Last Chance Diner

by Rowan Thalia

  "You be back here at sunset tomorrow," Shade looks back to Ranger. "Make sure you tell your buddies goodbye." He chuckles, then grips my arm as he leads me away.

  A cold breeze on the back of my neck tells me at least one of my sisters is coming with me. Thank the Goddess. For as long as I can manage, I keep my neck turned back and my eyes on my pack. Everything about this feels wrong, but I don't see another option. I honestly thought the fight would be immediate - they usually are, so Thane is obviously up to something.

  "Where's my mother?" I grit when I can no longer see my pack through the bodies between us.

  "She will be along shortly. You be quiet, I've no wish to answer your questions," Shade tightens his grip painfully.

  Biting my tongue. I focus my energy on memorizing every detail of where he's taking me. I can feel Ranger looking through my eyes, so I pan my head around as much as possible. Whatever he does, I hope he doesn't try to break me out.

  'I won't do anything to risk you or your family, you know that,' he intones.

  'Are you leaving? Tell me you're safe!'

  'Yes, we're almost to the van now. Millie is with you; Alyssa is trying to snoop around. The rest of us are headed back to the hotel. Keep your link open with me. We need every bit of information we can gather.'

  'Okay,' I manage before I'm jerked to a stop.

  "In here," Shade motions to a cellar door. He bends, unchains it, and ushers me downward. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up when a coppery scent wafts through the slight corridor. The walls are stone. The only lighting is a single bulb hanging every so many foot.

  My skin crawls when we turn a bend. The next hall is lined with prison doors. Shade grabs a set of keys from his belt and twirls them on his finger as we pass the cells. There are small barred windows on each, but no one is peeking out. At the end of the hall, he opens the door on the right and waves me in. I stop, staring into the small stone room with only a cot inside.

  "Inside, now!"

  My Alpha powers rush to the forefront. I dig my heel into the ground. There's no way!

  "Or would you prefer we throw your pretty bitch of a mother into the fire?"

  "Is this where you've been keeping her?"

  His mouth hardens, and he shoves me inside with a grunt. I slam into the wall, my cheek brushing the cold stone. More than ever, I want to blast him with my new powers, but I know now isn't the time to show my hand. Instead, I snarl and wipe my face with my sleeve. He smirks and shuts the door, peering through the peephole before he disappears.

  "Well, this wasn't in the plan," Millie appears next to me.

  "Yeah, no shit," I flop onto the mattress. "What now?"

  "We wait and see what the others find out. I'm not leaving you alone. I don't like the fact that he has his witches ghosting about. None are near the jail, for now. As far as I can tell, he has at least three."

  "I should never have let my pack come here. We could have just left the country and not worried about Thane," I lean forward with my head in my hands.

  'No. Thane would have killed mother. You wouldn't have been able to live with yourself for that,' Snow chuffs.

  "How…. did you do that?" Millie looks over, her purple eyes glowing.

  "Do what?"

  "I … heard your wolf," she puts her hand over her mouth and disappears when footsteps echo in the corridor.

  The sound stops outside of my door. Keys jangle, then the door swings open. I look up. My mother is being shoved into the cell across from me, her hands tied behind her back.

  "As promised," Thane glares. "Now, let's you and me have a little chat," he steps forward, closing the door behind him. The scrape of metal from the outside is a clear indication we're locked inside. My heart ceases to beat and my throat dries out at the menacing glow of the Alpha's yellow eyes.

  Walking away from the gathering without my mate is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Every fiber of my being is shouting at me to stop, turn, and fight for what's mine. If I had any chance of winning against Thane's entire pack, I sure as fuck would. But logistically, I can't.

  'We'll get her back,' my wolf, Fang, whispers.

  'Or die trying,' I grimace. 'I need Faith like I need air.'

  'We all do," Brandon growls.

  I tip my head to him and slam the van into drive, peeling out as I speed out of the gravel lot of the farmhouse. Nothing went as planned tonight, and I'm pissed as hell. Why didn't we have a backup in place? What do we do now? I can't just go back to the hotel and lay around while Faith is being held captive!

