23. Trust
Trust
Blake
T he front of Kade’s house was chaotic. We’d been given an estimated location from Councilman Ford and confirmation from Poppy that Roan was working for the council and had been in to get his cuffs off.
She’d given him some magical supplies and a password to get through the spells protecting the house.
With that information, we were sorting out the cars and packing things we thought we’d need.
Axel was tinkering with his vehicle, champing at the bit to go. “Motherfucker! They’ve trashed my truck!”
I headed over to where he was trying to get the engine to turn over. We didn’t have time for this shit. We needed to get to Kade straight away. “What’s going on?”
“It won’t start. I’ll pop the hood and have a look.
” Axel was working to keep his fury under control and seeing him losing it had me pulling my feelings under control.
There was only time for one freak out at once.
I hadn’t realized how attached he’d become to Kade.
Axel looked frantic. He ducked and looked under the hood, cursing again.
“They’ve cut the fuel line. There’s no way to get this up and running right now. ”
Fuck! “What about Kade’s car?” I asked, grasping at straws.
“I’ve a feeling it’s the same.” Yeah, me too , I thought. My wolf was pacing. Time wasn’t on our side.
Together, we looked and saw the same damage. I did some calculations. There wasn’t enough room in the cars the bears had taken to Kade’s for us all to get back, and that’s even if we left Roan. If he came through for us, there was no way I was doing that.
The fact was, we had no idea what we were walking into, so we needed the space.
A familiar truck came hurtling down the street, shifting into park next to the curb.
Deke jumped out of the truck in the space of a blink.
“Alpha, we have a few enforcers in place protecting the omegas and all the pups. We’d checked a few of the men out, but went with women, knowing what some of the omegas had been through.
” He gave me his report, and I saw Alpha Jason give me a head nod.
I clapped him on the back, “thanks. It’s a weight off to know the pack is in good hands. Chase okay?”
“Furious that he isn’t here, but he’ll cope.” Deke shrugged and gestured to his truck. “Let’s go.”
“Axel!” I called for my brother. “I’ve got us a ride.” In all my haste to get moving, I’d forgotten that Deke was coming to give us assistance. He was one of the best fighters in either form that I’d ever seen. The perfect back up if things went sideways.
“Deke —“
“No. We are all coming home.”
“But —“
“No, cousin. If you don’t come back, then neither am I. I’ll follow you anywhere, you hear?”
I nodded.
“Same, little bro.” Axel agreed.
“Is everyone ready to head out?” Alpha Jason shouted over, breaking the moment.
“We are, let’s go.”
The drive was surprisingly short. Kade was being kept on the outskirts of Sweetwater. I was grateful for that. If things went wrong... if they hurt anyone... It helped that we weren’t too far from a hospital.
Deke drove, and I sat up front, navigating using an app, while Axel stayed on a group call with the other cars.
We’d checked out the last known location of the phone and it was an isolated farm.
There was no way to drive up and surprise them, so we’d have to leave the cars at a distance and run the rest of the way.
Chase had updated that six of our enforcers were unaccounted for. “Stay off the pack link. Just shut it down completely until we put the traitors down. Only kill if you can’t knock them out.”
“Yes, Alpha,” my companions said in unison.
The tension was thick in the truck as we got closer to our destination.
Each of us mentally prepared for what was ahead.
We knew that there was a kill order for Rincoln and discretion on any of the other shifters that had taken Kade.
It was a heavy weight knowing that we could be ending precious shifter lives, but at the same time, Rincoln and his followers didn’t have any respect for the rights of our most important ones; omegas.
He’d lost sight of the fact each of the designations was valuable and held a function.
We found a small woodland walk and parking area a distance from the farm to pull in.
Too nervous and worried for Kade, I allowed the older alpha to take charge and split us up into smaller groups.
Each would approach a different side of the farmhouse.
According to the maps app we used, the barn was too dilapidated to keep animals in, let alone people.
From a defensive standpoint, the farmhouse made more sense.
It was lower in the valley, meaning there wasn’t a lot of cover for us to hide behind.
They sent Axel with Dakota and Deke was by my side as we tucked low and dashed down the hill to the house. We were to stay in our human forms unless the situation changed. I saw my companions all nearing the place simultaneously, as if we’d timed it perfectly.
A shout rang out as we were spotted. Rincoln’s men were outside of the house, watching it rather than the road.
Speeding up, Deke rushed the first enforcer, one of ours, to get near me. He punched him square in the face, his head snapping back and the guy slammed to the ground out cold. Deke didn’t even pause. “Kade will be inside. We need to get in!”
I stopped over the guy on the ground, still out cold, placing my hand over his chest. “I renounce our pack bond and exile you. You are an enemy to the Sweetwater Pack and will be treated as such.” I felt the pack magic work to dissolve the bond and mark him as an exile.
Even if he didn’t hear the words, his alter would and was probably hanging their head in shame.
