40. Lucas
40
Lucas
Following the GPS route, I turn off of the smooth road onto a rough gravel path. On all sides of the vehicle is the dense forest that Ivory Fangs is located in, and I am excited to get to know everyone here before leaving to find Kaylee. The drive is slow, but it is because of the many wolves running alongside us. Even from the driver's seat, I can tell something has happened to make them all look at me with hostility.
“Edison,” I call out to the man in the back, who looks at his tablet with a frown.
“What is it, Lucas?” he answers back without looking up, an edge of iciness to his tone. I try not to growl, as yesterday morning his neutrality towards me changed and no one on Ivory Fangs’ side could explain why.
“Something happened, didn’t it.” It’s a statement, not a question. I was raised to lead a pack, so I know when a pack is dealing with a problem. It’s instinct at this point. Silence passes, and I look back using the rearview mirror to see Edison studying me. I watch as he wages a war inside his mind, probably debating whether or not to tell me the truth. I catch Simon watching us with questions of his own swirling in his eyes. Even with how close he is to the Ivory Fangs wolves, they iced him out too, and kept him at bay.
“Something did happen. You will find out as soon as we make it to the pack house,” he finally answers. I nod and return my focus to following the van in front of me. They have been leading the way since we left our stop at a motel last night, with my vehicle sandwiched between the charter bus and the van in front. It’s as if they are trying to keep me in sight at all times.
The forest finally gives way, and in front of me stand houses and various utility buildings spread out in the large, cleared space. From what Simon and Edison told me the day Ivory Fangs picked us up, these thirty buildings are just a small amount of what makes up the pack. There are training grounds that have been built, a pack infirmary, and a few greenhouses in the works, as well as various houses and cottages dotted between the forest and the border. Those that live here at the heart of the territory are omegas and lesser warriors and hunters. Some of these people even make the thirty-minute drive to the closest town, where they work and integrate with humans to add value to the pack, like working at a bank or a clothing store.
“See that mansion on the hill, by the willow?” Edison asks, pointing to the large mansion that has seen recent repairs.
“Yeah. Is that the pack house?” I ask, watching as wolves stop what they are doing to watch us. I notice a few Oak Fur wolves that have integrated into Ivory Fangs and smile when I see how healthy they look. Many were thin and frail, due to the way Ramos and Marilyn treated them. I am happy to know that Ivory Fangs took good care of them, and even sense that a few have grown stronger in the few weeks they have been here.
“We are going to park in front there so that the alpha and Luan can meet you,” Edison continues, a smile on his face as he watches his pack pass by.
“What about Beta Lilac?” I have been dying to meet this woman. To thank her for her contribution to saving my friends from Oak Fur. I catch Edison stiffen, and notice his smile turning into a grim frown. A feeling of dread fills me, as instinct tells me that whatever happened here involves the beta. Did she betray them? Die? Or was she kidnapped? They did just finish hosting Shadow Moon…
“She is…indisposed at the moment,” Edison mumbles, his eyes giving me a warning not to ask any further about the situation. I nod, understanding that if rival packs find out their beta is missing, then Ivory Fangs will face challenges until she is found. Maybe I can help them before finding Kaylee, after all they did for me. I know Kaylee would understand.
Pulling up in front of Ivory Fangs, I turn off the van and climb out. Stretching my stiff body, I breathe in the fresh air. Being stuck in a vehicle with two males on a highway makes me appreciate the forest air more than ever.
Turning to face the pack house, I am met with a fist to the left side of my cheek and sent flying, landing on the hard ground with a loud thud. I groan as I push myself into a sitting position, only to have to dodge an angry redheaded wolf as he pounces towards me. I manage to evade him on his second attempt, but his third has me pinned under him as he grabs the collar of my shirt and glares at me.
“Where the hell is she?!” he demands, his voice so loud that it draws a crowd.
“I don’t know what you mean!” I shout back, taking this chance to send a punch to his own face. I manage to knock this wolf off of me and stand to my feet, readying myself for a fight. The man gets up and races towards me, ignoring the blood that drips from the corner of his mouth. I swing, aiming another punch to his face, but he dodges quickly and tackles me once more to the ground. People are screaming, telling this man—Marco, as I soon learn from Ash trying to pull him off me—to stop. He ignores them, aiming punch after punch to my face, but I move my head while blocking each blow, trying to throw him off of me again.
