The Struggle: Hollow Crest Wolf Pack Book 2

by C. C. Masters

  “Help,” Mr. Reaven said pathetically. “That maniac just attacked me for no reason!”

  I held in my anger and tried to stay calm. Corey was already out of control, so it was up to me to manage this situation. I reached out for Grayson or any of the other guys with the pack bond, but they were too far from me. “Corey was just defending me,” I told the crowd as one of the men helped Mr. Reaven up. Blood smeared the floor but Corey had stopped fighting the men who pulled him off Mr. Reaven. He was standing still with his eyes closed.

  “It didn’t look that way to me, hun,” one of the men said. From their perspective, it probably did look like Corey had instigated the confrontation. Mr. Reaven was a respected member of the community whereas Corey and I were outsiders. It probably didn’t help that Corey gave off serious bad boy vibes with his faux hawk and piercings. I hated that they looked at this situation and saw Corey as the bad guy. Mr. Reaven was the one who was hiding a heart of pure evil beneath his khaki’s and friendly smile.

  My shoulders slumped as the sheriff shouldered his way through the crowd. The sheriff had already made it clear that he wanted us out of town and definitely would not believe our side of the story. “Corey, give me your phone,” I murmured to him. I needed Gray and the other guys if Corey was going to be arrested and they were too far for me to reach with the pack bond.

  Corey took a deep breath and opened his eyes. I could see the anger still burning inside of him as he attempted to shove it down and stay calm. He reached for his pocket and several men in the crowd jumped forward.

  “Whoa, son,” the Sheriff drawled. “Why don’t you put your hands up above your head?”

  I darted forward to grab Corey’s phone from his back pocket. “Take the cash, too,” Corey murmured to me bitterly. “You know it’s going to disappear once he gets me back to the station.”

  I quickly reached into his other pocket and stepped back with the money in hand before the sheriff reached us. “Lori, I need you to step aside.”

  Anger flooded through me when I met Mr. Reaven’s eyes and saw the flash of triumph there. He may have gotten a fist in the face, but he was about to get Corey sent to jail. I clenched my fists and tried to think of how to help Corey. Before I could even open my mouth to speak up in Corey’s defense, I felt a murmur run through the crowd. Great, there was someone else here who would probably make this even worse for us.

  The crowd parted to let through a stranger that I'd never seen before. He was tall, with dark hair and eyes so dark they were almost black. Even if his too-perfect-to-be-real look hadn't given me a hint that he wasn't human, the slight buzz of magic surrounding him gave it away. He flashed his bright white teeth in what could have been meant to be a smile, but the cold look in his eyes made it feel more like he was baring his teeth as a warning.

  The stranger took his eyes off me and stood in front of Corey before turning to face the crowd. "These two men had a disagreement that's resolved now." A roll of power accompanied his statement and I struggled to keep my mind clear. His words pressed down on me and my mind grew hazy.

  I momentarily forgot why I was standing here, but one glance at Corey's wide eyes reminded me. I clenched my fists and focused on the facts. Corey had protected me and now it was my turn to protect him. I didn't want the sheriff to take him to jail. I felt the stranger's influence fade and looked around the crowd. Just about everyone seemed at least slightly confused. "Sheriff," the stranger murmured. "Take the cuffs off Winston."

  Winston? Was he talking about Corey? I looked at Corey in question but his eyes were shooting daggers at the stranger.

  "What's this going to cost us?" Corey growled.

  The stranger flashed his teeth again and a chill ran down my spine. "Nothing...today."

  The sheriff took Corey's handcuffs off and hooked them back on his belt as if he were in a daze. Corey rubbed his wrists but didn’t take his eyes off the stranger.

  "Who are you?" I asked the stranger defiantly. I was pretty sure he was one of the lamia from the college. But what was he doing here?

  He looked at me in amusement. "Pierce. And I think I might want my payment from you." He ran his eyes over me as if he were evaluating produce in a grocery store.

  I narrowed my eyes at him and Corey let out a low growl.

  Pierce laughed and let out another surge of power towards the humans surrounding us. "Go home, there's nothing interesting to see here."

