by Chris McHart
“We have to let it happen. Anthony knows what he’s doing if he challenges the alpha. Even if he may not see the consequences for himself personally, he knows what this fight will lead to.”
“But–“ Josh didn’t know what to say. He’d figured that Anthony and the alpha would fight, but to the death? He couldn’t let that happen. They wouldn’t let that happen.
Now Ash joined the conversation again. “But what can we do? We can’t help him in battle.”
Josh was silent, not knowing the answer. He hadn’t thought any further when he’d called his friends. He only knew they would follow him, but what exactly did they want to do?
He shifted around in the back seat, listening to Jeremy and Lindsay quietly talking in front. “You won’t.”
“Stop me.”
“I will if I have to.” Lindsay threw a hard look at Jeremy, then the two of them stopped talking. What were they talking about?
D spoke. “We can’t do anything during the fight itself, simply because it’s a matter between the alpha and his challenger. But we can make sure everything follows the laws and that the alpha doesn’t do anything stupid before and after. I don’t trust him when his life and his power are on the line.”
“Do you really think Anthony would kill him? And do you think the alpha would try to cheat?” Josh asked.
“Let’s just say I don’t trust him. I don’t know, but the fact that he’s now trying to take a minor as a mate says it all, doesn’t it?” D answered.
“Yes, that says it all. I still can’t believe anyone would do that.” Yes, he’d seen what Elder Adali had done, but still. Somehow he sometimes refused to acknowledge how bad people could be.
“We need a plan.” D changed the subject. “We should be arriving at the pack about the same time as Anthony. I have no idea what we’ll find there, but I’d recommend we stick together. We’re stronger that way.”
Josh nodded, as did Lindsay and Jeremy. “Will he be able to smell us?”
“Not immediately, but once we’re close enough to the village. I hope we can get to the pack in time before the fight and maybe stop Anthony from being deceived or ambushed,” D answered.
“Makes sense. Then we’ll just see what waits for us.” Josh shivered inwardly but tried to hide it.
“We’re going to park a little outside the village and then walk through the forest. I don’t know how fast he’ll smell or hear us, but at least we have to try. A strange car would alert them too soon.”
“It’d be very helpful if we had more information from the pack: how many people are on the old alpha’s side, who wants him gone, all that.” Ash sounded like he was thinking out loud.
“Except for the girl, we didn’t have any contact with the pack. There’ve been rumors, but I don’t think we can get a reliable report of what it looks like,” Josh threw in.
“Damn, I hate being blind in new and dangerous situations.” D’s voice shook with rage. “And the worst part is, I can’t even really fight. I don’t know if I can shift without harming our little ones, and a knife wound wouldn’t be healthy either.”
Ash put his hand on D’s thigh. “It’s gonna be all right. You don’t shift no matter what. And we’ll make sure no one stabs you.”
“It’s my job to take care of you. Not the other way around,” D uttered between clenched teeth.
Josh understood. It had to be beyond frustrating when you were trained to fight and then your own body slowed you down.
Ash raised his hand and placed it against D’s neck. He pulled him close and whispered in his ear.
Josh tried not to listen, but he saw D nodding and putting his head on Ash’s shoulder. After a few minutes he sat upright again, but his anger at not being able to do anything seemed to have left.
“How much longer will it take?” Josh asked.
“Once we’re finally through this traffic jam, half an hour to go, I’d say.”
“Okay, thanks.” Josh fell silent, as did Ash and D. They sat next to each other, their fingers interlaced, and both looked silently out of the window. Jeremy and Lindsay spoke only when necessary. The navigation was the only voice that interrupted their thoughts until they finally stopped at the edge of a large forest area. By then, dawn had fallen, and the forest cast long shadows.
“We’ll have to walk through it, about four miles. Is that going to be a problem?” Lindsay asked and turned to the back seat.
Josh shook his head even though he moaned inside. Maybe a visit at the gym here and there wouldn’t have been bad. But he’d have to make it four miles through the forest, because giving up was not an option.
“Then let’s get out. Lindsay will hide the car in the forest road a little back, and then we’ll go,” Jeremy interrupted the silence.
They left the car, but instead of immediately hiding it, Lindsay and Jeremy opened the trunk and started handing over weapons. They didn’t have guns on them, but they had knives as well as vests, together with little earpieces.
Josh took the belt with long, sharp knives, then pushed a third, short folding knife into a shoe. He slipped into the vest and looked around to Ash and D. D tried to close his jacket over his belly, but it was useless. He cursed quietly and finally left it open.
“Ready?” Jeremy asked.
“Yes. Just one question. Why don’t you have any firearms?” Josh eyed the knife in his hand.
Lindsay looked at him. “Because shifters can smell them from miles away. Tracking and stalking is impossible when a shifter already knows you’re coming because you’re carrying a gun. So none of us are armed, just like most of the ones we’re tracking are not, because of course it also works the other way around.”
He expertly strapped a knife to his belt, a move so fluent, it looked like he’d done it a thousand times before.
