Chapter 29
After Dylon landed outside the Alpha Ghost Bear’s house, he checked to make sure each of his team members had made the trip without problems. Although cloaked from the view of outsiders, they were still visible to each other.
Spotting one of the Alpha’s enforcers, Dylon pointed to a copse of trees and bushes nearby, leading his team there.
Pointing at an enforcer standing guard at the back door of the house, he said, “He won’t see us, but he’s bound to see the door opening by itself. ”
“I can ghost walk two people through the door without alerting him,” Zane said.
“It’ll take too long,” Glenn murmured. “Give me a minute, and he’ll be sleeping like a baby.
” After receiving a nod from Dylon, he walked over, circled the guard until he was behind him and then pressed hard on the carotid artery pulsing in the enforcer’s neck, rendering him unconscious within seconds.
Picking up the limp guard, he carried him over to the team and dropped him on the ground.
“He won’t wake up for a couple of hours,” Glenn said. “That should be enough time for you.”
Dylon looked down at the unconscious man, then up at Glenn. “That’s a neat trick. Did the agency teach you that?”
“Nope…I learned from an old shifter in the mountains of Mongolia.”
“Right…okay. Zane, you’re up next,” Dylon said.
“C’mon, Sawyer,” Zane murmured before heading to the back door. Once there, he looked over at his cousin and said, “Take my hand and on the count of three, walk straight ahead…okay?”
“That’s it?”
“Yup…one, two, three.”
Sawyer closed his eyes and walked forward just as Zane instructed. It was the weirdest sensation he’d ever experienced. While his brain knew there was a door blocking him, he felt nothing moving forward.
“You can open your eyes,” Zane said, chuckling.
Sawyer did so, blinking several times before looking over his shoulder at the solid door behind him. “Shit…that’s amazing!” he muttered.
“So is your ability to make me totally invisible,” Zane smirked. “Ready to find Wesley and Heather?”
Nodding, Sawyer approached a door to his left and opened it, finding only a pantry.
Closing it, he moved onto the next one and hit pay dirt.
Glancing at Zane, he said, “You better unlock the back door so the rest of them can come in. I’ll head down and locate Theo’s parents.
I’m pretty sure they need Mac’s help, cuz I can smell blood. ”
“On it,” Zane said, unlocking the door and opening it. Stepping out onto the small porch, he gestured for Dylon and the rest of the team to come in while saying, “Sawyer found them and is heading down to cloak them.”
“Let’s go, guys,” Dylon murmured, leading his team to the back door.
Following slowly, Glenn walked backward, his eyes scanning the area for any more enforcers.
Once the team was inside, he took up a position on the small porch where he had a clear view of the clearing behind the Alpha’s house.
Using his enhanced hearing, he located some enforcers who were near his location, but determined they weren’t a threat…
for the moment. Even if that changed, he doubted he’d need to shift unless any of them did; there were other ways to immobilize them.
Sawyer descended the old wooden steps slowly to avoid making any noise. The steps’ ability to hold his weight in their current condition surprised him. At the bottom, he found a cell containing two sleeping people inside, but hesitated to cloak them until Ollie identified who they were.
“Where’s Sawyer?” asked Dylon.
“Down there…in the basement,” Zane said, gesturing to the open door.
“Lead the way,” Dylon said.
Moving over to the basement door, Zane called out softly, “We’re coming down.”
“Hurry,” Sawyer replied. “I need Ollie right away.”
“You guys better go first,” Zane said to Mac, Ollie, and Colton. “They’ll need you if the smell of blood in the air is any indication.”
Standing at the top of the stairs, Mac peered down into the darkness below him, calling on his wolf’s eyes to see.
Spying Sawyer at the bottom, he proceeded down, followed by his mate and Colton, frowning at the smell that greeted him.
Blood wasn’t the only thing he smelled; urine and feces were mixed in along with dampness.
He’d bet that infectious mold covered the walls and wondered how such surroundings affected the health of the captives, especially their sense of smell.
Upon reaching Sawyer, Mac murmured, “Did you cloak them yet?”
“Uh-uh…I need Ollie…”
“Here I am,” Ollie said, moving next to his mate. “What do you want me to do?”
Pointing to the two inhabitants of the cell, Sawyer asked, “Do you know them?”
“Yeah, they’re Theo’s parents…Heather and Wesley.”
“Thanks,” Sawyer muttered, then silently saying the words required, he cloaked both of them. “Okay…it’s safe; you can go in.”
Mac yanked on the cell door, only to find it locked. “We need a key.”
