by Fel Fern
“Go away,” he murmured. “I want to die.”
For such a small woman, she squeezed his fingers to the point of pain, making him gasp. Despite being in her early twenties, most of the pack members saw her as some kind of mother, sister, and friend. She always had kind eyes, but it was the first time A.J. had seen her usually brown eyes turn golden with rage. The look reminded A.J. of her huge and powerful brothers, the pack Alpha and Beta.
Her voice came out like steel. “You said you found your mate, A.J. Live, so you can see him again.”
“I couldn’t save him. Look at me. I’m a fucking mess, and what can a one-armed shifter do?”
Her slap shocked him.
“Ouch.”
“Get over yourself. You said you saved him once. You can do it again.” There was steel in her voice.
“I can’t even save myself,” A.J. whispered.
She coaxed the story out of him and A.J. realized she kept him talking so he would remain conscious. The next thing A.J. knew, the pack healer, Doc, came hurrying into the alley with his kit in hand. Michella gave Doc some space, but didn’t go far, and A.J. was relieved. Michella, and even Dino, watched him cautiously.
Over the months, A.J. had forgotten he had a family of his own that cared about him. Michella made the effort to drop by and chat, despite her duties as Gamma. Other pack members constantly made excuses to ask him out, and A.J. refused them each time. Unlike Brian, he wasn’t alone. But, with that logic, Brian had him, too.
A.J. grunted when Doc extracted the silver bullets, but he refused to scream. He thought of Brian, frightened and alone, locked inside the trunk of that damn bounty hunter’s car. With his head screwed firmly back in place, A.J. remembered the way the man moved, almost like a shifter, despite smelling distinctively human. Doc finished bandaging him up.
“He needs rest, plenty of it,” Doc was saying to Michella. “I’m going to give him painkillers to sleep.”
“No!” A.J. said sharply. “I can’t afford to rest. Fuck, I got things to do, places to be.”
Doc pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose and gave him a severe look. “Excuse me?”
A.J. looked at the Gamma, or rather, glowered at her. It seemed she understood. Michella smiled. “A.J., you have a different look in your eyes now.”
“I was a dick,” A.J. concurred.
“Still are,” Dino muttered, staring daggers at him.
As Michella’s personal enforcer, A.J. supposed he had the right. Dino or Raul, another enforcer, would give him dirty looks every time they picked Michella up from his place, as if A.J. would somehow steal her for himself. The pack members always made bets when Dino and Raul would summon the courage to finally take Michella as their mate. Dino and Michella helped him to his feet.
“The man who kidnapped Brian, he injected himself with some kind of formula that made him faster and stronger, like us.”
Michella frowned, but didn’t look as shocked as A.J. thought she would have.
“You knew the humans were developing this?” A.J. demanded.
“Sergio, Alessio, and I haven’t told our suspicions to the pack. We’ve gotten some reports and gossip, but no physical proof.” Dino and Michella managed to get A.J. into the backseat of Dino’s truck. Doc joined A.J. in the back, checking his bandages and muttering under his breath.
“It’s real. Better to believe it. Doc, help me sit up,” A.J. muttered, wincing as Doc helped prop him up. Dino took the wheel and Michella rode shotgun. “But we need to get to Brian first. Please.”
A.J. added the last word as an afterthought.
“You’re in no condition to fight,” Doc interrupted. “Especially if what you said about these humans and their secret weapon is true.”
“I think the human that got away doesn’t have a lot of backup. They’d have to keep their team small, otherwise one of our wolves or allies would notice a suspicious human, toting ammunition, cruising around town.”
Michella nodded. “I’m calling my contacts. Dino, drive.”
“Where to?” Dino asked.
“Roll down the windows, I can still smell Brian’s scent.” A.J.’s wolf told him they weren’t far behind.
If the bald guy had been stalking Brian for a while, he should have some kind of hideaway in Darkfall. After the pack destroyed the experimental labs of Alpine Industries, the humans must have learned their lesson and set up shop elsewhere. A.J. had hoped the guy he shot in the alley would be still alive for questioning. Unfortunately, the guy had died and A.J. had to call up some of his pack members to help clean up the mess. The remaining kidnapper must be some kind of hired mercenary, employed by Alpine Industries. What better place to hide than directly underneath their noses?
