“We’re all afraid, but I can’t give in. Don’t you see if I do, then they still win? What will they ask next time? My father may not have spent as much time training me for the role of alpha, but the one thing he always stressed was a true leader must rule from strength, not weakness.”
He tilted her face up and kissed her lips softly before he stepped back. “I need you to be strong for me. Can you do that?”
Sheila squared her shoulders and tried to smile, “Always my love. I never doubted you, Jason. Just be careful, okay?”
Jason smiled, “I’m the quiet one, remember? I’m always careful.” He turned and quickly went into the hallway. He knew he’d find his mother with the newest refugee they’d taken in.
The young man still hadn’t said a word. As he approached the door to the young magi’s room, he could hear the soft voice of his mother singing. He waited a moment, relaxing to the song he’d heard so often in his childhood before he knocked.
“Come in,” Vicky’s voice called softly.
Jason walked in and smiled at the sight. His mother was sitting on the side of the bed, her hand gently stroking Sebastian’s back. From the way it looked, she had managed to get the young man to sleep. He nodded as she held her finger to her lips before pulling the covers up further and slowly stood. She turned and quietly walked from the room.
As soon as they were in the hallway with the door closed, his mother turned to look at him. “What’s wrong my son?” Vicky asked quietly.
For a moment all he wanted was to go back to listening to her singing. But he didn’t have time. “I just got a call from Alpha Torres.”
“And?”
“He says there was an explosion,” Jason placed his hand on his mother’s shoulder before he continued. “They were all inside when it went off.”
“No!” Vicky cried as she took a step back. “I’d know!”
“Alpha Torres has the bodies mother, and he says he was able to identify all of them. They’re gone,” Jason pulled his mother closer for a moment as the two gave into their grief. A soft cough caused the new alpha to raise his head. He saw Sparky walking down the hallway, his arm around the waist of a clearly shaken up Charlie.
“I’m sorry Jason, er, I mean, Alpha, but I heard what happened,” Sparky said as he stopped beside the grieving wolves. “I called Dakota and asked him to come over but I didn’t say why. I just figured you’d want him here since he’s part of the inner circle.”
Jason nodded, “Thanks Sparky, but how did you know?”
The mechanic glanced at his mate before he answered, “Apparently, strong emotions can get through the block my mate has put on his abilities. He heard and felt the reaction to the news and since we’re mated…”
“You were able to hear them as well,” Jason finished.
Sparky nodded, “What do you want us to do?”
Jason looked closer at Charlie. The magi had remained quiet and appeared to be leaning heavily against his mate. Neither one of them looked like they were ready to face the battle to come. But before he could respond, the perimeter alarms started. “Damn it, sounds like our company decided to come early.”
Charlie straightened up and seemed to go into some kind of trance for a moment, his forehead and body trembled. Jason looked at Sparky, “What’s going on?”
Sparky placed a hand on his mate’s shoulder for a moment, before he glanced back at Jason with a worried look on his face. “He’s opened himself up and if what he’s hearing is true; the enemy is closer than we thought.”
“He’s right,” Charlie’s voice was strained. “I can only sense one magi, who is shielding me; so my guess is, that would be your bastard ex-boyfriend. He didn’t come alone either.” The magi turned to look at Jason; his eyes almost appeared to glow as he continued, “How well do you trust those you have taken in recently?”
“Most of the wolves who came to us from the Willow Creek Pack have been assigned housing and are on probation. Dakota’s men try to keep tabs on them, but it has been hard because of the increased security.” Jason rubbed his hands through his spiked hair. “We haven’t had time to recruit more from our pack to train but even untrained there should be enough to repel an attack.”
Charlie shook his head, “You have traitors within your pack, I can’t tell you who they are, but the thoughts I’ve picked up are not friendly. I—I can probably tell you more once they get closer, but by then…”
“It will be too late because they’ll be attacking us,” Jason finished. He looked at his mother for a moment and smiled at the resolve he saw in her eyes. There might be traitors in their midst, but there were just as many who would fight. The problem was, the pack had become dispersed over a wide area over the years. He needed more information. “Follow me!”
Jason ran through the halls to his office and quickly looked at the monitors. “It looks like they are gathering in the clearing near the old mill,” he leaned forward and adjusted the view to make it larger, “and you’re right, Charlie. I recognize at least half a dozen of the wolves from Willow Creek Pack.”
“I don’t see Winston,” Sparky stated as he leaned over Jason’s shoulder. Jason nodded and switched so they could see all of the other areas that were monitored. As he continued to search, the door to the office opened, and Dakota entered.
“My sister told me what happened. I’ve sent out the alert using Mack’s advance warning system. Those who can’t fight will be heading for the shelters that were completed, while others will at least know what might be coming. There are about thirty pack members outside including my deputies and the sentries.” Dakota reported as he rounded the desk to glance at the screens.
Jason nodded, “Good. We’ve got one group gathering at the clearing by the old mill which was where Sparky and Charlie were supposed to be meeting Winston in a few hours. Obviously, the magi never intended to make the meeting; but was setting up some kind of trap.”
