She started to Change, feeling the claws burst from her fingers, her hand bones contorting, her muzzle sharpening and sprouting fur. Her ears lengthened. It felt good, a sweet kind of pain, like stretching a sore muscle. She needed to fight right now, she needed to break free, to escape, to get away—
“Grab her!” Magnus roared as she slipped through Tabari's arms, her wolf form small and wiry, a deep chocolate brown. She hit the ground running, diving between their legs, scrambling towards the door. She almost made it, too. Almost....
At the last second, a hand grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, heaving her into the air. The hand was large and solid, slamming her to the wall, pinning her against it as she snarled and twisted, attempting to claw at her attacker.
It was Magnus. How had he moved so fast?
“I'm just gonna keep squeezing until you calm down or pass out,” he murmured, his voice thick. She writhed in his grasp, growling and kicking, her tail thrashing... until she finally started to lose focus, until her head swam and she saw stars. Her kicks grew weaker, her twisting less and less. Finally she could barely hold up her head... her vision was becoming a dark tunnel.
“She's stopped, boss,” Jones murmured from behind them. “Shouldn't you let her down?”
“She'll handle better unconscious,” he growled.
They were the last words she heard.
* * * *
When Jaime came to, she realized she was laying on a hard wood floor, the smell of dust clogging her nostrils. She sat up, her head sore and whirling, her eyes taking a moment to focus. Her throat felt bruised and tender.
It had only been a few minutes, she was sure. A narrow beam of sunlight came through a square window in the room. It was situated in a triangular roof, sloping at a steep angle, and she had to bend her head awkwardly to see out the glass. Still daylight, though there was some cloud cover moving in. She could see a lot of trees around her, though the house itself was on a slight hill. By the quality of the attic, she guessed it was an older place. The wooden floorboards were warped and knobbed by water damage. She noticed that the window wasn't closed by normal glass, but rather had bars across it. What sort of sick fuck put bars in his attic?
So how to get out? She scanned the room, finding it bare of any sort of boxes or decorations. No furniture, stored family movies, nothing. Just dust and cobwebs, and a disturbing chain flung in the corner, looking old and solid. An iron collar hung from one end.
A draft of wind crossed her and she shivered, looking down at herself in surprise — her mouth dropped open. No! She sat back, shocked. She touched her bare stomach, disbelieving. She was naked. Her skin was bare and smooth, her nipples tight from the cold. But how...?
Of course. She had turned into her wolf self, shedding all clothing. Why would they bother to cover her?
She found where the trap door was in the floor and tugged on it, already knowing it was locked. It was heavy and solid, and when she banged on it, she heard the clang of metal on the other side. Reinforced, so she couldn't break through with her werewolf strength. She sighed, biting her lip. Calm down, she told herself. How did you think it would be? You expected this. And yet, she hadn't. She had expected more control. She hadn't thought that Magnus would see right through her.
She looked out the window, craning her neck, trying to see through the trees. The house was several stories high and the edge of the roof stopped her from seeing the ground. Frustrating. She wanted to claw at something, to rip a hole in the wall, but she knew it would be useless. Her hands were taped. The room had no other exits.
Jaime sat on the ground, hanging her head, pressing her forehead against her bare knees, trying to find some warmth. The air was growing colder as the storm gathered outside. She wondered when Sirus would come... and what he would do. Would he be able to handle Magnus? There was a good reason why he hadn't challenged the Alpha alone....
She sighed, hugging herself. There was nothing she could do.
* * * *
Sirus leaned back in the seat of the hotel room, anxious and tired of waiting.
He had let Jaime go alone after arriving in Paxton, staying behind to meet with Gareth and the wolves he had brought with him. Then they had found a hotel, a meeting place for the time being. Gareth had made some phone calls, getting in touch with a small group of rebels who were interested in seeing Magnus out of power. No sense continuing if he couldn't lead all of them to Magnus' hideout. Now they were waiting on the rebels' arrival.
