Chapter Nine #2
“We’ll pick up where we left off when I return.”
“Okay.” Sonny licked his lips, staring hungrily at Reese’s mouth. For a heartbeat Reese considered taking his mate upstairs for a quickie, but Grayson cleared his throat.
“We need to get moving, survey the layout before nightfall.”
Sonny was making it hard to leave. It took sheer willpower to step back from his mate. Not only because of lust, but the fear creeping back into his bunny’s eyes.
“Zeppelin sent some pack members to watch over the house while were gone,” Grayson said. “Our mates won’t be left unprotected.”
Reese was glad the wolf alpha took the situation seriously. Zeppelin cared about the residents, and if a mate was in danger, would offer whatever was needed.
The group headed toward the door, their movements synchronized from years of working together. Reese followed, his bear already pushing at his skin. The need to shift was overwhelming, his beast ready to hunt.
“Reese.” Sonny’s voice stopped him at the threshold.
His mate stood in the middle of the living room, surrounded by dogs and blankets, looking small and scared and so desperately brave. “Please be careful. We need you come back to us.”
The plea made something fierce and protective surge through Reese. His mate needed him alive, needed him to come back whole. That was all the motivation required.
“I will.” The words were a promise, a vow. “Lock the doors. Don’t open them for anyone except us. Take care of our kids while I’m gone.” He winked.
“Kids?” Colton sounded confused. “Should I even ask?”
“The dogs, genius,” Malik replied. “He’s talking about Hercules and Delilah.”
Colton glanced at the dogs standing at Sonny’s side then shrugged. “Cute kids. They look just like you, Reese.”
“Thanks.” If Reese said something smart, that would only encourage Colton to tease him further. “They also got a beautiful dad, too.”
Sonny looked as if he’d melt on the spot. “Aw. That’s so sweet, teddy bear.”
Reese’s eyes widened, then he gave a throaty growl. “Call me that when I have you naked and under me, honey bunny.”
“Jesus.” Malik shoved at Reese’s arm. “Stop flirting and get moving or we’ll never leave in time.”
Ryan moved to Sonny’s side, a united stance of mates. The human understood what was happening, understood the necessity since he’d dealt with the hyenas not so long ago. He slid his arm around Sonny, gesturing for them to go already.
Pivoting, Reese forced one foot in front of the other, hating to leave his bunny.
He stepped outside and pulled the door closed behind him. The evening air was cool, carrying the scent of the mountains.
The group walked to Grayson’s truck, their footsteps silent on the grass. Reese’s hands flexed at his sides. The wait until full darkness was going to feel like forever, every minute dragging. But stealth required the cover of night to move unseen.
They drove in silence, the truck’s engine a low rumble. Reese sat in the back seat, his body too large for the space, his knees pressed against the seat in front of him.
The industrial district gradually appeared, buildings growing larger as they approached and more run-down. Many of the streetlights were broken or burned out. Graffiti covered walls, making the whole area feel abandoned by the town.
Grayson pulled the truck into an alley three blocks from the warehouse. The engine died, plunging them into relative quiet. Sounds filtered in from the distance—traffic, a police siren, the hum of humanity going about its business. But here, in this forgotten corner, shit felt isolated.
“On foot from here,” Grayson quietly announced. “Stay together until we reach the warehouse then spread out. Malik, you got the roof. Colton, side entrance. Reese and I will take the front. Heads on a swivel. You ladies know the drill.”
The plan was simple and efficient. Reese had participated in a lot of raids, but this one was personal. Not a raid. It was an execution.
They exited the truck and moved into the shadows.
The pavement was cracked and uneven, weeds pushing through like desperate fingers.
Reese avoided broken glass and debris, keeping their approach silent.
Abandoned buildings loomed on either side, their glassless windows staring like hollow eye sockets.
The warehouse appeared ahead, a massive structure of corrugated metal and concrete. High above, yellow light leaked from dirty windows, and with it, the murmur of voices. Just a handful. The calm before their storm.
That peace wouldn’t last once they breached the perimeter.
None of them were sure if a fight was scheduled, but if one was, it wouldn’t be the violence they anticipated. Reese would kill every last one of them to protect the animals. It was what he’d signed up for. Rescuing dogs and killing as many traffickers as possible.
The hyena who’d gambled with Sonny and the dogs lives was about to learn what true fear felt like.
The team halted two buildings away, scenting the air and scanning their surroundings.
