Grace’s eyes widened. Was this the secret Derek intended to tell her once all this was over? She couldn’t think about that now. She had to focus on the present, and ensuring she kept herself and the kids safe until the police arrived.
Rebecca must have read something on Grace’s face because she let out a cackle. “He hasn’t even told you, has he? You defiled yourself with him without knowing what type of monster he really is. Well, it will be my pleasure to show you.”
Grace tried to scramble away, but she couldn’t because Rebecca was standing between her and the door, and the cages were blocking her path around the edge of the room. There was no way out.
Rebecca grabbed Grace’s arm in a vice-like grip and dragged her from the room. Grace tried to wriggle free of Rebecca’s grasp, but the other woman was unnaturally strong. Rebecca led her into the main room where she’d previously been ‘preaching,’ to the new recruits. She dragged Grace up onto the podium with her and addressed the teens and adults gathered around her.
“I found Officer Alcott,” Rebecca said Grace’s name as an insult. “She thinks the police force and the Shadowbrook pack are coming to save the day. Only she’s wrong because she’s put all her faith in the worst monster of them all.”
Rebecca pulled out her phone, tapped a few buttons on the screen and an image appeared on the projector. It was a grisly crime-scene photo of a man lying on the ground, his throat torn open, and blood covering all of his upper half. Something about the man was eerily familiar, he reminded Grace of Derek.
As if answering Grace’s thoughts, Rebecca said, “Yes, that’s Keith Hargrove, your lover’s father. He was murdered, ten years ago, by his son, who had just transformed into a wolf for the first time. In a fit of animalistic rage, he brutally murdered his doting parent. And this is the man you’ve put all your faith in.”
All Grace could do was stare at the picture in horror. There had to be some sort of mistake. Derek wasn’t a murderer.
17
Derek
Derek watched Grace standing in the doorway of the abandoned building for as long as he could before he had to focus on the route he was taking back to the parking lot. He hated leaving Grace alone in that building, with the Carnegies, after everything they’d seen and heard. But his mate was nothing if not stubborn and had insisted she say behind to keep watch on the captured kids. He only hoped her kindness didn’t lead her into trouble.
Derek’s chest tightened at the thought of anything happening to Grace. He couldn’t lose her, not now when they were co close to solving this case. Not now, before he’d had the chance to tell her the truth about his father. He only hoped she wouldn’t hate him when she knew the truth. That would be the worst thing of all. If they survived this, only for Grace to turn her back on him when he confessed to murdering his father. He had to believe she would still want to be with him because if she didn’t, his heart would break. He’d known it for a while now, but he was finally able to admit to himself that he was in love with Grace. He wanted to marry her and start a family together. He wanted the happiness he never even imagined he deserved.
With the thought of Grace and their shared future in the fore of his mind, Derek ran back to the parking lot. He was relieved to see the two old men who had been fishing from the reservoir had left now, and the area was deserted. Hopefully, when the police and his pack arrived they wouldn’t draw any human attention.
Relieved Grace hadn’t locked the door to her car, Derek shifted into his human form and retrieved his clothes from the back seat. He dressed hurriedly, deciding he probably wouldn’t need to shift again. He’d tracked the Carnegies and found the children. He’d be safe to remain as a human while he wanted for the police and his pack to arrive.
He pulled his phone from his pants pocket, and called the fire station, knowing Ben would be on duty.
“Hey, it’s Derek,” he said as soon as his boss answered. “Me and Grace have found where the Carnegies are hiding, and they’ve taken the missing kids, too. I’ll send you the location. Be here as soon as you can.”
“I will. I’ll gather the pack and we’ll come to you straight away. Stay safe, Derek.”
Derek ended the call and sent the coordinates of their location to Ben. Then he called the precinct and relayed the same information to Captain Alcott.
“Grace is there with you?” the Captain asked, and even over the phone, Derek could hear the worry in her voice. “But I pulled her off the case. She’s supposed to be at home, on leave of absence.”
