His scream echoed as she came to a stop, slowly moving forward until she came to the edge. He hadn’t seen the drop, the deep expanse that had suddenly claimed his life. Her ears turned forward as she listened for him, to hear if he could still be clinging to life, perhaps gripping to an edge somewhere, but there was only silence.
Davidson was gone.
Relief flooded her bones, making her want to sink to the ground and just take in what had happened, but behind her, she could still hear Ross clashing with the Damson shifter. Turning around, she went to help him, only to hear Connor barking loudly to her left.
Pausing for a moment, caught between who needed her help the most, Jenny turned toward Connor’s bark, hearing the urgency in it. Following her nose, she quickly made her way through the long grass and high bushes before spotting Connor.
He was standing over another wolf, who was lying on her side, her paws up slightly to show her submission. Blood matted her coat. Connor had clearly fought hard.
Are you OK?
Connor glanced at her before turning his sharp eyes back on the wolf at his feet. I’m fine. She’s coming with us.
A sharp yip had the wolf rolling over and pulling herself to her feet, although Jenny noticed that she was limping slightly. Standing on one side of the Damson shifter, Jenny padded her way through the grass with Connor standing tall and making sure he showed his teeth. A ripple of suspicion raked through Jenny. She didn’t want to let this shifter get the better of her by somehow pretending to be injured.
Her ears caught another bark, but this time it came from Ross. A growl rent the air before the sound of clashing wolves came toward them.
Go, Jenny said, urging Connor to leave. I’ll be fine. Ross needs you.
He paused for a moment, before running on ahead, bounding through the undergrowth toward Ross and the other Damson shifter.
Jenny kept pace with the injured shifter beside her, trying not to wonder what the East River pack were going to do. They wouldn’t kill her, of course, but it wasn’t going to be pleasant for her. A shifter who hunts other shifters wasn’t exactly going to be welcome. They’d get whatever information they could from her about Davidson and his plans, but then Jenny had no idea what would happen to her.
Why did you do this?
She couldn’t help her question, never taking her eyes off the wolf beside her as she limped along, her right paw almost useless.
The wolf remained silent, eyes dulled with pain.
You hunted me. You tried to kill me.
Golden eyes lifted to hers for a brief second before her head lowered again. Apparently, Jenny wasn't going to get an answer. Not now, at least.
Coming into the slight clearing, Jenny's body tensed as she saw Ross and Connor backing the second Damson shifter against a large clump of trees. Blood was on each of their muzzles, but still this shifter didn't want to back down. Even though he was a little smaller than Ross, he didn’t seem intimidated by the two shifters trying to get him to surrender. His teeth were bared as a growl rolled from his throat, eyes flashing with anger.
Jenny stayed perfectly still, giving the Damson shifter a small nip on the shoulder to get her to remain quiet. To Jenny’s surprise, the wolf lay down almost at once, as though she was relieved to have come to a stop. This wasn’t the defensive, angry wolf she’d seen at first. Her mind tried to picture the woman in her human skin, remembering how she’d seen her a couple of times back at Davidson’s place. Struggling to remember, Jenny suddenly saw the scene play out in front of her. Davidson and the Damson brother had been the ones laughing and mocking her, trying to force her to shift, but the woman had stayed quiet, exactly like she was now. There hadn’t ever been a smile on her face, and she’d never joined in the mockery. Perhaps there was more to this shifter than she’d initially thought.
Her ears pushed forward as she heard a distant bark, followed by a long, drawn-out howl.
The East River pack!
Her body quivering with excitement, Jenny stood tall, her tail standing high as she waited for them to appear. Now the Damson brother would have no choice but to surrender. There was no way he could fight against Ross, Connor, and the entire East River pack.
Turning her eyes back to the scene in front of her, she saw that Ross and Connor had both heard the sounds, clearly aware of what was coming. Slowly, so slowly, the Damson brother dropped his head, eyes moving away from Ross and Connor and finding his sister lying on the ground beside Jenny. Ross and Connor advanced, ready to force him into a surrendering position—only for him to leap away. With one loud bark, the Damson brother took off through the trees, running away from Ross and from the East River pack.
A low whine came from the Damson sister, her eyes attempting to follow her brother. Feebly, she pushed herself to her feet, whining again, before collapsing back on the ground. Her energy was gone.
Connor barked and moved through the trees after the Damson brother, only for Ross to call him back. Both trembled from the exertion of fighting, and Jenny knew Ross didn’t want to push Connor to his limit. It would be best to let the East River pack follow him.
Suddenly, a wave of wolves rushed toward them, surrounding them all. Jenny stood still, waiting for Ross’s direction, her eyes still on the shifter next to her. She watched as the Damson sister’s eyes closed, her head pressing into the earth. She had given up entirely and was completely surrendering herself. For a second, Jenny felt a flash of sympathy for her before shaking that feeling from her mind. She wouldn’t feel anything but anger and hatred about what that woman and her brother had done to help Davidson.
The East River pack will take her, Ross said, walking over toward her. We’ll follow them and talk once we’re back at their place.