  "We've got to come up with something productive to do in the hours that we are waiting for this fight. I can beat Shade, of that, I have no concern - that is unless they use magic against me," I tighten my hold on the steering wheel. My stomach is a huge lump that keeps getting heavier the further we get from Faith.

  "I will look into our grimoires and see how best to protect you from magical interference. We want to stay out of the fight as much as possible, so that you can say you won fairly, but also make sure Thane's not fighting dirty," Tyffani hisses.

  This night, is one of the darkest nights I've ever witnessed. The headlights barely seem to filter through the night enough to guide the way. My body is covered in sweat. My skin itches with the need to fight, or turn wolf and run. I told Faith to keep the link open, but I'm afraid to tap into her vision while I'm driving. I can still feel her emotions, and that alone is enough to make me rabid.

  "Boss, should you pull over and let Tyffani drive? The bond is... yeah fucking us all up right now," Ty swings his head in my direction.

  He's right, I don't even answer. Instead, I swerve to the side of the road and stomp on the brakes. The van jolts to a halt. A collective gasp echoed through the cabin. Breaking from the inside out, I grip the steering wheel, lean my head back, and let out a long howl.

  The sound of my door opening startles me. I snap my head to the left. Tyffani's wide eyes glow in the black ink of the night. She places a hand on my shoulder and ushers me out of the seat carefully. Like a zombie, I let her lead me around the van and into the backseat where I flop down feeling like a deflated balloon.

  The front door slams shut. Tyffani lets out a long breath before shifting into drive, and steering back onto the road. Brandon pats me on the back, his eyes glazed with a sheen of tears. Even the combined powers of the two Omegas are no relief from the hurt this night has caused.

  "What if you make us invisible, and we all go back? We could scout around and make sure Thane isn't mistreating the women or using his witches against us in some way."

  "That's risky," Tyffani rubs her head. "Once you're invisible, you'll have no way … wait, you can speak to each other through the bond!" The van leans to the side as she cuts a hard right, turning us around on the highway. "Let's get back in the game, boys!" She hollers with a witchy cackle at the end for emphasis.

  The van lurches as she stomps on the gas pedal. I almost scream like a woman. Brandon and I lock eyes. His face is screwed tighter than a duck's dick in mating season and turning pale as fuck. Millie's the only witch we've ever been around, and we all know what kind of crazy train that turned out to be .. suffice to say we're both praying to the Goddess under our breath at this point. Ty's chuckle of amusement makes my butt pucker. I grab onto the armrest to gain control of my equilibrium.

  "Yeah, uh, Tyffani? Maybe not kill us on the way there, if you don't mind," I groan.

  "Pssh, I'll reincarnate you - don't worry," she smirks in the rearview.

  I'm not amused. A retort dies on my lips when a wave of fear rolls through the bond, almost obliterating me. Tuning out Tyffani's wild rollercoaster ride, I sink in and peer through Faith's eyes. Thane's walked into her cell. Snow is screaming at Fang to come and rescue them.

  'He smells wrong.' Snow shouts at us, her mental voice smarting my ear.

  "Tyffani, as much as it pains me to say this - go faster! Faith is in trouble" I yell.

  The answering jolt of
the cabin makes my stomach try to vacate through my mouth, but I bite down and clench my eyes shut, spying on our girl. Snow's screams are fucking with the sound, but I can see Thane stepping closer to Faith and feel her skin prickle. I wheeze as the air is knocked out of me ... everything goes black.

  'Something kicked us out. This is not natural. Witch,' Fang growls.

  'Millie is in the room with them, right? For fucks' sake, why isn't she doing anything?'

  'Don't know. Couldn't sense the witch,' he answers with a snort.

  "Can either of you still reach Faith? Maybe they haven't banked on the fact that we're all connected to her," I rasp.

  Ty and Brandon look at me quizzically, but Lewis just nods closing his eyes like a good Beta. Obey now, ask questions later - I've always liked that about him. I almost gnawed my lip off, waiting for his response. His brow furrows, and he takes in a deep breath for a moment, then his eyes flash open - glowing with his wolf's presence.

  "Thane has his hand around her neck. She can't move. Somehow he's wielding magic against her, or freezing hers, she can't tell. Snow thinks if we all push our powers through the bond, we can break his hold long enough for her to fight back," he gasps.

