Nox Bay Pack: Complete Series Collection

by Connor Crowe

  I was an alpha. I was a protector. And no one—no one—would harm my mate!

  Underneath the bulk of clothing, the man toppled easily. He screeched and flailed his arms, shouting curse after curse. But I squeezed my legs around his middle, grabbed those flailing arms, and held on tight. All I needed to do was to buy time. All I needed to do was give the shifters enough of an opening...

  A roar echoed out from behind me. Even though I'd expected it, my body reacted. I froze up around my assailant, just long enough for him to wrench a hand free. Long, sharpened fingernails slashed out, heading straight for my face...

  I ducked my head to the side, but it wasn't enough. Nails dug into my neck and shoulder, ripping the shirt away from my body. Pain bloomed into existence like a million tiny needles, red hot against the salty sea breeze. I roared and shifted my weight, trying to pin him, trying to buy just a little more time...

  "Harry." This time it was Elliot's voice that rang out through the din. But this was no feeble omega's voice, no. This was a tone of power. Of dominance. "It's over."

  The man's eyes flared and he squeezed them shut, still struggling against me.

  "Let him go. Now. And now dare you enslave Lorsa for your petty schemes!“

  Footsteps. Motion.

  Harry growled and spat, right in my face. "Fuckin'...inbred...pieces of shit..." he muttered.

  "What was that?"

  "You should have known better than to come here. You destroy our home. Our way of life. And then you have the gall to return and try to take the rest of us with you? Oh no. Not while the true heirs of the Emerald Isles still draw breath."

  His nails dug in further and it was all I could do to hold on. I winced against the pain traveling down my chest and toward my heart. Warm, red drops of blood splattered onto the sand, one by one. My mind grew hazy, the corners of my vision starting to go dark...

  Arms wrapped around me, pulling me away from him. In an instant, the pack was at my side, surrounding me while closing in on Harry.

  "Let me go!" I screamed, ready for another fight. "Let me—“

  "Li—“

  It was Kit. He knelt by my side, throwing an arm around my shoulder and dragging me away from the fight. "Lionel, oh god, you didn't have to—“

  My mind swum. I clung to my mate like a lifeline, even as my wounds throbbed and bled. I clung to him even as the world around me seemed to fade in and out of reality.

  And the last thing I remember, as I lay there on the sand, bleeding out, was the feeling of my mate's hand in mine.

  10

  Kit

  He had saved my life.

  Had saved all of our lives, really.

  I blinked away tears as I held him, watching helplessly. I tried to staunch the bleeding on his wounds, but it was no good. They ran deep, staining the sand with the remnants of his life force.

  "No..." I whispered. I squeezed his hand, wanting him to know I was still there. His eyes stared up at the sky, focused on nothing.

  Behind me, a team of shifters converged on Harry. I didn't have to look to know what was happening. His screams were proof enough.

  Then there was the lady. The small, seemingly harmless woman who had been under Harry's control. Had been used by him, somehow.

  Elliot’s screams echoed in my periphery. He knew her. Knew both of them. The name Lorsa poked at my memories. Was she his contact for getting across the sea?

  "Lionel," I whispered, my voice breaking.

  All my life, I'd hated humans. Ever since they attacked our home. Ever since I lost my family and was cast out into the wilderness to fend for myself.

  And yet, here was a human who had put his very life on the line.

  For me.

  For all of us.

  I let out a shaky breath and a sob broke free. I squeezed my eyes shut against the pain. "I'm sorry," I whispered. It wouldn't be enough to save him, though.

  My mate. My alpha.

  I'd failed.

  My heart cried out for him, and what's more, a knot in my stomach did too. My little one. Would he ever know his alpha father? Was this really how it was destined to happen—to find my love and then lose him all over again?

  I sniffed, leaned forward, and planted a kiss on his forehead.

  He had done what I could not—put prejudice aside for the sake of love.

