by J. J. Massa
“Goddamn it, Lake! We’re more wolf than man! You can’t do this bullshit to yourself!” Riker exploded.
“Yeah but you can, huh? You’re ten minutes older so you can torture yourself half to death with “wouldas” and “shouldas”, right?” Lakon snarled. He whirled and began walking away.
Riker stalked to Lakon and grabbed him by the bicep. “Lake…” he began
Lakon turned and cupped his brother’s neck. “Take care of my baby,” he whispered in a choked voice.
He bent forward and his forehead met Riker’s as they clutched each other, struggling with their emotions. “I love you, brother, and I’m sorry,” Riker murmured.
“I love you, too, brother. I’m sorry, too,” Lakon said to him.
They rested against each other for a minute, gathering strength. “I’ll take care of her, man,” Riker promised after a minute. “Kill him once for me.”
“He’s not coming back this time, I promise you that,” Lakon growled.
Tav, Lakon, Myles, Mik, and Yancey headed back to the cabin to track Auggie. Before they left, Riker and Beauford had pack members circle the forest so that no one could escape.
* * * *
Outside the room of Mya Brooks Montgomery
Johnson City Medical Center, Johnson City, TN
“Riker you have to call Marc, please call Marc,” Bethany sobbed.
“Honey, Mya’s lost her pup. I’m sorry Baby, it hurts me too. Our pup is going to be okay, Bet.” He held his wife and tried to comfort her but it was no use.
“Most of his patients are human women pregnant with Were babies. Please, please, Riker.” He couldn’t stand to have her begging and pleading this way.
“Hush Baby, I’ll call him. I’ll call him right now. You have to calm down. You can’t help Mya like this.”
Sniffing, Bethany put her arms around her husband and he gathered her close. “Thank you, Riker. Even if her baby really is lost, maybe Marc can help make sure she can have another one.”
Walking outside, Riker dug the one phone number out of his wallet that he made sure he never lost. It galled him a little to be calling the man who would take his place in a minute but Bethany needed him. If Dr. Marc Fonteneax was what or whom she needed, he, Riker, would provide.
He heard the phone ring once and then it was snatched up on the second ring.
“’Lo,” mumbled Marc. It was ten o’clock in Tampa.
“Marc, its Riker Montgomery.” He heard Marc sit up in bed.
“What’s wrong? The pups? Bethany?” Marc kept redeeming himself with Riker every time he opened his mouth. If he’d asked after his wife first, Riker would want to kill him.
“Bethany needs you. Can you come? I can’t explain it all right now.” He knew that was a lot to ask of any man but he also knew Marc would come.
“I’m on my way. Where are you?” Marc could be heard moving around.
“We’re at Johnson City Medical Center in Tennessee. I’ll have a jet ready for you in Tampa to fly you to Tri Cities Regional here. Someone will meet you. I’ll explain everything when you get here.”
Both men hung up without saying goodbye. Riker thought they’d probably be friends if they weren’t both in love with the same woman. Maybe they were best friends? Who knew?
When Marc arrived four hours later, Riker was both relieved and impressed. He was relieved because he knew that only Marc could calm Bethany completely right now. He was impressed because he knew that the flight from Tampa to Johnson City took at least three hours and fifteen minutes.
He’d gone down to the lobby to get a cup of coffee and wait for Marc so he wouldn’t wake the women. Bethany was curled in the bed with Mya and nobody dared bother them.
“Hey man, thanks for coming.” Riker stuck out his hand and grabbed Marc’s.
“You knew I would.” Marc shook Riker’s hand.
“I did know.” Riker nodded.
“What’s going on?” Marc unashamedly seized Riker’s paper cup of instant coffee and took a big swallow.
Riker put his hand on the other man’s shoulder and led him to the machines where he bought them each another cup.
“Hell of a world when even a famous actor can’t get a decent cup of coffee in a hospital, huh?” grinned Marc.
Riker laughed, then his expression sobered. “The coffee’s better upstairs but I needed to talk to you away from everybody.”
Marc took the cup Riker handed him and sat down at a plastic table in the snack area. “Okay, let’s hear it.”
