“You wanted to see me, Boss?”
Pierce turned to see Stuart Macavoie, his leading scientist on all things werewolf-rogue.
“How’s it going with the wolves?”
Stuart sighed. “It’s not working; they are dying just days after being bitten.”
“Get on the phone and have our guys go get us some more,” Pierce said.
“No can do, Boss.” Stuart shook his head.
“Excuse me?”
Stuart bristled at the tone in Pierce’s voice. He hated being on the receiving end of the man’s anger. “The park is being patrolled now, by werewolves.”
“Hit Washington’s then.”
Stuart shifted uncomfortably and raised a brow.
Pierce narrowed his eyes. “You can’t be serious!”
“Um, I barely made it out alive last time. Some blond-haired crazy guy killed everything in sight.” Stuart looked down at the floor. “Oh, and he was singing ‘who’s afraid of the big bad wolf’ while he did it.”
Pierce stood up at that. “What? Who the fuck was this guy?”
“I think his partner called him Lyons?”
Pierce’s eyes widened. “As in Devin Lyons? About five foot ten?”
Stuart nodded. “I think so.”
“Well that’s just fucking great! Now we have the Markovs, the SEALs, Delta Force AND Devin Lyons of the fucking FBI?”
“Look, the experiments aren’t working on the wolves; we need to keep recruiting humans. The drug cartels will want in on this, makes their job easier. Getting Chance should be second in—”
“Don’t tell me what I should do, Stuart,” Pierce growled. “I want Chance; he’s coming into his powers.”
Stuart nodded. “He’ll be more powerful at twenty-one, why not wait? You have no idea what you could be up against.” Stuart saw the feral smile cross Pierce’s lips. “No…”
“Oh yes, you will be in charge of training him. You should have kept your mouth shut about what you knew of magic and the Christianson line if you’d wanted to stay out of it. It’s a good thing you’re smart, Stuart. Did you get what I asked for?”
“Yes, they are ready.” For once, Stuart hated his hobby of studying witchcraft. It had put him on Pierce’s radar in more ways than one.
“Good,” Pierce looked at his men. “We find Chance, I will bite him, and then we reap the
rewards.”
~~ “It’s fine, Logan,” Riley said. “I’ll have the guys go to the house and pack it up. The jet will be waiting for you at Logan airport and no flight plan will be filed. Wayne thinks that it’s best that you guys go to Denali instead of
coming here for now. Until the rogues can be tracked, we need to keep Chance safe.”
“Thanks, Riley.”
“No problem, good luck.” Corporate whiz-kid Riley FlynnEsposito hung up the phone and looked at Keegan and Vince
Markov. The former was an FBI agent and his husband, Vince, was a notorious killer who now worked for the government. “I think we need to pack up and head out to Denali.”
Vince nodded. “They are going to come for Chance; it’s what I would do.”
“Is he that powerful?”
Keegan asked.
“Yes, he is. He just hasn’t realized his potential yet,” Vince said. “Nikolai did his homework on Chance. Their family bloodline goes back centuries, the
Christiansons were quite
powerful.”
Riley’s husband, Mateo, ran a hand through his hair. He was part of an assassin group called the Skull Blasters which also included Josh Montgomery, Sam Waters and Troy Bishop. Sam and Troy had been changed into werewolves by their mates when they were on the brink of death. “Chance needs to be protected at all costs.”
“I think Logan is taking care of that,” Riley winked.
“So, he needs not only
werewolf protectors, but the very ‘special’ guys we have at our disposal,” Mateo smiled wickedly at Vince.
“Right there with ya, Mateo,” Vince said. “I suggest we get packed.”
“We need to bring Devin in as well,” Keegan added, speaking of his often out-of-control FBI partner.
“Oh, yes,” Mateo said, with a maniacal grin. “Let’s do.”
“Call James; have him get Hayden, Noah and Ross out of whatever mission is coming their way,” Keegan said.
“He can do that?” Riley asked. “Aren’t they like, Delta Force?”
“He can, and he will,” Mateo said. “They are run by the military, which makes them government, and James Jacobs is the government bigwig.”
“I thought the president was the bigwig,” Riley grinned.
“Not in this outfit,” Mateo said with a snort.
~~
Chance looked out at the snow-covered mountains of Alaska. Even in summer, snow seemed to be everywhere. The jet came to a stop on the small airstrip and Chance stood up, grabbing his bag. He had no idea why all of a sudden he’d been dragged from the house, put on a plane, and told they were heading to Denali. He knew he was being kept in the dark about something, and Logan and Nikolai were constantly up his damn ass. And not in a good way. Well, at least Logan not in a good way. Logan had seemed paranoid from the moment he’d learned Chance and Nikolai had been attacked. Now he couldn’t even pee without Logan nearby.