“Obviously,” Charlie said as he stared over at Sparky. Sparky shrugged but couldn’t resist sticking out his tongue at his self-righteous mate.
“So, where is…wait, what is that?” Dakota pointed at movement behind one of the newly built sentry quarters. Jason once again adjusted the view so that it filled the large screen. A slight gasp sounded from Sparky as they watched a larger force of wolves coming from the structure led by Winston.
“They’re on the move towards the house,” Jason said grimly. “There’s no more time. Dakota, wake up Ricky and Sandy. Send them with my mother, your sister, Sebastian and the other staff to the safe room.”
“I already sent the staff away to warn their families, Jason. But you know the alpha’s mate isn’t going to like being locked up with those who can’t fight…” Dakota hedged.
Jason sighed, “Goddess help me, I didn’t get a chance to tell him…”
“Tell me what?” Ricky’s voice came from the doorway, “Your mother woke me and told me to come to the office. What’s going on?”
Jason walked over to the young man and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I wish there was more time to break this to you, but Grant and the others were killed in an explosion, and now it appears, we are surrounded in attempt to take over the pack.”
Ricky’s eyes grew large, “No! It can’t be! Things were finally getting on track. He can’t be gone!”
Sparky walked over and placed an arm around the distraught human. He ignored the low growl from his mate while he led Ricky to a chair, “I know it’s a shock to all of us, but you have to think about Sandy. He’s in danger, and he needs you to be strong for him.”
Ricky took a deep breath and wiped at his face, “What do you want me to do?”
“I need you to go to the safe room with the rest of those who can’t fight,” Jason replied.
“But I can fight!” Ricky objected as he stood.
Jason nodded, “I know you can. And that’s why you have to be in the safe room. You are the last line of defense. If they get through us, you’ll h
ave to help protect those who can’t fight.”
The new alpha leaned closer and placed both hands on the human’s shoulders, “I’m counting on you, Ricky. My mother never was much of a fighter and Sheila has never had to fight. Without you, they could all be injured or worse. Now go, quickly, we don’t have much time before the magi and his army gets here.”
Jason watched as the human moved quickly from the room. He turned and saw the admiration in the eyes of those who looked at him. “Nice job,” Dakota remarked.
The young alpha shrugged before he returned to look at the screen. “It’s all true. I’ve watched Ricky training with Tank. He’s more than capable of handling himself and besides, if what Sparky and Artemus reported is true, the boy has magic of his own that may give him an edge.” Silently he prayed to the goddess that she would protect them and that his hunch was right about Ricky.
“Okay, Dakota I need you to take a few of the sentries with you to the mill. Try to keep them contained if you can until more people from the town show up. I’ll send you more help as soon as I can.” Dakota nodded and left the room.
“Charlie, I know Artemus put up protection spells around the house to reduce the effect of magic that the magi may try to use against us, can you tell me if they are still in place?”
Charlie nodded, “Yes, I can see and feel that the shield is still strong. I can use some of my magic to help keep it in place. But I should warn you, that I’m not sure it will deflect all magic. Then, of course, there is the problem that I never was the best student when it came to honing my skills. I focused more on shielding myself.”
The magi sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Thinking about it now, I realize how self-absorbed I’ve been. Artemus warned me, but…” He paused and swallowed before continuing, “I guess it doesn’t matter. If we survive this though, you’ll need a fully functioning magi. I’m rusty, but I’m sure with practice, I can get my skills up to at least be useful to your pack.”
“Whatever help you can give will be enough for now,” Jason responded as he clasped the half-breed’s shoulder. “Sparky, you stay with Charlie and guard the compound. I’ll leave you with a couple of sentries. I know it’s not much, but the rest of the pack should arrive shortly.”
“And what will you be doing?” Sparky asked.
“I’ll be taking the rest of those who have shown up and meet the magi and his troop of traitors. I’ll try to delay them as long as I can, but if something happens, then Dakota will be the alpha.”
“What happens if Dakota is killed?” Charlie said quietly.
“Then it will be up to Sparky to lead what remains of the pack,” Jason replied.
“Oh hell, no!” Sparky erupted. “You better not die then, because there is no way I will be able to lead the pack.”
“You knew when you accepted a role in the inner circle that it might be a possibility,” Jason replied.
“I suppose it’s too late to resign from the suicide club? I mean can you see me as an alpha?” Radar placed his hand on his hip, his colorful pajama bottoms were paired off with a T-shirt that glowed neon green.
Jason couldn’t help the chuckle that burst free. After Grant, the flamboyant wolf would certainly brighten things up. But as another alarm sounded, Jason knew the time for discussion was over.
“You have your orders! Let’s get some revenge for my family and your alpha!” Jason didn’t wait to see if they obeyed. He ran toward the front door and shifted into his wolf as soon as his feet hit the porch. He paused for a moment, as the rest of the pack formed up behind him. They would fight, and if the goddess was with them, they’d win. To fail was not an option.