  I fought his compulsion off but it left me feeling dizzy and nauseated. The humans in the crowd had no defense against whatever magic Pierce was using. They shuffled off down the hallway like a herd of zombies. Two of the men had to help hold Mr. Reaven in a standing position as he stumbled away. My stomach churned at the sight of his bruised and bloody face.

  "Not you," Pierce ordered as he held out a hand to stop Mr. Reaven. Blood dripped from his broken nose and I felt a brief twinge of pity. Very brief. Pierce surveyed the damage to Mr. Reaven's face. "You are going to remember what happened here, but you won’t be able to speak a word of it to anyone," he told Mr. Reaven with a flow of compulsion to his words. "No matter how much anyone tries to argue with you, you will insist your injuries are from falling down the stairs." He dropped his hand. "Now go."

  "The pep rally isn't over," I informed Pierce.

  He shrugged. "It is for them." His eyes sparkled at me and he licked his lips. "I believe the words you are looking for are 'thank you'."

  Corey snorted and grabbed my hand to pull me away. I met Pierce's eyes as we passed and murmured a ‘thanks.’ I might not like the guy, but he had saved Corey from getting arrested. I had a bad feeling about just how easily he had manipulated an entire group of townspeople as if it were nothing. It was one thing to know the lamia had that power, but another to see it in action. If he had directed that power towards me instead of the crowd of humans, would I have fell victim to his compulsion?

  I felt Pierce’s eyes on my back until we turned the corner and we were no longer in his sight. I looked up at Corey, but his mouth was set in a straight line and I could still feel the anger radiating from him. I could smell the blood on his hands but it was obvious that he was making an effort to be gentle with me. Corey must have held back if Mr. Reaven didn't need a visit to the hospital. I'm sure Corey could have ripped his head from his shoulders or beat his face into a pulp if he had lost control completely.

  Corey let go of my hand so that he could slam open the exit door but held it open for me as it crashed back towards us. I looked at him worriedly, but he placed a hand on the small of my back. "Stay close," he murmured.

  Corey guided me back to the bleachers where Gray and Wyatt were seated instead of where Kannon and the rest of the cross country team were. The guys looked up at us expectantly and Gray's nostrils flared as he picked up on the scent of blood that clung to Corey. I was glad that they had decided to sit off to the side so we had a small amount of privacy. The humans close by probably wouldn't be able to hear us whisper over the noise of the crowd.

  Grayson moved to give me space to sit between him and Wyatt, but I stuck close to Corey. I didn't want him to feel like the three of us were facing him down. I was just as responsible for what happened as Corey was. Corey looked at me in surprise when I stood with him in solidarity, but I saw a brief flash of appreciation.

  Warmth flooded through me when he reached for my hand and threaded his fingers through mine. Surprise flashed through Wyatt's eyes when he noticed, but he quickly hid it and focused on Corey's face. "What happened?"

  Corey's features hardened at the accusation in Wyatt's voice so I quickly spoke up. "Mr. Reaven came after me, but Corey stepped in and kept me safe."

  Grayson's eyes flicked down to Corey's bloody hands with worry. "Where's the body?" he asked me with the pack bond.

  I gave Corey's hand a quick squeezed. "Mr. Reaven is fine." Wyatt and Gray both looked at me in disbelief. "Well, fine-ish." I clarified with a blush. "A couple of guys are helping him get home."

&n
bsp; The two of them exchanged glances. "We should leave," Grayson announced as he stood.

  "Um, I don't think I can." I shrugged. "It was a team requirement to come tonight and I can't just leave Kannon."

  Grayson sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Wyatt, stay here and watch over Lori and Kannon. I'll take Corey home." He looked up at Corey. "Unless you need a run?"

  Corey shook his head slowly. "I'm alright. I didn't...." He swallowed. "It wasn't that bad this time."

  Grayson nodded but Wyatt's eyes slid over to me thoughtfully. "I wonder what was different this time?" he murmured quietly. The heavy weight of Wyatt's gaze made me shift uncomfortably.

  "So, um. I should get back down there. I don't want the team to start worrying about where I disappeared to," I said with a nervous smile.

