They bounded down the steps, entering the hall to see the men waiting for them. Aiden passed silently through the large group until he stood before McHenry. “It’s not your fault we lost her. It’s mine.” Aiden laid a hand on his shoulder. “See to your injury. I’ll need you when we get her back.”
The old man’s eyes gleamed yellow. He stood taller, shoulders back, head high at the chance to redeem himself.
“I need two teams. This ends tonight. One group will remain here to guard the keep and contact the other alphas. The second team is with me.”
“Bring me the prisoner.” He cracked his knuckles in anticipation. “We’ll find out where they’ve taken her and get her back.”
Chapter Twenty-two
Aiden ran along the shore, outdistancing the rest of the wolves, hoping to catch a glimpse of Shayla or the mysterious boat. Unfortunately, the bastard had too big a lead. Time stretched, the run to town interminable. Dawn began to color the sky when he finally reached the docks.
Nails clicked on wood as he trotted by each boat, frantically trying to catch the scent that had haunted him since he’d discovered her gone. When he reached a small wooden boat at the end of the pier, his heart bottomed out. So much blood. It was splattered in the bottom of the vessel, the carnage making him almost lose his wolf form.
She’d been here.
He began to shake. It took his brain longer than normal to sort out the smells. The blood wasn’t hers. Aiden sniffed the ground until he caught her trail. It was hours old. He whirled and sprinted the last two miles into town, pushing his wolf to his limits.
At the outskirts of town, Aiden reluctantly shifted forms, as much as his wolf would allow, his beast refusing to relinquish complete control. Too much was at stake.
Even in human form, Aiden easily followed Shayla’s enticing scent to the inn. He expected a trap of some sort. A challenge.
Nothing.
He could smell them inside. Four wolves. Their stink permeated the place. They’d obviously been in the area for a while and he hadn’t known. Being a prisoner was no excuse.
Worse, they stole his mate right out from under his nose.
He listened for a whisper of her voice, the silence sawing away at his nerves. While waiting for the rest of his men, he studied the entrances and exits, barely restraining himself from barging inside and demanding her return. He would have if her life hadn’t been at stake. He couldn’t risk her. When he heard the four-wheelers, he couldn’t restrain himself any longer.
Before he could close the distance to the building, Mac was there, holding out a bundle of clothing. “You don’t want to be scaring your mate.”
Aiden grabbed the kilt and hastily wrapped it around himself.
“It could be a ploy, a trap to lure out the rest of the pack. It would be the perfect ambush.”
Aiden nodded grimly. “The thought had crossed my mind.”
And he had no choice but to spring it. Aiden thrust the door open and surveyed the interior. He memorized the location of the few people. Then his gaze latched onto Shayla and stayed.
Alive.
Safe.
Relief flooded him seconds before every muscle in his body clamped down tight. It was all he could do to stop himself from leaping the distance between them and inspecting every inch of her for injury. To just touch her.
The dress was gone, replaced by a much too tight T-shirt and jeans that revealed her every curve, drawing the attention of each male. He wanted to take his plaid and wrap it around her two or three or four times. Instead, he did nothing. Any action on his part would reveal too much weakness in front of the other wolves.
Then his eyes narrowed, noticing the human male who sat a little too close. It took all his willpower not to charge over there and beat the crap out of the bastard. Only Shayla’s reaction stopped him.
She’d turned when the door had opened, her face brightening with relief when she saw him. Everything inside him eased when she jumped to her feet and hurried toward him. “I knew you would come. Let me explain what happened.”
Aiden almost caved. He desperately wanted to wrap her in his arms, toss her over his shoulder and take her away from here. Only a glance from the other wolves confirmed that it wouldn’t be that easy.
“Explain?” The one word was rough. He was lucky to even be able to speak past the lump in his throat. He dodged her hands, afraid that if she touched him, he’d lose control and just kiss her.
She made him vulnerable.
If he wanted to get her back, he had to stay in control.
All animation on her face drained away at his rejection.
Her response stung, and he swallowed a plea for her to understand. But he could give her one thing to show her that he cared. “I have something of yours.”
She frowned.
Aiden turned and nodded to Mac. The man leaned out the door and hauled in their prisoner. Aiden shoved the man forward.
The last thing Aiden expected was for Shayla to draw back her arm and cold-cock the man.
* * *
“How sweet, you brought me my stalker. Well, if that just doesn’t top off the worst night ever.” Shayla held her bruised hand, pain tightening the back of her throat. Pain that had more to do with his rejection than her sore knuckles. She’d heard of getting your heart broken, but she didn’t know it could actually crack and shatter and still kept beating. When the priest dropped to his knees, Shayla couldn’t resist taking another swipe, kicking him in the balls. She glared at Aiden, wishing she could do the same to him as well.
Aiden had changed back to the wild man from the cave, all hard core, his glowing eyes completely devoid of emotion when he stared at her. Like what they’d shared had never happened.
Everyone froze, then testosterone filled the room. Aiden bared his teeth at the man clutching his family jewels and rolling on the ground. It didn’t bode well for his life expectancy.
