Mayhem shook his head. “It’s time you were on your way. I’m not interested in making any deals with you nor helping you achieve your vengeance.”
“You’re making a mistake. He’ll mark your woman, bond with her this night even.” Her voice was steady but Mayhem could hear the hammering of her heart. “She’ll be lost to you then. You need me. You’ll never find her otherwise.”
Now it was Mayhem’s turn to scoff. “I have other means of finding her.”
“The compound is protected by boundary wards. Even if you did locate her, you’ll never get in. Not without me.” Her fingers twitched, slight movement toward her blades once again.
“I have my own magic.” Mayhem let the tips of his fangs slide past his gums. “You’d best keep your distance, Huntress.”
She chuckled, a wicked smile spreading on her face as she ran a finger along the hilt of her blade. “You seem like the type of man who needs to figure things out for himself. The stubborn kind.”
She winked as she turned her back on him and Raven, as if she was going to walk away. Another strange action for someone claiming to be a trained Huntress. Why make yourself vulnerable?
“Once he bonds with your woman, he’ll come for you, you and your pack. Allan has been tracking you boys for years. Knows all your routines, your lack of training, your passive existence as beasts. Weak. Practically defenseless.”
Mayhem snapped his gaze to Raven, who was still sporting fangs and claws. He shook his head. Not worth it. He turned back to the woman, ready to tell her to fuck off once and for all.
She smirked over her shoulder. “Once she’s bonded, she’ll be the one to take you out and once you’re gone, the fate of your pack is sealed. There’s no way the Order would ever give up Huntresses with powers like those of your witch, healer and spell weaver.”
Mayhem’s stomach bottomed out. They knew about the girls. The threat against his pack was real, just as his gut had been telling him.
His wolf punched through, Raven’s following close behind.
The Huntress spun, blades in hands, grinning like a maniac. “I’d hoped we could avoid this.”
Rage burned through Mayhem, his wolf’s thoughts circling around only one thing. Protect the pack. Kill the threat.
She twirled one knife and nodded. “It’s you I need, Mayhem. Your pack brother is expendable.”
With a roar, Raven launched. The Huntress feigned one direction, spun, and dropped low, then threw her blade. There was nowhere for Raven to go.
Mayhem jumped to intercept. Protect the pack. Take the shot.
“Oh, no, there won’t be any of that here.” Out of the shadows stepped Darcy, hands raised, power rising in a flash.
The blade dropped like a stone, mid air, clattering to the ground.
Unable to stop his momentum, Mayhem collided with Raven, the two wolves rolling with grunts across the pavement. They both bounded to their feet within seconds, growling, chests heaving, still ready to fight.
“You’re the Huntress from the hotel,” Summer said. “Talia, the one who lost her Hunter.”
Mayhem pushed against his wolf’s control. Needing to regain his human form enough to fully understand what was going on without his wolf’s garbled way of interpreting things clouding his perception. Conversation floated around him, words he had to concentrate hard on in order to make sense, to take meaning from.
“This is an unfair fight, ladies,” Talia said with a smirk. “I’ve come for assistance, not war.”
“That’s not the way it looks.” Aubrey stepped forward, Jaylon at her back, arms crossed, eyes darting toward Mayhem.
Mayhem snorted, shook his head. His pack was there, surrounding him. In danger, just as he’d feared.
“The Hunters have cast me out. I need to find my wolf, just as you girls have found yours.” Talia slid her remaining blade into its sheath then raised her hands.
“Cast out because you ran, right?” Aubrey asked. “At the hotel, you left the other Hunters to die.”
Talia sneered. “I was outnumbered. I had no choice.”
“Coward,” Aubrey said, her tone edged.
“My Hunter had just been murdered. What was I supposed to do?” Talia glared at Aubrey. “My cowardice meant your wolves lived.”
Aubrey shook her head, stepped back. “Whatever.”
