by Starr, Maia
Usually, runs in the forest were peaceful and allowed him to relax, but for the last half-week, nothing about the forest had been peaceful. What Ash would otherwise consider a serene quiet now felt more like an eerie stillness that permeated the woodland. Where there used to be many deer blending into the dense foliage and owls flying and hooting through the treetops, now there was nothing.
Growing tired of looking for Maric Devoy, Ash slowed and stopped to lap at a pond. Even for the ever-energetic Ash, running around the forest day in and out took its toll, and as he tilted his head to look at his wolfish reflection in the rippling water, he panted, trying to suck in enough air for a second wind.
A howl ripped through the air, causing Ash to snap to attention and perk up his ears to discern the message. Another wolf bayed, and then a third. His pack… they had found something for the first time in days.
Fresh adrenaline pumped through his veins, and Ash took off into the woods. Breaking through the trees minutes later, Ash came upon a small clearing. Two wolves converged on a ragged, abandoned shirt, sniffing, while a third circled the area as a guard. When the third spotted Ash, he yapped to the others, and all three shifted to their human forms.
Ash followed suit, the three naked men and one woman meeting in a close circle around the shirt. One man crouched next to it, lifting the shirt to his nose and nodding to Ash. “It’s him. I recognize his scent from that leather trench coat he left behind at Wolf Den.”
Ash remembered that night. Maric Devoy had left behind his shredded clothes and a long trench coat he had thrown to the ground. They had all sniffed it a dozen times to make sure they would recognize the man’s scent if they found it again.
The shifter handed the shirt to Ash, and as he sniffed it, he gagged. The shirt smelled of musk and sweat, and the scent was heavy. Without a doubt, this was Maric. With a wide grin, Ash glanced at the wolf shifters around him. “Today’s the day we catch the fucker.”
The others nodded, wicked smiles and grins forming on all of their faces.
“Oh, is it now?”
The hairs all over Ash’s body raised as a chill went through his body, alarm bells sounding in his head. Before he could turn to see the owner of the voice, a massive fist slammed into his cheek, sending Ash flying backward to the ground where he rolled to a stop a few dozen feet away. Screams and shouts pierced the air, quickly turning to low growls, with the roar of a grizzly bear shaking the ground as Ash rose. When he touched his head, Ash’s hand came away covered with fresh blood. Rage filled him, and he shifted into his wolf form, staring at the battle happening in front of him.
A massive bear, who Ash knew to be Maric Devoy, fended off the trio of wolves circling him. No, he wasn’t fending them off… Maric was overpowering them. He stomped on one wolf and slammed another into a rock. Both of them collapsed and pawed at the ground in agony. The third went limp as Maric slashed and swiped, a pool of blood forming beneath him.
The shirt had been a trap. Maric had played them. Ash roared as he charged at the grizzly bear, the hefty beast pounding the ground with its paws. Ash dodged a quick swipe from Maric and leaped onto his back, biting down as hard as he could and digging his claws in. Maric roared in annoyance and stood on his hind legs, using his weight to throw them both backward and crush Ash beneath him. Stunned, Ash didn’t have time to jump off before colliding with the ground.
Maric rolled to his feet and loomed over Ash, who snarled as he tried to move, but he found himself too weak to stand. Maric lifted his paws and stomped down on Ash, over and over, the pain worsening with every blow.
Eventually, Maric backed away to inspect his work as Ash lay wheezing on the ground. Ash had unconsciously shifted back to his human form, and his body lay mangled on the ground. Maric shifted back to his human form, stomping over to Ash and crouching down beside him, a deadly smile on his face.
“Maybe this will teach you dogs to stay out of my way,” he said, his voice rumbling with triumph. “I’ll allow you to live, if only to tell that mutt of a brother of yours to give me Addison.”
Ash opened his mouth to tell Maric what he could do to himself or maybe to spit in his face, but all he could manage was a wheeze.
Maric laughed wickedly. “Well, if you don’t bleed out before your pack even finds you.”
As Maric Devoy vanished from his vision, Ash closed his eyes and lost consciousness.
