by Sedona Venez
Max, a hulking wolf-shifter who was just as bloodthirsty as Boulder, leaned forward with glowing gold eyes. “So when are we going to get her back? I’m ready to do some damage.”
Always the sceptic, Eli frowned, scratching his chin. “Do you know the odds of finding your true-mate? You have better odds finding a unicorn.”
Wyatt looked around incredulously. “I leave town for a couple of days and Mr. Bachelor of the Year finds his true-mate? What the hell?”
“Hold on a damn minute.” Luke crossed his beefy arms. “Why in the hell would a tiger-shifter who’s next in line for Alpha want to mate a human?”
Torch looked at Boulder before responding. “She’s not human. She’s Maxim’s daughter.”
Jaden threw his hands in the air with exasperation. “What. The. Fuck!”
Eli scoffed. “Okay, now that makes even less sense. Tigers and wolves don’t mate.”
Torch was about to answer when Boulder held up his hand, stopping him. “She’s a hybrid… wolf and Valkyrie,” he responded tiredly.
“Bullshit! There aren’t any Valkyries on this realm. Well, except for that evil Kara chick,” Logan stated.
“Apparently there is. A fact Maxim was fully aware of before sending us to that concert on that babysitting assignment,” Torch spat.
“Hold on a minute. This is easily resolved. According to shifter protocol, the only way Mason can break your true-mate claim is by challenging you to a fight for first-blood,” Eli stated calmly.
Factor snorted. “And we all know how that shit will end. Tiger boy ripped into pieces. Just like his beta, Nick.”
Boulder’s fists clenched, looking on silently.
Jayden stared at him incredulously. “You did mark her, right?” he asked loudly.
“No!” Boulder growled.
“What the hell!” they said in unison, staring at him in shock.
Cruz looked at Boulder sympathetically. “You’re fucked, bro.”
“Damn! That’s fucked-up. Tiger boy took her before you could mate-claim her?” Wyatt lips curled up with distaste. “Not good.”
“Shit! Definitely not good. The full moon is tonight. If Mason convinces her, he can mate-claim her under the power of the moon with one bite,” Eli said quickly.
Torch growled. “You’re not helping, Eli.”
The team just stared sympathetically at Boulder. Boulder knew exactly what they were thinking—that he was fucked having his true-mate stolen only hours before one of the most sacred events, a full moon. It was the only time the intricate true-mate bond could be broken. Only the bite of a true-mate bound the couple, forming a mental connection that sealed a shifter’s claim, mating them for life. But under the power of the full moon… well, that was a game changer. With one bite, a male could claim another shifter’s mate if she granted him the right to do so, forming a mate bond that was irreversible.
Boulder scowled. “That’s not going to fucking happen. She’s too smart to let Mason mate-claim her.”
It was not over-confidence speaking. He just knew Infinity understood their bond and wanted him. His wolf growled, but now, she was isolated and probably confused by recent events, and god knows what Mason had up his sleeve to weaken her resolve.
“So when are we going to get her?” Eli asked.
Boulder’s body vibrated with leashed violence. “If it was up to me… now.”
Torch’s mouth tightened.
Boulder continued. “However, as you know, there is a pact with the tiger-shifters that cannot be broken without causing war. We need the New York Council’s backing to stage our attack, but let’s be very clear. I plan to get her back with or without their approval. She belongs to me, and no one takes what’s mine,” he stated with a cool demeanor. “The pack is very important to me, but my mate is more important. I won’t let her go.”
Logan nodded with approval.
Torch interjected. “But just for the record, if we step one foot on Degrassi’s land without the Council’s backing, it will not only be considered an act of war against the tigers, but the Covenant.” He blew out a tense breath. “In other words, there would be no chance in hell of getting official pack status and no chance getting a pureblood she-wolf as a mate.” He scowled. “Boulder and I will attack regardless, but you need to know about the shit storm about to rain down on all of us if that happens.”
Logan snarled. “Who gives a shit about pack status? We all know that even with it, the chances of finding our true-mate among the pool of eligible pureblood females under Maxim’s thumb is slim-to-none. Besides, we have been a pack for years. You both took us under your wings, made us rich when we had absolutely no family and nowhere to go.”
