“Police report just came through. An Elise Westin was taken against her will from a nearby resort. Description of the van they caught on camera matches our boys.”
“Holy shit! What are they up to?”
“A Westin? I can't believe the Bulgati brothers have the balls to pull off such a thing. They're insane.”
“I'm just glad we've had them on surveillance since they entered the country last week.”
“Can you even imagine the shit that would hit the roof if the Westins find out the Bulgarians attacked one of their own?”
“Alright, I know our mission is to never interfere with the packs, but we have to get that girl out of there or all hell is going to set loose.”
To say that was a fret would be the understatement of the year. These blokes smelled human. What the bloody hell were humans doing monitoring pack activity? Who the feck were these guys? Jesus Christ, Elise, what have you gotten in to?
I said a quick prayer for her safety and tuned back to the three humans.
“What's the plan, boss?”
“I don't know. We're going to need one heck of a distraction, but with only two of them, I think we can overpower them and get her out.”
“They're wolves, Larry. What if they shift?”
My hackles were standing up and I was fighting back a growl with my unease. Why did these humans seem to know so much about my kind? The only salvation was that they appeared to be on Elise's side and for that I would help them and be thankful and worry about the details of who they were later.
“I have a few tranq darts, but they'll take a few minutes to go into effect. Without that distraction, or some way to draw them out, we're useless. Sorry, but I am not walking into a house of horrors like that until I know Toma and Valko Bulgati are subdued.”
So, they needed a distraction, a way to lure them out of the house. That I could do if it meant these men would help rescue my mate. A part of me knew I wasn't thinking rationally when I strolled up to them. I couldn't just change into my skin in front of them. Even knowing what we are, seeing it up close and personal could be an entirely new experience for them, and the last thing I needed was for them to freak out and not follow through with their plan.
If I changed and then walked in, well, I'd be naked. Jesus, for some reason, humans didn't seem to handle nudity well. At least that much I knew. So I would have to stay in my fur and find a way to alert them to be ready.
“Dave, you got any ideas?” the blonde, whose name I didn't yet know, asked.
The man called Dave responded. “I don't know, man. This is crazy. I never signed on to fight a werewolf!” He was nearing hysterics and I knew we needed to act soon and fast.
“Well, if we had a distraction I could man the gun and you two could each take one of the Bulgatis and make sure they're subdued. Then one of us will have to go in and get the girl,” the one they had called Larry offered.
A growl bubbled out of me before I could stop it.
“Holy shit, what was that?” the blonde yelled, jumping behind Dave and shoving him forward.
There was no sense in hiding any longer. I had alerted them to my presence, now it was time to move. I walked out of the shadows and towards the one called Larry. He seemed to have the best plan and was the most levelheaded of the three.
He reached for his gun and I shook my head in warning. He threw both hands in the air.
“Is it one of the Bulgarians? Did we miss one?” the blonde asked in a hysterical, squeaky voice.
I shook my head no.
“You're here for the girl, aren't you, boy?” He talked to me like a fecking dog, and I fought to roll my eyes, knowing the motion would be human enough to potentially frighten them further, so I just shook my head up and down in confirmation.
“I think he's on our side,” Larry finally said. The other two seemed to relax just a little.
“I can't believe it,” Dave said in awe. “Look how magnificent he is, and clearly he's communicating in his wolf form. It's incredible.”
“Guess that confirms that question. They clearly do not lose all humanity in wolf form.” The blonde was so excited he was practically dancing around.
The second cardinal rule of shifters, never, ever, under any circumstance, present yourself to a human, but for Elise Westin, that's exactly what I was doing, and damn the consequences. Clearly these men were already aware of us anyway, and I needed their help. I couldn't wait for the police to stumble on the place and hadn't seen or heard anything from Kyle's trackers. With no true concept of time, I wasn't even sure they had arrived yet.
“Calm down, you fools,” Larry said. “I don't want to scare him off.”
“Larry,” the blonde whispered, “do you think it could be a trap? I mean, how do we know it's not one of the Bulgatis?”
“We've been watching that house all day. We saw them boys arrive this morning, carrying the girl. Damn it, if I had known it was a Westin, I would have intervened right then.”
“We aren't supposed to intervene at all.”
“It's too important not to,” he continued. “Anyway, they both left, and we should have gone in after her then.”
“I tried to say that,” the blonde chimed in, receiving a swat across the back of the head.
“Yeah, we should have, but we didn't. They returned, they dragged that poor girl around the building and back in.” I growled at hearing that. “It's okay, boy. I think she tried to escape, but they caught her and drugged her again. Can't see the back of the house clearly from here, but I don't think those Bulgati brothers are smart enough to sneak out the back and around here to us. So no, I do not think this is a trap.”
“Can you lure them out for us?” Larry asked me, and I nodded. “Good. You cause the distraction. Dave, Martin, you each have to keep one of the brothers down, but before you approach, give it a few seconds for the tranquilizer to kick in. I won't miss the first shot, but if the second one moves too quickly you may have to intercede.”
They both gulped loudly, but nodded.
“You ready?”
