Fighting For His Own (Guardians Of The Pack #2)

Chapter Seven

~ Radalf ~

My heart clenched painfully as I watched the dust blown up by the Jeep going down the driveway to settle. I watched until the Jeep disappeared through a line of trees, fading from my sight.

"You just going to let him go like that?"

I didn't turn to acknowledge Gunny's words.

"Seriously, man?"

"I put a tracker on his Jeep," I finally said. 'I'll give him half an hour before I start to follow him. I want to make sure there is a little distance between the two of us so he doesn't figure out I'm following him."

Gunny snorted. "Knew you wouldn't let him leave."

I glanced over my shoulder. "I'm letting him leave. I'm just not letting him leave without protection."

"Want company?"

I shrugged. "If you want."

Whether he came with me or not I was going after Ajag and Sy. Until I could convince him to come back to the ranch I was going to do my damndest to make sure Ajag and Sy were safe.

"Have you discussed this with Ze'ev?"

I nodded. As Ze'ev's second in command, I couldn't leave without getting hid permission first. I wasn't sure Gunny could either. If we both left, that left Ze'ev with only Lu as backup if there was trouble.

"Have you talked to Ze'ev?"

"Yeah, he said I could travel with you for a couple of days, but then he wants me to head back. He doesn't like leaving the place unguarded for longer than that."

Made sense.

"If Ze'ev really plans on making this a pack," I stated, "we need to think about recruiting a few new members."

We still hadn't solved the issue with Jackson's cousins.

"I'll talk to Ze'ev before we leave and give him a few names. He can decide what to do from there." Gunny stepped over and bumped shoulders with me. "You might want to think about doing the same thing. I'd bet anything you know other shifters that could use a good home."

I did. I just wasn't sure I wanted other shifters around Ajag and Sy.

"I wish we could find Val."

If we found him, we wouldn't need any other shifters to guard the ranch. Valko was the strongest dire wolf of any I had ever met. Hell, he was the strongest wolf shifter I had ever met period.

Seriously, the man could fight a tank with his bare hands and still come out the winner. I'd never seen him lose a fight.

"Ze'ev already put out several feelers for him," Gunny replied, "as have I. I think we'll see him sooner or later."

"I haven't seen him since that dust-up we had down in Texas about a year ago. I have no idea what he's been up to lately."

"Knowing Val, he's either laying low somewhere or neck deep in shit."

That was true.

The man wasn't a huge fan of people. It didn't matter if it was humans or wolves. He just didn't like them and tended to give them a wide berth. On the other hand, he had a hero complex a mile wide and if he saw someone in need of help, he'd be right there in the thick of things.

"If you hear from him, let me know." I'd be a lot more relieved if Val was here to help protect the pack.

Pack.

That was going to take some time to get used to. I was actually a member of a wolf pack. After leaving my birth pack years ago, I never thought I'd join another pack and yet here I was, second-in-command.

Did life get any stranger than this?

I brought up the tracking app on my cell phone and then set it in the recharging holder attached to the handlebars of my bike. I preferred being as hands free as possible while riding.

"Get the door," I told Gunny as I climbed onto my motorcycle. If all of us intended to stay here long term, we seriously needed to consider building a garage instead of storing our bikes in the barn.

Once the door was open, I started my motorcycle and drove out of the barn. I waited in the driveway for Gunny to join me and then headed out for the main road.

I didn't drive too fast because I wanted to have a little distance between Ajag and us. It wasn't time for him to know I was following him. I also needed space so I could be prepared in case he stopped.

It was dark before Ajag finally pulled off the highway. We'd driven nearly all the way across the state. I'd have to look at a map, but I was pretty sure we weren't far from the Idaho state border.

I was actually surprised Ajag hadn't pulled over before this, especially considering he was driving with a small child in the car. Maybe he had been hoping to put as much distance between him and the ranch as possible.

That thought actually made my chest tighten.

I pulled into a bar a couple of miles from the motel Ajag had stopped at. I drove my bike around back before finding a parking spot. I didn't know much about this small town, but hopefully no one would mess with my motorcycle if it was parked back here.

Gunny parked his bike next to mine, turned off the engine, and then gave me a long look. "Beer?"

I grunted as I grabbed my cell phone, stuck it in my jacket pocket, and then swung my leg over the bike. I wasn't sure a beer was going to cut it, but I also didn't want something heavier. I needed to keep my wits about me right now.

Food would be good.