Jenny pressed her muzzle against Ross’s, letting it run underneath his. She needed the contact and the reassurance that they were all still alive and still OK. It was a relief just to be near him.
We’re going to be fine, Jenny, he said a little more tenderly. Come on. Let’s go and rest.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Luke!”
Ross slapped his arm on the man’s back before being pulled into a strong hug by the silver-haired man.
“It’s good to see you, Ross,” Luke replied, smiling at Jenny and nodding at Connor as he walked in.
“It’s good to see you too,” Ross replied honestly. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate our friendship and the peace between our packs. We’re going to need it right now.”
Luke grimaced before sitting down in a vacant chair. “We’ve got the other shifter held in one of the bedrooms here.”
Jenny leaned forward. "Has she shifted?" Ross could see the anxiety on her face as she spoke and moved to sit next to her, hardly able to believe what he'd heard.
“She has, yes. Got a broken arm. We’ve set it for her, given her some clothes and some food, but she hasn’t said a word.”
"I wouldn't expect her to," Ross replied darkly. "After all, she's been helping a human hunt us down. Although I still don't know how they knew we were heading for the East River pack. They managed to get ahead of us and surprise us when we could have taken a million different routes to get to different places." Ross shook his head, running a hand over his eyes. "How did they know?"
Luke's brow furrowed, and he shifted a little uncomfortably in his chair. "It turns out I might be able to help you with that. Once she'd shifted, I realized that I've seen her before."
"What?" Ross exclaimed, turning to stare at Luke in surprise. "You recognize her? How is that possible?"
"She and her brother were once part of this pack. Her name is Beth, he is Stephen."
Silence filled the room as the three White Fire pack members stared at Luke, shock filling them.
“They were part of your pack?” Jenny whispered, blinking a few times. “When?”
Luke sighed. “They stayed for less than six months. Of course, they were on probation at that time because we knew very little a
bout their history. He talked too much, but she said very little. He was brash and loud, but she was quiet and gentle.” Memories washed across his face. “I actually felt sorry for her, to be stuck with a brother like that, if that’s who he really was—is—to her. Anyway, after a few months, he told me that he’d decided this wasn’t the place for them and away they went.”
“And you never saw them again?” Ross asked, still confused. “Why would they do that?”
Shrugging, Luke sat back in his chair. “I wish I knew. Perhaps if I’d looked into them more, I might have been able to do something to stop this mess.”
Ross shook his head. “This isn’t on you, Luke. We’ve got to work together now to get rid of this threat for good.”
“But first food, right?” Luke grinned, easing the tension in the room. “We need to make sure you guys are back to full strength before you head on home.”
Jenny cleared her throat, her face still apprehensive. “I really appreciate your kindness, Luke. Thank you for the clothes.”
He grinned at her. “Not at all. We’re at peace now, you see. There isn’t any animosity between the packs anymore.”
Ross nodded. “And it’s done us all the world of good,” he said softly.
Nodding, Luke gestured to one of his shifters, who was hovering by the door. He brought in a tray filled with food, while another shifter laid out a pot of coffee and some mugs. “Please, eat,” Luke said once the shifters had left. “I can’t imagine how hungry you all must be.”
Ross grinned as Jenny leaned forward at once, grasping a sticky donut. “It’s been a while since we ate.”
Luke chuckled softly, although his eyes remained serious. “And soon you’re going to tell me exactly what happened?”
Letting out a long breath, Ross ran a hand through his hair. “Yes, of course. In fact, I think you might have a bit of a problem on your hands.”
Luke frowned. “What do you mean?”
Ross grimaced. “I think it’s a fair assessment to suggest that someone here was helping Davidson. I’m not sure how, but they knew we were coming here and no-one from my pack was helping them.” Quickly, he told them what Davidson has said when he’d mocked the shifter loyalty.
“It was an ambush,” Connor muttered. “They surprised us out of nowhere. There is no way they could just guess that we were coming this way.”
Luke let out a long breath, his eyes flickering with a dark emotion. “I don’t want to think that it could be true, but you’re right. They were here for six months after all.” He shook his head, before running a hand over his eyes. “I’ll see what I can do to look into it.”
“Thank you,” Ross said, quietly.
Luke cleared his throat. “Tell me about this Davidson. What do you know about him?”
Ross’s gaze flicked to Jenny, anger rising in his chest. “His name is Greg Davidson. His wife was a shifter, and, long story short, he blames us for our death.”
Jenny's hand touched his, and he grasped it firmly. She had been through so much already and had found the strength not only to face Davidson but to fight him. She was the reason Ross had not found himself with a tranquilizer dart in his chest. If she hadn't bitten Davidson's arm, he'd have pulled the trigger and Ross would have been fighting the effects of a powerful sedative. The entire fight might have turned out differently.
“And he took Jenny?” Luke asked, his eyes on Jenny who was now pouring herself a coffee.
"He did, yes, for reasons I won't go into right now. Thankfully, we found her and helped her to escape, only to discover Davidson's real intention is to hunt down and kill shifters. He wants to be rid of all of us."
The frown between Luke’s eyebrows grew heavier. “So, why didn’t he kill Jenny?”