Boy was I ever. I took off at a full sprint straight for the house. Being upwind, the chances of them smelling me before I reached the house were probable. How they hadn't smelled the humans was beyond me. Maybe it was all that cigarette smoke surrounding them.
Fecking Bulgarians. The Grand Council was already in peace treaty mode after their attempts to start a war over Kelsey. Kyle hadn't yet signed it. If this was in some way an attempt to force his hand, they were sorely mistaken. Even if it was a personal war of one, the Bulgarians would face my wrath after this. I would make sure every one of them paid for harming my mate.
I had never felt such rage coursing through my body as I ran towards her captors. The one called Toma came back out on the porch for another cigarette just as I broke through the forest line and into the clearing.
“Valko! Valko!” he yelled for the man I now knew was his idiot brother. “Wolf!” he yelled seconds before a large grey wolf stood before me. He was skinny, clearly malnourished. I already knew I was stronger and capable of defeating him, but when his brother emerged snarling and snapping his jaws, I knew he would be the bigger challenge.
Ignoring Toma, I lunged for Valko, gnashing my teeth and growling menacingly before turning and running back towards the woods. The moronic wolves gave chase, as I suspected they would. As soon as I veered right at the tree line, the first shot rang out and I saw in my peripheral vision as Toma tumbled to the ground. Valko let out a haunting howl and looked torn between protecting his brother and continuing to give chase. In the seconds he checked up, the second shot rang out and he slowly stumbled to the ground.
Dave and Martin flew out of the woods and lay across the struggling wolves. Shaking my head in disbelief at their bravery, or stupidity, I found I had no choice: I changed right there in front of them. Their mouths dropped open, stunned as I stood there naked as the day I was born.
“Larry,” I yelled. “How strong
is that tranq?”
He was approaching the edge of the woods and froze in disbelief at the site before him. “Larry, the dosage?”
“I-I-I used the equivalent of what we'd take down a bear with. They should be out for quite some time,” he said proudly, after the initial shock wore off.
I shook my head. “Not very likely in wolf form. They'll burn it through their system quickly.”
“What do you suggest?” he asked, looking wildly around.
“Check the van for anything to tie them down with. It's not impossible, but quite tricky and almost always a painful mess trying to change forms while tied down.” It never even dawned on me that I had just given these humans vital information regarding shifter secrets. “I'm going to check on Elise.”
I ran into the house and started calling out for her. “Elise! Elise! Where are you?” I checked each room, finding the one at the end of the hall locked. With the amount of adrenaline pumping through me, it took little effort to break down the door. There she was. She looked so still and pale and she had both wrists handcuffed to the bed she lay in.
“Elise?” I said, trying to sound calmer than I felt. “Love, please, open those beautiful blue eyes for me.” She stirred only slightly.
I didn't have time to hunt down the key. I grabbed the side of the cuffs attached to the bed and pried them apart. My wolf was still agitated and so close to the surface that our combined strength snapped them in two, freeing her. I ran to the other side of the bed and did the same, before carefully lifting her into my arms.
She sighed and snuggled into my chest. The relief it gave me began to finally calm my wolf. I walked back outside with my prize. Larry and his boys had the Bulgati brothers tied up.
“She alright?” he asked, nodding towards Elise.
“No, but she will be.”
“What happens now?” For the first time, he looked a little uncomfortable and I watched his hand grip tighter to his gun and heard his heart rate pick up.
“You are not my enemy. I do not know how you have come to know of my kind, but I urge you to forget all you've seen and heard here today. Get on your bikes and get out of town. Leave those bikes behind as soon as possible, and in a public place. Switch vehicles at least three times and get as far as you can before stopping. The fumes of those bikes will be too easy to track. If there are any others in the area with them,” I said, nodding to the Bulgati brothers, “they will easily track you down. You do not need to fear her people. They will know of your bravery and sacrifice, but they will also know that humans are aware.”
He looked uncomfortable at that thought. “It would be best for all if they did not know. We mean you no harm, and while we could not sit by and let harm come to her, we also broke every vow by interceding.”
“I understand. I too, broke plenty today. Perhaps it would be best if we both forgot the other was ever here?”
Larry smirked and nodded. I sighed in relief.
“The girl, is she really Elise Westin?”
Panic flooded my face as my need to protect her flared in me again.
He shook his head and put his hand up in retreat. “Doesn't matter. I can see she is important to you. Is she your mate?”
I couldn't wipe the smile off my face as I looked down at the beautiful woman in my arms. “Aye, she is.”
“We're leaving now, unless you need us for anything else?”
I shook my head.
“Wait,” Larry yelled. “Here.” He handed me a fresh set of clothes. “You can use them more than me.”
“Thank you, my friend,” I said, taking his offering. “Larry?” I was hesitant to ask. “Can you hold her while I change?”
“Of course,” he said, stunned. “Dave is a doctor. Would you like him to take a look at her?”
I looked at Dave, then back at Elise and nodded slowly. Dave quickly approached and checked her vitals. My eyes never left them as I quickly dressed.
“She should be just fine—perhaps a headache similar to a hangover when she wakes, but otherwise, she should have no long-term effects.”
