by Moxie North
Turning around, he went back to find Deacon. Letting out a howl, he called to his Alpha and hoped he’d find him.
Deacon jogged down the path and met him halfway.
“She was here. I need you to help me scent. I’m blind with rage and I need help tracking.” Maverick hated admitting it, but he needed to find his mate.
“Where?”
Maverick led Deacon back to the tree and his Alpha took a long breath. He turned to Maverick, his eyes glowing green in the night. “She wasn’t alone.”
Leaning in, Maverick calmed his wolf and told him to focus. He scented the tree again, then smelled it. Stitch. He hadn’t noticed he was missing from the gathering out front.
“I’ll kill him. I’ll fucking kill him if he hurt her.”
“We don’t know the situation. Maybe he found her in the dark and led her somewhere to wait.”
“Or he hates me and wants to take it out on my mate.” Maverick’s teeth were growing in his mouth, his canines elongating as he spoke.
“If that’s the case you have the right to deal with him. But I’ll warn you. Be careful what you do in front of your mate. There are some things you can’t take back.”
Maverick nodded his understanding. “I need to shift.”
“Here, give me your leg and your clothes. I’ll leave them on my porch. I’ll shift and follow you, letting the pack know to search the woods.”
Already pulling at his clothes, Maverick handed them off. His Alpha was the only one that had seen him shift without his leg. He was the only person he’d trust being that exposed with.
When he was naked, he ignored his Alpha—who was already running back to his cabin—and let his wolf come forward.
Maverick felt his body twist and reshape as his vision blurred and a spark of color washed around him. He found himself closer to the ground, his vision clearer in the dark. His wolf was dark, his fur a heavy coat of brown. The spaces on his back where his tattoos were showed black in his animal’s fur. No pictures, just a difference from the rest of the coat.
His wolf was soaking up their mate’s scent, tasting it on his tongue. It was diluted by Stitch’s stench and his animal growled. Mav gave him the lead and told him to find their mate.
The animal took off at a run, compensating and anticipating the path to maneuver on three legs. Every mile deeper into the woods made Maverick angrier. It was cold out and the air was damp. He was sure Prudence wouldn’t have come out properly dressed if she’d been mad at him. When he did find her, he was going to have to get her back to the camp in the cold.
Mav could feel the presence of his Alpha off to his side. The big silver wolf was running point, crisscrossing behind Maverick to make sure the trail didn’t change.
It was a straight shot heading deeper into the woods and closer to a small mountain range that ended near their lake. Why was he bringing her all the way out here? For what purpose? Mav’s wolf didn’t smell blood or any indication she was hurt. Was she going with him willingly? Did Stitch tell her he was out there? Would she go with him if she thought Mav was somewhere in the woods?
It didn’t seem likely. His mate was smarter than that. Which left the only other answer that she wasn’t out here willingly. That made Maverick killing mad. If Stitch did anything to hurt his mate it would be well within his rights to kill the man. No one would blame him. It was a rule that no one broke. Mates were always off limits. To hurt a mate hurt the animal, and to a pack you’d never hurt your own kind.
As the trail started up the mountain, Maverick’s anger slid to worry. It was getting colder the higher they went. They’d been running for over an hour and they still hadn’t found her.
Deacon had switched off to running diagonal paths to him, and the next time he was out of Mav’s sights he let out a howl.
Maverick’s wolf switched direction and followed the howl. He came over a crest and found himself on the edge of a steep drop-off. Below him was a glacier-fed river that was burbling in the darkness. Deacon’s wolf came up next to him and whined, his head pointing down the cliff’s edge.
In the darkness Maverick could see a small shape, curled into a ball by the river’s edge.
He started to go over the edge of the drop-off and Deacon’s animal nipped at him. Mav’s wolf growled back and the big silver wolf started trotting off to the side. There was a narrow path between some trees that both wolves slid down, their paws finding no traction in the soft earth.