Then they moved as one unit, stalking through the industrial wasteland. The scent of hyenas was strong here. What nauseated Reese was the stench of blood and fear and violence.
Malik split off first, scaling the fire escape without making a sound. He disappeared onto the roof as Colton positioned himself near the side entrance, becoming part of the growing shadows.
The entrance was guarded by two hyenas in human form, both holding weapons that gleamed dully in the sparse light. They were talking, distracted, confident in their ability to guard the place. They never saw Reese and Grayson until it was too late.
Grayson snapped the first guar’s neck, then dragged him out of sight.
Reese took the second guard before he could raise his weapon, slamming his massive weight into the hyena, the impact hard enough to dent the surface of the exterior wall.
The man’s ribs shattered under the force, his lungs punctured.
Reese used his claws and canines, tearing flesh from bone, but not before the son of a bitch shouted.
Motherfuck. So much for stealth.
The warehouse door crashed open as hyenas flooded out, some clutching weapons in human hands, others already on four legs. Their cackles had vanished, replaced by the low, threatening sounds of predators preparing to kill.
Reese shifter, his bear roaring as it emerged, the sound reverberating off the metal walls. His massive paws carried him forward, closing the distance between him and the nearest hyena. His jaws closed around its skull, crushing bone with a sickening crunch.
Two more hyenas rushed him from the left. Reese twisted, using his size to his advantage. His paw caught the first one across the face, claws tearing through flesh and muscle. It tried to scream but only managed a wet gurgle before collapsing.
The second hyena got in close, its jaws snapping at Reese’s throat.
Teeth scraped across his fur but couldn’t find purchase.
Reese dropped his weight onto the creature, using his mass to pin it to the concrete.
The hyena thrashed underneath him, its claws raking across Reese’s side.
Pain bloomed hot and immediate, but his bear barely registered it.
Reese’s jaws found the hyena’s throat and tore it out. The creature’s struggles weakened then stopped entirely. Reese released him and turned toward the next threat.
Grayson was a golden blur of violence, his lion tearing through hyenas with ruthless efficiency.
Blood matted his mane, made his coat slick and dark.
Three bodies lay at his paws, their forms twisted and broken.
A fourth hyena tried to flee, but Grayson’s jaws closed around its back leg, dragging it down.
The crack of breaking bone echoed across the pavement.
Movement on the roof caught Reese’s attention.
Malik, in cheetah form, was perched above the warehouse entrance, picking off hyenas trying to escape through the upper windows.
Bodies fell from the roof, hitting the concrete with wet thuds.
The cheetah’s speed made Malik nearly impossible to track, a golden streak against the dark sky.
Colton emerged from the shadows, his panther dragging a dead hyena by its throat. He dropped it onto the growing pile and turned back toward the side entrance.
More were inside.
More needed to die.
Reese entered through the front door, his bear’s senses overwhelmed by the stench of the place.
Blood and terror and unwashed bodies. Fighting rings took up most of the warehouse floor, makeshift arenas surrounded by chain-link fencing.
Empty cages lined the walls, stained with dried blood and other fluids Reese didn’t want to identify.
This was where they’d kept the dogs. It was most likely the same setup where Delilah and Hercules were forced to fight for entertainment. The thought made Reese’s rage burn hotter, made his bear thirst for more blood.
A hyena charged from the left, wielding a metal pipe. The weapon caught Reese across the shoulder, pain exploding through his front leg. His bear stumbled, momentarily off balance. The hyena raised the pipe for another strike.
Not happening, asshole.
Reese’s jaws closed around the man’s arm before the blow could land.
He bit down hard, crushing bones like dry twigs.
The pipe clattered to the floor. The hyena screamed, trying to pull away, but Reese’s canines were locked in.
He shook his head violently, the way a dog would shake a toy, only this toy lost his arm.
The hyena fell backward, his high and panicked screams echoing off the warehouse walls. Reese stepped over him, leaving the man to bleed out on the concrete.
There were more important targets.
Three hyenas were in the far corner. Reese’s claws raked across the first hyenas belly, spilling guts onto the concrete.
The second hyena, its spotted coat bristling with aggression, lunged at Reese, jaws snapping at his throat. Reese caught it mid-leap, his larger mass slamming the creature into the chain-link fence. The metal bent under the impact. The hyena’s ribs cracked, its breathing going ragged.
The hyenas had wanted to see a fight. Reese was gladly giving them one. Minus innocent dogs. Just a bear on a warpath, eliminating multiple threats.
How does it feel being the main event for once?
