Jarrett
Jarrett’s mug dropped to the floor, shattering, as he heard the faint but frantic howl echoing through the forest. His heart stopped for a second, and all he could hear after that was the sound of his own heart pounding against his chest hard enough to bruise a rib. Kain was already to his feet. “Fuck,” he said.
Clipping his shoulder on the door frame, Jarrett sprinted in the direction of Avery’s scream. How the fuck did Brenton get through? Avery knew better than to leave the village, so how did his wretched father find a way past their patrols? Well, if the rest of the pack wanted answers, they’d have to hope that Jarrett didn’t snap his neck first. In fact, Brenton better pray to his gods that someone else ended him before Jarrett got his hands on him.
At some point, Jarrett must have shifted. A presence appeared beside him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Cory. The wolf’s fur was bristled and his teeth were bared. Harold joined them soon after, as well as Brighton and Ivan. JJ and Jack were absent, most likely staying behind to watch over their mates. None of them would put it past Brenton to drag someone else into it.
Howard and Kain split up toward the gate, while Jarrett followed Avery’s scent to the greenhouses and forced himself to slow down. It was agonizing to stop, but he needed to be smart about this. He followed the trail straight to the walls. A snarl ripped from his throat as his eyes fell on the freshly dug hole. He stared in disbelief at the lengths Brenton had gone to. He had dug clear under their wall like a gopher. Such an act was undignified to a pack alpha.
Cory, on the other hand, hardly seemed surprise at all. Without another moment’s hesitation, he disappeared into the tunnel. Jarrett shook his head and followed close behind. The tunnel was crooked and narrow, and barely looked stable. Jarrett stayed close to Cory as they crawled through. It was then that Jarrett noticed something strange. He realized that up until now, he’d only been able to find Avery’s scent. It was only now in the tunnel, that he could pick up Brenton’s, and even now it was faint. Even weirder, the scent of pine was nauseatingly strong. Brenton had somehow managed to cover his scent up. As soon as they hit daylight again, he didn’t even bother to shake the dirt off before picking up Avery's scent again. It led straight into the forest.
It was nerve-wracking. They didn’t know how far of a headstart Brenton had got on them. Not only did he have Jarrett’s mate, but he had his unborn babies. Jarrett’s veins turned icy. If Brenton had done something to-no! He couldn’t even allow such thoughts into his mind. Avery was fine. The pups were fine. If he allowed himself to believe anything else, he’d surely lose it right then and there. Avery needed him to stay focused.
He glanced sideways at Cory as they shot through the woods. The frantic big brother’s eyes were red rimmed and manic and he was practically foaming at the mouth. Behind him, Brighton and Ivan were struggling to keep up with the two furious alphas.
Suddenly, two wolves shot out from the bushes. Lackeys of Brenton’s. Before they could even attempt to slow them down, Brighton and Ivan intercepted. Jarrett didn’t even look back toward the sound of growling and snapping. His pack mates would be fine. Kain and Harold would catch up soon to help.
Avery’s scent was growing stronger along with Brenton’s. Jarrett imagined that Brenton was probably carrying the omega. If two wolves was all he’d brought for intervention, he was truly fucked. Cory seemed to be thinking the same thing. When Jarrett looked at him again, some of the mania had disappeared. Avery was close. Even if Jarrett couldn’t tell by the strength of his scent, he felt his mate’s presence in his chest like a beacon.
They passed a large, ancient oak that signalled that they were coming to the end of Summerwood territory. It had been a long time since he’d been this far out, and it usually would be at least a day’s walk. Somehow they’d cleared it in twenty minutes. He didn’t think too hard on it though. Though when the adrenaline wore off, and when Avery was safe back in his arms, he knew he wouldn’t be able to move for a few days.
Between Summerwood and the northlands was a mass of unclaimed territory. At least two days’ journey before they’d hit the north. Who knew who Brenton had waiting for him? They were close now. So close. Without another wolf in sight. Brenton was a dead man.
The sound of a pained cry reached Jarrett’s ears. With a loud snarl he pushed his legs as fast as they would carry him. Beside him, Cory let out a loud howl, angry and promising bloodshed. Something flickered in Jarrett’s vision up ahead. Something golden.
The thick trees suddenly broke off and they burst into a meadow. Jarrett could see his mate clearly now. He was sitting atop a large gray wolf. At the sound of Cory’s howl, he desperately twisted his head around. His face was pale and pinched as if he were in pain. His eyes lit up when he saw Jarrett and Cory. Jarrett watched with no small amount of admiration as Avery suddenly kicked the wolf’s sides hard, his bare foot tangling into Brenton’s hind leg. Jarrett watched in horror as the alpha wolf tripped, sending him and Avery tumbling.
