Forged Decisions

by Katherine McIntyre

  “Bring it on in, hardass,” Finn said, wrapping his arms around Sierra in a fierce hug. His alpha was all prickles and quills, her care delivered through actions rather than any touch. That was one of the things Sierra and Navi shared. “I might be leaving, but it’s not like you won’t ever see me again. This will always be the place where I grew up and the home that shaped me. I’m sorry for breaking up the dream team.”

  Sierra sucked in a sharp breath and he swallowed, hard. His alpha pulled out of the hug and lifted her chin. She clapped a hand on his shoulder, the sting drawing him to the present. “Then let’s make this final hunt count.”

  * * * *

  When Finn pulled up to the Dusty Pines Motel, Navi was sitting on the front stoop with a grim expression on her face. He felt the same way, his chest gripped in a vise. Shadows coated their surroundings, but, as a wolf shifter, he’d always had a predilection for seeing things in the darkness. Night had fallen, and the time arrived faster than Finn could prepare for. They could rally the numbers to take this operation down, but if they wanted to corner the Landsliders and stamp out Rossi, they needed to keep their crew as bare bones as possible. The element of surprise was the only way they’d corner the slippery bastard.

  He rolled down his window and let out a low whistle, leaning against the side. “What’s a gorgeous girl like you doing by your lonesome?”

  Navi shook her head with an exasperated grin as she rose from the stoop and brushed her jean shorts off. He wasn’t lying, though—even in a beat-up pair of jean shorts and a ratty lavender tank top, she looked fucking sexy. She had hips made for gripping, and the sort of tits he fantasized about. She hooked her thumbs through the belt loops of her jeans while she approached.

  “You can quit with the sweet-talking, Kelly. We’re already mated,” Navi said as she slipped into the passenger side of his Challenger. He adored the gruff exterior she clung to, how she disarmed his affection like a small smile wasn’t clinging to her lips and she wasn’t getting the slightest bit flustered. Based on the brief glimpses of vulnerability he’d received from her, Finn understood with pristine clarity that each of those moments was priceless.

  “Can’t help it—every time I see you I realize what a lucky bastard I am,” he murmured, leaning in to claim her lips. Despite the way his nerves buzzed, her mouth against his soothed him. She sank against him, her kisses slow, sensual and igniting his libido on the spot.

  When she pulled back, she swiped at a piece of her pixie cut and inhaled before looking at him with the serious expression he’d begun terming her ‘business face.’

  “I sent Jess and some of the Red Rocks and Silver Springs ahead to scout the outlying areas for Landslider activity. We don’t want anyone escaping when we launch our attack.” Her tone contained the brisk efficiency he was used to from the Tribe, but when their eyes met, her gaze melted with a tenderness she only shared with him. “Are you ready to bust this meth lab wide open?” she asked.

  In response, Finn revved his engine and set out from the Dusty Pines Motel with a cloud of dust behind him.

  “Are things always this exciting on the jobs?” Finn asked while he set out down the highway in the direction of the warehouses. The darkness of night swallowed the pathway, and even the beams of his car fought through the murky shadows.

  Navi let out a snort. “Apart from the complications involving whatever Mackey did to his Landsliders, busting up shifter meth labs is one of the tamer things I’ve done as part of the Tribe. Though, we’re just as likely to get called into territories for mating ceremonies.” The annoyance rang clear in her voice, eliciting an amused smirk from him.

  “Good to know I never have to worry about being suckered into watching rom-coms with you,” he responded, speeding down the highway as fast as he could. His skin itched with anticipation and he couldn’t dispel his nerves at this point. His wolf lunged in his chest, desperate to hunt, to fight. Amidst all the rising aggression, illogical fear gripped him by the throat. The same fear he’d felt as a kid, waiting to be discovered by Rossi and his guys.

  “I’m more of a documentary kind of gal,” Navi responded.

  Finn let out a gagging sound. “That’s a thousand times worse.”

  She shrugged. “I’ve got to stay current on our kind—comes with the territory and they provide a great opportunity to learn, whether it’s the history of shifters or how the humans are receiving us.”

