Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Leon
Thane tears into Leo. I can see Harlow caught, frozen like a deer in headlights.
Her entire back and legs are bleeding from being dragged.
Thane pushes Leo, trying to keep him back and away from her.
Every time Leo moves or slams too close to her, Thane’s wolf is there taking the brunt of it while he screams through the link for me to get up and move her.
If she doesn’t move soon, it will cost Thane. She’s distracting him, and his positioning is making it hard for him to kill Leo and not trample her. Leo recognizes that, and he uses it to his advantage. He knows it is the only chance he has in a fight against Thane.
Staggering, I force myself to move. My breath wheezes as I feel my lung try to heal and re-inflate.
Harlow screams when Thane is tossed. He just barely catches himself before landing on her and crushing her.
She is now caught between his legs, but she crawls out, finally coming out of her shock as Thane chomps down on Leo’s neck.
Leo howls, the sound pained, before he twists, reflexively trying to bite anywhere he can reach. Thane pounces on him, breaking his hind leg in a single bite.
“Harlow!” I scream, trying to get her attention. She looks lost, as if the gravity of the situation has finally hit her. Now that Thane is here, she knows it is safe to fall apart.
Harlow lifts her head to look at me. “Leon,” she gasps, finally finding her feet and rushing toward me. Her voice distracts Thane, and he turns to search for her. I grab her, hauling her away from the fight as Thane is suddenly hit from the side, that second of worry costing him.
Thane gets back to his feet just as Leo pounces.
However, before Leo hits his mark, he is tackled by Rhen’s big mottled wolf, who comes out of nowhere to divert Leo’s attack.
Raidon is right behind Rhen, also in wolf form.
Raidon’s wolf is huge, as big as Thane’s, and it reminds me of a grizzly bear.
He grabs Leo’s neck, shaking viciously, while Rhen and Thane get to their feet. He tosses him, and Leo skids across the grass, about ten yards away from us. The second Leo comes to a stop, Thane pounces on him, while Raidon moves to protect us.
Leo’s whimpered shriek is loud, making Harlow jump. She turns her head in their direction and so do I. Leo is forced to shift back, and Thane’s huge black wolf towers over him.
Raidon licks Harlow's fingers, nudging her with his nose. Rhen watches on, making sure Thane doesn’t need him, though we all know Thane has it handled. He’s about to deliver the final blow when Harlow screams.
“You can’t kill him!” she rasps out, as loud as she can. Thane tenses, freezing, and so do I. Her conscience surely can’t be getting the better of her now. Thane ignores her as she tries to get out of my grip. “Thane, he has information we need!” she says before looking up at me.
Thane growls, shifting back. He glances over his shoulder at us before staring down at the ripped up man, who is slowly healing.
“We need him!” she repeats. Thane growls, his fist clenching.
“Fuck!” he curses and shakes his head. Harlow weasels out of my grip, having spotted Rhen. She rushes to him, and his wolf drops his head to catch her on his shoulder as she locks her arms around his neck.
My eyes go back to Thane, just in time to see his foot come down on Leo's head, knocking him out. Within seconds, Raidon is there to grab him and hauls him over his shoulder.
Rhen knocks Harlow over, forcing her on her back as he frantically licks her face before pushing his nose into her stomach.
"Baby is fine. I can hear her heartbeat,” I tell him, walking over to them. Rhen huffs, and I grab handfuls of his fur, tugging him off her. When I go to grab her, he shifts and pushes me away before scooping her up.
“This is your fault,” he snaps at me, and I nod once. Rhen isn’t one to point blame, especially when it comes to me. So, if he is, I know this is related to me helping Talon. Thane growls, looking at me, but it’s Rhen he grabs.
We all felt his tether nearly break, all know whatever happened nearly cost his life. Thane presses forward against Rhen.
“You’re not allowed to die on me,” he growls. “You, however,” he says, turning to me. “I’m still deciding how badly I want to kill you.” He lets go of Rhen. I look at the ground, wondering what Talon did, and they walk off.
Looking up, I see Raidon ahead. He is stopped by the doors to the house, looking in the hedges. He nods to them, and Thane runs ahead to see what Raidon is motioning toward. I reach his side just as he pulls a man in uniform out from his hiding place.
He is a state official. He cowers, hands covering his face as Thane drags him out by his collar. Thane shoves him toward the door.
“You and I need to talk,” he says. The man falls to his hands and knees inside the doorway. He starts crawling away from Thane.
Stepping inside, I see Raidon tying Leo to a chair. The official freezes when Raidon turns his icy glare toward him. He motions with his finger for the man to come to him. The man whimpers but doesn’t dare disobey Raidon. He sits next to Leo.
Rhen places Harlow on the couch and starts checking her over, much to her dismay. She grabs Rhen's head and whispers something to him. He looks at her, and his rage and shock smash into all of us, making us glance at him.
“Thane, I need you to walk out of this room and let Raidon and I handle this,” Rhen tells him.
“I’m not going anywhere while that bastard is still breathing,” Thane growls at him. Rhen’s eyes go to Raidon. I watch as they mind-link.
“Are you sure?” Raidon asks, looking at Harlow. She nods her head, her eyes darting to Thane nervously.
“You need to leave, Thane,” Raidon tells him.
“I said no. Not while he is still alive. I won't risk him escaping,” Thane replies. He turns to Harlow questioningly. Her lips quiver, and her hands shake as she reaches for Thane. He doesn’t hesitate and moves toward her, gripping her fingers.
“Please leave. You can have him after,” she whispers. His brows furrow as he glances at all of us. He shakes his head.
“Someone tell me what’s going on. We have come too fucking far for you to start hiding shit from me now. What did I do?” he snaps at us.
“You did nothing. It’s what Leo did,” Harlow whispers. Thane looks at her. “I didn’t recognize him until he spoke.”
“Huh?” he asks, his tone accusing. “Recognize him from where?”
Raidon finishes tying Leo and steps in front of him when Rhen speaks.
“Leo is the one who killed your mother,” Rhen says.
The roar of fury that leaves Thane hurts my ears as he lunges for Leo.
Raidon blocks him, keeping himself between Thane and Leo, just as Rhen and I grab Thane.
Thane stands toe to toe with Raidon, his chest heaving, his nostrils flaring at Raidon for preventing him from getting to Leo.
My hands shake, and I can see Rhen is also struggling to hold him back.
Thane’s strength in this state is immeasurable.
“You need to let Rhen and me handle this,” Raidon says, keeping his cool, and speaking calmly.
“HE KILLED HER.”
“We know, but we need him alive to figure out what is happening. So stand down, Alpha,” Raidon says.
His aura slips out, showing Thane he won’t back down.
Thane will have to hurt him if he wants him to step aside.
Thane clenches his jaw and snarls before shoving me and Rhen off.
He turns, grabbing Harlow, who shrieks at the sudden movement.
“If I am leaving, then so are you. I am not leaving you anywhere near him,” he tells her.
“But —” she starts before Rhen shakes his head at her. She sighs and allows Thane to stalk off with her. Leo is slumped over, still unconscious.
“So, what did Harlow tell you?” I ask as the official groans.
“We’ll start with him,” Rhen says, ignoring me and reaching for the man. He tosses him back on the couch.
“You will speak,” Raidon warns him, and the man nods his head, his entire body trembling.
“Just don’t kill me,” he pleads pathetically.
“That depends entirely on your answers and how truthful they are,” Rhen tells him.