  The screams and sickening crunches of flesh died out. In that moment, all was silent.

  I remembered the first time I'd seen him, from the safety of my hiding spot in the woods. I remembered how he smelled. How he'd spoken to me without ever saying a word. How we'd run through the forest together, playful and free.

  How we'd mated together, that fateful night that changed everything.

  I raked my gaze down his body and shook with regret. I should have done better. I should have been there for him, the same way he was there for me.

  And now it was too late.

  I tore my gaze away from my mate long enough to assess the situation. Elliot knelt by the woman's side, checking her vitals. Arric, Tristan, and Hugo chucked Harry's remains into the sea, watching as the bloody bundle sank instantly.

  They stared at the waves for a few seconds, making sure he was gone. Then Tristan turned and started toward me.

  "Can you lift him?" He flicked his gaze from my mate to me, his eyes still showing the fear behind his stony expression.

  I blinked away the tears and tried, but as weak as he was, it was just dead weight. "I'm gonna need some help."

  "Stay here," Tristan commanded. "Are you injured, yourself?"

  I shrugged. "I'll let you know when the adrenaline wears off." To tell you the truth, I hadn't really been focused on my own well being.

  "What was that back there?" I asked before Tristan walked off. "I felt like I was dying..."

  Tristan's face hardened."You were. Or rather, your shifter was."

  That took a moment to sink in. Before I had a chance to ask any more questions, he was gone.

  Things moved quickly after that. Elliot had managed to revive Lorsa enough to ride on his back, with Arric holding her safe through the journey.

  Hugo was able to fly himself, while it looked like Lionel and I would be with Tristan again.

  "I don't think he's going to make it," I worried aloud, remembering the last harrowing journey across the sea. It was scary enough while conscious—I couldn't imagine what it would do to Lionel's weakened body. "He's bleeding too much."

  "And he's surprised us all before, has he not?" Tristan raised an eyebrow. "Each second we spend talking about it is another second wasted. Let's go."

  I clenched my jaw against another retort. He was right. We had to get him to safety, and we couldn't do that here.

  "The others," I croaked. "Are they—“

  Tristan gave a quick nod. No more words were needed.

  He took a step back and hunkered down into his shift, great feathered wings sprouting from his back while a sharp beak protruded from his face. Intelligent eyes looked back at me.

  Hugo joined me in helping Lionel on to Tristan's back. As much as I wished I could do everything myself, he was just too heavy. And Tristan had a point—the longer we took to get him home, the less of a chance he had to survive.

  So I sucked up my pride and crawled onto the griffin's back, holding Lionel close against my chest.

  Almost like the first time we'd ridden together. Only this time, we were more than just strangers. We were mates, and my alpha was dying.

  Fear of heights be damned.

  "Hold on, baby," I whispered as I tightened my grip. "Hold on."

  The flight across the ocean felt like an eternity. On the way over, I’d been too terrified to pay attention to much of anything. I had closed my eyes and prayed for it to be over.

  But this time, I could focus on only one thing.

  Please be okay.

  We're almost there.

  Please be okay.

  The bandages Arric had given us were holdin
g, but the constant up and down movement of Tristan's wings wasn't helping one bit. I braced myself against the cold wind, held him as close as I could, and promised myself and all the gods above that if he made it through this, I would never let him hurt again.

  I nearly wept when I saw land. We were close.

  "Almost there, baby. Almost there." I whispered to him over our bond, hoping that some part of his mind could still hear it. He was still breathing, his chest rising and falling every few seconds, but he still hadn't woken. What if he never did...?

  "Tristan!" I called over the rush of the wind. "How far to Nox Bay from here?"

  "We're going straight in!" Tristan called back to me. "No time to waste!"

  No time to waste was right, I grimaced. "Does...does Nox Bay even have doctors?" It was a stupid question. But I hadn't been a member of a proper pack since I was a child, and I couldn't help but voice my biggest fear.

