Welterweight (Hallow Brothers Book 1)

by Tricia Andersen

  “So, what did you think of North Camp?” Momma asked.

  “It was lovely,” Meg answered.

  “Zane and I loved going there.”

  “As a romantic getaway?”

  “When he changed, yes.”

  Meg shifted uncomfortably. “I have a question. Please don’t judge me.”

  Momma patted her knee. “Of course not. What is it?”

  “Did you and Zane ever have sex right before he changed? While he was still human before the moon rose?”

  “Oh, heavens yes. At least seven times.”

  “Seven times? That’s pretty exact.”

  “Well, it’s easy to be exact. Josiah, Micah, Samuel, Caleb, Joshua, Ezekiel, and Abraham. I mean, there were times while I was pregnant. But those were the times that counted.”

  Meg choked on her sip of coffee. “Are you saying each time you did, you conceived?”

  “Yes.”

  Meg set her mug on the coffee table and then slumped back on the couch. There was no way possible she could get pregnant like Momma did. Of course not. She was on the pill. She took her last pill… She organized the dates in her head. She hadn’t taken a pill since she’d arrived at camp over a month ago. Her heart sunk in her stomach.

  Momma gave her a smile. “Everything will be fine, I’m sure.”

  “Yeah.” Meg picked up her mug but noticed her hand shaking. She needed to change the subject as soon as she could. “So, what’s going on between you and Littlefoot? If you don’t mind me asking.”

  She saw Momma blush a little. “Nothing is happening. We kissed once but it made me ill. It doesn’t matter that Zane is gone. I’m still his mate. I will be forever.”

  Meg reached around Momma and hugged her. The thought of being without Caleb tore her apart. Despite him being an ass, she still loved him. She stood and smiled at her. “I’ll start lunch.”

  Meg strode to the kitchen and tugged open the refrigerator door. She was ready to bury herself in cooking to try to forget her mate. She pulled out a head of lettuce, a tomato, and a package of bacon. She startled at the vibration against her ass. She reached in her back pocket and pulled out her cell. She read the screen.

  I’m sorry about being an asshole this morning.

  She sighed. After this, there was no way she could forget him for a second. Another message popped on the scene. Her hand went limp. The phone fell to the floor and clattered across the tile. It didn’t matter. She would never forget what it said.

  I love you, Meg. Caleb

  Chapter Eleven

  The next few days dragged on. Meg noticed Momma getting listless, too. Both women kept checking their phones for any word from the brothers. None came. They knew it wouldn’t because it never did this early. It didn’t stop them though. It must have driven the two crones bat shit crazy that they were staring at their phones instead of saying their prayers.

  Meg couldn’t sleep. She felt like a zombie. It wasn’t the image of the beast that kept her awake, although it had been horrifying. She no longer doubted that the Hallow Brothers were werewolves. She’d seen it with her own eyes. No, it was the text he sent after she left him at the North Camp. She read it over and over. He said he loved her. Caleb Hallow, whose only thought, dream, desire was to be welterweight champion, said he loved her. It blew her mind. The cynic in her wondered if someone stole his phone and typed it instead of him. The hopeless romantic in her couldn’t wait to get to him to hear it from his own lips.

  Finally the day arrived to go home. Meg never packed so fast in her life. She waited patiently on the sofa for the word to go. Momma sat in the upholstered chair across from her. Her sisters hardly said goodbye before they left for the church. Both Momma and Meg stared at their phones, waiting for word from Josiah. It never came.

  The front door opened and closed. Sharky shuffled in with his head low. Momma sprung to her feet. “Sharky, why are you here? What’s going on? Why hasn’t Josiah messaged me?”

  “I iz here te get ye both, Mizzus Evelyn. Something iz happened. Something bad.”

  “What? Tell us.”

  “De boys are looking for Caleb. He iz missing.”

  Meg’s heart slammed in her chest. “For how long? Did Josiah get him from North Camp?”

  “Yez, Josiah got ’im. He did’n come back dez morning.”

  Meg grabbed her backpack and raced to the car. She needed to get back. She needed to find her mate. She hopped from toe to toe like a prize fighter in the ring. Her heart stampeded out of control. She grabbed the door handle and yanked hard, cursing when she found it locked.

