Chapter 46

LLOYD

We’d been on the road for nearly three hours, and I’d tried linking Misty a few times, but there’d been no response. I was about to try again when Tanner tensed.

“We’re being followed,” he muttered, his eyes darting to the rearview mirror. “Don’t look back.”

I fought the urge to turn around, knowing it was too dark to see anything beyond a pair of headlights.

“Who the hell would follow us, and why?” Sully demanded.

“No clue, but I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Tanner sped up briefly, then eased off the gas. “Yeah, they’re definitely on us, and I have a feeling they’ve been on our tail for a while.”

“Could this be Axel’s doing?” I asked.

“Maybe. Who knows who he has on speed dial,” Tanner replied.

Speed dial? I understood the concept, but not exactly how it worked.

“What kind of car is it?” Trent asked. “Make, model, how many can it seat?”

I squinted at the side mirror, but there were too many makes of cars, and I wasn’t good at identifying models. There was so much more I had to learn, and sometimes, it felt like I would never catch up.

“It looks like a Jeep, so four or five people, max,” Tanner said, instantly identifying the car.

“Fuck,” Harris muttered under his breath, frustration evident in his voice.

Whoever was tailing us didn’t have good intentions. “We need a plan,” I said, urgency creeping into my tone.

“If we turn off, the road twists and curves, which could give us an edge,” Trent suggested.

I glanced at the navigation display and quickly abandoned the idea of deciphering what I was looking at. An ambush would cost time, and I was desperate to reach Misty. My anxiety spiked with every passing second.

Tanner veered onto a much narrower road, a rocky wall looming on our left. The car behind us suddenly killed its headlights, and everyone except Tanner twisted in their seats to look back.

“Whoever they are, they are getting ready to attack,” Tanner said, speeding up.

“Up ahead,” Harris said, pointing at the display. “Once we’re past this curve, cut the headlights. We’ll bail and head for the trees on the right. The left side is too rocky and steep.”

“I think some of them just got out of the car…,” Sully muttered.

Everyone unbuckled and prepared themselves. We hit the curve, and Tanner braked, switching off the headlights simultaneously. We sprang from the car—and the night exploded with gunfire.

“Fuck!” Tanner shouted.

~“Misty,”~ Vetus exclaimed.

I could smell her clearly, but she wasn’t in the trees. Shifting, Vetus masked our scent and enveloped us in shadows, cautiously circling the front of the minivan.

Sniffing the air, Vetus struggled up the steep embankment, his claws slipping as he fought for traction. With a growl, he made an enormous leap, clearing the ridge.

Suddenly, the air was filled with the sharp crack of bullets. The sound echoed all around me as Vetus swiftly ducked behind a boulder for cover.

~“How the hell can they see us?”~

~“I don’t know,” ~Vetus said, just as surprised as I was.

~“Misty?”~ I tried linking her, but there was no response, and my heart stuttered.

Vetus slunk around boulders, the scent of blood and her presence sharp in his nose. She was crouched between two rocks in human form, her breathing soft and labored.

As I neared, I shifted back and squeezed through the narrow gap, quickly clamping my hand over her mouth to prevent her from crying out in fear.

She froze and then struggled madly, trying to scramble away from me. I wrapped an arm around her waist, lifting her against my chest to stop her. My thigh brushed something wet and slick— and she jerked in pain—

“It’s me,” I whispered, and she instantly stilled. “You’re hurt.” I breathed in her scent, sending a silent prayer of gratitude that she was alive.

“Lloyd? I couldn’t smell you,” she murmured.

“How bad is it?” I asked, setting her on her knees to face me and ensuring we were hidden from sight.

She was covered in dirt, and her neck and collarbones were a mass of raw flesh; even her jawline was burned. But her beauty still shone through, piercing my heart.

“I’ve been shot…in the fucking ass,” she gritted in disbelief. “I think the bullet ricocheted.”

“Fuck. Where’s Axel?” I asked urgently, folding her into my arms.

“I don’t know. I—I managed to escape, but he can mask his scent too.”

“Yes, I know.”

There wasn’t time for questions and answers, although Misty had that look on her face.

I could still hear gunfire, but they weren’t shooting at us, and I surmised they were searching for Tanner and the rest of the group—but I couldn’t leave Misty hurt and alone, especially as Axel could appear at any second.

Harris bounded up, unharmed, his wolf a solid black color. He shifted and crouched beside us. “Misty, are you okay?” he asked, concern lacing his voice. “I can smell blood.”

“I’m fine, Dad,” she assured him. “Just have a bullet in my butt. Listen,” she said urgently, her voice just above a whisper. “I overheard Axel. He hired mercenaries to kill you.”