Factor nodded his head in agreement and grumbled. “It’s Boulder’s true-mate we’re talking about. He’s a lucky SOB to find her.” He looked around the table, then back at Boulder. “And if it were any one of us, you’d do the same for us.”
Wyatt scowled. “You saved my life, gave me a family after those fucking rogues slaughtered my entire bloodline like cattle. Fuck the tigers and fuck the Covenant.”
They all nodded tensely before standing, placing a fist over their heart. “Let’s go to war.”
Boulder was humbled by their loyalty and friendship. They were going to war.
CHAPTER 8
New York… Friday
Boulder couldn’t sit still, so he paced back and forth, listening intently to Cruz’s Intel but was distracted by the bad feeling that wouldn’t go away.
It wasn’t just the fact that Infinity was kidnapped. It went way deeper. The Degrassi pride was notorious for their archaic traditions. Mason’s father, Rafe, was also known to be a brutal bastard who despised humans. But what really set Boulder’s teeth on edge were the Other rumblings that there was dissension within the Degrassi pride over Mason’s lack of a mate.
Boulder’s attention snapped backed to Cruz, who stood with arms crossed, watching his agitated movements. “According to my sources, Mason’s got her in plain sight. The cocky tiger-shifter took her to the Degrassi compound,” Cruz stated calmly.
Boulder stared at him coolly. “Send Wyatt and Logan as the advance party to recon the area. We need to find vulnerable areas to exploit and the best place to position the snipers.”
Torch looked up from his conversation with Eli. “Eli’s deploying a drone over the tiger’s compound to relay video surveillance.”
Boulder pulled out his cell. “I’ll talk to Javier.” Javier was Alpha of one of the strongest wolf packs in Colorado. Javier owed him and Torch some big favors, and he planned on calling them all in.
Factor sat sprawled across the leather couch with eyes closed. “Good luck with that. Javier has his hands full right now.”
Boulder stopped mid-prowl. “Did his pack go to war with Alik?”
“Yup. In seventy-two hours, they’re locking down the city, no Others in or out.
Torch scowled. “You mean no vampires or wolves,” he corrected.
Factor’s eyes snapped opened. “No, you heard me right. Others… no vampires, wolves, tigers, witches—nothing. It’s going to be a fucking blood bath.”
Boulder rubbed his goatee with frustration. Things just got extra complicated. Getting her out before the war between Javier and Alik started was going to be nearly impossible. “What the hell happened?”
“More members of Javier’s pack got killed with RejuvX bullets.”
“I gather Alik’s clan was behind the killing,” Boulder stated flatly.
Factor responded. “Yup. Alik went straight up at Javier, demanding he give up his territory and clear out or he’d wipe out his whole pack, RejuvX style. Of course, Javier told him to kiss his hairy wolf ass.” Factor smiled in a simple, bloodthirsty way. “I’m glad someone’s finally going to get that arrogant prick.”
“So Javier’s going to war with RejuvX bullets?” Cruz asked.
Factor shrugged. “No choice. It’s the weapon of
choice now.”
“Fucking shame.” Boulder shook his head with disgust. “The art of straight-up hand-to-hand combat is fucking dead.” Normally, the old-school rules of the Others left a bad taste in his mouth, but he’d actually loved the long-standing rule that if you wanted an Other’s territory, power, or woman, you had to issue a formal first-blood challenge and fight to the death. Now the art of combat had gone to the wayside, being replaced with cold-blooded murder with guns filled with RejuvX bullets.
Torch frowned. “So did Javier finally find who’s manufacturing RejuvX?”
Factor sat up, stretching. “Nope. That’s still a fucking mystery, but what we do know is that it’s flooding the black market and costs a fucking fortune to get.”
