"Come on Adams, he's waiting for her." said the thick rich voice of what she assumed was the leader. As Adams lifted her into his arms her world faded into darkness.
* * * ~~~ * * *
This mission had taken him off guard. They had scrambled their unit together and made the trip in a few hours via the military grade copter. His team’s objective was to safely secure the girl. They had done that, but as he stared down at her he couldn’t help the emotions that ran through him. She was so young and beautiful, a she-wolf with a child growing in her. Nothing was more amazing than a pregnant woman.
With a gentle movement, he cradled her unconscious body up into his arms. Scott felt a pang of remorse for the young woman he carried towards the helicopter. The bruises and cuts on her hadn’t come from them. As he laid her down he wondered why she’d stay with an abusive mate. He had wished that the sniper hadn’t been able to make his shot. Scott would love to have given the bastard a taste of his own medicine. Somehow it felt wrong that he got to die a painless instant death.
The thoughts of her life at the mercy of her husband rolled around his mind. It had to be hell. He wondered if she still even was pregnant, after all, it was clear her mate had beaten her on more than one occasion. He could tell that just by the varying degrees in the bruises colouring.
“Get her strapped into the gurney Adams.” Grant ordered. It broke his thoughts of pity he had for her.
“Yes Sir.”
While he strapped her down, he was careful not to put any pressure on her injuries. A horrible feeling filled him as he knew Collin’s was going to use her. He took a deep breath. Emotions were off limits to him for the moment. He needed to stay focused on The Flocks mission and not let the compassion he felt for this girl get to him.
She was just another Lycan, another lab rat for his current employer to utilize.
Still the pretty young woman should not have to go through whatever it was Collin had planned for her. Maybe if things worked out his pack could save her. He’d have to call the leader of The Flock first. As he brushed a lock of the honey blonde hair from the girl’s swollen black eye his jaw tensed. In one way they had saved her already. But the fate awaiting her might be far worse.
* * * ~~~ * * *
Her eyes weren't focusing probably and she heard weird mumbled noises. A set of lights moved around over her head and then there was a flash of white. Slowly her senses came back to her and she struggled uselessly against the straps holding her down.
Mica felt them poking and prodding at her as she lay on the gurney. They were taking blood from her arm and monitoring her heart and blood pressure.
"How far along is she?" a woman's voice asked.
"We're not able to determine that yet. The ultrasound technician is on his way with the equipment now." a man's voice said.
"He wants to ensure the fetus is in perfect health.” She told him.
Mica tried to move but it proved futile and only caused her to feel as if she was falling from a great high. She turned her head and looked around. She was in some sort of medical area. Several people in white uniforms looked like doctors and there were all kinds of equipment in the room. The sound of a sealed door being released drew her attention to the strange noise it made. Another person dressed in white scrubs walked in pushing an ultrasound imaging device on a cart.
"Nurse prepare her abdomen while I get hooked up to the big monitor. He wants to see it as well.” The technician ordered. A woman pulled Mica's hospital gown up over her and then squirted something cold and slimy onto her belly. She felt tears well in her eyes as the man pushed a hard plastic wand against her tummy and moved it around. From where she lay she couldn't see the monitor only the back of it, but she could plainly hear the heartbeat of her unborn baby. The face of the man with the wand she saw clearly and he looked a bit more than surprised as he moved the wand some more.
"What's wrong?" a male's voice echoed into the room from somewhere overhead. It sounded like an intercom. The voice had a demanding sound to it and it was very familiar to her.
"Um nothing sir. The patient is in her second trimester. She's too far along to retrieve the stem cells.” The man stopped moving the wand and held it in one spot for several long moments.
"Damn it!” The intercom voice said. It sounded angry and now Mica was even more afraid.
"Very well. When will we know if it carries the gene.” The woman asked.
"We already know it does she's a female lycanthrope and they only give birth to Lycan's." a very familiar voice spoke up from somewhere behind her.
She sniffed the air, the smells of antiseptic, alcohols, the lubricant and the humans in the room didn't mask his scent. Greg!
"It's a shame she so far along.” The voice on the intercom said.
"Well with this adult female and the male in captivity, we could take samples. Then collect the stem cells with invetro fertilization after she's recovered from giving birth.” The woman's voice piped up.
"No...Abort this one. We can't wait for her to go to term.” The intercom voice said and Mica struggled uselessly against the straps holding her down.
"No!” She screamed as a needle stung her arm. Blackness shrouded her vision yet again.
“By the way, it's a female.” The tech said.
"What!” The man almost yelled out and it was the last thing she heard.
Chapter 12
Victor stood looking out over the Lake. The once idyllic location was now a place of mourning. The houseboat sat there moored to the dock partially burned. The broken windows and bullet holes another reminder of what had happened there. He stepped into the kitchen and the lingering smell of burnt wood assailed his nose. The now faint smell of blood still remained here. His brother's blood, his own blood and his mate’s tears had all been spilt here that night.
