Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Once Julius’s fingers bit into my arm, our connection strengthened and snapped between us even more. I tried not to focus on that, which was easier than it might have been, because I was damn tired of being manhandled. The raw rage hit me so hard that my skin began to tingle, alerting me to how close I was to shifting. I had to force myself to stay passive so I could surprise them when I needed to. I might have been stronger than any one of them, but even with the full moon’s charge, taking down six men would be a challenge.
"But I thought the moon—" Hyena’s face scrunched in confusion, making him resemble a bulldog.
"Apparently, they don’t care," Julius bit as he dragged me to the stairs. "They say they’re prepared and can handle her. They want to bring her to some witch to cut the mate bond before that alpha dumbass gets a read on her." Something like hesitation wafted off him.
The bond between us grew stronger, almost in pace with the moon charging through our blood. A warm spot in my chest formed, but not completely—almost as if something hindered it. The silver moon amplified all our magic, including the link we now had with one another. Whether Julius and I wanted to face the truth about our connection or not, the choice was being taken from us.
Fate always forced her hand.
I used to think that it was poetic. That destiny was mapped out for us. That our lives served a specific purpose. Some wolves liked to complain about their decisions being predetermined by a manipulative bitch—their job, their ranking, their mate—but I refused to think of it that way.
In my mind, fate knew the decisions I would make…almost like foresight. They were my decisions—she just helped solidify the plan for me.
A helping hand.
But for the first time ever, I understood the manipulative bitch sentiment. Because I would’ve never chosen my pack being slaughtered, my potentially dead brother still being alive, and a constant threat that wanted to ruin my mate bond and use me for their own corrupt desires.
His hand gripped my arm harder, like he wanted to virtually cut the connection off at my skin. Under normal circumstances, I’d have been pissed, but right now, I welcomed the pain. It helped me focus on something other than our bond and my anger.
In other words, it kept my wolf in check.
"Follow me." Julius snapped his fingers with his free hand. "I want all of you up there in case something goes down. Those idiots who are picking her up aren’t trained, and there’s no telling if they were followed. Another reason they were supposed to wait until tomorrow."
Some of my anxiety ebbed. At least Carter might not be blamed for Killian and Griffin following me. After all, he was only trying to protect his family.
"Angus, take the lead." Julius gestured at Hyena. "Make sure nothing looks funny. The others are probably running their mouths instead of keeping an eye out."
"Yes, sir." He walked in front of me and took the stairs two at a time.
He was an eager one. He must be hoping for a fight. Men like that enjoyed the rush that only fists could achieve and looked forward to inflicting harm on others.
Silver wolves naturally sought out peaceful solutions to conflict. We chose war only when absolutely necessary.
Well, every silver wolf I knew besides Julius. But that glimmer of light inside of him had to be the ways of the silver wolf attempting to influence him.
"Get your ass up those stairs now," he said threateningly. "Or I’ll push you up them."
"Shouldn’t he come too?" I gestured to Randall.
He pushed me toward the stairs. "No. Now move."
Dammit. I had to think of a way to get Randall out of the basement, but nothing was coming to me.
At least, I could tell that my growing connection with Julius was getting to him. I could sense a portion of his feelings. Not like I could with Griffin, but stronger than a pack bond. Hell, I had no clue what was happening. But the more unsure Julius felt, the edgier he became, which meant he was unpredictable.
And dangerous.
Unpredictability was the thing Dad taught me to be wary of the most. Opponents like that were either unsure how they felt or were completely unhinged. Sometimes, they were one and the same.
I had a feeling Julius was the latter. He wanted to keep his emotions in check, and right now, they were riding a tidal wave, pulling him under.
A feeling I understood all too well—but I had my father’s teachings whispering in my mind. He anchored me even in death. Who knew whose teachings were going through Julius’s head.
Rosemary killed the crow, so we’re making our way in right now. Griffin had a calmness to him that I hadn’t felt since last night. We ’ re getting your ass in the car and taking you home.
Ah... Taking action appeased him. I put a foot on the first step, moving slowly but steadily. I didn’t want to stall so much that I made Julius suspicious, but I wanted to give Griffin and the others as much time as possible to reach me. If Julius got me into the next car, there’d be no going back.
