by Fel Fern
Withdrawing from the sight, Raul returned to his own room and curled up beside Logan.
Chapter Sixteen
Dawn broke through the curtains of the bedroom. Logan huddled in bed, reaching for Raul, but only finding empty space. Peeling his eyes open, he realized Raul must have gotten up earlier. Maybe yesterday had all been one horrible dream. Then Logan realized he could sense the heightened emotions of the two men outside. Both were so angry, ready to enact vengeance.
“You’re really gone, huh?” Logan whispered.
Yesterday, the Darkfall wolves harbored nothing but anguish, pain, and fury. The emotions nearly overwhelmed Logan, so he’d been relieved Raul took him home. Alone, Logan finally could focus on his own grief. Michella welcomed his pack and him to Darkfall when they needed sanctuary. In the end, she could have passed her gift to anyone there, but she chose him.
Logan clenched his fist. He couldn’t afford to be weak now. There was a knock on the door. He looked up, seeing Raul. There were dark circles under Raul’s eyes, and Logan wondered if he slept at all.
“Hey,” Raul said.
Saying ‘good morning’ seemed inappropriate.
“Hi,” Logan answered.
Raul neared him, planting a kiss on his forehead. “You said you wanted to come help free your pack mates. We’re about to go on a hunt. Are you in? You don’t need to, I’ll make sure every single one of your wolves is returned.”
Logan shook his head. “I’m coming. Can you give me five minutes?”
Raul nodded. “We’ll get them back, Logan.”
Logan hesitated. “How’s Dino doing?”
Raul grimaced. “He’s excited to gut these bastards at least. After this, I don’t know what other reason he has to live for. I’ll need to keep a close eye on him.”
“You need to be strong for him,” Logan said.
“Don’t take too long,” Raul said with a small smile. “We’ll be downstairs waiting.”
Once Raul left, Logan quickly showered and dressed, but before heading down, he glanced around the living room. His gaze lingered on a solo framed photograph of Michella, caught off guard by the camera.
“I’m going to make use of your gift to help others,” Logan whispered. “I didn’t know you very long, but you were my friend.”
He walked away, joining the others downstairs. Most of Dino and Raul’s men were there. So were half a dozen werewolves Logan didn’t know. Logan didn’t need to probe further to know every single man and woman there were ready to shed blood. Seeing him, Billy clasped his shoulder.
“How did you sleep, pup?” Billy asked.
“Not well,” Logan admitted.
“Yeah, it seems everyone woke up in a cranky mood,” Billy said lightly. Underneath the werewolf’s humor, Logan sensed lingering guilt and anger.
“Billy, it’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself. None of us saw that hunter coming,” Logan said gently.
Billy let out a harsh bark. “Sounds exactly like what she would say.”
“Will Michella be happy to know you’re blaming yourself?” Logan asked.
Billy shook his head. “Stop reading me.”
“I can’t. There’s no stop button.”
He realized the others were listening in, too. Logan continued, “But I want you to know that I’m going to treasure and use this gift she gave me. I won’t let it go to waste.”
Billy nodded in approval. “She picked well. Come on. Let’s get your pack mates back.”
Dino, Raul, Billy, and he took one van. The other wolves split into two more vehicles.
Logan hadn’t gotten the complete details from Raul, but the Darkfall werewolves looked like they were prepared for anything. Logan glimpsed the amount of firepower they packed. It seemed like the Darkfall pack had done this kind of thing plenty of times. They acted like clockwork.
“You’ve found where the mercenaries are held up?” Logan asked Raul.
The two of them sat at the back. Raul paused from reloading bullets into his shotgun.
“Emptied out residential neighborhood in Northfield,” Raul said in disgust. “Our spies confirmed your friend Bran is being kept captive there, too. In addition to the mercenary who escaped into the woods, more mercenaries arrived, ready to transport the others to an experimental lab.”
A chill crawled down Logan’s spine. “Northfield?”
Raul nodded, looking grim. “Logan, I need you to stay in the car with Billy while Dino, I, and the others go in.”