“I know, and we were wrong to race off without telling you, but we’re here now, and we need help. Ben Stokes and the Shadowbrook pack are on their way. I’ll give you the coordinates of our location if you promise to send an armed team here right away.”
“Of course. I’ll gather my best officers together straight away. Just keep my daughter safe.”
“I will. You have my word.” Derek ended the call and sent Captain Alcott the location of the Carnegies hideout.
He wanted to return to Grace straight away, but he worried his pack and the police team wouldn’t know exactly where the abandoned boathouse was. It couldn’t be viewed from the parking lot, and if they spent time searching for the location, that was more time that would be wasted when they should be stopping the Carnegies and rescuing the kids. He couldn’t wait for them to arrive though. Anything could happen to Grace while he was away - he couldn’t relax until he was by her side again. Deciding the best thing to do was leave a message for the pack and the police, he searched Grace’s car for paper and a pen. He was relieved to find a Sharpie and a pad of paper in the glove compartment. In bold lettering, he wrote a note that said “Boathouse. East, then North to the cordoned-off area.” He attached it to the windscreen of Grace’s car, hoping the help coming would check the car before looking around for them.
Satisfied he had done all he could to direct his pack and the police force, Derek sprinted back to the boathouse, frustrated his pace was slower in his human form. Once he reached the building, he ran around to the back and entered through the rear door. He sniffed the air, but couldn’t smell anything distinct as a human, the many scents in the building intermingling. Praying Grace was still safe in the room with the children, he hurried along the corridor.
“Grace!” he called as he entered the room. His eyes scanned the area, but he could only see the children in cages.
“Rebecca took her!” called the child he’d frightened earlier, that Grace had comforted.
Derek rushed over to the child and crouched down in front of them so they were on eye level. “Tell me what happened,” he demanded, his voice coming out as an angry bark. The child flinched and Derek cringed. He calmed himself and said in a softer voice. “I’m sorry, I’m just worried about Grace. What happened to her?”
“Grace was telling me about how you’re here to help, and that you’d gone to call the police. They are coming, aren’t they? I want to go home.”
The child started crying, and Derek was at a loss what to do. He choked down his frustration, knowing losing his temper now would help no one. “It’s okay, the police are coming. They’ll be here soon, and they’ll take everyone home. But please, I need to know, where is Grace?”
“Rebecca took her. She said she was going to show Grace what kind of monster you really are.”
Derek’s blood turned cold. How could Rebecca Carnegie know about his father? She couldn’t tell Grace about what he’d done, she’d twist it to sound worse than it already was. If that were even possible. What could be worse than him murdering his father? He had to get to Grace. He had to save her from Rebecca so that he could tell her the truth on his terms.
“Thank you,” he said to the child as he straightened. “Help will be here soon.”
Derek hurried from the room and along the corridor to the room where he’d seen Rebecca giving a presentation to the other Carnegies and a handful of teens. He slowed his pace, making his footsteps as soundless as possible so he would
n’t alert anyone to his presence. He crouched low, keeping to the shadows and observed the scene before him.
Rebecca was standing on the podium, Grace beside her and projected on the wall behind them as a picture of his father’s lifeless body, his throat ripped out and the upper half covered in blood. Ben had told him the police had investigated the murder, and Derek assumed this photo was from their case.
He watched in horror as Rebecca said, “Yes, that’s Keith Hargrove, your lover’s father. He was murdered, ten years ago, by his son, who had just transformed into a wolf for the first time. In a fit of animalistic rage, he brutally murdered his doting parent. And this is the man you’ve put all your faith in.”
Derek sprang to his feet and barged into the room. “That’s a lie!”
Every Carnegie in the room pointed their weapons at him.
“Well, well, well. This is a surprise. Apparently, you haven’t abandoned your bitch like I assumed you would,” Rebecca sneered.
He ignored her, looking at Grace and trying to find any sign on her face that she didn’t believe these lies.
