by Dover, L. P.
“Not if we kill them first. Besides, they already know what she is. They knew when they stole her the first time.”
He threw his hands in the air. “Fuck me. What are we going to do?”
Bailey stepped forward, meeting each of their stares. “You aren’t going to do anything. Kami’s gone because of me. I’m going to make sure we get her back. First, we need to track her. Can someone produce something of hers?”
“I have one of her jackets inside. Come with me,” Tate insisted. We all followed him into the house and he brought me a thin, denim jacket. I breathed in her scent and so did Bailey and Sebastian.
Sebastian closed his eyes, clutching the jacket in his hands. “I’ve got a trail. When do we go?”
Bailey started for the door. “Now. We can’t waste any more time. If those cocksuckers said they’ll fuck with her, they will. I’m not taking any chances.”
I grabbed her arm before she could get outside. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“I agree,” Sebastian cut in.
Tate joined us. “I’ll have my men go after her. Just point us in the right direction.”
Eyes wide, Bailey scoffed. “Are you kidding me? That’s your plan to get Kami out alive? Because that’s our goal here, to see her walk away from this mess. If you waltz in, those wolves will smell you from a mile away. At least, with me and Sebastian, we can mask our scent along with Ryker’s.” She opened the door and stepped out. “Now, let’s go. I, for one, know what it’s like to be tormented by those fuckwads.”
Clearing his throat, Tate slapped a hand on my shoulder. “She’s a pistol, Whitemore. Remind me never to get on her bad side.”
Sebastian snorted. “Tell me about it. She’s already threatened to kill me on at least three different occasions; not to mention how many times my balls have been on the line.”
He joined Bailey outside, but before I could go, Tate squeezed my shoulder. “I’m sorry, brother.”
“For what?”
“For putting your mate in danger. I love my sister. I couldn’t let them kill her.”
“And I would never expect you to. This is my fight, not yours. Besides, they wouldn’t have stopped at just Kami. I know those wolves. I used to be a part of their pack.”
“When they see you, it won’t be the end. They’ll hunt your people down.”
The thought of that made my blood boil. “They can try, but as you know, I have some of the fiercest warriors in my pack. We won’t stop until they’re all dead.”
Bailey
“How far away do you think? Four miles?” I asked, peering at Sebastian. Brows furrowed, he closed his eyes and breathed in.
“Roughly,” he replied with a nod.
Ryker put his arm around my waist, grabbing my attention. “Why don’t you stay as you are and we’ll shift? That way you can help Kami and get her out.”
“Good idea,” Sebastian agreed.
I couldn’t argue with them there. “Okay. Let’s do this.” I could always shift if I needed to, but they had a point. If I was her, I wouldn’t just trust any wolf, especially two, unmated males.
Ryker and Sebastian took off their clothes and left them on Tate’s back porch. They shifted into their wolves and we were on our way. We ran through the woods and I could smell Kami’s scent as if she was right beside me. I’d never tracked anyone before—never had the reason to. Sebastian took the lead and Ryker stayed by my side. Once Sebastian slowed his pace, I knew we were close.
Crouching down, I crept up beside him and focused on the camp in the distance. There were three tents and four wolves from what I could tell. “She’s in one of those tents,” I whispered. Sebastian nodded in agreement and padded off slowly.
Ryker nudged me with his nose. “Stay out of sight during the fight. When all is clear, get Kami out of there. Shift if you have to.”
Grabbing a handful of his hair, I leaned into him. “I will. Be careful.”
Without wasting any time, he took off with Sebastian, their howls piercingly loud. Ryker killed one of the wolves instantly while he was still in human form, but the other three had already shifted. Masking my scent, I crept along the camp edge to the first tent. Kami wasn’t in there, she was at the far tent, but I had to get past the fighting wolves first.
Ryker attacked first and the fighting began. Their teeth ripped at each other and the smell of blood filled the air. As much as I wanted to fight, I had a job to do. However, blood wasn’t the only scent in the air. I finally reached the tent and rushed inside, only to find Kami gagged and bound, surrounded by wolfsbane. Her head jerked in my direction, tears falling down her cheeks.