  “I’m falling asleep at the thought of them,” he retorted, unable to hide his grin. A sharp elbow met his arm a moment later.

  Once those warehouse lights cropped into view, the joking ceased and they both lapsed into laden silence. Nothing could quite prepare him to face this demon from his past, but he knew he needed to try. Navi had helped him break the cycle of living in fear and given him the opportunity to claim revenge for the hope Rossi stole from him so long ago. He’d been a starved, leashed child back then, caged by parents who forgot about him at every turn, slave to their addictions.

  He wasn’t a kid anymore. Finn was the beta of the Red Rocks, a wolf shifter who had fought and killed for his pack and his people. Despite the damage his parents had done, he’d grown into a fighter and a survivor. And with the discovery of his mate, he had been freed from his remaining tethers. Free to become who I was meant to be.

  The soft glow of the overhead lights grew stronger the nearer he and Navi got. His heart pounded as he pulled up to the spot along the side of the road that he’d hidden his car at before. When he switched into Park, their silence threatened to suck the air out of the car.

  Headlights flashed in his rearview mirror, drawing his attention. If it was one of the Landsliders—or, hell, anyone in Rossi’s entourage—the jig might be up before they ever got out of his Challenger.

  The car slowed and, a moment later, pulled up behind him. He squinted, staring into the rearview. He recognized Sierra’s beat-up Chevy and his shoulders sank with relief. Navi had stepped out of the passenger’s side by the time he opened his door. Sierra and Jer hopped out of her car to greet them with the quiet approach of their kind. Finn walked up to Jer and clapped a hand on his shoulder in greeting, the motion reciprocated. Jer met his eyes, his mouth a grim line and understanding reflected in his gaze.

  Out of anyone, Jer understood what Finn would face tonight.

  As Tribe, Navi stepped into the leadership role effortlessly. “We’ll approach in human form first, but the moment they put up a fight, shift.” Everyone nodded in understanding. “Don’t try for heroics,” Navi warned. “If the situation’s hot, get out. Don’t give chase without letting someone else know your position.” Her gaze rested on him. Not like he planned on throwing himself into the fire, but hothead that he was, if Rossi tried to escape, he knew he’d be singleminded in tracking him down.

  “Let’s go clean up the area,” Finn murmured, his voice low and lethal. “I’ve got a score to settle.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Navi’s senses pricked to alert the moment she and Finn began their approach to the warehouse. Like the night before, those lights remained on, but this time, they wouldn’t be sneaking around to avoid detection. This would be a confrontation of claw and fang since the easier solution of compelling them to back down wasn’t in the cards. Blood would be spilled.

  She turned to them when they reached the edge of the tall grasses and caught the murmur of voices from inside. “We’ve got to block off all the entrances—make sure none of them go running. Sierra and I will take the front to draw the crowd. Jeremiah and Finn, you head around the back to the meth lab. Don’t let Rossi escape and if you happen to find any manifests or details on Mackey Kendricks and his goal with the Landsliders, he’s the real target in all of this.”

  Navi worked her jaw, ready to turn on her heel and head out when Finn grabbed her wrist.

  “Stay safe,” he said, the tenderness in his umber eyes something she wasn’t used to.

  “If you let Rossi kill you, I’ll drag you from the gr
ave to kill you myself,” she responded, her tone gruffer than normal as she wrapped her other hand over his. She wanted this moment to stretch out for as long as possible, to stay connected to him. On a normal mission she leapt in with little abandon, only worrying about staying alive. However, her heart squeezed tight at the seriousness in his eyes and the knowledge that she was sending him to fight a man who helped destroy his childhood. This change in her status quo left her feeling stripped and raw in its wake.

  He leaned in to brush his lips against hers and, as fast, he slunk through the tall grasses toward the back of the warehouse where the horrible gusts from the meth lab wafted out. Jer slipped behind him quick and silent, the two of them living up to their wolfish stealth.

