“I can’t thank you all enough for the support and the acceptance you’ve shown me. I wasn’t expecting it.” Scott paused. He gave her mom another quick squeeze and then left, picking up the bags on the way out of the house.
She turned to her mother and gave her as much of a hug as she could manage. Her body screamed at every movement. “I love you, mom.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart. Take care of yourself and that man.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Margaret yawned and adjusted in the seat. She squinted her eyes against the brightness of the desert landscape. Lots of sand. Some grass. Nothing special.
“Hey, feeling better?” Scott’s voice rumbled, vibrating through her body. It was a familiar and comfortable sensation.
“Yeah.” She stretched her arms, thankful the pain was beginning to fade. “How far did we get during that nap? Are Heath and Kate still following us?”
“No, they turned around about fifty miles back. No one out here but us and the occasional tractor trailer.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“The next stop off for gas is Fillmore. You getting hungry? I know it’s only four, but I plan on driving straight through to Salt Lake City. We’ll spend the night there and then head the rest of the way up into the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National forest.”
“That’s a mouthful and yes to the food, please…you live in a national forest?”
His mouth curved upward. “It’s beautiful.”
She smiled. The light in his eyes said it all. He loved his home and if he loved it that much, she would too. “I can’t wait to see it.”
“You can shift and walk for miles without ever seeing any people.”
“Sounds like a good place to hide.”
“It’s rapidly becoming a base of operations for this war. I talked to my dad some while you were unconscious. Apparently the families have really come together for this and are helping the other supernaturals in the area.”
“You sound so surprised. It will take all of us working together to completely break the hold the Council has on us?”
“I don’t think you grasp just how solitary most bears are. They like their space and their privacy. I’ve never in all my time, heard of them working together or with any other supernaturals. It just doesn’t happen.”
He pulled the car over and parked in front of a small mom and pop diner. It reminded her of Joe’s. I hope Sarah is okay.
“Stefan will take care of his family. That’s why he’s here.”
I know. I just hope they don’t get caught in the middle of this mess.
“They have the pack, whether they are aware of it or not. Don’t worry about your friend.”
She slipped out of his truck and pushed the door closed. The intoxicating smell of beef, brown sugar, tomato, and vinegar filtered into her nose. Her taste buds did a little dance and she flashed a smile at Scott.
He grinned. “I thought you might like some barbeque.”
“I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I smelled it.” She hurried toward the door, pausing briefly to make sure he was right behind her.
They sat down, ordered a couple baskets of ribs, and relaxed. It was quiet. Only a handful of people were in the diner with them. Not much of a four o’clock dinner rush. Dishes clinked in the background and some old Willie Nelson music played on the overhead.
She finished off her last rib and sat back in the booth. Her eyes followed the one waitress on duty as she wove through the seated tables, filling water and removing dirty dishes. Movement at the door caught her focus and then the scent of another wolf flooded into the diner.
Scott sat up straight, but motioned for her not to move.
The shifter walked into the diner and strolled toward their table. He grinned and slid onto the bench beside her, trapping her between him and the wall. Magick flared between herself and Scott. A low growl rumbled in his chest, but nobody made a move. There were humans seated throughout and a state trooper only three tables over.
“Your friends didn’t think twice about a tractor trailer following you out of the city.” He scoffed. “As if I hadn’t been watching you the entire time. I know your pack has Peter and had his daughters. Peter may be a lost cause to us now, but Renata's parents want their granddaughters. You are going to take me to them. Now.”
Margaret fought to slow her breathing. She couldn’t clear her mind. His leather and oil scent was bringing back everything. Panic. Terror. Pain. Her chest rose and fell and she pressed herself as close to the wall as she could manage, putting a little more space between herself and the agent.
“Get up and walk away right now,” Scott growled under his breath. Specks of gold flickered in his eyes and waves of magick flowed from his body. He was ready to shift at the slightest provocation.
He can’t. Not in front of all these humans. We can’t do anything.
“Then use the humans.”
Margaret searched the diner. The trooper was her only viable option.
“I don’t know what you’re looking for, bitch. But no one here can help you.”
“Officer! Help!” She shouted and slithered underneath the table. The agent reached for her and caught the edge of her t-shirt. Scott’s hand clamped on her arm and tossed her clear of the booth. He stood, carefully placing himself between the agent and her.
The state trooper advanced with his gun drawn.
“Fucking bitch,” growled the agent.
“Officer, he’s threatened my life. Please help us,” she begged and crawled closer to the door. Scott inclined his head toward the exit. Good. He’d figured out her plan.
“Ma’am just stay back,” the officer directed.
“He’s going to kill my m-man,” she corrected quickly. “My boyfriend.”
“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to put your hands in the air. We will need to go down to the station to sort out this situation.”
The agent smiled at the trooper and raised his hands. “Of course officer. This has all been a big misunderstanding.”
