The pups were sleeping when I walked out onto the back deck, looking up at the night sky. We had put them in the second bedroom, in the queen-size bed, for the night. Shane was on his computer in the living room, but I was feeling restless. I had come outside to breathe in the night air and observe the night.
Everything seemed more alive now. Now that I had the senses of a wolf. I could hear the smaller animals in the surrounding forest, burrowing in for the night or going out foraging for food. I could smell the trees and the flowers that were blooming nearby. And of the people living in my house.
This was different. This was new. But I was at peace.
A hand came around my waist, a blade held close to my neck. I breathed in, smelling nothing. Except someone held me immobile.
“Don’t move, Holden. Not until I tell you to.” The words slithered through the night air.
Edward.
How had he been able to mask his scent? How had he been able to hide his footsteps? Or had he been hiding here while we had been playing in the woods?
My panic flared and traveled down my Pack bond, alerting Shane and waking the pups, before I sent out an image of the knife at my neck.
“What are you doing here, Edward?” I tried to keep my voice calm, but a little wobble came through.
“Getting you back. Those wolves stole you from me. But you are mine. I saw you turn. You can become a wolf like they can. And yet, you are not a full lycanthrope. I will figure out your secret and I will sell it to the military. I will use it on myself. Perhaps then you will mate with me. Once I have killed that obnoxious male you have been hanging around with, you will have little option.”
His voice was quiet, a hiss in my ear, as he pulled me back into the shadows on the deck.
I realized then that Edward knew nothing about wolves. Or at least none of the important things. Like how bonded mates would not have sex with anyone except their mate. Or how Packs could talk to each other without words, the communication effortless. He also didn’t take into consideration that a Pack would protect all members, and that I was now part of a Pack.
“How do you expect to kill him? He is both a wolf and a military man. He has more skills as a human than you do.” I wanted to keep him from looking for Shane, who had glided back towards the bedroom. I wanted to keep him from noticing the smaller black shadow that was Soren, creeping around the outside of the deck. The pup must have gone out the front door and then came back into the compound somehow, to circle around his prey like this.
Hunting wolves made no sound.
Warning ones growled, though.
A faint growl came from the house. Betta, in wolf form, and Lexi, as a little girl, moved into the living room.
“Damn it, those brats are up! I thought you put them to sleep.”
“We did.”
He swung me around, pushing me up against the railing, looking for the steps. Seeing them, he pulled me towards them. I tried to keep my balance, knowing my Pack was getting into place, that he wouldn’t take me away from here. In fact, I wasn’t sure he would survive tonight.
“Let’s go. I don’t need those brats anymore.” Shadows crossed Edward’s face. I could hear the ugliness in his voice as his greed for what the wolves had eluded him.
He had taken the first step down on the stairs when Soren flew out of the shadows and latched onto his upper thigh, very close to the man’s genitals.
Edward screamed. He didn’t let go of me, in fact he pulled me in tighter, while he grabbed the small wolf by the neck and tried to pull him off. The arm around my neck, which had been holding the knife, lowered. That was enough to change the balance of power.
“Let go, you fucking little rat!”
“Don’t call my brother a rat.” Lexi’s voice was firm. Betta, beside her, growled. The two girls had slipped out the doors, onto the deck. Betta darted forward and bit Edward from behind, her teeth digging into his ass.
I wondered where Shane was, but perhaps we didn’t need him. The pups were taking their revenge on Edward, which they needed. In fact, there were a few things I wanted to do to him for kidnapping me. Particularly now that the knife rested on my collarbone instead of my neck.
This idiot had killed Thomas. As the thought rose in my mind, I growled and shoved an elbow back into Edward’s torso, my other hand coming up to hold the hand with the knife still. It slipped a little and cut me, but I didn’t feel it. I felt Betta pulling the man off balance from behind and Soren readjusting his mouth in front.
Someone grabbed the knife from his loose grip, as I whirled around and jabbed my fist into Edward’s face, breaking his nose.
“You killed Thomas! There was no reason for you to kill Thomas, you asshat! He was your brother! He loved you!” Tears flowed down my face as I hit him again, his arms flying up to cover his face from the worst of my blows.
I didn’t notice the pups drop off and move away, sitting to watch me, their eyes wide with amazement. I didn’t notice that Shane was here, holding a gun pointed at Edward’s back. I just released my anger, hitting the object of so much pain and mental anguish over and over, the sounds of my fists hitting his flesh loud in the night.
The man dropped to the deck, but I followed him down, straddling him, my fists flying.
Shane caught me around the middle, lifting me off the man, the gun still trained on him. Edward just laid on the deck, his hands over his head, his face bloody.
“Holden. Ease up, love. Those hands will hurt in the morning.”
“He killed him, Shane. He killed him.” I turned and buried my face in his shoulder.
Edward rolled over onto his front, his head in his hands. Shane tracked his movements with the gun.
“I know, love. I know.”
Shane
Car doors shut and footsteps rushed through the house.
“Out here, Baron.” I didn’t raise my voice, my eyes glued to the man who was now bleeding from bites to his leg and ass, as well as his battered face.
Baron showed up and slowed. “Whoa. Who beat the crap out of him?”
I nodded at the two men with him. Splinter and Boomer each grabbed an arm and dragged Edward up between them. He swayed but somehow stayed standing, glowering at all of us as best he could with one eye swollen shut.
“Holden.” I lowered the gun, putting the safety on and shoving it into my jeans at the small of my back, before wrapping both arms around Holden. “She needed to take out some of her anger on him. The pups got to have a taste.”