“I know where my destined wolf is. I need Mayhem’s help getting to it. I need a wolf liaison, an alpha, to get me through the barriers.” She sighed. “I need the bite of my wolf in order to regain my powers.”
As she continued her explanation, the same one Mayhem had already heard, he managed to calm his beast enough to slide back to his natural night form. The change erupted hard and fast, painfully ripping through him until he stood as human once again.
“I told you it was no deal,” Mayhem growled as he did a quick scan of his pack. Everyone seemed intact, unharmed, including Raven, who remained in his wolf form.
“And I told you, you’ll never get to her without me. The magical barriers alone…”
“I have my own witch, remember? Magic is not a concern.”
“Actually, May,” Darcy said, her voice hesitant.
Before she could say anything, Mayhem motioned for her to come to him, moving them both to the side so she could finish her sentence.
“I found one of Hannah’s hairs on your pants back at the mansion,” she whispered. “My tracking spell doesn’t seem to be working. Been trying it since you left, even a few times here. No luck.” Her brows were drawn into a deep frown.
“None of your tricks will work,” Talia said. “The Order is well hidden. Once Hannah crossed into their territory, she became invisible to you. And they can keep her invisible even if they leave the compound.”
Mayhem sighed as he rubbed his hand over his face, his eyes aching, a headache forming.
Darcy winced. “When I cast the tracking spell, it’s like there’s a barrier blocking me from seeing clearly. Exactly like she says, something magical keeping me from finding Hannah. I mean, it’s possible that I’m fucking up the spell, but after hearing another possibility I’m more inclined to believe that it’s not me.”
“Fuck.” Mayhem’s thoughts turned to Talia’s offer, despite his gut reaction not to trust her. If she could lead him to the Order’s compound, he was certain he could get through whatever barrier they had. Somehow.
“We can leave right now,” Talia said, her voice steady, calm, determined. “I know where the pack is, where my wolf is. Three hours, tops, and then you can go directly to the compound. I’ll take you there myself.”
Mayhem growled his frustration, glaring at her as he raised a finger to stab the air in front of him. “Two hours and if you try any of your mind-control shit, I will not hesitate to rip your goddamned head off.”
Raven snorted obvious disapproval, his fur bristling at his neck as he paced around Mayhem.
“You’re not going alone, I hope you know that,” Dyami said.
“This is not up for negotiation. We’re talking about walking into another pack’s territory.” Mayhem turned his glare to Dyami and Jaylon, even making eye contact with Raven’s wolf. “I will not place you at risk.”
“We’re going with you, May,” Jaylon said.
“The pack should come,” Talia said as she sauntered toward them, causing men and beast to bristle, then turn to face her. “You’ll need to show strength. Not aggression, but power. The Huntresses though—” she nodded at the women “—they need to stay behind. These wolves aren’t the mating sort.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Dy snapped.
“It means that I’m risking my life going in there searching for my wolf. These packs, the feral beasts, they’re like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. They are animals. And they have no interest in forming a mating bond to empower a
Huntress.”
“So you’re saying showing up with you will likely cause a war?” Mayhem shook his head. “How in the fuck do you plan on getting the bite you need then?”
Talia grinned. “You leave that up to me. All I need from you is a ticket in.”
“When you said forest, I wasn’t picturing this.” Mayhem scanned the outside of the bar, neon lights blinking with faded, partially burned out bulbs calling it The Forest. Nice.
The music was hard and heavy, just right for Mayhem. Bikes lined one side of the building. A big, burly door guy stood sentry, eyeing them with suspicion. On any other occasion and for any other reason, Mayhem might actually like this place. Well, except for the heavy wolfie vibes he felt emanating from within.
Talia adjusted her tank top, her breasts nearly spilling out. She’d left her weapons in the truck, saying that she had all the protection she needed. Whatever that meant. If things got dicey, Mayhem would be pulling the plug right quick, and dragging her out by the hair if need be.