When they reached the river’s edge, Maverick waited until he was next to the huddled figure to shift in a shower of sparks that had him sitting naked on the smooth rocks beside the river. He pulled his mate into his arms and felt the chill of her body.
“Shit, shit!” he said, trying to warm her up. She was so cold. Her face was slack not from sleep, but from unconsciousness. Running his hands over her he felt for broken bones. She seemed fine until he got to her head. There was a large lump on the back of it and it filled him with killing rage.
“She’s alive?” Deacon asked, from a safe distance. He wasn’t about to approach a man that was holding his unconscious mate.
“Yes, breathing anyway. I’m going to kill him, Deacon. She could have died out here. She’s already so cold. I can’t carry her back. Fucking hell!”
“We need to get her warm. Even if I carried her back she’d still be cold. Let me see if I can get a fire started. Let’s move her back away from the water.”
Maverick nodded to Deacon that it was okay to pick her up. Pushing aside the sight of his naked Alpha holding his mate, Mav was glad it was him there and not anyone else.
Deacon placed her under a tree on a bed of pine needles. It was sticky but better than the dirt.
“You should shift back. Your wolf can keep her warmer,” Deacon suggested.
Maverick could see that would be better and gave his wolf the go-ahead. Once he was back down on three legs, he trotted over to her and his wolf gave her a lick. The animal whimpered in despair. Maverick told him they had to warm her up and that only he could do it. His animal curled up next to his mate and watched as Deacon brought twigs and branches over to their spot.
In a few minutes there was a tiny fire burning. His wolf whined up at Deacon.
“Cub scouts. I’m not just an MC President you know.”
Mav’s wolf huffed and tucked closer to his mate. She had him at her back and the fire at her front. Deacon loaded more wood next to the building fire. “I’m going to run back, get your shit, and I’ll probably bring Ranger back with me. He has some first-aid training from the Army. We should be back in a few hours, and the three of us will get her back. Yeah?”
Nodding his head through his wolf, his animal rested his head over Pru’s shoulder, trying to cover as much of her as he could in warm fur.
“Give me about two hours. I should be back by then.” Deacon didn’t hesitate as he shifted back and took off at a fast run.
Maverick had nothing to do but listen to his mate breathe. Her body was still cold and it scared the living shit out of him. Wolves never had to worry about hypothermia. Humans, he knew, were much more fragile.
He was battling his rage to find Stitch and rip his throat out and worry that his mate wasn’t going to make it out of the woods.
An hour or so passed and Mav’s wolf only got up from their mate to pick a piece of wood from the pile and throw it on the fire. It wasn’t easy but he managed it.
Returning to his mate, he stopped and scanned the darkness. There was something out there, and it made his wolf’s fur stand on end.
Sniffing the air, he recognized the scent.
A light gray wolf appeared on the other side of the river. Its yellow eyes reflected in the light from the fire.
Maverick’s wolf let out a low menacing growl. He positioned himself on the other side of the fire so there were two obstacles to get to his mate.
For a moment he thought the smaller wolf would turn tail and run. Instead, the wolf leapt from the bank and splashed
into the river. By the time he made it to the other side, Maverick was on him.
Fur and fangs clashed as Maverick’s wolf tried to get his teeth into Stitch’s wolf’s neck. The younger wolf kept twisting, trying to take advantage of Mav’s unstable stance. A few times he stumbled, which caused his wolf to lash out more viciously. The sound of growling and snapping echoed across the river. Stitch’s wolf got a bite in on Mav’s good back leg. He was trying to incapacitate him. If he couldn’t stand, he couldn’t fight.
Mav’s wolf pulled up his paw and clawed it over the other wolf’s face. The gray wolf yelped and started to pull back. He took the advantage and wrapped his mouth around the throat of the younger wolf. If he hadn’t smelled like Prudence he might have given him another chance. As it was, his mate’s scent was all over the other wolf. Using all the strength he had in his healing jaw, Maverick’s wolf bit down on the throat until he felt the crush of the animal’s windpipe.