Chapter Seventeen
Threat
They found Flint as he and Addison made their way to Wolf Den.
On the trail to the Den, two wolves emerged from the forest, scaring Addison half to death, and she instinctively tightened her grip on Flint. He glared at the two wolves as they slid to a stop before them, his annoyance at them for scaring his mate plain to see. As the two wolves shifted back to their naked human forms, Flint growled.
“Explain yourselves! And don’t ever shock us like that again.”
“Sorry, Flint,” one of them said. “But you need to get to Wolf Den now. Ash is hurt.”
Flint glanced between the two. “What are you talking about?”
“His whole pack was attacked. They found Maric, but he beat Ash and the others within an inch of death. May Silver and some others are tending to him right now. They already called a doctor from the town, but Ash is asking for you.”
Ash fought Maric? He was on the brink of death? Flint had just spoken to his brother a couple of hours ago! He glanced at Addison, who nodded at him, her eyes wide.
“Go on ahead,” Flint commanded the two shifters before him. “Tell everyone we’re coming right away.”
The shifters both nodded and shifted to their wolf forms before darting back the way they had arrived. His mind racing, Flint let go of Addison and began to strip off his clothes, shocking and confusing his mate.
“Your brother’s hurt and you’re stripping? Here? Now?”
Flint huffed. “It’ll be quicker if I shift into my wolf form. Just hold my clothes, will you?” He threw them at her before she could answer, but she didn’t object. Seconds later, Flint shifted, the fur growing all over his body as his face elongated and his limbs shortened and twisted. Glancing at Addison, he barked at her to get on, forgetting she didn’t understand his wolf speak. She stared at him, wide-eyed, and only when he kneeled down beside her did she realize his intentions. She climbed gingerly onto his back, her petite body practically weightless. He felt Addison clutch his clothes in one hand and grab hold of a tuft of his fur with the other as he took off, her scream of surprise echoing behind them.
Racing down the path to Wolf Den, all Flint could think about was Ash, hoping beyond hope that the messenger shifters had made a mistake, that when he stalked into Wolf Den, he’d see nothing more than a few scratches on his brother. Maric couldn’t possibly have overpowered Ash and three others. He couldn’t believe it. He wouldn’t.
As the minutes passed and the large hall came into sight, Flint’s hope dwindled, replaced by fear. Coming to a skidding stop as he flew toward the entrance, he startled the mass of shifters in the main clearing and kneeled to let a dazed Addison off before shifting back to his human form. He ripped his pants out of Addison’s grip, not bothering to put on anything else, and ignored the sorrowful looks the other shifters were giving him. His gut churned, and he decided he didn’t have time to ask questions of anyone, so he took off for the wooden hall, shoving shifters out of the way to the open door and walking inside, Addison hot on his heels.
Inside, shifters huddled around makeshift beds off to the sides of the main hall, the dread palpable in the air. Flint marched forward, looking over shifters’ shoulders for his brother. The three wolf shifters that made up Ash’s pack truly had been beaten to the point of death, their bodies twisted and bruised, blood seeping from still-fresh wounds as their breath came in wheezing gasps.
Flint tried not to get in the way of the mates and family that surrounded the injured, but panic rose in his chest as he grew more and more frantic to find his bro
ther.
“Flint!” May called from the bunk furthest in. She waved him over. “Ash is over here.”
He jogged over to the small crowd formed around Ash, meeting May on the outskirts. As he got closer, he recognized Callie’s voice, twisted with sorrow as she sobbed. He could see her perched on a stool next to his brother’s bed, holding his hand in both of hers as tears streamed down her cheeks.
“We found him twenty minutes ago, lying in the forest with the rest of his pack,” May said. “Other shifters were near the area when Maric attacked Ash and the others. They said they heard shouting and howling, and a bear roaring. They had Maric’s scent all over them. He was the one who attacked them. Had to be.”
