by Alexis Davie
“What?”
Talon and Reed exchanged quick glances before Talon slowly approached him. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” Pike muttered and carried on walking.
“You miss her, don’t you?” Talon asked, which made Pike slow down and sigh.
“I can’t miss her,” Pike murmured.
“You can, and you do.”
Pike sighed again and his shoulders slumped. “Yes, I do. Is that what you want to hear? Do you want to hear me say it? Do you want me to admit that I can’t stop thinking about her since the second I let her go? Is that what you want to hear?”
“If it’s the truth, then yes,” Talon answered.
“We should head back,” Pike said and changed direction. He caught the scent of something, but he wasn’t sure what. “Do you smell that?”
Before any of them could react, there was a rustle of grass, followed by a metal snapping sound. When Pike spun around, Reed had disappeared from sight.
“Reed?” Talon called out and rushed over to the spot where he was last seen, followed by Pike.
“Oh my God,” Pike gasped, who reached the spot first.
Reed had been caught in a large, metal snare trap, the metal teeth protruding from his chest, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
“Reed!” Talon called out and crouched beside the dead Beta.
Pike stepped away took in his surroundings. The metal snare trap looked familiar, as was the scent which suddenly hung in the air.
“Talon…”
“What is it, boss?”
“Something is about to go down,” Pike whispered.
The grass rustled in the slight breeze, and as Pike glanced up, he noticed them through the trees.
There were five of them, all carrying crossbows and walking toward Talon and Pike at a swift pace. As they came closer, Pike narrowed his eyes and he recognized Owen Walker, Farrah’s brother, the leader of the five.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the Alpha going on a midnight stroll with his Betas,” Owen scoffed, “or one of his Betas.”
“He’s dead now, you bastard!” Talon growled. “You killed Reed!”
“One less mutt to deal with,” Owen snarled and pointed his crossbow straight at Pike.
“You don’t know who you’re dealing with, Owen,” Pike called out to him, but an arrow plummeted into his shoulder, shoving him backwards viciously. Although he managed to stay on his feet, his shoulder stung with pain.
“I don’t really care what you have to say right now, Alpha,” Owen said in a derogatory tone. “I am here to get justice for my father!”
“Justice and vengeance aren’t the same thing, or maybe it is to you,” Pike gritted his teeth.
“You know, Farrah said the same thing to me when I told her I was going hunting for you,” Owen sneered.
At the mention of Farrah’s name, Pike’s jaw clenched and his heart ached in his chest, or maybe it was the second arrow which Owen shot at him.
Pike could no longer contain his anger or his pain, and his dominant wolf form took over. Black fur rapidly grew from his skin, covering his entire body in a matter of seconds. His shoulders hunched as he dropped on all fours and his green eyes shone ferociously from between his pitch-black fur. His sharp fangs glistened in the moonlight and he let out a loud snarl.
Talon, a snow-white wolf, flanked him on one side, his head lower than his body, ready to attack. His growls were louder than usual, filled with anger and emotion over the death of Reed. Reed and Talon had been Betas for a very long time, and they had become like brothers, which made Talon a very dangerous wolf at that moment. Wolves who were filled with rage and anger were the most dangerous of them all.
Talon started to approach the hunters, while Pike focused his attention solely on Owen. He didn’t want to kill the guy—just hurt him enough to scare him away for good, but knowing the tenacious blood which pumped through Owen’s veins, Pike knew he wouldn’t give up until he had Pike’s head on a stick in the trunk of his car.
The arrows from the crossbows of the other hunters did little to no damage to the massive wolves, and most of them were deflected by their giant paws. Talon went into attack mode and grabbed the nearest hunter, ripping him to shreds within a matter of seconds. The other hunters hesitated for a moment, but Owen ordered them to continue their attack. Talon motioned to Pike that he was perfectly fine with three hunters heading his way, and Pike had absolutely no doubt that Talon could handle them.
