Chapter 12
Forge
Maya is still asleep when the dawn awakens me, so I slip outside and take a turn around the parking lot.
My wolf is longing to be let out, but no way am I letting Maya out of my sight while I try to find someplace to let it run free.
It’ll have to wait. Besides, I’ve got a feeling that it’ll have plenty of opportunity to work out its aggression later today.
There’s something new in the air this morning. We’ll be at the Easton pack’s territory in just over an hour, and the thought of that should fill me with tension, but instead, I feel… kinda calm.
A brand-new state of mind.
I hadn’t realized how much resentment I had stored up toward Griff over the years. When we were kids, we used to be, well, like twins. Always hanging out together. And then he left, I stayed, and I couldn’t get over the fact that he’d cheated me.
But Maya was right—it had to be one of us. And while I was busy stalking around, scaring the shit out of people, he was in the library, learning stuff. Which was how he found out about the law. He deserved his escape.
And this goddamn epiphany would never have happened without Maya’s help. I knew she was resourceful and determined, from the way she’s been looking for her brother, but this is a whole other level.
She should do this professionally, I think. Counseling or something like it. I turn around and rush back to the motel room, excited to tell her about my idea, because I know she’s frustrated that she hasn’t figured out her life’s calling yet.
Not that my baby needs to have a job. I’ll be happy to provide for her every single day of her life. But I know she’s ambitious and she’s got a lot to offer the world.
My wolf lets off a snarl. There’s a dark shape by the door of the motel room.
Shit. I shouldn’t have left her alone. Even for a second.
Heart pounding, I charge. My T-shirt gets shredded as my wolf starts to burst out of my skin. I land on the intruder’s back, and my razor-sharp teeth fasten onto the back of his neck. A deep voice bellows in pain.
And the motel room door swings open.
There’s Maya, in nothing but a T-shirt of mine, her face all blurred with sleep. Her mouth forms a perfect O. “Forge!” she screams.
“Forge? What the fuck?” roars a familiar voice as the figure tries to twist out of my grip.
Griff. The fucking intruder is Griff. The back of his neck is bleeding, and Maya is looking at me with a mixture of horror and outrage.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” I tell Maya. My wolf relinquishes its hold on his neck and I force it back inside me.
“What the fuck?” Griff repeats, pressing his hand to his neck, then examining the blood in disbelief.
“What the fuck were you doing, sniffing around my door?” I snarl.
“Coming to speak to you, obviously!” He roars. “What is wrong with—?”
“What do you need?” I cut him off. No one gets near my mate when I’m not around.
Maya thrusts a towel through the door, which she’s keeping barely cracked. Griff takes it and wipes his neck, while treating me to a dirty look. He shakes his head and hands it back with a polite thank you to Maya.
Then he clears his throat. “Have you seen the message from your investigator?”
“Huh?” I yank my phone out of my back pocket and scroll.
Beau has managed to intercept a bunch of messages between several members of the Easton pack, and they’re talking about taking Demetrius out. He’s exhausted their patience.
“Crap,” I mutter.
“Exactly. We’ve gotta go. Do yourself a favor and put a fresh shirt on.”
Maya is mad at me until I convince her that I had no idea it was Griff at the door and my wolf got all protective. Then she softens and kisses me and says she’s always happy to see my animal.
I don’t tell her all the details of Beau’s messages. She’s already tense enough, and I know the long journey would be hell, sitting behind me with nothing to distract her from her worries. I just say we should hurry, before her brother does something he’ll regret.
In an hour’s time, my GPS directs me to the turning that’ll lead to the Easton pack’s territory. Maya has been clinging tight to my waist the whole time, and I can sense the anxiety charging through her body.
I wish, more than anything, I could take away her suffering. We’ve just got to get past this, and she won’t have anything to worry about again. I’ll make sure every day of her life is full of happiness and relaxation. She deserves that more than anyone.
In the meantime, I’ve got to figure out how to deal with the pack and protect Maya at the same time. It was the main reason why I accepted Griff’s offer to come with us. Despite everything, I know I can trust him. He’s got nerves of steel and he’s a cunning bastard.
Griff overtakes me, then signals to pull over. He looks happy.
“It’s still early. Most of ‘em will still be asleep.”
I nod impatiently. We’ve been over this already. Wolves that live in packs are not early risers.
“—And we know exactly where he is.”
“Huh?”
Griff frowns. “You didn’t get the pin?”
“What pin?”
He shakes his head wearily. “Check your phone.” He sighs, like he’s said it a hundred times before.