Rage ran over him. They had been in bed and the cowards had come as they slept and all hell broke loose. Images replayed in his mind, vivid and heartbreaking. His brother had torn the throat out of one of the Dickson pack members beside the couch where he’d had fallen asleep watching TV. There was a large brown stain on the floor from where the man fell. A set of dried foot prints showed his brother’s track of movements. The second man he killed was in front of Victor's bedroom and as Victor had come out he’d seen the red dot playing on Mike's head.
Victor never even got the words out to warn him and the spray of blood and bone flew from the side of his brother's face. The image caused Victor to quake ever so slightly as he stepped into his bedroom. The cowards shot him before he could even defend his mate and Victor's hand went to the scar on his chest. He’d staggered back and as he fell he heard Mica's screams.
Somehow she’d made his side and was kneeling beside him holding her small hands to his chest wound. She had pleaded with him not to leave her. Mica had fought so hard as the enemy tried to tear her away from him. Her father pulled her away and as his mate was forced to watch as Greg drew a side arm and shot him. It was a fatal shot, or at least it should have been. Now as he eyed his bedroom over from the seat he’d taken on the edge of the bed, he remembered the voices. The Valtor pack had come to talk an Alliance and it was they who had saved him. That was nearly six months ago.
With shaky hands Victor picked up the small now dried flower he’d picked Mica that day. It was such a small gesture but she’d cried. He’d learned from the Valtor Alpha that she’d been made to marry Jamie Timber only a day or two after they had taken her. Now she was gone. The attack on the Timber pack had destroyed them all. Their bodies burned in their homes, all of them shot to death and left to be consumed in the flames. The news had said it was caused by a wildfire, but Victor knew better. The attackers still unknown and out there somewhere with enough governmental pull to cover it all up. The events had started a war that was ripping the werewolf population apart as one side accused the other and now it was having a ripple effect.
Victor would make them pay, he thought as he gently held the flowe
r. He looked for anything else to bring before he sank the boat. He saw the book Mica had been reading. The classic novel was thick and boring looking. But she’d said she loved the story. Picking it up, he noticed it bulged slightly in the middle. There was something in it and he opened it. A thin plastic test lay there, it had a little ribbon tied to it held a small slip of paper. His hands trembled and picked it up and looked at it, the line was pink. The paper said 'Happy Birthday Victor, all my love Mica and baby'.
Victor's hands trembled as the tears ran down his cheeks. She’d said it was the stomach flu. Mica had been pregnant. In a fit he semi transformed ripping and tearing apart the boat house in a rage. His brother, his mate and their unborn child killed and he was unable to protect them. As his brother's tablet smacked against the wall and turned itself on his rage died. The bleeping on the screen made him freeze in mid frenzy.
Mica's microchip was still sending. That meant she was alive.
* * *~~~ * * *
Frank Valtor stirred the bacon, onions and potatoes in the enormous pan. He enjoyed the smell of the smoky meat as it fried crispy with its pan mates. His wife Ajei sat at the large picnic table with their new pack member. This was a day of celebration as the Feral pack and the Valtors finally became one. He knew Victor did the right thing to save his people by joining with them. He turned the spit to move the deer slowly over the red hot coals, he hoped this would prove fruitful for his people as well.
The wars had begun and Ajei and her inner circle had been working to empower his people enough to help fight off the invaders she’d seen coming in her visions. His wife was strong, strongest actually of all the shamans in his pack. Her power made many fear them and it was a wise thing. Still so young and beautiful, the raven hair Navajo woman was the most breathtaking creature he’d ever laid eyes on.
Frank heard the rustle of movement and watched as Victor eyed him, he knew the man was in pain. The scar on his chest and the one just over his right eye would fade. Ajei had used much of her power to heal him and Victor had still nearly died. Having lost so many to this war before it even started, Victor's emotional scars ran deep and would most likely never heal.
"Come have a beer!" Frank told him as he pulled the pan from the heat and covered it over.
Frank pulled two ice cold beers from the cooler and passed one to Victor as he sat beside him near the fire.
"What do you think of her idea?” He asked knowing Ajei was trying to convince him to let them help invade the compound they had located in the north. It's where Victor's mate was presumed to be held.
"It's a solid plan, but if we spook them then they may kill her.” He said before taking a drink.
"Ajei has her ways, besides we are family now and our packs are as brothers and we will fight to protect you. I know you will do the same for us!” He told him, knowing full well Victor Feral was loyal to those he chose to befriend.
The younger man looked up at him. His eyes also bore the pain in his heart and Frank knew that if they couldn't save his mate then Victor may be lost to them as well.
"I think I need to take a walk." Victor said as he stood. He left him sitting there as he walked towards the nearby woods.
"Do you wish the spirits to follow him?” His mate asked as she silently stepped over to him.
"No, he will be okay I think.” He said as he pulled her close to him and stole a kiss.
"My mate!” He growled as he gripped her bum in his hand and she squealed.
"You’re burning supper!” She scolded him as she tickled him to gain her freedom.
"I like my food a little crispy!” He growled as he nibbled her neck.
"Oh god! Dad... Mom...get a room!” Shea retorted as she carried her little brother out from the hall. She’d caught him wrestling her mother to the ground as he kissed her passionately. Ash was giggling in his sister’s arms at the sight and Frank grinned at his infant son.
