Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
He nudged the knife deeper into my skin. Warm liquid trickled down my neck as the copper scent of blood hit my nose. This prick was enjoying himself.
"What do you want?" I asked, trying to keep my fear at bay, hoping to learn something—anything—about why I was such a target.
"Absolutely nothing." He chuckled darkly, "Other than you need to move to the exit now." He pushed me forward, and I stumbled, causing the knife to dig a little deeper.
Asshole .
I'd rather die right there than leave. With a knife to my neck, there was only one way this could go.
Keeping my arms close to my body, I raised my hands toward his knife arm and relaxed my body into his chest. He loosened his hold, and I grabbed his wrist with both of my hands and pulled down and away from my neck.
"What—" He hissed.
His hold slackened and I slipped under his arm, keeping my grip firm on his wrist. When I broke free, I shoved the hand holding the knife back at him so the blade cut into his side.
"You stupid bitch," he yelled as he tried to recapture me with his free arm. Using his slumped angle to my advantage, I kicked his face and twisted his wrist, manipulating a pressure point by his thumb to make him release the hold on the knife. He stumbled back, and I kicked the knife away.
"Dove!" Killian yelled, but I didn't have time to answer him.
This guy wouldn't go down without a fight.
As he stood and faced me, I could see the spot where my foot had connected with his jaw. For the first time, I got a good view of him.
It was the guy who’d entered the bar behind Griffin and Luna.
His hair was dyed an awful ash blond, except for the dark brown sides. His long beard hit the top of the collar of his black shirt, connecting with the chest hair that spilled there. His hairy arms were almost as thick as his beard. I already suspected he was a bear shifter, and his grassy scent confirmed it.
"You're going to pay for that." He snatched my arm again and dragged me toward the exit.
Bear shifters were strong, but their arrogance worked against them.
"Let her go," Griffin commanded, alpha will lacing his words.
He was a fucking moron if he thought that would work on a bear, and massively egotistical if he thought that the bear would listen to him in the first place. He had no authority over them.
Confirming my suspicions, the bear shifter didn't loosen his grip on me. Instead, he tightened it and dragged me harder.
I might not have had a knife to my neck anymore, but that didn't mean I wasn't at risk of being taken. Doing the first thing that came to mind, I stuck my fingers into one of his knife wounds and made my hands like claws, breaking through fat and muscle. The wound needed to get worse, so I dug my fingers in hard, trying to get his brain to register the pain. With all the adrenaline pumping through his body, he probably hadn't even noticed he’d been stabbed.
He swung his free hand, aiming for my face, but I easily blocked it.
Dad had been right all along. If we didn’t know how to protect ourselves, we were screwed. I wished I could take back all of those times I talked smack about him or complained.
Because of him, I still stood here, surviving.
As I straightened, I pulled my hands out of his side and round-kicked the asshole in the stomach. He fell against the brick wall.
"We can take it from here," Killian said as he got closer.
Oh, hell no. This was all me.
I scooped the knife from the floor as Killian and Griffin reached me. They grabbed the guy by the arms as I ran behind the bear shifter and placed the knife against his throat. I leaned in and saw blood well from beneath the blade. "Who are you, and what do you want from me?"
"Go to hell." He spat in my face.
Nope, that wasn't acceptable. I elbowed him hard in the temple, knocking him unconscious, and let him crumple to the floor. "Stupid prick."
“Uh. Wow.” Killian snorted as he and Griffin released the guy, letting him drop to the floor.
I used the sleeve of my dress to wipe away the spittle. I wanted a shower now .
Sierra gasped, "She's freaking badass."
"Badass?" Luna scoffed. "Men are supposed to be the protectors, not us. That was extremely unladylike."
Oh, wow. Her beliefs were archaic. Good thing I wasn't raised that way, or I’d be captured or dead by now.
"Hey, are you hurt?" Killian rushed over to examine me.
"Look at her neck," Griffin said through clenched teeth. "The bastard cut her. I’m going to make him pay."
"I'm fine." Both of them were being a little too much. "Besides, I knocked him out cold. Everything will be okay, but I want answers."
I glanced down at my dress and cringed. Not only was I wearing this godforsaken thing, but I didn't have my knife on me because of the outfit. I needed better clothes and pronto.
Footsteps pounded in our direction. "What's going on here?" a deep, raspy voice asked.
"Daddy!" Luna sounded relieved. "A man attacked Dove."
So good ol' Dick Harding was here.
"Dove?" A tall man stepped into the hallway, and his ebony eyes landed on me. He ran a hand through his shortish salt and pepper hair. A frown marred his chiseled face, which was covered by dark brown scruff. "You're new in town."
"Yup." He was more focused on me being new here than the guy lying on the floor? That was a bit strange. "I am."
"I swear, Griffin." Dick looked past me to the bear shifter and shook his head. "We've got to do something about this. Obviously, people are growing more wary of letting residents out of Shadow City, and now you’re trying to get me to promote letting people in. That’s such a horrible idea for this reason here. Yet another attack targeting wolves."