“I can fight, too,” Logan insisted. He was shocked when Raul dropped the gun and grabbed him by the shoulders.
“She chose to save you, remember? Don’t throw your life away. Stay here. Okay? I can’t lose you, too.” The desperation and genuine fear in Raul’s voice stunned Logan into momentary silence.
Logan noticed Dino staring at him from the rearview mirror. Slumping against his seat, Logan nodded.
“I’ll stay,” he promised.
The rest of the drive was a silent one, which suited Logan fine. They officially left Darkfall territory and entered Northfield. Logan looked at the trees bordering the road. Not so long ago, he and his pack mates ran for their lives, trying to reach Darkfall. That felt like an eternity ago. The old Logan back then had been naive to think all their problems would be solved once they relocated. He’d forgotten every action had consequences.
“We’re here.” Billy’s voice broke his train of thought.
Logan blinked. The scenery had changed from trees to houses spaced far apart from each other. Billy slowed down, curtly nodding to the houses on the right.
“The fuckers are holed up on 227C.”
They were two houses away. Logan pressed his nose against the glass, heart thumping wildly against his chest. As they approached, newfound fear slammed into him, sudden and painful. They were emotions that didn’t belong to him. A black, unmarked car pulled out from the garage of 227C.
“They’re in there,” Logan whispered, pointing to the van. “I can feel them.”
“Are you sure?” Raul asked.
“Positive. I can’t describe it properly, but everyone’s fear is a little different, kind of like auras.”
Billy slammed the accelerator, and Logan stopped explaining. Logan would have been thrown back if not for Raul’s steadying arm. Groaning, Logan rubbed at his temples. A pulsating, nagging pain hit his skull.
“Logan, what’s wrong?” Raul asked.
“He’s having migraines. Michella used to have them back when she couldn’t control her abilities,” Dino said.
His vision swayed, but Logan forced himself awake. “They’re panicking. They weren’t expecting us this soon.”
Wheels screeched on gravel. Two black sedans tailed the van.
“Duck,” Billy yelled.
Raul pulled him down just as bullets erupted, breaking glass.
“They’re dead men,” Dino hissed.
“Stay down,” Raul cautioned Logan, who curled into a ball on the floor.
“I can do that,” Logan whispered.
Raul pulled out a revolver tucked into his belt and handed it to him. “Take it, just in case.”
With trembling fingers, Logan accepted the gun.
The car swerved to the right, and Logan nearly lost his hold on the gun. He gripped it tight, watching Raul break the passenger window and start shooting. Guns roared. Logan’s ears recoiled from the sound.
“Raul, let’s take down that one,” Dino yelled.
“Fuck yeah.” Raul growled.
Both their guns spat out more bullets. All Logan could do was hold on for his dear life. What made him think he could be of help in these kinds of situations? Then again, he immediately sensed his pack members. His job was done. He just had to sit this out and survive.
Seconds later, Dino let out a whoop. A second later, an explosion sounded. Debris hit the destroyed windows of the car a second later.
“Diego and Blake got the other car. Only the van’s left,
” Raul said. “Logan, how are you doing?”
“A little bruised, but fine,” Logan mumbled.
“That’s my pup.”
Something underneath the car let out a hiss.
“What was that?” Logan whispered.
“One of our tires. Hold on to something everyone,” Billy warned.
Logan felt Raul’s warm body around his a second later. The car veered sharply to the left. Moments later, Logan felt the front of the car make impact. With Raul’s body cushioning his, he hardly felt a thing. Air bags went off. Fearful for his mate, Logan looked up, terrified. A trail of blood leaked down from a cut on Raul’s skull.
“Baby?” Logan whispered. “Please, be alive. I haven’t told you I love you.”
Raul opened his eyes, a smile on his lips. Annoyed, Logan punched his shoulder.
“Ow,” Raul protested.
Bones cracked. Logan winced, but werewolves healed quickly. Raul rightfully deserved that punch for scaring him senseless.
“Don’t ever do that to me again,” Logan muttered.
“You love me, then?” Raul teased.