I pull it out of the holder. There’s a message from Beau. “What am I looking at?” I mutter, staring at the screen in incomprehension. Never been one for technology.
Maya snatches it out of my hand. Then she gives a little scream. “It’s a live pin to Demetrius’s phone. He’s right there.”
I work my jaw back and forth. Excitement is the last thing I’m feeling right now. But he’s her brother, so I’m happy if she’s happy.
“So, we could ride right into the territory and pick him up?”
Maya fiddles with a map on my phone screen. “Looks like he’s at the edge of the territory, not far from a road, or at least a dirt track.”
“Is the boundary heavily guarded? Like, are there walls and shit?”
“Can’t tell from the map,” she murmurs.
“Let’s try that way.”
Griff nods his agreement.
I start up the bike again, and we ride cautiously toward the rear of the territory.
I don’t like this one bit. I have no idea how Demetrius is going to respond to our appearance, and I hate that we’re likely to be heavily outnumbered.
But there’s no other choice. Whatever happens, making sure Maya is safe will be my only priority.
The border of the territory is no more than a broken-down fence. Evidently, the Eastons are not expecting intruders.
We park up twenty yards from the boundary wall and approach on foot. I keep Maya right behind me, while she fiddles with the phone screen. Griff is off to my right, calmly surveying the scene.
“He’s right here,” she whispers excitedly. “One minute’s walk away.”
I find a gap in the fence and stomp down a bunch of rusty wire and vegetation, and then I lift Maya up and over it.
She points at a low wooden building. “He’s in there.”
“You sure?”
“Yup, it’s the only option,” she says, and Griff nods his agreement.
“Maya, you stay right behind me at all times, okay?”
“Okay.” She rolls her eyes. We’ve been through this at least five times already.
“Hopefully he’ll be alone. So, we grab him and leave.”
Griff nods. He looks grim, focused. Looking around in all directions.
I dash to the front door of the building, making sure Maya is coming with me. Griff catches me up from the other direction, and we arrive at the door at the same moment.
I try the handle. It’s locked. Griff gives me a nod. I put my shoulder to the door and bust it open with a crack of splintering wood.
It’s a small, single room kind of place. Four guys are laying around on mattresses, all startled out of sleep. I scan them fast.
He’s there. The one in the right-hand corner. He’s slower to get up than the others, looking around blearily and rubbing his face. I reach behind me, for Maya’s hand. And when her small, soft hand slides into mine, I feel a flicker of relief. I need her to stay quiet right now.
“Who the fuck are you?” The three other guys are bearing down on me. Mid-ranking pack members, I deduce. Not a problem for Griff or me to deal with, but we are outnumbered.
“Demetrius,” I say, in a low voice. “You’re coming with me right now.”
He frowns, rubbing at his sleepy face like the idiot he is. “Who the hell are you?” he mutters.
“Someone who cares about your safety more than you do,” I growl. “Come on.” I incline my head to the door.
He shakes his head confusedly. “I’m fine here, man. This is my crew.”
“They are not your fucking crew, you moron,” I snarl.
“Demetrius!” To my dismay, Maya slides out from behind me.
Instantly, his face brightens. “Maya? What are you doing here?”
“Saving your ass, brother. Come on.”
His frown deepens. “I don’t need saving.”
“What the fuck is going on here?” one of the other werewolves growls.
“Nothing. We’re taking an unwanted intruder off your hands.”
The werewolf looks from us to Demetrius, and back again. He snorts out a laugh. And then a cunning look comes into his eyes. I’ve got a bad feeling that Demetrius’s value just escalated.
“You’re not taking him anywhere,” he snarls.
I push Maya behind me again. “Let’s not make this more difficult than it needs to be,” I say, and I’m surprised at how diplomatic I’m being. If this had happened before Maya came into my life, I’d be deep into ripping off their heads right about now.
“What’s it worth to you?” the werewolf says.
“I’ll pay for a new front door,” I say. “That’s all.”
He folds his arms. “That’s not gonna cover it.”
Griff, who’s been silent so far, taking in the scene in his cool, measured way, takes a step forward. “I don’t have time for this shit,” he says. “Demetrius, get your ass over here, right now.”
“Don’t listen to him,” roars one of the other werewolves. To my dismay, I see their bodies swelling, muscles twitching, clothes tightening. Shit, they’re spoiling for a fight.
Griff sees it, too. In a flash, he grabs Demetrius by the neck, drags him right over to us.