"There's nothing we can do about it even if I wanted to undo Dad’s decision." Griffin kept his attention on me. "The entire council voted, and there was a majority."
My brain struggled to catch up. Nothing they were saying made sense. "You're part of a council?"
"Yes, he is," Luna said and stepped over, placing a hand on Griffin's shoulder. "He's the alpha of Shadow City."
Laughter almost bubbled out of me. This had to be some sort of sick joke. From what I'd seen, he was more interested in getting into various women's pants than being a leader. Maybe his goal was to be a lead douchebag?
Griffin stepped away from Luna, making her hand fall. He cleared his throat. "My dad was the alpha, and he passed away right before the college was built. The alpha power and title fell to me, but Dick has gracefully stepped forward to help lead the city while I attend college and get my priorities in order."
Things clicked into place, and I groaned. I hadn't realized that I'd been holding out hope that Shadow City’s new alpha would be my ally. Griffin wouldn't help me. At least, I understood why Luna wanted him and was willing to do whatever it took to lock him down. Hell, almost no one would turn him down. From what Dad said, the city had become the home of some of the strongest supernaturals he’d ever seen, and Atticus had been a beacon of power. If that was the case, that meant that Griffin was one of the most powerful wolves in the world, and snagging him would set his mate up for life.
Killian squatted next to the bear shifter and dug through his pockets. "He has no ID on him or anything."
"That's consistent. It has to be so no one can identify the attackers if something goes wrong." Dick sighed, but it seemed…off.
What he said had merit, but for some reason, I didn't buy it. This bear was cocky. He’d honestly thought he had me. He wouldn't think to leave his stuff in his car or wherever, so there had to be another reason he carried no ID. I kept my mouth shut, though, since I wasn’t alone with Killian.
"Harold." Dick faced the front of the restaurant and clapped. "Take this jackass who attacked this poor girl to Shadow City jail. He's been roughed up enough, so try not to injure him much more. We need him to be able to talk."
A dark olive wolf shifter about Killian's height appeared and walked past us but avoided eye contact. He bent down, picked up the injured bear, and headed straight out the exit door.
He was gone within seconds like he couldn't stand to be near us or was scared. So strange.
"I'm impressed that you handled him without getting injured." Dick tightened his black tie as he addressed Killian and Griffin, ignoring my presence. "And thank God there are no other customers. That could've been a publicity nightmare."
"Actually, Dove took the guy out on her own." Sierra smirked and gestured to me. "Griffin and Killian didn't make it in time."
"Are you serious?'’ Dick’s gaze landed on me, making my skin crawl. "That's interesting. "
His negative energy nearly stole my breath. But I couldn't afford to alert him to that little fact. Dad had told me that at some point in my life, I'd meet someone truly evil. And that I couldn't let on that I could sense their darkness because it was a trait only silver wolves had. If I gave away my reaction, I could put not only myself in danger but the people I cared about. Granted, at this time, the total of people I cared about had dwindled to one—Killian. But I had to continue to play the game until I had a royal flush. Only then could I reveal my hand. "What can I say?" I forced my words to sound light, and I smiled. If my gut hadn't warned me, I would've thought he was concerned. "I believe that everyone should know how to protect themselves. Had I not been trained, this situation could've gone an extremely different way."
"So true." He smiled. "Even though men are normally the guards, not the women."
My skin crawled from his creepy-ass smile. Not only that, but he’d chastised me yet somehow managed to make it not sound too judgy. So he was the worst kind of villain—a manipulator—which meant Killian and Griffin were clueless. "In this particular instance, it's a good thing I didn't need a man, or he would've had me out the door." I refused to cower like Dick wanted.
Something unreadable crossed Dick’s face before his features smoothed back into place. "Well, I should probably get back to Shadow City. I'd planned on working the books here for a little while today, but that obviously won't be happening."
"I'll go with you," Griffin said as his forehead lined. He scanned me before looking at Killian. "And why don't you take her somewhere safe?" His voice held concern, which shocked me.
"That's a good idea." Killian wrapped an arm around my shoulders and gestured to the exit. "Do you mind if we leave this way?"
"Sure." Dick waved him off, but his shoulders tensed. He turned to Griffin. "Stay here with Luna and have lunch. I can handle the attacker."
"No, I'll go with you." Griffin narrowed his eyes. "Technically, it’s my place, not yours. And he attacked my best friend’s g—" He cut off like he couldn’t say the word and inhaled sharply. "Dove. He attacked Dove right in front of us. That's equivalent to him giving me the middle finger. I want to hear what he has to say."
"But—" Dick started.
Luna touched her dad's arm. "It's a good thing he wants—"
He cut her off with a glare. "Obviously, I can't tell you no, but I think it would be more prudent for you to stay here and enjoy a meal."
Griffin pursed his lips as he considered Dick's words.
"Yes." Dick blatantly didn't want Griffin to go with him, to the point where he was openly discouraging it. "Having lunch is so much more important than attending to alpha duties," I said sweetly as I smiled and batted my eyelashes.
