The Plan

HARPER

“I love you.” I could hear him, I could.

“L-love you.”

“We are going to get through this.” He was preparing me, saying what he needed to.

“T-through this.”

“You can do this, you can.” His encouragement was appreciated, it was—but I was terrified.

“Uh huh,” I nodded.

“Purple monkeys.”

“Yep—monkeys.”

“You’re not listening to me,” he snapped, causing me to swerve out of fright.

“I am listening, Spencer.”

He scoffed in reply. “No Harper, what did I say?”

“S-something about monkeys.”

“I need you to be strong and the moment you have Leivon, you run. Do you hear me, Harper?”

He sighed, looking at me with tears in his beautiful sapphire eyes as I shook frantically behind the wheel.

I could see just how terrible this was going to go if I didn’t rope in those emotions of mine, but I couldn’t help it—the anxiety was rolling through me at a rapid pace.

“I-I run,” I repeated monotonously.

I felt his warm, strong hand on my thigh, causing me to jump. “Grab him and run. You don’t look back, you don’t stop, and you don’t worry about me at all. I will find you.”

“A-a at all.” Shit, this is just getting worse by the second.

With the collar fastened securely around Spencer’s neck, he chastely kissed my cheek before shifting into his wolf spirit and climbing into the fake cage on the back seat.

The choker looked uncomfortable. I could see by the way he shook his head, but it had to look believable. There was too much at stake now.

As we hit the last bumps of the trail leading up to the abandoned retreat, a sob ripped from my throat. I was really struggling to keep it together.

I wanted to hold him. I wanted this all not to be real, but we were out of time.

Slamming my foot on the brake, the car came to a screeching halt as I pushed the gear stick into park and mentally chastised myself for not being stronger.

We were doing this to get him back. I had to have faith in Spencer, now more than ever.

I had to wear a mask. I could do this, I could, for Levi.

We were greeted with a welcoming party of around twenty or so men, all in matching camouflage outfits and all holding shiny, terror-inducing rifles.

“Holy shit,” I whispered, swallowing the large lump that had formed in my throat. I could feel something strange wash over me…maybe dread, anger?

I wasn’t quite sure, it was not my own feelings though, no. My eyes were glued to the sheer size and brutally cold and hard-looking men that watched us with seething intent.

They were prepared for murder, you could sense the thick stagnant alarm wafting through the crack of the window.

My eyes landed on the most terrifying sight as I looked through the glass, “It can’t be,” I whispered while a wave of realization washed over me.

Spencer’s loud, vicious bark resonated by way of my nervous system, jolting me from my zombified stupor.

Sometimes I hated that we couldn’t communicate when he was in his primal form.

I slowly clambered out from behind the steering wheel and apprehensively walked around the side of the car, prying open the door and grasping the lead with jittery fingers.

God, it was really insulting he had to wear a common dog’s lead.

His keen, acute and perceptive eyesight honed in on each individual. I could feel his fury, his hatred for the murderous slobs that stood there, eyeing us like lambs ready to be slaughtered.

But the one that held my attention dripped malevolence and I couldn’t believe he was standing right in front of me.

What the hell was he doing there? More importantly—why the fuck was he on their side?

“Hello, Harps, I have been missing you terribly,” his voice oozed with sleazy vindictiveness. It made the silky hairs on Spence’s hackles stand on end as my emotions twisted and turned from fear into savage, blind revulsion.

I hated him, loathed his existence. He was nothing but an abomination.

“Funny that, you never seemed to care when we lived just around the corner…for seven years.”

“Yes well, back then you were of no use to me. Now though, now you have something I want.”

“I have your wolf, him for Leivon,” I pulled on the leash, causing the choker to tighten even more around Spencer’s neck. A flash of triumph flickered in the camo asses brown eyes.

“You hand it over so willingly, makes me curious as to why?”

“You have my child, that is why.” My glower unwavering as I raked over his structure with venomous detest.

