Before the Battle
Gabe, for lack of a better word, lost control. Ghost tried to calm his friend, but the young alpha was overwrought by emotions, pain and fear and desperation coiling together with relief and sharp elation.
*We can’t do anything here, not like this. Let’s get back to our bodies and start planning our next move,* Kane whispered.
*No! I’m not leaving them!* Gabe cried.
*Michael!* Burke called out, the Speaker’s voice a layered echo of sound, reaching out past the meld and contacting the shaman back at the mansion.
Gabe’s mind became chaotic, the red and blue being swallowed by darkness, the Voice unravelling as Gabe fought back. Just as Ghost began to worry for Burke, Gabe’s mind dropped from the meld, his spirit disappearing. Burke settled, and Ghost would have breathed out in relief if he was in his body. Michael’s brief mental touch a moment later told them that he’d used his gift to nullify Gabe’s ability and broken him free from the meld.
Kane’s awareness and Burke’s came to surround Ghost, the new shape of their meld adapting quickly. *Burke, can you hear them?*
*Nothing concrete. The silver poisoning is severe. They are dying, though, I can tell that much. The damage to their systems is extensive.*
*I can see the damage, too. But for the mind, there,* Ghost drew their attention to the soft blue soulstar that hummed gently beside the tainted stars. *The mind and soul of whoever that is—he is untouched by the silver poisoning. I would say human, but the soulstar is too similar to wolfkin. Can you hear him?* Ghost asked.
Burke was quiet, but Ghost could sense the Speaker pushing his awareness toward the sky blue star. *I can, but I don’t know if he can respond. It’s as if he’s a youngling who hasn’t found his wolf yet.*
*The hybrid?* Ghost asked, and both Burke and Kane reacted with surprise.
*Maybe,* Burke replied, his awareness quieting, as if he were trying to come to terms with the reality of the unknown creature’s existence. *Might just be a young wolfkin who hasn’t found his wolf yet, but then he would still be able to hear me. A youngster may not be able to answer, but he would hear me. I don’t think he can hear me, though.*
*We will know soon enough,* Kane responded, interrupting them. *Burke, how many wolfkin?*
*The count matches those still missing from Gabe’s family. I think we can assume the missing wolves are all accounted for—and if the strange one is not the hybrid, we have a youngling that hasn’t been reported as missing yet.*
*Let’s get a firm count. Note locations, patterns. We will come back tomorrow and free them,* Kane said. Both Kane and Burke began counting the humans, and Ghost returned his attention to the sky blue soulstar.
He was certain it was the hybrid. Still alive, and untouched by silver poisoning. Ghost drew closer, curious.
Walls were nothing, lines of shadow and light that he walked through with ease. Cages in two lines filled a corner of the basement. Muted stars glimmered, Gabe’s family suffering under the imprisonment and the silver drugs. Ghost wished he could help, but he was on the far side of the city…he had no body, no hands to lay upon their bodies.
A whisper. He startled, and turned. The sky-blue star morphed into a humanoid shape. He approached the cage, and knelt. A young man, about Ghost’s age, slumped against the back corner, shivering. He was thin, the cold of the late winter night wracking his frame, even in the basement of the odd building.
Eyes opened, locked on his. Ghost startled again, awed. The young man…this hybrid…looked like Marla. Like Ghost’s mother. It was there in the eyes. The shape of his jaw. There was no color to this world aside from the stars that shined within the living, so he could not tell what color the hybrid’s hair was, but the part was familiar, the thick waves and the way it fell across his brow. He was reminded strongly of the portrait that sat on Caius’ desk. Ghost’s awareness shivered, and the hybrid’s eyes narrowed, and he frowned. Could he see Ghost? He was curious, and shifted, the narrowed eyes tracking him, the young man’s confused expression changing to one of certainty. The hybrid may not know who or what was watching him, but he knew something was.
Ghost knew that look, that emotion. Perfect certainty. Like Marla the hybrid may be, but his expression was all Caius. Ghost quaked. Alarm skittered across his mind. How? How could the hybrid look like Marla, like Caius? When did Remus get access to his mother’s or his grandfather’s blood, this thing Harmon called DNA? Ghost knew his mother fell in the ambush, the massacre Roman orchestrated with the late Remus brother.
Roman.
Ghost would have sat on his haunches if he was more than thought and energy. Roman. Of course. Roman, son to Caius and brother to Marla. Worked with the Remus brothers for twenty years. His own testimony before his death told Ghost that Roman participated in the sexual assaults and experiments on wolfkin. Roman revealed during his questioning that he gave his seed to the cause, and this youngling might well be the result.
