by Anya Byrne
Something stirred inside him, and Ward gasped, the strange feeling oddly reminiscent of the way his mind connected to Mathias when they made love. He didn't have much time, so he didn't rationalize it.
Instead, he instinctively reached out to Mathias and hoped for the best. "It's my sister's best friend, Vera. She's lost her mind. She has Teresa too. She knows about you being a werewolf, and I think she's working with someone else. Be careful."
Somehow, he knew the message reached Mathias, but when he drifted back into his own consciousness, Ward was exhausted. He also realized something entirely different—the fact that he had more things to worry about than his own well-being and Mathias's. Teresa wasn't the only one who was in a delicate condition. He was pregnant. Fuck.
****
As a rule, mate bonds between shape-shifters didn't provide a telepathic link. Emotions came through, but not thoughts or clear messages. It was only during sex, during a claiming, that mates could temporarily share a consciousness.
Mathias understood why things had to be that way. People were not meant to live in each other's heads. Even mates needed privacy at times, and not having it would mean forcing an individual to police his or her every thought. In the long run, that would be disastrous.
Still, this time around, he couldn't help but be frustrated. He could experience his mate's panic and shock, but he couldn't figure out any other useful piece of information. He felt helpless and angry, his magic and his wolf lashing out inside him, desperate to hurt, protect and find.
In his wolf form, his instincts were even stronger, and he pursued them, pursued the scent of his distressed mate. The kidnappers had come and gone in a car, but Mathias had no trouble tracking it down. For the most part, the road was empty, and while the scents of the wild could have conspired to distract Mathias, he was far too experienced at tracking to be fooled.
His destination turned out to be an abandoned house on the other side of Willow Cove. Mathias wasn't familiar with the property, but he didn't have to be. He saw the car parked next to it and sensed Ward's scent. That was enough.
He wanted nothing more than to burst inside and free his mate, but something held him back. It was too quiet. There was no one within view, no sign of an opponent. Mathias was too old to deem that a good thing.
His werewolf senses might have had a hard time finding anything, but he sensed the energy of more presences than he'd expected within the house. More people, then? Why? Scowling, he approached the building carefully, sticking to the shadows, doing his best to be as inconspicuous as possible. He reached an open window, and the scent of blood struck him instantly, making his muscles seize for a brief moment.
It wasn't Ward's blood. Judging from the emotions coming through their bond, Ward was, for the most part, physically unharmed. Ward's kidnappers clearly weren't fooling around. Mathias needed to be careful, or this whole situation would blow up in his face.
Even as he thought this, a wave of shock settled over him, the panic and confusion so intense they nearly floored him. They didn't belong to him, but Mathias still felt them with a clarity that made his fangs ache for blood. And then, he heard it, heard Ward's voice in his mind. "It's my sister's best friend, Vera. She's lost her mind. She has Teresa too. She knows about you being a werewolf, and I think she's working with someone else. Be careful."
Mathias had already identified the kidnappers by scent, so that didn't surprise him. The rest of it, however, struck him like a ton of bricks.
Ward shouldn't have been able to speak to him telepathically. And from what Mathias knew, Vera was just a regular human. Mathias had thought Ward's sister Teresa had been behind the whole thing—he'd sensed her scent as well—but if she'd been kidnapped as well, things were obviously more complicated than that.
Clearly, Vera had some sort of reason for wanting to hurt Ward—Mathias had yet to figure out what it was—but she was human nonetheless, and someone who shouldn't have known about the paranormal world, just like Ward hadn't.
However, Mathias was also aware of recent suspicious events that had involved Will's Lone Wolf Pack. It was obvious that he'd been too optimistic in his assessment of the reasons behind the failure of his protective spells. It seemed clear that Vera had exploited the similarities between Teresa's energy signature and Ward's, but a random human shouldn't have been able to do that. After all, Mathias had a lot of experience, and cracking his spells wasn't easy. He suspected Vera might have gotten involved with something far bigger than her, and that made the situation even more serious.