  "Alright. On the count of three," I gruff. "One. Two. Three."

  I force everything I have through the bond, blocked or not. Fang howls in my mind, throwing himself into the fight as well. I know I've nothing left when I shift involuntarily and lay prone on the seat, unable to move. Brandon's tail brushes my snout, and I snort as the hairs tickle my nostrils.

  'Did it work?'

  'I can't reach her to find out, it's like the bond is a live wire and it hurts to touch it,' Lewis' voice is thready even in my mind.

  'Shit, let's hope for the best. I'm gonna have to tap out and close my eyes for a minute,' I barely finish before darkness hits.

  When I open my eyes again, the van's stopped. My dumb ass is freezing cold in the back seat naked as a jaybird. Panning around, I almost panic thinking they've left me but then a knock sounds on the glass. Ty's peeking through the window, serious look on his face. Pushing down the questions, I pat around finding my clothing. Thankfully there's minimal damage done, and I'm able to dress quickly.

  Sliding the door open, I peer out. "Where are we?"

  "A couple of miles from the pack. Tyffani's been nose deep in her grimoire for the last hour. She thinks she's got a couple of spells that will help," Brandon answers. He's leaned against the side of the van smoking a cigarette, which we all quit doing once Faith came into our lives.

  "Gimme one," I open my hand and step out into the black night.

  He hands over a cig and his lighter. I lean my head down, cupping the flame as I pull in the first drag. The initial rush hits, and I sigh. My shoulders hurt, I spread them and lean back against the vehicle next to Brandon.

  "What are the spells that you are using?" I breathe out, looking at Tyffani.

  "Well, the invisibility spell, of course. Then a cloaking spell as well as a magic repellent so that Thane's witches can't affect you should they sense you," she screws her nose up. "Although they would be stronger if I had at least one of my sisters here with us."

  "I'm curious since we're linked to Faith as well - can you tap into your sisters through us?" Ty scratches his head.

  "That's a good question. Our bond has not been seen before, so it's possible … I can try. Who wants to be my guinea pig?"

  I take a step forward, but Lewis jumps in front of me pounding on his chest. Tyffani looks at me, shrugs, placing her hand on Lewis' chest. Part of me wants to argue, but I know that Lewis is still hung up on the fact that Faith was taken while in his presence. That shit's gotta hurt; maybe if he helps build this bridge, he can let some of that go.

  "Try reaching her through the bond. I'll do my best to hijack the bond and stretch it into linking with my sisters," she takes in a deep breath.

  Lewis closes his eyes. I hold my breath as I watch Tyffani's lips screw into a tight purse. Her hand pulses with light bringing a grunt from Lewis. Ty and I exchange a look, but neither of us makes a move. As long as neither of them seems to be in severe pain, I'm chill to sit back and watch.

  'Alyssa?' Tyffani's voice pings in my head. Fang perks up, twitching his ears. Brandon lets out a howl beside me.

  'Tyffani? How? Okay, I don't care. Where are you? You need to get back here, NOW!'

  'We're working on that. I need to pull on your magic to do some grade-A witching on these wolves.'

  Alyssa's consent rolls through the bond like a wave lapping against the sand. I flick my gaze over Lewis once more, just reassuring myself. His chest looks like a glow stick, but his face is serene, so I figure it's still a go. Tyffani's lips move, but the syllables that emerge are nothing I've heard before. A sudden gust of wind picks up her blonde locks, blowing them around her head like a halo. Fang whines deep in my mind. My two other pack members turn wolf.

  "Tyffani?" The timber of my voice startles even me, so I close my eyes to calm down.

  "Yep, one more minute," she mumbles. "Okay, it's done!" She perks, clapping her hands.

  I make a move to counter her, but when I look up again, Lewis and the others are gone. When I look down at myself, I see only the ground. Holy shit, she did it. 'Uh. You guys are still standing here, right?'

  'Righto, Boss,' Brandon quips.

  "Now, you all heard Alyssa, we need to get back. Load up!" Tyffani screeches as she hightails it toward the driver's seat. Figuring I'm closest to the van, I turn and slide open the door to let the others in. Interestingly, I can sense each one as they pass. Needing to figure out if I can touch them, I place my hand in the doorway as the van dips under Ty's weight. The softness of his fur brushes against my skin, and I smile. That will come in handy. Climbing in, I close the door then pat the seat before sitting down.