*You may not hear me, cousin, but you will be safe, and soon. I swear to you.* He might not be able to hear Ghost, but he tried anyway, pushing outward with determination, with conviction. The youngling in the cage jolted, eyes searching, but unable to see Ghost.
The youngling in the cage sensed something, but Ghost could not tell if his words made it through.
*Little wolf,* Kane whispered. *We must get back, tell Caius everything. We need rest before we can return and free them.*
*Coming,* Ghost murmured. He backed away with reluctance, his cousin’s form blurring, returning to shadow and star.
He was about to return to his mate when something pulled at his mind. A whisper, and he turned, looking to the corner of the room. A curtain hung, haphazard, figures moving behind it.
Humans.
Ghost approached with caution, though he knew the humans would not be able to tell Ghost was there. Humans were blind to the soul, the spirit world. He got to the edge of the curtain, and peeked, curious and nervous at once.
Humans sat at a couple tables and computers, talking to each other, their stars muted yellows with dull brown lines snaking through them. His lip would have curled if he was wolf—these were rotten souls, as rotted as Roman’s rogue wolves who attacked Ghost in Baxter weeks before. Evil corrupted both their species.
There was a long table, a single occupant stretched out. Ghost hovered, curious. The body glowed with a dull light, the flesh alive. It was living…but…there was no soul.
A soulless wolf lay upon the table, hooked to wires and tubes. A heart still beat, lungs filled and released air, but there was no consciousness within, no soul, no spirit.
Horror filled his mind, and Ghost froze, stilled by terror and an utter sense of despair. A sheet covered most of the poor creature, disguising its features, tape over eyes and a tube stuck down its throat. Kept alive by mankind’s machines.
The wolf who slumbers. She would call it home, but how? It was empty, flesh without spirit.
*Ghost!* Kane called again, urgent.
Ghost spun away. He pushed his awareness towards his mate, letting Kane and Burke pull him back to themselves, the meld retreating. Burke pulled back on his awareness and Ghost diminished the Spiritsight, and the shadow world fell into darkness.
He thought of his body, sitting beside the coffee table in his grandfather’s study. The warmth from his mate’s body sitting next to his, the way his scent filled his senses and gave him comfort.
He opened his eyes on a gasp, blinking, tears running down his cheeks. Burke was coughing, Gabe holding him up. Kane slumped, catching himself with one arm before he fell to the floor.
“Are you well?” Michael asked, leaning over him. Ghost nodded, coughing a few times.
“We’re okay,” Ghost breathed out. Exhaustion hit him, and he swayed. “We found them.”
“So Gabe said,” Caius replied, standing over him. “He came back frantic. What can you tell me?”
“We found the missing wolfkin, Sir. Almost two dozen humans, half of which I would think are well armed guards.” Kane explained, and Burke nodded.
“I found three more wolfkin nearby, a block or so away from the building. I was able to break through their mental walls—they are surviving members of Roman’s rogue wolves.” Burke slowly stood, Gabe helping him. “Based on the structure and location, I can tell you it’s part of the old campus grounds of the university. That used to be the old storage facility for the Science Department back when I was a student there.”
Kane crawled over to Ghost, who gladly let his mate pull him onto his lap. Ghost sagged, utterly spent. Kane kissed his hair and then looked back to Burke. “Have you been in that building before? Do you know the layout?”
Burke was going to answer but he staggered, Gabe having to catch the bigger alpha, both of them nearly falling to the floor. Caius shooed Gabe away and lifted Burke one-handed back to his feet, keeping a grip on his upper arm. “The four of you are about to pass out. You all managed a feat of magic I did not think possible. I’ll alert the scouts to the building and have them set up a perimeter. Get some sleep, and we’ll discuss our plans this afternoon. We go in tonight and I need my Heir and Speaker functional.”
“Yes, sir,” Kane said, and Ghost let sleep take him when Kane got to his feet, holding Ghost securely in his arms.
****
They all slept for hours, waking in the late afternoon. Ghost found himself alone in bed, a brief mind touch enough to tell him his mate was with his tactical team in Caius’ study. A tense atmosphere hummed through the mansion, and Ghost felt like he was on edge himself, ready for something to happen.
He showered, and thinking of the night’s activities, actually managed to put on a normal enough outfit. A couple bags of clothing with store tags still attached appeared in the room while they were sleeping, likely from a helpful beta. Boots, dark jeans, and a dark sweater was all he could tolerate, and he grew out his claws long enough to slice the sweater’s collar, loosening it around his neck. He still disliked wearing shirts, but walking around the city at night without a shirt in winter would draw more attention than he wanted.
