Chapter Eight

I HAULED MY LUGGAGE through Heathrow, doing my best not to bump into the crazy crowds milling about me. I was hungry and that always made me horrible to deal with. It wasn’t the plane food, that had been nice. It hadn’t been enough and I had missed breakfast. Well, not missed it exactly, more like I’d made an executive decision to sleep a while longer and worry about food later. Big mistake, more so because I spent my time at the Ulaanbaatar airport sleeping instead of eating. The measly plane meal hadn’t been enough, and a hangry wolf was now shouldering his way through the unknowing travelers arriving in London.

This was the first tribe leader Council I was attending on my own. Chinggis had been there with me for all the past ones. Right now, while we were still stumbling through the dark, seeking to find out who had tried to kill me, having both leaders abroad and exposed wasn’t the smartest idea.

I went through the automatic passport checkpoints, thankful I’d been smart enough to get a new passport before the old one expired. I winced sympathetically at the huge crowd waiting to have their documents reviewed by customs official. Poor sods were going to be there for a while.

“Hey, Ganz! Over here,” Shiki shouted, waving at me. His grin was wide and sparkly as ever, blinding me. I wondered if I should throw my luggage at him to wipe it off.

I growled a reply and threw my carry-on at him. Shiki caught it and slung it over his shoulder, still smiling at me like nothing was wrong.

“What’s up? Lack of sleep or lack of food.”

“Both,” I said, wincing at how gruff my voice sounded.

“I can take care of dinner and you can go to bed the moment we make it to my brother’s place.”

I nodded and followed him to the exit.

“Where are your bodyguards?” Shiki asked, trying to look casual.

“Lost them in the bathroom.” I looked over my shoulders and saw the two wolves assigned to guarding me. They looked haggard and scared. I imagined losing the alpha’s son was frightening. I took pity on them and waved. They looked so relieved and apologized so profusely, I felt bad for my behavior.

I wasn’t the most pleasant wolf to be around when hungry and tired. I acted worse than normal though, and I didn’t like it.

“So,” Shiki said, slinging his hand around my shoulders. “Other than mad with hunger and sleep-deprived, what else is causing your foul mood?”

I swore under my breath. My questioning my behavior was one thing. Shiki calling me out on it… not so pleasant.

“Nothing,” I muttered, walking faster.

Shiki’s hold on my shoulder tightened, forcing me to slow down. “Try again, smartass.”

“I don’t know. I was still mulling it over.” Confessing was always the easier route with Shiki. Otherwise, he’d prod and pester until I spilled it out anyway.

“Well, then I can save you some neurons. I already know what’s happening with you.”

I arched an eyebrow and stared at Shiki. “Do you now?”

“As gorgeous as I am, you would have preferred to see Cristian waiting for you. Preferably naked.”

I elbowed him, but he ducked. “He’s got nothing to do with this.”

“He’s here, by the way. I know it’s been eating you up, wondering if he’s coming or not.”

I sighed, my shoulders slumped. “How do you know all this?”

Shiki winked and pressed closer to me, whispering as if he was sharing a secret. “I have been calling you every other day and you never once asked about him. You pointedly avoided talk of who’ll be at the Council.”

“So? I barely know the man!”

Shiki tilted his head, looking through me. “Yes, that might explain it. The trouble is Cristian has been here for a week. I had time to pull information out of him.” Shiki’s eyes landed on mine and he leered. “I hear you’re still a good kisser.”

This time, he was too distracted to dodge, so my elbow hit him good, right between his ribs. “Fucking hell. Why can’t you stop being so nosy!”

Shiki rubbed his side and laughed. “What’s the fun in that?”

“Did you tell him?” I looked away from him, then realized I was an idiot. I shouldn’t avoid eye contact, I wasn’t ashamed of our past friendly benefits.

Shiki huffed and slapped me across the back of my head. “Idiot! He’s already territorial and growly when it comes to you. Why the hell would I tell him I’ve fucked you? I only owed that information to Blake.”