“Hate to interrupt you two lovebirds, but Raul, Dino’s already run out in wolf form,” Billy said.
Cursing under his breath, Raul untangled himself from Logan and kicked at one of the doors. The metal easily gave way. Before Logan could say anything else, Raul stripped down and shifted. Logan began to crawl out but stopped at Billy’s voice.
“Logan, help me get out. I’ve been punctured somewhere.”
Logan stumbled out. The latch outside Billy’s door couldn’t open, so he used his strength to pry the door open. Unlike Dino or Raul, it took him three times. Finally, he managed to open it and flinched, seeing the shards of glass across Billy’s arms and chest.
“That bad, huh?” Billy wheezed.
“I’ll get you out.” Logan unbuckled Billy’s seat belt and was about to pull him out when Billy gripped his hand.
Behind you, Billy mouthed.
Chapter Seventeen
Logan had been so focused on helping Billy he only felt the blind wave of hatred aimed right at him. Whirling, Logan’s heart nearly came to a stop. A mercenary pointed the barrel of a shotgun right between his eyes. When did that happen?
“Today must be my lucky day. I’ve finally found you, Omega runt,” hissed the man in black.
Logan’s gaze wandered to the nearest crash, the car Dino and Raul took down. The man holding the gun had bloodshot eyes and looked a little worse for wear. Hell, it was a bloody miracle how the human was able to hold his gun steady.
How did this mercenary manage to claw his way out of that wreck? It was then Logan noticed the empty syringe rolling innocently on the road, along with a slick trail of blood. That syringe looked exactly like the one the suicide bomber showed off in the bakery. Michella had suddenly gotten angry seeing that, and once Raul explained the formula to Logan, he saw red, too. Ray, Jack, and plenty of other shifters died for this nightmare of a formula to exist.
None of it explained why this crazy mercenary seemed to harbor an intense hatred for Logan though.
“Do I know you?” Logan whispered.
“Get up,” the mercenary said in a harsh voice. He looked familiar. Had Logan seen him before?
Logan prayed to God he’d figure Billy for dead. Raising his hands up, Logan rose to his feet.
“When Joseph said he intended on blowing himself up and taking you along with a bunch of Darkfall wolves, I told myself I’d chalk up my loses,” the mercenary said with a sneer. Logan winced when the stranger jabbed the end of the barrel against his forehead. “I almost settled for the other runts, but this worked just fine.”
“You want me specifically, why?” Logan asked.
“You and your runts led my comrades to slaughter.”
Logan choked back a laugh. “You hunted us first.”
“Shut up and die, Omega. You deserve a slower death, but I might not get another chance like this again.”
Logan’s heart thundered against his chest. This couldn’t be happening. He’d already escaped death once yesterday. Logan doubted he could do the same today.
* * * *
One of their shifters got a couple of lucky shots in, bullets hitting the back wheels of the transport vehicle. Men in black poured out of the vans, toting heavy ammunition, ready to defend their cargo. Raul was about to follow Dino into the fray when a sense of wrongness hit him. His wolf screamed at him to turn back. Logan was in trouble. Gut instinct never failed him before.
Dino seemed to sense his hesitation and gave him a curt nod. Without hesitating, Raul turned back, heart racing. A shot had been fired from where he’d left Logan and Billy, but no scream followed. From the look of things, it had been nothing but a warning shot. Raul ran faster, keeping stealth to his advantage. Seeing Logan with a gun pointed to his head nearly made him lose all composure, but Raul held himself back.
Reacting impulsively wouldn’t get them anywhere. Raul approached the car now, sniffing, wondering if Billy was still alive. A rasp made him turn his head. Billy was still inside, slumped against the driver’s seat and bleeding out. Seeing him, Billy gestured at Logan with his good hand, telling Raul he was fine for now. With a nod, Raul warily watched the scene unfold in front of him.
Any wrong decision could get Logan killed. Raul needed some kind of distraction.
“Any last words, Omega?” hissed the mercenary holding Logan captive.
“Yeah,” Logan managed to rasp. “Fuck you.”