Jenny shivered but when she spoke, her voice was clear. "I wouldn't shift for him. He can only kill us when we are in our animal forms, otherwise, it would just be straight-out murder as far as the authorities are concerned. So, he kept me in a cellar and kept trying and trying to get me to shift." She swallowed another mouthful of coffee before continuing, her voice rasping a little. "That's when I met the Damsons."
Luke nodded slowly. “And we have the sister, I believe.”
“Did anyone find the brother?”
Luke shook his head, making Ross’s heart sink into his stomach.
“They lost the scent, I’m afraid. He used the river.”
Taking in a long breath, Ross sat back and tried not to feel too disappointed. "I don't know what he intends to do now but at least he doesn't have Davidson with him anymore." A sudden thought struck him as he realized he didn't actually know what had happened to Davidson. The last he'd seen, he'd been running away from Jenny, presumably to find either his gun or his knife. "What happened to him, Jenny?"
She turned slightly worried eyes to him. “He fell off the edge,” she replied softly. “He was running away from me. It turns out he wasn’t as brave as he tried to make out. Unfortunately, he didn’t see the edge of the hill—the one that leads to a sheer drop.”
“Totally deserved,” Connor said under his breath, his eyes darker than Jenny had ever seen them.
Ross had to agree. “You had him in the end, Jenny,” he said quietly. “The man was afraid of you, afraid of your courage and strength. His death was his own fault. He should never have even started this attack on shifters.” He squeezed her hand gently and felt her return the pressure.
“I want to say something about the Damson shifter, though,” she continued, surprising him. “I don’t know—I don’t think everything’s OK with her.”
Connor let out a bark of laughter. “Of course she’s not OK! She was working with Davidson.”
Ross could practically see the frustration rolling off Jenny’s shoulders. “That’s not what I meant,” she said, trying to explain herself. “I remembered something about her. She never really joined in with her brother and with Davidson when it came to trying to get me to shift.” Her voice grew quieter. “In fact, she never said a word.”
“So, what are you suggesting?” Connor asked, his voice harsh. “That we just let her go so she can go back to her brother? She fought pretty hard, I can promise you that.”
Ross held up a hand, trying to get his brother to calm down. He didn’t really know what Jenny was saying, but he wanted to trust her instincts. “We’re not going to harm her, if that’s what you’re worried about, Jenny.”
“I know you have to find out more from her,” she replied, looking up at him. “I just feel like there’s a reason she was helping Davidson. Maybe not a good reason.”
Not knowing what to say, Ross glanced at Luke who was looking at Jenny thoughtfully.
“What are your plans now?” Luke asked, seemingly changing the subject.
“We were planning to leave Jenny with you, as you know, but things have changed now.” Ross’s brow furrowed in concentration. “I don’t think we need to do that anymore. We’ll have to talk to Beth, to find out where her brother might have gone, because there’s no way I’m letting him get away with what he did.”
Luke’s face grew grim. “Then we alert the other packs in the area that we’re looking for him. My pack will lead the way in searching for the Damson brother while I do some investigation of my own.”
Pausing for a moment, Ross made a decision. “If it’s OK with you, we’ll take the sister.”
Connor exploded at once. “What? Ross, you can’t be serious! I don’t want someone who’s betrayed us coming anywhere near our home.”
Jenny looked up at him, a small smile on her face, and Ross knew he’d made the right decision.
“You might not like it, Connor, but that’s what’s going to happen. We might be able to get more out of her back at our place, and it’s not like she’s going to be able to go anywhere. With Davidson out of the picture, we can go back to Rockshore and carry on the investigation from there.”
“I’m coming too, right?” Jenny asked as Connor continued to mutter fur
iously under his breath. “I don’t need to stay.”
Ignoring his brother and Luke’s presence, Ross leaned over and kissed her, hard. “Of course you are,” he said so softly that only she could hear. “I need you beside me, Jenny.”
She smiled up at him, her eyes finally clear of the nagging fear she’d held ever since she’d escaped from Davidson’s home. “Good,” she replied before kissing him again.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jenny pressed her fingers together, trying to battle the nerves settling in the pit of her stomach as she walked into the bedroom. Two shifters stood at the edge of the door, ensuring it was kept open while she tried to talk with Beth. The room was quite dark with only the skylight window letting through a little light. It was already growing close to night time, but Beth hadn’t got up from the bed to put on the lamp. Jenny did it for her, managing to take a good look at Beth for the first time.
She sat cross-legged on the bed, pressing her back against the wall. Her face was tipped toward her knees, her long brown hair hiding her features. Her broken arm was set in a cast, but she cradled it in her left arm anyway. She didn't look up as Jenny walked over to her.
“You didn’t want to eat?” Jenny asked softly, surprised at the lack of anger she felt. She pointed to the tray that sat on the small table to Beth’s left. It had a coffee pot and a plate of donuts, fruit, and something that looked like a filled roll sitting on it. Beth hadn’t touched a morsel. “After our fight, you’ll need something.”
Loved by The Alpha Wolf (The Lone Wolf Book 1) Page 12