“Marco!” a familiar voice roars, the power of an alpha command rippling in the air and stopping Marco mid-swing, his fist inches from my nose.
“Get off of Lucas, now!” this voice continues. I try to see past Marco, to see if I am correct. That the owner of the voice is someone I have missed for the last three months.
“But he took her!” Marco tries to reason, his angry face turning to despair as he turns to his alpha.
“No, he did not. He was with Ash and Edison the whole time when she went missing,” the voice argues back with a snarl.
“Besides, no one that used to belong to Oak Fur recognized their scent.” I shiver as she continues to radiate power and converse with the redhead above me. Marco concedes, climbing off of me with a glare and a low growl. I growl back, waiting for him to step back before another hand appears in front of me. Seeing Simon offering me help, I take his hand in mine and let him help pull me to my feet. Once I am stable, I wipe the blood from the corner of my own mouth and suppress another growl. I swear I will return the same punches to Marco later.
Deciding I need to face the alpha of Ivory Fangs, I turn and smile, looking at a familiar face that told me I would regret my actions.
“Hello, Aunt Amelia,” I greet a little coldly, not happy to know my aunt didn’t tell me she is the alpha of Ivory Fangs.
“Lucas,” she greets, equally as cold, her alpha blood humming. Hiding my shock at the strength and power she holds within, I look at the wolf that stands behind her. Marco is still glaring at me, and I return the glare. If looks could kill, both of us would be dead by now.
“Why the hell did your wolf attack me? I thought Ivory Fangs was my ally,” I demand, Simon and Kurt come to stand behind me. My aunt sighs as she turns to look at Marco, giving him a growl in warning. His gaze drops in guilt, and I scoff. I did nothing wrong to warrant this hostile welcome.
“We have a situation right now, and everyone thinks you’re the culprit,” my aunt states, once Marco has submitted to her.
“Yeah, I pieced together your beta is missing and was going to offer my help in finding her before I got attacked,” I retort, rolling my eyes. She glares at me, the same glare I would get when I did something wrong when I was a pup. I take a deep breath to calm down, knowing that right now I am a rogue. A rogue deep in my aunt’s pack. I feel Simon and Kurt stiffen behind me, Kurt muttering out a string of curses as he passes me to stand beside Amelia.
“When did this happen?” he asks, worry in his tone. Confused, I look to Simon, whose face has paled. His jaw is clenched and his fists shake. What the hell is going on? Is Lilac his mate, and this is why he is so upset?
“Is someone going to tell me what is happening, and why it involves my aunt’s beta?” I call out, getting a growl from my aunt that silences me.
“You don’t get it, Lucas,” Simon states, while Kurt and Aunt Amelia finish their whispered conversation.
“No, I get it. Beta Lilac is missing, and they think I am dumb enough to do it,” I growl out in frustration, shrugging off Simon’s hand from my shoulder, feeling like I am missing something.
“Besides, I was with your fucking wolves when she went missing, and on the run from Oak Fur. Why would I take the beta of the pack that is helping us?” I turn to ask my aunt, snarling in frustration at the end of my words.
“No Lucas, Simon is right,” Amelia states as she steps closer to me, her words no longer harsh and cold towards me.
“My beta isn’t named Lilac. That’s just an alias she used, to keep her identity from you. Simon and Kurt respected her wishes, and Simon placed hints that caused you to think she was his mate,” she continues. A sinking feeling fills me, as I think back to the last time I saw my aunt and her family. On the day I rejected Kaylee. They were together, but neither the lawyer nor the private investigators I hired could confirm if Kaylee stuck with my aunt’s family after they left Oak Fur.
“Where is Kaylee?” I demand, feeling my own body shake. My aunt sighs, a look of pity and sadness filling her eyes, as she must have realized that my one question is the answer she needed.
“That’s the thing, Lucas,” she chokes out, holding back her emotions.
“My beta is Kaylee, and she is missing.”