It would have been great if he’d known exactly why Logan had to be within inches of him at all times, but he knew he wouldn’t get a straight answer out of any of them. A limo was waiting for them at the airstrip and Chance
recognized Conner Maccon. The last time he’d seen
Conner, he was being held prisoner by a very crazy Sloan Gabarou, (who was actually Salina and a witch older than dirt).
“Conner,” Chance nodded. “Hey you!” Conner hugged Chance tightly. “How are you?” Chance had to smile; Conner
had a golden aura all around him.
He looked like an angel.
“I’m good, just a little
weirded out,” Chance sighed. “Hey, golden boy,” Nikolai
put his hand out to Conner. “How
are you? Getting all rowdy and
horizontal with your guy?”
Conner laughed, only Nikolai
Markov could be so blunt. Well,
and Nikolai’s dad, Vince…and
maybe Josh…and Sawyer… “I’m good,” Conner winked. “I’ll bet,” Nikolai smirked. Logan cleared his throat and
shot Nikolai a look.
“So, anyway…”
“Everyone is waiting for you
at the lodge,” Conner said. “Let’s
go.”
The ride was mostly quiet,
thank God. Nikolai seemed happy
to just watch the scenery. Logan sat
next to him, hands twitching like he
missed having his sword in it. It
was in the trunk and took up most
of the space. Chance studied
Logan’s strong hands, he could
almost feel them sliding down his
abdomen and gripping his hard cock. Chance shifted in the seat as his erection started to strain against his jeans. He knew he must be seeping arousal from his pores and
looked Nikolai’s way instead. A wave of jealousy floated
his way, but when he looked up,
both Conner and Logan were
looking out the window. Chance
furrowed his brow; where was the
feeling coming from? Logan had
said he’d cared, but how much?
The limo pulled up in front of the
lodge and Chance got out, shielding
his eyes from the sun. He’d heard
all about the story of Mark and Josh, how they had come to Denali and gotten together, only to have Mark’s ex-boyfriend come after them. Somehow, Mark’s ex had thought getting Mark back to deal drugs and sleep with him was a good idea. He’d come to Denali to take Mark back and kill witnesses. Tro
y, Sam and Mateo - along with Wayne - had taken out the man’s small army as well as the man
himself.
“I need to stretch my legs,”
Logan said.
“Okay, you want me to come
with?” Chance asked.
“No,” Logan looked over at
Chance. He’d seen him looking at
Nikolai and the smell of arousal in
the limo had been strong. He
should have known Chance would
develop feelings for the younger
Markov; they were roughly the
same age.
“You stay here with
Nikolai.”
“Um, okay,” Chance said
with hesitance.
Logan undressed and shifted
quickly. Chance would never get
tired of that sight - Logan’s bare
ass, the muscles rippling under the taut skin. Logan was just so
beautiful in either form. Conner led them to the lodge’s dining room and Chance stopped mid-walk;
almost everyone was there.
“Okay what is going on?”
Chance asked. His eyes narrowed
as he observed the group of men. Wayne stood, beckoning
Conner to his side. “We’ve been
informed about the rogue attack.” Chance eyed the packs
uneasily.
“And?”
Keegan looked around at all
the men; no one seemed to want to
be the bearer of bad news.
“They want you, Chance,”
Keegan finally admitted.
Chance stepped back in
astonishment. “Why?”
Wayne stepped forward.
“You are going to be very
powerful in a few weeks.”
Chance tilted his head in
confusion. “What do you mean?” “You’ll turn twenty-one,
Chance. The Christianson line will
come full circle,” Locke said.
“You’ll be hit with the full line of
your ancestors. The rogues know
this; they also know that having you
with them makes them invincible.” “I’d never join them, you
guys know that,” Chance gasped. “We do,” Wayne nodded.
“For now, however, you will stay
here until we get the leader of the
rogues and squash his attempt to
turn you.”
“But I have your blood, they
can’t turn me. Right?” Chance
questioned.
“We can prevent it, yes,”
Wayne nodded.
Chance eyed all the men, they
were shifting nervously. Something
was up. “Why do you all look like
that? What aren’t you telling me?” “My mother has come to help
you,” Wayne said quickly. “She
will put you in touch with those
who can help your transition.” “Transition? You just said I
have to be twenty-one.”
Nikolai took Chance by the
arm. “Look, you saw what
happened back at the house - your
spell worked. Your magic is
becoming stronger by the day; you
need someone to help you manage
it.”
“Go to the lake, my mother is
there waiting for you,” Wayne
suggested.
Chance looked around the
room; the men were all nodding in
agreement.
“You mean I get to go
somewhere alone?” Chance
grinned.
“You won’t be alone, trust
me,” Wayne chuckled.
Chance’s brows lifted. “Okay.”
Making his way out of the lodge, Chance started walking towards Wonder Lake. It seemed as if all the packs were nervous about something; he couldn’t help but feel as if something was being kept from him. About halfway there, the wolves of Denali began trailing behind him. First the alpha, then the beta and soon after, the whole pack. As Chance made his way closer to the lake, sunlight glinted off the calm water,
illuminating the dark woods. More animals came out of the forest, some walking beside him, others behind him. It was weird,
certainly. Grizzly bears strolled alongside him as if he were one of them.
