by Bryce Evans
“What do you mean, taught her?” Arden demanded.
“It means that Jade is better at fighting than you thought. I gave her a few lessons before this happened. She catches on quickly. So, I know she will try to find a way to escape,” Cosmo said, placing the hand in a plastic bag. “We need this when tracking.”
“Then you have point. They have her somewhere secluded, but she’s close by. Let’s do this before they make the call to Lennox.” Arden turned to him and said,” Dig deep, you can find her. This is your mate. Let the bear loose and find your mate.”
Lennox sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands talking to his bear. We have to find her, find her, but Leo and Raven are better.
“Our trackers are here. Now we find our alpha’s mate,” Cosmo said, smiling as Raven and Leo walked into the room.
“You sure you want to do this?” Lennox asked Raven. She said she would never follow Jade as her alpha.
“You’re my alpha,” Raven answered.
“And she’s my mate. Your alpha’s mate, and that makes her rank the same as mine,” Lennox growled. He was growing tired of Raven’s tantrums. This was his mate and if she didn’t like it, she would leave the Death Hunters because he wasn’t going to have her causing problems with the team.
“I understand, Alpha.” Raven inhaled deeply. “I have it.”
Lennox watched as Raven’s eyes turned white. She was a tracker and she smelled blood. She pointed to Cosmo. “You have something? Give it to me now. Let’s go get her, brother.”
Cosmo pulled the hand out of the bag and threw it on the floor. Leo and Raven both made a beeline for it. Lennox never got tired of watching his lead trackers in action. Both dropped to their knees and shifted. Bones cracking as the bears ripped out of them. Both black as night and larger than any bear shifter he had seen except him and Cosmo. The majority of his team were bigger than other shifters and that made them so deadly. Tonight, he would kill the man who took his mate. End it and never worry about him again.
The Dixon pack parted as the twins caught the scent and rushed out the door. “The hunt is on,” Cosmo yelled.
They wouldn’t take vehicles in case they were watching the roads. This would have to be a surprise attack, and nobody could do it better than him. Get ready Oliver Park. You took something that didn’t belong to you.
Chapter Nineteen
Jade tried to move her head, but she couldn’t. All she wanted to do was sleep. “I said wake up.” Opening her eyes, a snarl rattled out of her throat. Her wolf was awaking now, clawing, wanting out. Then she focused on the man in front of her and it all came back.
“Stay awake.” She watched as the man pulled her phone out of his pocket.
“I want my phone back,” Jade hissed as she spoke too loudly.
The man only laughed and continued swiping across her phone.
He cleared his throat then smiled again. “Well, hello, stranger.”
Jade could hear his voice. She wanted to yell and tell him not to come. It was a trap, but a hand slapped across her mouth before she could yell out.
“If I were you, little wolf, I would stay quiet. He will come, but not alone. Keep the alpha talking and we might all make it out of here alive,” a voice said into her ear.
Jade tried to see who the man was but he stayed directly behind her.
“I have something of yours.” The man continued taunting Lennox and she knew that no matter what happened to her, he would make this man pay.
“What are you doing?” another voice asked behind her. If she could only twist around, but someone had their hand on the rope.
“Just watching the fireworks up close and personal.”
“Leave the bait alone. Get back to your post before the alpha decides he can go to war without you.”
“You got it, boss,” the man said and then the rope started moving again. Jade twisted her legs just enough to see the man walking away. She couldn’t see his face. What did he mean keep him talking? How was she going to do that? Who was this guy?
“Sure, I’ll give you proof of life, but like I said, if you don’t come alone, I will gut her before you even touch me.” Jade watched as the man started toward her again, but this time she was going to give him something to remember her. Before she could pull her legs back far enough to kick, someone grabbed her by the hair, jerking her head back.
“Oww,” she screamed.
“You’re a feisty one. We might have a little fun with you before we kill you.” Jade couldn’t move her head, she was helpless and she hated this feeling.
“Tell your, mate, little wolf, hello,” the man said, holding the phone out to her.