Sirus had little patients for politics, but he needed the allegiance of as many wolves in the area as possible; it would make his transition to power much easier.
He glanced at the clock, watching as the minute hand slowly changed. He wasn't usually the impatient type, but somehow he had a bad feeling in his gut. He wanted to go to Jaime immediately... but he couldn't pass up this opportunity. Not only would the Paxton wolves help him overthrow the rest of Magnus' inner circle, but they would also witness he and Gareth as the new Alphas and help to split up the territory. This fight needed to be legitimate.
The sound of laughter drew his attention, and he looked over to where Maddy stood with Gareth near the bathroom. The large man was blocking her from getting in, standing in the doorway and not budging as the thin redhead tried to squeeze around him. He was watching her, his lips pulled into the slightest of grins — it was the biggest smile Sirus had ever seen on the man. The girl seemed to be happy, too, laughing and wiggling, trying to slip past the Alpha. He didn't completely understand them, how a human and werewolf could be so satisfied with one another. They seemed so different, and Gareth was such an odd, quiet man, difficult to engage. Maddy seemed to have cast a spell over him... she had changed him into something more man than wolf. Not an easy feat for anyone to do, never mind a human.
Sirus reflected on that, wondering if Jaime had the same thing to him. Did he feel more man than wolf? Naw.
There was a knock at the door.
“That's them,” Isak said, looking through the peephole. Sirus didn't bother to stand up. He didn't need to.
Isak slid the bolt over and opened the door, letting in a group of three wolves. He shut and locked the door behind him. Sirus felt his gun against his back, heavy with new bullets, just in case. He didn't trust these outsiders... they smelled rotten, like Magnus. Desperate.
Their leader spoke, a blond man with a blue jacket. “We wanted to get a good look at the Seneca Alpha.” His eyes roved over Gareth and then turned to Sirus in the chair.
“Did you?” Sirus murmured, leaning forward.
“Yeah... 'cause killing our Alpha ain't gonna be a cakewalk.”
“I'll waste time convincing you after he's dead,” Sirus cut him off. “But for now, I want to know — what's in it for you? Why should we trust you, and why are you helping us?”
The blond man looked surprised at Sirus' bluntness. He glanced at his comrades, hesitating. Another wolf spoke up, this one short and dark.
“Magnus is a terrible Alpha,” he said. “Those who live on the edges of his territory are starving and squabbling. Wolves are turning against their packmates, stealing, killing. There's no order... we need an Alpha that can control this much land.”
“The plan is to divide the territory in half,” Sirus said. “Part mine, part Gareth's.”
“And us. We want part too.”
“Absolutely not.”
“What?” The blond werewolf looked at him in surprise, =not having expected the outright refusal. “If you're not going to help us, then we're not going to help you.”
“Oh, we're going to help you,” Sirus said, grinning. “We're going to get rid of Magnus. But if you knew what was good for you, you wouldn't try to bargain. You're not the ones fighting for leadership. I don't give handouts.” He glanced at Gareth who was leaning silently against the wall, green eyes gleaming. “You have anything to add to that?”
He shook his head slowly. Sirus turned back to the small group. They were outnumbered
and considerably less experienced than his crew. “Well?”
The blond man looked at him, then at Gareth, then at his packmates. After a moment, he nodded. “Then we will work out terms after he is dead?”
“Yes, we'll figure out the specifics then. For now, we are running out of time.”
The new wolves frowned. “How...?”
“Magnus is holding his lifemate captive,” Gareth interjected. “She is the last surviving member of your old Alpha's bloodline.”
“The Paxton City wolves? They survived the explosion?”
“One,” Aiden murmured.
He blinked, raising his eyebrows. “This is exciting news,” he murmured, licking his lips. Sirus felt the energy in the room changed. The newcomers suddenly appeared more interested, even hopeful. “Why did you let Magnus get a hold of her?”
