Out of the Darkness (The Cloven Pack Series: Book Two)

by D. Fischer

  Evo appears back in the garage door frame and takes in the confrontation with a frown. Sighing, he says, “Let them in, Ben. You and I both know these two will out stubborn us.”

  “I’m not letting my mate anywhere near this guy,” Ben snarls again without looking in Evo’s direction.

  Shock crosses Evo’s face as he whips his head to Ben. “Your mate?” Evo looks at me for confirmation. I continue to glare at Ben, unwilling to waver my determination. “Well, I’ll be damned,” he says with a grin, rocking back on his heels.

  “They’re not coming in,” Ben repeats, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “They’ll find a way in, anyway. If they want to see what happens next, then so be it. Let them pass.” Evo turns and walks back into the garage.

  Growling, Ben reluctantly follows Evo inside with Kenna and me on his heels. As soon as we walk in, our eyes fall on the man tied to a chair. I take a whiff and wrinkle my nose from his stench. He’s a wolf shifter; an unbathed wolf shifter, but definitely a wolf.

  Gesturing with his hand, Evo motions for Kenna and me to stand against the wall. After double checking his knots, Evo takes a step back from our captive and joins us.

  No matter what you see, do not make a sound or have a reaction, Evo sends us. I’ve never actually been in on an interrogation so I have no idea what I’ll be witnessing.

  Ben begins to circle the guy while the guy glares at us. Sparing me a glance, Ben starts the questioning. “Who are you?” Ben asks in a deadly tone.

  The captive spits at Ben’s feet. Taking no pause, Ben throws his fist and connects to the captive’s face. A sickening crunch reaches my ears, making the hairs on my arms stand up.

  Ben repeats his question several times. Each time the guy doesn’t answer, Ben punishes him with a whack to the face. I’m beginning to see the dark side of my mate.

  “If you continue this silence, I’ll move to more interesting areas.” Ben grabs a torch from a garage self, checks the flame, and walks back to the captive with slow determined steps. “Last time—who are you?”

  The captive releases a dark chuckle. Ben turns the torch back on and lowers the flame to touch the arm of the captive. Working his way up to the elbow, the captive lets out a blood-curdling scream. The smell of burning flesh fills the room, and I try my best to hold back a gag.

  I’m beginning to rethink entering Ben’s Torture Chambers. Toasted flesh isn’t my favorite smell, Kenna sends me.

  She and I seem to be on the same wave length. I spare her a glance from the corner of my eye. Her posture remains as confident as mine. I admit, Ben’s tactics are barbaric but necessary. The guy came onto our territory and attempted to kill our Pack and guests.

  The captive’s flesh continues to smoke after Ben lifts the torch off his skin. I can see muscle and bone on his arm. Being a nurse, this doesn’t bother me, except for the smell. But I imagine the captive is in a world of pain.

  “Who are you?” Ben growls. The captive pants but remains silent. When Ben begins to lower the flame back on his flesh, the guy finally answers, “We are one, who answer to only one.”

  Ben bends down to the captive’s eye level. “Who’s the ‘one’ you speak of?”

  The captive laughs hysterically until Ben puts the flame on his other arm. This continues to repeat until both arms and calves are burned to a crisp. I’m not entirely sure how the guy remains conscious, but each time Ben asks who the ‘one’ is, he laughs psychotically. This guy was a few Crayolas short in the crayon box.

  Ben briefly closes his eyes, shuts the torch off, and places it on the ground. Casually walking behind the captive, Ben grabs his head and twists, snapping his neck. The noise the captive was making abruptly stops as the light leaves his eyes. Goose bumps rise on my arms from the sound of that large bone breaking.

  “What’d you do that for?” Kenna asks after the captive’s body fell limp.

  “He was a Rogue wolf and clearly insane,” Ben answers in a gruff voice, returning the torch to its spot on the shelf.

  “Well, I know he was insane,” she throws a hand into the air, “I could feel it. No sane person would remain silent while they were being roasted like a marshmallow. I’m asking why you killed him.” Kenna puts her hands on her hips.

  “Because he wasn’t going to tell us anything,” Evo supplies, still staring at the captive.

