Chapter Seventeen

It had been six days since the night on the hill, and Lucy was still getting used to waking up in Dan’s bed. It felt wonderful, and amazing, and a bunch of other words she’d never equated to her life before this moment, but it was still all so new that it took some time to get used to. Every time she woke up believing her happiness was some elaborate dream, only to gaze down at Dan’s sleeping face and realize that it was real. It was like unlimited Christmases, and she hoped the butterflies she felt every morning as she recognized her reality never went away.

“Good morning,” Dan mumbled sleepily, seeing her staring as he rolled over. “Sleep well?”

Lucy grinned, leaning down to kiss him. “I didn’t exactly get much of it, if I can recall.”

“And here I thought you enjoyed it,” Dan replied, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“You know I did,” Lucy replied, kissing him deeply. Dan’s arms slipped around her pulling her on top of him.

She laughed, pushing away lightly, though she wished she didn’t have to. “If we don’t get up now, we’ll be late,” she warned, making Dan groan grumpily. “I know, I know, but I can’t think of how humiliating it would be to have them all sitting out there waiting for us just because we wanted one last romp in bed.” She reluctantly pushed off of him, sliding her feet onto the floor and hopping out of bed.

With a grumble of complaint, Dan threw back the blanket, stalking into the bathroom. Lucy couldn’t help but laugh.

She pressed her cheek against the closed door. “Since you’re showering first, I think I’ll go for a run before I clean myself up,” she called. “I won’t be long.”

The door clicked open just a crack, and Lucy could see Dan’s eyes as he peeked through the slit. “You could just join me in here and forget about the run,” he murmured suggestively.

Heat shivered though her core, but she shook her head. “Jogging every once in a while is the only thing that keeps my bear in check most of the time,” she explained. “Plus, it gives me time to think about things and wake up my brain in general.” She pushed the door open a bit more so that she could plant a quick kiss on Dan’s grouchy lips. “I won’t be long.”

He bellyached a bit more before saying, “I guess I’ll make up a quick breakfast for us when you return,” he replied grumpily. “Hurry back.” He closed the bathroom door to Lucy’s amused grin.

“And stop laughing when I’m trying to be sad,” he called through the door. She barked a laugh in response.

She wasn’t lying when she said that running calmed the beast. Despite her unwillingness to shift, she did quite like the outdoors, no doubt due to the affinity to nature that seemed to come standard with most shifters. Before Dan, a quick jog was the closest she could come to peace, and her bear felt much the same. After the week she’d had, she was long overdue for a run in the forest. It would help her fall back into a decent routine of living in toleration with her bear, and give her a chance to properly collect her thoughts and emotions without outside intervention.

She stepped out into the warm morning sun, stretching her arms high as she scouted the trail options around the shop. One headed west, to the house that Tom and Savannah were now living in. Another headed northwest-ish and it was the direction that Dan headed whenever he set out on scouts for the Northern Wind pack. She figured her best bet was to head straight north, the direction that Dan drove before they hopped out to scale the hill to their spot.

She didn’t know the forests here well enough to head in a random direction. The few times she’d ran before, she confined herself to the small area of the surrounding zone — and even then only when she was sure no one would be around—but today she felt she needed something a little more extensive. At least this way, she kind of vaguely knew where she was going and how to make it back. Mentally finalizing her route, she set off at a jog. The bear protested, placing vague suggestions of shifting to make this whole exercise thing much easier in her mind, but she ignored it. She’d been forcing it down for so long, it was almost easy to deny its advances these days. Maybe one day, with Dan, she wouldn’t feel the need to do so anymore, but she wasn’t there quite yet. So inside, the bear would stay.

The wind was cool and soothing against her skin, refreshing after her night of sleep and clearing her mind for the day ahead. The bear protested softly, but even it could appreciate a bit of exercise, even if it only experienced it secondarily through Lucy’s human skin. The days were warmer here than what she was used to back where she once lived, and it made morning jogs much more appealing to both of them. She wouldn’t return to the shop a frozen popsicle from the frost that tried formed on her sweat drops.