“Come on!” Deke pulled at my arm, breaking the somber mood and refocusing me on our mission.
We fought our way to the front door, and I stopped and exiled each one of my shifters that I found. It probably only took minutes, but it felt like a lifetime. As we drew up to the house, right within sight of the front door, it burst open, allowing Roan to exit with a wolf Kade by his side.
Kade was in his wolf form. My heart stopped just looking at him.
He was perfect. My wolf wanted out to greet his mate properly.
I’d really thought that I’d never get to see him shifted, but he was exactly as I’d pictured in my dreams. Red-brown thick fur all over with his stunning amber eyes looking fully alert.
A lean but sturdy body, much bigger than a regular wolf. Strong, healthy, vibrant.
He growled toward the fighters and moved to join them.
Roan held him back. My wolf rumbled in approval of Kade’s protector.
The fighting was too dangerous for him. We trusted Roan to guard our mate.
In this, both man and wolf agreed. Roan kept a hand in Kade’s ruff, tethering him to his side as he tried to work through the crowd to get to us.
A mountain lion pounced on Deke, ripping him away from me and into the melee of brawls. We’d lost numbers by leaving a couple of guards with the Alpha Mate and Dakota’s papa, and were at the risk of being outnumbered. There seemed to be more and more shifters with every turn.
The bears fought well and helped me clear a path to my mate and I was nearly next to him when he barked, his fear thick in the air. Something heavy landed on me, pushing me to the ground. I rolled out from under the massive gray brown wolf, Rincoln, in time to miss teeth to my shoulder.
Standing, I shifted in a blink, my clothes shredding as the magic took hold. I took a breath to shrug the sudden change off and Rincoln barreled into me, sending me to the ground. I barked out a sound of pain as my shoulder connected with a rock.
Rincoln took advantage of my split second distraction and came for me again. The instinct to protect, to fight, fired up my blood, adrenaline rushing my system, and I moved, lunging for his forepaw and scraping teeth over bone.
The next few minutes were a blur of teeth, claws and blood as I slowly picked away at Rincoln, taking on minor injuries as he blocked my ability somehow.
I saw him weaken and allowed myself to feel the pride in our victory.
Soon, Hayes would be nothing but a memory to my mate. He’d be free of such an inferior alpha.
Kade let out another warning bark, and I felt it. Another wolf had snuck up behind me, Rincoln distracting me so the other could pin me. I felt pain along my ear and jaw as claws skimmed them, Kade’s warning giving me enough time to miss the worst of it.
When Rincoln leapt for me, I thought I was done for. I’d gotten too cocky and failed my mate. Kade howled, his pain echoing over the valley. I closed my eyes.
I heard the sounds of two bodies colliding and felt none of the pain.
Opening my eyes, I saw Rincoln and another black wolf tangled in a heap. Claws scratched, teeth bit, and the scent of blood filled the air. I stood paralysed, just watching them battle to the death.
With a massive growl, the black wolf twisted and shoved away from Rincoln, turned and then grabbed Rincoln by the neck and bit down hard. The dark wolf shook his head from side to side, blood and spittle escaping his jaws as they clamped down on their former alpha’s neck.
I heard the snap. Saw the light leave Rincoln’s eyes.
As soon as he was dead, Roan dropped the wolf from his mouth and shifted, standing naked and trembling. His eyes filled with some unnamed emotion. While his wounds would heal, he needed some help.
The other, familiar wolf ran towards Roan, and it was my turn to bark out a warning. Roan ducked as I jumped. Claws from his attacker skimmed over his back, red welts blooming and leaking blood. He collapsed as I crashed into the other wolf, knocking him away.
I broke his neck with no other thought than to end him for what he’d done to me, Kade, and our pack. I turned to check on my pack and my mate, not giving the wolf another thought. Kaine was dead. Good riddance.
Letting out a howl, I called my pack, old and new, to me. One by one, they surrounded me and my wolf and I checked them over for injuries as my patient omega watched me, waiting for his turn.
When he approached, he nuzzled his cheek along the length of my body. Use the link, sweetheart, I prompted.
I’m so happy you’re here and he’s gone.
You’re free.
Kade scented blood. His nose took him to Roan’s side. He shifted and knelt in the grass by his former love, running a hand over his hair in comfort. “Will he be okay?”
I shifted too, but Aldrin pushed through the bears in his human form to answer. “I’ve got my kit at the cars, Kade. Do you need looking over?”
“Just see to Roan first. He’s more important!” Kade demanded.
Aldrin looked at me. “We’re both okay, thanks to Roan. He comes first.” I said.
Kade softened and leaned into me. “Thank you, Alpha.”
I wrapped my arms around him, my cuts and grazes already tingling with their healing, and kissed his cheek. “Anything for you. To you, I’m just Blake. Don’t call me alpha, please.”
He turned in the circle of my arms and pressed his lips to mine firmly. The kiss was full of feeling and want until we had to break apart with our audience waiting. “How about I just call you mate?”