“Bethany asked me to get you here… Shit this is bad… and this coffee really sucks.” He took a deep breath. “The Were that was after Bethany—he attacked Lakon’s mate and caused her to miscarry.”
Riker caught Marc’s cup when his hand started to shake. He put his own cup down and moved around the plastic table to Marc. Marc had shot to his feet and was shaking as if he’d been plunged into a vat of ice water.
Riker put a hand on each of Marc’s shoulders and touched foreheads with him. Marc gripped Riker’s biceps and gulped for air.
“Lake—Lakon—where is he? How is he? Oh my God, Riker. Oh my God.”
Riker knew many of his pack were watching them. He didn’t care.
“You okay to sit down?” Riker asked. Marc nodded shakily.
Seated again, Riker began to explain. “Lakon, Dad, Tav, Yancey, and Myles, Mya’s brother—they’re out hunting the bastard and his followers. Someone had to stay with the ladies and I volunteered. He could still come back here. Lakon can’t help Mya right now. Mom’s home with the boys.”
“What can I do to help?” Marc was still very shaken but pulling himself together.
“Take a look at Bethany and tell her that her pup’s okay. Then take a look at Mya and make sure she’s going to be okay. Bet thinks there’s a chance that she didn’t lose the pup.” Riker sighed.
“But?” Marc could tell that Riker disagreed with his wife.
“She was hemorrhaging when they got her in here. Hell, she was in shock. She’s human, Marc, I don’t see how she could have… He was in half-Were form when he hurt her. He meant to rape her.” The words felt like chalk dust in his mouth. She could have been my mate. She’s my twin brother’s other half.
“Good Lord! What kind of an animal…” Marc couldn’t finish.
“I expect he’s pretty much a dead animal—he tried to rape a man’s mate and he killed his pup. Lakon usually only pretends to be civilized. Myles isn’t even pretending right now. They’re going to kill August Livingston. I don’t know if Dad will intervene or hold him down…”
* * * *
Cherokee National Forest
The Watauga Ranger District
The four fleeing werewolves paused in their uphill trek to drink and rest a second. Auggie knew that they’d need some kind of a plan. Things had gone horribly wrong.
“You should have stopped that Were, you should have controlled Cherese.” he growled.
“You said you weren’t going to hurt her,” Gil countered. “You said you were going to present her and her injury to the pack. She’s a human—you might’ve killed her. Did you rape her, Auggie?”
“Yeah!” snarled Billy, “What did you get us into? Nothing went the way you said it would!”
“Shut up!” growled Auggie. “She was pregnant.”
“What do you mean “was”, Auggie?” growled Gil, threateningly.
“Enough!” barked Auggie. “The Montgomery’s will predictably be out hunting us. If we play our cards right, we can still take over the pack. It’s big enough. We can all be Alphas if we stick together now.”
Roland hadn’t said anything. Auggie looked at him in confirmation. He needed someone firmly on his side right now.
“He’s right.” Roland said stiffly. Not much of an endorsement, but I’ll take what I can get.
“I know Lakon, Riker, Mik, and my pathetic brother Yancey will be after us. That other Were will be with them, too, I’m sure.” August specul
ated. “We’ll need to plan an ambush and we’ll need to do it in a place that allows us an escape route.”
Auggie looked over at Roland. The other Were wasn’t drinking from the little stream they’d found. He wasn’t adding to the planning and offered no input. Roland stared at the first quarter moon that hung in the sky and offered nothing.
“You okay, Roland?” Auggie murmured, sidling up to him.
“Fine,” Roland replied inscrutably.
“What’s up? You’re pretty quiet,” Auggie persisted.
“Just thinking,” came the neutral reply.
“Roland, you know I need to be able to count on you. You sure you’re okay?” August was getting nervous now.
Roland turned to look full into Auggie’s eyes. “Don’t worry, man. I’ll be by your side until the bitter end.”
Heartened, Auggie gave him a pleased head butt and turned back to the other conspirators.
* * * *
Cabin North of Blowing Rock, NC and South of Johnson City, TN
Tav and Mik trotted back to the group outside the cabin. Myles heard them tell Yancey that Auggie and his crew had headed up into the mountains. They had a pretty good idea of Auggie’s plans.
