The Panther's Rival

by Emilia Hartley

“It would take more than that to kill an alpha, girlie,” Crunch said, “They’re a special breed.”

  Connor breathed sharply as Crunch plunged a pair of pliers into his leg. Another tiny silver ball clinked on the road to join several others.

  “Just a couple more and your wounds should start healing again,” Crunch said, “Brace yourself.”

  Connor gritted his teeth, trying his hardest to not pass out from shock.

  “Crunch showed up just before the hunter finished you off. Gave the man one in the chest but he limped back to his van and drove off with Torque,” Samantha informed him.

  “Alex,” Connor gasped.

  “He’s in bad shape, but nowhere near as bad as you. Crunch already has him back on his feet. Something about bein’ a primal,” she said.

  Connor breathed a sigh of relief but his muscle tensed from the stinging pain of the pliers; bring more blood from the open wound.

  “Is Tess safe,” Connor asked, leaning forward to grab Crunch by the shoulder. Crunch was silent. Not a good sign. Connor lowered himself back to the ground to brace against the shock of the tools rooting around in his leg. He looked over at his bruised and beaten truck. Smoke rose from the hood in a large plume of gray smoke. It had lasted through everything, only to come apart now.

  “Done,” Crunch said.

  He let the last pellet clink to the floor. Connor already felt relief from the pain. He let his head fall back to the ground as he tried to straighten his leg. The sting of the silver was gone but the wound still lied open.

  “Hold still, this might sting a bit,” Crunch said. He pulled out a large staple gun from his saddle bag and held it firm against the open wound.

  “Wait, wait..!”

  Clack!

  Connor howled in pain as the staple wedged its way into his leg to hold the wound closed. The first was the worst but he grew used to the sensation by the third staple. It still hurt like a bitch, though.

  Alex joined Connor on the ground; he almost seemed back to normal. He pulled his shirt back on, the holes in the shirt lined up with the large bruises that stretched down his back. Connor laughed.

  “It looks worse than it feels,” he said, rubbing at the pain.

  “The hunter is a shifter, Eli, Alex and I overheard a conversation between him and Torque” Connor strained to say to Crunch, “He killed the bear alpha.” Crunch went still for a moment but then scratched at the side of his head.

  “I know,” he said, “Scab is on his side. I don’t know why the hell that moron would be following Torque, but he is. Bastard smashed me over the head. When I came to there was a note stuffed in my pocket.”

  “Scab? Wait, where the hell is Tess?” Connor demanded. He grabbed Crunch by the collar and held his face close. “Don’t you dare lie to me.”

  “Scab took her, they’re probably at their den right now,” he said, solemnly, “The note said I’m supposed to come alone, tonight. I guess Eli has some questions only I can answer. He’s got my daughter, too you know,” Connor released Crunch from his grasp. Cynthia and Tess? This situation went from absolute shit to a nightmare in no time. “I didn’t know how much of a little bitch Torque became,” Crunch said, huffing back to his feet, “I thought I could get him back on my side, get him away from that hunter. I didn’t know what they were after but I knew something was up, something big, I woulda never guessed they’d be startin’ their own war.” Crunch punched into his fist, “Now you tell me that son of a bitch Eli is a shifter? I didn’t know that. Not till now. A shifter using a gun,” Crunch spat on the ground, “that just ain’t right.”

  “I need to save Tess,” Connor said.

  “I know you do,” Alex said, “Cause I need to save Cynthia. But, what about all the guns? What the hell are we going to do about those?” Alex asked. “There are a lot of wolves in there, heavily armed and preparing for war. We need more manpower to go in there. Maybe if we just talk to the bears, tell them what we know, maybe they’ll see our side. ” Alex turned to Samantha who was staring at the bloody staples on Connor’s leg. “Do you think the bears would be able to help?”

  “Fat chance,” Samantha replied, shaking her head, “We got one story to go on with no proof.”

  “What are you trying to say?” Connor asked.

  “What I’m saying is you’re on your own. Maybe if you had Torque to beat the story out of, then you’d have something to show them,” Samantha said as Crunch stamped the last staple in his leg.