  Walking over to the dead captive, I check for a pulse. I keep my eyes on Ben as he searches my face for any sign of disgust toward him. I slowly blink and gave him a slight incline of my head, letting him know that isn’t the case. Taking careful steps in my direction, he takes my head in his hands and brings his lips to my hair. He inhales a deep breath and breathes in my scent to calm himself.

  Jacob strides into the garage and takes in the scene. “Did you get anything out of him?” Ben shakes his head and unties the knots around the captive’s legs and arms.

  Kenna throws her hands up into the air again. “So we have no idea who sent this guy, who he is, or why he decided to shoot up the place.”

  “We know he was able to slip onto the territory, which means he had help.” I look pointedly at Evo, pointing out the obvious.

  “Did someone from your Pack conspire with this guy?” Jacob asks, nodding toward the dead captive that’s being placed on the floor. Ben starts searching his pockets for identification but comes up empty.

  Catching onto what I’m pointing out to Evo, Kenna’s light bulb goes off and her face twists in anger. “That bitch … That grudge-holding little bitch,” she growls, her hands balling into fists at her sides.

  “Jazz’s lipstick—Dyson had found it at the edge of the territory the other day. I bet she was on the property, probably scoping things out while no one was on patrol … ” I supply.

  “Like during Pack meals,” Kenna growls and shifts her eyes to meet mine.

  Evo frowns at the dead captive. “You think Jazz is conspiring with Rogues?”

  “Of course, she is because she is one! How smart would it be to rally up all the Rogue wolves and unite them under herself? She’d have a small army to do all her dirty work,” Kenna says raising her voice. “Smell this guy. He hasn’t showered in days. There’s no way he isn’t a Rogue. You really think that if he’s from a Pack, they’d let him shoot up a territory alone?”

  Ben stands up from examining the dead body. “The wolves in the parking garage—the ones who attacked Bre—I bet she sent those, too,” he says glancing at Evo.

  “Why would Rogue wolves attack your sister?” Jacob asks Evo.

  “Because she couldn’t get to me,” Kenna growls in a threatening tone. “I haven’t left the territory by myself since Evo killed her mate. Bre is the next best thing. Her eye for an eye.” Kenna glances at me.

  “We’re sure it’s not the Gray Pack?” Evo asks the room, meeting everyone’s gaze.

  Jacob holds up a dark-skinned hand. “I can answer that. It’s why I came looking for you. Two of my wolves were staked outside of the Gray Pack during the bonfire. I called them a few minutes ago. They said no one has left the Gray territory all day.”

  Ben inclines his head to Evo. “I’d say that’s your answer.”

  “Shit.” Evo sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “We’re being attacked by both sides. We need to come up with a fucking game plan before this shit gets out of control.”

  Benjamin Grobin

  Leaning against the wall of the living room, my arms crossed over my chest, I watch Bre as she converses with Kenna. My eyes soak in every feature, every movement of this beautiful woman.

  Evo speaks to the group with Jacob at his side, discussing this evening’s events. Instead of Evo holding my attention, I can’t focus on anything but Bre.

  Bre and Kenna are holding a hushed conversation. Bre tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and glances in my direction. I continue to stare, even when she turns her head back to Kenna.

  She has accepted me. She
didn’t find me repulsive when I had to go to my dark place, completing an interrogation with torture and death. I’ve never found the thrill of bringing pain to someone just for answers. However, it’s often necessary for wolf shifters. It had touched my soul when she confirmed that she still saw me … as me, even after she witnessed what I’m capable of becoming.

  Kenna softly touches Bre’s shoulders, making me briefly curious as to what they’re discussing. Most likely it is this evening’s events. But that’s not on the forefront of my mind.

  This woman is mine. And I don’t ever plan to let her go.

  Chapter Seven

  Makenna Goldwin

  “Shit. Shit, shit, shit,” I whisper. I thump my hand against my bathroom wall next to the toilet I sit on.

  This could not be happening. Not yet. I’m not ready. God, I’m so not ready for this. What the hell am I going to do? How am I going to tell Evo?

  I glance at the counter where I had laid the white stick. A smiley face with ‘pregnant’ is printed on the tiny screen. Fuck, what am I going to do? A whirlwind of emotions floods my system.