  Navi turned to Sierra as she shook off the residual feelings sweeping through her. It was game time—just another day on the job.

  “Let’s go tear up some meth-dealing assholes,” Navi said, flashing a grin to the Red Rock alpha. Sierra bared her fangs with a lethal smile and together they strode toward the front door. Unlike the other night, they could throw stealth to the breeze, because they were playing the distraction tonight. She might not have compulsion on her side, but on top of her panther’s lethality, she had Tribe magic at her disposal, the water that flowed at her command. These Landsliders wouldn’t know what hit them.

  Sierra walked with a similar confidence, the alpha well trained from years of sparring and comfortable with the prospect of fighting for her territory. Out of the many alphas they’d dealt with, Navi could see why Jess liked the lady and Finn had followed her for so long. From their brief interactions, she felt a kindred spirit with the tough chick who would dive headfirst into trouble if it meant protecting her pack.

  As Navi got closer to the door, those voices grew louder and she tried to tune in to figure out how many men clustered behind the front door.

  “Latch the door once we get inside,” Navi murmured while she stepped to the entrance. Once she rattled the doorknob, the voices quieted.

  They couldn’t operate on the element of surprise, but, as Tribe, she’d always have one trick in her back pocket. Her panther lashed back and forth in her chest, demanding to emerge, to tear these assholes to pieces. Navi flung the door open and strode inside. The focus of every guy in the room, all six of them, turned to her and Sierra.

  Growls ripped the air from the men, and she caught more than a couple of glowing eyes out of the bunch.

  “I’m Navi Tremere of the East Coast Tribe,” she called out, her voice booming to the rafters of this warehouse. “You’ve been found guilty of smuggling and meth dealing, but if you give me information on Mackey Kendricks here and now, we can talk about easing your sentence.”

  The growling hadn’t ceased and, with the hunched-shoulder way they regarded her, helpfulness didn’t seem to be their top priority. Their loss.

  One of the guys called back, “Kendricks is a helluva lot scarier than you. I think we’ll just head out and we can call this tussle a draw, yeah?”

  Sierra grinned as she stepped beside Navi. “Door’s locked as requested.” She scanned over the crowd with her arms crossed. “Only six guys? It’s like they’re asking to get taken down.”

  Navi snorted. “You had your warning,” she called. “Now we’ll be using lethal force.”

  She didn’t wait for their response. Time for the panther to emerge. The shift took her over while the claws extended from her nails and the fur began to prick through her skin. The clothes she’d been wearing shredded to the floor. Her bones transitioned until she was on four paws instead of two feet and her panther blazed with readiness. Her fangs itched to sink into these bastards. A silver wolf with black streaks padded beside her—Sierra’s form. They shared a single glance, but they didn’t need communication to know what came next.

  As the six men began to shift, Navi and Sierra attacked.

  She lunged forward, towering over the first mangy wolf to come rushing her way. He tried to ram into her, but Navi already tilted her head down to use her thick skull like a battering ram. She met his attack with gusto, the force of her push-back sending him flying.

  The shift in the air alerted her before a mountain lion leapt from the right, fangs bared.

  Navi whipped toward him.

  Before he could land, she swiped with one paw, claws out. The tips sank in past his fur, into flesh, and she raked down. The lion roared with pain as blood sprayed from the open wound, the tinny scent bright in the air. He pushed through the attack. A second later he slammed into her in the side, headfirst. Navi moved with the blow, soaking the abrupt disruption.

  Sierra let out a low growl as a black bear and another wolf advanced on her.

  Navi let out a low huff—she wasn’t the only one fighting here. She needed to keep Sierra safe through this.

  She gathered her powers, drawing upon the connection she shared with her panther and the gifts of the shaman bestowed upon her. The water prickled inside and she channeled her abilities to summon it from the ground, from any source around them. Quickly, the drops condensed into a stream.

  The other black bear came lumbering for her.

  Navi swerved out of the way like the liquid she wielded, the slow-moving creature not standing a chance. She swiped out with her claws again, catching him in the muzzle. The bear let out a quaking roar that shook the ground beneath them—far more intimidating than his bite. He whipped around and thundered toward her again. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the glint of fangs from the other direction.