Lakon was steadfastly insisting that he be the one to kill Auggie. He wanted to feel the man’s last breath as he squeezed it out of him.
“Look, I’d like to kill the brother, Gil, myself. He hurt his own sister while trying to hurt mine—and we trusted him! But we can’t look at it that way. They all worked together to hurt Mya and kill baby Mykle.”
Myles was trying to get through to Lakon. It wasn’t easy. He stared at his sister’s mate—his brother—and took a deep breath. He was a werewolf now, a member of a pack.
Taking another deep breath, he let his anger, his primal hatred of the men who’d hurt his sister and killed his nephew wash over him. These were his brothers, his father—his family. His beautiful sister lay in a hospital bed hurting and bereft, clinging to life.
All five of the men present were killing machines, more animal than man. Their loved ones had been injured, threatened, murdered—they were one with him. Myles stepped into the circle of werewolves.
“They don’t expect me. They don’t know about me. They’ll think I’m human. I’ll make good bait,” he rumbled.
Lakon stepped up to him. “You’re right, baby brother. You and I will step out together. You’ll surprise them and with me by your side, they won’t think anyone else is as big a threat.” Finally, Lakon was ready to fight like a pack of wolves and not a lone wolf.
“You’ll go in next, Uncle Mik,” Yancey spoke up. “Auggie hates you. Hates you,” he repeated. “You’re a better man than he is and … hell you’re part timber wolf or something,” Yancey chuckled.
“You and I will circle around, Yance. One on each end… Two full bloods, just to piss ‘em off,” Tav grinned evilly.
Mik looked at each man, long and direct. “Boys, I’m proud of you. My heart is bleeding tonight. I just don’t know how we can let these men live. I’d like to say I’m not a killer…”
“Dad…” Myles and Lakon said together. Myles elbowed Lakon and nodded.
“Dad,” Lakon said, “You’re not a murderer.”
“You are a killer.” Myles finished.
“Dad,” Tav spoke now, “This man and his followers prey on our family.”
“Uncle Mik,” Yancey’s voice cracked, “we can’t let them poison or hurt another innocent person, kill another pup. We can’t.”
Myles watched as Mik, the father who’d taught him more in a few months, loved him more than any other man he’d ever met—he watched as Mik struggled with the weight of what was coming.
“Boys,” he said, “I know we have to kill them. I’ve killed before.” He looked at the first quarter moon above. He shook his shaggy head. “Members of our pack. Blood of our own blood preying on the sweet, innocent women who would nurture them—it breaks my heart.”
* * * *
Lakon walked beside Myles as the other three went a little ahead of them. He’d been lost in his own thoughts and knew his teeth were long and his hair was shaggy. He stayed beside Myles and stayed in human form.
Looking at the other man now, it was easy to see that Myles’ thoughts were no more pleasant than his had been. Myles’ hair was styled just like Mya’s, artfully mussed and begging a woman to plunge her hands in. He was normally a very handsome young man.
Right now, though, he looked frightening. His teeth were long. Thin, dark hair covered his cheeks and cheekbones. His whiskey colored eyes glowed under bushy eyebrows. He had a feral snarl on his face.
“You know—you’re ugly when you’re mad, baby brother,” Lakon said conversationally.
“Unlike you with your dog face,” he rumbled back.
“You’re goanna have to dial it down some if Auggie and his cronies are supposed to think you’re human,” Lakon told him.
Myles looked at him blankly for a minute. He reached up and touched his face. When he felt the smooth hair there, he took a deep breath.
“You’re looking a little bushy yourself, mate,” he told Lakon.
“I guess we’re both thinking about the same things, huh?” Lakon asked.
“I guess we are.” Myles let out a pent-up sigh. “Listen, Lake, I…”
He didn’t get to finish that statement. Yancey and Mik came trotting up to them. Yancey was in wolf form.
“Tav and Mik tracked them up near that summit over there. It’s a good place for an ambush. The problem is that it’s right on the edge of a cliff there,” Yancey explained. “We’ll have to draw them down.”