"Don't worry, I'm not ready to step in permanently." Griffin straightened. "But like I said, he attacked her right in front of me, almost like a dare. One day, I will take back the role full time, and I need to show everyone I won’t take any bullshit."
"Come on." Killian took my hand and opened the back door. "We'll see you guys later."
I let him pull me out the door, but I didn't want to leave. Dick was attempting to make Griffin stand down, and for whatever reason, Griffin had almost allowed it. If I hadn't butted in, I had a feeling he would have lost his nerve. But if Griffin was the true alpha and he wanted to be part of the interrogation, it wasn't Dick's place to tell him no or discourage him.
"You okay?" Killian asked, leading me to his truck.
"Yeah, why?" I focused on Killian. Everything inside me was telling me to go back to Griffin, which I didn’t understand. The sensation tugged and itched inside me almost to the point of being overwhelming. He had some sort of hold on me, and I didn’t like it one bit.
"Let's see, you went up against Dick." He chuckled. "And you were attacked."
"What is Dick’s problem?" I tried to sound casual, but I desperately wanted to know.
"Well, he hates a woman talking back to him, but he's a good guy other than that." Killian opened the passenger door. "When Atticus died, the entire wolf pack in Shadow City landed on Griffin’s shoulders. He was seventeen. My pack is large, around eight hundred wolves, but he’s alpha, not only over the six hundred who live in Shadow City—but he also represents the over fifteen hundred various shifters who live outside. Not only did all the responsibility land on him, but he was grieving for his father while still learning to be a man, just like me. Dick offered to be his proxy. He's taken on a lot of the alpha responsibilities to let Griffin have a semi-normal college experience before Dick hands the reins back to him. That’s why Griffin is majoring in political science, preparing for his inevitable role."
So that was the angle the older man was working. I had a gut feeling he had no intention of handing the power back to Griffin. “Is Griffin not your alpha too?” If Killian’s pack were the ones protecting the city, it’d make sense that they were connected.
He chuckled. “No. With us living outside, we have our own pack. It works better that way. Besides, if we didn’t, then we’d have to get approval from the council for any decisions we—or rather, I—make. It’s easiest to stay separate.”
"I see. And why didn't you tell me who Griffin was?" That kind of burned, but I didn't have a right to be upset. We'd known each other for only a day, and I had a ton of secrets that I hadn’t shared with him. I slid into my seat.
"Because Griffin would rather pretend no one knows, though that’s truly impossible." He pulled at his ear. I realized it was a sign that he was uncomfortable. “That kind of role isn’t one you can hide from.”
“What’s going on with the attacks? It sounded like there was more to the bear shifter attacking me today.” Maybe today’s attack on me was coincidental, but that seemed convenient. Something about the whole thing bothered me.
Killian tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “Ever since Shadow City began to open back up and the college was built, there’s been at least one attack a month on wolves. We think it’s because Atticus was the one who headed the charge.” He shrugged. “Either way, your best bet is to stick with me, especially since you've been attacked twice in two days."
“I thought Shadow City was a place of refuge. How did it become so volatile?” That was the missing piece that I couldn’t get a handle on.
“From what Griffin had told me one drunken night, that had been the intent, but they started recruiting powerful beings and approving only the strongest to move there before the border shut down.” He shrugged. “I didn’t push for more information, but essentially, only the strongest of the races were allowed into the city.”
So much hidden history. But it wasn’t my problem. I had something more pressing on my mind. "I need clothes." I lifted the skirt material. "This isn't cutting it. I need jeans so I can carry my knife around. I hate to ask, but can you cover me until I get my first paycheck?"
"Normally, I would argue with you, but after today, I won't." He pouted. "So I guess that means I'm taking you shopping."
The rest of the day flew by, despite me looking over my shoulder at all times, expecting to be jumped again. I'd gotten two pairs of jeans, a few shirts, a pair of tennis shoes, and boots at a local thrift store, so tomorrow I'd feel more like myself.
Once my new-to-me stuff was washed, I put it away and then paced around the small bedroom. It was almost eleven at night, and I was restless. My wolf was edgy, not having a pack, and that damn tug was working at me again. I’d been waiting for Killian to settle in for the night so I could head out to the backyard and stand in the moonlight for a few minutes. The moon always seemed to soothe my soul and spoke to my wolf in a way that was almost inexplicable. It wasn’t nearly as effective as running in animal form, but it would help ease the turmoil brimming within.
As quietly as possible, I opened my door and creeped out to the back porch. Low mumblings from the television from Killian’s room informed me he was already in bed. My heart slowed as a sense of calm settled over me. I needed to be alone. He and I had been together all day, and even though I enjoyed his company, I needed space to function properly.
I slipped down the brick steps and around the concrete pool area until my feet touched the grass on the side of the yard. I lifted my face to the moon, feeling a little bit of its power wash over me. Even though it was a trickle compared to a full moon, it was enough to make my blood buzz.
That was when I heard the snap of a branch. I tensed.
I wasn't alone.