“Here, let me try,” Dylon said. Grabbing the door, he pulled on it, but other than a loud rattling sound, nothing happened. “Fuck!”
“Hey, remember my cloaking won’t hide that noise,” Sawyer murmured.
“Yeah…we've got to find the key,” Dylon said quietly. “It’s probably hanging on a nail.” After several moments of searching, he had to admit defeat.
He concluded the key was with their jailer; it wasn’t anywhere in the basement.
Returning to the cell door, he studied it, looking for a weakness that would allow his strength to open it without noise.
“Damn. Zane, you'd better take Mac in using your power. I’m gonna make noise no matter what I do.”
“I can do two at a time, so who else do you want me to take?” asked Zane.
“Better take Colton,” Dylon replied.
“Got ya,” Zane said.
“Wait a minute!” Ollie stared at the lock for a moment before murmuring to Mac, “I can unlock it.”
“You know how to pick locks?” asked Dylon, glancing at Ollie.
“Uhmm…no, but…”
Mac stared at Ollie for a moment before he said, “Your gift. Right?”
“Uh-uh.”
Glancing at Dylon, Mac said, “Ollie has the gift of Silent Zephyr.”
Raising an eyebrow, Dylon exclaimed, “No shit!”
“You know what it is?” asked Mac.
“Sure do,” Dylon said. “Go ahead…it’ll be faster to get Heather and Wesley out of here if you can unlock the cell door.”
Nodding once, Ollie summoned his power, disappearing in an instant. Once he was in his zephyr form, he headed for the keyhole of the lock. Entering it, he increased the power of the wind, forcing the tumblers to fall into place. Then exiting, he reappeared next to Mac and said, “It’s open.”
Unsure whether to believe Ollie, Dylon grasped the door and pulled, grinning when it opened. “Fuckin’ A!, Ollie. Good on you!”
Shaking his head in astonishment, Mac grabbed his medical bag and walked inside the cell.
Stopping in front of the small bed, he studied his patients, deciding to examine Wesley first since he was closest. “Ollie,” he murmured, “see if you can wake up your uncle…seeing a face he knows will be easier on his body.”
Colton joined Mac on his other side and, after seeing Wesley close up, muttered, “He’s skin and bones. I don’t think he can shift even if he wanted to.”
Ollie bent down and shook his uncle’s shoulder tentatively, but when Wesley didn’t respond, he shook him harder. “Uncle Wes,” he said softly, “wake up…it’s me, Ollie. We’re here to take you and Aunt Heather home to Theo.”
Wesley growled at the interruption of his dream about the happy time he and his wife were having with their son.
It was too early for the Alpha to want them, so he moved closer to Heather, burying his nose in her hair.
Even in his sleep, her scent never failed to remind him of the day he first scented her, and from that moment on, he was smitten.
And now, years later, he was just as much in love with her as he had been then.
Sighing, he tightened his arms around her, pulling her close to him.
Ollie glanced at Mac. “He won’t wake up.”
“Let me,” Mac murmured, leaning down until his mouth was next to Wesley’s ear. Then, raising his voice, he yelled, “Wes…get up…your wife needs you.”
In a flash, Wesley shot up, his eyes wildly searching until they landed on Heather. “What the heck?” he muttered. Touching her gently, he was relieved to see she was still breathing. Closing his eyes, he lay back down, muttering to himself about bad dreams.
“Uncle Wes…it’s me, Ollie. Please look at me.”
“Ollie?” Wes muttered. “Where’s Theo?”
“He’s home, waiting for me to bring you and Aunt Heather back…please open your eyes,” Ollie said, lightly shaking his uncle’s shoulder.
His nephew’s voice seemed so real, yet Wesley was sure his mind was playing tricks on him, but if it was, it was a hell of a trick since he could feel Ollie’s hand on him. But that was impossible. There wasn’t any way Ollie could be in the cell with them.
“Wesley,” Mac ordered, “open your eyes. We have to get you and your wife out of here before dawn.”
Used to obeying, Wesley rolled onto his back and opened his eyes. Looking up, he saw a stranger leaning over him. “W-w-who are you?” he asked fearfully.
Pushing Mac aside, Ollie gazed down at his uncle, smiling. “Hey, Uncle…ready to come home?”
“Ollie? Is that really you?” Wes whispered. Then, after rubbing his eyes, he stared up at his nephew. “It is you. I thought you were a ghost.”
Chuckling, Ollie said, “Nope…not a ghost.” Then pointing to Mac, he said, “I want you to meet my mate, Mac. He’s a doctor and wants to examine you to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” Wesley growled, sitting up slowly, before shifting his gaze to the man standing next to his nephew. “My nephew’s mate, eh?”