She’d made it pretty far into the woods by the time she needed to take a break. She looked around, pleased to notice that she could still make out a few markers here and there that told her where she was. She wasn’t completely lost, not yet anyway. She made it a personal motive to get to know the forest better in the coming days. This was her home now, she’d best get used to it.

She took a few more gulps of the crisp morning breeze, relishing in the wildlife before calling quits on her break. She stood tall, pressing her hands into her lower back and tipping her face skyward. As she mentally prepared the next leg of her jog, she mused lightly about how this would feel on four paws instead of two feet. To her surprise, the thought of doing such a thing didn’t utterly repulse her like it would have in days long past. If she could work up enough courage, maybe she’d ask Dan about it. With a warm feeling in her belly, she confessed that the thought of them taking the woods by storm after a shift together didn’t sound like such a bad idea after all.

“I thought I’d find you here.”

The hard voice was cold with hatred, chilling Lucy’s spine with fear as she spun to face the intruder. Dominic.

“Wh-what are you doing here?” she stammered, silently cursing the way her voice and body automatically fell back into that victim mindset. She was a better person now, damn it! Better than this! She tried to stand a little taller. “I’ve said all I needed to say to you, Dominic,” she finished, her voice a bit stronger than before.

He snorted in derision. “You think you get a say,” he bit. “Cute.” He took a single step forward, and Lucy automatically stepped back.

“You’re going to come with me and explain to all our new little bear friends everything you know about this trash pack you’ve been glued to,” he explained, voice as dry and as cold as she’d remembered. “I’ve let you have your fun, your little ‘show of rebellion’,” he mocked with air quotes.

His gaze suddenly fell dark, and dread pooled in Lucy’s stomach. “Now be a good girl and move your ass,” he growled. “Before I move it for you.”

When she didn’t move, one large hand lashed out for her. She just barely stepped out of reach, and rage glinted in Dominic’s eyes. “I’m not going anywhere,” she declared, voice surprisingly stern despite the way her heart was quaking. “I thought I made it very clear that I want nothing to do with you.”

A vain bulged on Dominic’s temple, his fists clenching at his sides, as the familiar fury Lucy’s knew him for began to course through his body like wildfire. “You’ll do what I tell you!” he bellowed, shaking the trees and sending the local critters skittering for cover.

“I left you behind with some lowlife trash and suddenly you think you can speak over me?” He took another step toward her. “What? Do you think you’re in love?” He scoffed, spitting on the dirt in disgust. “Think again, little sister. You were nothing more than an elaborate plant. A mole to get information for our dear cousin.” He glared daggers into her, and her blood chilled at the accusation. A mole?

So that had been his plan all along; to purposely leave her behind in an attempt for her to syphon information form their pack for him? Surprisingly, an anger of her own rose to overtake her fear, but she beat it down. Even when faced with someone as fearsome as her brother, she still didn’t want to resort to violence or negativity. It was no secret to her or anyone else that she disliked Dominic, but letting go of that anger now would mean she’d fall into the same traps that he did back when his descent into madness had begun. She wouldn’t stoop to those kinds of tactics, not now and not ever.

Though she knew Dominic smelled her fear, she tried not to show it. She kept her face carefully blank, with maybe a hint of resolve, showing him without words that though he had his fear, she’d found something infinitely stronger than anything he’d ever faced before. She’d found love, and if he thought that she was the same scared little girl that he’d left behind in that alley so long ago, well then he’d be in for a very rude awakening.

She may not be able to take Dominic alone, but he’d soon learn that giving her the chance to find her freedom was the biggest mistake he’d ever made.

***

“Morning, Dan,” Nick called as he stepped out of his truck. “Lucy inside? Jo’s got a ton of renovation supplies today; she won’t be able to carry it all in alone.”

Dan ran a hand through his slightly damp hair. “I don’t know, actually,” he said, his gaze trailing listlessly over the tree lines. “She went out for a run before breakfast, but that was like, an hour ago. She said she’d be quick; I didn’t expect her to take so long.”

Nick opened his mouth to say something, but a rustle through the trees cut him off. In a flurry, Tom emerged from the forest, tugging his shirt over his head.

