by K R Hall
Tracie had to be okay. He couldn’t lose his mate. There had to be a mistake.
“Stehn said she wanted to stay late at the shop tonight to work on payroll. Since she has been doing the apprentice tattooing work during the day, she sometimes stays late to work on the payroll”, Lexi explained.
Nathaniel bit back a curse. He needed to listen without interrupting Lexi.
“She never made it home. We always receive a text when the alarm to the shop has been activated and deactivated. I called her cell. No answer. Stehn said he would meet you there.”
“Thank you; I will be there in less than five minutes.”
Nathaniel put his cell phone on speaker while he shoved his jeans on. His protective instinct was strong.
“You called the shop, right?”
“Yes, no answer there either.”
“I feel so useless. It’s all my fault. I should never have let her stay at night without someone there to protect her,” a soft sob escaped Lexi before she could stop it.
“It’s not your fault, Lexi. We will find her. I’m on my way.”
Nathaniel grabbed his jacket on the way out the door. Worry ate at his gut like acid. He made the drive to Legacy Tattoo in record time. It had threatened to rain that evening, but it hadn’t yet. With luck, they would be able to catch Tracie’s scent.
Nathaniel spotted Tracie’s car and parked next to it. As he was getting out of his truck, Stehn was pulling up next to him. They nodded to each other in greeting as they made their way around her car, searching for clues.
Nathaniel picked up a scent. So, someone else had been around Tracie’s car. Nathaniel and Stehn followed the smell as it went from the front of the building to the back where the entrance to Tracie’s apartment was. It was clear someone had taken her. A sneer crossed his face as he realized it was Maximo’s scent and a few of his enforcers.
“That’s Maximo, one of Creed’s henchmen,” Nathaniel sneered. “He wasn’t alone. I can smell three other shifters. They must be his enforcers.”
“I need to secure the shop, follow the scent, and I will catch up with you quickly,” Stehn said
Tracie had never met Creed’s henchmen. Maximo had probably put on a great front as a gentleman. What con did he use to lure her out? Or where he and his men waited to grab her as soon as she locked up? Nathaniel climbed the stairs to Tracie’s apartment. Anger fueled him as he spotted the signs of a struggle inside Tracie’s apartment. Nathaniel could smell the sweet-smelling scent of chloroform.
Nathaniel made his way back to the front of the building, where he met Stehn.
“I could smell chloroform in Tracie’s apartment. There were signs of struggle, and their scents were all over the place.”
“Let’s see if we can pick up any traces of them. You go left, and I will go right,” Stehn suggested.
Chapter 7
“She’s the one?” A shifter said as they descended the airplane.
“Oh yeah, Rico, let’s get her into the van. The quicker we get her to Creed, the better,” the shifter they refer to as Maximo said.
Tracie let out a startled scream as one of the shifters leaned down and flung her over his shoulder, unconcerned of the moans of that agony ripped from her. The few feet to the cargo van seemed to last forever before she was roughly dropped into the back. She landed hard with pain through her back and lay staring into the dark, trying to get a grip on a world reduced to nothing but pain.
The rear door slammed shut, and she was alone in the dark. Panic tore at her insides as the vehicle started to move, picking up speed quickly. The short trip passed in a haze of pain and worry. Finally, the door opened, and a dark figure stared down at her.
“Welcome Tracie, I’m Creed Amadei. Welcome to the Amadei wolf pack. I trust that Maximo and Ace made your flight comfortable,” Creed laughed.
The men surrounding her were all dressed in black, with camouflage makeup darkening their faces. Each man held a rifle in his hands. In addition to Creed, Ace, Maximo, and Rico, at least six more men were all heavily armed.
“I can smell your fear,” Rico taunted.
“Yeah, I’m frightened. So what?”
“I can make you forget your fears,” Rico said suggestively.
“That’s disgusting.”
“Rico, leave her alone. She’s here for one purpose only,” Creed growled.
“I like a challenge,” Rico said as he stepped closer and pulled her hair off her neck, then licked it.