“I don’t much care if one of them goes over a cliff but I don’t want them taking any of you along,” Mik growled.
“I’ll drink to that,” Myles agreed.
“So do we want to go straight in or make ‘em wait?” Lakon grinned. He thought he knew what his dad would say. He wasn’t wrong.
“Tav’s there now tossing pebbles at them from upwind. They’ll be jumpy as hell by the time we go up,” Mik laughed. “We’ll wait for a little while.”
Lakon edged Myles away, leaving Mik and Yancey talking quietly. “You okay Myles?”
Besides realizing that the younger man was violently angry about his sister, he knew that Myles was new to being a werewolf. The young man wouldn’t know what he was capable of. Nobody really knew what Myles would be capable of. He watched Myles’ face closely, paying attention to the emotions flitting across it.
Myles eyebrows dropped in an angry frown and his mouth tightened. His eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. He turned away. Lakon saw him close his eyes and take a deep breath forcing his hands to unclench.
“Fine,” he said after a minute.
“I want to go in there snarling and ripping and tear that…” Lakon turned to the nearest tree and rested his forehead against it. “I can’t think of the right word,” he mumbled.
After a minute, Lakon felt Myles’ hand on his shoulder. “I guess we both have some issues to deal with, mate. Meantime, we’ll go in there cool and suave—The cocky singer and his jazzy, saxophone playing little brother.”
Lakon grinned. “Yeah, attitude is half the battle. Between us I guess we’re arrogant enough to piss anybody off.”
They moved back to Yancey and Mik and slowly began making their way up the mountain. When Tav smelled them beginning to approach, he would circle around to trap Auggie and his party from the northernmost side.
Yancey dropped back, moving west to keep the men surrounded and Mik slowed down waiting for Lakon and Myles to entice the four werewolves into revealing themselves.
Lakon and Myles strolled up between the rocks chatting. “Just a little duct tape and a nice normal envelope and Bob’s your uncle, you’ve got a wallet!”
“You know, you can do damn near anything with duct tape!” Lakon shook his head marveling.
“You’re an idiot, Myles!” growled Gil shrilly. “One tap and yo
u’ll be killed. Why’d you come?”
“Thought I’d like a stroll. The mountains are lovely this evening, hey Lake?” Myles inhaled deeply, apparently enjoying the night air.
“The weather’s been great. Not too hot, not too…” Lakon’s observations were cut off.
A buff colored wolf shot out of the rocks to their right and landed on Myles’ chest. Instead of falling backward, Myles wrapped both arms around it and turned in what looked like an intimate dance step. Instead of crushing Myles’ throat, the wolf let out a strangled, gurgling scream and went limp.
“So sorry old man.” Myles’ voice wasn’t quite steady. “I didn’t mean to kill him. Just thought I’d keep him from killing me.”
“I know, son.” Mik joined them. “You really didn’t have any choice. You’ll definitely need to experiment a little more and find out how strong you are now.”
“How’d he do that?” Gil’s voice was a high-pitched croak.
“Mik Montgomery!” spat Auggie. “You are one resilient mutt, aren’t you? Must be the Heinz 57 in you.”
“It’s true, August. I’ve passed it on to my sons here, too.” Mik nudged Myles. “Myles has gotten my blood and genes. He’s a Montgomery now.” Mik explained. “Come on down and maybe we won’t kill you.” They all knew Mik’s words would do no good.
“Are you telling me that you’ve somehow contaminated the family gene pool even more? You’ve given Were blood to a human?” Auggie roared with rage.
“Auggie, go on down there. You’re going to die tonight.” Lakon didn’t recognize that voice. “Die a leader, man.”
“Roland?” Auggie said incredulously. “I thought you said you’d be by my side no matter what?”
“I said to the bitter end, Auggie, and this is it. Either get down there and fight or I’m going to kill you myself. You too Gil.”
Roland leaped onto Mik who dropped and rolled, ending on top of the ruddy, cinnamon colored wolf. “Kill me!” snarled Roland.
Gil had recovered from watching Myles kill Billy in what seemed like a casual fashion. He found a well of courage from somewhere and jumped on Lakon. When Lakon heard the other Were move, he transformed and met him in the air.