  "We'll take care of him, Kit." Was Tristan's only response. My stomach clenched. Not exactly the answer I'd wanted.

  "Even though he's human?" I said finally, knowing full well how unheard of it would be to accept a human into pack lands.

  "He's your mate," Tristan said at last. "No pack member left behind."

  We flew the rest of the way in silence, but the weight of Tristan's words stayed with me.

  No pack member left behind.

  Through our harrowing adventure on the Emerald Isles, had they accepted me as one of their own?

  Having my feet on solid ground had never felt so good. If I hadn't been in such a rush, I would have kissed the grass beneath my feet. One thing was for sure: flying was so not my favorite mode of transportation. Tristan lay low on the ground and I helped Lionel off while Tristan transformed back into human form. Together, we helped him back to the gates where the guards were waiting.

  As soon as they saw Tristan, they perked up in recognition, but their gazes were a little more skeptical when they saw us.

  "Make way, he's hurt!"

  Arric, Hugo, and Elliot landed behind us, with Arric cradling the frail old lady in his arms.

  "You heard the man, make way!" Arric strode toward the gates, paying no mind to the stunned guards. "I'm the Second Hand and I say move."

  They quickly fell into line, opening the gates and ushering us through.

  Please, I whispered one more secret prayer to the heavens, don't let it be too late.

  11

  Kit

  The Pack Alpha, Markus, was there to meet us as soon as we entered. His eyes widened as he took in the newcomers as well as the injured. To his credit, though, he didn't ask any questions as he rushed us toward the medical ward. He didn't try to keep us out simply because we weren't from Nox Bay. For once, pack politics went out the window. People were hurting, and he was ready to help.

  The mark of a good Alpha.

  Gone were the supposed tests of our loyalty, as well as any inquiries into our origins. We were in need, and Nox Bay was there to take us in. Right now, that's all that mattered.

  I followed as quickly as I could. We wove in and out of corridors, through gardens, across tiled pathways. I tried to keep track of where we were going, but the maze-like structure of the pack buildings seemed to be designed to keep people like me out.

  Guess that was their own twisted form of security.

  I watched the one they called Markus. He led the charge along with Arric and got us past the guards at the door to the medical wing. Which, I realized with some relief, appeared to be well stocked and well staffed enough to take care of us.

  They gave us some funny glances at first, especially Lionel and I. We weren't officially pack members, after all, and Lionel was a human. Probably the first human to ever breach pack lands. And yet, my heart swelled whenever I looked at him. My body and soul rejoiced in the knowledge that I had finally found my mate.

  Human or not human, it didn't matter. Lionel had proven himself to me and to the pack time and again, and I wasn't going to let that go to waste.

  One of the nurses tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to face the young beta wolf, a pained expression on my face. I hadn't realized just how tiring our little adventure had been, and if I really was pregnant...

  "You're going to have to leave him here," the nurse said. She nodded to Lionel, laying motionless on one of their gurneys. I still had his hand clasped tight in mine.

  My first reaction was fear. I gripped on tighter and spat out the first words that came to my mind. "If you think I'm leaving him right now, you're crazy."

  She simply crossed her arms and pursed her lips, waiting.

  "We know you're worried, but he won't heal with you hovering over him. You need to let us do our work."

  I frowned again, though my hold on Lionel's hand loosened a bit. I knew she had a point, but this was all so new. So unexpected. Could I really go from being practically feral and depending on no one but myself, to trusting a stranger with my mate's life?

  "Let him go." Felix joined me at my side. "I know it's hard to watch him go, but I promise everything will be all right. I've been in my share of scrapes and they patch me up just fine, for what it's worth."

  I let out a breath. Closed my eyes. Then I nodded, letting Lionel's hand slip away. They wheeled him off, and I fought back tears in my eyes.

  "Hey," Felix said. He placed a gentle hand on my arm and led me away. "Let them work. They know what they're doing. And besides, we need to talk."

