Reindeer Games

by Kristen Strassel

  “I wouldn’t put anything past him.” I huffed out a breath and looked at the ragtag assembly of shifters surrounding me. These guys trusted me, on the field to bring them to victory, and in the forest to lead them in battle. They were a true pack, and I couldn’t let them down.

  “Anyone got a boat?” My question was met with huffs and chuckles. “Didn’t think so. All right, let’s get a fucking boat.”

  Human law didn’t just not apply to shifters, it didn’t matter. No gun, no handcuffs, and no jail would stand in the way of a bunch of pissed off animals and justice. We’d get to that island if I had to swim with a creature on my back. But it didn’t come to that. We found an old bear who lived on one of the boats who was willing to help.

  “The screaming woke me up. That kid is pissed off,” he said as he loosened the boat from the dock. “I stayed here, knowing someone would come looking for him.”

  “Thanks, man.” The stench of rotten meat burned my nostrils. Stefan had left breadcrumbs. “We need you to bring us to Faraway Island. Not to the harbor. Around to the outer banks.”

  Surprising Stefan would go a long way to beating him. Jeremy was still alive—and confident enough to make himself known. This kid had been through enough shit. He wouldn’t let an asshole like Stefan beat him. I liked him even more for that.

  “Dangerous to go that way in a small boat like this,” the bear warned. The glacial islands protected us on the Inside Passage. In the open water, we were vulnerable to big ships, tug boats, and the weather.

  “I’ll buy you a new boat,” Landon said. “Take us to the outer banks.”

  “Just letting you know what the risks are. Hope you can swim.” The old bear shook his head. “I’ve been watching you since your rookie season, Fox. You don’t make dumb decisions. That’s why you’re so successful.”

  “It’s why I have enough money to buy you a new boat.” Landon laughed. “Trust your instincts. As long as you get us to land, we can take it from there.”

  Being trapped on the boat this far away from Jeremy and Delilah was a helpless feeling. I had no idea what we’d find when we got back to the island. I hadn’t been to Stefan’s village since I was a kid.

  The water on the outer banks was choppy and the shoreline steep and rocky. In human form, we’d never be able to scale the glacial rock and would be exposed to the rising tide. In the dark, it was a tough climb up the rocky terrain.

  “Didn’t miss this,” Sebastian grumbled. “I swear it’s gotten worse.”

  “Where’s his headquarters?” I asked. Stefan’s pack prided themselves on living off the land, but he had to have a home base.

  Sebastian stopped when he got to the top of the cliff and sniffed the air. The night was too quiet—just the grunting of the Bloodhounds as they scaled the rocks and the water slapping against the shore.

  Too hard for me to tell if Stefan was here—his stink was everywhere on this wasted land.

  “They’re here,” Sebastian said.

  “Fuck,” I muttered. “Okay. Everyone knows what to do.”

  “When do we stop?” Landon asked. He only met me this week, but he’d been by my side since we left Sebastian’s house. As a fox, he’d have a completely different perspective than we would. On Faraway Island, there was no way to beat the Bloodhounds. “Do you want him hurt or do you want him dead?”

  I glanced at Sebastian and he nodded. “I want him dead.”

  No human emotion seeped into the decision. Faraway Island belonged to my herd as much as it did to Stefan. He’d ruled by fear and intimidation long enough. He meant to drive us into the ground. To make us flee. He didn’t understand reason—he understood violence.

  No. It ended tonight.

  “Destroy his camp. I’ll find Jeremy.” Someone would have to keep him safe while we delivered our message.

  “Gunnar,” Sebastian said quietly, realizing I was serious. Like me, he’d believed this could end peacefully. We could have no peace on the island until our battle came to a true end.

  “Your brother abducted my mate’s son. I’ve given him enough chances, and tonight, he’s declared war. And I’ll stop at nothing to make sure it never happens again.”

  Chapter Twelve

  DELILAH

  “I’ll kill that fucking wolf myself.” I couldn’t stop shaking. Every moment away from Jeremy meant something terrible could be happening to him.

  “I’ll be right there with you. Wringing wolf neck.” Naomi hadn’t left my side since I got to the condo. “I’m so sorry.”