There was a gasping noise and his wolf shook his head violently, snapping the smaller wolf’s neck.
Dropping the dead wolf to the rocks, he stood over him panting. Looking back at his mate, he was relieved that she was still out and hadn’t witnessed the fight or the point where Maverick and his wolf had taken another life. It was one more he had to add to his balance with the universe.
He didn’t want her waking up and seeing the results of the battle. Grabbing the scruff of the dead wolf, he dragged it down the riverbank, far enough away that if she woke she wouldn’t be able to see him.
Stopping on his way back, he shifted near the river and washed the blood off and checked the bite on his leg. It would heal quickly enough. Shifting back, he rejoined his mate and waited for Deacon to return.
The night sky shifted, the black turning to dark blue as the dawn approached.
Maverick’s wolf stood watch while his mate still slept. At one point she rolled over onto her back and he could sense her unconsciousness was more sleeping than passed out. She even opened her eyes at one point and blurrily said, “Pretty.” Since she was looking at his wolf he figured she must have meant him.
Maverick could hear the footsteps coming through the forest. One set human, the other wolf. It was at that moment that Prudence opened her eyes. He was ready to shift if she was scared waking up next to a wolf.
She blinked a few times, then said, “Maverick?”
His wolf leaned down and licked her face.
“You are in so much trouble. Fuck, my head hurts.”
His wolf whined and nudged her.
“Please, you think I’m going to forget you were gone for three days? No calls, no texts? The sisters say I should withhold sex as a punishment. I think they’re on to something.”
His wolf whimpered and it made Prudence laugh. “Ouch, don’t make me laugh. I have a splitting headache.”
Maverick told his wolf he needed to hold his mate and shifted right next to her. He saw her eyes grow big at the display of color and then he had her in his arms. He was kissing her mouth, her face, any part he could reach.
“Fuck, baby, I’m so sorry.”
“You didn’t hit me in the head, did you? What do you have to be sorry for? Besides the not calling thing.”
“There was a reason and it seemed good at the time, but now I see it was a giant cluster-fuck that could have been avoided. I won’t ever do that again. I’ll call and text you all you want. You can do the same to me.”
“Don’t go overboard there. It’s not like we’re married and in love. I think some alone time is okay when you’re dating.”
“Dating? We aren’t fucking dating, and of course, I love you. How can you say we aren’t in love?”
Pru frowned at him. “Maybe because we’ve been together a week and you don’t say that until much later in a relationship.”
“This isn’t a relationship. You’re my mate, not my girlfriend. I’ve loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you in rehab. I was barely surviving before I met you. I can’t live without you.”
“Why didn’t you just say that?” she whispered. She had tears in her eyes from the pain in her head and their conversation.
“I thought you knew. Shifters know. I guess I forgot humans have to grow into that emotion. I hope someday you’ll forgive me for this. You getting hurt is on me and I hope you can learn to love me. I’m done keeping people at arm’s length. I swear to you things are going to be different.”
Prudence raised her hands to his face. “You big dumb man. Of course I love you. I came tearing into camp to tell you what I thought about you ignoring me and coming back and partying. I never made it because Stitch was waiting for me.”
“Partying? I went straight home to see you last night. I hadn’t even come to camp yet. Who told you that?”
“That girl Myra. The one you introduced me to? She called and said you were back and you were all celebrating down at the lake. I was on my way to the gazebo to find you.”
Maverick let out a low growl.
“Uh, Mav? Why are you naked?”
Before he could answer, Deacon and Ranger walked out of the tree line.
“Because I have his clothes right here. Glad to see you’re awake.”
Prudence saw Deacon carrying a bag over his shoulder with Mav’s leg sticking out of the top. She couldn’t help but snort.
Maverick gave her a pinch.
Turning back to him she said, “Hey, it looks funny.”
Deacon handed Maverick the bag and he started to get dressed.