Mathias needed a plan, something that would not endanger Ward. He mentally cursed himself for leaving without providing any explanations, because backup would have been very useful right about now.
It was much too late for that. Before he could even consider temporarily reassessing his approach, a very distinctive whoosh reached his ears. Mathias leaped back, just in time to avoid the bullet that had been headed his way.
The projectile embedded itself in the wall, but Mathias wasn't out of the woods yet. A few more bullets followed the path of his retreat. Even as he dodged, Mathias frowned. The shooter wasn't trying to kill him. The angle of the bullets suggested he or she was aiming for Mathias's hindquarter. However, they were also not trying too hard—which could only mean one thing. They knew exactly who they were dealing with.
Taking into account everything that had happened, it didn't come as a huge surprise. Mathias had made quite a splash in the werewolf world since he'd lost to Dean Simmons at the Gathering. There was only so much anonymity he could expect after that. The fact that his opponents had disarmed his wards meant they were probably ready for Mathias's hybrid skills. More alarmingly, it meant they had a very good reason to be here. Otherwise they'd have never risked messing with the Folk.
Well, whatever the case, Mathias knew better than to attempt to negotiate with them. Using his enhanced senses, he attempted to find his opponent. The sniper targeting him was staying downwind, but no method was foolproof. Now that Mathias knew what he was looking for, he zeroed in on the energy signature.
The sniper was hiding in a tree a good distance away from the house, and the path between the two points left Mathias exposed. His anger gave him speed, and he lunged forward, so quickly he seemed to take aback even the sniper who'd been after him.
Several bullets grazed him, the silver burn barely registering in Mathias's consciousness. He hit the tree at full speed, so hard that if not for his paranormal abilities, he'd have cracked several ribs. The trunk splintered and the sniper leaped out from the branches just before his haven could collapse from under him.
The human landed in a crouch, with a preternatural grace that spoke of long-term training. Still, Mathias heard the sound of protesting bone, and he knew that his prey was at least partially immobilized. Perfect. He appreciated a good hunt, but now was not the time for it. His mate was waiting.
He intended to pounce on the sniper and take out the threat with the liberal application of claws and fangs, but the sound of clapping interrupted him. He looked up, just in time to see several masked men emerge from the building. One of them—the same person who'd expressed his appreciation of Mathias's abilities—stepped forward and chuckled. "Very impressive, Mr. Girard. Congratulations. It looks like we have the right man."
Mathias would have been confused or even outraged, but he couldn't spare the attention for that. It took him a single second to realize the full extent of his failure and his predicament. In truth, he hated himself for even that delay, because he should have felt it. He should have sensed his mate's approach the moment Ward had been dragged out by another of the masked men.
The strangers didn't bother pointing their weapons at Mathias. They just held Ward at gunpoint. The message was clear, and Mathias stepped away from his prey, unable to suppress a growl.
Seeing his mate gagged and bruised, while he was a few feet away and unable to do anything to help—it was probably the most torturous experience Mathia
s had ever endured in his long existence. Still, he knew better than to try anything. Despite his speed, he wasn't faster than a bullet, and not even Sidhe magic could bring back the dead.
The first man smirked, as if guessing his thoughts. "Now, now. We're all reasonable men here. Come. We just want to have a conversation."
The barrel of a gun pressed into Ward's jaw, and Mathias knew he had no choice but to play along. He shifted into his human form and clenched his hands into fists. "What do you want?"
Before the strangers could reply, Vera rushed out of the house and ran their way. "You said you'd take out the freak. You said you'd leave Ward to me. This is not what we agreed on."
The masked man ignored her, and Vera grabbed his arm. Mathias knew it was a mistake even before she did. The stranger flicked his wrist, and one of his companions retrieved a gun. In the blink of an eye, she was falling, a neat bullet hole through her forehead.