“We can smell where they are, and it’s pretty easy to follow the trace of a weapon that was involved in a burglary or robbery, for example. Usually, we can find the suspect very easily because the traces stick to the clothing and skin. Not even throwing the gun away, changing clothes, and taking a shower helps much.”
Josh had never known that, even though he’d spent all his life around paranormal beings. And he really wasn’t sure if he should be happy that none of the shifters carried weapons or if he hated it. Then a thought popped up in his mind. “But when Ash and Alex…”
“Shifter. Vampires are different. These were Gerome’s weapons.”
What was he getting himself into? This sounded dangerous, and he didn’t have any experience with weapons, neither shooting nor stabbing.
Panic seized him, and his breath came faster and faster. What was he doing here? What if he stopped them all? What if they got caught because of him?
Josh didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t stay behind, didn’t want to stay behind, because he couldn’t imagine letting Anthony go into this situation alone. But what if they were captured or worse because he was too slow or missed something?
D stepped in front of him. “I’ll take care of you. Don’t worry.”
How did he know? Josh looked up at him and smiled weakly. Well, maybe it was more of a grimace. It wasn’t that clear. But at least he was moving his lips.
“How do you–?”
“I remember my first missions. And I was in training. Besides, you’re looking pretty green around your nose.”
“Thank you.” Josh chuckled, even though it didn’t sound real. But he felt at least a little better.
“Ready?” Jeremy’s voice reached his ear.
“Yes.” Josh looked again to his friends, who all confirmed behind him.
None of them knew what was waiting for them at the other side of the forest and what chaos they’d be walking into, but they had to try. They couldn’t leave Anthony alone.
That didn’t mean he had any idea what he could do to help.
Josh wasn’t a fighter, and he certainly didn’t have any experience with weapons. But he had people with him who knew how to fight, and w
ith them at his side, they’d make it. At least, that’s what he hoped.
They started walking, and after three steps, Josh realized he’d made a mistake. He just couldn’t move like the others. D, Jeremy, and Lindsay moved silently through the forest, and Ash was almost inaudible, though Josh suspected that was related to his magic. Only he sounded like the proverbial bull in the china shop.
He flinched again when his foot stepped on a branch and the loud crack sounded like a gunshot in the forest. He could feel Lindsay and Jeremy staring at him even in the almost dark forest. He’d never learned to move quietly. There had never been a reason to, and he just couldn’t. No matter how carefully and slowly he moved his feet, they always found something to make noise with. Leaves rustled, branches cracked, and if his foot made no sound for once, then it was a hand with which he pushed a branch out of the way, which of course broke off.
Fucking hell, why couldn’t he even do that? Was he really that useless?
No, he wasn’t. He had a job, he did it well, and generally he’d found his place in life. Sneaking through thick shrubbery just wasn’t his strong trait. Josh was breathing heavily, trying to stay calm. The faster he inhaled, the faster he exhaled, and the more audible it became. It didn’t work. Another branch cracked, and he was sure the alpha had heard them by now.
Fine sweat covered his back and his forehead. He gritted his teeth, squinted his eyes a little, and hoped that he’d manage to be quieter. As the very next branch snapped, he gave up hope. Fucking hell!
He just couldn’t do it.
“Should I turn around?” he whispered almost inaudibly into the microphone.
“Why?” Lindsay stared at him.
Josh wanted to disappear under the hard look. Damn it, what the hell had he done wrong now? “I’m too loud.” Did that really need an explanation?
“Bullshit. He already knows we’re coming,” D commented.
“Then why are we sneaking through the woods?”
“Because we still hope he doesn’t know exactly where we’re coming from. Yeah, you’re too loud, but either he’s already heard us, or he hasn’t. And besides, we won’t let you go back alone or wait in the car. That’s a lot more dangerous than taking you with us. Someone would have to look after you in the car, and we can’t afford to split.” D’s voice was hard, harder than Josh had ever heard it.
D was tense, from the tips of his toes to the roots of his hair.
Josh understood. He didn’t want to imagine what it’d be like going into a battle, knowing his father might be killed in it. It was a miracle D was so calm and concentrated. Josh would probably just be hysterical.
“So let’s move. I want to get this over with,” D whispered.
Josh sighed then answered, “All right. I’ll do my best to be quiet.”
They continued on their way through the forest, not really quiet, and Josh expected to meet the alpha any moment because he’d heard them already. The closer they got to the edge of the forest, the faster his heart beat. He barely heard anything over the noise in his ears, and sweat covered his back and forehead. Were they walking straight into their downfall? Or would they be able to save Anthony?
A few minutes later they saw the edge of the forest. A small village was visible behind it, a few houses, maybe 50 or 60. It didn’t look very inviting. The shutters of most of the houses were closed, and there was no one on the streets – at least, not as far as Josh could tell. If he looked closely, he could see smoke rising from some of the chimneys, but aside from that, it looked more like one of the ghost towns you sometimes saw on television.
He swallowed to suppress the nausea rising inside him. What had he been thinking?
Nothing.
He hadn’t thought of anything except Anthony. He was a friend, one of his best friends.
Not to mention they’d had their affair for ages. He liked Anthony a lot, and what he’d said when Anthony called him, needing someone to talk to, was still true: Josh was there for him. If that meant he had to face a crazy alpha, then so it’d be.