“You people are insane,” Doc muttered. “Gamma, I expected more of you.”
Michella put the phone on hold to answer Doc. “Doc, I’ve seen a couple of our pack members find their mates over the past few months, including my brothers. We werewolves do crazy things when our mates are in trouble. Believe me, this is mitigating the damage.”
She made a few calls. A.J. tried picking up his mate’s scent again, but it had faded.
“According to our wereraven contact, he’d seen suspicious activity in one of the abandoned houses on Lavender Street.”
A.J. frowned. “If I recall, that entire street is closed off, about to be turned into a new development.”
“It’s on the outskirts of town, too,” Dino added. “Our town patrols seldom touch that area.”
“There are two other locations,” Michella said.
It was a risk, A.J. knew, because if they made a mistake, he might end up losing Brian. Once Brian was out of Darkfall territory, it would be much harder to find him. A.J.’s gut instinct told him it was that house.
“Let’s go to Lavender Street,” he interrupted.
“I’ll send other wolves to the other locations, just in case,” Michella said.
After she finished organizing the other teams, A.J. was impressed and a little humbled. He had to ask, “Why are you helping me? Why would the others?”
“Did you forget, A.J.? We look after our own. You would have done the same for any of us, even though you’ve been…difficult,” she said.
“Yeah, I’ve been stuck in my own private hell for so long, it took one sexy Omega and getting shot to wake me up again,” A.J. mumbled.
“This Omega must be something.”
Even if A.J. couldn’t see her expression from the back, he knew she was smiling.
“You know, Alessio and Sergio told me I was wasting my time, trying to get you back to the land of the living,” she mused.
“You didn’t, though,” A.J. pointed out.
“No, every life is worth saving,” she sounded wistful, a little sad almost. Through the rearview mirror, A.J. noticed Dino giving her a look.
“Anyway,” she continued. “Once we get there, A.J., you’ll stay behind.”
“What? I need to come. Brian doesn’t know any of you,” A.J. protested. He knew his logic was sound. He was injured and unable to shift. A.J. trusted his family, but it was his face he wanted Brian to see.
“Doc’s going to stay behind to make sure you’ll stay put,” Michella continued. She turned her head to look at him. “A.J., what’s the use if you’re dead and Brian’s saved?”
A.J. didn’t like it one bit, but she had a point. “Fine, but I’m going in if you guys take too long.”
Dino grunted. “Michella, you shouldn’t go in. The pack can’t risk you.”
“I’m not helpless, Dino,” she answered, sounding annoyed.
“I know, but—”
“Dino’s right,” Doc said to everyone’s surprise. “Stay with A.J. I’ll go with Dino.”
They arrived at the neighborhood now. Empty, dilapidated houses and untrimmed grass peered back at them. The place looked eerily quiet, like a ghost town. Dino killed the engine two houses away from where they suspected the mercenary was hol
ed up with Brian. The car remained parked in the driveway of a house, so the mercenary wouldn’t see them coming.
“Wow, I appreciate you all being considerate,” A.J. couldn’t keep the bite out of his voice. “But, Doc, you aren’t a fighter.”
Doc stiffened. “I can fight. Leave it to me.”
Michella let out a frustrated breath. “Fine. A.J. and I will remain here in case the mercenary makes a hasty escape.”
Dino and Doc got out of the car. A.J. watched them walk to the back to retrieve weapons. He wasn’t surprised Dino kept some spares. All pack enforcers did, in case of an emergency. Dino gave A.J. and Michella two shotguns and revolvers. Seeing them sprint toward the house, A.J. checked his weapons and saw Michella doing the same.
“Michella,” A.J. said.
He needed to talk to take his mind off his worry. While letting others save his mate wasn’t ideal, he didn’t have a choice. A.J. might just end up screwing up the operation. “Just now, you said all life was worth saving. You sounded like you were talking from personal experience.”