Chapter 21
Grant glanced over the rest of the men in the plane. He still felt terrible about having Alpha Torres report their deaths to his brother. He could only imagine how his brother and mother must be feeling. He could feel the distress, even from this distance, from his mate. While it had been a difficult decision for he and his father to shield themselves from the mate link, it had to be done.
They had no idea who they could trust; or who was being monitored, but it was clear from what happened at the old mental health hospital, they had been expected. It meant they had at least one, if not more than, one traitor in their pack. From his last conversation with his brother, it was also clear that someone wanted him out of the way. The question was, what were they after?
Until they could determine how the information was leaked, they had decided to only tell one person in the pack. Mack was a recluse who lived in a very secluded area of the pack lands. He rarely had visitors and was the best person to give them the information they would need to plan their attack. The alpha rubbed his forehead as he glanced outside the window of the plane, he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were running out of time.
“We’ll get there in time, don’t worry, Grant,” his father’s deep voice interrupted his thoughts. The fact that the former alpha of the Willow Creek Pack may have been successful in killing most of his family was a sobering thought. It also pointed out the flaw in his original plan to get rid of the bastard. He had assumed the old alpha was acting alone. However, recent events could only mean one thing, there were more people involved.
“We can’t make this kind of mistake again, Father. I can’t believe I was stupid enough to not only bring our best fighters but also you and David. If the trap had succeeded, the pack would have been weakened.” Grant watched as his father nodded.
“We’ve allowed ourselves to become complacent with the years of peace. It is an easy thing to do. I remember before the Great War, many thought shifters were not vulnerable to the humans, but history has shown time and again, that there will always be those who aren’t happy unless they have something to fight about.” Forest placed a hand on his son’s shoulder, “The important thing is, we learn from our mistakes and move forward. Besides, Jason is more than capable of leading.”
Grant shook his head, “Normally, I’d agree with you, but he’s never led before, and now he’s facing an enemy where we have no idea of how large or how many paranormals may be involved.”
“Don’t shortchange our brother, Grant. He may be quiet, but he’s normally the one in our business who comes up with the strategy to protect our clients.” David leaned over the seat, “And we all know he can hold his own in a fight.”
Before Grant could reply, Blaze walked over to stand beside the alpha’s seat. “Dove has heard from Mack. According to him, the pack is under attack on two fronts. It looks like Jason has sent Dakota with some sentries to fight a group gathering at the old mill. He’s taking the rest to meet the larger group that is on its way to the compound.”
“How many are we talking about?” Grant demanded as he stood and walked toward the front of the plane.
“As far as Mack can tell, it looks like about twenty shifters at the old mill and another fifty are being led by some magi towards the compound.” Blaze watched as Grant knocked briskly on the door to the cockpit before sticking his head inside.
The alpha turned and motioned for everyone to gather at the large table set up in the back of the plane. Once everyone was there, he pulled out a map of the pack lands and laid it on the table. “We’ll be landing in about fifteen minutes. Now, this is what we’re going to do.”
◆◆◆
Ricky glanced around the large room that had been built into the basement of the stone house during the Great War. He had to admit, they had done a good job of upgrading, and making it almost impossible to be breached. He remembered when he’d talked about it with Grant. The walls and door were thick enough to withstand an explosion; but should there be a sign of the enemy getting through, there was a secret back entrance they could use to try to escape into the mountains.
He watched as Grant’s mother calmly spoke to Sandy and Sebastian. His brother was scared, but he was proud of the way he was behaving. He didn’t know much about the young magi in their care other than he’d helped Sparky es
cape from his former coven. The young man looked like he was only about sixteen, but Vicky had mentioned he was twenty years old. He looked terrified as he tried to make himself as small as possible.
Dakota’s sister was pacing while glancing up at the monitors that showed them what was happening outside the door; as well as, around the compound. He could understand why she was upset. Her brother and her future mate had just left to fight the enemy. If only Grant were here. Ricky wrapped his arms around himself and willed away the tears that threatened to fall.
It wasn’t fair. Grant and he were finally getting on the same page. The past few weeks had been wonderful. They both had admitted their love for each other and sealed it with Grant re-claiming him.
His life seemed to be on track, and yet the rug was once again ripped out from under him. He honestly didn’t know how many more times he would be able to be knocked down before he wouldn’t be able to get back up.
A small hand on his arm brought him from his dark thoughts. “I can fight too,” Sandy stated. Ricky smiled at him. Tank had been working with his brother along with Grant to help the boy learn to defend himself in both wolf and human form. At first, Ricky had been against it, but after finding out that his little brother would become a powerful shifter when he reached maturity, he changed his mind. It was hard sometimes for him to remember that even though his little brother was only six in human years, he was more developed physically.
The fact that Sandy was the only omega known to exist meant he had a huge target on his back. Artemus had explained what being an Omega would mean. On the first wolf moon following his 21st birthday, Sandy would come into his full powers. At that time, he would be able to ‘control’ the minds of all those with an animal soul on the planet. It was the main reason that omegas were first hunted into extinction. Too many feared their power.
Battle for a Mates Heart Page 20
