Chapter 34 #2
"You're safe here," I explained as I checked the monitors that showed the perimeter, wiping blood from my healing arm.
Four red dots moved through the woods—the scouts who had tried to intercept us, still searching.
But they wouldn't find the cabin; it was protected by old magic as well as modern technology, cloaked from werewolf senses.
"No wolf can enter without my permission. "
Alison looked around at the modest but well-appointed cabin, her eyes lingering on the arsenal mounted on one wall—shotguns, rifles, even a crossbow with silver-tipped bolts. "You'll go back to the fight."
It wasn't a question. She knew me too well.
"I have to." I cupped her face in my hands, memorizing every feature as if it might be the last time I saw her. "Victor wants our territory, our business holdings, and..." I hesitated.
"Me," she finished, understanding immediately. "That's what this is about, isn't it? It's why he hired me after we separated."
I nodded grimly. "Yes. He's always wanted what's mine."
Leo clutched at Alison's leg, sensing the tension. "Daddy, are the bad wolves coming?"
I knelt to his level, my heart aching at the fear in my son's eyes. "Yes, but they can't get you here. And I won't let them hurt you or your mother, ever."
"Promise?"
"I promise, pup." I ruffled his hair, then looked up at Alison. "I've left weapons in the master bedroom closet. Guns, wolfsbane-laced arrows. Use them if you have to."
She nodded, her eyes steady despite her fear. This woman, my mate—she had such strength.
"I'll return as soon as I can." I pressed my lips to hers, pouring everything I couldn't say into the kiss.
"Be careful," she whispered against my mouth.
With a final look at my family, I stepped outside, shifted into my wolf form, and ran toward the battle raging on my lands.
The forest blurred around me as I pushed my wolf body to its limits, running faster than any normal wolf could dream of.
I could smell the battle before I saw it—blood, fear, rage, and the acrid scent of gunpowder.
As I crested the final ridge overlooking the pack compound, the scene that greeted me clenched my heart with dread.
The scene that greeted me at the compound was chaos.
Wolves fought in both human and shifted forms, blood staining the ground.
Fires burned in two of the outlying buildings, orange flames licking at the night sky.
Bodies lay scattered across the once-peaceful grounds—both my pack members and Victor's.
James had organized our forces well, forming defensive positions around key structures, but Victor's wolves were fighting with desperate ferocity, pressing the advantage of their superior numbers.
Among them moved human figures in tactical gear, mercenaries with weapons that glinted silver in the moonlight.
I shifted back to human form as I reached James, who was coordinating our defense from a tactical position behind an overturned SUV, blood seeping from a gash across his shoulder.
"Report," I demanded, scanning the battlefield, cataloging losses, analyzing weaknesses.
"We've held the main house and critical positions, but they've pushed us back on three fronts.
Twenty-three of ours were wounded, seven critically.
We've confirmed nine of Victor's wolves dead, perhaps twice that wounded.
But his forces still outnumber us." He paused, his expression grim.
"Victor isn't with the main force. He's leading a smaller group, but we can't locate them. "
A cold dread settled in my stomach. "He's hunting Alison and Leo."
James's head snapped up. "You think he knows where the safe house is?"
"No, but he knows they're my weakness. He'll be searching." I grabbed a radio from the makeshift command center. "Redirect the Alpha guard to sweep the northern quadrant. I'm going after Victor."
"Lucas, wait." James gripped my arm. "If you go alone—"
"There's no time," I cut him off. "Hold the compound. That's an order."
I shifted again, my wolf form larger than any other in my pack, silver-gray fur rippling over muscles honed by years of combat. Victor's scent was distinct—pine and metal and ambition—and I followed it through the trees, away from the main battle.
I hadn't gone far when I encountered the first of his hunters—a human mercenary moving silently through the forest, night-vision goggles masking his eyes, a rifle with a silencer cradled in his arms. He never saw me coming.
I took him down without a sound, clamping my jaws around his throat just hard enough to render him unconscious without killing him.
Two more mercenaries appeared moments later, alerted by their comrade's sudden absence from radio contact.
These were more prepared, spinning toward me as I crashed through the underbrush.