  “Hold yer horses, Miss Meg. We’re a comin’.” Sharky scuttled down the front steps to the car and unlocked it. Momma was hurrying behind him, hauling her own bag. She didn’t wait for Sharky to open the trunk but tucked it on the floor of the front seat beneath her feet. Meg tossed her backpack in the back seat and crawled inside after it, slamming the door shut behind her.

  Time moved in slow motion, or at least it felt that way. Meg did the only thing she could think of—she texted Caleb. Maybe he had gotten lost and just needed help getting home. She had to hold on to that hope. I can’t think about the alternative.

  Momma wrung her hands together as she fidgeted in her seat. Every once in a while, Meg noticed her crane her neck to see the speedometer. Meg laid a hand on Momma’s shoulder for comfort. Momma clasped it tight as she sniffled.

  The car didn’t stop completely at the camp before Meg jumped out and raced toward the woods. Her feet skidded to a halt, kicking up gravel and grass, as she was stopped by two strong arms.

  She glared up at Josiah. “Did you find him?”

  “Not yet,” Josiah admitted.

  “Well, he’s not responding to my texts either. So let me go find him.”

  “You don’t know these woods.”

  “I don’t give a shit. I love him, Josiah. Let me find him.”

  Josiah turned back to the car now parked in front of the family building. Both Sharky and Momma stood outside of the vehicle. Josiah nodded to the old man. “Sharky, take Momma inside and sit with her. I’m going with Meg into the forest to look for Caleb.”

  They both tore through the trees, checking the underbrush as they went. She scanned the area around her and huffed. There was so much ground to cover.

  Suddenly Josiah spoke. It was if he read her mind. “The other six have been searching since we realized he wasn’t coming back. I haven’t seen any of them since.”

  Meg stumbled over a log. She cursed at it and then pulled her cell from her pocket. She fired off another text to Caleb and jogged after Josiah.

  “Meg, we’re getting away from the signal,” Josiah warned. “It probably won’t send. Beside Caleb isn’t carrying his phone. At this point he’s probably butt ass naked.”

  He stopped talking and frowned. Meg heard it too. It was a faint voice calling for him. Meg felt her heart lighten. “Caleb?”

  “No, Micah.” He cleared his throat. “Micah!”

  They stood stone still as they waited for a reply. The soft voice shouted for Josiah again. He frowned and then pointed. “This way.”

  Meg followed the oldest Hallow brother through the woods. She barely noticed the weeds whipping at her bare legs. She was just trying to keep up with Josiah’s long strides. The two brothers kept calling to each other. Micah’s voice kept getting louder. Finally, they caught sight of him. In the distance, Meg could see the shadowy figures of Abraham, Ezekiel, and Joshua approaching also.

  Micah crouched into the undergrowth as they slowed their pace. Meg gasped as she saw what he was hovering over. Tears burned her eyes. Caleb laid motionless, nearly covered by the vegetation. His naked body was covered in blood. His skin was splotched with darkening bruises.

  Josiah kneeled on the other side of Caleb. “Is he alive?”

  Micah looked up at Meg. “Yes. He just got beaten up pretty bad. This wasn’t a stray hunter or another animal. Someone fucking assaulted him. And it happ
ened while he was human, not a werewolf.”

  “How? No one knows we’re up here.”

  Meg dropped to her knees beside her mate and gently brushed his unruly bangs off his forehead. They were still damp with blood from a nasty gash. He softly groaned. A tear slipped down each cheek.

  “We need to get him back to camp so Noah can check him over,” Josiah decided.

  “Bet you suddenly wish when we changed we stayed clothed,” Micah quipped.

  “You have no idea.”

  “Josiah!” Ezekiel called from a distance. “I found tire tracks.”

  “How in fucking hell did a vehicle get this far into the forest?” Josiah hopped to his feet and charged after his younger brother.

  Micah looked at Meg. “Stay with him, Meg. We’ll be right back.” He stood and followed the others. She took Caleb’s hand in hers as she silently cried. His fingers twitched against her palm. She wanted him to open his eyes and look at her. She leaned over him and pressed a kiss to his lips. It worked to wake up sleeping princesses. What did she have to lose?