Ghost left the suite and headed for his grandfather’s study. A few wolves were about, and they paused and stepped to the side, eyeing him with something akin to awe, their eyes wide and their hearts thumping harder when they saw him. No one said anything, and Ghost was too impatient to think about why they would react in such a way.
The scent of deer made him perk up, all but jogging when he slipped inside the partially open door of the study. Kane’s tactical team lined up along the walls and near the rear of the room, some nodding to him as he entered. He smiled, but hurried forward, stomach growling as he narrowed in on the platters of warm food on the coffee table. Slabs of seared venison and oven-baked potatoes made his mouth water, and he only ended up using a plate because Burke shoved one into his hands, laden with food.
Kane was in the middle of what seemed like a briefing, reminding Ghost of all the human police shows he used to watch with Cat every night on television.
“The scouts report that there’s been no activity. No shift change. Wherever the humans are sleeping it has to be in the building somewhere. It’s been almost twelve hours since we discovered their location. They may do twenty-four hour shifts, so when we go in tonight, we may or may not run into a shift change.” Kane was standing next to a large flat screen TV on a stand with wheels, and a small remote he was using to switch between pictures of an abandoned building with signs around it with red lettering. “We aren’t going to take the chance that Remus will notice the scouts and move the Ashland wolves. We go in tonight. Live ammo. Kill the guards. Doctors or scientists …”
“No,” Ghost said, dropping a piece of meat before he bit into it. “Those men, the scientists—their souls are rotted through. They know too much and have committed horrible acts against our people. Sparing them will only give them a chance to harm us again or share what they know with more humans. Kill them all.”
Heads turned in his direction, mouths gaped, shocked breaths held. Kane gazed back at him, steady. “Are you sure, little wolf?”
An angry whisper muttered from the corners of the room, behind Ghost’s ear. He nodded. “She wishes this to end. All the humans who participated in this nightmare must die.”
Ghost remembered what the Great Mother told him in the winter meadow. That Remus already had what he needed to destroy the wolfkin. Remus and the human monsters all had to die.
“Do as he said,” Caius ordered calmly from his seat at the desk. “Remus dies as well.”
“We don’t know if he’s there,” Burke spoke up, looking between Kane and Caius. “The scouts can’t tell the identities of anyone in the building. They only got as close as they did without being spotted because they were only taking pictures. Any closer for scents and they will give themselves away.”
“We plan as if he were so we don’t lose him in the chaos. If he’s not there after this op is done, we find him another day.” Kane said, and growls echoed around the room. Everyone wanted this over with.
“Normally I would do this sort of thing with just my team, but the building is too large and we don’t know when or if more humans will arrive once this starts, so I’m calling in everyone with combat experience. My team is trained in firearms and modern tech, but we’ll take anyone from the clan who’s fought before in a structured way. Even if the last time in battle was with a shield and sword. Send volunteers to Burke. We leave tonight at 9pm. Breach at midnight. Be ready to move earlier if the scouts report back that the Ashland wolves are being moved. Eat, check weapons, rest, and wait for my order. Dismissed.”
The tactical team nodded to Kane and Caius as they left the study in pairs or groups to prepare. Ghost happily sat on the leather couch, gnawing at a venison steak he held in his hand. Once the crowd left, he saw Michael near the opposite wall and Gabe was standing next to him, looking exhausted. “Did either of you sleep?”
Gabe shook his head. “Not much, not really. I can’t stop thinking about my father and my uncles.”
“I called Heromindes earlier, but it went to voicemail. I left a message.” Caius said quietly, and Gabe gave the clan leader a wan smile.
“His pride was deeply bruised by the events of the Tribunal,” Gabe dared, and Caius actually cracked a smile.
“Don’t worry about Hero,” Caius said. “Leave that to me.”
“I don’t understand,” Ghost said around a chunk of meat. Kane chuckled and hit a button on the remote, powering off the TV.
“Gabe would like to stay in Black Pine,” Kane explained. “Caius already said he could once this is over.”
“You don’t want to go back with your family?” Ghost asked, taking a bite out of a loaded potato.
Gabe shrugged, and looked down. Michael put a hand on his shoulder and rubbed, the young alpha drooping. “C’mon, cub. Let’s both get some rest while we can.”
Michael led Gabe from the room. Burke followed, closing the door behind him as he went.