“Enough!” Creed shouted using his alpha power.
Rico stepped away from Tracie and bared his neck in submission to his alpha.
“Did you know shifter blood is powerful?” Creed asked.
“I’m not a shifter.”
“True, but your mate Nate and some of his pack members will come to rescue you. Then I will have them right where I want them and add them to my island.”
“Are you crazy? They will rip you to shreds.”
“That’s where you are wrong, Tracie. They will be ensnared in my trap. I will keep you alive long enough to get them to my private island. Then you will be of no use to me.”
“What will happen to me?”
“You’re a smart woman. Figure it out yourself.” Creed sneered. “Take her to the grove where the trap has been set.”
Tracie saw the loathing in their eyes. She would get no help from anyone here. She began struggling, trying to get away. She couldn’t let them use her as bait to get Nate and the others from the Lykos pack.
Ace raised his fist and punched her in the face. Lightning exploded in her head, and her mouth filled with a warm coppery taste of her blood. Tracie slowly moved her tongue along her lip and winced at the pain.
“Please,” she begged. “Don’t do this.”
“Girlie, I’m going to take great pleasure in beating your mate and his pack. Then I will take great pleasure in watching someone kill you. If I’m lucky, maybe Creed will let me do it,” Ace replied angrily.
Ace shoved her in front of him, causing her to stumble and fall. He grabbed her arm hard and yanked her back to her feet. Tracie rubbed her arm when he let go. That was going to leave a bruise.
Meanwhile, back at the Lykos pack.
Nathaniel was searching the wooded area surrounding the pack land in his wolf form. He searched the forest for close to an hour, pausing every now and then, trying to catch Tracie’s scent. When he was about to give up hope, he caught her scent. The excitement went through his wolf, and he sprinted forward, following her scent.
A growl emerged from his wolf’s throat when he picked up the scent of Tracie’s blood. How dare they hurt his mate and cause her to bleed! He would kill them all. The wolf wanted to rip out their throats. In the dimness, his wolf eyes caught sight of something on the ground. Nathaniel’s wolf increased his pace, shifting in the last few strides, becoming a man again. He stopped next to the object, his chest heaving from the running.
Nathaniel stooped to pick up a shoe. He brought it to his nose to confirm if it was Tracie’s. It must have fallen off her foot. The chloroform would have only kept her unconscious for about twenty minutes. If Tracie was still out cold, they must have drugged her after they initially knocked her out. Who knows how long that would last.
Nathaniel looked around, trying to see where he was. He was sure that he had left Rainbow. Maybe they were headed to the private airstrip in Fallbrook. He needed to call Darias to give him an update before heading to Fallbrook.
“Darias, it’s Nate. Has Stehn filled you in?”
“Yeah, Nate. It would be best if you came back, and we can go as a group. Creed’s men crossed the line by coming onto pack lands and taking your mate.”
“No, that would only delay things. They must have left for New Orleans by now.”
“Nate, I understand how you are feeling, but we have to do this carefully. You can’t risk anything happening to your mate,” Darias tried reasoning with Nathaniel.
“You’re right,” Nathaniel said, giving in to
his alpha. “I’ll be there soon.”
***
“Why would they kidnap her?” Barry asked.
Darias called in the pack elders as well as his beta and enforcers. By the time Nathaniel had arrived, everyone was sitting at the table in the large conference room.
“They must know she’s my mate. They want me, but I have no idea why. When I talked to Maximo a few months ago, he said Creed wanted to talk to me. I’m sure it has to do with why my father left Creed’s New Orleans pack,” Nathaniel explained.
“Do you remember why your father left the pack?” Darias asked.
“I’ve been wracking my mind since Shannon told me that his enforcers had been looking for me. Dad was Creed’s bookkeeper. He must have found something that made him run.”
“I’ve been digging into Creed’s pack. There are also things on the dark web about him that are disturbing. Did you know that he has been kidnapping shifters and having them shipped to a private island in the Gulf? He has wealthy humans pay him exuberant amounts of money to hunt the shifters. He has the shifters drugged to keep them docile, so they can’t attack and save themselves,” Barry explained.