With a giggle Ajei pushed him off her and stood fixing her dress.
"Shea, bring your brother here, he looks tired.” She said.
"Thanks Shea!” He said with a mock scowl as he patted the now empty spot beside him at the fire.
"Come sit, talk with your father. I want to know how you managed that prank you played on Nick.”
“It was easy, I just put food colouring in his shampoo.” She said with a grin.
Frank chuckled, Shea, as always, had got even with Nick. His eldest son now had lime green skin over part of his face, neck, both his hands and back. He’d stayed behind because he was so embarrassed by it.
“You know he will try and get back at you.”
“Yeah, but that’s what makes it fun.”Shea said with a warm smile.
“So tell me about this new boy you like... Ryder is it?” He asked and saw his teenage daughter turn bright red.
Just like her mother, Shea too was kinfolk and also a beginning shaman. Her power was not as strong as her mother's, but she was still young.
"Ryder is a nice guy dad!” She said as she looked up at him. Shea knew that she’d a role to play in the pack and that her mate had to be a werewolf not a human. At eighteen years old she should soon be mated and he was having a hard time in making the choice for her.
"Yes I'm sure he is, what pack is he from?"
"The Caldaras from the next county,” she explained. “They’re not our enemies or allies."
"Does he know what you are?"
"Yes, so does his father."
"Is he an Alpha's son?"Frank pried, he was hopeful the guy was.
"No...But he’s a werewolf and a great hunter!” She piped up proudly.
"You have run with him. Are you more than just friends then?” He asked with a raised eyebrow. He really wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to such a personal question. But he needed to know if she’d been more than just flirting with him.
"Yes.” She said meekly
"Have you...um.” His words were lost as his own embarrassment filtered up into his face. He was attempting to ask if they had pledged themselves to one another yet.
"All right that's enough questions! Shea is needed back inside to help with the feast.” His wife broke in ending his attempt at learning of her potential mate.
* * * ~~~ * * *
Victor was lost inside. His heart ached and his soul felt shattered. Mica was alive out there in some damn compound that was heavily guarded by men in all black uniforms with automatic weapons. The building looked like a military base but he knew from his contacts that the place was a debunked testing facility. Frank, himself and three others scouted had out the area. They had found the place was well guarded by a ten foot high fence which was topped with barbed wire.
When he’d learned that The Infinity Biogenetics Labs had Mica he nearly lost it again. His own brother had taken his mate, killed an entire pack just to have her...why? He was unsure of the fate of his unborn child and his heart was heavy with grief as he watched Frank with his family. If Collin could do this to get his own brother's mate then what would he do with his unborn child.
As he sat on an old decaying log, he slowly nursed his beer. He eyed Frank off in the distance for a few moments a little jealous of him as the older man flirted with Ajei. The tall lithe man was nearly fifty but looked much younger with his golden brown mop of hair and pale skin. He was covered in complex native tattoos. Frank stuck out in the mostly Navajo Pack. After the Valtors had found him lying in a pool of blood on the edge of death, Ajei had healed him and Victor would forever owe them his life.
He looked over the large field in front of the hall. Several more cars pulled in and he wondered if he’d made the right decision. This had been his pack’s ancestral territory for many decades. His great grandfather had won this land in a battle with a small rival pack a long time ago. A part of him felt as if he’d betrayed his family. This was now part of Valtor territory. No longer his own. By combining the packs, he’d save his people but at what cost.
He glanced back and saw the eyes
in and around the building. They glowed eerily in the early evening twilight. The dozen or so men were changing into more suitable forms to guard the feast tonight. The combined pack had them at thirty male werewolves, six shamans and a dozen or so fully battle trained men and women. The Valtor pack was much stronger than he’d realized and he’d only learned of their true strength after he agreed to the amalgamation of the two packs.
Alaric and his wolves would pay dearly for what they had done. The war was coming their way and Victor would show the Dickson pack as much mercy as they had shown them when they attacked them while they slept. This would not end well for many of them.
He walked slowly back towards the hall, he needed to be there for the ceremony that united the two. It's something Jenni was anxious about now that her mate had taken over Mike's role as a Beta. Victor would still lead his pack, still be Alpha to the Feral's. It would be more by proxy now as Frank and his clan lived too far way to lead them on a day to day basis.
He felt a little cramped as he stepped inside, never had the hall been so full of Lycan's and their kin. This ceremony was much like the one that had united him and Mica. Now he and Frank would become brothers bond by blood, uniting the two packs as one family.
"Hey Victor!” He heard Jenni's soft voice as he stepped off to one side in the crowd.
"Hi Jenni, where's my Beta hiding at?"
After Mike had been killed, his cousin Jake took the role on. He was a good strong man and he knew how to be an excellent Beta. But it still wasn't the same without Mike at his side.
"Oh he was talking with Bryce Valtor over by the beer keg” She said with a smile.
"And you? Are you having a good time?” He asked. Jenni had been so close with Mica that she took all of this very hard.
The Lycan Wars- Revised Edition Page 8