  “You didn’t do anything wrong. We’re messing with something we don’t fully understand.” I glared at Tessa and her crew. But they were here, doing a job, too. A reckless and irresponsible one, but pointing fingers wouldn’t get Jeremy back.

  “Yeah, the shifter thing is great when they get all growly in the heat of the moment and when they declare we’re the one for them.” Naomi’s fingers tightened on my shoulder. “And that they’ll keep us safe until some other animal comes and shits all over that plan. It’s scary as hell to see them in their shifted form, fangs bared and snarly. I’m not sure how a buck fights, but I know one thing—he’ll fight hard.”

  I nodded. I wouldn’t tell her it comforted me that the animals we sent to get Jeremy would do whatever it took to get him back. It was an instinct only a mother could understand.

  There was a possibility not everyone would come home. And the risk was highest for those we loved.

  I wasn’t sure I was there yet with Gunnar, but we were in a place not many people shared. It would hurt to lose him now. A lot.

  Getting to Faraway Island was harder than taking on a pissed-off, vengeful wolf. Ferries didn’t leave until sunrise and there was only one flight from Holiday Falls every day. It wouldn’t get us there any faster. I’d swim there, if I needed to.

  “I’ll bring Naomi with me and the crew can stay here and do whatever the hell it was Gunnar thought I was going to do.” Wait. Right. Not when my son was in danger.

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Maybe you should have me come with you instead,” Tessa said.

  “Sebastian will make sure I get back to Holiday Falls without a scratch on me. Can’t guarantee the same safe passage for you.” Naomi snickered. “It makes more sense if you stay at command central since you have access to all the communication stuff.”

  “I shouldn’t let you go alone,” Tessa said. “The contract says—”

  “Fuck the contract when her kid is missing.” Naomi growled.

  “Maybe she should come, too. We can leave the rest of the crew here.” Whatever the hell we did, we needed to go. Now. “That way we know what’s going on.”

  “Please, let me come.” Tessa approached but was smart not to touch me. “I’ll leave the camera here. But the two of you are understandably hot-headed. You need someone who’s thinking a little more clearly. Neither of you have experience dealing with pack wars.”

  “Neither do you.” Or else they would’ve never got us mixed up in this mess. I couldn't say I regretted everything. If I weren’t here, I would’ve never met Gunnar.

  If I weren’t here, Jeremy wouldn’t be in danger.

  I was losing Jeremy either way. It wasn’t going to hurt less because he was right in front of me.

  “We have safeties in place. We understood getting humans involved with shapeshifters was risky, even if we didn’t know all the risks. I can call for backup. Hopefully we won’t need it. Stefan backed down from a Bloodhound challenge once. I can’t, in good conscience, send the two of you off alone.”

  She was right. We needed someone thinking straight, and that wasn’t me. “As long as you promise not to interfere. Or hold what happens against me.”

  “I’m a mom, too, Delilah.” She squatted beside me, putting her hand on my shoulder. “If this were me, I’d be doing the same exact thing.”

  Naomi glared at her, but unlike her, I did think Tessa had our best interests in mind. Not as Werewives, but as women.
She was putting her ass on the line, coming with us. She should’ve called the police and talked me off the ledge.

  “Then get ready to go. I want to be the first car off the ferry.” We’d wasted enough time. The dream was that we’d find Jeremy while we waited to board the ferry, but I had a pretty strong feeling that public transportation was not part of Stefan’s abduction plans.

  “We’ve got this,” Naomi said as we pulled away from the compound. “Stefan definitely went back to the island. He’s luring the shifters back there because it’s the only way he thinks he can win.”

  “You can do every single thing right and still lose.” And that went both ways. “He’s never messed with a pissed-off mama before.”

  “I have a feeling this will be the first and last time.” Naomi winked. She was right, but it did nothing to settle me. This night would change everything—even if we got Jeremy and Gunnar back without a scratch on them, we’d all be looking over our shoulders. Fending off the next attack. My son was having his childhood robbed from him, and I’d do whatever it took to make it stop.

  Everything but leave Alaska. I’d had enough taken from me, too.