  Connor could see the skin starting to stitch closed but he knew it would be best not to test it for a while. He was lucky to survive.

  “I’m going,” Crunch said, “My daughter is in there and I’ll be damned if I let that piece of shit Torque do anything to her. I’ll see if I can get Tess out too, and … I guess the other bears if they’re alive.”

  “We’re coming,” Alex said.

  “The letter said for me to go alone, remember? If you come then you might just put her in danger. I just got back together with my daughter. You all just stay out of it. I can handle this alone.” Torque was already walking back to his motorcycle which still sat beside the road leaning on its kickstand.

  “Like hell you are,” Connor shouted. Alex nodded in agreement beside him. “These are our girls, we’re going to get them back, even if I have to kill every last one of those damn dirty bastards to do it. If you think going alone will keep Cynthia safe then I got news for you, it won’t.”

  “You think I don’t know that!” Crunch shouted back. He flared his nostrils while plopping down on the motorcycle seat. Even though the bike was big enough for his size, it still squashed low on the suspension under his weight.

  “Crunch,” Connor said. Blood was starting to flow back into his leg. With a hand on Alex’s shoulder, he hoisted himself to his one good leg. The staples dug into his skin hard but held the wound shut. His head was swimming, lack of blood. He’d felt it before. That was the easy part, “If we don’t go together, there’s a good chance they’ll all die.”

  “Suit yourself,” he said, “But, if Cynthia gets so much as a bruise then I’ll break both of you over my knee and it won’t be pretty.”

  With a quick glance at Alex, Connor began to brainstorm some plans. He and Alex had seen the layout of the place. They knew how they were organized. There had to be something he could do to get them out. However, there was still a problem, how would they get there.

  “Crunch, do you think you could have a look at the truck? Maybe see if you can get it workin’? I doubt you have enough room for all of us on your chopper.”

  “I’m not much good with trucks,” Crunch said.

  “Let me take a look,” she said. Samantha stood up and stretched her legs. “My dad used to work on these all the time when I was a kid. I’ve picked up a few tricks.”

  She yanked open the truck hood then bit her lip in consternation. “I think I can fix this. It looks like the internals are all okay. I’ll need to borrow those tools, Crunch.” Samantha limped over with her still casted up leg, gathered the tools into a bundle, and set off to work.

  “We’ll have to keep you around,” Connor said. She smiled broadly before she disappeared behind the hood of the truck. Connor still was deep in thought over the plans to get the women out but he needed more info. “Crunch, where do you think they’d keep them in the camp?”

  Crunch thought for a moment.

  “Well, if nothin’ changed then they probably would keep them in the main cabin. It’s in the center, most secure. It’s where I’d keep ‘em.”

  Connor leaned himself against the truck bed. He gritted his teeth to fight through the pain; even standing on his one good leg gave him problems.

  “Then that’s where we need to hit. If we get lucky, maybe we can get Torque back as trade,” Connor said.

  “I need to plant a fist on Torque’s face before today is through,” Crunch laughed. Samantha giggled under the hood of the truck.

  “That would make you punch number thr
ee,” her voice echoed.

  Connor tried to bend his leg; he didn’t have the time to do a proper rehab. He needed to be ready to fight at any time. Tess was the only person on his mind. Just thinking of what she might be going through at this moment made him want to rip someone’s throat out. Eli, Scab, Torque, any of them. Connor’s strength waned. As he started to fall, Alex took him by the arm. The leg ached like nothing he’d felt before, but he could walk a little under his own power.

  What would Tess do?

  She was violent when she wanted to be, but what about when she was talking to Samantha? She was kind, calm, collected, and beautiful. Well, she was always beautiful. Maybe killing them all wasn’t what they needed. That was a lot of blood they’d have to spill. He wondered how they’d even manage that without getting shot. No, this time they needed tact and patience. His plan was coming together in his mind.

  “I could rip out their throats myself, but I know everyone here has that exact same idea. No. There’s one person that would want that pleasure more than any of us. We’ll leave them for the bear alpha,” Connor said, “We’re just going to rescue the girls. But, that don’t mean we won’t give them hell while we do it.”

