Rogue Wolf

by J. C. Diem

  “Kala and Reece should snap out of it soon. We’ll be okay on our own. We’ll take Mark back to our base and arrange medical treatment for him.”

  Holding out his hand, he shook mine tightly enough for my bones to creak. “I don’t know who you people are, but you have my gratitude.”

  “Anytime,” I replied with a faint smile.

  “I’ll come back tomorrow and dispose of the bodies. I don’t think this cave has been documented yet, but I don’t want any humans stumbling across it by accident.” He picked up the hiker and took his backpack when Flynn handed it to him. Still a little unsteady, he staggered outside.

  “Who put Lexi in charge while we were being munched on?” Kala asked groggily. She was nursing a bottle of water that she’d been sipping from since she’d first come around.

  “Hey,” I protested. “I saved your butt! A little gratitude would be nice.”

  “I’ll thank you after I’ve had some coffee,” was her sour response.

  Reece laughed weakly and shook some of the fog from his mind. “How is Mark?” he asked as he straightened up from his slouched position.

  “He’s stable,” Flynn replied. “I agree with Lexi. Let’s get out of here. We can call a medic and get them to meet us back at our base.”

  Mark’s phone was the only one that was still working. It had a far longer battery life than ours. Reece scrolled through the numbers while we packed our belongings back into our packs. Selecting a number, he waited for it to be answered. “This is Agent Reece Garrett. I need a medic at the TAK Squad base in West Virginia. We should arrive around eight hours from now.”

  That was a guess. We had no idea how long it would take us to return to the SUV. Hopefully, Ranger Delgado would know roughly where we were and his trail would lead us back to the parking lot.

  “Who requires the medical treatment?” a female voice asked.

  “Agent Steel.”

  “What is the nature of his injury?”

  “He was bitten by a succubus. His condition is stable, but he’ll need intravenous fluids for the next few days.”

  “A medic will meet you at the appointed time.”

  “Thank you.” He hung up then used the phone to take photos of the succubae, Mark and what was left of Reggie.

  “Who do we call if one of us needs medical attention?” I asked Flynn as he gently picked Mark up. We couldn’t allow ourselves to be taken to a normal hospital. A simple blood test would be enough to identify us as being non-human.

  “We’ve always healed without requiring medical intervention so far. If we had to call someone in, I think Mark would bring in the same doctor who treated you when you were a baby. He’s a friend of Mark’s and they’ve known each other for a long time.”

  I hid my pain at the reminder of my past. It added to the depression that was slowly starting to settle within me. Reece had barely looked at me since he’d woken from his dream. He’d slammed the door shut between us and he was hiding his emotions from me.

  For a short time, he’d lived in his idea of a perfect world. It had been snatched away from him when he’d woken to discover that it wasn’t real. How could he ever be satisfied with me now that he knew what he was missing out on?

  Zeus had been keeping watch outside while the team had been recovering. He barked happily and almost bowled Kala over when she emerged into the weak dawn light.

  “Knock it off!” she said harshly.

  Cringing away, he slunk over to me and leaned against me for support. “If it wasn’t for Zeus, we’d still all be strung up in that cave,” I told her tightly. “It would be nice if you could treat him with a little more tolerance.”

  “That mangy mongrel saved us?” she said incredulously, pointing a shaky finger at him. “How?”

  “First, he woke me up from my dream. Then he tore the mother succubus’ throat out when I was losing my fight with her.”

  She stared at the Rottweiler in stunned amazement then surprised everyone by walking over and hunkering down to hug him. Zeus sent me a doubtful look, but he permitted her to squeeze him tightly.

  I sniggered and she glared at me over her shoulder. “What?”

  “He says you smell like a molting cat.”

  “I do not!” she protested then turned to Flynn. “Do I?”

  He waggled his hand from side to side. “Kind of. It gets worse the closer we get to the full moon.”

  That was only a few days away now and we still hadn’t found the werewolf pack that had drawn us here in the first place.