The other man came forward. “Hi, I’m Ranger. Mind if I check you out? I actually do have medical skills. That’s the reason they brought me. I’m pretty sure those two don’t know how to use a Band-Aid.”
Pru gave him a weak smile. He was a good-looking guy. Reminded her of a younger Deacon. “Sure. My head hurts, but I think that’s it.”
“She has a lump. I think the fucker hit her with something,” Mav said.
The man named Ranger let out a low sound. It seemed he didn’t think girls should get hit and knocked out either. That was good to know.
While Ranger looked over Prudence, Maverick got dressed. He got himself to two feet after putting on his leg, and walked over to his Alpha. With just a look and a glance down the river, Deacon got the message.
“I’ll take care of it,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry, Mav. I really hoped that Stitch would settle in. He had a shit life and I thought maybe being in the club and having a purpose would settle his animal. I think it made him worse, more jealous and bitter. I take full responsibility for what happened here.”
“Fuck that. You’re a good Alpha because you do give people chances. It’s what we are about. It’s on me for not keeping in touch with Pru. I could have texted or had one of you call. Instead, I acted like I always did, the lone wolf, pardon the pun. I’ll fix it with her and make it up to her.”
Deacon sighed. “I’ll take care of Myra, too.”
“I’m guessing she’s in the wind by now.”
“Still, I need to stop being so soft on the lost girls. They are my weakness.”
Maverick nodded, grateful he wasn’t in charge in that moment. A pack member being executed was never good. Regardless of what they had done, it left a scar in a pack. There could be more fallout over this and they would all have to face it if it happened.
“She’s pretty good. Tough little lady,” Ranger announced. He walked towards the men standing by the river, leaving Pru by the fire.
“You’re lucky you found her when you did. The head injury wouldn’t have been the problem. The cold could have killed her. I think our pack needs a refresher on mate rules.”
“Sounds like a job for the VP,” Deacon said.
“Just great. I’ll type up a fucking memo,” Ranger snorted.
Maverick turned from the men and walked over to Prudence. She was curled in a ball, looking at the fire.
“Why don’t we get you back and into a bed. I’m guessing you are going to be needing more
sleep. Deacon, will you carry her?” Maverick was asking his Alpha for something no other shifter would ask. But he didn’t want to risk dropping her as he managed over the rough terrain.
“As long as it’s okay with your mate.”
“Whatever gets us back fastest, I’m cool with.”
Maverick walked over and helped her to her feet. He wrapped her in his arms and whispered into her ear. “I’ll never fail you again.”
Prudence looked like she wanted to say something, but changed her mind. It wasn’t the right time or place.
Chapter 32
Maverick was staring up at the twinkling lights of Prudence’s bedroom ceiling.
“I thought only teenagers did that.”
“Hey, I don’t have any other lights in here and they are LED. Besides, I love them. I can fall asleep under the stars this way.”
“Babe, these aren’t stars. You wanna see stars? We’ll go camping.”
“No more sleeping outside for me, thank you.”
Maverick, Prudence, Deacon, and Ranger made it back to the camp after a number of hours and a slow journey. The pack was waiting for them as they returned. A number of them, men she’d never met, came up and patted her on the cheek and told her they were glad she was safe and welcomed her to their pack.
It was sweet and made Prudence feel like she hadn’t given these guys enough of a chance. Deacon put her in the passenger side of Mav’s truck and told her he’d have one of the guys drive the sisters’ car back. Someone handed her her purse and she took it with a nod.
Maverick didn’t say anything when they got back to the camp. He just nodded to Deacon and once Pru was settled, started his truck, and pulled out down the road.
They drove in silence. Prudence was reliving the moment he said he loved her over and over again in her head. Maverick was replaying all the ways he’d fucked up over the last few days.
When they passed his house, she turned and asked, “We aren’t going to your house?”
“No, my parents invaded this morning and I need you alone.”
“Oh shit, Mav, I’m sorry. I totally panicked and didn’t know what to do. Don’t be mad at me.”
