by Kimber White
“Can you do something?” she asked me. “Can you...I don’t know, distract that fucker?”
Jett’s face blurred in front of me. I tried to keep my expression neutral, but a flicker in her eyes told me she knew something was off.
“Let me try,” I said. I moved in closer. Lena was at my side. Mac had his hands full with two big wolves on the east side of the property. His silver fur gleamed under the full moon as I watched him land a lethal blow, breaking one wolf’s neck while another landed on his back.
Jagger. Where the hell was Jagger?
“Look out!” Lena yelled. Two more wolves charged us. They’d emerged from the underbrush on the south side of the house. Jett was quick. She got a shot off, bringing down one while I charged the other. He was small, weak, not much more than a boy. As his wolf eyes settled on me, he rolled to his belly.
“Good choice,” I spat, then turned my attention back to the house.
Payne had launched himself into the woods. Lena reacted. She went after him at a dead run. I tried to call her back, but her mate’s distress drowned everything else out.
“She can shoot straight,” Jett said. “Come on!”
My heart burst as Liam’s growl rose above the chaos. He stood in the yard, right in front of the entrance to the house. A shadow moved across the threshold and Jagger stepped out. He was covered in blood. His gray fur matted and sticky with it. His left ear was torn in half and dangled down over his eye.
My throat went dry and I couldn’t call to him.
I whirled to the right as my senses picked up more advancing wolves. Growling, I squatted and took a ready stance.
“They’re ours!” Jett called out. Squinting, I had a hard time sorting out what she said. But, sure enough, I recognized two of the beta wolves from around Mammoth Forest. Finn and Rackham, I thought. Jett had told me Gunnar busted them out of a POW camp last year.
Gunnar howled and Finn and Rackham’s wolves changed direction, heading straight for him.
Something drew my eyes to Liam. Standing tall, his head thrown back to the moon, his eyes gleamed gold. His reddish wolf fur shone, catching the moonlight. His heat signature rose, making him glow. My hair stood on end as I realized what he was about to do.
At least a dozen of Able’s wolves froze, turning to face Liam. Jagger’s wolf stood behind him. Our eyes locked. A shiver went through me. I felt Liam’s gathering power.
There were three Pack Alphas left. The last of Able’s most powerful members. But, Liam wasn’t aiming for them. He focused on the group of wolves who had broken off toward him.
Liam howled. It reached a pitch I’d never heard before. Cold. Commanding. Powerful.
The group of beta wolves halted. Their keening whine pierced my ears. I held my hands up to cover them.
Twelve wolves. They dropped to their bellies in a line in front of Liam. He was not my Alpha. I was not a full shifter. But, the flash of power in his eyes told me exactly what he’d done. Liam ripped through Able’s hold and exerted his own over the twelve wolves. Each of them bowed down to him, acknowledging their new leader. In that one thunderous moment, Liam McConnell became a true pack Alpha.
The wolves rose in unison, then turned on Able’s last generals. Liam, Gunnar, Mac, Payne and Jagger tore across the yard. The generals scattered, but they weren’t fast enough. I felt their blood leach from them as the Mammoth Forest wolves brought them down.
Then, Liam’s new pack moved into formation with their Alpha at the rear. He sent them out into the woods.
Gunnar stepped forward. Rackham, Jones and now Finn were at his side. Gunnar threw his head back and howled in the same way Liam had. And just like that, another new pack was formed.
The change in the air broke something in the remaining members of the Chief Pack. Confusion set in. In groups all over the woods, wolf turned on wolf. Those too far gone and loyal to Able were ripped to shreds by those who still had enough of their true selves left to understand freedom.
The shots we’d heard echoing across the valley stopped as Jett’s troops began to see the new battle taking shape.
He’s gone. I heard Jagger’s voice in my head strong and clear.
My vision wavered, but I rose to my feet. Jagger shifted right there on the porch. In his human form, his wounds looked even graver. He had a deep gash over his eye. Claw marks raked across his chest. Another deep gash snaked around his neck. Another inch in, it would have shredded his jugular. But, even as he took the first step toward me, I knew he would heal.