Boulder snarled. This whole RejuvX issue made his wolf uneasy. What started out as isolated killings grew into an alarming body count, causing Others to panic, scrambling to figure out who was manufacturing the bullets. Most Others didn’t give a shit about Rejuvenator, but when Others started getting killed by bullets made out of a highly potent, synthetic version of the drug, a drug capable of shredding their DNA upon body impact—instantly killing them—then shit started getting very serious in the Other world. Paranoia reigned and fingers immediately pointed to Cortez and the Vampire Collective. Of course, Cortez adamantly denied any involvement, saying that they were not stupid enough to create a weapon capable of killing them too… but everyone knew vampires were notorious liars.
Torch scoffed. “Black market? Bullshit. I wouldn’t be surprised if that bloodsucker Alik was behind this. Everyone knows he’d sell out the entire vampire race if it meant getting Cortez’s throne.” He looked over at Boulder. Boulder knew exactly what he was thinking. It wasn’t a coincidence that Alik showed up at the underground garage, trying to snatch Infinity after the vampire attack. Alik wanted something, and Boulder knew Infinity was at the center of it.
Torch looked at Boulder. “How close is Tate to finding a RejuvX antidote?”
“Close. The trials on wolves netted solid results. The next steps are trials on humans, then on the team.” Boulder sighed tiredly. “However, there is one minor issue. The antidote must be injected into the bloodstream within twelve minutes to counteract the RejuvX damage. Tate’s having some technical difficulties with coming up with a faster delivery system.”
Torch arched a brow. “Minor issue? That’s a major damn issue, Boulder.”
Boulder gritted his teeth. “It’s a minor issue, Torch. I’ve been working with Tate to fix it. We should get it resolved shortly.” He had no shame that he was a science geek at heart, so when Tate, a scientific genius and wolf-shifter, offered him the opportunity to go into business with him, he jumped at starting a small research and development medical manufacturing company. The company’s original mission was to develop a generic drug version of the Vampire Collective’s Rejuvenator, cutting into the vampire’s monopoly and profit, but that mission quickly changed with the unexpected emergence of the deadly RejuvX bullet.
Torch said, “Better get it resolved soon. I have a feeling we’re running out of time.”
Boulder had that feeling too. It would only be a matter of time before they were dragged into Javier’s war or worse, Mason got his hands on the bullets, making getting Infinity back even more dangerous.
Torch’s cell beeped signaling a text message. He looked at it. “That’s Kara. She’s downstairs. Wyatt’s escorting her up,” he growled.
The elevator slid open to reveal Wyatt and Kara. All eyes focused on the svelte blond-haired woman, now cleaned up, looking like she just stepped out of a fashion magazine. Boulder’s wolf growled with distaste. He never liked the Valkyrie. She was sneaky and pompous, and he knew she was hiding something very important.
Kara looked from Boulder to Torch with a smirk. “Tough crowd. No love for the Valkyrie I see,” she said while strolling through like she owned the place.
Boulder’s hands clenched and unclenched. He was so done with her coy games. “Explain!” he barked.
Kara’s violet eyes flashed. “Explain what, shifter?”
Boulder rolled his neck to relieve the tension. He needed to know how much she knew about Azura and his tie to the High Council. “Cut the bullshit, Kara. Why is she so important to the Degrassi pride?”
She looked around the room cautiously.
“They’re all cleared. Anything that you say in this room stays in this room.” Torch snarled.
Kara pursed her lips with displeasure written all over her face. “I don’t know.”
Boulder was losing his patience. “I swear, Kara, I’ll kick you the hell out if you continue lying to me.” He prowled up to her, towering over her. “Now, let’s try this again. Why is she so important?”
Her mask of tranquility cracked. He could smell her fear. It must be serious to shake the unshakable Valkyrie. Testing his theory, he nodded toward the elevator. “Get the hell out. Fuck you and the New York Council. We’ll attack the compound on our own.”
Kara’s fists clenched. “You’re a damn bastard. You know that, right?”
“The truth, Kara,” he snapped.
“Fine, you win!” she said while raking her fingers through her long blond hair. “Maxim is not Infinity’s father.”
“What the hell are you talking about? You said he was. Besides, she has his trademark blue hair,” Torch shouted.
“Glen is Infinity’s father,” Kara hissed.
Boulder’s heart stopped. “How is that possible?”