  Pulling up my pants from around my ankles, I pace the space of the bathroom while biting my nails.

  With everything that’s going on right now—the morning after the fucking attack for shit’s sake—this is the last thing I expected to happen. I have no idea what Evo’s reaction will be. Will he be pissed or happy? Will this be too much for him right now?

  I pull my hair at the roots. What will the Pack think?

  Nausea hits me and I run to the toilet, throwing up everything from breakfast. I wasn’t even going to take the test, but my boobs have been sore.

  “Shit,” I whisper again, wiping spit from my cheek.

  Bre? I reach out telepathically.

  What do you need, baby doll? Bre asks too cheerfully.

  Can you come up to my room for a minute?

  A few minutes later, Bre enters the room, calling out my name.

  “In here,” I croak, still sitting next to the toilet.

  “I’m not coming in there while you’re taking a shit, Kenna. We may be close, but this is where I draw the line—and it’s a big fucking line,” Bre says from the other side of the door.

  “Get your ass in here,” I growl, slamming my hand on the floor.

  Tentatively opening the door, she pokes her head in and frowns when she finds me sitting on the floor.

  Wrinkling her nose, she asks, “Did you throw up? Are you sick?” She pushes her way inside and freezes when she catches sight of the pregnancy test by the sink.

  “No-fucking-way,” she whispers. Turning back to me, I watch as tears of joy fill her eyes.

  “Yes, that’s correct. ‘Fucking’ got me into this.” My eyes narrow as I place the blame on mine and Evo’s libidos.

  “Are you sure it’s right?” she asks, picking up the box and reading the instructions. “I mean, sometimes these things are wrong.”

  “Could it be wrong?” I ask desperately.

  She shrugs. “Maybe. Let’s find out.” She digs through the drawers under my sink and pulls out more pregnancy tests.

  I sit on the toilet for the next hour, guzzling water and peeing on several expensive sticks. Now staring at the four tests I took Bre whispers, “Holy shit. You’re pregnant.” She jumps with joy but stops when she notices me panicking. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m not ready,” I whisper, staring at the floor. “For shit’s sake, I got blindly drunk the other night! What if that affects the baby?”

  “Hey, you didn’t know. And there’s never a right time to have kids.” She tilts my chin up. “Besides, you have months to prepare. You’re going to be a mom, Kenna.”

  Evo Johnson

  Fiddling with my pen, I contemplate the dangers my Pack is in and what I plan to do about it.

  Jazz is becoming a serious concern, and there’s still no word on the possible retaliation from the Gray Pack. We’re being attacked by Rogues. There’s no telling how many Jazz has behind her, or what her next move is. I’m not sure how much worse it can get than a Rogue shooter gunning down mine and Jacob’s Packs while at a wolf shifter gathering. And the Gray Pack … That can turn out to be any form of attack. We need to be prepared for the worst.

  Dropping my pen when a knock sounds at my door, I frown when Kenna pokes her head in. She never knocks, and never hesitates.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask after taking in her fearful emotion. She’s terrified but has placed a watery smile on her face anyway.

  She steps inside and twists her hair around her finger. Her uncertainty reaches me, which is also not like Kenna. She’s confident in everything she does. “Do you have a minute?” she asks.

  My frown deepens. I stand from my chair and walk over to her. Taking her head in my hands, I ask, “What is it, baby?”

  “I’m ah … I’m. Damn it, I practiced in front of the mirror for an hour!” She drops the strand of hair she’s twisting and pulls a white stick from her back pocket, holding it out to me. “Here.”

  Looking down, I take note of the thin plastic stick. “What’s that?” I ask. “Pregnant,” I read aloud. I take a momentary pause. My body stiffens as I try to comprehend everything that comes with that one little word. Pregnant—a baby—My baby—Our baby.

  Possible baby images and scenarios flit through my head. Kenna’s belly swelling. Kenna giving birth. Seeing my son or daughter for the first time. Watching my child suckle on my mate’s breast. The first smile. The first words. The first steps. The first shift.

  I look back into my mate’s frightened face. “You’re pregnant?” I ask, a smile spreading across my mouth. She tentatively returns my smile and nods. Laughing, I pick her up and twirl her around, kissing her as hard as I dare. My heart swells a size too big as it fully sinks in.