Another arrow pierced through Pike’s fur and he growled angrily at Owen. He pounced, landing right in front of him. Pike swatted his paw at him and sent the crossbow flying through the air. Owen scrambled toward the crossbow’s location in the tall grass, but Pike grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him down onto an overturned tree trunk. “Get the hell away from me, you mutt!” Owen shrieked, but as he caught sight of Talon making minced meat out of the other hunters, his eyes widened. “I should have killed you when I had the chance.”
Pike bared his teeth and a low growl emanated from deep inside his throat.
“I’ll have you know that Farrah wanted to come along. She wanted to kill you too, but I wouldn’t let her. You know why? Because I look after my family.”
Pike growled once more and he pressed his paw against Owen’s chest, his claws ready to sink into his skin.
“Pike, stop!”
Pike glanced up and his entire body froze. Farrah stood about twenty yards away, her eyes wide, and her hands raised in the air.
“Get out of here, Farrah!” Owen exclaimed.
“Pike, it is you, right?”
Pike nodded slowly but kept his grip on Owen.
“Get the hell out of here, Farrah. He’s going to kill you!” Owen ordered.
“No, he won’t.” Farrah approached Pike carefully and while he appreciated her trust in him, he couldn’t promise he wouldn’t kill Owen. “Pike would never do anything to hurt me.”
Pike’s muzzle relaxed, hiding away his fangs, and he realized that killing Owen wouldn’t make things better, especially not with Farrah here. He didn’t want her to see him as a monster, which she probably already thought, and he moved his paw away from Owen. He stepped back and turned away. Allowing his human form to take over, he lowered his gaze as he collapsed into a heap in the tall grass.
As Pike opened his eyes, he noticed Talon watching him with a knowing look in his eyes and Pike shook his head. He knew exactly what Talon was thinking but now was not the time.
“Pike, are you okay?”
“Him?” Owen exclaimed angrily. “What about me? He almost killed me!”
“Because you killed one of his Betas,” Talon called out as he walked toward Pike, both of them back in their human forms.
“Is that true?” Farrah asked and glanced at Talon.
“He killed Reed, in a snare trap.”
Farrah glared at Owen and shook her head.
“Well, they killed Dusty, and the rest of my hunting group.”
“What did you say?” Farrah whirled around and stared at her brother.
“Your precious little Dusty had been keeping tabs on you for me the entire time.”
“He knew about everything?” Farrah asked.
“He did.”
“I can’t believe this. You are such a liar,” Farrah spat contemptuously.
“I did it to protect you,” Owen exclaimed. “Just like Dad used to do! You would be dead if it weren’t for me and Dad!”
“Shut the fuck up, Owen!” Farrah shouted.
“Those wolves are nothing but a bunch of animals, Farrah. He doesn’t love you, he can’t even love himself!”
“Careful what you say, human,” Talon warned, his dark eyes flashing viciously.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Farrah called out, holding her hands in the air and looking at Pike, who was still crouched down on the ground. She approached him and knelt beside him. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine
.”
“You’re bleeding.” Her tone was filled with concern, as well as a hint of guilt.
“I heal fast,” he muttered.
Farrah wiped away a trail of blood that ran down the side of his face.
“I didn’t think you’d come back to me,” Pike grimaced.
“Neither did I, but I couldn’t just let him kill you.”
“He’s never had the capability to kill me, Farrah,” Pike answered. "And he’s definitely not going to start now.”
“Wanna bet?” Owen called out to them.
Pike and Farrah looked over at Owen, who had the crossbow pointing directly at them, and slowly rose to their feet.
“Owen, put that down,” Farrah requested.
“No fucking way. I’m killing that mutt once and for all,” Owen growled.
“Owen, stop this, please.”
“Get out of the way, Farrah,” Pike ordered. “I can handle this.”
“No, you shouldn’t have to.”
“Farrah, trust me on this. I can handle it.”
“The mutt is right, Farrah. Get out of the way.”