  All he did was moan. She wiped at her damp cheeks. “Come on, baby. Wake up.”

  Josiah, Micah, and Joshua stomped through the brush back to them. “A fucking ATV. They left a baseball bat smeared in Cay’s blood. The others are going to follow the tracks to see where they lead. Fuckers. Let’s get back home and get him into bed. Shit.”

  Meg rose and backed away as the three stooped and carefully gathered Caleb in their arms. Meg followed as they slowly made their way back to camp. She wanted to touch him, to kiss him, to pamper him so he could heal. She wanted him to wake up and let this be some big mistake. The tears wouldn’t stop falling. As much as she wiped them away, they just came back.

  She was thankful to see Littlefoot standing outside Momma’s cabin when they broke through the tree line. She had a feeling Momma was going to need him. The brothers made a beeline for Caleb’s cabin. Halfway across the camp, they were greeted with a blood-curdling scream. It was quickly muffled.

  They took the steps in one leap and wove through the cabin with Meg on their heels. She stood in the doorway as they ever so gently laid him on the mattress. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him crack an eye open for a second.

  Josiah looked at her. “We need Noah to look him over. He’ll know if there’s any major injury. But until then, Meg, he needs you. Not us.”

  She nodded silently. She hurried across the room and settled on the bed beside him. She took his hand again in hers and laid them in her lap.

  “Meg, is there anything we can do? Do you need anything?” Micah asked.

  She gazed at him through the sheen of tears. “Maybe a bowl of water and a washcloth so I can clean him up a bit?”

  “I’ll be back in a second.” Micah disappeared. She glanced at Josiah and Joshua before she turned back to her mate. She brushed his hair from his face as she stared at him.

  “I’ll leave this on the end table,” Micah offered. He set the bowl down and joined his brothers. She reached into the water to get the cloth floating on the top and then squeezed the extra water out of it. Gently, she blotted at his wounds.

  Heavy footsteps on the wood floor echoed through the cabin. Littlefoot laid a hand on Josiah’s shoulder. “Noah is coming.”

  The footsteps were replaced by a heartbreaking wail. “My son. My poor, poor baby,” Momma sobbed.

  Micah grabbed a hold of his mother and held her tight. Josiah nodded at Littlefoot.

  “Thanks. This is bad. I want to get my hands on the fucking bastard who hurt my little brother.”

  “I know.” Littlefoot studied Caleb from across the room. “It was intentional.”

  “I agree.”

  Meg startled at the rush of breath beside her. She dropped the cloth on the floor as she turned toward the bed. Caleb’s eyes were open to thin slits. He thrashed around as much as his wounds allowed. Meg leaned over to capture his wrists to settle him, to try to calm him. It didn’t work.

  “Baby, shh. It’s okay. Noah is coming. He’ll fix everything.”

  “Bat,” he gasped.

  “Cay, baby. Please. You need to stay quiet.”

  “Triangle. Scorpion on T-shirt.” He groaned.

  Meg’s stared at him as her stomach turned. “Did you see who attacked you?”

  Caleb looked in her eyes as he stopped moving. He gave her one single nod.

  “Fuck,” is all she could say.

  “Meg, who did this?” Joshua demanded.

  The crazy pull that brought her to Caleb, that led her to have endless sex with him, was back. But instead of lust, it was filled with rage. It demanded revenge. Her mind tried to take over. She knew what she would face and she couldn’t do it alone. Her rational thoughts were quickly overpowered until she was filled with her own blood lust.

  She sprung to her feet and then kissed Caleb. “I’ll be back.” She snatched the truck keys next to the bowl of water on the bedside table. She rushed past the men in the doorway and out the cabin door.

  Meg was halfway across the compound to the truck before she heard Josiah shout at her. “Where the fuck are you going?”

  Meg turned and walked backward to face him. “I’m going to pay my ex a visit. He owns an ATV. His gym logo has a scorpion in a triangle. He’s the only one with a reason to attack Caleb. Okay, multiple reasons. So I’m going to kick his ass for hurting the man I love.”

  She turned back around and sprinted to the truck, hopping in the cab and locking the door before the eldest Hallow brother could reach her. She flipped the ignition and sped off before anyone tried to stop her.