  “Here I pegged you as the revenge type. Looks like you might have grown up a little bit over the past few days,” Crunch scoffed, “I’m the revenge type. So I’m goin’ to finish this one way or the other.”

  The only thought on Connor’s mind was saving Tess, if she was still alive. No, she was definitely still alive, he could feel it. That hunter wouldn’t kill them. He needed the survivors alive to hold as hostages, Crunch confirmed that much. He needed to keep the bears and the wolves fighting. Things were starting to click.

  “I think it would be best if we waited for night fall,” Alex said, “If we’re going to do something sneaky, it’s easier to get in and out?”

  “If this old truck starts running then we have a way of gettin’ them out. Tess is in there waiting for me. If I weren’t so busted up I’d just as soon go through the front door,” Connor replied.

  Alex tapped Connor’s busted up leg.

  “I don’t think you’ll be going through the front door anytime soon,” Alex said.

  “Oh shut up,” Connor replied with a light punch on his shoulder. “I’m willing to bet that Eli keeps quite a bit of ammunition inside his van. Supplying that many guns to the wolves is dangerous and he’s the type to keep that shit locked up. Now that I think about it, I might just have a plan.”

  “I’ll go with whatever as long as you make sure Cynthia is alright by the end of it,” Crunch said.

  “Provided this plan of yours works, or that we don’t get shot, or stabbed, or brutally maimed-”

  Crunch clapped Alex on the back to shut him up and it worked.

  “Sounds like a bit of fun!” Crunch shouted.

  “There is one thing we’ll need,” Connor said.

  “What’s that?” Crunch asked.

  “A distraction.”

  CHAPTER 16

  “Get out,” Scab said.

  Beth held Greta close as she hopped from the truck bed. She had been in tears the entire ride; Tess wanted to console her but couldn’t find the words as she felt the same. Cynthia tried her best at comforting the group.

  “They’ll come,” Cynthia said, “Alex would never leave me.” She gripped Tess’s knee, “I know Connor wouldn’t either.”

  “You heard me, get out!” came Scab again.

  Cynthia hopped out, leaving Tess the only one left. She edged her way to the tailgate and gingerly stepped to the ground. Doing her best to brush aside her tears she followed the other women being herded toward a large cabin.

  The area around them would have been quite gorgeous if they weren’t in their current situation. It reminded Tess of the glassy lake to which Connor had taken her on their last date. Twilight reflected off the calm water along with the roaring bonfire that tried its best to scrub out the setting sun.

  Scab gave her a rough push from behind and she fell into Cynthia who was walking just in front of her.

  “Hey,” Cynthia barked, “don’t you know she’s pregnant!”

  “Like that matters to me,” Scab replied.

  “Thanks for trying,” Tess whispered as they walked.

  The cabin was sparsely decorated inside. Just a few bunk beds lined the walls with blankets covering ratty old mattresses. The pungent aroma of wolf made her gag. A flood light pointed at the high ceiling, spitting out enough to illuminate the space. In the back corner, a staircase led to a loft that hovered above them. A bonfire was starting to burn through the cracked, soot-stained windows at the front of the cabin.

  Once Tess was inside, the door slammed shut. Beth sat on one of the empty beds with her daughter Greta. Greta sucked at her thumb and played with her mother’s hair with little idea what kind of situation they were in. Bless her ignorance.

  Cynthia pulled Tess over to the bed opposite the bears. Scab stood by the doorway with his pistol in hand, watching as the girls went about.

  “Listen, Tess,” Cynthia whispered, “There’s no doubt in my mind that Alex is coming for me. Hell, I’m sure that even my dad is going to join him. If they’re coming then I know Connor is coming. If they don’t, then I’m going to give them hell when I break out of here by myself.”

  Tess laughed through her tear stained cheeks but was still having difficulty allowing herself a glimmer of hope. She hadn’t heard from Connor in almost two days, he might have already been killed. She did her best to perish the thought.

  “That goes for you too,” Cynthia said, speaking a little louder, “When the time comes and they come to rescue us, be ready.”