It was enough though. Within seconds, the two very pissed off alphas were upon them. Brenton snarled as he tried to get back up. Cory threw himself on top of Brenton, pinning him to the ground. The alpha snarled and writhed. Cory wouldn’t be able to hold him forever, just long enough for Jarrett to get Avery to safety. Quickly, he shifted back into his human form. Avery lay on his side, and Jarrett saw red at his bound wrists, still trapped around Brenton’s neck. Quickly as to avoid snapping jaws, Jarrett leaned forward and bit through the rope. He then hopped over Brenton’s body and scooped Avery up into his arms.
“You’re here,” Avery said weakly.
Jarrett kissed his forehead. “Don’t be surprised.”
“I’m not.” Avery glanced over at his father. “What’s going to happen to him?”
Cory looked up, locking eyes with Jarrett. In a single moment of silence, Jarrett knew exactly what was about to happen. “I think your brother wants to handle this one.”
Without a look back, Jarrett hurried them both back toward the village. As soon as they were within the safety of the trees a high pitched howling filled the forest. Avery closed his eyes and clamped his hands over his ears.
Jarrett took a moment to press his face into his mate’s soft blond hair. He allowed himself a second as his lip quivered and his eyes burned. Then he composed himself and held Avery tighter. “Let’s go home.”
They’d been walking at a leisurely pace. Now that he had his mate back, Jarrett could feel the burn in his arms and legs. When they reached the river, he set Avery down and flopped to the ground. He watched with an almost lazy smile as Avery took several deep gulps of the clear water before crawling over to the river’s edge himself and drinking greedily.
There was no way they’d make it back to the village by sundown, and now that they were safe, Jarrett was more than happy to take his time. He lay on his back and let himself completely relax. He perked up as Avery stripped his clothes off and waded into the water. The omega was covered in dust and dirt. His wrists were bloody and chafed and he winced as he rinsed them off. Jarrett pushed himself to his feet and joined Avery in the water. He took the omega’s hands in his and rubbed them while inspecting the skin. It wasn’t too bad.
We both looked up to the sound of footsteps. Cory stepped into the clearing, fur soaking wet. Jarrett bet anything it was to wash off all the blood. At the sight of his younger brother, he seemed to sag in relief. Avery gave him a tired smile and stepped forward to wrap his arms around his brother’s neck. Jarrett gave the siblings a moment. It was a lot to process after all. After all these years of running and hiding, they were finally safe.
Avery shifted after Jarrett carefully wrapped his wrists with strips torn from his shirt. The three wolves kept walking until sundown and spent the night huddled up together with Avery nestled between them.
It took another day’s walk to get back to the pack. For breakfast, Avery found wild carrots and these odd looking ferns called fiddle-heads. While Jarrett preferred his toast and eggs, he found that they were actually pretty good.
The next morning, when the sun was just starting to rise, Jarrett heard the sound of howling through the trees. His ears pricked at the familiar voices and he howled back without hesitation. Seconds later, Jack and JJ came bursting through the trees. Jarrett found himself knocked to the ground as Jack tackled him and growled playfully. JJ nudged him back to his feet. No words needed to be said. The relief in JJ’s eyes said everything.
The whole pack was gathered and waiting for them. Brighton met them at the gate with a large smile and a bag full of clothes. Jarrett found himself pulled into a hug by Riley, then by Milo. His legs were clutched by Maria, Remy, and little JJ. He looked over to see Hugo gripping Avery tightly before surrendering the pregnant omega to a fretting Dinah. Jarrett smiled wearily as she led Avery back to her house. As much as he wanted to follow, he needed to let the pack know what had happened. His mate was in good hands. He raised an eyebrow as Hugo then wrapped his arms around a startled Cory.
Jarrett did his best to answer the pack’s questions. Yes, Brenton was dead and gone. No, according to Cory, he didn’t have a brother that would seek vengeance on them. According to Brighton and Ivan, the two wolves that had accompanied Brenton had had no real interest in his obsession and were only there by their alpha’s command. They surrendered quickly when it was clear that they wouldn’t win.
It seemed that Brenton’s fixation on his sons hadn’t extended to the rest of the pack. He’d convinced himself that the deal would still stand, but the truth was that even if he’d managed to get Avery back, all he’d have was a disgruntled pack and a ‘used’ omega (Jarrett hadn’t been able to hold back a snarl at that choice of words). The two wolves had left shortly after divulging the information, saying that they were going to find a new pack, hopefully run by someone with just a bit more sanity.
The pack finally dispersed as Jarrett headed for Dinah’s house. She had just finished dressing his wrists and checking his head as Jarrett walked through the door. “He’s fine,” she told him before he could even open his mouth. “He just needs rest.”
A weight lifted off of Jarrett’s chest. He looked over to his mate, sitting on the couch. Avery looked just as exhausted as he suddenly felt. “Let’s go home.”
“Sounds good,” Jarrett said.
There would be time for celebrations later. Right now, all he wanted to do was curl up in bed with his mate and sleep for the next three days.