“Yes sir,” Mac replied.
Pushing himself up off the bed, Wesley stood and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too,” Mac said. “Ollie has spoken so highly of you and your wife.”
Before Wes could respond, Dylon said, “Mac…time’s a ticking.”
Glancing at Dylon, Mac mouthed ‘sorry’ then turned his gaze back to Wesley. “I have a couple of questions…”
“Go ahead,” Wesley said.
“Are you and Heather able to shift?”
“No.” Wesley shook his head slowly. “The Alpha gives us a daily shot that prevents that.”
“When was the last time you or your wife shifted…that is, if you can remember?”
“A couple of weeks before the Alpha locked us up.”
“That was about five years ago?”
“Maybe…I don’t really know how much time has passed since it happened.”
“And finally, are you being held against your will?”
“Very much so,” Wes said. “The Alpha claims we sold Theo, but I don’t remember doing that…neither does my wife.”
“That’s okay,” Mac said. “Can you walk unaided? What about your wife…can she?”
“I can…but Heather tires easily, so I usually carry her.”
Nodding, Mac said, “I’m going to check your vitals first and then Heather’s, making sure your bodies can survive the trip back to the Blackwood Pack.”
“I don’t understand…why are you taking us there?” asked Wesley.
“That’s where I live,” Ollie said. “And Theo too.”
Wesley’s eyes lit up. “Theodore’s alive?”
“Yup, and wants to see you badly,” Olie replied.
Grasping his hands together, Wesley whispered, “The gods have answered my prayers.” Then he asked, “Is my son all right? He’s not hurt, is he?”
“No, he’s fine,” Mac murmured, placing the end of his stethoscope on Wesley’s chest. After listening to his heart, he moved it over and said, “Take a deep breath and let it out slowly.” After having Wesley do it several times, he said, “Good…
Ollie's gonna check your blood pressure while I examine your wife, okay?”
“I'd better wake her up, otherwise she might scream,” Wesley said, turning back to the bed. Sitting down, he lowered his mouth to her ear and murmured, “Wake up, darling…Ollie’s here and wants to see you.” When there wasn’t a response, Wesley shook her slightly and repeated himself, louder this time, but she still didn’t move.
Worried, he rolled her onto her back, and as her arm flopped down next to her, he feared something was dreadfully wrong.
His gaze shot to Mac’s. “She’s not waking up… she was okay when she went to sleep.”
Mac leaned down over Wesley and felt Heather’s neck for a pulse.
Alarmed when he found it to be weak and irregular, he barked, “Move!” Taking Wesley’s place, Mac checked Heather’s pupils for movement and when he couldn’t find any, he looked up at Colton.
“She’s dying, and I don’t have the equipment here to save her. ”
“Move aside,” Colton said. Then, once next to Heather, he placed his hand on her, feeling how cold she was.
Mac was right; she was dying. Calling on Archangel Raphael, he placed his fingers on her chest and felt a surge of power running through them and into her near-lifeless body.
A blinding green flash filled the air, lighting up the cell before it faded, prompting Colton to remove his fingers while waiting for a sign that they’d been successful at reviving her.
“What did he do?” Wesley asked, his voice filled with fear.
“He’s saving Aunt Heather,” Ollie murmured, staring down at her. He’d never heard of Raphael’s Power until Mac had explained it to him, and if his mate was right, it was what miracles were all about.
It took several minutes before Colton could see Heather’s face begin to pink up from the deathly pallor it had been before he used his power.
Now, it was only a matter of time until she regained consciousness.
Standing, he looked at Wesley and said, “Better sit down…she’s gonna be frightened when she opens her eyes and sees a bunch of strangers staring at her. ”
Wes did as Colton suggested. Gazing at his wife in amazement, he watched as her skin turned to a healthy hue, marveling at how young she looked.
Years of long hours toiling for the Alpha had taken their toll on her, but now, it was as if they had never happened.
Gently brushing her hair off her forehead, he couldn’t resist leaning down and gently kissing her rosy lips.
Heather’s eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at her husband, whose face filled her view. A small smile graced her lips as she reached up to touch the tear slowly sliding down his face. “My love…why are you crying?”
Shaking his head, Wes murmured, “I’m just happy you’re here.”
“Of course, I am…where else would I be?” Heather asked.
“Nowhere,” Wes replied.
“That’s right,” Heather murmured. “There’s nowhere else I want to be except with you. Remember? I promised you that on our wedding day.”
“I remember, darling,” Wes said, gathering his wife into his arms and hugging her tight. “Always together.”