  Mentally and physically exhausted, the ferry ride gave me too much time to think. I’d slipped into a weird, dreamlike state. I kept imagining myself approaching Stefan in his wolf form, grasping his open jaws with my bare hands and twisting them until he turned into a man. I had him on his knees, begging for mercy. He could fuck with animals all he wanted but he picked the wrong mama to mess with.

  I grasped the boat rail, hoping somewhere in the inner passage I saw some evidence that my son had been here. That his cry for me echoed in the wind. But there was nothing—he’d vanished without a trace. Stefan could’ve taken him anywhere, and I could be walking into a trap. A remote island full of blood-thirsty wolves wanting revenge.

  I refused to be afraid.

  There was nothing magical about Faraway Island when I didn’t have Jeremy with me. Main Street was too quiet, even this early on a weekday. It was like the residents had sheltered in place, and we’d walked onto the battlefield.

  “Go to the toy store.” I barely waited for Tessa before I jumped out of the van. I rattled the locked door. No sign of Gunnar, but no sign of vandalism, either. The train set was still in there, its headlight shining in the dim light as it rumbled along the wooden track. I pressed my head against the cool glass, squeezing my eyes shut, picturing the look of sheer joy on Jeremy’s face the last time he was here. Nothing Stefan did would take that memory away.

  “Jeremy!” I screamed as I backed away from the store, straight into Naomi.

  She steadied me by the shoulders. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  A wolf howled in the distance and I pulled her back to the car. The echo surrounded us and it was impossible to tell where it came from.

  “That was for us.” I broke away from her, cupping my hands over my mouth. “Jeremy!”

  A chorus of animal sounds greeted us. I ran back to the van. “They’re here.”

  “Where should I go?” Tessa had been scrolling through her phone, but she tossed it on the console and threw the van in reverse. “There’s no pack designations on the map. I was hoping I could find Stefan’s headquarters.”

  “Sebastian said his pack was left with the shittiest part of the island. Go as far as the road takes you.” Naomi turned around, biting her lip in what should’ve been a smile. “We’re not too late.”

  No, we weren’t. The quiet had scared me more than the howling. Quiet meant that the fight was over. This island was overloaded with angry animals and none of them would come quietly. But in defeat...I couldn’t let myself think about that.

  Visibility got worse the closer Tessa got to the outer reaches of the island. At first, I thought it was fog, but the acrid smell confirmed it was smoke. Shit. Tessa slowed as the road got twisted and pock-marked. It wasn’t meant for cars anymore. Humans, either. Just animals.

  “I can’t go any farther. We’ll get stuck if I do.” Tessa said as the van ground to a stop. “What do you want me to do? Stay here or go with you?”

  “Come. The guys fight in a pack, and we will, too,” I said. Stefan was a bully when he thought he had an advantage. We wouldn’t give him one.

  We covered our faces to shield them from the thick smoke, but we used it as a guide. The ground was uneven and rocky, like Faraway Island had broken off from a mountain at some point.

  The howling was constant, like it was part of the wind. Barking and cooing and other angry noises got louder. But no human noises. The terrain leveled at the top of the hill and I broke into a run, ignoring the cries of Naomi and Tessa.

  I could barely see; the smoke was so thick. Blurry figures lunged ahead of me, and fires raged on the perimeter of the clearing. A battle was in full progress, a buck and a wolf. Most likely, Gunnar and Stefan. I had to get a hold of myself and not let emotion swallow me. Jeremy was here somewhere.

  The girls caught up, their panting distracting me. We had no time to waste. I turned around to make sure it was them and not a wolf who thought he’d get one up on the buck while he was unaware his mate was exposed.

  “Mama!” Jeremy hadn’t called me that since he was a little boy. A tiny figure blurred through the smoke, waving his hands. A fire burned on either side of him, but that didn’t stop me. I ran toward them.

  Those animals had chained Jeremy to a tree. Sparks fell all around us and it was only a matter of time before the tree ignited.

  That motherfucker was going to let my baby burn. Oh, hell no.

