Done wiping down the barbecue so it would be ready for the following day, Bracken dug out his phone. Before he had the chance to swipe his thumb across the screen, Marcus spoke.
“It’s two minutes later than when you last checked the time.”
Probably. But fuck if the time didn’t seem to be dragging. There was still another hour before the baby shower was over, and Bracken was impatient to go and collect his mate.
Hearing a childish squeal, he looked to find Kent chasing the pups around the play area. They were the only other members of the pack still on their territory. Caleb hadn’t gone to the baby shower either, but he was working Gwen’s shift at the motel.
Rolling back his shoulders, Bracken tried to shake off his tension. Couldn’t. Not while Madisyn was so far away from him.
Derren unscrewed the cap from his bottle. “Your mate will be fine, Brack. She’s on Phoenix Pack territory, which is very secure. We helped make it that secure.”
He knew that. But he also knew that the territory wasn’t impenetrable. Madisyn wasn’t a member of that pack, which meant she wouldn’t be the priority of anyone there in the event of a problem. And yeah, okay, he just fucking missed her. She made him smile. Laugh. Relax. Smoothed over the frayed edges of his soul. How could he not detest it when she was away from him? His wolf also missed her.
To keep his mind occupied, he’d cleaned up his lodge—since she was coming to visit tomorrow—and then he’d agreed to help the other males set things up for the barbecue. But with so little left to do, he was getting antsy. Bored. Restless.
“Why didn’t you go with her and just hang out with the guys or something?” asked Eli, wiping down the patio chairs with a cloth.
“She asked me to stay behind, because she knew as well as I did that I wouldn’t have resisted checking on her.” Honestly, he wouldn’t have even tried to stop himself from seeking her out.
“You know, I thought you and Madisyn would argue a lot,” said Jesse. “You’re overprotective, and you want all her time and attention, and she’s a highly dominant female with an independent streak a mile long. That’s not the best combination. But she’s been pretty patient with you.”
“It’s not patience,” Bracken told him. “Madisyn is a person who quietly asserts herself, states her case, and then expects you to deal with it. She won’t get into an argument about it, because that would be crediting your point with attention she doesn’t believe it deserves. She’ll compromise, but only if you’re prepared to do the same. If you try to browbeat her, she just sniffs and ignores that you’re even speaking.”
Derren grinned. “Which forces you to stay calm and respectful if you want to be heard and heeded. You need that.”
Zander nodded. “You couldn’t deal with a female who loses her shit whenever she’s pushed. Nothing would ever be resolved. You’d just make each other miserable.”
Bracken inclined his head, acknowledging it was a fair point, even as he typed a quick text to Madisyn: “How’s the party going? x”
Hopefully it was coming to an early end. While it was only minutes, it seemed like a long time before he finally received a response: “It’s fine. I’ll bring you back some cake. And no, it won’t be finishing early, which is what you really meant to ask xx”
His mouth curved. He’d never get anything past her. Never.
“Tell me honestly,” said Nick. “How many texts have you sent her?”
“One.” Plus two. And he was about to send her another. He told himself it would be the last, but he wasn’t sure he believed that. He texted: “You can’t blame me for wishing it was over. I want my baby home. Can’t do any of the dirty things I have in mind when you’re so far away. Can’t kiss you or taste you or fuck you raw x”
Yeah, he knew it wasn’t fair to tease her—especially when she was trying to enjoy herself at a damn baby shower—but he was a selfish bastard. Her reply came fast: “Go away, I’m busy stroking Jaime’s pussy right now xx”
He blinked and reread the message. Then he read it again. Mere moments later, another message came through: “Pussy as in the cat, Hunk xx”
He smiled. The little witch knew how to play. He replied: “I’ll get you back for that later. Call me when you’re ready to go x”
He’d just pocketed his cell when it beeped. Bracken stiffened. It wasn’t another text message; it was an alarm. All of their phones beeped. The distinctive alarm was only activated in one scenario—if the security sensors picked up trespassers.
“Shit.” Derren’s cell began to ring, and he answered. “What is it, Ally?”
Nick checked his own phone, thumbs tapping like crazy on the screen. “The sensors on the eastern border have been tripped.” He let out a rhythmic whistle that caught Kent’s attention—a specific signal that told him there had been a breach, and he needed to get the pups to the panic room.