His shaven bald head, dark almond-shaped beady eyes, his broad nose, and squared chin. How could I ever have stooped so low?

“Bring the boy,” the asshole hollered.

From behind his brawny shoulders, I could see another, almost identical him, only taller and more muscular.

“You remember my brother, don’t you?” He snickered as his brother crept from the shadows with his hands holding Levi by his upper arms.

“Mom, Mom, please take me home, take me home. Mom, please.” Levi cried out with harrowing force. My heart was so close to breaking, shattering, and falling to the ground below our feet, but I had to keep it together.

I just had to; he had no power here.

“It’s okay, Levi, it’s okay. Roy, how could you do this? You—of all people—you?” I regarded the man holding my son with less contempt than I held for his brother.

“Harps, you don’t understand. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Don’t worry though, I-I kept him safe, I promise.” Roy was always the one blessed with a heart.

He cared, but was it enough? He was always a coward under his brother’s control.

“Enough, this is not a stroll through history; we are not reminiscing,” the asshole snapped.

How could I have ever wanted him? Him? Nothing but a worthless piece of shit he is.

I squared my shoulders and straightened my spine. I was no longer the weak, pathetic, timid girl I once was, no.

Spencer had slowly but surely sewn all the wounds of my heart closed; he had given me confidence and strength.

“You have what you came for. Release Leivon, and I will hand over the wolf.” My tone was serious, deadly even. What the hell were they even doing here?

“Release the boy,” he ordered, but then held up his hand. “On second thought, maybe I shouldn’t. See, I have a slight problem, and since you seem to be the key factor in this predicament, I might need to keep him.”

“Blue, what are you doing?” I caught Spencer’s head in the corner of my eye, snapping in confusion between us.

“Oh, Harps, what are you doing? You bring my son all the way out here, mixing with putrid mutts—you are not fit to be a mother.”

He sneered at me but I stood my ground; he couldn’t hurt me anymore. I couldn’t believe it, I just couldn’t, this was him, the foul fucking prick that fathered my son.

“He is MY SON,” my tone rising dangerously as my body shook with fury.

I had never heard myself sound like that before, but Levi was caught in the middle of something I didn’t quite understand myself; this had to be more than just the killing of an innocent wolf.

“Was, was your son.” His top lip curled up in satisfaction, but he had just made a colossal mistake. You don’t ever mess with a mama’s young.

I may be shy and naive, but he had stolen my son and now was threatening to take him away for good.

“Name your price,” I snapped.

“Now see, this is a relationship we can build on,” he taunted in a mocking tone.

“As it turns out, my wanker father decided to up and die on Roy and me. Well, no one was upset really, but I can’t get access to his fortune without an heir and since you kindly provided me with one years ago, he now belongs to me. So I’m going to need his birth certificate.

You showing up like this was unexpected, especially since I sent Roy out to make sure the perimeter was secure”—he turned his head to the side briefly, flashing Roy a look of disapproval—“but never mind, it will give you an opportunity to say goodbye. Now, be a good bitch and go home and get it.”

This was not the wolves' fault, they had not brought them here. I had.

I threw my head back and laughed maniacally. “You always were a fucking idiot. Slight hiccup in your plan, dipshit, Leivon has a father, and your name is not on the birth certificate—his is.”

Blue’s face drops and contorts into pure hatred, but then he smiles menacingly.

“A simple blood test will prove my connection. Turns out, you are not needed after all, Harps, you’re just as useless as the day I met you.”

“Oh, Blue, you think I didn’t have back up when you abandoned Leivon? I would like to see you try through the court system to get permission for his blood work. Do you remember the day I came to see you, you were sitting with…um, what was her name?”

I tapped a finger thoughtfully on my chin. “Oh right, Melanie. Yes, it’s coming back to me. I told you to sign paperwork claiming you had no sexually transmitted infections within yourself or family, that I needed your signature for the next lot of tests for our son, if you signed it, it would mean that you weren’t an infected carrier. You were always so hung up on your reputation, weren’t you?”