“Baby?” he said, his voice ragged with exhaustion.
All around us, mates found mates. Molly appeared. Liam’s wolf peeled off to greet her. From my periphery, I saw him shift and take her in his arms. They stood in a circle of wolves. Molly’s jaw dropped as she watched them all bend low, showing respect for their new Alpha and his mate.
Jett’s cry tore through me as Gunnar got to her. They too stood in the center of a smaller circle of wolves.
Mac staggered into view, grabbing one of the porch beams to hold himself up. The rest of the house had all but caved in on itself. It seemed fitting. The House of Able Valent was no more. Mac was bloodied and battered, but whole. He had a wife and son waiting for him back at the caves.
Payne got to Lena. She collapsed into his arms and I felt fresh tears of joy bubbling up. Lena had been a friend to Jagger during his darkest times. She had helped keep him whole until I could find him.
I stood in the center of the yard. The sky turned brighter and I knew my eyes still glinted silver. I locked them with Jagger’s. Wolves yipped and howled in every direction. A breeze kicked up, pushing the clouds away as the first pink bands of dawn streaked across the horizon.
“Jagger,” I said and took a step toward him.
He stood before me, eyes shining with fresh tears.
“It’s over, baby,” he smiled. “Able’s dead. It’s over.”
No, I wanted to tell him. It was just beginning. I took one more step and pain shot through my heart. The ground gave way and it felt as though I would fall straight through the earth.
But, Jagger’s strong arms came around me. His voice reached me as if I were underwater. Filled with love. Filled with pain.
“Rowan?” he cried.
It was the last thing I heard before the world went dark and cold.
Twenty-Eight
Jagger
Chaos swirled around me. There was no light. No ground. No sound. There was only Rowan’s body gone limp in my arms. Her eyes became silver and frozen as she stared up at me.
“Molly!” I screamed.
She was there. Molly tried to pry Rowan from my arms. I would never let her go. Molly was shouting. I heard none of it. Her lips moved as she barked orders to everyone around her. Still, I wouldn’t let Rowan go.
Hands were everywhere, lifting me up, pulling me forward. They tried to take me back to the house, but I wouldn’t go. No matter what happened, I would not take Rowan into that house. I would burn it to the ground.
A black SUV tore up the gravel drive leading to the house. I didn’t know where it came from. Somewhere in all the shouts, Molly must have called for it. Her hair came loose from her trademark ponytail. It waved around her face. To me it looked like slow motion as she kept a hand on my shoulder and pointed toward the vehicle.
I rose. I ran. With Rowan in my arms I let Molly lead me to the back of the car. I heard the door close behind me as Rowan lay frozen in my arms. Frozen. Sightless. But still warm. I pressed my lips to her cheek.
She was in there. Her heartbeat was so faint I had to put my good ear to her chest to hear it.
Molly climbed into the passenger seat of the car and leaned over the seat. Again, she shouted orders to me, that I couldn’t process.
I don’t remember the drive. I don’t remember getting out of the car. I certainly don’t remember letting them finally take Rowan from my arms. But, the next thing I knew, I was running alongside a gurney as they wheeled her dow
n a hospital corridor.
When we came to a set of double doors, Molly threw herself in front of me. Liam was at her side, his eyes blazing gold and fierce. There was a great whoosh and a sucking sound as my mind caught up to real time.
“Let us do our job,” Molly said. She reached up and put her hands on my shoulder. She shot a glance at Liam. We didn’t have to be pack for me to understand what that look meant. He was charged with keeping me from going berzerk.
Doors opened behind us. Hard-soled shoes clacked over the ground. Molly’s face dropped with relief though the terror hadn’t left her eyes. A hand touched my back. I turned. Suzanne Olivet’s dark eyes burned through me. In the back of my mind, her expression had meaning. She was concerned, determined, but not shocked.
She moved around me, put an arm around Molly, and the two of them pushed through the double doors. Liam grabbed me and pulled me back. He alone wouldn’t have been enough to hold me, but Gunnar, Payne and Mac came forward. The four of them shoved me bodily into the next room. A stark, cold waiting room with orange chairs and a coffee maker.