Eyes wide, Kent gave a shaky nod and calmly called out to the kids, not wanting to frighten them.
“Ally had a vision,” said Derren, ending his call. “She saw us fighting three beefy-looking tattooed males in our wolf forms.”
“They’re at the eastern border,” Nick told him.
“I know.” Derren looked at Bracken. “She also said they’re near the graveyard.”
As they all quickly shed their clothes, Nick said, “If there are three, we can attack them in pairs. And if we take them by surprise, they won’t have the chance to shift. In their bear forms, they’re much stronger and more dangerous. Derren, you’re with me. Eli, you’re with Bracken. Jesse and Zander will take the third male. Everyone ready?”
Nodding, they shifted, bones cracking and popping.
The wolves raced through the woods, kicking up dirt and jumping over fallen trees. When they neared the spot they sought, they slowed. Quieted. Moved cautiously.
Reaching the fringe of the woods, the wolves stopped. Used the shrubbery as cover while they watched the trespassers. The gray wolf growled at the sight of them.
A black van was parked next to the fenced-in graveyard. Two males were watching the trees, alert. They didn’t see the wolves. Wouldn’t until it was too late.
A third male was pulling things out of the rear of the vehicle. Trash bags, a box, and shovels. The man inside the wolf spit out a harsh word.
Creeping closer, the gray wolf inhaled the scents of the trespassers. Bears.
The third male spoke, shoving a hand through his dark hair. “What body do we start with?”
“Any,” said the tallest of the three, spitting on the ground. “Archer said to dig up the bodies and maybe toss them around. But he wants us to take the baby’s body with us.”
Frowning, the blond male turned to face him. “What? Why the hell does he want it?”
The tall male shrugged. “Don’t know, didn’t ask.”
Holding a shovel, the dark-haired male pulled at his collar. “I don’t think I want to ride in a van with a dead baby.”
The tall male looked at him. “Why? It’s dead.”
The blond male blew out a breath. “We’re gonna burn in hell for this, Tom.”
“We’re already destined for hell,” said the dark-haired male, holding out the shovel to him.
“True.” The blond male grabbed the shovel.
As one, the pack attacked. They bolted out of the trees and lunged, catching the bears off-guard, giving them no time to shift.
The gray wolf slammed into the blond male’s back. Knocked him flat on his stomach. The wolf didn’t give him a chance to flip over. He tore into the bear’s back with teeth and claws as the man kicked and yelled. Eli’s wolf joined him.
Pushing himself upward, the bear unbalanced the wolves and rolled onto his back. The bear grabbed the shovel beside him and slammed it at the gray wolf’s head. The wolf moved aside, but the shovel clipped his shoulder. Pain rippled through the wolf. He ignored it. Pounced again.
The shovel hit his back this time, and the impact reverberated through his bones. Eli’s wolf closed his jaws around the bear’s wrist, cutting through arteries, making him drop the shovel with a loud cry of pain. He swung his arm out, dislodging the wolf. Blood sprayed from the injury.
The two wolves attacked as a unit, fast and furious. The bear fought back, just as furious. He punched. Clawed. Rammed his forehead into the gray wolf’s muzzle. Bit into the ear of Eli’s wolf.
The enemy was strong. Fast. Determined. He was also afraid. And breathing in the scents of fear, anger, and blood fed the gray wolf’s fury.
The bear punched him with a meaty fist. The hard blow made the gray wolf’s teeth rattle. The next punch sent the wolf sprawling.
The bear shot upright and tried to stand. Failed when the gray wolf sprung onto his chest and slammed him back down to the ground. The bear grabbed the wolf’s neck, holding his snapping jaw at bay. Swiped his free claws over the wolf’s face, making blood splatter over them both.
Eli’s wolf was back. Bit into the bear’s arm. Yanked the limb so that he could no longer slash at the gray wolf.
With a roar, the bear used his grip on the gray wolf’s neck to shove him hard. He then tried to bolt upright, swinging his free fist at the jaw clamped around his arm. The bear was slowing now, weakening. But the hard punch still sent Eli’s wolf crashing to the ground.
The gray wolf bit into the bear’s other arm, sinking his teeth deep. Tugging hard enough, he almost dislocated the male’s shoulder. Cursing loudly, the bear reached over with his now-free arm and gripped the wolf’s foreleg. Squeezed hard enough to snap bone.