Emotions raged inside Flint, the most prominent of them being pure anger. As he looked at his younger brother, the anger only grew. Ash’s whole body looked like one giant bruise, and Flint noticed long scratches all over his skin, and caved-in parts of his stomach and chest. He had at least one broken bone in each limb. Flint knelt beside him, listening to his wheezing breath, and Callie glanced at him. Somehow conscious, Ash turned his head to look at his brother, trying his best to smile. He tried to say something but instead coughed up blood.
“We have a doctor on the way,” May said.
Flint nodded. “Yeah, I know. The two who came to get me told me. You hear that, Ash? You’ll be okay, so just shut up. Don’t say another word.”
Despite his red eyes and puffy eyelids, Ash managed to roll his eyes. “Come on,” he said, his voice breaking. “I can still talk… it just takes… a little more… effort right… now.” He coughed again, causing Callie to flinch and lean closer.
“Do as Flint says, you moron! Don’t talk. Wait for the doctor to come.”
Ignoring Callie, Ash continued to speak. “It was Maric… that bastard… we found him in… the woods… in the middle of… the… island.” Ash coughed again. “He… wanted me… to give you a message.”
Flint leaned in to hear whatever Maric wanted him to hear. He needed to keep himself under control, now more than ever.
“He told me… to tell you… to give him Addison… and to stay… out of his way.” A coughing fit took hold of Ash, and Flint looked over his shoulder at Addison, who was on the verge of tears. Flint wanted to rise and embrace her, to tell her it wasn’t her fault, but then Ash began to speak again.
“I think… I told him… to fuck off.”
Callie burst into a cross between sobbing and laughing. Flint pinched the bridge of his nose, unable to believe his brother. That was just like Ash. He got beaten half to death, left to rot and die, but at least he got in a parting shot.
Behind him, Addison began to cry. “I’m so sorry,” she said through her tears. “I’m sorry I led Maric here. I didn’t think anyone else would get hurt because of me. Please, Ash, forgive me.”
Flint shot up and brought her to his chest where she could hide her face until she collected herself. He whispered into her ear, “It’s not your fault, Addison. It never was. You didn’t hurt Ash. That goddamn bear did.”
Addison wiped the tears from her eyes, and they both looked back down at Ash. Callie stared up at them, sniffling, but nodded at Flint’s words, and Ash did his best to grin and hold a shaky thumbs up. Flint scoffed at his brother, wanting to chew him out for being so reckless, but, more than anything, wishing he would heal quicker. As Flint cradled Addison against his chest, he noticed the shifters in the lodge looking at him, looking to their leader for reassurance.
When Addison pushed against his chest, her tears gone, he let her go to turn to his pack, a stern expression on his face. As much as he wanted to let out his anger and let his wolf loose, that wasn’t what would calm his people.
“It’s not easy to stand here as our loved ones suffer from an attack,” he began. “None of us expected this to be the outcome of a battle between our people and a single bear, but it’s clear now that Maric Devoy is much stronger than any of us thought. I’ve failed you, so it’s time to take matters into my own hands and take him down myself.
“An attack on any of us is an attack on all of us. And it is an attack on me.” He glanced at Addison. “I won’t let what happened today happen to anyone else. So, hear me now, then disperse and wait for my orders. Once I devise a plan, I’ll gather you all, and we’ll take down this monster once and for all.”
Every shifter nodded, smiling, and went on their way, the noise rising in the room rising as they spoke amongst themselves.
Turning back to his group, Flint motioned for Callie, Addison, May, and a few others to step away from Ash’s bedside, if only for a few moments to strategize. Callie shook her head, unwilling to leave her husband, but after receiving a thumbs up from Ash, she reluctantly rose and followed the rest.
Turning his back to Ash, Flint crossed his arms and flicked his gaze between them all. “Okay, so do any of you have ideas for catching Maric? The fighting part is easy enough to work out, but we need to corner him.”
“Can’t we contact authorities?” Addison asked. “I know the Seattle Police Department had trouble catching him, but that was because of how big Seattle is. Silver Island is just that—an island. It’s a much smaller area for them to sweep.”