I closed my eyes and nodded. “I kind of wished you did.”

Shiki stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide. “What in hell? Do you want to get in his pants or not? Cause me telling him is a guarantee you won’t see him naked.”

I shrugged and looked away again. “He has some weird notions about relationships, especially those with dominant wolves.”

Shiki blinked a few times, then realization lit up his face. “He thinks you’d be too hard to date because you’re both dominant?”

“Bingo!”

Shiki laughed and clapped my shoulder. “Oh, that’s too funny. At least you know you’ve found what you were looking for.”

I snorted and bumped my shoulder into his. “Too bad he’s not yet realized I am exactly what he’s looking for.”

We drove out of the airport in an SUV, my bodyguards forgetting their roles and staring out the window and gawking at everything. Shiki, always the cool guy, drove through heavy London traffic instead of avoiding the city to make sure they could get a glimpse of the sights.

My stomach growled, but I waved off Shiki’s frowned look. Who knew when they’d be in London again? It was pure chance that they got to see it now. The Council could have very well been held in a different country. Not that it had mattered to my tribesmen, most of them rarely left our territories, unless they worked for one of the logistics companies.

Organizing a tribe leader meeting was always a pain in the ass. First off, it had to be timed right. The spring council was the toughest. It had to be late enough to make sure no one was prevented to attend by late heavy snow and early enough that we missed heat season. A large group of very horny werewolves discussing anything meaningful was bound to fail. We’d all been reminded of that not long ago, at the last council held in the UK. The Sons of Ulric had postponed it too much, even if with good reason. Paired with early heat season, it had been a shitshow.

This current council should have been hosted by the Dacian Wolves. Their alpha was mated to Shiki’s brother, Shishou, and to the Sons of Ulric alpha, Stuart. Vicks had used her toddler as an excuse to move the meeting to Cambridgeshire. I knew it had been for security reasons, my safety, to be precise. Vicks and Shiki had feared my Russians rivals would find it easier to try another attack on me closer to our territories. The UK was more difficult to tackle, even if not impossible.

I studied my bodyguards in the rearview mirror. They were craning their necks, trying to see all they could of London. I couldn’t blame them. It was a gorgeous city. I sighed and relaxed into my chair. This was another reason to reevaluate our rules. Our “cross us and you’re dead” way of living had almost completely isolated most of our tribemates. Most were paranoid about leaving, fearing retaliation from other wolves. Or simply fearing the unknown, the world out there, that they couldn’t control. Such a shame! Most missed out on amazing opportunities of seeing and understanding the world.

Shiki pulled into a drive-through and ordered us some burgers, fries, and drinks. “Just to tide you over until I can get you some proper food,” he said sheepishly.

I mumbled a thanks and dove into my bag, devouring two giant burgers and the accompanying fries in record time. I knew he’d done it for the two young bodyguards, as this allowed him to keep on this “scenic” route a while longer. Once I filled my stomach, I could smile about it. Inwardly, of course. I didn’t want to look at them as if they were children and I was taking them down town for the first time, that would have wounded their pride.

By the time we made it to Stuart’s villa and were done with greeting him and his mates, I was a little hungry again. I rushed through my shower and put on some comfortable clothes, going downstairs to meet Shiki. He’d mentioned a pub, so I knew there was no need to pull out my suit and tie. There would be enough formality for all the pretentious dinners we’d attend during the Council.

As I was climbing down the stairs, I spotted a familiar figure at the bottom. I froze mid-step and held my breath. It had to be Cristian, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted it to be real or my imagination. Shiki had said he was here, but this seemed deliberate. Like he was waiting for me. What the hell would I say? Hi, it’s been a while. Or, even better, sorry I wasn’t great at replying to your texts?

My mind whirled, thinking of what to do next, as I stood there, awkward and getting a little unsteady from the lack of oxygen.