I was taunting him now, dangling the carrot in front of his face.

“And?” he barked, clearly losing his patience.

“And, you were so eager to see the back of me that you scribbled without reading, just so I wouldn’t affect your chances at scoring pussy.

What you actually signed was a statutory declaration, waiving any and all rights to your child, as well as a contract to state you will never make claim or seek any future involvement with Leivon Maddox. As far as the legal system is concerned, you don’t have a leg to stand on. Checkmate, bitch.”

“KILL THE WOLF!” Blue screamed, forcing me into action.

I released the collar around Spencer’s neck and he took off at the speed of light, swerving left and right as the bullets rained down on him.

A deafening roar rang through the tree line and out of nowhere appeared the entire pack, their claws digging into the dirt as they thundered forward.

Spencer had brought the pack to the fight, Spencer had planned a back-up. Yes, this wasn’t what we had discussed, but neither of us saw this twist coming.

Before I had a chance to register what was happening, my air supply was cut off as a hand clasped around my neck, squeezing tightly.

My body was lifted, my toes scrambling to gain footing as they dragged in the dirt.

“You think you’re so smart don’t you, Harper?” Blue spat, his crushing grip of suffocation was causing my eyesight to blur.

Suddenly, a bullet zipped past my head. As if in slow motion, I watched it sail past and embed in Blue’s right shoulder, causing him to drop me.

I heaved, gulped, and scrambled to gain air in my burning lungs. I turned around to see where the bullet had been shot from and there was…

Uncle Clade with about twenty of his hunting buddies emerging from the tree line, rifles aimed and firing relentlessly at the camo-wearing enemy.

He believed me, he had come despite his disbelief in what I had told him over the phone, he was my savior once again.

As a smile adorned my face, I turned back just as a solid fist came down, colliding with my cheek.

The side of my body hit the ground with brutal force as Blue climbed on top of me, resuming his strangulation hold around my neck.

I clawed frantically at his forearms, desperate to get him off me as stars danced in front of my eyes. I was losing consciousness and fast.

Out of literally nowhere, an orange and gray wolf’s jaw clasped firmly around the back of Blue and the canines entered his arms.

With one powerful yank, Blue was ripped clean off of me and tossed carelessly into the mass and chaos of battle that raged in the distance, like a ragdoll made of cotton.

The wolf shifted into human form as I coughed and spluttered, sucking back air.

Everything was unfolding at a catastrophic pace, so fast and riddled with violence. “Don’t let them hurt Roy!” she screamed. I was stunned as I gaped up at her. “Don’t let them hurt Roy,” she repeated again as I slowly nodded.

“SHEILA?” I screeched. What the fuck is happening right now? Why the fuck was she protecting Roy and why on earth did she just help me? She morphed back into wolf mode and took off like a bat out of hell.

I scrambled to my feet, enough time had already been wasted, I needed my son.

Making a direct run for Roy and Levi, I watched on in consternation as Roy fought toe to toe against his own men and Levi, cowering in fear behind him.

Could he really be protecting my son right now? I mean over the years he did come to watch him, never really engaged other than the normal pleasantries.

But he was his uncle, after all, and I also suspected deep down he wanted to know him.

“YOU BITCH.” Before I could make it to them, I hear Leivon’s father, Blue, horrifyingly screech and I turn to see him bolting in my direction, blood oozing from the lacerations of Sheila’s sharp canines.

He looked crazed, driven by some otherworldly force of abhorrence and directed at one target—me.

He launched at my trembling form with a serrated knife in his hand. I squeezed my eyes closed, I knew what was coming… Death—only the impact never came.

I popped an eye open to see Spencer’s giant wolf with Blue’s head between his powerful jaws.

With no hesitation, he chomped down as if slicing through a soft sponge, squashing his head completely.

The impact sent bits of brain, blood, and shards of broken skull spraying the air, like he had just popped a water balloon filled with scarlet blood.