  Grayson nodded. "We'll walk you down there." I had never felt safer than when Corey and Grayson kept me protectively wedged between the two of them as we walked through the crowd. By the concentrated frown on Kannon's face, I could tell that Grayson had explained what was going on using the pack bond. A couple of my teammates gave me irritated looks as I squished by them on the bleachers to reach Kannon and I gave them an apologetic smile. I gave Grayson a wave once I was seated and he disappeared back into the crowd. Kannon pressed his leg up against mine and I leaned into his comforting heat. "You okay?" he murmured into my ear.

  I smiled at the way his breath tickled. "Yeah. But let's not talk about it here." Today was supposed to be a day for us to celebrate our new life in this town and attempt to fit in with everyone. I wasn't going to let Mr. Reaven or a creepy lamia ruin this. Even as I told myself this, I still couldn't banish the doubts in my heart. Would we ever really fit into a town of humans? Would they ever accept us? And more importantly, what did the lamia really want from us?

  Chapter 14

  Baracus

  I watched from the dark classroom where I had been waiting and watching for Lori. I was surprised when I saw a man confront her, and even more surprised when I heard their argument. Usually, I hated humans, but it seemed like Roger Reaven and I had something in common.

  I waited until he was released from the hospital and his wife left him downstairs on the couch, doped up on pain meds. It wasn’t difficult to pick the lock to get into his home, he really should consider using the deadbolt to keep fuckers like me out.

  Reaven blearily opened his eyes when I sat down on the couch next to him. He wasn’t alarmed until I placed my weight on his arms and my hand over his mouth, but whatever the docs had given him had left him too weak to fight me off.

  I leaned towards him so that I could speak quietly in his ear. “We need to talk.”

  Reaven mumbled something underneath my hand, but I wasn’t ready to let him go just yet. “We have a common enemy, which makes us friends of a sort” I explained.

  Reaven stilled, and I decided it was safe to release his mouth so he could speak. “Who?” he croaked out.

  “Lori,” I whispered into the darkness, hate seething in my voice.

  “You broke into my house in the middle of the night over some stupid high school girl?” Reaven asked in a dry voice.

  “She ruined my life, and she’s about to do the same to you,” I pointed out. I could see doubt in his eyes. “Or are you going to let her?” I taunted him.

  He scoffed. “What do you want?”

  “I’m going to need a second pair of hands for what I have planned,” I told him quietly. After I explained what I wanted I could see his hesitation to agree.

  “Why are you doing this?” he questioned.

  “Does it matter why?” I asked sharply. “You’re going to get exactly what you want. Lori beneath you and begging for it. Or would you rather bend her over?” I chuckled to myself. This asshole didn’t seem man enough to be able to take her face to face.

  I knew I had Reaven when his eyes lit up and he licked his lips at the visual I had given him. “I’m in,” he murmured.

  “Then I’ll be in touch,” I said with a feral grin. Things were falling into place, just like I wanted.

  Chapter 15

  Wyatt

  “Family meeting!” Grayson called as he walked through the kitchen.

  There was silence in the firehouse for a moment and I was afraid I’d have to find my brother and drag him in here. But to my relief, I heard his heavy tread upstairs and headed our way. Lori and Kannon were already at the kitchen table, sitting close the way that they usually did. I hadn’t been surprised at just how quickly Kannon had welcomed Lori into our little tribe. But I didn’t like how close they had become.

  It was inevitable that they would have a lot in common as they were the only two in the pack to still attend high school, but what was going to happen once the school year ended? Kannon would be devastated when Lori announced she was leaving for college and he was going to be torn between following her and staying with us. I eyed Lori, still unsure if she realized just how much influence she had over Kannon.

  I took a seat at the table across from the two of them as Corey thundered down the metal stairs. Grayson leaned against the stove and waited for all of us to be seated. “We need to talk about what happened at the game tonight.”

  Lori opened her mouth, most likely to defend my brother, but Gray cut her off before she could start. “Let’s start at the beginning. Lori, you left Kannon to go to the bathroom?”