  The engine fires up. We take off into the uncommonly dark night again. Foreboding sweeps over me, but I do my best to push the feeling down. Come hell or high water, we're getting our girl back tonight.

  I can't decide whether to stay human or shift. I've got little clue what we're barging into, and that makes me nervous as hell. As an Alpha, I don't like not having control. I can't imagine how Faith is getting through this entire ordeal. My heart clenches with the thought.

  'Alyssa? Can you give us an idea of what's going on?' I push through the link. It takes more effort to find her in the bond, but I'm relieved when she answers.

  'Hey,' she pauses. I feel her unease with mind-speak. 'I'm not entirely sure. I can't reach Mille or Faith, but I can feel magic being used below the farmhouse - and lots of it. The wolves are all still partying out here like nothing is amiss, though.'

  The van comes to a stop, and I look around. I can see the halo of light from the pack bonfire over the treetops, so we can't be far away. Tyffani shuts off the engine, then turns around in her seat, eyeballing the empty space.

  "Well, now that we can all do your mind voice thingy, this should be a lot easier. We can rendezvous with Alyssa and sort out a plan. The farm is just through the trees. Can ya'll not run through, I wanna save my magic and not poof over. Plus, the less I use magic actively in the vicinity, the less chance they will sniff us out."

  "Got it. You three stay wolf while I keep my legs setting the pace. You should be able to feel me without talking. It goes without saying- but only mind-speak from here on out."

  'Yes, boss,' they chorus. I'm pleased that they use the group link so that the girls can hear too.

  With nothing more to say and the urge to see Faith itching the back of my neck, I open the door and step out into the blackness. The cold air hits me like a hammer. I open my nostrils to scent whatever might be nearby. Fur brushes against my left hand. I scratch Ty's ear. The other two press against my right, and Tyffani walks up in front of me.

  'Stay there, I just thought of something,' she raises a glowing hand in our direction. A shiver of electricity washes over me. I grit my teeth. I hate the metallic t
aste magic leaves behind.

  'Did it work?' I grouch, not meaning to be a dick.

  'Yeah, I can see your outlines … like as if you were ghosts. If I did it right, all of my sisters would be able to see you too,' she sighs then blinks out of sight. 'Now, let's get our girl back.'

  I startle at her use of 'our girl,' but I suppose it makes sense on her end too. Faith is magically connected to her in a bond that I still don't fully understand. Regardless, I tap the wolves at my side and begin to trot forward. I figure this pace will be easy enough for the witch.

  Within moments the trees engulf us. The sounds of the night are dampened by their insulation. The dread I've been feeling creeps to the surface, and I bite my tongue to keep a howl inside. I should never have left. Hell, I should never have let Faith step foot on this soil again. What kind of Alpha am I? My heart hammers within its confines. My breath draws out ragged and pained.

  'Don't let your thoughts turn dark,' Millie's voice soothes. 'Dark thoughts allow dark magic to seep in.'

  'Millie!' I shout, but her link is gone as quick as it opened.

  'Meet us at the tree line, Alyssa,' Tyffani calls.

  'Already here waiting. I could hear you talking together. Tyffani, you really outdid yourself with this link,' she answers.

  'Thank you. We're coming close to the edge now.'

  I realize she's right and pull back my stride. No use in giving our position away by making a ton of racket as we approach. 'Slow your asses down now!' The weight of my pack is once again at my knees, and my throat tightens. We've never walked like this. Something about it feels perfect.

  'Because you were meant to be our Alpha, and it's about time you act the part. We've been waiting,' Brandon gruffs.

  'Horseshit. You all were just as resistant to being a pack as I was,' I bite my teeth to keep a chuckle at bay.

  'True. But it made you smile,' Brandon pushes his body against my leg.

  There's a break in the trees. We step out into a field. The wind blows toward us, carrying the stench of drunken revelry. I open my mind, trying to link up with Faith, but it's like banging on a metal door. I'm worried, but I refuse to let fear grab ahold of me. Faith needs us.