“Thank you,” I said in earnest.
Larry passed her into my arms. “We'll call in an anonymous tip to the local police as we head out, unless you want to wait for them here.”
“No, I want to get her as far away from here as quickly as possible, and the police will only slow that task.”
“Understood, and we wish you the best of luck. I cannot tell you what an honor it has been meeting you.” He then did something so shocking, that I just stood there speechless. Larry, followed by his two peers, each in turn dropped their heads in reverence and bared their necks to me before turning to hurry back to their bikes.
“I've always wanted to do that!” Martin exclaimed excitedly before they were out of earshot. I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.
Elise
Chapter 15
My head was pounding once again as the world began to slowly right itself. I fought to remember what had happened and as it all came flooding back to me, I jumped up and frantically looked around the room. Where was I?
The obvious motel room I was in stank of mildew and old cigarettes. I wasn't in the little room in the cabin that I had last awoken to. I was thankful my arms were no longer bound to the bed. Coffee was brewing and a peek around the curtain showed me it was now dark outside. The unease of having lost an undetermined amount of time did not sit well.
Looking around the room, I had no belongings of my own, so I quickly made for the door, fumbling with the latch. I heard noise coming from the bathroom behind me and fear gripped me, making it impossible to undo the simple lock at the top of the door. Standing there frozen, I watched the door fly open. I screamed.
“Elise, it's okay. You're safe now.”
Large, thick arms wrapped around me, pulling me close to a hard, finely cut chest. I was shaking all over, but as I breathed in, my entire body relaxed. Salty tears masked my face and seeped into my mouth.
“Patrick? Oh God, Patrick!” I cried hysterically, holding on to him for dear life. “What happened? Where are we? How did you find me?” My questions just kept coming as I shook in his arms. He held me tightly and let me fall apart until there were no more tears to cry.
“Shh. It's okay, love. You're safe now.” His voice soothed my wolf and I hugged him closer.
“I'm so sorry. I never should have left you like that. I thought it would be easier for you if I just left. I didn't want to hurt you anymore. I hated seeing the pain in your eyes from my rejection. I didn't know what else to do. Who were those men? They smelled familiar.” I thought hard, remembering their scent. “Bulgarians,” I said with certainty.
“Yes, but I still only have speculation as to why they took you.”
“Did you find me?”
He nodded, but seemed hesitant to tell me. I decided not to press him. The haunting look in his eyes told me it was for the best. We'd talk later; for now I desperately just needed to feel his closeness and I didn't care about the consequences.
“Can you at least tell me how long I was gone?”
He tensed and sighed. “It's still the same day you were taken.”
The same day? How was that even possible? I thought.
“You were only gone a few hours before I found you, but I had to show restraint for fear of making things worse. Two Bulgarian captors were subdued by humans in the area. The Bulgati brothers, Toma and Valko. They had you.” He paused, taking a deep, cleansing breath. I could feel his muscles tighten as his body shook beneath my fingertips. “They had you drugged and chained to a bed. They should not have been allowed to live, but I had—I had to get you away from there.”
My head was still a little foggy and I couldn't quite grasp all he was telling me. I yawned despite the fact I had been sleeping nearly the entire day.
“It's late. You should sleep.”
I shook my head. “I was so scared and they kept drugging me with shots of this awful stuff
that left a bitter taste in my mouth. I don't want to close my eyes again. I'm afraid you're just a dream and I'll be back in that room, handcuffed to the bed, when I wake.”
He kissed the top of my head and growled. “I'm never going to let that happen again.”
A chill of excitement tainted with fear ran down my spine. I let him lead me to the bed and pull me down on top of him. He readjusted us and I snuggled into his side as he pulled the covers over us. With my head resting on his chest, I could hear the steady thump of his heartbeat trying to lull me to sleep.
From his words, I knew I hadn't been gone long, and nothing seriously bad had happened, but knowing that, didn't change the awful feeling of being violated. I knew they hadn't touched me. My clothes were still intact and there was no indication they had done anything but drug me and handcuff me to that bed, but that was violation enough.
Why? Why? Why? That question was stuck on repeat in my head. Why would anyone want to do that to me?
“Why would the Bulgarians want me? I just don't understand, Patrick.”
He squeezed me closer. “To get back at Kelsey and Kyle? That's the only reason I can think of. They are protected and unreachable without a serious proclamation of war, but you were alone and vulnerable, and it's all my fault. I'm so sorry. I don't think I can ever forgive myself for this.”
“What?” I sat up and stared into his eyes. I could see the pain and hurt there, and desire to erase both from them flared in me. I reached out and stroked his cheek softly with my hand before I could even stop myself. “This was not your fault. I was the coward who ran away. I was the one who left you, and then left myself vulnerable and not paying attention. This was not your fault, it was mine.”
His stare scorched my soul. “You are my mate, Elise. My one true mate. It is my job to protect you. I let my guard down and you were harmed because of my inadequacy. I do not deserve your forgiveness, but I will do everything in my power to see that something like this never happens to you again.”
Fighting Destiny (Westin Pack Book 2) Page 10