Pain pounded through the wolf, radiating up his leg and to his shoulder. He couldn’t hold back a yelp as he bounded backward.
The bear rolled onto his stomach. Crawled toward the van using his elbows. Just as he began to rise, Eli’s wolf landed on the male’s back. Slammed him back to the floor. Ripped his shirt and back to shreds with his claws.
The male’s body shook. Skin rippled. Tufts of fur appeared. But the male was fighting the shift, knew it would leave him vulnerable. It occurred to the gray wolf that this male had little control over his inner animal.
With yet another roar, the bear flipped over fast. Threw so much of his weight into the move that it flung Eli’s wolf aside. He righted himself quickly. The male then slammed his elbow into the wolf’s neck. Tried to rear up again.
Blocking out the pain coming from his wounded foreleg, the gray wolf sprang forward, pounced on the bear’s chest, and clamped his jaws around the bear’s throat. Eyes wide, the bear struggled, but Eli’s wolf slashed at his stomach. The bear stabbed his claws into the gray wolf’s flanks, but the wolf held tight. Didn’t release him. Not until the life left his eyes.
Stepping away from the dead body, sides heaving, the gray wolf glanced around. The other bears had also been tackled to the ground and were dead. Satisfied, the wolf subsided when he felt his human half reach for the surface.
Careful of his broken arm, Bracken managed to get to his feet. He noticed his pack mates were covered in gashes, bites, and puncture wounds. Derren’s shoulder had been dislocated, and Eli had a bad bruise on his side that suggested he might have a broken rib or two.
Clenching his teeth against the pain of his injuries, Bracken glared down at the corpses. Archer had sent the bastard to exhume the bodies of his family. That sick fucker had even wanted possession of his nephew, Hayden, and God only knew what the son of a bitch would have done with him.
Adrenaline and anger pounded through Bracken, and he felt that all-too-familiar buzzing in his brain to leave, track, hunt, kill. The fucking Alpha bear would keep coming. Keep targeting Madisyn. Keep—
“I know what you’re thinking, Brack,” said Jesse. “But if you go, you leave her vulnerable.”
Bracken’s jaw hardened. Damn the bastard for knowing him so well. “She’s protected.”
“Not as well as we’d like. She doesn’t live on pack territory. Archer knows that. Knows how much easier it would be for him to get to her if you weren’t around. What better way to get rid of you than have you go hunting him?”
Yeah, he’d already figured that he was being baited, but . . . “He’ll come for her.”
“Let him come. Let him fucking come. We’ll take care of him when he does. And we’ll do it as a pack—without anyone going off alone, leaving behind their mate. Or is finding and killing Archer worth more than Madisyn’s safety to you?”
Bracken shot him a glower. “You’re an asshole.”
“Harley would agree with you on that. But I say it’s debatable.”
“I don’t.”
Zander rubbed his nape. “Yeah, me neither.” But there was humor in his eyes.
“Think we should cancel the barbecue?” asked Eli.
Nick shook his head. “Archer won’t send anybody back here. He wants us to feel unsafe on our own territory. Wants us to feel that hiding the location of one sow isn’t worth all this shit. He’ll learn fast that he’s wrong.”
Crouching near the van, Derren called out, “There’s a GPS tracker under here. Archer must have planted it there.”
Bracken looked at his Alpha. “Then we know what to do.”
Nick gave a slow nod. “But not yet. Our mates and Kathy will be on their way here as we speak, determined to see for themselves that we’re fine. Let’s give them that, or they’ll track us out here. Besides, we could do with Ally’s healing skills right now.”
All in agreement with the Alpha, they headed to the main lodge. They were lounging around the living area in their jeans, sipping the coffee Kent made for them, when the females arrived. Taryn, Trey, Makenna, and Ryan also filed in behind them.
Bracken only had eyes for Madisyn, and he felt the lines of strain ease from his face as she came toward him. His wolf relaxed a little, even though his mood remained foul. Bracken had wanted to go collect her, as he’d arranged, but he’d known that she was already be on her way here with Ally. No way would Madisyn or the other Mercury females have remained behind once they learned of the Seer’s vision.