She sneered at him with disgust. “Glen and Mist were having an affair. They kept it secret for years. Even I didn’t know about it until it was too late.”
He arched a brow. “Late?”
“She found out she was pregnant the day Glen ordered us to kill the Others. That’s when she was forced to tell the Valkyries about her pregnancy and her sordid affair with that asshole.”
Boulder ran a hand over his hair. “How did Maxim get involved in this?”
“Mist had ended her affair with Glen when she realized how crazy he was, but he refused to let her go.” Kara cleared her throat. “Even when he found out that she was seeing someone new… Maxim.”
Factor leaned forward. “Holy shit! She was sleeping with both of them? This is like a reality show gone bad.”
Kara shot him an irritated stare. “She didn’t fuck Maxim.”
“Then how the hell is Maxim Infinity’s father?” Torch snarled.
“When Glen found out she was pregnant, he was happy, but not for the reason you think. Do you know how hard it is for Druids to procreate?” She looked at Boulder pointedly. “Very hard, and the odds of creating a Valkyrie without the Immortals’ intervention is impossible, or so we thought.” She bit her bottom lip. “That’s when Glen started asking himself if he could create one Valkyrie, could he create more? What if he used the DNA of the strongest shifters? What kind of warrior could he create?”
Everyone in the room went still. Boulder didn’t like where this was going.
She continued. “When Mist embarrassed him by disobeying his order, she became the perfect person to test his theory. As punishment, he stripped her of most of her powers, leaving her defenseless. Then he kidnapped her and took her to his lab for experiments. Somehow, they were able to merge Maxim’s DNA with her unborn fetus.”
“Bloody hell!” Boulder barked.
“Oh, it gets worse.” Kara licked her lips. “What I found in that lab made me sick. They’d been conducting horrible genetic experiments using Infinity’s DNA.” She swallowed. “They succeeded in creating nine Others using Infinity’s DNA.”
“Infinity doesn’t know any of this,” Torch stated flatly.
“No. I was going to tell her,” Kara responded with wide eyes.
Boulder narrowed his eyes on Kara while raking his fingers through his cinnamon-red hair. “Bullshit! She’s clueless. Why the hell didn’t you just tell her?” he shouted.
&nbs
p; She smoothed her hair, standing a bit straighter. “You may be her mate, but she’s my child. I don’t have to explain myself to you, wolf.”
“You’re not her damn mother. Mist is,” he snapped before marching over to the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring at the cityscape and trying to calm his racing heart. Kara flinched as if he physically slapped her. “She said that?” she croaked.
Torch smirked. “Priceless. The Valkyrie is sensitive.”
Boulder rubbed his eyes tiredly. “Are the nine Valkyries?"
"The lab documents I found indicated the nine were not Valkyries,” Kara responded with resignation in her voice.
Boulder swivelled to look at her. “Where are the nine?”
“I don’t know. If I did, I wouldn’t need you wolves to help me get Infinity back. The nine’s combined strength is enough to scare the living shit out of the Degrassi pride.”
“So they’re as powerful as Infinity?” Boulder asked.
“Not separately, but under Infinity’s control, they can be just as lethal.” Her body tensed. “Eventually Infinity will come into her full powers, and with the help of the nine, she’ll be strong enough to finish the job Mist couldn’t.”
Boulder’s heart lurched.
Cruz shook his head. “Splendid, Boulder got himself a badass mate… who will turn psycho, killing us all. Should I line up now or later to kiss her ass?”
Boulder grunted with displeasure. “Does Mason know any of this?”
“He knows she’s Glen and Maxim’s daughter, but he has no clue about the nine.” She scowled at him. “But it won’t take Mason long to connect the dots.”
Boulder looked at her tensely, refusing to reveal his cards. “How does the Degrassi pride fit in Glen’s plans?”
“They’re Glen’s strongest warriors and his best chance of finally creating more Valkyries.” She shrugged. “Mason was chosen as the most logical candidate to mate with Infinity.”
“Let me get this correct. You were helping the man who killed your sister set up a mating between his daughter and Mason?”
“I wasn’t helping Glen. I was protecting Infinity from him.”