“It’s a trap!” Jade yelled, and before she could tell Lennox where she was, a fist hit her so hard in the head that she blacked out again.
Lennox and the others were all listening, even the trackers had stopped. His claws scraped against the tree as he heard his mate scream. He couldn’t think about what they were doing to Jade. They had to find her quickly before it was too late.
Oliver Park continued. “Go to the store and someone will pick you up. And, Lennox, don’t be stupid either. I will kill her and you know it.” The phone went dead.
The bastard hung up. Now he would have to trust the others to find her. His bear scraped against him wanting out. It was his mate and he wanted to find her. Now wasn’t the time to lose it. He needed to keep his cool.
“Alpha, they’re on the trail. We will meet you there. Don’t worry, Lennox, we got this,” Cosmo said, pointing toward town. “Now run!”
Lennox looked at Arden and the others then turned and hightailed it.
He broke out of the woods as a blue truck pulled up and two wolves got out. His bear wanted to hunt. Find our mate. He wanted Oliver to bleed. One of the wolves jumped out smiling, swinging a pair of handcuffs. They wouldn’t contain him and they had to know that.
“Give me your hands.” Lennox lifted his arms and the cuffs were clipped over his wrists. “Just do as I say and hopefully we will live through this.” His eyes narrowed as he stared at the man. There was something about this wolf. He knew him, but from where?
“If you hurt my mate, you will not be able to contain the wrath I deliver to you and your pack,” Lennox growled. Before he knew what was happening, the wolf pulled out a gun and shot the other man. He broke out of the cuffs and had his hands on the man’s throat. “Pull that trigger again and you die.”
“I don’t plan on killing you, Alpha. My name is Travis Pelt and I freelance for the council. They received a tip that the Park pack had plans to kill your mate. I’ve been with these lunatics for three months and let me tell you it’s been the longest three months of my life.”
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
“Call council member Mitch Andrews. He’s the one who hired me to infiltrate Oliver Park’s pack,” Travis advised.
Lennox flipped his phone open and called Mitch. He should have told him. What if he had killed the wolf by mistake.
“Mitch, do you know a Travis Pelt?” Lennox didn’t have time for pleasantries.
“Why?”
“Because I just about killed him.” Lennox glanced at Travis who was putting the body in the back of the truck. He jerked his head up and stared at him. “You should have told me, Mitch. I can’t talk now, I’m about to wipe out the Park pack. They have my mate.”
“What?” Mitch replied on his side of the conversation. “Yes. Then you need Travis. He’s on your side, so don’t kill him. I will call in help. I will get on the plane and head that way.”
“Mitch, I have two packs helping me already including the Death Hunters. I think we can handle this, but death is coming to that man and his wolves for what they did. Talk to you in a few. I’ve got a wolf to see.” Lennox ended the call and turned his phone off. He didn’t need anyone calling while he was doing this.
Looking at the wolf, he asked, “What are the plans?”
“You
r mate is tied up by her hands hanging from a tree. She was hit pretty hard in the head, but she will make it. I suppose these friends of yours are looking for them now. It’s about five miles down the road. We turned down a dirt road and there’s an old barn.
“Oliver’s recruited loners from different packs that were either kicked out or left before they were killed. They have no idea what they’re doing. Oliver and his beta Danny are the ones who are dangerous. Someone will be guarding your mate with a knife to her throat. I have a plan, but you’re not going to like it.”
Lennox stared at the wolf. Of course, he wasn’t going to like it. “What is it?”
Chapter Twenty
Cosmo and the others stopped before they got within fifty feet from the lookouts. They were downwind from the guards, but it didn’t matter. The Death Hunters knew how to mask their scent.
“You have to hold back until we take them out. They will smell your scent but they won’t ours.” Arden narrowed his eyes at him. Of course, the alpha would want to know how they did that. Nobody in the Dixon pack could. The alpha just nodded while Raven and Leo snuck up on the two guards.