The first got off a shot that grazed my flank, burning like fire where the silver-laced bullet parted my fur.
I didn't slow, launching myself at him with full Alpha force, sending him crashing into a tree trunk with a sickening crack.
The second mercenary emptied his clip in panic, bullets spraying wildly.
One caught me in the shoulder, burning agony radiating outward from the impact.
Silver. I faltered for a heartbeat, then pushed through the pain, my jaws closing around his gun arm.
He screamed as bones shattered between my teeth.
I left him clutching his ruined arm, continuing my pursuit despite the silver wound slowing me.
The trail led me back toward the Alpha safe house, confirming my worst fears.
Somehow, Victor had discovered its location—or at least its general vicinity.
I pushed myself faster, rage and fear fueling my sprint through the forest.
The silver burned in my shoulder with every step, the wound refusing to close properly. I could feel the poison spreading slowly through my system, weakening me. But it didn't matter. Nothing mattered except reaching Alison and Leo before Victor did.
I caught sight of them just as they reached the clearing around the cabin—Victor in his black wolf form, leading five of his strongest fighters.
They circled the cabin, testing the barriers, looking for weaknesses.
One wolf rammed the front door, only to be thrown back by silver burn, yelping in pain.
Through the window, I could see Alison, a shotgun in her hands, Leo behind her.
My mate's face was set with determination, but I could see the fear in her eyes as the wolves prowled closer.
One of Victor's wolves had shifted back to human form, working on what appeared to be some kind of device, trying to disable the security systems, I realized with mounting dread.
With a roar that was more fury than sound, I launched myself into the clearing.
The element of surprise gave me the advantage, and I took down one of Victor's wolves before they could react, my jaws closing around its spine with a decisive snap.
The others turned to face me, teeth bared, forming a defensive semicircle around Victor.
Pain radiating from my silver wound made my movements slower than usual, but fury gave me strength. I circled warily, assessing each opponent. I recognized them all—Victor's elite guard, wolves chosen for their savagery and loyalty.
Victor shifted to human form, his naked body scarred from past battles, his eyes gleaming with triumph as he took in my injured state. "Lucas," he said with a cold smile. "Right on time to watch me take everything from you."
I shifted as well, my eyes never leaving his. "You've made your last mistake, Victor."
"Have I?" He gestured to the cabin. "Your mate and heir are trapped like rats.
Your pack is fighting a losing battle. Your territory is about to change hands.
" His gaze flicked to my shoulder, where blood still seeped from the silver wound.
"And you, weakened by silver. I've planned this moment for years, Lucas. Every detail."
"You've never understood what makes an Alpha," I said, circling him slowly, watching his wolves for any sudden moves. "It's not just strength or cunning. It's the loyalty we inspire, the pack bonds we forge."
Victor laughed. "Pretty words from a man about to lose everything."
"Do you know what I've learned as an Alpha? Never be so sure of your victory until you hold it."
Victor's smile faltered for a moment before he signaled, and his wolves charged me at once. I shifted mid-leap, meeting them with fang and claw. The fight was brutal, fast—one wolf went down with its throat torn out, another with a broken spine, its death howl echoing through the clearing.
But the others were more cautious now, coordinating their attacks. They circled, darting in to snap at my legs, my flank, trying to wear me down. I caught one by the scruff, shaking it violently before hurling it against a tree trunk. The impact left it whimpering, crawling away with broken ribs.
The silver was taking its toll. My movements were growing sluggish, my reactions dulled by the poison creeping through my veins.
One of the remaining wolves saw an opening, lunging for my injured shoulder.
Its teeth sank deep into the already wounded flesh, and pain exploded through my body like white fire.
With a roar of agony and rage, I twisted, catching the wolf's hindquarters in my jaws. I bit down with all my remaining strength, feeling bone crack beneath the pressure. The wolf released me with a shriek of pain, limping away.
The remaining two wolves circled more cautiously now, but Victor had used the distraction to approach the cabin.
His hands moved over the exterior walls, searching for a weak point in the defenses.
Alison stood at the window, shotgun raised, her eyes locked with his.
Even through the glass, I could see Victor's mouth moving, taunting her.