Talking directly to his mate, he said, “She’s right, I murdered my father. I should have told you once we started seeing each other. But I was ashamed and thought you’d hate me if you knew the truth. It’s not like Rebecca says, though. He wasn’t a doting parent. He abused me daily. He was a raging alcoholic who’d already driven my mother to take her own life.” Derek’s chest tightened at the memories, and he felt his body tremble. He tried not to think of those dark times in his life. He’d tried to block them out, but confronted with the picture of his father’s lifeless body, everything that had happened ten years ago came rushing forward.
His father towered over him screaming. ‘You’re worthless, just like your whore of a mother.’ Young Derek shuddered, but the tirade continued.
His father backhanded teen Derek across the face and Derek’s anger rose until it felt like his body was twisting with rage. He saw his mother’s lifeless body and heard his father’s mocking laughter as he said, “Dumb bitch couldn’t handle it, so she stopped herself.”
He felt every slap, every punch, every kick his father had inflicted upon him.
His bones popped and his muscles contorted, and he morphed from a boy to a wolf. He panicked, thinking the abuse had finally driven him insane. But then instinct took over. He lunged towards his father, knocking him back and onto the floor. Animal instinct took over, and he ripped at the man’s throat, his sharp teeth tearing through flesh, as blood sprayed everywhere. When he was certain his father was dead, he lifted his head and howled, then bolted from the house.
Derek didn’t know what had happened next, his memory had gone dark. All he recalled was waking hours later, naked and covered in blood, laying on the floor of the forest.
As the story tumbled from Derek’s lips, a sick smile spread across Rebecca’s face. “See, he even admits it himself. He’s a killer and deserves to be put down.”
“No!” Grace cried her face white and streaked with tears. “It was self -defense. Derek wouldn’t purposely hurt anyone.”
Rebecca grabbed Grace and tugged her forward so the two women were nose-to-nose. “You’re defending him?” she spat. “You’re as depraved as he is. You both deserve to die. Yes, that’s it. A public execution to induct our new members. Bring the mutt here.”
Before he had a chance to react, one of the Carnegies grabbed Derek and dragged him up onto the stage with Rebecca and Grace.
Grace threw herself into Derek’s arms, sobbing. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. You were right. I should have gone with you.”
“This isn’t your fault,” Derek said soothingly, kissing her head. “Don’t worry, the police and my pack are on the way.”
“By then it will be too late for you!” Rebecca declared. She turned her attention to the gathered onlookers. “Heather, get up here and do the honors.”
Shakily, Heather stepped onto the podium and Rebecca handed her a pistol. “Kill the mutt and his bitch, and you’ll be welcomed into the Carnegie family with a place of honor.”
Heather took the pistol, her hands quivering and aimed it at Grace.
“Don’t do this,” Derek said, moving to shield Grace with his body, his eyes pleading with the teenager to reconsider. “Taking a life isn’t as easy as you’d think. The horror of it will live with you forever.”
“Kill him!” Rebecca commanded.
“Heather put the gun down. You can still walk away from this. It’s not too late.”
Heather’s hands trembled and she lowered the weapon.
“Pathetic!” Rebecca hissed, lunging at Heather. She snatched the gun from the girl’s hand and pushed her aside. Then turned back to face Derek and Grace. “Someone detain the mutt. I want him to watch as I put down his bitch.”
As armed Carnegie men approached, Derek tore off his clothes and shifted into his wolf form. He stood between Grace and the men, snarling and snapping his teeth so no one could get close. However, the Carnegies weren’t deterred by his bared fangs, and spurred on by Rebecca’s screamed instructions, one grabbed Derek and dragged him away.
With no one standing between Rebecca and Grace, Rebecca took aim with the pistol and fired. Time slowed as Derek broke free of his captor and leaped towards Grace, aiming to knock her out of the line of fire. Instead, the bullet caught his back right leg and white hot-pain surged through his body.
Derek convulsed, a howl turning to a scream on his lips, as he transformed back into a human and fell to the floor. The last thing he heard before he blacked out was Grace's anguished scream.