I paused just inside the door of the bar and looked around. It was basically a roadside bar just like any other roadside bar. It was clean and homey, but didn't have a lot of character.

I quickly scoped out the few patrons inside the place, looking for anything I needed to be wary of. When I found them all to be human, I made my way over to a booth near the back and sat down.

We weren't in anyone's territory as far as I knew, but that could change. Maybe I should send Ajag a map of all the shifter packs and their territories? He seemed to want to avoid them, but did he know where they were all located?

After ordering a beer and a burger, I sat back and watched the people moving about the bar. More people were coming in as the night went on, the music becoming louder and livelier.

"You going to check on them tonight?"

I grunted at Gunny for asking a stupid question. Of course I was going to check on Ajag and Sy. I was just waiting for more darkness. I needed to give Ajag and Sy time to settle into their motel room before I went sneaking around. I also needed to make sure there were less people on the streets.

No sense getting spotted.

"We should book a room at the same motel Ajag is staying at," Gunny stated.

"He'll spot us."

I was sure of it.

"He'll spot two motorcycles," Gunny clarified. "That does not mean he will spot us. Besides, it will make it easier for you to keep an eye on them if we're sleeping in the same place."

True, but I still felt Ajag would spot us. He might not have seen our motorcycles, but he wasn't stupid by any means. I'm sure he heard them a time or two while at the ranch.

"Go book us a room, but make sure he doesn't see you."

I did not want Ajag to know we were following him. At least, not yet. I'm sure that eventually he'd figure it out. Like I said, he wasn't stupid. I just wanted to keep him from him for a little longer.

Ajag was in the "flight" part of "fight or flight". He was running even if he really didn't want to. I'd seen the desire to stay in his eyes back at the ranch. I knew he didn't want to leave, but he was running scared at the moment. I needed to wait until he calmed down before letting him know I was following him.

I continued to scan the room while I waited for Gunny to go book us a room for the night. I'm sure there would be other nights when we were sleeping under the stars in our fur.

By the time Gunny came back, I'd moved to soda. Besides the fact that the beer just wasn't that good, I knew I'd never forgive myself if something happened to either Ajag or Sy because I was drinking. It also wasn't a good idea to ride my motorcycle if I'd had more than one beer.

I liked to live dangerously, not stupidly.

After paying the bill, I walked with Gunny to the back of the bar and climbed onto my motorcycle. It didn't take us more than a few minutes to reach the motel. I followed Gunny into the driveway, immediately spotting the black Jeep I'd bought for Ajag, and then followed him to the very end of the parking lot.

I was actually kind of impressed by the place Gunny had chosen. Our room was across the parking lot from where the jeep was parked and once we were parked, our bikes were hidden by a moving truck.

Gunny pointed to the building directly across from us. "Ajag and Sy are in that room there above the blue car, second floor."

I glanced up, seeing a light in the window of the room Gunny had indicated. I wanted to go up there and personally check on them, but I knew I couldn't. Ajag needed to believe that he was not being followed.

I didn't plan to change that belief until I had to.

I grabbed my saddlebag and carried it into the room, setting it on the floor close to the door before grabbing a chair and dragging it over to the window.

"Why don't you get some rest?" I suggested. "I'll wake you in four hours."

Gunny nodded before heading to the bathroom.

I settled myself in the chair and parted the curtains just enough to be able to see Ajag's room. I felt some measure of relief when the light went out, hoping Ajag and Sy were getting a good night's sleep.

They both probably needed it.

I glanced at Gunny when he came out of the bathroom and then watched him climb into one of the queen sized beds. He wiggled around for a moment and then went still.

I turned to watch out the window again knowing I had a long night ahead of me. It was going to be boring as hell just watching, but I didn't want to get distracted by anything.

I couldn't take that chance.

I was lucky in the fact that the night went relatively easy. A few cars pulled in here and there, people unloading their luggage before going to their rooms, but nothing that stuck out to me. While I still carefully watched each person that came to the motel, I didn't sense any danger from any of them.

By the time four hours had passed and I woke Gunny up for his shift, I was more than ready for bed. We'd been on the road for several hours and then I'd been on watch. My eyes ached. My head ached. My back ached. My butt ached.

Hell, my everything ached.

Pretty sure I passed out about three seconds after my head hit the pillow. I knew for a fact that I hadn't gotten enough sleep by the time Gunny shook me awake.

"Time to wake up, man. Ajag and Sy are loading up the Jeep."

I snapped out of bed and hurried to the window so I could get a glimpse of Ajag. My breath grew ragged as I stared out through the slit in the curtains.