“Hey, baby,” he said softly. She was gaping down at him, studying every injury. He patted the spot beside him on the sofa. “Come here.” But she hesitated, as if afraid she’d hurt him. He caught her wrist and tugged her to him. As she sank on the sofa beside him, he pressed a lingering kiss to her mouth, letting the touch, feel, and scent of her soothe both him and his wolf.
Madisyn swallowed, stomach churning at the sight of all his injuries. Most were healing already, but some were much worse than others. There were deep gashes on his face, weeping puncture wounds in his sides, and his arm was bruised and broken. Rage curdled inside both her and her cat. The feline wanted to claw the fuck out of whoever had hurt him. “We need Ally.”
He put a hand on her thigh before she could go find the female in question. “As expected, she went straight to her mate, who incidentally needs her the most anyway. Zander clicked Derren’s dislocated shoulder back into place, but the Beta’s in a lot of pain, and he lost more blood than the rest of us.”
Madisyn shoved her hand through her hair, edgy with anger. “I shit myself when Ally told me about her vision. What exactly happened? She just said that she saw your wolves fighting three males.”
“They were bears from Archer’s clan.”
“Were,” she repeated carefully. “They’re dead, then.”
“Very.” Bracken studied her face. “That bother you?”
“Fuck, no.” She’d be happy to dig out some popcorn. “Where are they now?”
“Still on our territory. We stuffed them in the van, along with their trash bags, box, and shovels.”
Madisyn blinked. “Wait. Shovels?”
Bracken took a deep breath, still unable to think of the matter without tasting anger. It was like ash in his mouth. “Archer sent them to dig up the bodies of my family.”
Shock slapped her. “What? That motherfucking asshole. Who does shit like that? Oh my God, that’s just . . . I don’t have words.” Mentally fumbling, unsure how to comfort him, she simply asked, “You’re all right?”
“Now that I have you with me, yeah.” Because she calmed and centered him.
Crossing to him, Makenna winced. “That arm looks sore. And those scratches on your face are pretty deep too.”
Standing beside her, Ryan grunted in what was probably agreement.
“I’ve had worse,” said Bracken. At a loud curse from his Alpha, Bracken glanced his way and saw the male facing his mate, arms raised, palms out.
“You don’t need to get the shotgun, Shay; the bastards are well and truly dead,” Nick assured her while Taryn rubbed her back soothingly.
It was good that Kent had taken the pups to their bedroom where they wouldn’t see the males wounded, because they’d have been just as freaked out seeing Shaya looking absolutely murderous. She might be a submissive wolf, but she was also bloodthirsty.
“Well, you got your wish,” Madisyn said to Bracken, mouth curved into a smile that was somewhat forced. “The baby shower ended early. I could almost think you hired those bears yourself,” she joked.
Realizing she was trying to distract him from his anger, Bracken tangled his fingers in hers. “It was the only stunt I could arrange on such short notice,” he quipped. He kissed her again. “I wanted you home, but I didn’t want the baby shower being spoiled.”
Makenna spoke then. “Ally probably would have hidden the vision from Jaime and made her excuses to leave if the Beta hadn’t noticed Ally having a vision. Dante was able to convince Jaime to stay behind, which is something.” She sighed. “I guess we shouldn’t be so surprised that something bad happened today. I mean, it is the thirteenth day of the month.”
Ryan’s default frown deepened. “But not Friday the thirteenth,” he pointed out.
“Doesn’t matter,” said Makenna. “The number thirteen is an unlucky number and a bad omen. Everyone knows that.” When her mate glared at her, she went on, “Hello, there were thirteen steps to the gallows. Thirteen people at the last supper. Women menstruate, like, thirteen times a year. And is it a coincidence that Charles Manson, Theodore Bundy, Jack the Ripper, and Albert DeSalvo all have thirteen letters in their names? I think not.”
Ryan grunted, shaking his head.
Makenna gasped and then jutted out her chin. “Fine, I will.” Yeah, the she-wolf insisted she could translate his grunts. Turning back to Bracken, she smiled. “Your mate has great luck.”
“He doesn’t believe in luck,” Madisyn told her.
Makenna’s brow lifted. “Whoa, Mads, how weird is it that we’re best friends, and neither of our mates believes in luck?”
Ryan scowled at the she-wolf. “It’s not weird. It’s fucking normal.”