Apparently, it wasn’t a big pack with only two guards being used as a lookout. What idiots to take the mate of a Death Hunter. Raven and Leo were trained assassins and with ease took out both shifters and dragged the bodies to a grassy area, covering them.
They allowed Raven to go farther into the woods to scout the area. She was the smallest of all the Death Hunters and her skill was to seek out her enemies and never be seen. It didn’t take her long to get back. She shifted and whispered, “There are only seven wolves and Jade. She’s tied to a tree. She looks pretty beaten up. The alpha is going to go ape shit when he sees her. I can take out two of them pretty fast with the bow, but I need to concentrate on the ones closet to Jade. Eliminate the threat then let you guys take out the rest.”
Cosmo nodded and handed her the bow. He laid out the plan for the others. He knew exactly what his team would do, but he hadn’t been around the Dixon pack enough to know how they would react. He prayed they had enough common sense to follow the plan. They didn’t need any lone rangers at this point.
“I hope your team is set up,” Travis said, turning onto the dirt road. Lennox’s hands were behind his back, bound in another set of cuffs. He hoped he could follow the plan when he saw his mate. His bear may take matters into his own hands and everyone would die, that was for sure. He had to stay calm for Jade. His team would be there. He knew it.
He smiled as he caught the scent. The Dixon pack was close. Where ever they were at, they had plenty of trees to cover them. Raven and Leo would be in a tree somewhere.
“They will be. You just do your part and let the team take care of the rest. Jade is most important,” Lennox muttered. Jade was everything.
“Hmm. That’s funny, the guards are gone,” Travis said.
“Like I said, let the team do their job. I will let them know you’re a friendly.”
“Yeah, please do. I don’t want to be collateral damage after this is over,” Travis muttered. “Okay, we’re here, get ready.”
Lennox listened as Travis got out of the truck. “Have any problems?” Gritting his teeth, he recognized that voice and soon he would regret he was alive.
“Yeah, the alpha killed Paul. I had to hit him in the back of the head. He’s out cold.”
The truck door opened, and Lennox felt Oliver’s eyes watching him. He kept his breathing slow. “Get him out and on the ground. Did you put the cuffs on him?”
“Yes, Alpha. He tried to kill me, too, thankfully they were cleaning out the flower beds in town and someone left a shovel. Just for me.”
“Did anyone see you?”
“No, nobody was in town. Like you said, it’s a ghost town at night.” Lennox allowed Travis to pull him out and drop him on the ground hard. Damn wolf was enjoying this.
“Pull him right in front of her. I want him to get a full view when I cut her throat. I want him to have the best view in the house.” Again, Lennox was hauled across the ground then dropped. His team had to be quick. The son of a bitch was going to cut her throat.
“Pour this over his head, all of it,” Oliver shouted.
“Lennox, Lennox, wake up. If you hurt him, I will kill you,” Jade shouted. Lennox felt better knowing she was awake.
“Look who’s here? And right on time too. Now stop your struggling. You want to look your best for this.” Oliver snickered.
Cold water ran down his face and now the acting would begin. He opened his eyes and stared up at the man who he thought he would never see again. “Well, well, well.” Lennox watched as Oliver sneered as he stared at him. “It’s been five long years, Lennox Bartley. I should say I’ve waited for this day. I’ve dreamed of this moment and what I would exactly say to you. But now that I’m here, I find that I want to hear your last words before I show you how it felt to watch as your mate’s life was taken from you. Today, I will give every shifter that has had to endure what you took from them. They will talk about this forever. The day the big bad alpha of the Death Hunters finally got what was coming to him.”
Lennox slowly rose to his knees.
“Lennox.” Her voice was shallow and in pain. When Oliver moved to the side, he got to see why. Blood was caked down her face and hair.
“I’m here. It’s going to be all right, baby. I promise.”
“Ha! Tell her the truth. It will never be all right again,” Oliver shouted. His eyes flashed back and forth from his wolf to his human side. Then he pulled out the sword. “Look familiar?”