Holding my breath, I rushed over and untied her, careful not to touch the plants. Grabbing her arm, I wrapped it over my shoulder and lifted her up. Her brown hair was knotted and dirty, her body covered in bruises and fucking bite marks. I growled low, wishing I could rip every single testicle off the dirtbags who did it to her. Quickly, I carried her outside and we both sucked in a huge breath of air.
“Thank you,” she gasped, “I thought I was going to die in there.”
“We need to get out of here. Can you shift?”
Her face contorted in pain when she moved. “Not yet. Once my adrenaline pumps up, I should be able to.” I could only pray that came soon. The fight was still going on, but I had to trust that Ryker and Sebastian would come out on top. Usually we could heal pretty quickly, but Kami was so weak, her body couldn’t catch up. We were almost a mile away from the fight when I got the whiff of something foul—another Yukon wolf.
“Fuck me,” I hissed.
“I’d be glad to,” a voice spoke up from behind.
Kami tensed in my arms, but I squeezed her hand and slid out from under her arm. Whispering as low as I could, I said, “I want you to get away from here as fast as you can.”
“She’s not going anywhere and neither are you. Now I have two wolf whores to fuck.” Anger boiled through my veins and I didn’t even bother masking my power. He was going to know who I was, but I didn’t care. I turned around and his eyes went wide. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
I recognized him from the day Kade came to get me. His name was Ansel, one of his friends. I shifted into my wolf and went on the attack, but he was faster than anticipated and ducked. He was bigger than me, yet I was stronger. We circled each other and I lunged, snapping at his neck; he knocked me away, right as I took a bite out of his backside. He growled and nipped my shoulder, but I tore away before he could lock down. Kami was by the trees, trying to shift. I could see the fight in her glowing gray eyes. She wanted revenge.
Ansel attacked and knocked me on the ground, the breath whooshing out of my lungs. He bit down on my shoulder and I howled, the pain radiating through every nerve in my body. I raked my claws over his face, blinding him for only a few seconds so I could get out from under him. He fell over, and then a beautiful gray wolf landed on top of him and attacked. Kami latched onto his throat and jerked as hard as she could. His blood sprayed across the ground and his eyes lost their glow.
Kami huffed and turned her back on him. Before we could take off toward the ranch, Ryker and Sebastian joined us, both smelling of the enemies’ blood. Ryker found the wound on my shoulder and growled, but it was already starting to heal. We needed to get out of there before more wolves showed up.
Tate’s wolves were all congregated in the back of his house. When they saw us, they grabbed a blanket and raced out to Kami, who collapsed onto the ground. She immediately shifted back and Tate picked her up in his arms, covering her with the blanket.
“What the fuck did they do to you?” he thundered.
“I’ll be fine.” Then she looked down at me. “Follow us inside. I’ll get you some clothes to wear.”
I was thankful, considering I ruined mine when I shifted with them on.
Ryker and Sebastian both turned and fetched their clothes from the back porch. I padded past them into the house and followed Tate and Kami into
one of the back rooms. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked her.
She clutched the blanket closer. “Yes. I just need some time.” When he left, she opened the closet and pulled out an old high school T-shirt and a pair of shorts. I shifted and put them on. “I’m sorry it’s not much, but this used to be my room before I moved out on my own. The only thing left in my closet are things I wore in high school.”
I looked down at them and smiled. “No worries. I’m not picky.”
“I didn’t know you were a royal. I couldn’t tell right away when you came to save me. I already know Ryker, but the other wolf, he’s a royal too, isn’t he?”
“Sebastian? Yes. We can hide our essence from other wolves. It works well if you want to sneak up on someone.”
“It feels like I learn something new every day. I don’t know if I should bow or curtsy.”
“Neither,” I exclaimed, holding my hands up, “I’m a wolf just like you.”
“With a lot more power and royal blood,” she added.