“Do not utter the H word in there,” Talia reminded them. “The only one who may get a clue is my mate, otherwise the rest of them are just gonna think I’m a slut looking for a gang bang or something.”
Mayhem cringed at the thought, his mind instantly entering dangerous territory, wondering if Hannah was okay. “Let’s get this over with.”
It was just the three of them, Mayhem, Dy and Jay. Raven, unable to transform back to human, his wolf still too agitated to relinquish control, had stayed behind in a motel room with the girls, who were equally as agitated not to be coming along.
The brute at the door dropped his meaty arms to the sides, fists clenched, shaking his head as they approached. “This is a members only bar, fellas.”
“We are members.” Mayhem lifted his hand, his claws poking through. “Bona fide.”
“This is neutral territory. No pack shit happens in here.” The door guy nodded behind him. “Expect your bitch to get handled.”
Mayhem snorted. “I have no claim on her. I’ve had my fill.”
By the flicker in the guy’s eyes, Mayhem knew he’d just passed some kind of test, most likely assessing whether or not he was trying to smuggle in a Huntress. Every wolf would know if Talia was Mayhem’s mate, the mere idea of another wolf or man touching her would send him off the edge.
The muscle flicked his gaze to Dy and Jay, ignoring Talia altogether. Idiot.
“Alpha rules his own men, you keep them in line,” the bouncer said before stepping aside to open the door and let them pass.
Mayhem grunted his agreement and pushed past, hitting a wall of smoke, cheap booze and one of his own songs blasting from the speakers. Lovely. All he needed now was someone to recognize him.
“Holy fuck!” Dy was next to him, mouthing the words more than saying them.
Holy fuck indeed. The bar was filled with werewolves all right, card carrying members that was for damn sure.
Mayhem tried to reel back his shock. Talia hadn’t been lying—these were werewolves like he’d never seen before. Upright, monstrous, beasts. He was lucky his mouth wasn’t gaping open. These were the creatures of nightmares.
He scanned the room. Not a regular looking wolf in sight. At least none on all fours, looking like the canine variety. Nope. Brethren they were, Mayhem could tell by the smell alone, but nothing and no one that he or his pack could identify with. There were those in human form, casually drinking, playing pool, shooting the shit. There were half-naked women, serving alcohol, dancing, getting pawed, but there were no wolves. The only ones with fur were the motherfucking werewolves. Like, straight out of a horror movie werewolf beast. Fangs gleaming, claws on display, walking on two legs in a jerky kind of monstrosity, some hitting at least the seven-foot mark. Mayhem was in shock, in awe of the possibility. And he felt damn inadequate.
“I need a drink.” He pushed his way to the bar. “Whiskey, straight.”
The bartender nodded as he slammed a cloudy glass on the bar and whipped out a bottle of whiskey.
Dy slid in next to him, two fingers raised. “Beer.” He shifted his head closer to Mayhem. “What the fuck, May?”
Mayhem gave a stern shake of his head then downed his drink. Not now. “Where’s the girl?”
Dyami craned his head to the side. “Gone.”
Fuck. She’d gotten in, that was what she needed. They didn’t know the plan beyond that. He scanned the bar again, hackles rising with each sweep. This was a bad place to be. These werewolves, they had strength, they had the ability to transform and control their shape. These beasts were a testament to what could be. If Mayhem had even known it was a possibility…
But he hadn’t. He’d been bitten and abandoned. No pack to welcome him. No one there to teach him about what he had become. He had been living on instinct. His wolf offering no insight beyond its basic needs. The things he’d learned only suggested that he was young, that strength and power would come with age. He had no idea. No fucking idea what that had meant. Talia had said that they were weak, practically defenseless. Now he understood. Fuck.
“We need to get the fuck out of here.” He shifted to the side, keeping Jay and Dy in his periphery, on the lookout for that bitch who had walked them right into this den of beasts with little warning of what they’d find.
“There she is.” Jay nodded toward the back of the bar.