“No,” she called out. “You two can’t hurt each other without hurting me. Do you really want that? Either of you?”
Pike stood frozen on the spot. Her words rang true, as it didn’t matter who killed who—Farrah would still end up losing someone. He didn’t want that to happen. He was done with hurting Farrah. He just wanted her to be happy and safe.
Owen lowered the crossbow and sighed with annoyance.
“I love you so much,” Farrah said to Pike and then glanced at Owen, “both of you, so I can’t allow you to kill each other, because that would kill me. And I don’t want that.”
“You’re right, Farrah,” Owen said with a sigh, “but at least our lives will be better without him.”
Owen raised the crossbow, pointing it straight at Pike’s heart, and fired. Much to Pike’s surprise, and in a complete turn of events, Farrah jumped in front of Pike, taking an arrow to the shoulder. Pike’s eyes widened as he watched her collapse onto the grass.
“Farrah!” Pike exclaimed and rushed to her side.
“What the fuck, dude?” Talon exclaimed at Owen as he rushed over to where Pike was.
“Get to the car, Talon,” Pike ordered.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” Talon exclaimed again.
“Talon, car, now!”
Pike stared at Owen, who still had the crossbow in his hands, but wore a guilt-ridden and helpless expression on his face. Pike just shook his head and turned his attention back to Farrah, who lay on the ground breathing raggedly in discomfort.
“You’re going to be okay, just breathe.”
“Oh my God. Being shot with an arrow hurts more than I thought it would. You didn’t even flinch,” she cringed.
“I felt it too, but I guess I’m just used to it.”
“That sucks,” she gasped.
“I’m going to get you to a hospital, okay?”
“Yeah, please.”
Pike grinned swiftly and gently scooped her up in his arms. He turned around, and without even looking at Owen, called out, “Are you coming, or what?”
“Yeah,” Owen said, and walked toward Pike, still carrying the crossbow.
“Yeah, you might want to lose that. The doctors might think you were trying to kill your sister with it,” Pike pointed out.
The thud of the crossbow falling on the ground made Pike’s jaw clench, but he concentrated on making it back to the car as quickly as he could. Luckily it was only a short walk back to the road. Hopefully, the arrow hadn’t perforated an artery, because if she died in his arms, Owen would pay for it with his life.
That was a promise.
7
The rhythmic beeping sound of the machine beside her bed slowly and gently brought Farrah back to a conscious state, and her eyes haltingly opened. The room was dimly lit, the curtains tightly closed. She turned her head and noticed Owen sitting on the chair beside the bed, and she groaned as the memories of the events preceding this moment came rushing back to her. The wolves, Owen and his hunters, and getting shot by Owen’s crossbow.
Another groan escaped her throat. Owen smiled at her.
“Hey,” he whispered, almost too afraid to talk too loudly. “How are you feeling?”
“Okay, just a bit groggy.”
“I’m glad you’re okay,” he said and reached for her hand, but she moved hers away. Owen lowered his gaze and said, “Look, I’m sorry I shot you. That arrow wasn’t meant to hit you, Farrah.”
“Whether it hit him or me,” she pointed out, “it wouldn’t have mattered. It would have still hurt me. Don’t you get it? I love him, not because he’s got some kind of hold on me, or compelling me to feel this way. I wouldn’t have jumped in front of him to take an arrow to the shoulder if it wasn’t real.”
“But what if he hurts you?”
“He won’t.”
“What if he does?”
“Then I’ll deal with it. This isn’t my first rodeo, Owen.”
“But he’s a wolf. Dad fought so hard to keep us safe from them, and you go and fall in love with one. Isn’t that just a slap in Dad’s face?”
“I wish I could slap you in the face right now,” she muttered.
“I’m serious, Farrah.”
Farrah tried to push herself up into an upright position, and Owen rushed to her side to help her.