  Reminded of our original task, I forged the way. I made a path through the thick underbrush for the others. Reece brought up the rear. The others didn’t seem to notice that he was staying as far away from me as possible. It was glaringly obvious to me.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Even following Ranger Delgado’s trail, it took us nearly two hours to make our way back to the SUV. We were all too weak and exhausted to move very quickly.

  Our vehicle was still parked next to the hiking trail where we’d left it. Bruce’s jeep was gone, but his tracks were fresh. He’d only left about half an hour before us.

  Reece automatically moved to climb into the driver’s seat, but I stopped him. “I think I should drive. I wasn’t as badly affected as the rest of you.”

  Studying my face and finding me to be fairly steady, he shrugged and handed me the keys. “I’ll sit in the back and keep an eye on Mark.” It was just an excuse to avoid me, but I didn’t let on that I knew what he was up to. It was my desperate hope that he just needed to process all that he’d been through and that he’d come around soon.

  “I call shotgun,” Kala said before Flynn could beat her to it. He scowled at her, but he didn’t dispute her claim. He let Zeus into the back then we stuffed our bags inside.

  “What are we going to do about the van and our luggage?” I asked the team in general when we were all buckled in safely.

  “I’ll take care of it,” Reece replied. Using Mark’s phone again, he called the Cleanup Crew. In a few short sentences, he arranged for our bills to be paid and for our luggage and the black van to be delivered to our base.

  Drawn and weary, we were mostly silent during the long drive back to our compound. I kept to the limit rather than speeding. My reflexes were excellent, but I didn’t want to test them when I was this exhausted.

  At last, I turned onto the road that would carry us to the compound. I felt a flash of pain each time we passed one of the crosses that had been erected to keep my mother out. It had been a waste of effort on Mark’s part because she’d shown no signs of following us here.

  It had only taken us seven hours in total to reach the compound, but a white van was already parked in the driveway. I pulled up behind it and a woman climbed out. Average height, she wore a white t-shirt and dark blue shorts that revealed shapely legs.

  “She can treat my injuries anytime,” Flynn said in admiration as she walked towards us.

  I powered my window down and she did a double take when she saw my face. She was probably surprised by my youthfulness. “I hear you have a man down,” she bent down to say. She ran her gaze over the three men in the back and came to a stop on our boss.

  I glanced into the rearview mirror to see Mark propped up between the guys. His head was resting on Flynn’s shoulder and his breathing was even. Zeus had curled up out of sight in the back.

  “Thanks for meeting us here,” Kala told her and zapped the gate open with the remote control that was always stored in the glove box. We each had one in our backpacks as well, just in case we became separated and had to ‘borrow’ another car. “Go on up to the base. We’ll be right behind you.”

  I braced myself for the stinging internal pain as I followed the van through the gate. It swung shut behind us and the pain faded long before we reached the base. Kala used the remote control to open the garage door and the van drove inside. I backed into our usual spot. It was weird to see a white va
n rather than a black one in the space beside us.

  The medic waited for Flynn to climb out then took his seat. She listened to Mark’s heart through a stethoscope then thumbed his eyelids back and shone a flashlight into his eyes. “He’s stable, his heart is fine and he’s responding to light normally. I think he’s going to be fine. Let’s get him to bed so I can hook him up to an IV.”

  Reece and Flynn carried Mark over to the door, pretending to be normal humans for the medic’s benefit. Kala opened the door for them and they all disappeared inside. I delayed entering and waited for Zeus to finish emptying his bladder. Glad to be home, he trotted along at my side as I entered the garage again.

  Triggering the button to close the garage door, I grabbed my bags from the SUV then scanned my palm to open the door to the long corridor. Zeus pushed ahead of me when I opened the door to the main area. He was hungry again, so I fed him before heading upstairs. I gave him some extra biscuits. He’d lost weight while he’d been desperately searching for us and I wanted him to get back to his usual healthy condition.