“We had to find his hideout,” Sirus growled. “She volunteered. I let her. But now we must hurry and retrieve her before he can go too far.”
“That's going to be dangerous. You're not planning on going tonight, are you?” the one with the black hair spoke up, catching his attention. Everyone in the room turned to him. “Magnus keeps his inner circle at his house, all of the members of his original pack before he became so powerful. There is a good forty scattered about. They come together whenever something big is going on, like this.” He looked at Sirus. “You can't hope to get close to him with just the eight of you. Give me a day, let me round up my group. You can lead us there tomorrow.”
“You don't know where he lives?” Aiden asked.
“No... Magnus keeps himself hidden. We're not even supposed to be in this city. Only his inner circle is allowed here... but we couldn't pass up this chance.”
“Hm,” Sirus said thoughtfully. He sat back, clasping his hands in thought. Apparently Magnus had a good reason to remain hidden. Considering that his territory now stretched over the entire State, there must be several hundred wolves under his control. It sounded like most of them didn't even want to hear his name. It would make sense to gather their numbers together... organize themselves. But the longer he waited, the greater the chance of losing Jaime....
“No sense rushing in and getting killed,” Gareth's low voice filled the room. Sirus glanced at the large wolf, meeting his eyes. The words had been meant for him. He glared, knowing that the Alpha had a point... but he couldn't just leave Jaime there... he couldn't....
He shook his head. “You guys should stay here tonight. I'll follow her trail to Magnus' hideout before it gets cold. I'll find where she is, make sure she's safe, and come back.”
The air stayed heavy. Aiden look as though he wanted to say something, then paused, slowly letting his mouth close. Sirus looked around at them, meeting all of their gazes head-on until they looked away. If they wanted to question him, they would be asking for a fight... and no one wanted to fight the Seneca Alpha.
“Watch yourself,” Gareth grumbled from across the room. It broke the tension, acknowledging what everyone had been thinking. What if he didn't come back?
Preposterous. Sirus grinned, letting the smile pull back on his fangs, stretched and impulsive. “Get everyone together. I'll be back in the morning.”
With that, he stood up and left the room, grabbing his jacket on the way out. He trusted that Gareth could handle the handful of rebels if they decided to back out. Formalities were over and he was impatient to get to Jaime, to check on his lifemate. The thought of her was first on his mind, making it difficult to think of anything else, especially to plan out a war.
No one said anything or made a move to stop him. He picked up a room key from the bed and left, not even taking half a minute. He had no time to lose. He had to make sure she was alright.
A moment later he heard footsteps padding after him. He didn't need to look to know who it was.
“Aiden, I didn't ask for you,” he said, heading to the stairs. They were on the third floor of an old Motor Inn, the carpet fuzzy and green, the long hallways decorated with nondescript salmon-pink wallpaper. He rammed the staircase open and started down the fire well, following the green exit signs.
Aiden didn't respond, just followed on his Alpha's heels. Sirus barred his teeth in annoyance, wanting to lash out at the older wolf and send him scurrying back to the hotel room... but he understood. Aiden wasn't following him as a wolf. He was following him as a friend, and that was loyalty that he couldn't send away.
They exited the building into the night, where storm clouds were gathering. It was already dark and he could feel rain on the air. Sirus sniffed the wind, his body humming, catching whiffs of Jaime's scent on each gust... it was as though his every sense was tuned to her; as though his body held an inner compass. He could practically feel her heartbeat.
His head turned to the right. The trail lay in that direction.
“We'll cut through the forest,” he said, starting towards the edge of the city. They didn't have time to pretend to be human. He summoned his wolf strength and moved into a run, loping at speeds that rivaled cars. He knew that the path she had taken was by freeway, but more so than the city streets, he could smell her scent coming from the mountains. It called to his blood, stirring something deep inside him. It was time to find his mate.
They started toward the edges of town, both running at inhuman speeds, becoming one with the night.