Ghost ate, ravenous. Kane gave him an indulgent smile and replaced his empty plate with a full one, and a tall glass of water. A quick kiss from his mate, and Ghost went back to eating.
Caius was still at his desk, and Ghost sneaked a peek. His grandfather stared at Marla’s picture, his expression empty, but his eyes were dark. Little of the wolf showed beneath Caius’ steely exterior, and Ghost thought back to what he had seen in the night while their spirits traveled.
The youngling, the hybrid who shared a strong resemblance to his family. The soulless wolf who slumbered, the body nothing but flesh and artificial life, a shell.
“Grandpa Caius,” Ghost said, putting his now empty plate beside him on the couch, clutching his water glass. Kane looked up from his own meal, casting an inquisitive glance between Ghost and Caius.
Caius blinked, and looked away from his daughter’s portrait. He quirked a brow at Ghost, who smiled wide. “You need to come with us.”
His brow furrowed. “What do you mean? Kane has this well in hand. This is what he does.”
Kane sat up, as if to object. Ghost flicked his eyes to Kane for a heartbeat, silently begging him to have patience. Kane sat back, and picked at the food on his plate.
Ghost stood, handing his glass to Kane as he passed his mate. Kane was worried, but stayed quiet, trusting Ghost.
He walked to the desk, and went around to the side. He looked at the portrait of his mother. A woman he could barely remember. Long hair, the same color his was now, and a soft voice full of laughter. And not much else. He ran a finger along the top of the picture, the brass frame cool under his touch. “You must come. If not for the wolves still missing, but for a chance to end this all.”
He glanced at Caius, who sat back in his chair, looking back up at him with a contemplative expression. “Is this my grandson telling me I need to come, or the shaman?”
Ghost smiled. “Both.”
“Remus may not even be there. It’s likely he won’t be there at all. This truly ends when he is dead and the data he’s collected over the years is destroyed as well.”
Ghost nodded. He remembered the winter meadow, and the shadow wolf who danced over the thawing earth. Three lives depended on Ghost. One of which was as stubborn as he was. “Remus will be there tonight.”
He wasn’t sure, and She wasn’t speaking to him, but he thought of all the paths taken that led them to this moment. Fate and destiny and the potential for ruin hovered, waiting for a choice to be made.
Caius was no fool, but then Ghost didn’t think it of him. Caius huffed, as wolf-like a sound as any alpha could make in his human form, and looked over at Kane. “Your mate wishes me to come with you and your team tonight. Where can an old warrior be used? Shall I submit my name to our Speaker?”
Kane stood, curiosity in every line, but he approached the desk, eyeing Ghost before nodding to his clan leader. “I’ve learned to not argue with Ghost. Sometimes it is best to just go with it. And I would not call you old, Sir.”
Caius laughed. Ghost blinked, then smiled wide, as Kane looked on in shock. “You’ll not be going alone. I’m coming too.”
Caius laughed harder at the rueful grimace on Kane’s face. Ghost winked, laughing himself when Kane glowered, his own lips twitching.
****
The trip across town was uneventful. The distance they traversed the night before in their spirit trip was somehow quicker, but Ghost felt nothing but an anxious sense of impatience. Black SUVs cut through the evening traffic, he was too on edge to get car sick again. Caius and Gabe were in the vehicle in front, Kane in the middle with Ghost, Michael, and Burke. Three more vehicles trailed behind, Kane’s tactical team in full gear along with six more wolfkin betas with previous combat experience. Ghost was pleased and surprised that four of the six were female betas, strapped with what looked to him to be daggers, a short sword, and another beta wielding two black guns in thigh holsters and a shotgun in a sling at her back.
A cool touch preceded Caius’ mental voice, shivering along bonds that until now had lain quiet. Ghost was experiencing the pack bonds, it awakened inside him in a way that told him better than words that he was home, where he was meant to be. *Kane has lead. Speaker Burke will coordinate as per usual.* Somehow Ghost knew that Caius was speaking to all the wolves involved in the rescue. There was an echo effect, and he could feel the hint of other minds within the pack bonds.
Ghost could feel Kane’s pleased surprise along their mate bond, his alpha showing no outward sign he was affected by his clan leader’s words. *Stick to the plan. My team has point. Speaker Burke with Shamans Ghost and Michael in Beta Team. Clan Leader Caius has the support team at the perimeter. Scouts are waiting. No sign of activity. Once the building is secure and the threats neutralized, switch to triage response. Guard the shamans while they attend to the hostages.*
A chorus of agreement came back, and the pack bonds lessened but did not disappear. Burke was not driving, he sat in the front passenger seat, his eyes wide and open, yet distant, his mind most likely in communication with the scout teams Caius had sent to watch the building after their discovery.