Ward made a noise of distress, his eyes filling with tears. The gag around his mouth prevented him from speaking, but Mathias could still somehow hear his words. "Vera... Oh, God."
Mathias tried to flood the bond with waves of comfort, but it was only half-successful since his own heart was overwhelmed by a mix of panic and anger. "You'll do what we want," the stranger told him, "or your mate follows in the woman's path."
"And what is it exactly that you require of me?" Mathias asked, struggling to keep his voice steady.
"Your other form."
Mathias's world blurred around the edges. No. That wasn't possible. He hadn't... He hadn't thought about that in decades. He'd buried it deep inside of him, so that it would never get out. The compulsion had even withstood the battle with Dean Simmons, although there had been one moment there, one moment when his anger had almost triggered it. He'd withstood it, endured it, held it back. At this point, he didn't know if he could summon it at will.
"Well? Come on. I'm waiting."
Ward was looking at him, tears still trailing down his cheeks, his eyes full of confusion and grief. Mathias had to do this, for him. He swallowed around the knot in his throat and reached into himself, beyond the core of his magic, to the wild darkness hidden beneath.
The next thing he knew, he was on his knees, panting, his fingers turning into claws over and over, his skin rippling and his bones snapping as they reformed again and again. The pain was excruciating, and Ward screamed behind his gag.
Still, the beast resisted. Mathias had lost the skill. He'd been too afraid of it to use it, and like an untrained muscle, it had atrophied until it was almost gone.
Ward's captor was not impressed. "What is this? This spectacle is not what I had in mind. Stop playing around. Do it."
Mathias tried harder, but he felt like he was swimming against the current, losing his grip on the suddenly frayed edges of his magic. Ward was trying to struggle against his captors, and Mathias willed his mate to remain calm—but like most things in the past hour or so, it didn't work.
The man let out an irritated sigh. "Well, it looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way."
He nodded at his companions, and terror surged through Mathias. Time seemed to slow, and the gunshot—despite it being quieted by the silencer—echoed impossibly loud in Mathias's ears. Blood bloomed over Ward's chest and their bond flared with pain and fear.
It wasn't even fear for himself. Mathias heard it very clearly. "No, no, no, my baby, no, I can't, my baby has to live."
A baby. A child. Mathias's mate. His life. His future—extinguished. No.
The world turned blood-red. Suddenly, he was on his feet, taller than he ever remembered being. The men released shocked gasps, although the leader seemed more pleased than anything else.
Despite that satisfaction, they were obviously informed about what he could do, because they quickly backed away—or at least tried to. The man holding Ward didn't move quickly enough, and in mere seconds, Mathias was by his side, eviscerating the masked human. He could have done the same to the others, but his focus was on Ward.
This form was chaotic, a torn, unstable expression of Mathias's hybrid nature. It was the main reason why all werewolf hybrids were so feared and despised, the stuff of nightmares, something so horrifying that it had permeated human culture, cementing their fears of the paranormal.
Mathias hated it. His parents had died because of it, killed by humans who'd been hunting him down. He'd been so young at the time, but he could still remember it—and he'd never let go of the guilt. A part of him had blamed this monster for his complete inability to find his other half.
Mathias's grandmother had called the unwanted beast the wolf-man, the middle form only a handful of hybrids could take. A biped wolf, stronger and faster than anything else, able to find weak points and track down prey like no other, it answered to nothing—except a werewolf's mate.
The light of the bond kept Mathias from losing himself into the beast. He pressed his now monstrous hands to his lover's chest and focused on healing Ward. It wasn't easy, since he had to force the bullet out too, and this form wasn't conducive to harmonious use of the healing arts. He did it nonetheless, and shockingly the humans allowed it.
The moment Ward's wound stopped bleeding, Mathias looked up at his lover's face. Ward was staring at him, eyes wide with disbelief and horror. Mathias recoiled. Knowing that he was a monster didn't make it any easier to accept when Ward realized it too.