The mercenary’s hand shook with rage. Instead of shooting Logan, the mercenary brought the barrel of the gun against Logan’s forehead, drawing blood. It didn’t escape Raul the mercenary moved with inhuman speed. No matter how fast or strong the serum had made these humans become, Raul still smelled blood on the mercenary. The drug was probably the only thing keeping him going.
Using that opportunity to announce his presence, Raul ran out of his hiding place, ramming straight at the mercenary’s legs and making him lose his balance. The man cursed, fumbling for his gun.
“Raul,” Logan whispered.
Raul was on the mercenary in seconds, but the overpowered human didn’t go down easy. They tangled on the gravel. The mercenary managed to extract a hunting blade from his boot and used it to shield against Raul’s claws and fangs. From the corner of Raul’s eye, Logan grabbed the mercenary’s discarded weapon, but had no clear shot. Unexpected pain streaked up Raul’s left side. Snarling at the sight of the blade handle buried deep in his flesh, Raul tore himself away from the mercenary.
Logan fired, the shot missing any vital organs, but managed to hit the mercenary’s left knee. The man in black howled. Pouncing on him, Raul went directly for his throat. Even in the midst of defeat, the mercenary fought like a hell cat. With a single and violent jerk, Raul tore out the bastard’s throat.
He made sure the man didn’t move again before turning to Logan. The Omega let out a fierce and joyful cry, running up to him and pulling him to a hug.
“It’s finally all over, right?” Logan whispered.
Raul pressed his head into his chest and nodded. Remembering Billy, Raul shifted back to human. Unable to help himself, he gave Logan a kiss on the mouth.
Logan grimaced. “You taste of blood.”
Raul laughed. “Let’s get Billy out.”
Together, they extracted Billy from the car. Aside from a broken leg and arm, Billy would heal just fine. More Darkfall wolves appeared while Raul tended to Billy using a first-aid kit they packed in the back of the car. Seeing Dino and everyone in their hunting party, including Logan’s kidnapped pack members, Raul breathed a sigh of relief.
“Is Bran with you?” Logan asked Martin.
“Got the little wolf right here,” Blake said, carrying an unconscious, small, brown wolf over his shoulder. “All of us are accounted for.”
Raul watched Logan run up to his pack mates.
“Not sure how we can repay the Gamma and yo
u guys now,” Raul overheard Martin telling Blake, who looked away.
“You don’t know yet,” Logan said, looking grief-stricken again.
“What happened?” Martin asked.
“It’s a long story,” Logan said.
Knowing his Omega was in safe hands, Raul gave him some privacy. He elected to join Dino, who was speaking to Billy and looking over the injured.
“We’ve done it, then,” Dino remarked to him. “What she wanted.”
“This isn’t the end of what she envisioned, Dino,” Raul reminded him.
“I get what you mean, Raul,” Billy said, wincing as he sat up. “All of us, we’ve always been Michella’s to command. What’s going to happen to us now?”
“I can’t answer that question, Billy. You guys need to choose for yourselves. The pack always needs experienced fighters, and we’re that,” Raul said.
He knew he wasn’t giving them the answers they wanted to hear. In the end, their little group existed outside of the official pack hierarchy. Michella gave every wolf here a place to call home and now that she was gone, the others felt lost.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Dino told Raul when Raul took him aside for a private chat.
“Do you?”
Dino rolled his eyes. “I’m not planning on killing myself anytime soon, Raul. She’d hate that.”
“She would. Michella always valued living. Plus, I think Billy and the rest need our help to adjust,” Raul said.
“The guys liked having a purpose, you know? We’ve worked with each other for years, it’s going to take getting used to not having Michella there,” Dino admitted. “You though, you’re one lucky son of a bitch.”
Dino nodded to Logan, who was talking to his pack members.
Raul didn’t hide the surprise in his voice. “Since when did you change your mind about Logan?”
“After I saw how happy you are when you’re with him,” Dino finished. “I’ll be fine, Raul. It’s time we return to Darkfall. I’ll take care of everything.”