The trooper relaxed his stance, but Scott dove for the door, scooping her up on his way out. Glass broke and metal screeched. The door flew off its hinges and landed in the middle of the parking lot. Lots of yelling and screaming followed their exit, but he pushed her into the truck just as the agent crashed through the opening.
She ducked in the seat and peered over the edge of the door. Scott charged the wolf shifter. The sun glinted off a blade just before they collided and Scott roared, sounding more bear than man at that point. They separated and the blood dripped from the knife blade. His pain rippled through the bond to her and tears poured down her cheeks.
This was not happening. She wasn’t going to watch this asshole take away the most precious person in her life. The shirt came off first. Then the jeans and underwear. She opened the door, let the magick wash over her and leapt from the cab of the pickup.
She planted herself on all four paws next to Scott and snarled. People were fleeing to their cars, doing their damndest just to get the hell out of there. The state trooper was nowhere to be seen. She could only imagine what the agent had done to him.
It was just them now and it ended here.
“Getting your woman to fight for you, O’Hearn?”
Margaret snarled again. He better not think he can goad Scott into being stupid. Cause I’m going to rip his fucking head off before that happens.
“Scott is fine. Just watch him."
She glanced up and caught his gaze. He was in complete control. He wasn't letting this guy get to him and his confidence spread to her through their bond.
“It's okay, love. We’ll fight this asshole together.” He smirked at the agent and let a growl rumble from deep in his chest. Then he moved to the left.
She circled to the right. For a split second, she saw fear in the agent’s eyes. He twisted back and forth, trying to watch them both.
Scott huffed and Margaret charged, leaping onto the agen
t’s back and biting down hard on the arm with the knife. Scott came from the front. He ripped the knife from the agent’s hand and sliced cleanly through his throat. She jumped clear of the crumpling body. Scott tossed the blade toward the diner and sank to his knees, groaning.
She trotted up and licked his face, whimpering at the bloodstain around the gaping slice in his blue and white plaid shirt.
“It’s nothing, darl’n. Just a scratch that’s already starting to mend itself.”
She woofed and ran over to the truck. If he was fine, they needed to get moving. Cops would be crawling all over this place soon.
He nodded, climbed to his feet, and walked to her side. After opening the passenger door for her, he went around and climbed into the driver’s seat.
“You did good, Margaret.” She woofed. He scratched her behind the ears and she licked his hands. “Are you going to stay like this for a while?”
She barked and spread out across the bench seat of the pickup, laying her head across his right thigh. Damn right, she was staying like this. There had been no time for a good shift in days and her wolf was enjoying the freedom. She took a deep breath of his piney scent and closed her eyes.
***
She crouched low to the ground, hiding in the overgrown excuse for a garden. The noise of an approaching truck, alerted her long before they pulled into the driveway. Either Peter had returned or he'd sent more of his men to the slaughter. Whichever it was, they were dead. She cocked the tranq gun and waited.
She had no use for Peter. She’d found out from the agent in Vegas, before he stopped answering his phone that her girls were in the Tetons.
Fucking bears! They had to send them to the one shifter nation that the Council would rather pretend didn't even exist. Those ferocious overgrown monsters got away with whatever they wanted.
"But my girls are safe from you."
I'll get them back, Renata. Everyone eventually makes a mistake.
She crept forward, scenting her mate, his Beta, and several others. Oh, goody. I get all the family heads at once. But another scent made her freeze in her tracks. She hadn't seen her brother in over a century, but family was not a scent you ever forgot. What was Stefan doing here? He was an assassin. Was he here to kill her? Peter would never have gone along with that. He still thought he could save his darling Renata.
"I am still here."
Only so I can torment you and make you watch as I tear your life apart.
A grin curved the corners of her lips. She could feel Renata's pain and it fed her anger. Her desire for revenge against the system that had robbed her of everything she should have had. Against the pack that represented everything she'd lost.
It was their turn to feel loss.
She crept silently around the corner of the house. The men were climbing out of the big SUV and walking slowly to the porch. She aimed and fired. The silent darts took down all six males in a matter a seconds.
"Please, you don't have to do this!" Renata screamed in the back of her mind.
Of course I do. They will either lock me up or kill me.
"You could at least try to talk to them. Your brother is there, too. Would you kill your brother?"
I won't get another chance. The element of surprise is the only reason they are on the ground right now and I'm not.
"You don't know that! Please! Think of the families."
"I am."
She walked up to each man, pulled out the dart, and stuffed it into her pocket. There would never be a chance to thank Peter for stocking the house like an armory. She paused over the body of her mate. A twinge of feeling washed over her, but the hatred won out. Her brother lay next to him.
Dear, broken-hearted, Stefan. He'd run away and pledged his life to the Council after his human mate had been killed. She scoffed. He'd become the very thing that'd taken his love from him. An assassin. But, it had saved his child.
It wouldn't save them now. Latent wolves were an abomination. The Council would welcome her back with open arms if she brought them her brother's half-breed children. She needed into the Council's inner circle. She needed find the one that sentenced Henry to death and then her revenge would be complete.