“Did I? I guess I did.” She didn’t sound interested in elaborating, a first.
“Why haven’t you accepted Dino and Raul as your mates? I mean, it’s clear to everyone you three belong together.”
To his surprise, Michella unbuckled her seatbelt and squeezed herself through the seats to sit beside him. She peered outside the windows to check that the street was quiet before answering him. A.J. knew she helped make sure other pack members found and kept their mates, too.
“Remember my gift?” she asked.
“How can I forget? Unlike most werewolves, you can sense the emotions of others. That’s the main reason I tried keeping you out of my apartment in the first place, because I was scared you’d see right through me.”
“Well, it wasn’t mine to begin with. It belonged to someone else. When he died, it passed to me.”
“He? An old lover?” A.J. was intrigued. Michella seldom spoke about her personal history to anyone.
“David. He wasn’t a shifter, but a gifted human. Psychic, some would call him. He was Dino’s older brother. David and Dino’s parents died when they were really young. David raised Dino, and in some ways, Raul, too, because they were always together.”
A.J. blinked, finally understanding. “Oh, wait, Dino’s ten years older than you. That makes—”
She punched his shoulder.
“Ouch,” A.J. muttered. When they became friends, he started seeing her as the little sister he never had, and occasionally forgot she was still his Gamma. “I was trying to lighten the mood.”
She smiled, still enigmatic as ever. “Are you feeling better? I trust Dino and Doc will get Brian out safely.”
A.J. blew out a breath. “I know they will.”
They both jumped at the sound of gunshots from the house where the mercenary was supposedly holding Brian. Hearing a car engine starting, A.J. looked out the windows to see a black car streak down the road. Catching sight of the bald mercenary and a frightened Brian bound and gagged in the backseat, A.J. cursed.
Michella scrambled back to the driver’s seat. Heart thumping, A.J. grabbed his gun and was nearly tossed side-to-side when Michella started the engine and backed out of the driveway to go after the mercenary. A quick look behind him showed A.J. the front porch and front door of the mercenary’s hideaway, blown away. Smoke rose from some places. It looked like the mercenary had set up bombs around the property.
“He must have been expecting us and set some kind of trap,” A.J. muttered. “Doc and Dino should be fine, right?”
“Werewolves are pretty hard to kill. Hold on a second, my phone’s vibrating.” Michella grabbed the phone to answer. A.J. could hear Dino’s voice on the other end. “Doc’s a little banged up, but we’re fine. Don’t do anything stu—”
Michella cut the line.
“Dino has a hard time reeling you in, doesn’t he?” A.J. asked. “Thank you, though.”
“Don’t thank me until you’ve got Brian back,” she reminded him.
A.J. rolled the windows of his car down and pushed out his shotgun. He started firing. The bullets shredded the back of the mercenary’s car, and the merc swerved to avoid them.
“Can you get closer?”
“Even better, I think I can overtake him. Dino’s car can go pretty fast.” Michella accelerated. A.J. drew in a sharp breath, his back hitting the seat.
“Where the hell did you learn to drive like this?” True to her word, they were side-by-side with the merc’s car now. Glimpsing Brian’s pale face in the backseat fueled his anger. Seeing A.J., Brian’s face turned from fear to relief. A.J. peered out the window and aimed his gun at the windows. He growled when the bullet bounced off the glass. “Fuck!”
“Calm down,” Michella reminded him.
A.J. took a deep breath and tried again. This time, he aimed for the merc’s wheels. The third bullet hit, sending the car veering to the right until it finally came to a stop. Michella killed the engine.
“Get Brian, I’ll get the fucker,” A.J. yelled, opening the door and grabbing the shotgun.
He didn’t wait for her to reply. A.J. knew Dino and Doc would arrive on the scene soon. Seeing Brian’s face injected adrenaline into his veins, and despite every painful movement he made, A.J. was determined to see this to the end. The car door opened, revealing Brian’s abductor. Their eyes met and held.
A.J. didn’t care about the mini-Uzi the mercenary held in one hand. All that mattered was the fact the man seemed to forget all about his captive, and A.J. trusted Michella would get Brian out of the car.
