled a little. “I don’t even know if I’d have been happy having it on mine.”
”He’s not worth it,” Lachlan said gently. “And he’s gone. All that matters now is that you get well again, okay?”
She nodded, already exhausted. “Lachlan—”
”Yes?”
”Stay with me?”
The last thing she saw as she drifted off to sleep was that gorgeous smile that had knocked her out so completely the first day they met. “You couldn’t stop me if you tried.”
In the end, she spent a couple of days in the hospital. By the end of the first day, she was chafing to go home, but Alice insisted on keeping an eye on her head wound for at least two more days to make sure there were no signs of a conc
ussion. Most of her wounds healed fast, thanks to the accelerated shifter healing gene…. and, she suspected, thanks to Lachlan’s company. Something about having him by her side just made her feel better. They didn’t talk about much—mostly just sat quietly, holding hands.
It was late evening when Alice gave her the all-clear to go home. She and Lachlan walked together down the quiet paths of the settlement, hand in hand. It felt so good to be back home that she almost teared up as she opened the door to the little cottage. The place felt so quiet, so peaceful… almost suspiciously so.
“Where’s—”
”SERENA!”
The squeal was piercing—and accompanied by a resounding impact that nearly knocked her over. Delilah had barreled down the hallway and directly into her knees, and she was hugging her so furiously she couldn’t help but laugh. Lachlan was scolding her, clearly worried that Serena was still injured—but she just laughed, scooping the little girl up and pulling her into a tight hug. Delilah snuggled into her embrace, caroling her name over and over again.
”Someone missed you,” Lachlan said, smiling.
”God, I missed you too, you little monster,” Serena murmured into Delilah’s ear. It was a solid hour before the toddler was calm enough to go back to bed—even though she was in her pajamas, she was full of energy and clearly intended to stay up all night with Serena and Lachlan. But eventually, even her boundless energy ran out, and she fell asleep with her head pillowed on Serena’s shoulder… Serena looked up to catch Lachlan, smiling softly at both of them.
“What?”
”My two favorite people,” he said softly, and she felt a blush creeping across her face as she rose to her feet to carry Delilah back to her bed.
She hesitated, glancing back at her own single bed. The last time she’d slept in this house, she’d joined Lachlan in his bed… but it felt oddly presumptuous to just walk into his room. She’d go and get a glass of water from the kitchen, she decided, padding down the hallway—but before she could get halfway there, Lachlan was on top of her, his arms around her and his lips against hers. She laughed in surprise—but her body was already responding to his touch, pressing herself into his embrace and deepening the kiss as she felt his hands roaming across her body.