  Mark’s door was open and I stepped inside. He’d been bathed and was wearing a fresh white t-shirt. One arm was resting on top of the blankets. A needle was in the back of his hand and was linked to an IV stand. The medic had wheeled in one of the chairs from the coms and was keeping watch over him.

  “I’m Lexi,” I told her.

  Her smile was friendly and curious. “I’m Alicia.” Her hair was a rich chestnut brown and hung to her chin. When she smiled, she went from being mildly pretty to almost beautiful.

  “Will you be staying long?”

  “I’ll be here until Agent Steel wakes up and he can prove that he’s fit for duty,” she confirmed.

  “Good,” I said with heartfelt relief. None of us were equipped to deal with an unconscious person. “Just ask if you need anything. We’ll be happy to get it for you.”

  “I’d kill for a cup of coffee,” she said hopefully.

  “Get in line,” Kala muttered on her way past the door. Thankfully, she spoke too quietly for Alicia to hear her.

  “How do you take it?”

  “Plain black, no sugar.”

  “I’ll ask Kala to make you one.”

  “I’d appreciate it.”

  Backtracking to the coms room, I knocked on the glass wall to get Kala’s attention. As I’d guessed, she was at the coffee machine. She’d taken a quick shower and her wet hair was spiked out in all directions. “Can you make Alicia a black coffee without sugar?” I called.

  “Sure,” she shouted back a little too loudly. I shook my head at her and she stuck out her tongue. Zeus was sitting at her feet and was staring up at her intently. He’d demolished his food and was hoping for more.

  Retreating to my room, I locked the door and took a long, hot shower. Two doors down from mine, Reece was doing the same. He’d dropped his shields enough for me to pick up on his confusion. For a short time, he’d believed that he was happy with me. His dream had shown him how his life was supposed to have turned out and he was now struggling with disappointment.

  He wasn’t the only one who was disheartened. It was crushing to feel cherished one moment then to suffer this kind of rejection the next. The knowledge that he was now regretting our bond more than ever hurt more than I could express. I’d had two short days of bliss and now my happiness was ruined. If I could have brought the succubae back and killed them all over again, I would have. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a necromancer and I didn’t have that kind of power.

  When I finally felt clean again, I stepped out of the shower and inspected my reflection. I was a little too thin, but the succubae had left few traces of herself on me. I checked the back of my neck and it was unmarked. Shifters healed from most injuries. It was only bites from others of our kind, or from vampires that tended to leave a mark.

  I had four permanent scars on me now. My right shoulder bore my mother’s bite. Reece had marked my left shoulder and Kala and Flynn had bitten me on the left wrist. I had a bond with all four of them. My link with Reece was the strongest, with my undead mother coming in as a close second. I could barely feel Kala and Flynn at all, but they were still linked to me. We’d been thrown together through chance and now we were all tied together in a complicated web.

  On the verge of breaking into sobs, I sniffed back my tears. I wasn’t a kid anymore and I couldn’t allow myself to act like one. I was an agent of the Paranormal Investigation Agency and I was also an alpha werewolf, if a young one. I knew better than most that life didn’t always work out as I’d hoped or planned. There was nothing I could do to change anything that had happened. I’d just have to suck it up and deal with it.

  Kala had coffee waiting for me in the living room when I descended the stairs. She stood when I approached her and pulled me in for a rib creaking hug. “Thank you for saving our butts,” she said then planted a kiss on my cheek.

  “You’d have done the same for me,” I replied and shrugged in embarrassment.

  Flynn appeared at the top of the stairs. “I’d like to know how you managed to break free from the dream.”

  Reece was right behind him and gave him a warning poke in the ribs, silently reminding him that we weren’t alone. They waited until they’d reached us before they continued the conversation.

  “How did Zeus get through to you?” Flynn persisted after he took a seat. They’d both showered and changed. We all wore t-shirts and either jeans or cargo pants. Reece was wearing a shirt for once as well. It was probably for Alicia’s sake.

