19. Noah
NOAH
I took the key from Zoey’s shaking hand and opened the door. I stepped inside and cast a glance around, sniffing the air. The odor of blood wasn’t coming from inside, and no intruders were lying in wait. It didn’t smell malicious, either. Malice had a specific scent.
“Zoey, go inside. Lock the door,” I said firmly.
“Ro? Heather? Oh, shit, what if it’s them?” She was shaking, trembling like the last fall leaf on the tree.
“It’s not. I swear, Zoey, I’d be able to tell if it was one of them.”
Zoey’s tense shoulders sagged slightly, and she hurried into the safety of the house without a word. I waited until I heard the key turn in the lock, then strode toward the garden at the back.
I walked around the perimeter of the house. There was nothing obviously out of place. But the air was still—too still—and tinged with the metallic scent of blood.
I followed the trail to its origin. Mike, the beta my father had tasked with keeping watch over Zoey’s place, lay crumpled on the ground.
His breathing was shallow, his face contorted with pain.
On the ground next to him lay a bloodied rock, strands of hair clinging to it.
Somebody had hit him on the head. There was also a deep slash across his stomach.
Blood pooled beneath him, but his chest rose and fell unevenly.
A ragged sigh escaped me as I knelt beside him, pressing my hand against his pulse. He was alive, but just barely.
I pulled my phone out and called my father. “Dad, we’ve got trouble,” I said when he answered.
“What’s happened?” my father demanded.
“Someone ambushed Mike,” I said, my eyes following the crimson trail that disappeared into the darkness of the trees. “It looks like Mike got a few good hits in. Whoever it was, they paid a price for their attack.”
“I’ll have an ambulance sent right away,” my father said. “You know what that means, though? The cops aren’t going to be far behind. They have to investigate calls like this.”
“Shit,” I cursed. “Zoey won’t be prepared for the cops.”
I’d just managed to break through her defenses. This would just close them up again.
“Keep her calm. We’ll manage,” he said before ending the call.
We couldn’t lie to the paramedics or the cops. It was obvious Mike had been attacked; his injuries were too telling. We weren’t in any pack wars, and there hadn’t been any issues between shifters and humans in Boldercrest for decades.
We’d have to face the police, but I wouldn’t let her do it alone. I’d be with her all the way.
I called Ky to tell him what happened and that I wouldn’t be going to the gym. He assured me he had everything in hand and to call if I needed him.
I stayed with Mike, holding my sweater to the wound at his stomach and speaking to him in low tones until the paramedics arrived. Their equipment clattered as they walked through the woods. When I was certain they didn’t need my help, I rushed back to Zoey.
She ran out of the house as I walked back up to the door, concern oozing from her every pore. “Who was hurt? Are they?—”
I pulled her against me, her head tucking under my chin as I wrapped my arms around her.
“One of my father’s men was in the forest out back, keeping watch.
He’s alive, but it’s bad,” I said, the words tasting bitter on my tongue.
“The paramedics are with him, but Zoey, the police are on their way. They have to investigate attacks like these.”
“George... it has to be.” She pulled away from me, her hands balling into fists at her sides. I braced myself for tears, for the imminent breakdown. But instead, her eyes blazed with fury. “No more. I can’t let him keep hurting people to get to me. I’m filing a report. It’s time I stopped him.”
I blinked, surprised by the steel in her voice. Zoey, the woman who had been through hell and back, was ready to fight. Her resilience never ceased to amaze me.
“Okay,” I said simply. “Whatever you need. I’m here.”
The whine of sirens grew closer, piercing the heavy silence that had settled around us. Red and blue lights flickered across the windows, casting an eerie light on Zoey’s pale face.
Two officers arrived, and they immediately divided their tasks. One officer headed towards Mike to assess the situation, while the other remained with us to take our statements.
“We’ll get through this,” I told her, resting my hand on the small of her back.
“Noah, Ms. Lester,” the officer greeted, a notepad already in his hands. “Can you tell me anything about what happened here?”
I spoke first. I might not be the alpha yet, but this was my pack, my people. “As you’re aware, Zoey is under pack protection. My father’s beta, Michael Cortana, was on guard and has been attacked. He’s in the woods behind the house. The paramedics are with him.”
I stopped talking and gestured to Zoey. Her breath stuttered like a record skipping on a worn turntable, but she mustered strength from someplace deep inside. My admiration for her grew tenfold.