“I didn’t know I was a royal until a couple of weeks ago, when I found out my parents were murdered. I didn’t have a fairytale life.”
She nodded, her expression sad. “I can see that. You must be the one they’re after. I heard them talking about you, how they were going to take you up north.”
I snorted. “They can try, but I’m not going anywhere. Right now, my concern is for you. What did they do to you?”
Sighing, she averted her gaze. “Things I don’t want my brother knowing. He trained me to be a fighter, but I let him down. I couldn’t fight against them.”
“That’s not your fault, Kami. There were four of them and one of you. They were the cowards. They were the ones who had to use wolfsbane against you. You’re a survivor.”
Tears fell down her cheeks. “But they touched me, humiliated me. Their bite marks are all over my skin.”
I put my arm around her. “They will heal. The dipshits who did this to you are dead.” I paused for a moment. “Did they . . . rape you?”
She glanced up at me. “No, they didn’t. With it being so close to the full moon, none of them wanted to chance it. I can’t imagine being mated to one of them.”
“But you’re not of age. The magic of the moon wouldn’t have worked.”
“That’s why I told them I was twenty-three.” She smirked.
“Smart girl. I was almost forced to mate with their pack leader. I don’t know what I would’ve done if that had happened.”
A knock sounded on the door and Ryker’s voice echoed from the other side. “Bailey, can you come out here for a minute?”
“I’ll be right there.” I squeezed Kami’s shoulder and stood. “You sure you’re gonna be okay?”
She nodded her head, determination in her gaze. “Of course I’ll pull through. I’m more amazed than anything. You came out here and risked your life to save me. I’m worth nothing compared to you, and I am grateful.”
“Every life is important and worth just as much as the other. What kind of person would I be if I didn’t clean up after my own mess? Your life was in danger because of me and I sure as hell wasn’t going to leave you to the wolves.”
“What are you going to do to the others tonight when they come?”
“After what they did to you, there’s only one thing we can do. Kill them.”
Night had come and I was ready to face the others. Tate had called the Yukon pack and let them know where we were.
“What if this is only the beginning?” I asked.
Ryker sighed, his focus on the woods beyond. “Then we’ll keep fighting. You’re my mate and I will protect you until my last breath.”
The back door opened and Sebastian sauntered out. “That’s good. It takes the pressure off of my job.”
“No one said you had to keep protecting her,” Ryker challenged.
“No, but I’ll stay by her side until she tells me to leave.” He took the seat beside me and lifted my sleeve. “Wow, you’re already healed. That’s amazing.”
I looked at him and smiled. “The joys of finding your mate.”
He rolled his shoulder and hissed. “Maybe I should find mine. My shoulder would feel a lot better if I did.”
“You don’t have to be my protector anymore, Sebastian. I release you of those duties. You’ve spent your whole life protecting me. It’s time you went out and did something on your own. Maybe even find your mate.”
“You could try a dating site,” Ryker teased.
Smirking, Sebastian leaned forward. “I’m pretty sure I’ve gotten more play than you, my friend. I don’t need any help. Besides, I kind of like giving you a hard time. I think I’ll stick around for a while. That is, if you’ll still have me?” he asked, turning to me and grinning wide.
Rolling my eyes, I sat back in my chair. “Is it always going to be like this with you two?”
“Worse if I didn’t have you,” Ryker replied. “Two unmated, alpha males constantly together isn’t a good thing for anyone.”
I glanced over at Sebastian who smiled, blinking innocently. “Still want me to join your pack?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I’m probably going to have to rethink my decision.” I elbowed him in the arm and smiled. It didn’t last long because coming from the west side of the woods, a group of wolves approached.
Tate came outside, his body tense, eyes focused on the land. “It’s time.”
Everyone started for the woods, but Ryker stood back and took my hand. “When the fighting starts, stay as far back as you can. They’ll be gunning for you.”
“I know. I’ll be okay, I promise.” We caught up with the other wolves just in time to see the Yukon pack filing in. There were twelve of them and only eight of us. “We’re outnumbered.”