Cristian turned, smiling up at me, and I was out of time to think. I smiled back and took a few small steps towards him. I tried to say something smart, but all I got was a shaky clearing of my throat.

“There you are,” Cristian said, going up a few stairs to meet me. “Shiki said you were famished, I expected you to be here faster.”

I blinked and cleared my throat again. So he’d been waiting for me, what now?

“Yeah, I tried. It just felt like the grime from all that travel wouldn’t wash off.” Great, now he’d think I was some kind of neat freak. Or afraid of germs…

“Good, you’re both here,” Shiki said, coming to stand next to me and putting a stop to my awkwardness. “I am starving, let’s go eat.”

I followed Shiki out of the house and into his car, aware of Cristian walking right behind me, close enough that I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. It was thrilling yet not close enough. As we reached the car and I stopped, he leaned into me, not saying or doing anything. He stood there, letting me feel the heat of his body seeping into me.

“Hey, lover boys! Get inside the car,” Shiki ordered, his grin softening the harsh words.

Cristian opened the passenger seat and motioned for me to get it.

“Nope,” Shiki said, stopping my progress. “You both get in the back. Cristian?” He waited for Cristian to give him his full attention, his jaw tightening and his smile fading. “Keep your eyes open. Anything suspicious you spot, tell me.”

I sighed and went into the car. I hated the dramatics of it, but I knew it was necessary. The threat to my life wasn’t imagined. I shuddered at the memory of running through the Russian blizzard and all thoughts of Cristian were pushed to the back of my mind. I’d be vigilant and make it easier on my friends to keep me safe.

I looked in the rearview mirror as Shiki started the car and saw my bodyguards and two more Dragons of the Fang wolves get into a similar 4x4 dark car. We were traveling with an escort.

“Is that necessary?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

Shiki locked eyes with me through the rearview mirror. “The Sons of Ulric are watching airport data for all the international ones. Eurostar too. The ferries are tougher though.”

I nodded and turned to watch the road. “Got it. So they caught some chatter?”

“I did,” Cristian said, not looking at me. “Some packs in Moldova noticed increased border activity. The Ukrainian packs affiliated with the Siberian Killers also seem more active than they normally are. Too many “business trips” to Poland and Finland.”

“Thanks for that,” I said, my body thrumming with rage. Seemed like my enemies were relentless. They were past quiet dissent and mouthing off at our own pack meetings. They were out for blood and would keep trying to kill me.

Cristian reached out and touched my thigh. I jumped at first, then relaxed as he squeezed. I relaxed into my seat and closed my eyes for a second.

“I hate this shit,” I whispered. “It will divide the tribe even further. I don’t see a way of settling this without more blood being spilled.”

Shiki growled, but kept quiet. Of all the other tribe leaders, he understood me the most. Our two tribes were the restless. Like the Russians, the Chinese packs under Shiki’s rule kept challenging the Japanese leadership. The Chinese were less brutal and overt about it, but tribe in-fighting spelled bleak futures. Bloody futures.

“You have to show strength. It will work better for you than it does for me,” Shiki said.

He was right, of course. The Russians packs always showed deference to the strongest wolves. That was why the Mongolians had ruled for so long. Plus, with all the sanctions placed on human Russia, it made business sense to have us manage some of their affairs. Every single time a leadership change was about to happen, the unrest would start and they would challenge us.

“I need my tribe to hurry the fuck up and find out who is responsible for this.”

Cristian moved his hand to the side and took my hand in his. “You can always count on our intelligence. Whatever we find out on the Moldovan and Ukrainian side, we will share.”

“Same here. Not all Chinese packs are dead set on annoying me.”

“Thank you,” I said, moved by their support. They didn’t have to help. My own tribe certainly wouldn’t have offered the same support. It felt good, knowing that this was a direct consequence of my own actions. I might have not had the most selfless reasons to save Shiki’s life. I’d only thought of what my tribe would face if three other tribes turned against us. After I’d gotten to know him, though, making sure he wanted to live had been my first and foremost objective. Cristian, the Son of Ulric, the rest of the Dragons of the Fang, they’d continued to show me favor because of my ideas about how the tribe should be managed.