You knew who your real friends were when times got tough.
Josh looked around at the men who’d come with him. They were all real friends. They hadn’t hesitated for a moment. They were immediately ready to risk everything for Anthony. What more could he ask for?
“We’ll approach from the left. Stay behind each other and keep your eyes open. I have no idea what’s waiting for us.” D’s voice crackled almost silently over the speaker in his ear.
Josh nodded, completely tense. Lindsay and Jeremy were still moving with ease, just like D, but he could see that their bodies were ready for an attack. The moment someone came for them, his friends would know no mercy. He understood.
Their surroundings were quiet, too quiet, as they moved on.
Josh’s skin was tingling, and he couldn’t ignore the feeling that they were being watched. He looked around, tried to see something in the falling night, but he couldn’t. Nothing moved, no little breeze moved so much as a leaf. Yet cold crawled down his back, and he trembled.
Something was wrong. He tried to force himself to breathe slower, to calm his heart, but it didn’t help. The feeling didn’t go away. Thousands of eyes followed every step, just waiting for the right moment to attack them. He slid past a tree and his fingers stroked over the rough bark. Were they really alone here?
He tried to keep up with D, who was a little bit ahead of him. They stayed close together, looked around all the time to not miss the slightest movement, but there was nothing. Just the feeling that something was wrong.
But everything stayed calm.
Shortly before they reached the edge of the forest, on the left side of the village, they stopped again. Lindsay watched their surroundings, his whole body on edge. “It’s so quiet. I think they’re waiting for us in the middle of the village. I’d say we drop the game of hide and seek and face them.”
D shook his head. “I don’t think they’re expecting us.”
“Yes. There are no guards and we should’ve seen someone by now. There’s nobody around, the houses are barricaded, and there’s nobody on the street. They won’t give us a chance to attack them. I guess most of the residents are in the House of the Alpha or one of the community rooms, where we can’t reach them.”
“Damn, you might be right.” D looked around again like he was trying to hear something in the deafening silence.
“From the smells I’m getting, I’d agree with you. I expected something different, but I wouldn’t put anything past the alpha. I’d say we just go in, right? Playing hide and seek won’t help us, and even if we wait until late at night, they won’t go back to their homes. We won’t catch the alpha alone, and only the gods know where Anthony is. And the guards,” Jeremy said.
“Yeah, you might be right. Let’s go. Keep your eyes open, and if we can, try not to get arrested. But if they’re just trying to hold us, I’d suggest we let them do it. That might get us closer to Anthony, and then we can figure out exactly what’s going on. I’d just hate to end up in the cells.” Lindsay sounded convinced their plan would work.
Josh doubted it, mainly because he couldn’t imagine the alpha negotiating in any way. According to the rumors, he never showed mercy and never discussed decisions. His word was pack law, and Anthony had come here to deny him that right. If he was already here. They hadn’t found his car yet, and no one seemed to have caught a trace of his scent.
“All right. Let’s go.”
They crept out of the forest, but as soon as they’d left the covering of the trees behind them, the trackers suddenly walked with their heads held high. They made sure everyone knew they were here, moving with a confidence that made it hard to believe they’d just been nervous. They hid it perfectly. Even D looked like he belonged in this village. He moved like he was the alpha of the pack.
They got farther than Josh expected. No curtain moved. There was no one to see.
He swallowed hard and his neck tingled
again. They were being watched. It was impossible that the alpha would just let them in like that. They’d probably walked right into a trap. What if the alpha just threw them all in jail? Then he’d have his sons under control, those who were the greatest danger to his position.
D was pregnant, for Christ’s sake. What if something happened?
And Ash… His best friend had suffered enough. What if they did something to him? He was a wizard. That made him one of the most powerful, but also one of the most endangered, people on this planet. With Ash at his side, the alpha would have even more power, especially if, for some reason, he could force him to work for him. If the alpha had D in his power, Ash would do anything to free him. Even working with the alpha.
“Stop.”
Josh had been so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed D’s whispered command. He stopped immediately and looked around.
The front doors of the surrounding buildings opened, and guards stepped out. If they’d thought they’d make it to the House of the Alpha, they’d been wrong.
They’d been watched, most likely all the time.
Nobody moved. The guards had stopped in front of the doors, their arms crossed in front of their chests, with hard expressions on their faces. Josh turned around, seeing a total of twelve of them. They were clearly outnumbered.
Chapter 9
Josh
* * *
What the hell had they been thinking? How could they have been so stupid? Lindsay and D turned slowly, standing back to back, protecting each other. But what good would that do? They were outnumbered.
Even if they weren’t, the fact that these guards were waiting probably meant more were standing by in case they were needed.
His heart pounded loudly, making it hard to breathe. No matter how much he tried, no air reached his lungs, and he swallowed to at least moisten his dry throat. That didn’t help either.
Shit.
“Okay, we’ll just walk on slowly. I know which house it should be, and that’s where we’re going. I think they were planning on taking us there anyway.” D was still calm, like the appearance of those guards didn’t impress him at all.