“I’m okay,” she waved him off. “Now, you listen to me. You believe Pike is such a monster, but why did he let me go? He didn’t hurt me at all, he didn’t make me do anything I didn’t want to do. He even took me to some underground lair of his where he told me everything about Dad, something you never did.”
“I wanted to protect you, Farrah, and Dad made me promise not to tell you.”
“But that was before he died,” she muttered angrily. “Were you with him the night he was killed?”
“No. He told me to stay at home and look after you.”
“Like he knew he was going to die?”
“I don’t know, Farrah. Maybe he just didn’t want both of us to die, leaving you all alone,” Owen answered.
“So he knew he was going to die,” she repeated.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean—”
“Can you stop trying to protect me and just tell me the fucking truth?” Farrah responded.
Owen’s eyes widened as a silence fell over the hospital room.
A knock on the door broke through the silence and Owen breathed a sigh of relief.
“Come in,” Farrah called out.
The door opened and Pike stood in the doorway, holding a bouquet of flowers and a bag of takeout.
“Hey, you’re awake,” Pike said with a smile, but that smile faded as he noticed Owen standing beside the bed. “I’ll go.”
“No,” Farrah said firmly. “Stay, please. I need to talk to both of you.”
A sudden and momentary flicker appeared in both Pike and Owen’s eyes, which would have amused Farrah to no end if she hadn’t been so pissed off at both of them.
Owen sat down on the chair beside the bed again and Pike walked around the bed to greet her.
“Hey,” he whispered as he touched her cheek. “Are you okay?”
“I’ll live. I’m so high on pain meds right now, I don’t even feel the gaping hole in my shoulder,” she retorted.
“Technically, the surgeon closed the hole—”
“Shut up, Owen,” Farrah muttered and rolled her eyes.
“I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Now sit. We need to talk.”
“Well, this is going to be fun,” Owen griped.
“Yeah, I bet,” Pike grumbled in return.
“Shut up, the both of you. I’m the one who’s going to talk now, okay?” she said and glared at them, her tone firm and filled with annoyance.
The two men nodded wordlessly and waited for her to talk.
“My whole life, I felt safe and protected, because I had my dad, and my older brother who looked after me,” Farrah said and looked at Owen. “You and Dad kept me safe, but you also lied to me, which I didn’t even know at the time. You can argue with me until you’re blue in the face that you were just trying to protect me, and in some cases, I may believe you. It doesn’t change the fact that you lied. Maybe I was too young and stupid to believe the truth at the time, or realize what exactly was happening, but you could have told me. I felt lost after Dad died, Owen. So much so that I felt I had to leave. I felt empty and I couldn’t be in that house anymore. New Orleans was good to me, and I was happy. Then I saw something I shouldn’t have, and I got kidnapped.”
She paused for a moment and glanced at Pike. “By your Betas. You held me captive for a few hours, and something happened to me, to both of us. It was something neither one of us could explain. I felt it from the moment I was dragged into your office. It felt as though my whole world stood still for a second. I tried to convince myself that it was illogical and irrational. I couldn’t possibly be in love with someone so soon. Then I read about it in my dad’s journal and he talked about this feeling. He called it True Mates, and there was a paragraph which specifically explained exactly how I felt, and still feel.”
“There’s no such thing—”
“Did I say you could talk?” Farrah interjected, cutting Pike off completely.
A smug smile formed on Owen’s mouth and he suppressed a laugh.
“You believe that there’s no such thing, then how do you explain the feelings you have inside you?” Farrah asked Pike, but when he didn’t answer, she scoffed. “Exactly. You can’t. I’m not saying it exists, but these feelings didn’t just come out of nowhere.”
There was a moment of silence in the room as Farrah took a breath and turned to her brother. “I love him, Owen, and I know that he loves me, even if he’s trying to act like a tough guy, and tries to deny it. I know you two hate each other, by association only, but I need you two to get along, not just for me, but because you’re going to be in each other’s lives for a long time. I don’t want you to constantly be at each other’s throats.”