  That brought my thoughts back to the present.

  "Talk? About what?"

  "Not here. Let's go somewhere quieter." He jerked a thumb toward the door and I followed him.

  We stepped out into the hall and through a courtyard. The breeze was cool on my skin, prickling up little bits of gooseflesh. Felix walked with a purpose, his strides long and forceful. I took a couple jogging stutter-steps to catch up, and then Felix whipped around a corner and out of sight.

  "Felix!" I called, irritation flushing through me now. This was no time for games.

  Out of nowhere, he reappeared and pinned me against the wall, his eyes searching mine. I didn't have time to react. I sucked in a breath, frozen in place. He'd approached like a ghost, appearing and disappearing almost at will.

  How had he done that?

  Up close, I could see Felix's face clearly. Could see the small scar crossing over the bridge of his nose and the curls of hair framing his face. Redder than mine, but with the same perpetual frizziness. The same speckled skin, always a little too sensitive to the sunlight.

  But what I noticed most of all were his eyes. They were bright, intelligent...

  And just like mine.

  "You're a fox," Felix said. It wasn't a question.

  "What about it?" I asked through gritted teeth. My hackles were raised, along with those of my fox, and the most primal of instincts washed over me: fight or flight.

  So what? I was a fox shifter, yes. But so were plenty of others. That alone was not enough cause for suspicion.

  But the way his eyes flashed when he looked at me, the way something about him triggered a long forgotten memory...

  That was.

  "Where were you born?" Felix asked, his voice no less pointed. "There are no other fox packs nearby, so you must have traveled far. How did you get here?"

  Again with the personal questions. I struggled and tried to escape his grip, but it was no use. He had me pinned.

  "I'm not part of any pack," I spat. "I've been on my own since I was a kid. Didn't need anyone else telling me what to do or putting their rules on me."

  Of course, that was only part of the truth.

  Felix's eyes flashed, showing hints of the fox beneath. Something about them called to me. Made me want to remember that stormy night, so long ago...

  At long last, my shoulders sank. I stared at the floor, willing the tears to stay their path. "I have no family," I whispered. "They were slaughtered when I was just a pup. They tried to get me too, but I ran."

 
His face softened, and realization passed over those searching eyes.

  "I thought I was the only one..." Felix whispered. He lowered his hands, looking at me with a new sense of reverence. "You...you escaped too."

  Without another word, he drew me into a hug. It all came crashing back in that instant. We had been together, once upon a time. We had been family. And we had been separated.

  "What happened to you?" I asked between the tears filling my eyes. "How did you survive?"

  Felix sniffed. "Much the same way you did. On the streets. That is, until the Black Hands took me in."

  I sucked in a breath. "They found you?"

  "Yeah. And I didn't know any better at the time. When someone comes along promising a warm bed and a fresh meal, it's hard to say no."

  Suddenly, we weren't so different after all. We had both been through our own personal hell, and had come out stronger because of it. Now we were together again, and I didn't intend to lose him this time.

  "Are they as bad as people say?" I muttered, almost fearing the answer. The thought that one of my pack mates had been taken by their mysterious organization sent a chill through my bones.

  Felix shrugged. "They made me who I am today. So I guess I'm grateful for that. I'm not going to tell you it was an easy life, though. They only wanted hapless omegas they could brainwash into their petty schemes." He broke my gaze and wrapped his arms around himself. "I should have known better."

  "Hey," I assured him. "It's okay. You did what you had to do. We both did." I winced. "There are a lot of things in my life I'm not proud of too, you know."

  Far too many.

  "For what it's worth, Kit...I'm glad you found us. I know how it is to be afraid, to be slow to trust. But Nox Bay has been good to me. And they will be good to you too, if you let them." He grinned. "I'm just glad to have found you again."

  I couldn't help it—Felix's smile was contagious, and soon I found myself grinning too.

  "Thank you," I told him. "But there's something else I've been thinking about."