“There’s a bird shifter nest that has reported several of their members are missing. Mainly females. There’s another report of a large wolf pack in Canada that are missing females. Polar bears in the Arctic, Grizzly bears in Alaska, Pandas in Japan, foxes in North America. Shifters from all over the globe are reporting mostly females are missing, and a few report males,” Bruce added.
“Oh my God. How could he do that to his own kind?” Tatyana asked.
“It’s crazy what some people and shifters will do for money, sweetheart,” Bruce replied.
Closing his eyes, Nathaniel tried to come up with a plan to rescue Tracie. They needed more information. He pulled out his cell phone and did a Google search for the area surrounding New Orleans. Maybe he could find where the wolf pack lands were. He could still feel her through their weak mating bond, so he knew she was still alive.
Bruce connected his laptop to the 65-inch television so everyone would see when he pulled up a map of the New Orleans area.
“This is the closest private airfield to the Amadei pack lands,” Bruce said, pointing to a black rectangular area. “It would take us less than five minutes to get there in our wolf forms.”
“Is this the alpha’s house?” Nathaniel asked, pointing to a large building.
“I believe so. It’s in the right location,” Bruce replied.
“We will need to disable their security,” Darias said.
“That won’t be a problem. I will have my tablet with me, and I can disable any security system,” Barry replied.
“We need to call the Shifter Council and let them know what we have discovered. We must let them know that we are going to rescue one of our own tonight. They need to move fast,” Stehn said.
“You’re right, Stehn. As alpha, I should be the one calling. I will be back soon,” Darias said as he left the meeting and went to his office to make the call.
Nathaniel walked over to the window. There was a full moon tonight. He wrestled with his wolf, trying to keep him calm as they waited to rescue Tracie. If he would have had his way, they would have already been there fighting to save their mate.
When Darias returned, everyone headed to the pack’s private plane and headed to New Orleans.
***
When their plane landed, they spotted the Shifter Council’s plane. Nathaniel was glad that the Shifter Council wouldn’t interfere while they rescued Tracie. They were there to save any shifters being held captives there, find the island, and rescue any shifters still alive. They had a top-secret potion to use to get information from shifters. There was no doubt that Creed and his pack would give the Shifter Council’s team any information they needed, and then everyone would be arrested. Shifter justice was swift. Any Amadei pack members not responsible for the hunting and trapping would be free to join another pack.
Those guilty would be tried in the shifter’s court system. The punishment could range from losing their lives to losing their animal spirit and the abilities that came with them. They would basically be turned into humans and live out the rest of their lives as humans. Many shifters would go insane if they lost their spirit animal, so it was rarely done.
“Nathaniel, take Dante, Bruce, and a couple of his enforcers and go find your mate. The rest of us will join the Shifter Council’s Elite Force,” Darias said.
“I can’t risk anyone else’s lives. I will go on my own,” Nathaniel said before shifting and running towards the Amadei pack lands.
Nathaniel raced through the dark starry night, weaving in and out between trees, scenting the air, and listening for signs of any shifters. He halted behind the broad trunk of a maple tree, with a few red leaves still clinging to the branches. As he shifted back to his human form, he heard the snapping of a twig.
“Having fun?” Bruce said as he shifted back to his human form.
The rest remained in their wolf forms and spread out a little to keep a lookout for intruders.
“I thought I left you all on the plane,” Nathaniel complained.
“You should know better than that. You are pack, Nate. We take care of our own.”
“Yeah, but…”
“No buts, Nate. We didn’t come all this way to sit back and let you risk your life to rescue your mate. We can stay back and let you play the hero, but you will not be alone. We have your back, man.”
“I’m sorry. Thank you.”
Nathaniel and Bruce shifted back into their wolf forms and continued on their way. They came to a huge mansion. The place was in darkness, no lights shown in any windows. When Nathaniel joined the Lykos pack, he was able to communicate telepathically with the rest of the pack.