Ryker leaned in to me. “Yeah, but we have four alphas. We can beat them.”
We could, but not without casualties.
“Where is she?” a voice demanded. Immediately, I recognized his voice and gasped. Sebastian glanced back at me, his expression torn. It wasn’t just any wolf, it was Darius Whitehill, the father I had known for most of my life. What the hell was he doing leading the Yukon wolves? “Come forward, Bailey. It’s time to go home.”
Ryker tried to hold me back, but I pushed through, my body shaking with rage. “I will not go anywhere with you ever again.”
His gaze found Ryker’s and he snarled. “And now I see why. You chose the wrong brother,” his focus landed on Sebastian, “and also a traitor. This doesn’t look good at all, Bailey. You sure did leave a mess for me to clean up. I almost didn’t get out of it with my life.”
Ryker and Sebastian moved to the front of the group. “The only mess that’ll be left will be your rotten corpses. I’ll make sure to send your head to my uncle,” Ryker growled.
Darius grinned, his fangs growing longer. “We’ll see about that.” Then to his men, he nodded toward us. “Kill the traitor, but leave the young alpha to me. I want my daughter to watch me rip off his head. Maybe then she’ll learn obedience.”
After that, everything moved in slow motion. The men shifted, except for Darius, who watched on in amusement. The Yukon wolves gunned for Ryker and Sebastian. Howls filled the air, along with the smell of death. I couldn’t tell who had fallen or which side everyone was fighting for. There was one howl that rose above the rest. My heart shattered as I watched Sebastian fall to the ground with a fatal wound to his belly. His eyes found mine and I screamed out his name.
There was another wolf about to finish him off, but I grabbed a tree limb off the ground and threw it like a spear, piercing it through his gut. Ryker ran over and ripped out his throat. Darius’ laugh could be heard echoing through the trees. Sebastian growled low, but he couldn’t get up. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I tried to lift him, but he was too heavy.
“Dammit, Sebastian, don’t you dare die on me. You hear me?” More howls filled the night, more death. Tears ran down my cheeks, but I wasn’t ab
out to give up on him. I had to get him away from the fight. Grabbing his legs, I pulled him as far as I could until an arm grabbed me around the waist.
“It sure is good to see you again, darling,” Darius whispered into my ear. “I’ve missed you.” He jerked me away from Sebastian, holding me tight around the neck.
“You’re a lying son of a bitch,” I hissed, digging my claws into his arms. “Let me go.” His hold was so tight, I could barely breathe. Then, he injected something into my neck and my claws retracted.
I tried to shift, but nothing came. “What the hell did you give me?”
He chuckled. “Don’t worry, it’s not enough to kill you. Just a subtle dose of wolfsbane mixed with a sedative.” Panic consumed me, especially when I could feel the serum burning like acid in my veins. “Be a good girl and stop kicking. I thought I raised you with better manners.”
I got one last look at Ryker fighting off the wolves and Sebastian lying still on the ground before he hauled me over his shoulders. “Ryker . . .”
Darius only had time to take two more steps until the loudest growl I’d ever heard echoed through the air. He dropped me to the ground like a sack of potatoes, and I hissed in pain.
Out of the twelve Yukon wolves, only two were barely still alive. We were faring better, but still had one dead and two injured. Sebastian was nowhere to be found. “Where’s Sebastian?”
Ryker responded, his voice tense. “I don’t know.”
My head felt fuzzy and my vision started to blur. Darius stood his ground and clapped, but blocked me from Ryker’s sight. “Well done, my friends. You’re a lot stronger than I gave you credit for.” He was too confident, especially with being outnumbered.
“Ryker . . . h—he’s up to something.”
“What the fuck did he do to you?”
The edges of my vision turned dark. I was about to lose consciousness. “Poison.”
Darius slowly reached behind his back and pulled two liquid vials from his pocket. Even though my vision was blurry, I could still see the blue petals of wolfsbane inside. His muscles tensed and I knew what he was about to do.