Lexi giggled, while Soren turned his head away, huffing.
Baron just shook his head. “Don’t get her mad, Shane. It looks like she hits hard.” He jerked his head, and the two men started to drag Edward off.
“She is mine!” He screamed at us. Splinter and Boomer stopped. I looked at him, my face void of emotion.
“She was never yours, Edward. She had been your brother’s wife, but you killed him. She now is my mate. And you will never, ever get this close to her again. You have stolen and tortured my nieces and nephew. You have murdered my brother and his mate. You had taken and tortured my mate. You will not get your day in court. You will not get a judge and jury. Instead, we will try you based on Pack Law. I am Alpha and I decree it. Take him.”
Edward opened his mouth to scream out again, but Boomer turned into him and gave him a quick neck chop, catching him as the man went down, unconscious.
“One way to get him to shut the fuck up.” Splinter chuckled. The two men then dragged him out of the compound.
Baron looked at me.
“Coming?”
I nodded, putting up a hand with five fingers up. Baron nodded and left, following the other two. Soon after, car doors shut, and the car started up.
“Come on, pups. Back to bed.”
“Can we sleep with you?” Lexi moved towards me, patting Holden’s leg. Holden’s sobs had eased, but tears were still falling down her face. I rubbed her back, my nose dipping into her hair.
“I have to go out, Lexi, but you can sleep with Holden until I get back, okay? Protect her for me?”
All three of the pups nodded. Soren and Betta shifted back into kids and ran inside to get back into their pajamas, while Lexi followed me as I walked my mate to our bed. I took off her shoes and pulled off her jeans, tucking her under the covers. Lexi jumped up to cuddle on one side of her.
“Shane.” Holden’s voice tore my heart, but I needed to do this. I needed to bring her justice. This was my first act as Alpha of our Pack. She just didn’t need to see this right now.
I leaned down, my lips touching her forehead.
Betta and Soren slipped into the room and crawled up the bed. Soren put himself on the other side of Holden, while Betta cuddled her sister. They would make sure no one could get to their mama.
Holden looked up at me, her eyes red. Her tears had stopped and her face looked calmer. “Thank you.”
I leaned over and kissed her again, before walking out of the bedroom.
Holden
Waking up, I realized that I was alone in the bed. I didn’t remember Shane coming back. I knew, though, that the pups had been here, in my bed, most of the night.
I could hear sounds in the kitchen, so I got up, taking care of my morning routine, before shuffling out of the bedroom. So much had happened in so little time.
Shane was there, making breakfast.
“Where are the pups?” I drifted over to the island, sitting on the stool. My hands hurt. My body hurt. And my head ached from all my crying.
Shane gave me a glass of water and two pain reliever pills. He then pushed a mug of coffee with milk and sugar next to them on the counter.
“Max came and took them. Take the pills and then I will wrap your hands.” He stood there, waiting for me to do as he asked.
I picked up the pills and held them. “What happened to Edward?”
Shane exhaled. “Take the pills, Holden. Please.”
Glowering at him, I popped them into my mouth and then took a sip of water. “There. Now tell me.”
Shane turned back to the stove and scooped out scrambled eggs onto a plate, which already held a few strips of bacon. He placed it near my hand and gave me a fork, before moving around to sit next to me.
“Pack Law.” He turned to me and watched my face. “No one will find him. No one will know. Mercer even came to take part because Edward had held him for almost a year. Tortured him for almost a year. Edward had made him shift back and forth at the man’s whim, sometimes up to ten times a day.” Shane’s voice was rough with anger.
I just looked at him. “So, he’s dead.” There was no emotion in my voice.
He nodded twice.
“Good. It was more than he deserved.” I turned around and picked up the mug, sipping at my coffee.
Shane stared at me. “You don’t mind we killed him?”
I reached over and grabbed my phone. Accessing my pictures, I pulled up one and put the phone down between us. It was the picture that Edward had sent me of Thomas pleading with him for help.
“The man that did that to another human being – no, not just another human being, but his brother – shouldn’t get human justice of a few years of prison. Jail is too good for him after what he had done. He deserves to die. We should treat him like the vermin he was.”
He looked at me. I am sure he was wondering how much this would change me. Or if I would have regrets later. Heck, I was wondering how much I had already changed to accept this all so easily.
I sighed, putting down my fork, still staring at my plate. “Did Mercer feel vindicated?”
“Yes.”
Turning just my head, I met his eyes. “Good. Then I am fine with his punishment.” I sat up and swung myself around. “Thank you for protecting me, Shane. Thank you for being here with me and for coming back for me.”
My hands cupped his face, my fingers stroking his skin.
“I know little about being a lycanthrope, but I know some about wolves. I know wolves would be fine with this. I know that this is one area where they are kinder than humans are, given it was over with quickly. Edward living forever in jail would have been scary. Human courts would have released him, allowing him to commit more crimes. He was not sane. But he could act sane when he wanted to.”
I got up and moved between his legs, putting my arms around his neck. “Now, I want you to either take me to my pups or make love to me. Your choice, Alpha.” My smile was soft, but the love I had for this man that was radiating down the bond must have convinced him which option I wanted him to choose.
No more talk about Edward. Or Thomas. Or labs.
Just about us and our future.
Shane pulled me in and kissed me, his mouth hungry as it moved over mine. Picking me up, I wrapped my legs around his waist as he moved towards our bedroom.
“What? Not the pups?” I teased him.
“Pups later. It is just about us. I love you, Holden Black.”
I laughed, feeling happy for the first time in a long time. “And I love you, Shane Loren! Forever and always!”