I could feel it in my bones.
Deaths would be rampant, and the thought of who might be willing to die to save me didn’t sit well in my stomach. If anything happened to Griffin, it would kill me. Even injury or death to Killian, Sierra, and Rosemary would hurt like losing a pack member.
All of those walls I’d been determined to keep intact had crumbled all around me. Not only had I let Griffin in, but the other three as well.
Julius huffed. "Get your ass moving, now ." He shoved between my shoulder blades, forcing me to fall forward. My hands were still cuffed behind me, so my chin hit the steps; the pain shot through my jaw and teeth. I had to get out of these handcuffs. I’d been moving my fingers constantly, trying to help keep my blood flowing. Being able to move my hands comfortably to fight as soon as I broke free would be necessary for our survival.
The copper taste of blood filled my mouth, making the smell twice as strong. My stomach roiled as I got on my knees and slowly stood again. "You push me like that one more time, and I’ll kick your ass." Just because he couldn’t handle our connection didn’t mean he got to be a bigger bully and asshole than he already was. I could be complaisant, but I refused to be his punching bag.
"Oh, really?" He snorted. "What are you going to do about it?"
Yeah, okay. I was close to the top of the stairs, and he was being cocky as hell. Please tell me you guys are ready. I ’ m about to kick someone ’ s ass.
What do you mean? Anger laced each one of Griffin’s words.
Forcing myself not to turn, I took another step toward the main floor. There were only three steps left until I reached the top, and the front door was only about twenty-five feet from there. I could be outside in less than a minute. How long until you get here? I didn’t have time to answer all his questions. It was time for action.
We ’ re almost there. Killian and Rosemary are taking out two wolves who were running the perimeter. Sierra and I are coming through the woods in front of the house. A Suburban just arrived with at least four additional guards.
Okay, so they were pretty much in position. None of the wolves here were alarmed, which meant the two Rosemary and Killian were attacking either weren’t part of the same pack or they’d taken them down before they could alert anyone. Either option was fine with me as long as no one was aware that an attack had already begun. I ’ m kicking ass, starting now. I ’ ll be running out the front door soon.
I spun around and kicked Julius in the stomach, channeling my wolf and alpha power.
His eyes widened in shock as he fell backward. He reminded me of a bowling ball taking down pins as he tumbled against the guards behind him. All five of them slammed down the stairs, and I pivoted toward the door, taking the last three stairs in one leap.
As I landed on the main floor, I tugged power from the moon and jerked apart my wrists, shattering the handcuffs that had bound me.
"How the hell did you do that?" Hyena's mouth dropped as he stared at the shattered metal on the ground.
"A full moon is rising." I gestured out the window where the moon peeked between the trees. It was twilight, just when the sun and the moon swapped spotlights.
The dumbass turned to see if I spoke the truth, turning his back to me.
Maybe these guys weren’t as well trained as I thought. That would be beneficial.
I charged at him before he could spin back around, elbowing him hard on the neck. He dropped and grasped his neck in pain.
However, he didn’t go down as I’d hoped. Instead, he rolled his neck like he was working out a kink and lowered his body. Then he ran straight at me.
Hunkering down, I braced for impact. I forced myself to wait until he was about a foot away before moving into action; I didn’t want to give away my plan. I pivoted, bringing up my leg and then snapping my foot out to kick him in the stomach. His weight almost knocked me over, but my wolf surged, harnessing my strong magic. His body flew into the wall behind him, and he dropped, groaning.
Footsteps raced up the stairs toward me. Now I had to get the hell out of here. I swung the front door open and paused.
Six men turned toward me. Frosted Tips, Scrawny, and four new enemies dressed like the men who’d attacked my pack that day. All in black and with ski masks.
Scrawny blinked and shook his head. "That shouldn’t be possible."
"Well, it is, dickwad," Frosted Tips growled. He grabbed a pistol from his back pocket and pointed the barrel at me. "But it ends now. One wrong move, and I’ll shoot your ass." He shook his head as he chuckled. "Dumb bitch."
Rosemary swooped silently into view and dove toward Frosted Tips.
She was going to be able to attack before they saw her.
A shriek filled the air as Rosemary caught Frosted Tips and lifted him into the sky.