Liam forced me into one of the chairs and took the one beside me. Gunnar went on the other side and the two of them kept a death grip on my shoulders.
I squeezed my eyes shut, listening for Rowan’s heartbeat. I could still hear it. Soft, erratic, but beating. Thank God. It was still beating.
There were a few other nurses and hospital employees milling around. I didn’t even know where we were. Heartland still? Shadow Springs?
The world was a different place than it had been just two hours ago. Mine had crumbled, but so had the rest of Kentucky. I could feel them if I paid attention. All around us. For miles in every direction. Shifters died. Those who still had enough left of themselves woke up for the first time without Able Valent in their heads.
Liam was different. His eyes now had a permanent gold glint, even though he wasn’t in his wolf. An Alpha. Capital A. I’d watched him claim his pack on the battlefield.
Liam’s pack. Some of them were here now. Three young men stood in the hallway just outside the double doors where they’d taken Rowan. Strong men. Probably good men. Or, they could be with an Alpha like Liam to lead them. They stood with their arms folded in front of them, feet in a wide stance. Each of their eyes held a haunted look. They’d been through hell. They stood shoulder to shoulder now, barring the door.
I laughed to myself. Sure, they were strong. But none of them could keep me from getting past them if I wanted. They were betas, after all. Cold clarity settled over me. Those men weren’t here for me. They were here to protect their Alpha’s mate. Molly. Now that they’d sworn their allegiance to Liam, they would give their lives for hers.
Bile rose in my throat as I met Liam’s eyes. “What’s wrong with her?” I asked. I grabbed Liam’s arm, digging my fingers in. He didn’t flinch, but two other shifters down the hall emitted a warning growl. More of Liam’s new pack. To his credit, Liam’s eyes flickered with shock. He was going to have to get used to his new role as well. Something changed in his face and the men behind him took a more relaxed posture. He’d just told them to stand down.
“Molly wasn’t surprised,” I said, my voice cool and bitter. “She knew.” I looked around. Nurses, other doctors, and orderlies rushed by, headed for the bright red neon sign leading to the emergency room. I rose. Liam and Gunnar stood with me, but they didn’t lay a hand on me.
I walked down the hall and peered through the window of the double doors on the other end of the hall. New wounded were crowding into a triage room.
I turned to Liam. “What is this?”
“We’re at Heartland Hospital,” he said. “Suzanne and Molly set things up. They got word to some of our allies nearby. Told them to expect casualties. Lots of them. One way or the other.”
I looked back at the triage room. Those were shifters in there, mostly. Men who’d fought for Able but turned against their own at the last. Brave men. Broken men. In the days and weeks to come, they would have to learn how to live after their apocalypse. Part of me felt their kind of pain. They would need help. Betas and omegas, they would need new leadership.
I could feel the rumble of power coming off Liam and Gunnar. Maybe it would have come from me too. For now, I could only think of Rowan.
“You should go,” I said to the others. “There’s unrest out there. We don’t know how many of Able’s Pack are still unaccounted for. Some will be like those who fought with us in the end. But others...won’t.”
Liam and Gunnar shared a look. Of course they’d thought the same thing. No matter what else happened, there was a power vacuum in Kentucky now. If they weren’t careful, someone bad could try and fill it.
Payne and Mac walked toward us. They’d stepped away I guess to help some of the incoming wounded. Payne was so keyed up he practically danced on the balls of his feet.
“Liam.” I met his stony stare. “Go. Molly’s doing her job. You should do yours.” It was a wonder I could even form sentences.
“Jagger,” he said, putting a solid hand on my shoulder. “Kentucky won’t burn down in one day. You need us more.”
I tasted blood. I had to literally bite my lip to keep from shouting. The only thing I needed was Rowan by my side. With each second ticking by, she felt so far away.
“And we have help,” Payne said. “The Wild Lake packs from Michigan came through. They put men along every border into Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee. The minute Able fell, they came. They’re on hand to help things from turning to shit over the next couple of days. It’s going to be okay. I can feel it.”