“Oliver, I will say this one time, give up and I will make your death quick, but if you—”
“Quick?” Oliver laughed, looking at all his pack members. “You really think you are going to make it out of here alive.” Oliver rubbed his finger across the sheath of the sword. Blood dripped as he nicked his finger. It looked just like the Death Hunters’. “I had this made, just for you. I had to pay extra to make sure all the markings would be the same. Because only the best for you, Alpha. And of course, for your mate. Looks like someone already took a knife to her face though. Doesn’t matter because I will make it quick for her, but you, oh no, no, no. I want you to suffer like I did. I want you to feel the pain of losing your mate physically and mentally.”
“Touch her and die.” Lennox stood. He saw Raven by a tree waiting for the cue, bow pulled back.
“Then let’s see what you got.” Oliver smiled. He was crazy as he skipped toward Jade. He didn’t have to do anything knowing that Raven would take Oliver out. Lennox bobbed his head once and Raven let it fly. The arrow hit Oliver in the chest, but she missed his heart. He went down but was still alive and holding the sword.
Lennox jerked and the cuffs broke free. He had to get to Jade. Travis jumped on Danny and was now in a battle trying to keep the beta from getting near Jade. Before he could get to him, Oliver was up, grabbing Jade swinging her around. Raven wouldn’t take the shot, afraid she would hit Jade.
“I knew you wouldn’t come alone, but that’s okay. I may die, but she will too. The pain of losing your mate will take you over and that will be end for you. Back up, now!” Oliver screamed. He had his arm around Jade and moving so Raven couldn’t get a clear shot. Lennox held his hand up to her.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have overreacted earlier. But it wasn’t on purpose. I need for you to know that,” Jade rushed out.
“I know, baby. I know. It’s going to be okay. Trust me.”
“I do, but I need to tell you that I love you. I really do love you.”
Lennox stopped dead in his tracks, he couldn’t focus. He hadn’t heard those words used toward him in a long time. He didn’t deserve her, but he loved her too.
“Remember that, just in case,” Jade said, smiling, then she rammed her head backward into Oliver’s making him drop to the ground. She about knocked him out with that move. Shifting into her wolf, Jade’s front legs slipped from the rope, f
alling to the ground. Her wolf was beautiful and enraged.
He watched in awe as Jade jumped onto Oliver going for the kill. She latched onto his neck. Once she had clenched her jaws, she jerked back until his throat ripped out. He never had a shot after she head butted him. Nothing could save Oliver from his mate. She didn’t stop there and ran toward the next one.
“Shit. No, Jade, not that one,” Lennox yelled, running to Travis’s aid. Jade had him cornered. Travis had enough sense to know to run when a female shifter lost control. He jumped into the tree thinking he was safe, but his little hellion was climbing up after him. She wasn’t climbing like a wolf; this was a cat of some kind. He had second-guessed Jade’s ability. He reached her before she could grab onto his ankle. Pulling her, she was fighting all the way down. Biting his hand, he held them up to her. “It’s me, baby.”
Jade’s wolf snarled turning her head sideways. Blood dripped from her muzzle. Even the hair on her back was raised so high, she looked almost like a bear. She was ready for battle and she handled it like an alpha would. She was so hot right now. He couldn’t have been prouder.
“Hey, get her. I’m not with them, little wolf.” Travis yelled down from the tree. “Remember me.”
“She went right for the kill. Just like I taught her. Told you she was better than all of you thought,” Cosmo said, smiling at Arden and Lennox.
“You did great, Jade.” Arden bent down in front of her and Jade lay down while he petted her.
“Hey!” Lennox said, “that’s my mate, you just remember that. Oh, and by the way, I plan on marrying her too. The whole deal with a dress and all. Just like she wants.”
Jade shifted into her human form staring up at him. A tear slipped from her eye as she asked, “Do you mean it?”
Arden moved away as Lennox leaned down in front of her. “Jade Cross, I’m in love with you and I would marry you anywhere, any time. You just name the place. All I want is you, however I can get you.”
