Chapter 14 #2
“Where are you?” As Damien showed me where they’d flown, my body froze.
They were closer to Rowan’s home. Through the pack link, I sent the info to Rowan and Xan, unsure where the men were.
I’d been sure all the pack was staying within the compound, but I’d taken my mate to my home. Now, I wanted to kick myself.
“We are at the club, along with Xan and Breezy. I just checked my security footage, and nothing is showing up, not even a tree has been trampled.” Rowan assured me.
I shook my head, wondering why the man thought trees would be torn down, but didn’t ask. “I want everyone to stay at the club, and don’t let any strangers in. Period. I’m bringing Laikyn back, and then I’m taking Coti and Wyck with me. The Cordells are in trouble.”
“I’ll go with you,” Rowan said.
“No, I need you and Xan to protect our mates.” I held Laikyn closer. “You’re the Alpha, aren’t you more important than me?” My mate whimpered.
“I’m the Alpha, and I make the rules. Protect my mate as you would yours.” I cut the connection with Xan and Rowan.
“I’m going to need you to be the mate to the Alpha and show everyone you’re strong. You need to lead the women, like I lead the men. Can you do that for me, Mon Chaton?”
“It’s not fair. We just got together. What if…” she stopped on a cry.
“Have you so little faith in me?” I lifted her into my arms, striding out to the garage and my XV, wishing I had time to reassure her.
Laikyn wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “No, I just hate that I brought this here. It’s my fault.”
I placed my mate in the passenger seat, gripping her chin in my fingers. “When I get you back home, I’m going to have to teach you a lesson on placing blame where it belongs.” I bent and took her mouth in a hard kiss. Her flavor exploded in my mouth, making my wolf demand more.
“Promises, promises,” Laikyn whispered when I let her up for air.
“Buckle up, baby.” I shut the door, then hurried around to the driver’s side.
I could have shifted and reached the vampires quicker, but I wasn’t leaving my mate unprotected.
The drive to the club was made in silence, my hand holding Laikyn’s.
Wyck and Coti stood outside, their bodies tense.
I pulled close to the door and was pleased when my mate waited for me to come around to her side.
“I love you. When I close my eyes, it’s you I see. You’re in my soul. Without you, I’d wither up and die. Stay safe for me, Laikyn.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “You are a romantic at heart, Kellen Styles.”
“Only for you. Now, if you don’t get your fine ass in that building and stay safe, I will turn you over my knee, and you won’t be able to sit for days without thinking of me.” I opened the door.
“Great, now everyone is gonna smell my arousal.” She laughed, wiping a stray tear.
“Go on. I’d rather them smell that than your sadness.” I tapped her heart-shaped ass. She gave a little yelp, turning at the door to glare at Coti and Wyck.
“Keep your Alpha safe above all else.” The two large men nodded, then we all shifted seamlessly.
“I love you, Kellen.” I trotted over and butted her until she was inside with Rowan at the door, making sure he shut and locked them inside.
No words were needed. Although in human form, both Coti and Wyck were much bigger than I was.
In our shifted forms, I was actually larger than all of them.
I didn’t question the semantics, assuming it was due to me being the Alpha, but racing off with the two largest wolves of my pack, Kellen knew we were a force to be reckoned with.
Our paws ate up the ground, ears and eyes open for anything out of the ordinary.
I knew the woods surrounding my land like the back of my hand.
Nearing the spot Damien had shown us, we slowed a few miles out, smells filtering through our senses.
My nose was the first to pick up on the rotting foliage, something that shouldn’t be happening in such a lush environment.
I indicated through our link to both men to slow and then stop, showing what I saw.
In our wolven form, colors weren’t as vivid, so I shifted back to human while Coti and Wyck kept guard.
I didn’t have to walk far before finding what was causing the smell. Several bodies lay discarded, drained of blood. “These look like fresh kills,” I said. “Why do they smell like rotten eggs?” Wyck’s tone was one of disgust. I had no answer and didn’t want to stick around to find out.
“Don’t disturb the bodies. Let’s circle around them. The Cordells are about a half mile from here.” I showed them the caves in our minds in case we had to split up. I shifted back, leading the way around the dozen dead men who’d been the vampires’ meal.
“I see the wolf in the net. Are you sure this isn’t a trap for all of us?” Wyck didn’t trust easily.
He raised his head to the sky and inhaled. I knew the other brother was near and waited patiently. Moments passed, and then Damien solidified before me. I shifted to human as well.
“Neat trick. Why didn’t he do that?” I nodded toward Lucas, who lay panting, his eyes looking pained.
“We have the same reaction to silver as you. Why did you not bring anything to remove the net?” Damien looked around me.
“Don’t question me, boy. I have a plan, but I wasn’t risking my people.
Besides, do you see a vehicle trail around here?
” I held my arms out to my sides and spun in a circle.
“I’d say your friends had the one trap, and maybe more inside if you’d have made it further.
Now, we can stand out here and have a pissing contest, or I can head to Rowan’s and be back with what we need.
His home is on the other side of these caves. ”
Damien hung his head. “I’m sorry.”
“I bet that hurt,” I taunted, but didn’t wait to hear anymore.
I walked over to the downed wolf. “Hang in there, I’ll be back and get you out of there.
” A vision of the kid in the hospital flashed in my head.
I wondered if we’d need to call Jennaveve to help this one, too.
With a shrug, I shifted again, my body flowing into the big black beast without any of the repercussions the rest of the pack would suffer.
It was good to be Alpha. I sent up a silent prayer to our goddess for her gifts.
Wyck and Coti kept pace with me, their attentions alert to any more traps the vampires may have set for intruders.
We reached Rowan’s, and just to fuck with my newest member, I looked at Wyck and gave a nod.
With a growl, Wyck took off at a full-out run and knocked over a good-sized tree, knowing Rowan would be getting alerts on his phone.
“Why the hell would y’all do that to my poor tree?”
“We need you to open your garage so I can borrow a couple of four-wheelers.” I barely kept from laughing as Rowan cursed up a blue streak.
“Kellen, that was so mean. You know he has issues,” Lyric said.
“Yeah, control issues. It’s too easy to fuck with him. Tell him we are scratching at his door, and if he doesn’t let us in, we are gonna knock the fucker in.” The sound of several deadbolts disengaging kept me from messing with the ex-Navy SEAL.
“Thank you, Lyric.”
“Hey, I let you in,” Rowan growled.
“Yeah, but we like Lyric better.” We all hopped on the two all-terrain vehicles Rowan had in the garage and hurried back to where we’d left Damien.
Rowan really did like his toys to have all kinds of bells and whistles.
With the log chain and winch attached, I hoped we could get the net off without further damaging the wolf.
Coming over the rise of the hill, I was glad to see no surprises waited for us, but the wolf looked even worse than before we’d left.
“Damien, will he be able to shift once we get the net off of him?” Even though the other man wasn’t anywhere to be seen, I still recognized his unique signature.
His scent was still strong. Meaning he was there.
“How did you know?” Damien materialized.
I looked over my shoulder, seeing the hybrid. “I’m a fast learner. Now answer the question. We’re losing daylight.”
“Depends. If he can, it’ll be into human, not air.”
“Let’s do this, boys. Lucas, this is gonna hurt, cause we gotta drag it off you. I didn’t have time or resources to bring in a crane to pull it from the top.”
The wolf raised his head as much as he could. “Lucas is aware and wants it done,” Damien said between his teeth.