Mayhem made a move in that direction, but Dy clamped a hand on his shoulder, hissing a warning in his ear. “Look.”
Talia was seated on the lap of a guy, running her hands through his hair, almost nose to nose, eyes locked. That was what she had meant when she said to leave it up to her. She was going to get his bite through her persuasive abilities. And it looked like she was having some success. The guy’s fangs were dropping as they watched. She rolled her hips suggestively, leaned to the side so that her lips were pressed to his ear, his mouth a fraction of an inch away from her throat.
He raised one hand, claws protruding to grip the back of her neck, crushing her pony tail down, which caused her head to yank up slightly. He opened his mouth, fangs gleaming, saliva dripping.
“Hey!” There was movement just next to Talia, another beast in human form catching on, making his way through the crowd, bumping into a few of the werewolves. His attempt to intervene causing a rustle of tension. “What are you doing?”
The shout was barely audible but all the same, the energy in the room spiked, aggression like a switch being flicked on.
Talia tensed, her wolf gave his head a minute shake, started to pull back. She grabbed the back of his head, yanked him up to look in her eyes and then forced him to her neck. It had taken seconds, less than that, and yet time seemed to slow. His fangs dug in, embedded in her flesh right down to the gums.
Someone else bellowed; fists started flying. Wood cracked as tables broke under the weight of a beast. Glass smashed, some of it thrown, most of it splinted and crushed as those in human form burst into their beasts, collateral damage in the path of a transformation. Mayhem had been in plenty of bar fights, but this…this was like nothing he’d ever seen.
Talia was up, jumping back from her wolf as he began his transformation. Mayhem took a step back as well. Time to go. She turned, made eye contact with him. Smiled. A chill ran through his body. He felt her power like a zap of electricity. All tension in his muscles left, any aggression he’d been feeling slipping away. The urgency to do something evaporating. Where was he? What was he doing here? Exhaustion overwhelmed him. He felt like sleeping. Yeah, sleep would be a great idea. His eyes grew heavy.
And then like a jolt he was awake, standing at the bar, his legs wobbly and Talia was in front of him.
The room was quiet. Eerily so. Every occupant in the bar was either on the floor or in the process of sliding to the floor. All except for Mayhem. He glanced behind him to see Dy and Jay slumped against the bar—
not unconscious, not exactly.
“You guys need to get the hell out of here,” Talia said, blood splattered across her face.
Mayhem shook his head, trying to clear the fog. “What?” He could barely form the word, his thoughts fuzzy.
“My powers are back—more than back.” She beamed as she rotated her arms, scanning her body like she’d never seen it before. “This is better than I could have imagined.” She motioned behind her. “I’ve got some work to do here. A few stubborn alphas I need to take care of.”
He shook his head again. “No way! We had a deal. You said you’d take me to Hannah.”
“Plans have changed.”
“You bitch.” Mayhem growled, fangs dropping to hit his bottom lip.
Chapter Twenty-One
Hannah couldn’t stop shaking, full body vibrating kind of shaking and it was not because she was cold.
“Here, drink this.” Allan offered her a cup of steaming something. She eyed it suspiciously. “Tea, Hannah, just tea.”
She reached out a hand, took the mug, brought it back to cradle against her chest. She hadn’t gotten very far, her attempt at escape laughable. Allan had her in a tight bear hug within seconds, forcing her into the mansion where, despite her desire to flee, exhaustion was suddenly all-consuming. She slumped in a chair in what appeared to be a sitting room. Just her and Allan.
“So, I’m your prisoner now?” Her tone was cold, covering the tremor in her voice as best she could. She was scared but more than that, she was angry, the feelings warring with whatever power Allan seemed to have over her. Every time he looked at her, a bit of it slipped out of her grasp.
“I need you to understand everything.” Allan reached to brush his fingers against her cheek.
Mayhem: The Order of the Wolf, Book 5 Page 11