"They’ve found her!" the shortest of the four new additions yelled, his voice sounding like a toddler’s. "Everyone get your guns!"
Every single one of these idiots liked to state the obvious—like, if they didn’t say it out loud, no one would know what to do. No wonder they’d had to surprise-attack my pack in the middle of the day of a new moon cycle with machine guns in order to win. We would have slaughtered them otherwise.
"Put me down!" Frosted Tips yelled. They were at least a hundred yards high at that point.
"Gladly." Rosemary retorted, and released him.
The phrase "he screamed like a girl" had never made much sense to me until this moment. The bear shifter sounded like a five-year-old throwing a tantrum over a Barbie doll.
A sickening crack sounded as Frosted Tip’s body made impact. It bounced a little and a thump sounded as the body caved in on itself. Blood spilled from his mouth and eyes, but his death had been immediate. There was no sound of a heartbeat.
I’d never seen anything more disgusting in my life.
"Holy shit," a taller guy in black said, his voice so deep it sounded like a bass guitar.
A gunshot rang out, and Toddler Boy in black grunted as he dropped. Blood puddled under his head from where he’d been shot between the eyes.
The other three men in black pulled guns from their holsters. This was going to be another bloodbath—the very thing I’d hoped to prevent by coming here. Obviously, good intentions didn’t matter. Death was inevitable whenever I was involved.
Julius and the four men from the basement barreled out the front door with their guns already in hand. Hyena gimped after them, rubbing his neck and the back of his head with his face fixed in a grimace. His pupils were dilated, meaning he had a concussion.
Once again, we were outnumbered, which seemed to be the norm lately.
Another shot made its mark as Bass Guitar moaned and clutched his shoulder. The bullet hadn’t landed a kill shot, and I guessed it must have come from Killian or Sierra.
"Get her now," Julius screamed and pointed at me. "Make sure she stays alive, or all of our asses are toast."
If I could make it to the woods, I would be able to shift and be more helpful. But Julius’s four men ran right at me as the three remaining black-clothed guards shot back at my friends.
Julius lifted his gun skyward, pointing at Rosemary.
Normally, I’d have been worried, but I remembered from that night in the woods that Rosemary was able to use her wings to shield us from bullets. She would be fine; it was the others I had to worry about. These men didn’t care about killing them.
Griffin, Killian, and Sierra kept shooting, distracting all but Twitcher.
Twitcher made the first move, swinging a punch aimed for my face. I dropped and spun, kicking him in the stomach.
Stumbling back, he gripped his middle and his nostrils flared.
Solo moved to attack, but Twitcher rasped, "Stand down. She’s mine." His breathing became labored as he straightened and took slow, deliberate strides toward me. "You’re going to pay for that," he threatened.
"Come at me," I smirked, channeling my crazed side. "Back up those idle threats with some worthy action," I wanted to make him mad and embarrassed that a woman had mocked him. Taking him down would be so much sweeter.
"Keep it up," he spat. "I’m going to make you beg for forgiveness."
"Oh, wait." I’d always thought Dad had exaggerated the standard male alpha elitist, as if trying to purposely enrage me. The sad truth was he hadn’t at all. We were stuck in an old hierarchy where women were expected to submit and obey. Boy, did I have a lesson to teach them all. "You kidnapped me and held me against my will, and I’m supposed to be the one who begs?" I lifted my hand and gestured for him to come on. "Bring it, prick, so I can put you in your place. But unlike me, you’ll be crying for mercy. Don’t waste your breath asking for forgiveness."
Gunshots fired, and the three guys in black ran toward the tree line, while Scrawny turned and ran down the driveway toward the main road.
Julius shot at Rosemary, and as expected, she blocked the bullets, but couldn’t get any closer since she had to use her wings for protection and not flying.
Unfortunately, the angle of the house and our positions meant my allies didn’t have a clear shot at Julius or the four assholes surrounding me.
I was on my own. At least, for now. I had to figure out a way to give us the advantage—but we were outgunned. I needed to take down these four clowns so I could help the others.
Leftie was at least three times my size. He hissed and ran toward me, no doubt planning to use the force of his weight against me. There was no room for error. One misstep, and he’d have me right where he wanted me.