She backed away a few steps and stripped out of her clothes. Magick rippled across her skin like a dark shroud. Her wolf form came forth and she growled with satisfaction. The scent of the men in front of her was intoxicating.
Their blood would be even better.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Margaret opened her eyes and stretched. She licked her lips and sat up with a start. She shook her ears in amusement. She didn't fall asleep in wolf form very often.
They weren't moving and Scott was staring out the window. She leaned against him and rubbed her shoulder into his side. He barely moved and when he turned and met her gaze, she saw pain reflected in his eyes. Magick rolled over her body in an instant and she shifted back to human form.
"What it is it?"
"Margaret, I'm so sorry." He paused and swallowed, running his hands through his short wavy brown hair.
Gods, what was so horrible he couldn't even get out? She spied her cell phone laying on the dash and snatched it. Five missed calls and one voicemail —all from her mom.
Dad!
She punched the code and listened to her mother hysterical voice. Tears flowed down her cheeks. She listened to the message again. It couldn't be true. They couldn't all be gone. She sobbed and punched the code again, but Scott took the phone from her.
"No!" She screamed and clawed for the small black cell phone. "No! No! No!"
She struggled in his arms for a few moment and then just collapsed into them, weeping. Her pack, her family had been torn apart and she was in the mountains with her mate, safe and sound. She didn't deserve to be safe. Her dad and uncles didn't deserve to be dead. How could this happen?
She pushed away from Scott, trembling. It was pitch black outside except for one porch light. There were no sounds of cars, no sounds of people. They were alone.
Another sob tore through her chest. She moved to the door, opened it, slid from the seat, and ran. Within two strides she had shifted back into wolf form. Scott didn't try to follow and he didn't call to her, but she could feel his sympathy and compassion through their bond. He felt her pain. He knew she would come back when she was ready.
The moon hung bright in the sky and she could see perfectly in the thick forest as she ran. Her padded feet flew along the forest floor. The scent of pine filled her nostrils, reminding her of Scott. She howled, crying for her pack, for her mother and aunts, for her best friend who'd lost her father, too.
She slowed as she came into a flat clearing. The wind blew gently through the treetops, rustling the leaves. An owl hooted somewhere close by. The silence was deafening. She sat on her hunches and mourned, her howls carrying her pain to the sky. The moonlight bathed her in its soft light, but nothing could stanch the flowing anguish in her heart. She should be with her family.
It wasn't fair.
She sang to the moon until there was nothing left to give. Her heart was broken. She'd failed her family.
This Council bullshit had stolen a part of her life she could never get back. They would pay. The pack would rise up and they would all pay for their sins.
Renata Demakis would be first.
Stefan's half-breed children would be a blessing in disguise, but it would be up to what was left of the Vegas pack to find them and help them discover their new identity. A half-breed was only latent until an alpha woke the wolf within them. Once the wolf's soul awakened in the human body, the magick would do the rest. Now more than ever, the North American packs needed full-grown adult wolves. The Vegas Pack was young, full of children.
The war had started and Renata had brought it into their house. Everyone would be out for blood and Renata Demakis was out for theirs.
***
Morning was dawning. The sun peeked above the horizon as she trotted out of the forest into the c
learing that sprawled in front of the cabin she'd run away from last night. Scott's truck sat parked in front and wisps of smoke curled from the chimney. The cabin was quite a bit bigger than she'd first thought. It was very large and two stories tall. More of a hidden mountain lodge, surprising since he said his family didn't socialize much and he live alone.
She froze, crouching to the ground. A large black SUV came tearing down the road and pulled to a stop in front of the cabin. A man and a woman got out and hurried up the path to the front door. Scott opened it a moment later and hugged both of them. He scanned the clearing and settled his gaze on the bit of brush she was hiding beneath.
“Come inside when you are ready. My parents would like to meet you.” His voice was low, but she could hear him perfectly. Even now, he was giving her space. She’d disappeared all night. Yet, there were no demands leaving his lips. He was letting her do what she needed. His warmth and compassion flowed through their bond and she found herself trotting to his side. She needed him. He was her rock in all of this horrible mess.
He smiled. “Good morning, love,” he cooed as she bounded up the steps onto the porch. She paused when he leaned down and relished the fabulousness that was a good scratch behind the ears. His hands were large, firm, and ever so gentle. She rubbed against his nearest leg and woofed.
“Come in,” he spoke again, “I put your clothes in our bedroom.”
Our bedroom. So strange to hear that.
“You are mates.”
I know, but I’m an only child. I’ve never shared a room before…or a closet.
“It will be fine.”
She followed him into the house and stopped abruptly. The scent of bear was a little overwhelming, not to mention his parents were giants, too. His dad the same height as Scott, putting him around seven feet tall. Two seven-foot men in one room was intimidating, but throw in a mother who measures around six-foot-five and there just wasn’t a lot of space left. A whimper escaped and she backed into one of Scott’s tree-trunk sized legs.
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