I could feel nothing but Rowan’s fading heartbeat. My wolf stirred. Rage bubbled through me.
“You’re a hero, Jagger,” Mac said. “By tomorrow morning, you’ll be a legend.”
His tone was solemn. When Keara died, none of them fully understood. They hadn’t yet found their mates. Now, they did. I would be damned if I’d go through it all again.
“I need to get to her,” I said. “Rowan needs me. Liam, tell your men to stand aside. I mean it.”
Tension rumbled through the group. Liam’s new pack sensed a gathering threat and moved toward us.
Fuck it. I’d killed today. I could do it again if anyone tried to stop me. Fangs bared, I moved toward the double doors. One of Liam’s wolves shifted. He was skinny, almost mangy. I would break him like a twig.
Then, the doors opened outward and Molly stepped through. The wolves formed a circle of protection around her. It was immediate, instinctual. I would never hurt her, but they didn’t know that.
For her part, Molly’s step faltered. Her mouth dropped as she looked at her new line of bodyguards. One hand on her hip, she put the other on the shoulder of the closest shifter and whispered something to him. They all stood down and let her pass.
“You can see her now,” Molly said, her tone flat, her expression grave. Liam came with me. He thought I might hurt the messenger. I couldn’t blame him, but Molly would never be in any danger from me.
She put a light hand on my arm and led me back to through the double doors. A quick glance to Liam, and she got him to stay back.
She led me to an intensive care unit. Curtains separated other patients. Monitors beeped and the harsh lights gave everything a bluish hue.
Then, Rowan was there. They’d taken her to an isolated room, walled in glass. She lay in a hospital bed connected to tubes and wires and beeping machines. My legs nearly gave out. Her color was gray, her skin nearly translucent. It was as if Rowan had shrunk into herself.
Suzanne stood at her bedside, tapping things into a tablet screen. She gave me a tight-lipped smile as I approached. The room was soundproof. Molly shut the door behind her and slid a stool to me. I didn’t want to sit but did it to be closer to Rowan.
Her hands were cold as I threaded my fingers through hers. I brought one to my lips. She was in there. I could feel her pulse beating. But it was as if a dark tunnel separated us and I couldn’t find my way
to her.
Rowan. My love. My heart.
“What is it?” I asked.
“She is in a deep coma,” Suzanne said. She took another stool on the opposite side of the bed. “Her body is failing. She has known for weeks this would happen. She did not want you to know until...after.”
It hit me like a cannon shot to the chest. I ended up against the wall. Molly put two firm hands on my shoulders and guided me back to Rowan’s side.
“She’ll get better,” I said. “She fought hard today. She’s just not used to…”
Suzanne’s gaze never wavered. She said the words I already knew. Their truth burned through me, drumming into my heart. Rowan knew. Suzanne had told her the results of her blood tests days ago back at the caves.
“Maybe it’s the medication,” I said, but my voice didn’t sound like mine. “Maybe your tests were wrong about it. The pharmacist who gave it to her is here in Heartland. Bill Harvey, Grace said his name was. Get him.”
“I already have,” Suzanne said. “Mr. Harvey was helpful, actually. It seems he carried a flame...what is it...no...a torch for Grace Valent. He admitted Valent ordered the shots to keep Grace and Rowan tied here. He never expected Rowan to live as long as she has. All of the other...test sub...no...all of the other people like her never made it past their second birthday. Most of them died as infants. Rowan is the only survivor of Able’s genetic experiment. But, I am afraid time has caught up with her.”
I put a fist through the concrete wall. Suzanne gasped, but Molly didn’t even flinch.
“Fix her,” I said. “Find a way. You’re supposed to be this legendary shifter doctor. So, live up to it.”
Suzanne’s mouth dropped. Her skin flushed. She looked from Molly to me. “But, Rowan is not a shifter. That is the problem. Her physiology was not made to support the kind of stress these shifts put on her.”
“So what? I’m just supposed to sit here and watch her die?”
“Jagger,” Molly said. “I’m so sorry.” Tears spilled down her cheeks.
No. I would not have it. I would not grieve. I would not accept what Suzanne was telling me.