She started off shaky, but each word resonated with newfound resolve. “I want to file a report. Against George James.”
The officer’s pen paused over the paper. “Are you saying he’s responsible for this attack?”
“Indirectly. He’s been... he’s made threats before.”Zoey reached for my hand, seeking support. “He sent one of his associates to scare me into going back to him.”
She gave a brief statement, detailing some of her torment. Each fact laid bare was a small victory, a reclaiming of the power that George had tried to strip away.
I let her lean on me. When I’d spoken with the family lawyer Claire had recommended for Zoey, Ms. Cameron had suggested taking out a restraining order.
When I’d mentioned it to Zoey, she hadn’t been ready.
She clearly was now. Each word she spoke seemed to lift a layer of fear from her, making her seem lighter and more free.
I vowed that, no matter what, I’d be her shield, her unwavering protector.
“We’re going to need you to come down to the station if you want to file for a restraining order,” the officer said to Zoey.
Zoey exhaled shakily. “I need to see my son first. I need to make sure he’s okay, that George didn’t… that he’s still with my sister.”
The officer offered her his card. “I recommend you speak with Chief Warman at the station as soon as possible. Better to have this restraining order in place and not need it than not have it in place and have your ex appearing on your doorstep.”
Zoey took the card, her hand trembling slightly.
“I’ll take her,” I said firmly.
When the paramedics wheeled Mike into the back of the ambulance, Zoey watched from the living room window, her face paling.
“Will he be okay?” she asked.
“I don’t know. He’s a shifter,” I said honestly. “Being a shifter, he’s not as easy to hurt as a human. He’s in the right hands.”
“I need to see Ro,” she stated as the paramedics and police pulled away. “He’s with Heather. Thank God they stayed at Sam’s last night. I texted her because I didn’t want her to worry when she heard the sirens.”
“He’s safe,” I reminded her. “Come on, I’ll take you before we go to the police station.”
I called Sam to alert him to the situation, and he agreed to meet us at the station. Then we went to meet Heather and Ro. Zoey kept a light-hearted attitude around her son, but she didn’t want him to be too far away from her.
Ro asked, “Are we going to the gym? To the splash pads?”
“I’ll take you to the park,” Heather said. “Your mom and Noah have to run an errand, but I bet she’ll come and meet us when she’s finished. Right, Zoey?”
“Yes, that’s a good idea,” Zoey agreed. “I’ll come and meet you.”
She gave Ro a kiss on the cheek that the youngster made a face at—clearly eight was too old to have your mother fussing over you in public.
With that decided, Zoey and I drove off.
The police station loomed ahead, its sterile facade cold and unforgiving. Sam was already waiting for us. He looked relaxed, but there was a telling tension in his shoulders.
I nodded at him. “Ro’s with Heather at the park,” I said. “I’ve got someone keeping tabs on them. Just in case.”
“Good thinking,” Sam said, clapping me briefly on the shoulder before turning his attention to Zoey.
Her fidgeting hands and darting eyes betrayed her nerves as she stood in the doorway of the police station. Sam stepped closer to her, his gaze softening. “I’m here for you, every step of the way.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Sam leaned down and gently kissed her cheek, then smoothed out her disheveled hair. “You’re not alone, Zoey. Remember that.”
She nodded, twisting the sleeves of her sweater between her fingers.
“I can tell them everything I know, from the first time I came to your rescue to the moment I saw you again,” Sam continued. “That will add weight to your statement.”
Zoey exhaled shakily, looking up at Sam with something that looked like hope. It was a fragile thing, but it was there. Big strides came from small steps, I reminded myself, proud of the way she was handling the entire situation.
She took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and the three of us entered the station, ready to face the ghosts of her past.
The chief’s door swung open, and the man himself, Chief Peter Warman, filled the frame, a solid block of authority. He strode forward, his hand extended, eyes sharp with curiosity. “Noah.” He shook my hand firmly.
“Chief Warman.” I glanced at Zoey. She looked small beside me, her fingers wrapped tight around the strap of her purse.
“Zoey, why don’t you sit here with Sam for a minute?” I said. “I need to have a quick chat with the chief to fill him in on what happened at your place.”
She nodded, but didn’t say a word.
The chief led me back along the corridor out of earshot of Zoey.