Chapter 16
Maddy sat on the balcony and looked over at her lifemate, the tall, silent man who sipped slowly at his beer. They were watching the storm clouds and lazy traffic, each pondering the day to come. It still made her nervous to break his silences. Despite their few years together, he could still be impenetrable, unreadable — a near stranger.
“Why are we here, Gareth?” she finally asked, crossing her legs over his with familiarity. She had insisted on coming with him, especially once she had found out about the Challenge. She had almost lost him once before while fighting for the Davenport pack... she was not going to risk losing him again. He glanced at her and looked back at the street, taking another sip.
“Because it's too good an offer to pass up,” he murmured into the bottle, his voice deep and rocky. She shivered, feeling waves of warmth pass through her. It was amazing what his voice could do.
“But we have our territory, Gareth,” she said softly. The rest of the wolves were inside, gathering around the small desk, making plans. “I don't need power or money. I'm happy with Black River and Davenport. We don't need to be here.”
He was silent. She waited, wondering what he was thinking, or if he had even heard her... sometimes she still wondered. Finally he responded, speaking slowly. “This isn't really about more power, Maddy,” he said. “But consider: what if Sirus were to take the place of Magnus, with all of this territory under his control? What if he actually united a pack of hundreds — maybe even a thousand — wolves? He would be unstoppable.” Gareth sipped at his beer. “This way we can keep him in check. Do you think I'd be able to hold out against Sirus forever? He would become another Magnus and keep taking more land, until Black River was swallowed with it. This way, we keep what we have... and he also becomes an ally.”
“How do you know you can trust him?”
“Jaime.” Gareth's eyes glinted. “He cares too much about her.”
Maddy snorted. “Doesn't look like it to me.” But her lifemate was nodding slowly, as though deep in thought. He didn't offer any more information. Maddy was left to mull it over in her mind. From what she could tell of Sirus' relationship, Jaime hated him and he acted towards her like a psychopath... which, she reflected, wasn't far from the truth.
She waited, wondering if Gareth would explain his thoughts. He didn't always say what was on his mind, and she couldn't always ask. She considered him for a while, chewing her lip. There was definitely something he wasn't saying, something that was at the back of both of their minds. She looked down at her hands, at the ring he had slipped on her finger two months before. He wanted her to become Alpha alongsid
e him, to truly rule the pack... but to do that, she had to be a wolf.
She knew from what others had told her that it wasn't the most pleasant process. It was a slow transformation and those who weren't prepared could be driven insane....
This new territory could be a home for them — it would be even more possible for her to settle down, accept her full responsibilities as Alpha-female of the pack... and maybe, in the years to come, raise a family.
The thought was suffocating. It made her momentarily dizzy. Children? Or... pups? No, she liked being human, she wasn't ready to change... who could be? She still felt like a child.
“This isn't going to sway my decision,” she said softly.
He didn't respond.
* * * *
Sirus and Aiden paused a good five-hundred feet from the house. They couldn't get any closer... not because of guards, but because of a security fence that circled the property. Sirus glanced to Aiden, who reached into his pocket to pull out a pair of wire clippers— a Tracker always came prepared. They found a place where the fence bordered a dense bush and silently snipped through the metal wire, hidden behind leaves and branches.
They approached the house slowly. The two wolves moved easily in the darkness, making no sound, both fluid and graceful. They had worked together for years, two Trackers who had built up a working relationship and then a solid alliance. To Sirus' senses, the night was as bright as early evening, crisp and clear through the darkness. Every twitch of a branch or scrape of a leaf seemed sharp and direct, brought into acute focus. Ahead of them — the house. He could see gold light spilling from the windows through the trees, the smell of fresh paint, of old, rotting wood. It was an old manor, tucked back in the hills at the base of the mountain, only accessible through a scattered gravel road. Sirus twitched his ears, listening through the night for any sounds, any hints of conversation... only to be distracted as a light turned on in the upper window, one that was situated in the roof. An attic?