  »»•««

  Meg’s grief turned to rage as she drove the three-hour distance back to town. She shook in anger. How in hell did Austin get up there to find Caleb? She’d love to report him to the promoter to get his title stripped. Unfortunately, Austin was best buddies with Leroy. Nothing would happen but a pat on the back.

  She pulled to a stop in front of Austin’s gym and stormed inside. She was caught in the doorway by Damien. He was one of Austin’s most faithful. He also had grown up with Meg. He was the reason she moved away from home to this town. He was the party that fizzled out.

  “Get out of here,” he warned.

  She knew deep in her heart he was right. But the insane, primal urge compelled her. “Get the fuck out of my way,” she demanded as she tried to push him aside.

  “Meg, Austin isn’t right in the head. He got fucking pissed that you left. He just got back muttering something about big ass wolves and Caleb. He’s dangerous. He wants to kill you both…”

  Meg ducked under his arm and wiggled past Damien. She glanced around the gym at those watching her with wide eyes. “Where is that fucking asshole?”

  “Do you mean me, Meggy?” Austin stepped out among them.

  Meg leaped in rage at him, connecting his chin with her fist. She continued to whale on him. “You fucking bastard! I know you hurt him!”

  She felt her head jerk away from Austin and back against him, hard. He pulled her hair wrapped around his fist taut, cocking her head back. Then she felt something cold and metal against her temple. “You mean that freak is still alive? I saw him, Meg. I saw what he really is. You left me for that?”

  “Leave him alone, you asshole.”

  “Or what? You’ll stop me? You’re not leaving me again, Meg. If you do, I’ll put a bullet in your brain.”

  “Go ahead.”

  He turned her to him and stared in her eyes. She could see the barrel of the gun pressed against her. “Then I’ll put that freak in the ground. I almost bashed his brain in with a baseball bat. What do you think I can do with this?”

  Meg swallowed hard. “I won’t let you.”

  “If you want me to leave your little freak alone, you’ll come back to me. I’ll destroy him in the cage instead. What does that thing have that I don’t?”

  Meg let go a nervous laugh. “You saw him naked. That should be an easy answer.�
��

  She caught sight of his hand just before it struck her cheek. She fell to the floor. “Whore. Bitch.”

  “You can’t keep us apart.”

  “Watch me.” He yanked her back to her feet and dragged her across the gym. He opened the door to the closet-sized storage room. He dug into her pocket and pulled free her cell phone before he tossed her inside. He sneered at her just before he slammed it shut. She heard the lock click. She couldn’t see anything in the pitch dark. She staggered with her hands out, searching until she found the wall. She slumped to a safe place on the floor.

  Her thoughts scrambled in her head. She wasn’t sure what terrified her more. Was it that Austin had a gun and threatened to kill both her and Caleb? Or was it that he saw Caleb change back from a werewolf?

  There was only one thing she knew. She needed to get home and protect her mate. She slowly stood and groped around the room to find a way out. She rubbed her eyes. The dark was already screwing with her senses. She shut her eyes tight to try to get past it.

  »»•««

  She had no idea if she was in the closet for hours or days. It was far too long. She was able to find a bucket to relieve herself in. At least that’s what she hoped it was. At this point she didn’t care what things of Austin’s were destroyed.

  She had just dozed off when she heard the lock click. Scrambling to her feet, Meg groped her way to the door and felt for the door knob. She opened the door into the dark, deserted gym. “Austin? Anyone?”

  There was no response. She didn’t waste time. She ran from the gym as fast as she could. The warm night air hit her face. She studied the street around her. It was quiet and deserted. She glanced at the clock on the wall, finding it frozen in time. She had no idea what time of day it was. She wanted to go home. She hurried down the street to the truck.

  She gagged when she saw it. The tires were slashed. She guessed the windshield was shattered by the spider web pattern that popped up under the red smear. The vehicle was painted in a deep, crimson color, except she didn’t believe it was paint.

  “Going so soon?”

  Meg spun around to find Austin and a couple of his guys approaching. They must have been new recruits because she had never seen them before. She pointed a shaky hand at the truck. “That’s not paint, is it?”