  I dodged growling wolves and their claws. Stefan was expecting me, and his pack had been lying in wait. Or the cocky wolf thought he could take on an entire football team on his own. None of it mattered while Jeremy was chained to that tree. But he was alive. I wrapped my arms around him, reminding myself to stay strong. This was just the beginning of the fight.

  “Mama,” he said again. My brave boy wasn’t crying. “I can’t get free.”

  The rusty links were tangled in a complicated knot, securing my son to a horrible fate. I rattled them, but it wasn’t that easy. I turned to the girls. “Either of you know how to pick a lock?”

  Naomi grinned, pulling a key ring out of her pocket. “Some might call it a misdemeanor, but I call it a necessary life skill.”

  “Cut him loose. I don’t care if you have to chop the damn tree down.” I hadn’t let go of Jeremy, and it would be the hardest thing I’d ever do. “Are you hurt?”

  “Nothing bad.” My brave boy. His face was sooty, and a bruise blossomed on his cheek.

  I turned to the fight. Fur flew and bodies skidded through the dirt. “When Auntie Naomi gets this chain off you, run to the van. Stay with the ladies.”

  “What about you, mama?”

  It broke my heart every time he called me that.

  “Why aren’t you coming with us?”

  Common sense said to go. My hands were shaking too hard to turn a key in a lock and I’d be nothing but a liability on that battlefield. But there was no fucking way I’d let that wolf see me run. There was a possibility we’d lose this fight. I could still send a message—pack politics stayed with the pack. But when he messed with my son, there would be hell to pay.

  “Delilah!” Tessa called after me, but if she said anything else, it was lost in the cacophony of the fight. Nothing she could say could change my mind.

  Chapter Thirteen

  GUNNAR

  Stefan had been one step ahead of us, and he didn’t plan on losing, either. The bright orange glow didn’t come from the rising sun. He’d set his own camp on fire.

  Sebastian trailed behind me. He hadn’t been home in seven years, but it didn’t mean he hadn’t had a hand in this destruction. Things could’ve been different if we’d done this sooner. If we didn’t foolishly think the wolf would come to his senses. We’d all made mistakes, but never had he put a child in the line of fire. Literally.

  “Gunnar! Is th
at you?” Jeremy called to me.

  I went up on my hind hooves. Otherwise, I couldn’t answer him. Shifters could understand each other no matter what form they were in, but we lost communication with humans in our animal form. Because we should’ve stayed separate, but it was too late for that.

  With my antlers, I rose head and shoulders above the other animals. Stefan jumped out between the trees, attaching himself to my back. “Thought this would be easy, didn’t you? I don’t care how many football teams you bring back here with you. This is my island.”

  “Let the boy go,” I roared, shaking him off me. He skidded through the dirt, at the feet of my new teammates. Pack mates. It was good fun watching them bat him around like a chew toy, but I wasn’t done with him yet.

  “He’s gonna burn the tree down, Gunnar.” There was no missing the panic in Jeremy’s voice. “I can’t get out of the chains.”

  Fuck. “If he gets hurt—”

  Stefan picked his head up, glaring at me. “You’ll give me another chance? That’s why your herd doesn’t respect you, buck. Nothing has any consequences with you. It will be the downfall of this island.”

  He struck a nerve. I’d given this bastard enough chances, and looked the other way too many times when I should’ve put a stop to it. All in the name of peace. I was as much of an idiot as he was, thinking I could keep everything the same and still get what I wanted.

  I put my antlers down and charged for him. The Bloodhounds went into formation, giving him nowhere to run.

  “Mama!” Jeremy yelled. Fuck. Delilah was here. She was supposed to stay in Holiday Falls where she was safe. She ran through the smoke, pushing past wolves on her way to Jeremy. She was strong and beautiful.

  She was my mate.

  No, nothing would ever be the same again.

  She could at least keep Jeremy out of more danger while I took care of Stefan. I gored him, but he shook free. I was at two disadvantages—I didn’t have claws and I had to put my head down to attack. That left precious seconds I could be blindsided. Stefan’s wolves had hung back. Last time the Bloodhounds came as backup, they’d been too star-struck to fight. They might not want to fight Landon Fox, but they had no problem roughing up Naomi and Tessa.