  I’m going to be a father.

  Brenna Johnson

  Before the Pack meal, we gather in the Alphas’ quarters. With all the drama that’s been happening lately, we seek comfort in our Pack mates. The atmosphere is gleeful. Evo and Kenna broke the news of their pregnancy and everyone’s ecstatic.

  Evo and Kenna sit on the large couch with Ben and me. Dyson’s giving Kenna a foot rub while the rest of the Pack sit on the other furniture.

  “How far along are you?” Kelsey asks. She has a smile planted on her face but it seems a little forced.

  “I can’t be more than four weeks or so,” Kenna says.

  Flint scratches behind his ear. “I’m happy for you guys and all, but this is still so weird to me. I can’t stop thinking about all the horror movies where something grows inside someone’s stomach, eats its way out, and then skitters across the floor,” he wiggles his fingers to emphasize a skittering creature, “like an alien. You’re growing an alien.”

  I grab a couch pillow and throw it at Flint’s face, giving him a fake frown while doing so. Catching the couch pillow before it hit his face, he laughs before winking at me.

  Flint and I are really starting to get along. Ever since we had the talk that ended with a brief mention of our inner demons, I’ve noticed we have more in common than I realized. We’re quickly becoming real friends. Now that I know his antics are just for show, I understand him better.

  “I do not have an alien in my stomach. Fuck off, Flint,” Kenna shrieks, her hand flying to her lower abdomen.

  “It is a little weird, isn’t it?” Jeremy whispers to Flint. Ben chuckles at Jeremy and Flint while kissing the back of my head.

  “Will you two zip your lips,” Evo growls. “If you don’t stop with this alien bullshit, I’ll be sure to wake you every hour on the hour when the baby needs to be fed.”

  Kenna’s eyes grow wide. “Every hour?”

  “Yep,” I say, popping the ‘p.’ “And no caffeine. You’ll cry a lot, too. Pregnant women always come into the hospital and cry at least –once—sometimes for no reason at all.” I shrug.

  Kenna
’s wide eyes grow to a horrified expression. Our laughter echoes off the walls. Kenna’s a big fan of sleep and caffeine. It’s going to be a rough few months.

  I glance down at Dyson, who’s still massaging Kenna’s feet. “How are you doing? Everything healing up okay?”

  Dyson had been shot in his leg. He’s lucky the bullet didn’t hit anything major. Dyson has barely shown any signs of pain, but he’s continuing to use his crutches as instructed by the Riva Pack doctor. I’m impressed at what a good patient he is. If Ben would’ve been hit by a bullet, I doubt he’d let the doctor get the bullet out. He’d probably dig his finger in the hole and fetch it himself, slap a Band-Aid on it, and call it good. Ben is stubborn enough to do it.

  “Healing up nicely.” Dyson grins, continuing his task of pampering his Alpha female.

  “What’s the plan with this whole fiasco?” Kenna asks Evo.

  After the interrogation, Evo and Jacob held a double Pack meeting and informed everyone of the situation. Shortly after the meeting, the Riva Pack traveled back to their territory.

  “Jacob said he would continue to aid us in any way his Pack could. Unfortunately, we have nothing to go on where Jazz is concerned—she could be anywhere rounding up Rogues. We may have to take out a search party and see if maybe she’s in the area. The Gray Pack, on the other hand, has been very quiet. There’s nothing we can do about them as of right now, but Ben and I have decided it would be a good idea if everyone takes a few vacation days from work. At least until we know we won’t be attacked again,” Evo says. He wraps an arm around Kenna’s shoulders and rests her head on his chest.

  “How are the Riva Pack members who were shot?” I ask Evo, rubbing my hand along Ben’s leg soothingly.

  “They’re doing well.”

  Flint’s face deepens into an angry expression. It’s frightening to see that jolly smile turn into a hard line—his happy attitude, turning into a deadly one in just a few seconds. He’s right—he hides his problems well. I get the feeling there’s more to Flint than we, and maybe even he, realizes. “I still can’t believe we were fucking attacked twice in one day,” Flint growls.