His jaws found the back of the hyena’s head and crushed down.. He released the creature, and it slid down the fence, eyes unmoving.
The third hyena tried to run. Not tonight. Reese caught it before it made it three steps, dragging the creature backward. It clawed at the concrete in a futile attempt to escape. Reese ended the struggle. Permanently.
The warehouse was quiet. Reese stood in the center of the carnage, sides heaving with exertion. Blood covered surfaces, pooling on the concrete, bodies scattered across the floor.
Grayson padded through the entrance, his lion form equally covered in blood. Colton and Malik joined them moments later. The silence was absolute.
A door at the back of the warehouse creaked open. The bastard who’d come to the house, who’d tried to kill him and Sonny, stood there with a gun clutched in one hand.
The weapon fired. The sound was deafening in the enclosed space. Pain exploded in Reese’s shoulder. His bear stumbled, but the hyena fired again, the second shot catching Reese in the side.
Grayson roared and charged. The hyena swung the gun toward the lion, but Colton was faster. The panther’s sleek form tackled the hyena from the side, both of them crashing into the wall. The gun skittered across the floor, forgotten.
Hell no. This was Reese’s kill.
He forced himself forward, despite the pain radiating from his wounds.
The guy shifted, his hyena form larger and more muscular than the rest.
He was the alpha. The one in charge of the operation.
The alpha faced off against Colton, jaws snapping, claws raking. The panther was faster, but the hyena was stronger. They circled each other, both looking for an opening.
Reese hit the alpha from behind, his full weight driving the hyena to the floor. Bones cracked under the impact. The alpha tried to twist around, tried to get his jaws into position, but Reese’s teeth were already at his throat.
The hyena’s struggles weakened with the loss of blood. His eyes, wild with rage, found Reese’s. There was recognition, understanding that this was the end. That he’d pushed too far, threatened the wrong shifter’s mate.
Reese’s jaws tightened. The struggles finally stopped. The light faded from the hyena’s eyes. Reese held on for several more seconds, making sure the kill was complete, before releasing him.
The warehouse was silent except for the sound of four predators breathing. At least twelve hyenas dead. Maybe more. Reese’s bear didn’t care about the exact count. All that mattered was the threat was eliminated.
Grayson shifted back to human form. “That’s all of them. The ones who ran the fights, the ones who came after Sonny. They won’t be a problem anymore.”
Somehow Reese doubted that. There was always someone willing to take over.
Reese shifted, the bullet wounds on the mend. A few more hours in his animal form and he would be fully healed.. His body ached from the fight, muscles protesting, but the satisfaction burning through him made the discomfort irrelevant.
His mate was safe from the hyenas he’d worked for. Anyone else who came after Sonny would meet the same fate.
Reese looked around the warehouse one final time, thankful for the absence of dogs. They’d lost their prize fighters and clearly hadn’t replaced Hercules and Delilah yet.
They left through the main entrance, four naked men walking through the industrial district. The night air was cool against Reese’s skin, raising goosebumps across his arms and legs.
The walk back felt longer than the approach had been. Adrenaline was fading, leaving exhaustion in its wake. His steps were steady but slower than usual, his focus narrowing to the simple act of moving forward.
Streetlights cast orange pools across the cracked pavement. Trash crunched under bare feet, the sharp edges of pebbles biting into skin. The air smelled like exhaust and rotting garbage, scents that Reese couldn’t wait to get away from.
His thoughts had already turned toward home, toward Sonny waiting with the dogs. His mate would be worried, probably pacing the living room, checking the windows every few minutes.
The truck appeared ahead, exactly where they’d left it. Grayson pulled spare clothes from a storage compartment in the bed, tossing items to each of them. Reese pulled on jeans and a shirt, his movements stiff.
The drive back was silent. Grayson navigated through empty streets, heading toward the residential area where safety and home waited.
Reese stared out the window, watching the town pass by.
Lights in windows showed families settling in for the night, completely unaware of the violence that had just occurred blocks away.
Grayson pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. The house was lit up, every window glowing. Ryan appeared on the porch before they’d even exited the truck, his expression shifting from worry to relief when he saw them all intact.
Reese headed for the door, his body moving on autopilot. His mind was already inside, already reaching for his mate.
Sonny stood in the entryway, his hazel eyes scanning Reese from head to toe, taking in the blood stains, exhaustion probably evident in every line of his body. His mate fell into his arms. Reese held his bunny close, as Sonny murmured that he was thankful Reese had made it back alive.