“You fucking cripple, you ruined everything,” the merc spat.
They trained their guns on each other.
“Ruined? Bastard, you entered our town and took my mate. What did you expect, a welcome wagon?” From the corner of his eye, A.J. saw Michella had gotten Brian out safely and was taking off his restraints.
“Shut up. I’ll kill you all. Damn dogs,” the mercenary spat.
Their gazes crossed and A.J. knew this man would do exactly that. He wanted all of them dead, and it was either kill or be killed.
Chapter Nine
A.J. held his gun steady with his good hand. All of his fresh injuries ached, and he knew he had to act soon. With his strength ebbing, it was only a matter of time before his arm would tremble and he would no longer be able to keep pointing at the mercenary’s head. Remembering how fast the bastard moved before, he had to keep his guard up, too. A.J. stood at a severe disadvantage, but he didn’t intend to lose.
Michella was right. What use was A.J. to Brian dead? Mates came in pairs. If either he or Brian died, the remaining half would live a miserable life, or decide to follow soon after.
“Look at you, pathetic mutt. You can barely stand. You still think you can take back your mate?” The mercenary sneered. “This baby I’m holding can fire hundreds of rounds per minute. I’ve used this against your kind, and they couldn’t dodge every bullet. You’re defective and injured. Do you think you can survive this?”
“A.J., no!” Brian cried out. It looked like Michella finally managed to take off the gag in his mouth. Thank God Michella held the Omega back from rushing toward them.
“Let me go to him,” Brian was saying.
“How fucking sweet. It’s almost nauseating,” the mercenary mocked.
“There will only be one death today, and it will be yours,” A.J. told him calmly. The angrier the mercenary became, the more unpredictable he would be, and A.J. needed him panicked. Eventually, the bastard would make a mistake.
“Yeah? Well, fuck you. See your Omega die, cripple.” The mercenary whipped his gun to the side with inhuman speed. A.J. used that opportunity to fire. Gunfire roared, but A.J. couldn’t afford to waste a second to check if Brian and Michella were okay. He pulled the trigger, emptying his gun. The first round didn’t hit anything, but the second and third caught the mercenary on the thigh and abdomen, making him drop the g
un. A.J. whipped his head to see a trail of blood on the floor. While injured, it looked like Michella and Brian managed to take cover.
He heard growls and snarls behind him and A.J. knew his pack brothers were close. Walking up to the screaming man, A.J. knelt. Seeing him, the mercenary sneered.
“You’re out of bullets, cripple. I’m just one hired gun. There will be more.”
“I’ll get rid of them every time,” A.J. said.
He lengthened his canines to show the mercenary he still had some of his weapons intact. The mercenary used that opportunity to yank at A.J.’s leg, sending him tumbling to the ground. His gun clattered on the gravel. Refusing to let the bastard get the upper hand, they tangled and rolled on the ground, punching and clawing at each other.
The bastard kept aiming for A.J.’s still healing injuries, but A.J. couldn’t black out now. Shoving the mercenary away, A.J. and the bastard saw the gun A.J. had dropped. They reached for it at the same time. A.J. slammed his elbow right across the mercenary’s nose, breaking it. The man howled. This had gone on long enough. It was time A.J. finished this dance.
Without hesitating, A.J. dragged the man upward with his good hand and tore out his throat with his elongated canines. The mercenary’s body stopped twitching. Spitting out a chunk of flesh and blood, A.J. wiped his lips with the back of his head and rose to his feet.
“A.J.!” Brian running toward him was probably one of the sweetest sights he’d ever seen. A.J. grunted when Brian reached him and pulled him close for a bone-crushing hug. “You idiot,” Brian said weakly, and A.J. could feel Brian’s tears against his skin.
He started to feel a little dizzy. Over his shoulder, he saw Michella, Dino, and Doc in wolf form. There was blood on her jeans and she leaned a little on Dino, but despite being shot, she beamed at him. Dino glared at him, clearly unhappy, but A.J. would deal with him later on.