Callie shook her head. “The police force is small, and while we have a couple of shifters on the force, the rest would just be in the way. They might even get slaughtered by Maric in the process. Besides, we can’t afford for them to learn our true nature. It could be dangerous for us.”
Addison nodded, deflating, but Flint flicked his eyes to May. “If you have any wisdom to impart, now would be the time, May.”
May chuckled. “Oh, please. I may be an old wolf shifter, but I’ve never dealt with someone like Maric Devoy. While I have some experience with bear shifters, it’s not with fighting them. I can tell you they’re big and a lot faster than you expect, but I don’t know how to trap them.”
Stumped, the group grew silent, each member frowning and staring at the ground.
Then, Addison cleared her throat. “We just need to corner him, right?”
Flint looked at her sharply, suspicious of her tone of voice. “Yeah… do you have something in mind?”
She nodded. “We use me as bait.” Flint growled, but she held up a hand to quiet him. “Hear me out.”
He frowned, but he said nothing, and she continued, explaining how it was the only way to lure Maric out and keep him still long enough for Flint to attack. Flint had to admit; it was probably the surest way to take care of Maric for good, but…
“I don’t like it,” he said. “I’d rather not put you in danger, Addison.”
“Every second Maric is still trying to get his revenge on me, I’m in danger. I might as well accept that he’s after me. Embrace it, even. I can’t keep running from him forever.”
Her confidence and bravery inflamed Flint’s heart, making him feel lucky to have found her. But he could all too easily imagine her plan going horribly wrong, and him losing her forever. “Are you sure? Because if Maric doesn’t react the way you’re intending, it’s all over. And you know I can’t let you get away from me that easily.”
She smiled at him and nodded. Flint longed for her to forget about her idea, but he sighed and nodded back at her. “Alright, we’ll try it. Let’s go round up some shifters. The rest of you, look after the wounded.” He turned to May. “You don’t mind if we use the front of your inn, do you, May?”
She wrinkled her nose. “No, but whatever damage you cause, you’ll end up repairing, or you’ll face my wise, old wrath.”
Flint grinned. “You got it.”
Everyone else dispersed so only Flint and Addison remained. Exchanging a last look with her, he took her hand, and they went off to round up the shifters whose help they needed, ready to end this whole ordeal once and for all.
Chapter Eighteen
Final Battle
Addison nervously waited outside the Silver Inn.
At first, she whistled to
pass the time, hoping it would draw attention to her, but as time passed and the town emptied, her whistling came to a standstill. The fading light casting an ominous veil over the town below her. Almost everyone had either left for their homes or were just closing up shop. She knew the wolf shifters would usher those that remained out of town quickly and quietly.
They had already evacuated everyone from the Silver Inn. As Addison leaned against the wooden exterior of the building, she realized that despite the lack of people, the Silver Inn still appeared happy and inviting, waiting atop the hill that overlooked the town. They had kept the lights on inside suggest there were still people there. Although nervous, Addison felt reassured by the inn at her back.
As more time passed, Addison’s nerves ramped up, and she tapped her foot impatiently, her mind whirling as she peered into the trees.
She hadn’t expected Maric Devoy to come straight away, but she also hadn’t expected him to wait this long to confront her. What if he never showed? What if he sniffed out her plan and was smart enough to wait until she was at her most vulnerable or separated from the rest of the wolf shifters?
Addison took a deep breath to calm herself. Worrying over things that had yet to happen wasn’t her style; well, at least, it hadn’t been until Maric Devoy had entered her life. She chuckled to herself, thinking about how everything could end tonight. As long as Maric showed up, it was checkmate, and Addison could go back to living her life. But that raised the question, what would she do after this was all over? Continue living here? She obviously couldn’t leave Flint behind now that he had claimed her as his mate, nor did she want to. Could she convince him to move with her to Seattle? Would he be able or willing to leave his pack? Did she even want to go back to Seattle? She had already paid for the construction of that house…
A dark shape, a huge but hunched-over figure, caught Addison’s eye as it appeared just down the hill at the foot of the steps. The figure was hard to make out, but by sheer size alone, Addison knew it was Maric Devoy.