I could see the stress in his pinched eyes, but he still looked good. There was a small smile on his face as he lifted Sy and placed him in the car seat.

I watched until Ajag climbed into the Jeep and they drove away. Once they disappeared from sight, I headed to the bathroom to start my day. I figured I had about fifteen minutes before I needed to be on the road and following Ajag.

A quick scrub down in the shower, a new change of clothes, and we were on the road again. I would have liked to stop for some caffeine, but I didn't want to put too much distance between us and Ajag.

It was kind of rinse and repeat for the next few days. We'd follow behind Ajag and Sy until they stopped for the day, wait until they rented a motel room and then get one for ourselves, take turns watching them through the night, and then head out the next morning.

Nothing really changed except the scenery until we reached Colorado and Ze'ev called.

"Yeah, man, what's up?" I asked as I connected the call. Luckily, we'd already stopped for the night.

"I need you to send Gunny back this way and then make sure Ajag and Sy do not head back to the ranch, not unless I call you and give you the all clear."

I still. "What? What's going on?"

"A bunch of idiots in camo gear showed up at the ranch a couple of hours ago. They tried to force their way inside to search the place. Lu and I were able to fight them off and injure enough of them that they retreated, but I worry that they might come back."

Shit!

"Is everyone okay?"

"A few minor scrapes and scratches, nothing a shift won't cure."

I threaded my fingers through my hair, frustrated and worried. "Did they say what they wanted?"

"No, but they kept asking if anyone else was here, which makes me suspect that they knew Ajag and Sy were staying here, but here's the thing. These guys were dressed in camo gear right down to their military style boots. They looked like weekend warriors on a training mission, but I swear I've seen a couple of them before."

"Where?"

"The council guards that came and took Brass away."

That wasn't good.

"One of them looked like a council guard?"

"A couple of them actually," Ze'ev replied. "And that's what concerns me. They tried to break in as if they were just local thugs, but if these were council guards, it makes me wonder what they are trying to hide."

"Are you sure they were looking for Ajag? Could they have been looking for me or Gunny?"

"I mean, anything is possible, but that's not what my gut is telling me. It's telling me that this has to do with Ajag."

I was afraid of that.

"Okay, I'll send Gunny back your way and steer Ajag away from there if he starts heading that way. As far as I know, he still doesn't know we're following him. I'd like to keep it that way until I can't."

"If things do go haywire there, call me and then head home. Even if the council is sending guards after him, we have a better chance of protecting him and Sy here at the ranch rather than out on the road."

"Will do."

I sighed as I hung up with Ze'ev and then turned to Gunny. "You've been recalled."

Gunny raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

I gave him a quick rundown of everything Ze'ev had told me before stating, "Call me when you get there and let me know if anything has changed. I'm going to put in a call to a few of my friends and see if anyone knows anything."

"Just be careful mentioning Ajag's name. If someone is after him, it's best to not let them know we've even had any association with him. Right now, we can play stupid. Once Ajag's name is attached to anyone from the ranch, we can't."

I nodded. "I'll be careful."

"I'll put out a few feelers of my own and I'm sure Ze'ev and Lu already have. One way or another, we'll figure out who is after Ajag and why."

I hoped so because it wasn't looking good, especially if council soldiers were involved. They had to be sent by someone on the council. If that was true, this was a bigger mess than we had previously thought.

"Any way this could be Jackson's idiot cousins?" I asked.

I could hope.

"Anything is possible, I suppose. Did Ze'ev say whether these were shifters or humans?"

I shook my head, already dialing Ze'ev's number. "Hey," I said as soon as the line connected. "These guys in camo that came to the house. Were they shifters or humans?"

"Wolves as far as I could tell," Ze'ev replied. "Why?"

"Gunny and I were wondering if they could have been sent by Jackson's cousins."

"Only if they knew about shifters."

Yeah, that's what I thought.

"So, probably not then." I heaved a heavy breath. "So, Gunny is headed out that way. Have you or Lu had a chance to put out any feelers about Ajag's situation?"

"A few. Why?"

"Gunny mentioned that we should be low-key with anything we do. Once Ajag's name is mentioned along with anyone at the ranch, we can't pretend we don't know him anymore."

Ze'ev grunted. "Makes sense."

I'm glad something did because everything else was bat shit crazy.

"Call me with regular check-ups so I know you're alive."

"Yes, Alpha," I snorted.

It was weird having someone care if I lived or died.