  “I don’t know. I was caught in the dream and I felt a presence in the back of my head. I didn’t realize it was Zeus trying to reach me at first. He distracted me enough for me to realize that the things I was seeing weren’t real.”

  “What did you dream about?” Kala asked me curiously. Reece dropped his eyes to the mug that she’d placed on the coffee table in anticipation of us all joining her.

  “I was an Army sniper, of course,” I said as lightly as possible and left it at that.

  “I should have guessed,” she smirked.

  “What did you dream about?” Flynn asked her.

  “I had a stable of pretty men to pick and choose from,” she said dreamily. “I almost wish I hadn’t woken up.”

  “Why am I not surprised that an orgy is your idea of a perfect life?” He shook his head in mock disgust.

  “What was your ideal world?” she challenged.

  He frowned, turning serious again. “I dreamt we were on a mission.”

  “This is what makes you happy?” Reece said skeptically and gestured at us and the base that we were sitting in.

  “I guess so,” he shrugged.

  “What about you, Garrett?” Kala said. “What was your happy place like?”

  For a second, I was reminded of the blond in his dream. She’d also called him Garrett rather than Reece. It was curious, but probably unimportant.

  “I was the alpha of my own pack.” His answer was short and clipped.

  “Was Lexi in your pack?”

  “Of course,” he lied.

  Flynn frowned slightly. He’d picked up the lie either in his tone or in his scent. I kept my expression neutral, but it was a struggle. “Was Reece in your dream?” he asked me.

  I debated about lying, but they all knew how I felt about him so I nodded. “We were married and we were both human. I was six months pregnant with our third child and was on maternity leave from the Army.”

  “You were pregnant with your third kid?” Kala said in shock. “Were the first two boys or girls?”

  “They were twin boys. The third one was going to be a girl.” A hint of wistfulness crept into my tone despite how hard I fought to keep it in. Reece wasn’t the only one who was living a life that was far from his ideal. I’d had to sacrifice my lifelong dreams when he’d turned me into a shifter.

  She shook her head and Reece did his best to pretend he couldn’t feel my pain that my dreams would forever be de
nied. Neither of us would ever be human again and we’d never have normal, stable lives.

  “I seriously can’t believe that a harem of men is your idea of perfect happiness,” Flynn said to Kala, thankfully deflecting the conversation away from me. “There’s just something really wrong with that.”

  “I like sex,” she said flatly. “Get over it. Better yet, maybe you should try it sometime.”

  I had to put my mug down when I was overcome with a bout of near hysterical laughter at his affronted expression.

  Alicia appeared at the top of the stairs and looked down at me in concern. “Is everything alright down there?” she said loudly.

  “Don’t mind Lexi,” Kala called back. “She gets giggly sometimes.” That was a lie. I’d never had a breakdown like this before. “Don’t make me slap you,” she warned me in a low voice. She was deadly serious, which helped me to control my laughter.

  Watching me narrowly for a few seconds, Alicia finally nodded and returned to her vigil at Mark’s bedside.

  “What was that about?” Flynn asked me.

  “Your expression was priceless,” I said and almost descended into giggles again.

  “I’m starving,” Kala declared. “What’s for lunch?”

  The Cleanup Crew had stocked the fridge and cupboards with fresh food in our absence. Reece had organized the food delivery using Mark’s phone during the trip back to our base. It was on the charger at the moment, as were the rest of our phones.

  Flynn made a gigantic stack of sandwiches. I ate until I thought my stomach would burst then put a few sandwiches on a plate and carried them up to Alicia. Pausing in the coms room, I grabbed a chair and wheeled it into Mark’s room.

  Alicia’s gaze latched onto the plate as soon as I stepped inside. “I thought you might be hungry,” I said and handed it to her.

  “Good call,” she said with a smile and took the plate. She cradled it on her lap and dug in.

  I waited for her to finish eating before I voiced a question. “What’s the prognosis?” Mark had lost weight, but his color was better now that he was hooked up to an IV.