“Bad news guys,” he greeted, alarm in his step.

“What’s the matter?” Nick responded, voice instantly serious.

“I smelled one of Lucas’s goons outside the house this morning,” Tom began. “I shifted and tracked the scent to the north until Lucas’s and a few more scents I couldn’t trace mingled with the one I was following.” He looked from Nick to Dan, gaze hardened. “They’re here.”

Scents Nick couldn’t trace? What if one of them was Dominic? What if they’d gotten to Lucy while she was out running? His blood ran cold at the thought. “We need to go,” he spoke, voice chilled as he took the first step towards the forest. “Now.”

Tom stepped frantically in front of Dan, stopping his walk.

“I’m all for going to look for her, Dan,” Nick chimed in as Tom merely stared him down. “But we need to play this smart.” He looked to his brother. “Go get Savannah. Be safe about your route. Try not to get caught out, but if you do, run; don’t fight. We don’t know their numbers, so assume that we need everyone together in order to best them.” With a nod, Tom set off without another word to fetch Savannah.

“What if it’s Dominic?” Dan asked, heart speeding with the beginnings of panic as his bear paced insatiably within him. “Tom said there were scents he couldn’t trace. What if her brother —”

“It does no good to dwell on it now,” Nick interrupted. “If you get trapped too far into your emotions, you’ll make mistakes.” Nick pierced him with a strong gaze, looking every bit the alpha that Dan knew him to be. “The ‘what ifs’ and ‘could bes’ don’t matter. Right now, all you need to know is that your mate is out there, and she might need your help. You can’t do that if your mind is clouded with anger. So shape up. It’s time for you to be the protector I know you can be.”

The bear roared angrily within Dan, but he knew Nick was right. If he was going to be the man that he’d promised Lucy he’d be for her, he couldn’t go charging out into the woods like a mad man lusting for blood. Nick knew what he was doing. If they had any chance of getting Lucy back safely, it’d be on Nick’s orders.

Forcing his breathing to settle, Dan nodded his understanding.

Nick’s expression immediately softened in sympathy. “We’ll find her.”

Dan gave Nick a tight smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “We’d better,” he replied, a slight growl coloring his words. “She’s got no one else.”

It wasn’t long before Tom returned with Savannah jogging close behind. Nick brought Jo up to speed on what was happening, and when he’d insisted that she stay behind, she reminded him sternly that she’d never do such a thing.

“Besides,” she finished as Savannah silently gave Dan a kind pat on the arm. “I’m safest with you guys anyway. Any bear could loop around and best me easily alone.” Human or not, Dan had to admit, Jo wasn’t someone he wanted to be on the losing end of an argument with. She knew her way around words.

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Nick conceded. “Everyone’s here anyway; we aren’t afforded the luxury of bickering.” She scowled firmly at him and he kissed her quickly before turning to the others.

“You guys know the drill,” he began. “Stay safe. If you find yourself caught out, try to escape. If you can’t escape, signal for help. Do not, under any circumstances, try to fight alone.” He turned back to Jo. “Stay in the truck, no matter what. If you absolutely feel the need, you can ram a bear or two.” He smiled grimly. “Just remember that Dan’s on our side, this time.”

Dan tried to chuckle, but a smile wouldn’t form. His bear was ready to take off into the forest, tearing anyone and anything limb from limb if it dared keep him from Lucy. His mate, Nick had called her. He couldn’t say he was surprised. Now she was out there, possibly hurting, and he was sure that Lucas and Dominic were to blame. The very thought set his blood to boiling once more.

Nick gave the go ahead, and at once, everyone dove into the brush to change. Dan’s bear burst from his skin to the chorus of snapping bones and tearing musculature, standing to stretch and sniff the air for any signs of his mate.

Nick’s bear stepped from his cover, a low growl trickling from his throat as the others joined them. He was wondering if Dan had found anything, and with a grunt, Dan tilted his nose to the dirt in the direction that he felt was most likely for her to have run.

There, on the north side of the forest, a faint hint of Lucy’s scent lingered behind, headed in the direction of the scenic hill they called their own.

“This way.”