A spot of light glowed and pulsed, and as Chance got closer he could see Aideen Maccon’s figure take on more shape. The blonde hair billowed around her face as a slight breeze blew her dress behind her. She truly did look like an angel.
“Hello,” Chance smiled. “Chance,” Aideen smiled brightly. “It is good to see you.” “Um, is this normal?” Chance
motioned to all the animals trailing behind him. Aideen smiled. “Yes, it is. Your kind of witchcraft is centered around all things. The Earth, the sun, the moon, the stars and all creatures great and small. You must learn to harness them all and control your power. I have
contacted someone who will be able to help you in that.” Aideen closed her eyes, moving her hands to Chance’s temples.
Chance closed his eyes; a flash of white lit behind his eyes and then he was standing by a lake, surrounded by tall, green grass. A shape took form. Chance sucked in a breath and blonde hair flowed around a face he knew well. “Mom?” Chance whispered. “Chance.”
Aideen smiled. “Melanie, it
is good to see you.”
Melanie turned to greet
Aideen. “You as well, Aideen.
Thank you, for alerting me.”
Melanie turned to look at her son.
“You look so beautiful,” Melanie
whispered.
“I’ve missed you, Mom,”
Chance sniffed, wiping the wetness
from his eyes.
“I’ve missed you, too.”
Melanie took her son’s hands. “In
the coming months, you must be ready. Magic flows strongly within you, Chance. You must learn to
control it or it will control you.” “Is that…how you died?”
Chance had never known exactly
how his parents had died. The
story had been they’d been attacked
by rogues and both his mother and
father had died in a horrific
explosion that leveled their house
to its foundation.
Melanie took her son’s face
in her hands. “The power I
harnessed was too great; I thought I
had control of it,” Melanie sighed
sadly. “In that moment, the fear
overtook me and I lost control.” Chance’s eyes widened.
“You…you caused the explosion?” Melanie nodded. “I let the
fear take over and it was too much,
the power was set free. You must
learn to overcome fear, Chance, or
you will certainly cause the same
havoc on those you love.”
“Is Dad…is he with you?” Melanie smiled, nodding.
“Yes, he is. He sends his love.” “Where is he?”
“Golfing,” Melanie smiled.
“Probably on the ninth hole right
now. He can’t help you like I can, but he will come to you when you need him. The Christianson line is strong, Chance. You must take the time to become one with your surroundings, learn from them, from the pull of the moon to the call of the wolf.” Melanie sat down on the shore of the lake and dipped her toes in the water.
“Now, sit with me and we’ll start.” “Start what?” Chance asked,
sitting down.
“Listening first. You’ll need
to hear everything.”
“Like what?”
“The air around you, listen to the wind.” Melanie closed her
eyes.
/>
They sat for what seemed
like hours. Chance listened to the
wind, the water and the animals;
everything seemed to flow through
him. The whispers of those long
gone, past conversations with
loved ones, visions of himself as a
child all passed through. When
Chance opened his eyes, his mother
was smiling at him.
“Keep it up every day,
Chance. You are much stronger
than I was.” Melanie stood,
looking towards the sky. “I have to go, but I will be back.” She kissed Chance on the cheek. “I love you, Chance and I am so proud of you.
Be strong.”
“Bye, Mom.” Chance stood
in awe as his mother’s form faded.
He opened his eyes and realized he
was still standing by Wonder Lake.
“Is she… an angel?” Chance asked
Aideen.
“Something like that; she will
never be far.”
“Kind of like you and the
others?”
Aideen smiled, taking
Chance’s hand. “Yes. Now, let’s go eat, I’m starving.”
~~Chapter Three~
Dinner was…well…it was huge. It looked like an entire cow was on the table to feed the
massive amount of people. Chance was seated next to Nikolai with Logan on the other side. No big surprise there. Logan was,
however, eerily quiet.
Talk centered on the rogues and Chance listened intently. The last fight had taken place in the underground mines of Arizona. They had captured a rogue and Jacob and Seth had questioned him. By the time they were done, the rogue was begging them to kill him. Chance shuddered; he knew what all of them were capable of, but when it came to torture he just couldn’t handle it. He excused himself and went outside for air. The door opened behind him seconds later and Chance turned to see Logan looking at him.
“What?” Chance asked. “You okay?”
“Yes, just didn’t want to hear the details.”
Logan grinned. “How about we watch a horror movie?”
Chance laughed. “Popcorn?”
“Yup.”
“You’re on.”
~~
The cabin was a little chilly. Chance started a fire and pulled the couch out as Logan made popcorn. They had stolen the large flat screen out of the lodge along with a DVD player. Logan always carried his favorite movies with him wherever he went. It was his way of relaxing in times of stress. Chance put the movie in and
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