“I don’t scent anyone having been here recently. I’m going to move in for a closer look.”
“I don’t have to tell you to be safe, but be careful. It would be a trap.”
Nathaniel made his way closer to the house and crept up the steps of the front porch. He raised his fist to knock on the door. Thinking better of it, he rapped on it softly with his knuckles. The door creaked open. It wasn’t locked.
No…
The door wasn’t even closed. Nathaniel paused, listening, concentrating. He picked up no signs of life. Nothing. Even his wolf couldn’t detect a heartbeat, couldn’t hear anyone breathing. He could smell Maximo and his enforcer’s scents mingled with Tracie’s. He could also smell her fear. They had been here.
Nathaniel raged out of the front door. He had to catch their scent. There. To his left, he could pick up Tracie’s fear. It was more substantial than anything else. He howled as he shifted and began to follow her scent. He kept up a fast pace, staying hidden behind trees and bushes, the others moving along beside him.
Nathaniel found an SUV parked at the end of a long driveway. His wolf stood there for a moment, frozen. Concern for Tracie had him frozen in place. The others sniffed around the vehicle and surrounding area. He needed to sneak up on Maximo and his enforcers. Still, in his wolf form, he made his way slowly along the driveway. He spotted a large field in the distance and what looked like a house that had burnt to the ground. He assumed that Creed and more of his pack were there as well.
“I’m going over to the burnt down house. Maybe that’s where they are.”
He stepped closer, careful, not sure what he would encounter. Where was Tracie? His wolf sniffed for her and found her scent quickly. He found another scent too. Was that Creed?
Nathaniel took off at a fast pace, running between trees, chasing Tracie’s scent. It grew stronger the closer he got to the field and burnt house. He suddenly heard voices. Men’s voices. Luckily the slight breeze kept his scent away from them. He shifted back to his human form and crept closer. He was angry at how disheveled she appeared. She was pale. They obviously didn’t care about her wellbeing.
“I don’t understand what you mean,” Tr
acie said.
Nathaniel had a hard time keeping his wolf at bay when they spotted the bruise on her cheek. His wolf growled and almost pushed his way out.
“Don’t lie to me.” The man’s voice was a loud snarl. “We know you are Nathaniel’s mate.”
Faster than a blink, the man slapped Tracie across the cheek. This time drawing blood. She cried out in pain.
Nathaniel gripped the tree he was standing nearby. He was going to enjoy killing this man for harming his mate. He must be Creed. He recognized Maximo and a few of the enforcers who were standing around. He barely kept his wolf from taking over.
The man Nathaniel thought was Creed grabbed her and shoved her in front of him, then yelled, “Step out from behind the trees.”
Shit. He’d been detected. Nathaniel stepped out from behind the tree. He hoped the others were close enough to see what was happening and could help.
“Nate?” Tracie’s voice shook, tears running down her cheeks.
“Stop right there,” Creed sneered as he held his razor-sharp claws to Tracie’s throat. He had partially shifted his hand to his wolf form.
“Don’t hurt her,” Nathaniel said as he slowly moved closer.
“So nice of you to join us,” Creed mocked.
“Let her go. You don’t need her. Take me. It’s what you’ve wanted for years,” Nathaniel negotiated.
“Hmm. It’s a tempting offer, but I don’t know. If I keep your mate, I can keep you and your wolf under my control.”
Darias came out from behind a tree, followed by the Shifter Council’s Elite Force team, and surrounded Creed, Ace, Maximo, Rico, and the six pack mates.
“They hunted our kind for sport,” Bruce spat.
“You made a lot of money over the years. That’s why you killed my family. My dad found out what you were doing and fled,” Nathaniel accused. “Why are you after me?”
“I couldn’t be sure if your father hadn’t told you about the island and hunts. If you knew and told someone, it could ruin me,” Creed confessed as he pulled a gun from his waistband. “You should have died then too.”