Shayla allowed herself a grim smile and spun on her heel, refusing to admit how relieved she was that they’d caught the man who’d been torturing her for the last few months. As she approached the table with the wolves, James stood.
“Nice right hook. Let me check your hand to see if you broke anything.” He gently cradled her wrist, inspecting the damaged digits. Shayla ignored James and faced Lassie. He’d sworn he hadn’t laid a hand on Aiden. She’d refused to discuss the job until she could confirm it for herself. If anything, Aiden looked fitter, better than she’d last seen him, and so good half-bared by the kilt that her palms itched to stroke him.
She enjoyed men, but never fell for one so hard or so fast.
She’d worked hard to keep her work and personal life separate, but she wanted more now.
And if Lassie was to be believed, more was something Aiden couldn’t give her.
He hadn’t claimed her.
She was there to finish the job. That’s all. She needed to get it over quickly and be far away from Aiden before the pain crippled her.
“Is he the one that has tied you up in knots?” James barely breathed the question, and her head snapped around to stare at him. Whatever he saw on her face softened his expression. “I’m sorry.”
He knew.
Something fragile inside her broke at his compassion. He lowered his eyes and pursed his lips. “Bruised but not broken.”
Knowing he spoke more about her spirit than her fingers, Shayla gave him a sad smile, not so sure about his verdict. She tugged back her hand and nodded to Lassie. “Let’s discuss terms.”
“You are aware of what we are?”
Shayla nearly glanced at Aiden. It was all she could do to sit still and not squirm. “Werewolves.”
“Holy shit.” James spoke softly, the doctor in him taking over, and he studied the men closer. “Out of the frying pan and into the fire. You really know how to find trouble, don’t you?”
Aiden strode toward the middle of the room in full alpha mode, drawing everyone’s attention. “You’re on my land
, invaded my territory and taken what is mine. By rights, I should kill you.”
And he looked pissed enough to do it. Her heart crashed. It made sense now, why he came after them. She’d foolishly believed he came for her. Instead, he came to mark on his territory.
Lassie stood as well, his men peeling away from the wall to stand behind him. “In truth, we found her first. She came to Scotland at my request. When she fell into the tunnel, I went back to get help.”
Aiden crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. “She didn’t need your help. She managed to get out all on her own.”
Shayla blinked…he almost sounded proud.
Lassie’s smile was more of a smirk. “Until a pack of wolfhounds nearly took you down.”
A snort escaped Aiden. “Don’t fool yourself. Both of us would’ve gotten away.”
This time Lassie only shrugged. “Maybe, but not without cost. Not without endangering her.”
Aiden’s eyes glowed a deep green at the hit. Shayla’s followed the absurd conversation from one group of men to the other. The last thing she wanted was for them to come to blows. She turned toward Lassie. “Enough. You came to me for a reason. Why?”
“I need you to locate my men.”
Shayla bit back her immediate protest that she didn’t search for people. Instead, she took a seat and nodded for him and his men to resume theirs. “Why don’t we start from the beginning?”
Lassie obeyed without protest. He ran a hand down his face, staring at the table as if uncertain where to start. “A convoy with my squad was hit with an IED. Those of us who survived the initial blast were riddled with shrapnel. We were judged no longer fit for duty and medically discharged.”
Shayla studied him and the three men with him. She would swear they were in perfect health. “What happened?”
“We learned of an untested drug that would accelerate the healing process.”
James shifted behind her. “You mean experimental.”
Lassie nodded once. “My squad volunteered. All of us were broken, barely functional. We had to take the chance, so we scraped together our money.” He ran a hand over his hair. “It worked. Broken bones mended faster, bruises disappeared. Scars faded and even vanished.”
Shayla surveyed him again. She never would’ve guessed he’d been so grievously wounded. “Something went wrong.”
Lassie laughed, the sound devoid of any amusement. “You might say that. Out of nearly twenty of us, eleven had an adverse reaction.”
“It turned us into monsters.” The guy to the right of Lassie, the one they called Tylor, spoke for the first time.
“The rest of the survivors saw what was happening and opened fire on us. Three died, shot down before they could turn. Until they started to heal. Those not infected lost it. Started butchering them like animals.”
Lassie gazed at his hands. “We ran. Then next day, we woke human and assumed the whole thing had been a bad trip from the drugs. We tried to laugh it off, and went back to the warehouse where the squad was staying.
“The survivors, those unaffected, had been torn to shreds. One of the wolves, one of us, had circled back and destroyed them. Pieces were missing from the bodies as if he’d fed on them. We tracked Rogers down. He was covered in blood, vomiting up parts of…”
“We killed him.” Tylor stared at her, shadows moving in his eyes of things that couldn’t be unseen.
“Some people can’t handle the change.” Aiden shrugged. “The human brain just snaps, leaving behind a wild beast. Bloodlust is nearly impossible to control. After only one bite, they begin to crave human flesh. You did the right thing. Once they start, they’ll never stop hunting humans.”
Aiden had wandered closer without her being aware. She barely resisted leaning into his warmth. The last thing she wanted was to reveal how pathetic she was to still yearn for his touch.