Of course, there was the downside of Russian packs trying to kill me, but in the long run, my actions would bring good things to my tribe. No matter how difficult and cruel the road to getting there, I had to keep pushing if I wanted the Siberian Killers to survive.

***

Dinner had been lovely. Being pressed into a booth-like seat with Cristian glued to my side had been a thrill on its own. Chatting with him and Shiki, enjoying a nice steak and drinking beer had felt good, albeit surreal. Didn’t seem like the thing to do when you had assassins on your tail. Or maybe it was the perfect thing to do, just in case they succeeded.

As we got up to leave, I didn’t want to follow them to the car. I wasn’t ready for the night to end and to return to the mess my life had become. I glanced at the table behind ours. Our backup wolves, our protectors. They’d enjoyed a nice meal, sure, but there had been no down time for them. They’d stayed vigilant. And my own tribesmen looked beyond exhausted. It was time to stop being selfish and get moving.

“You okay?” Cristian asked, his hand on my shoulder and leaning close.

I nodded and smiled at him. “Yeah, just getting over a bout of selfishness.”

“You’ve been strung up since the attempt on your life. I get why you wouldn’t want to go back to the real world.”

I chuckled and wrapped my hand around his waist, holding him close. “It’s just an illusion. A pub is not a magical place where reality can’t break through.”

“The mirage is still nice.”

“That it is,” I said, letting him hold the door open for me. I was shielded between Shiki and him and the others were hot on our heels.

The cars started moving and I settled in. We’d gone to a cute little place in Milton Keynes, a bit of a ride from Stuart’s place. I thought of his mansion for a bit. It was grand, nothing like our Mongolian style of secluded compound. It looked stylish, it had a long history, but it somehow felt cozy. Maybe because it was filled with people. So many of the Sons of Ulric lived within it, it was hard to feel alone. There were smaller buildings around the mansion, all holding one or two families. They had the same close-knit community we had, but they had no fear of appreciating beauty.

We made it onto a smaller road that crossed through a seemingly endless field. It wouldn’t be long now. We’d take a right turn at the end of it on a private road that lead straight to the mansion. I was so ready for the day to be over. I needed a long shower to unwind and then sleep.

I heard and felt the impact at the same time. The car lurched forward, Shiki gripping the wheel tighter and swearing under his breath. We’d hit something big, a log or something. He was going a bit fast and the 4x4 had managed to pass over it, but it had rattled us all.

“Flat,” Shiki announced, stopping the car. There was no side of the road to stop on, it was too narrow.

The other car pulled up behind us, and one of the wolves ran to Shiki’s window, exchanging a few words in Japanese. Shiki followed him outside and they looked at the tire.

“We’ll change it now. Cristi, you stay with him, just to make sure,” Shiki said after a quick inspection.

“Won’t that make it harder for you guys to change the tire?”

Shiki rolled his eyes at me. “Yeah, Ganz, wolves with superhuman strength will have a lot of trouble.”

I put my hands up and smiled. There was no reason to antagonize him, they’d all put my safety above anything else.

The car was lifted up and I heard the clang of tools on the tire on the front right side. Just as I was relaxing, the car was dropped, leaning awkwardly because of its missing tire. A clash of metal on metal rang in the night behind us and in the next second, the car behind us slammed into us. I hit the seat in front hard, cursing myself for unbuckling my safety belt earlier.

“Fuck, what the hell is going on?”

Cristian growled, half turned over the back seat and peering outside. “Company. Someone slammed into the car behind us and they hit us.”

“Accident?” I turned to watch the mess behind us and saw everyone in the other car up and about. No serious injuries.