  Beth didn’t have much to smile about. Her husband was dead, and she was trapped here with the man that killed him. Still, she tried to keep herself in a good mood for the sake of her young daughter.

  The door to the cabin shot back open. Illuminated by the bonfire, the silhouette of the hunter filled the door. He pushed his way inside and looked about the cabin before finally resting his eyes on Tess.

  “You,” he said. Tess looked up at the hunter and a new sense of dread took over. “Come with me.”

  He took her by the hand and yanked her to her feet. She would have tried to resist but there wasn’t enough fight in her.

  “Where are you taking her,” Cynthia demanded.

  “Not far,” he smiled. The sound of heavy stomping from his large boots echoed around the room as he pulled her toward the staircase to the loft.

  On the closest wall was a large bed big enough for two. Of all the furnishings she’d seen so far in the cabin it was by far the nicest. On the opposite wall sat an old blue couch. It had patchwork tape covering holes that still had stuffing jut out. A large plastic crate occupied one side of a sliding glass door that led to the balcony. A pair of massive stereo speakers sat on the balcony.

  The hunter threw Tess to sit on the couch.

  “Stay there and don’t move,” he said. She did as she was told. The hunter flicked a switch on a nearby stereo and loud music pounded from the balcony, shaking the sliding glass doors. “Now we can get some privacy.”

  Tess gulped back her fears. Eli paced in front of her. The awful power ballad music was making the wolves rowdy downstairs, somehow she could hear that much. Eli bent at the waist, bringing his face right in line with hers.

  “You’re that alpha’s bitch, aren’t you?” he said with a smile, “You know, he reminds me of someone I used to know.” He stood back to his full height before walking over to lean against the balcony window. For a moment he stared at the setting sun through the glass, the reflection dancing with the tiny waves on the surface of the lake. “Aren’t all alphas the same? They lord their strength over everyone else in the pack.” He chuckled. “How stupid.”

  Tess eyed her exit, it wasn’t being watched, but downstairs she knew she’d still have to fight her way through Scab. Maybe her and the girls could overpower him, steal hi
s gun, and then fight their way out? No, that was her dumbest idea yet. Cynthia might have been able to do something like that, but not Tess. Especially since she was pregnant and unable to shift.

  “There are plenty strong, powerful animals out there,” Eli said, turning back to Tess. He walked slowly back toward her as he continued, “Lions, Elephants, Horses, all of them stronger or faster than people. But, guess who will always win in a fight?” The hunter tapped at his skull, “the smartest one.”

  Tess felt something poking her in the leg; it was under the couch cushion. Whatever it was, it felt sharp. She tried her best to reach between the cushions without being noticed, still keeping her attention toward Eli.

  “That’s why humans are the top of the food chain,” Eli laughed, “sorry, did I say humans? I meant Hunters.” He turned back to the sliding glass windows, stopping in front of the plastic crate.

  Tess finally found what was poking into her leg. It was an old screwdriver. She wrapped her hand around it, ready to draw it out if she needed to. Eli pulled a shiny new rifle from the crate and held it over his head.

  “This is true power,” he said, “It doesn’t matter how big you are. Everything has a weakness.” He reached into his pocket for a round of ammunition which he loaded into the barrel of the rifle. “I taught my brother that lesson. Then I went about teaching the entire rest of my old pack that lesson. But, that was years ago.” He stared off into space as though lost in an old memory.

  He killed his whole pack? He’s a monster.

  A new sense of dread was building up inside of her. This guy was unhinged. The rifle that he held in the crook of his arm was loaded and ready to take her life. Was that what he planned to do? The thought crossed her mind. She gripped the screwdriver tighter; she might only get a single chance at escape.

  “I’m not much for thinking about the past. I’ve changed over time. Now I only think about the future. And, there’s no room for any of you wolves in my future,” he said. He hefted the rifle to his shoulder. The barrel wheeled around until Tess was staring straight down.

  She coiled up her muscles to pounce, but just as she was about to make her move they were both distracted by the sound of a loud motorcycle engine clanking its way into the camp.