He opened his mouth in a vain attempt to find his voice, but he couldn't even try to utter the phrase. A shock of electricity hit him in the back, and he convulsed, falling to the ground, the intensity too much to contain even for a werewolf.
A piercing unbearable sound exploded all around, and Mathias howled, covering his ears, trying to mute it. Something fell over him, a net of sorts, and Mathias couldn't fight it. There was too much of it—the sound, the electricity, and then silver, digging into him with unerring precision.
Maybe he'd have tried to free himself, but the image of Ward's horrified eyes lingered in his mind, freezing his muscles. It was a pain that kept him from succumbing to his instincts, to the wolf-man.
As it turned out, he didn't have the luxury to lose himself in that agony. "Excellent," the leader of the group said. "Take the mate. We'll be able to use him in case our new pet forgets who his owner is."
One of the other men reached for Ward, and everything shattered. No sound, no shock, no metal was strong enough. He was back on his feet, shrugging off the nets, tearing out throats, ravaging flesh. He was too fast, too much, too strong—even for himself, let alone for the humans.
It was over before he could even think about what he was doing. Ward's attackers didn't get the chance to use their weapons again. Hands that had reached for guns lay on the grass, separated from the bodies of their owners. There was blood everywhere, on the ground, on his fur, and on Ward. And at the end, everything was silent.
Even if Mathias could have spoken, he didn't think he'd have found any words. He collapsed on the grass like a puppet with his strings cut. Trembling, he tried to push back the wolf-man. He had to shift back, had to turn into his human form so that he could check on Ward, explain everything, make sure his mate understood.
The beast refused to be banished. The excruciating process was exactly the same, like a door that wouldn't budge even when it had burst open once. Mathias howled in maddened denial. No. It couldn't be. He couldn't be stuck like this, stuck in a shape Ward could never love.
Even as the thought processed, a wave of warmth flooded him, chasing away the panic. Ward dropped down next to him on the grass, his presence stronger than Mathias's fear and self-disgust. "Hey. Look at me. Look at me."
Ward's soft hands cupped his cheeks—or what would have been his cheeks if he'd been human. Those soft fingers caressed his snout, as if Ward didn't care about the blood staining his jaw. Hypnotized by Ward's voice, Mathias met Ward's gaze, half expecting to see the horror again.
Much to his shock, Ward smiled, his ey
es glinting with tears of relief. "There you are. There you are. You're here."
Ward's arms came around Mathias, hugging him tightly. Mathias held on as carefully as possible, wary of not startling his mate. "It's okay," Ward whispered. "You're no monster. You're still my Mathias, and you're beautiful."
Mathias would have deemed the words a white lie meant to soothe his wounded heart, but suddenly, their bond glowed with an onslaught of emotion. Mathias felt Ward's terror—his fear at witnessing Mathias's pain. The transformation had hurt them both, but Ward didn't fear him. It was all in the color, in the gold of the bond and of Mathias's eyes—the same gold Mathias could see in their shared consciousness, and somewhere deeper, within the third member of their little family.
When he stirred from his strange trance, he was once again in his human form. Ward must have felt it too, because he released a soft, breathless sob. "Wow... That was really something."
"Yes, it was," Mathias replied.
He would have probably compared it to what they'd experienced during sex, but they were both still covered in blood, and Vera's dead body still lay a few feet away from them. To top it off, Mathias became aware of a few other people who hadn't been there before.
Dean Simmons took a tentative step forward, looking around and meeting Mathias's gaze in a mix of shock and relief. "Well... I get the feeling I was really lucky at the Gathering."
For all his words, he didn't stop Will when the human approached Mathias. To be fair, Will kept some distance between them, likely realizing that Mathias didn't quite have a good enough grip on his wolf and his composure.
"Are you okay?" the human asked.
"No," Mathias replied, "we're not. But... We will be."
Chapter Ten
"So this is it? You're going to just bury the whole thing and hide the truth from everyone?"