“Mercenaries?” I’d never heard of wolves becoming mercenaries, but I was familiar with the term.

“Humans?” Harris whispered, shocked when Misty nodded.

“Why couldn’t I link you?” I asked.

“The bullet was dipped in wolfsbane,” she explained.

How did they know to use Wolfsbane? Axel must have told them, putting us all at risk. There was no time to dwell on it now, but you didn’t just pick up the phone and tell a human they’re hunting werewolves.

Another volley of shots sounded, and I knew my responsibility was to help. Harris would rather die than let anything happen to her. “Stay here until I get back.”

“No, please, Lloyd,” Misty implored. “You’re not invulnerable anymore.”

“I know, but I have to.” I kissed her quickly and nodded at Harris.

Misty’s eyes nervously scanned our surroundings. “Okay, but hurry.”

I shifted, and Vetus bounded off, skidding down the embankment and loping across the road into the forest. This time, I wasn’t shot at, and climbing up the embankment for a human was no mean feat.

Choking noises reached our ears, and we immediately headed in that direction.

A man clad in black battle gear, wearing something on his head, had Adam pinned face down, choking him with a garrote.

Shifting behind him, I snapped both his wrists in one swift motion. He screamed in pain, and I delivered a hard punch that sent him sprawling to the ground, the thing on his head breaking apart and cutting his face.

I pulled Adam to his feet, checking he was okay, then motioned for him to follow. He was so young—I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to him.

Any jealousy I once felt toward him had vanished; he’d risked his life for Misty more times than I could count, and I valued his loyalty.

We moved on to the next target—a similarly dressed man with the same strange device strapped to his head. Covering myself in shadows, I was about to strike when Adam grabbed my arm.

“Night vision,” he whispered. “He can see body heat. He’ll spot you even if you’re invisible.”

It took a second for his words to sink in, and I cursed under my breath. That’s how they could see me! Human technology never ceased to amaze me.

Staying in human form, I followed him quietly. Seeing my chance, I snapped his neck, and he dropped like a tree felled by an ax. Kneeling, I removed the device, intending to keep it to find out how it worked.

Smelling Trent and Sully, we moved off in their direction. The third man was spooked and kept turning in a circle, firing at shadows, but I was adept at avoiding flying objects, even bullets.

Sully went down with a howl, and the man immediately fired in his direction. Diving for him, I took him down, my claws ripping out his throat.

“Their bullets are dipped in wolfsbane,” Sully gritted in pain.

“I know. Misty overheard Axel. He sent mercenaries,” I stated. “Have you seen Tanner?” I could smell him, but he wasn’t close. “How many guys were there?”

“Don’t know. Tanner went after one, but I don’t think there was another,” Trent confirmed.

Sully got to his feet with Trent’s help, an expression of pain crossing his face. “Fuck, it will take me a while to get to the car,” he gritted.

I jerked when I heard rapid gunfire, shifted instantly, and headed in that direction. Darting between the trees, I heaved a sigh of relief when I saw Tanner in human form dragging a body behind him.

I shifted, noticing the fury etched on his face. “Fucker almost got me,” he spat, a scrape on his arm. “And the bullets were dipped in wolfsbane, which means Axel definitely orchestrated this.”

“I know.”

“Did you find Misty?”

“I did. She’s been shot…”

“Bad?” he interrupted.

“Ricochet, in the buttocks. Harris is with her.”

“Go. Get her, Alpha. I’ll deal with this,” Tanner urged, but I needed no encouragement.

Shifting, we ran across the road and up the embankment where Harris was crouched over Misty, who lay on her side with one bloody butt cheek showing.

“Thank Goddess.” Harris jerked in fright when I materialized before him. “Misty needs a doctor.”

“Ugh, Dad, it’s not that bad. Once the bullet is out, I’ll be fine. My neck is more sensitive than my butt. Anyway, we have to deal with Axel, and I want to witness that.”

I scooped her up and hoped Tanner had extra clothes in the car.

“Did you get everyone?” Harris asked.

“I think so,” I confirmed.

All of a sudden, I was irritated. Besides Misty, I couldn’t link him or anyone else.

Descending the embankment in human form proved trickier than expected, and halfway down, I lost my footing and ended up sliding the rest of the way on my ass. Misty giggled, her arms wrapped tightly around me.

“How poetic, now we both have sore butts,” she teased.

“Poetic indeed…” I grinned, squeezing her tightly.

I still wanted to know how she’d managed to escape, but I couldn’t get over the fact that Axel hadn’t come after her himself. Was he that confident his goons could handle me? What was his next move?

I wanted all of this behind me, to forget the past and focus on the future. To get to know Misty better and wake up to her beautiful face every morning. Was that too much to ask for?