Lassie released a heavy sigh. “After analyzing the drug, we learned it contained contaminated blood. Some of the men were fine, while others—”
“A hemolytic reaction,” James murmured.
“What?”
James straightened when everyone in the room turned toward him. “It’s like an allergic reaction. When two different blood types are mixed in the human body, the immune system kicks into overdrive, killing off the foreign blood type, and usually killing the host in the process. In your case, my guess is the wolf blood activated a mutation your human blood.”
A muscle ticked in Lassie’s jaw, and he gazed down at his fists. “We’ve tried locking ourselves up during the full moon, we couldn’t risk hurting any civilians, but we only managed to break out of the cages. One even killed himself with a shotgun. He was unrecognizable. He should’ve been dead. Then his face began to reshape as he mended.” His voice cracked as he relived the horror. “We’ve tracked the drug north in hopes of a cure.”
Lassie paused and looked at James.
“I’d have to run some tests, but based on what you’ve described, I’d guess the process is irreversible.”
“You were born of the blood. The human is correct. There is no cure.” Aiden sighed at their blank looks. “We try to retrieve the breakouts when new wolf first turn. We monitor the news and websites. If we’d known of your situation, we would’ve found you and explained things.”
Lassie gave a grim smile. “We’re good at covering our tracks.”
“We bring the infected back to the castle. Animals are predators, ruled by instincts. Shifters are a violent lot, and it takes time to learn control. Some arrive so damaged that there is no bringing back their sanity. Strong emotions can bring the wolf forward. Fighting the change can be incredibly painful. We teach you how to master both forms and fight the baser urges. Just being near an alpha can help keep the wolf in line.”
“Why us?”
Aiden paused, glancing at each man, noting the similarities. “You’re all related.”
It wasn’t a question.
Lassie nodded. “Cousins mostly. We grew up together and joined the army.”
“The change only happens if you’re already predisposed to the mutation. Frequent or large doses of our blood will trigger the conversion, while those who do not have the gene will miraculously heal. The drug will eventually fade from their systems.”
Lassie’s expression didn’t change, as if he’d already suspected the truth.
“How did your family become werewolves?” James leaned over, curiosity written all over his face.
Aiden almost refused to answer until he saw Shayla look at him for the first time since he’d rebuffed her. Desperate to keep her attention, he spoke.
“An ancient tale has been passed down through the generations. It’s said that Fenrir, a Norse god, fell in love with a beautiful woman. Born a wolf, he was allowed only one night as a human to win her affections. When she discovered that she was pregnant, she begged him to allow their children to be born human.
“Being a trickster, he granted her the wish, but he had no intention of giving up his claim either. He forced the magic that had allowed him to change on to the children, giving them the ability to be both man and beast. The bloodline is passed through the males of the family. With each generation, it becomes diluted. Most never even breakout, going on to live a normal, human life.”
“Unless they were foolish enough to inject the blood of a wolf.” Lassie leaned back in his chair, looking defeated for the first time.
Aiden turned his green eyes on Shayla, reached over and drew her out of the chair. His touched burned, and she curled her fingers into fists, quickly slipping out of his hold. It was too soon, the pain too close to the surface. “What are you doing?”
Lassie rose to his feet, watching the display with narrowed eyes.
Aiden kept his attention on her, judging her as the bigger threat. He spoke slowly, as if he didn’t understand her protest. “We’re going back to the castle.”
She shook her head even as Lassie spoke. “I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
If anything, Aiden bulked up more, turning to face off with the other man. “Back off. She’s mine.”
Though the words were directed at Lassie, Shayla shivered when she saw the large, sharp teeth poking out from between his lips. Then she stiffened. How dare he think to brush away his public rejection then think she would ever go anywhere with him.
“Sorry, but I hired her two weeks ago. For the time being, she stays.”
Each of them spoke as if she didn’t have a say. Shayla wanted to smack both men upside the head. She wasn’t some prize to be claimed.
James whistled and nudged her. “Neither man knows you very well, huh? The last guy who said something similar ended up in prison when you alerted the government where he was keeping his offshore accounts.”
Shayla smirked when both men fell silent and eyed her suspiciously. “It was only a little fraud. He’ll be out in ten years if he manages to get paroled early.”
“I’m not leaving.” Aiden stubbornly crossed his arms, daring either one of them to try and get rid of him. “By asking her to help, you’ve put her in danger.”
“She was in danger the instant you two met. Helping me catch the men will keep her safe.” Lassie countered with a stubborn tilt to his head.
Neither man would relent. And unless she wanted to be here all evening watching their pissing contest, she needed to get the process moving. “How did you learn of my special skill set?”
“A detective buddy of mine by the name of Caine. He said you worked on a cold case for him about a missing girl. He swore that you were the real deal. That you could do the impossible.”
Shayla paled, already shaking your head. “Then you’ll also know that I don’t search for missing persons. That case nearly killed me.”
Literally.
She only searched for objects, maintaining a healthy distance between her and the soul-sucking wraiths. They were intent on stealing her magic, not caring that it would kill her in the process…anything to break free from the Frost World and seek vengeance on the living.
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