Howls pulled my attention away from them. I turned to catch a glimpse of Shiki’s large form charging forward, attacking something I couldn’t see yet.

“Ambush,” Cristian muttered, and kicked the door open. “Follow me.”

I slid across the seat and followed him outside. Shots rang into the night and Cristian pulled me down to the ground. “Shift,” he ordered, but I was already doing it. I stood on my paws, shaking my fur and snarling. Anger rippled through me, the need to snap someone’s neck taking over.

I’d amassed a lot of rage since the attempt in Russia, and now, with adrenaline pumping through my veins, it was taking over. Cristian decked me, pushing me into the car. I growled at him and he moved closer showing his teeth. I replied in kind. He wasn’t going to boss me around!

Cristian took a step back and I huffed. I made my way around the crash of the second car and reached the back door. It was pulled open and one of my men was leaning against it, weapon drawn. I snarled at the sight of the gun. It was necessary these days, especially since our attackers had opened fire, but I hated them. Wolves should not fight with guns. He had teeth and claws for a reason.

I jumped off the road, sneaking through the tall grass on the side of it. I could see them now, the men who’d attacked us. They were moving backward, trying to take cover as they fired at us. Screeching tires signaled new cars arriving on the scene. I couldn’t see them, so they must be at the front of the ambush. I gave chase and then pounced, closing my fangs on the armed hand of one of the attackers.

The man shouted, trying to free himself, but I was large and heavy and my jaws wouldn’t budge. The taste of fresh blood fired my brain and I growled, shaking my head and trying to rip out his arm. He cried out in pain, another one coming to his rescue. Gun up, he tried to shoot me, but I jumped sideways, using his buddy as a shield. The gun fired and the man jerked as the bullet pierced him.

I released his arm and pounced again, hitting the other attacker right in the chest and pushing him to the ground. He hit his head against the concrete and I heard the crack. My jaws closed around his throat and I ripped it open, more blood feeding my rage.

I stood on top of my fresh kill and howled. Shiki responded with a howl of victory of his own. I sniffed the air, trying to find Cristian. He was further up from me, the sounds of struggle barely reaching me. I ran without a thought for cover, my wolf side needing to reach him, make sure he was safe.

Cristian had managed to disarm his opponent. The man’s limp arm hung uselessly, while his other held a knife up to protect himself. I snarled and ran around him, jumping from behind and biting the back of his neck. He fell forward, dropping his knife. He’d pay for attacking us. For trying to kill Cristian!

I fell off him and rolled to the ground. I’d been pushed off by someone, but I hadn’t felt anyone else so close to us. My senses must have been dulled by my single-mindedness. I stood and shook my body, trying to clear my head and assess the situation. Cristian stood between me and my prey and stopped me when I tried to charge again.

Puzzled, I looked at him, trying to understand his action. He shifted to his human form, breathing heavily. “Enough. We need one of them alive.”

I growled but stepped back. He was right. We needed information.

“Ganz, Cristi! Get over here,” Shiki shouted.

I followed the sound of his voice and found him next to our second car, the one I’d ran past. On the opposite side, one of my men lay in a pool of blood.

I howled and went closer, sniffing him. I could still hear a faint heartbeat, and he was breathing, but it was shallow. I shifted and kneeled next to him.

“Your man will be fine,” Shiki said. “Doc is on his way.”

“Mönkhbat,” I said, my eyes glued to the gunshot wound Shiki was putting pressure on.

“What?”

“That’s his name. Mönkhbat.”

“Got it,” Shiki said. “Mönkhbat here will be just fine. Isn’t that right, Mönkhbat?”

“Where’s the other one?” Cristian asked from behind me.

I ran around the car, expecting to find him behind the open door. He was inside the car, holding his belly and trying to stop the blood from spilling out.

“Hey, Ganbold, help is coming,” I said as I was climbing inside the car, looking around for something to press on the wound. “I need something for the bleeding,” I yelled when I couldn’t find something.