Makenna just sniffed at him.
Ally appeared then. Taking stock of Bracken’s injuries, she gave him a sympathetic look. “Damn, they made a mess of you.” She put her hand on his shoulder, and a soothing energy slowly traveled through his body, alleviating his pain and closing his wounds. They faded right before his eyes, and the break in his arm healed.
Giving her a nod of thanks, Bracken straightened his arm and flexed his hand. There was no pain or even a hint of discomfort. “That bear me and Eli tackled was a strong bastard. He broke this just by squeezing my wolf’s foreleg.”
“There were six of us, and three of them,” said Eli, holding a bag of frozen peas to his side. “But it wasn’t easy to kill them, and they weren’t even in their bear forms.”
Jesse nodded and then looked at Madisyn. “Which makes it all the more amazing that you defeated three sows by yourself.” He ground his teeth a little as Ally laid a hand over the bad laceration on his chest. “I realize now that I didn’t give you enough credit for that.”
Madisyn shrugged. “Having the element of surprise helps. Bears are strong, but pallas cats are—pound for pound—one of the strongest breeds. The sows weren’t expecting me to have the strength to take them on. Also, bears are fast, but they run out of steam pretty quickly. Don’t have a lot of stamina. And their reflexes aren’t as good as those of a cat.”
Yeah, Bracken had noticed that. “You’ve fought sows before, haven’t you?”
“When we lived at the shelter, me and Makenna would sneak out to the secret local hangout for teenage shifters,” said Madisyn. “It was an abandoned salvage yard. At first, people used to start shit with us because we were loners. We’d beat the crap out of the fuckers, obviously.”
“Obviously,” said Taryn, mouth twitching.
Makenna chuckled. “They couldn’t complain to their Alphas because they’d have had to admit they’d been sneaking out. People stopped bothering us after a while. Although that was mostly because Madisyn set a fire that leveled the entire salvage yard, plus two of the neighboring warehouses.”
“Which were empty, by the way,” said Madisyn. “They had to move the hangout to an old hospital, and for some weird reason, they thought we wouldn’t find it. So yeah, they gave us a wide berth after that.”
“Can’t imagine why.” Bracken kissed his mate’s temple and draped his arm around her.
“You need help getting rid of the bears’ bodies?” Trey asked Nick.
Holding Shaya’s hand, Nick shook his head. “They’re currently in the back of their van. Derren and Eli will drive it to a spot near the quarry and leave it there. Archer will find it using the GPS tracker. He’ll get the message that sending people to our territory is a mistake.”
As the others discussed what Archer’s next move might be, Bracken turned to Madisyn. “I need to take a shower and wash all this blood off me before we head to your place.”
Tilting her head, she sensed . . . “But you don’t want to take the shower here. You don’t want to linger, do you?”
“No. I want to be away from here for a little while.” Maybe if he wasn’t on his territory, he could stop speculating on what Archer would have done with Hayden’s body. Could just shake it all off until he was in a better state of mind to process it.
“You have spare clothes in the SUV you usually use, right?”
“Yeah.” He always kept a bag there in case he tore his clothes during a shift or something.
“So clean the blood off your face in the bathroom here, stick those other clothes on, and then shower at my place. You have clothes there too, so you’ll have fresh things to wear after your shower. No doubt you left the stuff there on purpose, marking your territory.”
That was exactly why he’d done it. “All right. Just give me ten minutes to change.”
Once he was ready and they said their goodbyes, he led her out of the main lodge and down the steps of the porch. “You know, when I was looking down at those dead bears, I thought about leaving. Hunting Archer and—”
Madisyn came to an abrupt halt. “What? No.” She vigorously shook her head. “No, no, no, no, no. You said you’d stay.”
“They’ll keep coming unless—”
“No. You might think you found it easy to kill those extremists, but it took something out of you. Don’t lie. It did. I’m not having you lose any more of yourself. You’d say the same if the situation were reversed.” She gripped his arm. “Archer’s counting on your setting off on your own, Bracken. He wants to separate us.”
“I know. If you’d let me get a word in edgewise, you’d hear that I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying with you, like I said I would.”
“Oh. Well. All right, then.” She gestured at the SUV. “You may drive me home now.”
He snorted. “Why, thank you.”