  So, the assholes had started working together.

  With the stream of water in her grasp, she slipped out of the black bear’s path and slammed her paw to the ground. The water sprayed in all directions, a strong enough blast to disorient the bear, the wolf and the lion all skulking toward her. The other mountain lion paced back and forth as if he was waiting for the right opportunity to dive in. She wouldn’t give him one.

  The bear who had snarled at Sierra let out a howl in pain that echoed to the rafters of this place. The Red Rock alpha sank her teeth into his neck and wasn’t letting go even as he thrashed. The other wolf rammed into her, but Sierra was an unstoppable force.

  Navi didn’t wait for the shifters to get their bearings.

  She was a big enough panther to tower over them and she knew how lethal her strength could be.

  Launching off on her front paws, she flew into the fray.

  She rammed forward, the flat of her head slamming into the mountain lion’s side. He swiped with his claws, but Navi turned around, heading for the next attack. The points of his claws nicked her tail, but she paid him no mind. The wolf found his bearings faster than the others and lunged for her, gray fangs bared. Once the tips of those fangs descended, Navi slammed her paws on the ground again with force. A stream of water rushed out to blast into him. He spluttered, crashing to the ground in a sloppy landing.

  By the time the bear charged in her direction, she’d bared her fangs at the ready. He lumbered closer, closer.

  Before she could sink her teeth into him, a blur caught her attention at the last moment. The other mountain lion rammed her in the side. Her side stung and she stumbled. The bear wasn’t stopping. He rushed for her, his teeth glinting under the fluorescent light while he prepared to strike.

  Navi rolled out of the way, back onto her paws before he crashed straight into her. She whipped around, but instead of taking a breath to recover, she claimed the offensive. Navi bounded off her front paws to vault towards the bear. She sank her claws in past his fur, digging her teeth deeper into his skin. Crimson flecks sprayed against the concrete floor as he roared.

  She detached, landing on her feet as she circled around, the copper taste of blood on her tongue. A roar quaked from the basement of the warehouse, the sound jolting her with ice. Finn was fighting down there and she had no way of knowing how many he faced and if he’d survive. Every fiber of her being begged her to bolt in his direction and help. That was the bond s
peaking and she refused to indulge. He was a competent, trained fighter who she trusted.

  Instead, she slammed her paws down, sending the pool of water beneath her spraying out toward her enemies. Under the fluorescent lights, the water glinted, blindingly so. She didn’t wait for the droplets to descend—Navi rushed forward, ramming full force into the nearest mountain lion. Her head hit his side with a solid thunk and he went tumbling back.

  Before he could recover, she whipped around, bounding for the wolf. Anxiousness burned within her, spurring her forward, faster.

  Slash.

  She raked her claws into the wolf’s muzzle right when his jaws snapped open. A strangled sound somewhere between a howl and a whimper came from the bastard’s throat. Navi didn’t stop, pushing forward with another slice that coated her claws in hot blood, this one scoring his front haunches. The wolf whipped his head away, more scarlet flecks imprinting on the slate floors.

  A loud howl came from where Sierra still fought against the wolf and the bear. She’d accumulated several scratches and a cut bled but, out of the three, the Red Rock alpha remained on top. The one wolf was missing an ear and the bear limped while it attempted to charge.

  Teeth glinted under the overhead lights, drawing her attention. The mountain lion who’d been circling on the defensive struck.

  Navi ducked, muscles tensed as he soared toward her, ready to descend. One problem with his straightforward attack, though. He wasn’t fast enough.

  She sprang forward, his neck on clear display as he tried to crash down upon her. As Tribe, she would always be faster. Navi sank her teeth into the meat of his throat and she jerked her head to the side, the wet tear of flesh resounding through the cavernous warehouse. The mountain lion tumbled to the ground, trying to loop around her for the door. Not like he could escape—Sierra had latched the door shut while in human form.