The trunk popped open and the light from it reflected on Ganbold’s pale face. I grabbed his shoulder and squeezed. “You’ll be fine.”

I tended to think about them as soldiers, bodyguards. It was an exercise my father had taught me. It made it easier to put them in harm’s way. I’d never excelled at it. Whenever something bad happened, I saw them as what they were. Young werewolves with names and lives and stories. Men I was responsible for. Every time I failed, it crushed me.

Cristian reached over my shoulder and dropped a few clean rags in my hands. I pressed them on the wound and put as much pressure as I could without hurting him any further.

“Can you shift?” Cristian asked from behind me.

I turned to face him, eyes wide and mouth wide open. “Are you fucking insane?” Turning into a wolf with a bullet inside you was extremely dangerous. The bullet could shift and lodge itself in a vital organ.

“They’re vets.”

“What?” I couldn’t believe my ears.

Cristian sighed and placed a steadying hand between my shoulders. “The two docs who are coming? Vets. Friends of Vicks’. They are the closest. Your other man is unconscious, he can’t shift. They’ll have their hands full with a human. If he can turn and make their job easier, they both stand a better chance of survival.”

“Can’t they get MDs?”

“Not fast enough,” Cristian said.

I sighed and looked at Ganbold, trying to assess his state.

“It’s… it’s fine. I’ll do it,” he said, his voice so low it sounded like a whisper.

“Not now,” I ordered. “When the docs are here and not a moment sooner.”

More headlights came close to us and lit up the night. People were running about, shouts signaling locations and what was needed. I was focused on the man in front of me, the smell of blood so powerful, I was wondering how he was still awake.

“What have we got?” a rough voice demanded.

“Gunshot to the belly,” Cristian said. “He can shift.”

“Let me see.” The doctor stepped into the car and assessed Ganbold’s wound. “Lift him up,” he said, and stepped further into the back seat. He felt around Ganbold’s side and back. “Could be worse,” he said, turning his attention to his patient’s eyes. “Still a risky move. We’ll get you out on a gurney first, they you can shift. I will cauterize and close this wound, then you’ll go into surgery.”

Ganbold nodded and gritted his teeth. I helped the doctor move him on the waiting gurney and lay him on his side. He shifted and the doc got to work. “Please do your best,” I said and moved back to make room.

“Always do.”

I sighed and ran my hands through my hair. This was a fucking disaster. “Anyone else hurt?”

“Minor grazes,” Cristian said. “Come on, time to go.”

“We’re going to the hospital with them.”

“No, we’re not.” Cristian stood next to me, his hand closing around mine. “I’ll take you somewhere safe. They’ll be taken care of.”

“No fucking way!” I yanked my hand free and turned to face him. “They are my men! I am going with them and that’s the end of it.”

Cristian narrowed his eyes, his lips pressed into a tight line. “They protected you tonight. Don’t make it all a useless effort by putting yourself and them at risk. If you are not with them, they might not get attacked again.”

“He’s right, you know,” Shiki said, coming close but not touching me. “If we’re being watched, they’ll know you’re gone.”

I didn’t want to leave them. What would it feel like, waking up in a strange place, surrounded by unknown faces?

“I’ll go with them,” Shiki said and squeezed my shoulder. “Go with Cristian, please. He’ll take you somewhere safe.”

My shoulders sagged and I nodded. “Fine, let’s get out of here.”

“Hey,” Cristian whispered, placing both hands on my shoulders. “You need to stay alive. Otherwise things will get bloodier in your tribe.”

I let my head fall forward and rested my forehead on his chest. “I get it. It still feels like I’m abandoning them.”

“You’re not. You’re doing your best to keep them safe.”

I took a deep breath, inhaling his scent to steady myself, then moved back. I already missed the stronger connection with him, more so when he released me.

“Where to?’ I asked, my voice weary. Fatigue was replacing the adrenaline rush and it felt like I could sleep on my feet.

“Shift and follow me.”