18
Grace
For an agonizing moment, Grace froze. All she could do was stare in horror as the bullet flew from Rebecca’s pistol and hurtled towards her, then Derek leaped in its path. Derek’s agonized howl-turned-scream snapped Grace out of her trans, and her body jerkily sprang to action. She crouched down and lifted Derek’s head into his lap, not caring if she was leaving herself open to another shot from Rebecca, all that mattered now was Derek.
Luckily for Grace and Derek, Rebecca didn’t get a chance to fire another shot at the couple, for at that moment the Shadowbrook pack stormed the building and more than twenty snarling wolves chased down Rebecca and the other Carnegies, right into the path of the approaching armed police force, who arrived shortly after the wolves. Around Grace police officers fired and wolves howled, rounding up and subduing the Carnegies, but Grace paid them no mind.
With Derek’s head in her lap, Grace stroked his dark hair. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay. The police and your pack are here now. We’ll get you to the hospital.”
Derek groaned, his eyes struggling to focus on her. “Grace,” he croaked weakly.
Grace’s eyes scanned Derek’s body, and she saw the wound in his right leg. The bone was poking through the skin and blood was pouring out. She scrambled around for a scrap of material and found the t-shirt Derek had ripped off when he’d shifted. Tearing it with her teeth, Grace tore long strips of material and then tied them around Derek’s leg as a makeshift tourniquet to stop the flow of blood.
Satisfied she’d done all she could for his leg, Grace turned her attention back to Derek, knowing it was important he didn’t completely lose consciousness.
“Stay with me,” she pleaded. “You can’t leave me know, not before I’ve had the chance to tell you I love you.”
His head in Grace’s lap, Derek’s eyes widened at her words.
“Yes. I love you. And I don’t blame you for your father's death. He abused you. You can tell me all the details when you’re better if you want, but as far as I’m concerned it was self-defense. You didn’t reject me when I told you the truth about Will, and I am not rejecting you now.”
Derek raised a shaky hand and gripped Grace’s fingers. It’s all he could do in his semi-conscious state to let her know he’d heard her.
In response, Grace squeezed his fingers back and continued speaking in
a soothing tone, as the battle raged around them.
“So you have to hold on, Derek, you have to stay strong until we can get you to hospital. You can’t leave me now, not when our future together is about to start.”
Grace sniffled, tears rolling down her cheeks. She swept her fingers through Derek’s hair, slightly concerned that his skin felt so hot. She trained her face into a mask of impassiveness so he wouldn’t see she was worried. “You were so brave up there, protecting me. I’m only sorry you got hurt because of me.”
“You’re worth it,” Derek croaked.
Grace’s tears fell harder and she bowed her head to press her lips to Derek’s forehead. “When you’re better, we’ll go away, just the two of us,” she whispered against his skin. “Somewhere hot and relaxing with no drama.”
Derek smiled weakly. “That sounds perfect. I’d love to see you in a bikini.”
Despite herself, Grace laughed. “You’re terrible. Now is not the time to be picturing me half-naked.”
Derek raised an eyebrow. “Why? I’m naked.”
Grace laughed again, glad he was well enough to be making jokes. “You stay with me now, then get better, and I’ll model bikinis for you for a week.”
Derek’s eyes focused on hers. “Deal,” he whispered.
Finally, the fighting around them ceased and Grace saw the Shadowbrook pack herding the Carnegies out of the building. She scanned the group for Rebecca, but couldn’t see her.
“Where is she?” she cried out, sitting up straight and startling Derek. “Who has Rebecca Carnegie?”
Her mother rushed over. “Oh Grace, thank God you’re okay.”
Grace stiffened, directing her attention back to Derek. She and her mother hadn’t spoken since she’d confessed about Will, and here with her injured lover in her lap, she didn’t think she could bear another confrontation with her mother.
Claimed By The Alpha Wolf (Firefighter Wolves Shifters Book 3) Page 11