  Lori nodded and my body tensed as she described her interaction with Reaven. If I had seen anyone put their hands on her like that, I wasn’t sure that I would have done anything differently from Corey. I had to give Lori credit, though. She was a feisty little wolf who didn’t back down easily, which was surprising judging from her past.

  “And Corey?” Grayson prompted once she was done.

  “I saw him shove her up against the wall and I lost it,” Corey mumbled.

  “Not completely,” Lori said defensively. “You held back and didn’t hurt him too badly.”

  I wasn’t the only one who shot Lori an incredulous look.

  She blushed. “Well, Winston didn’t kill anyone.”

  To my utter shock, Corey gave Lori a playful glare. Not a murderous, how-dare-you-utter my-real-name glare, but a flirty you-are-so-cute-when-you’re-trying-to-get-under-my-skin glare.

  “Our mom thought Winston and Wyatt were cute names for twins,” I explained. “Corey is his middle name.”

  “Huh,” Lori said. “I really wasn’t expecting that.” She shot Corey a shy glance and I sat back in my chair. Out of everything that surprised her tonight, that was the most noteworthy?

  “Our mom would call him Winnie,” I added to antagonize him a little. What kind of brother would I be if I didn’t? I watched Corey’s face carefully, but my playful jab didn’t seem to irritate him at all. It was shocking how calm and together he was right now. Six months ago he would have shifted and then raged for hours in a locked cage after being pulled away by a man he wanted to kill.

  “Like Winnie the Pooh?” Lori asked with a smile.

  Grayson was the first to laugh and we all joined in, even Corey. The mood in the room lifted significantly and I realized how much fun it would be to tell Lori all the stories I had about Corey from when we were growing up together. I’d like her to get to know the Corey that we all grew up with, not the hardened wolf that she met. Of course, that would open the door for Corey to share all his stories about me – but that would be a price I’d be willing to pay if it made my brother smile like that again. I don’t remember the last time I’d heard him truly laugh. I’d heard his mocking laugh, his sarcastic chuckle, and his disdainful snort, but not his carefree amusement.

  “Just like that,” Grayson confirmed with laughter still in his eyes.

  Lori looked around the room. “So, which one of you is Piglet?”

  The room exploded in laughter again and there were quite a few pointed fingers and accusations until Grayson eventually called a halt to it. “We need to decide how we’re going to h
andle this going forward,” Grayson said more seriously. And just like that, all the fun was forgotten.

  “We can’t let him get away with attacking one of our own,” Corey snarled.

  “But we can’t afford problems with the town,” Lori pointed out. “No one will believe me over him. Not with the reputation that I have.”

  “What reputation?” Grayson said in a low growl.

  Lori shrugged and looked like she regretted saying that. “You know how humans are. They see me living here and make up all kinds of sordid stories.”

  “That’s not okay,” I told her. I looked around the room. “What can we do to fix this?”

  The room was completely silent. This wasn’t an enemy that we could chase, bite, or claw at. This was something more insidious, but still something that was hurting Lori. I could see in her eyes that there was even more to the story than she was saying. She was holding back in an attempt to smooth things over. “Um,” she said quietly. “I might have kinda told some people that Kannon was my boyfriend?”

  She squirmed uncomfortably as she said it, but Kannon got the biggest grin on his face. “That’s not a problem,” he told her confidently.

  Disappointment flashed across Corey’s face but Grayson didn’t look surprised. I wasn’t sure how I felt about Kannon having a claim to Lori that none of us could match. I was surprised to feel jealousy creeping up inside me and hurriedly brushed it away. Lori was a temporary addition to the pack, and I needed to be more worried about Kannon’s heart being broken than who Lori decided to have fake relationships with.

  Kannon intertwined his fingers with Lori’s and I could tell by the look on his face that he didn’t consider this to be a fake relationship. Fuck, this was going to be a mess.

  “Yes, and I spoke to Lori’s school counselor, Mrs. Walker, earlier today,” Grayson told us with a slight frown. “Apparently, she wasn’t the only teacher concerned with Lori’s situation, she was just the one who was designated to do something about it.”