His lifeless form thrown to the ground, tossed with no care as Spencer threw his fur-covered head back and howled to the sky. I had never seen anyone’s head explode that way and I doubt I will again.

I scrambled forward once again, my focus solely on Leivon, running as though I would not be able to breathe until he was back where he belonged, running despite the deafening bludgeons around us.

Running in desperate need to comfort, sprinting because I could see how his body trembled behind Roy.

Just then, Sheila appeared in front of him and threw her arms, as well as her naked figure, around Roy. My head snapped back to Spencer as he made a bee-line for them.

The murderous glint sparkling in his blackened eyes, he clearly didn’t understand and was ready and willing to kill them both.

I skidded to a halt and in the blink of an eye, threw my arms out in front of Sheila and Roy, shielding them from the imminent attack of one wolven Spencer.

Facing the very angry and bloodthirsty wolf, I quivered in fear, closing my eyes just before his attack, and—was tickled with wet fur.

What the heck? A large rough tongue swiped the length of my face, leaving behind slobbery thick drool, like slime glued to my skin.

I groaned, wiping the gunk off of my disgusted face and flicking it from my hands, I observed as it landed with a ‘splat’ to the ground.

“Goddammit,” I cursed.

Relief thrummed through me at the feel of my child's arms wrapped around my hips. Then a much larger pair of bulkier, muscular human arms wrapped around the both of us.

I let out whimpers of happiness as we collapsed into a pile, weeping with unadulterated solace and mirth.

“Holy fucking shit,” Uncle Clade’s voice burst through our emotional huddle.

“Man, I didn’t believe you kid, I thought you had driven yourself nuts but I prayed – and I prayed hard—that you were telling me the truth, but boy do you lot have some serious explaining to do.”

I whipped around and stared up at Sheila, who held tightly onto Roy. “Thank you, Sheila. Thank you for saving me.”

She just smiled, “Harper, thank you for saving me.”

“Are you two…?” Spencer questioned. He was struggling to comprehend just as much as I was.

“Mates?” Roy offered with a giddy smile as Spencer nodded.

“Yep, who would have thought it, hey? Finding a broken soul on the train tracks, playing chicken with the trains, trying to end her life… Who would have known that day would end up being the best day of mine?”

“Did Blue know?” I gasped.

“No, things would have turned out worse if he knew. Which is why I had to protect Leivon as much as I physically could, other than the fact he is my nephew.

Harps, I took him everywhere with me, I didn’t leave him alone for one second. We had to check the sensors and cameras around the perimeter were working and functional, what we were actually doing was leaving behind traces of Leivon’s scent for you to follow.”

“Yeah, Mom, Uncle Roy said it will help you find me. Then he showed me how you replay the camera screen so that when you came, no one would know,” they high-fived each other like buddies.

“And you were awesome at that.” Roy roughed up Levi’s hair as he blushed furiously over the praise. “We disabled the sensors and, well…here you are.”

“Did the poo help, Mom, did it?”

I burst into teary laughter.

“Uncle Roy said it would.”

“It sure did, cowboy, it sure did.” Spencer grabbed Leivon into his arms and held him tightly.

After a while, we finally surveyed the sea of dead bodies that scattered over the dirt. We had lost a few wolves but all of the hunters lay deceased and that was the most important thing.

“He didn’t train them very well,” Roy commented. “Blue cared more about appearances than actual skills. Still, it’s sad to see so much carnage.”

Alpha transformed back into his human body beside us, scaring the bejesus out of Uncle Clade. “Spence, take your mate and son home, we’ll get this cleaned up.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

“Fucking hell, that really you Chad? I think someone better find me a beer and quickly,” Clade flabbergasted by the Alpha having morphed out of wolf spirit.

Chad chuckled at his reaction but then turned around, narrowing in on the other two. “Sheila, I think you and your mate better come back with us to the pack house after we clean all this up.”

“Yes, Al—Chad.”

Spencer needed no further orders and all but threw us into the car we had arrived in. I took one last look at the receding scene, thanking my lucky stars it was finally over.