A warm, strong hand curled around the back of his neck. Ghost turned into his mate, absorbing his heat and love. Kane was worried, he could feel it, but Ghost was not. This was the end. And the beginning. All they needed to do was their best, and the Goddess and Fate would solve the rest. He had faith.
*Be careful, little wolf,* Kane whispered to him alone. *I love you.*
*I love you, my alpha,* Ghost said, looking up into Kane’s dark eyes, seeing and feeling that love as it reverberated through their bond, unending.
He cuddled into Kane as best he could, considering his mate was covered in a strange assortment of black gear. A thick vest covered his chest and back, he wore heavy boots and black, rough pants that had a multitude of pockets. A long sleeve dark shirt was under the vest, and there were buckles and straps attached everywhere for weapons. Kane had a shotgun at his feet, and two pistols attached to his thighs in black holsters. Ghost sniffed, hating the scent of the oils used on the weapons, and Kane chuckled.
*What if you needed to Change?* Ghost asked, perplexed. Kane smiled, but shifted on the seat, pointing to a seam that ran the length of the vest. A similar seam ran down the outside of the pants as well.
*If I need to Change, the vest breaks apart at the sides where the velcro is, and the pants do too. The holsters are break away as well. My gear is broken in, and I’ve practiced Changing in them until it’s as easy as breathing. Same for the rest of my tactical team. The boots are the easiest. I just pull my feet out.*
Ghost huffed, frowning, but he accepted the answer for what it was—reassurance from his mate. He was wearing all dark clothing himself, and despite Kane’s offer before they left, he wasn’t going to wear one of the bulky vests.
They reached the building sooner than Ghost was prepared for, the SUVs taking narrow, empty back streets with the lights off. The convoy came to a halt two blocks away, in an alley that was full of shadows. The vehicles were all but swallowed by the darkness. They carefully exited, slowly shutting the doors with caution so there were no echoes. Ghost went to Burke, Michael on his heels. Ghost had no idea what to really expect or how to contribute except to follow orders until the humans were neutralized. This was Kane’s purview—what his mate trained for, spent the last fifteen years doing.
Kane, with thought and sharp, efficient motions, broke them into three teams. Caius would hold the perimeter and guard their backs, in case reinforcements arrived or Remus or the rogues made an appearance. The three rogue wolves had yet to appear, though Burke was able to confirm they were in a smaller building close enough to hear the disruption once they made entry in the storage facility. Kane would lead his team on entry, neutralizing all humans as they went. Ghost sniffed, thinking it was an odd word to use for hunting and killing, but Kane was in something Burke said was commando mode, and Ghost went along with it. Burke would lead a secondary team with Ghost, Michael, Gabe and two of the beta volunteers.
Burke knelt at his feet, and Ghost took the Speaker’s clothing as he handed it over, putting it in a bag that Gabe held open. Gabe slung the bag over his shoulder once Burke was naked, and soon a large, chocolate brown wolf shook out his fur, ears flapping against his skull as he settled into his wilder form. Golden eyes flickered, and Burke gave a wolfish grin, tail wagging.
*We go in quiet. No talking unless it’s an emergency. Once the all clear is given vocal communications may resume.* Kane said, and pointed at Burke, who gave a human nod in answer to Kane’s query of readiness. *All teams ready. Approach.*
Kane took off, a silent predator in the night, even carrying weapons and wearing human gear. His team followed, and Ghost patiently waited for Burke to signal when to follow. They jogged down the alley, the stink of refuse and exhaust mixed with damp earth a noxious combination that Ghost was glad he did not need to deal with daily.
They followed the first team, not a word spoken. The thrum of heartbeats was the loudest noise they made, and Ghost grinned. It felt like hunting, despite the urban location and their human forms. Burke preferred to be in his wilder form when he was acting as Speaker, something about how he was better able to focus. The rest of them were in their human forms, and it made sense. Any humans who saw a pack of huge wolves running through a college campus would likely call the police.
The building from their spirit trip came into view, and they all halted in the shadow of the building across the narrow street from where the missing Ashland wolfkin were being held. Figures appeared from the dark—in pairs, wolves who slunk with liquid grace to where Kane stood waiting for them. The scouts. There were five of them, dark browns and grays, eyes glimmering with low intensity, they crowded around Kane in a tight semicircle.
Ghost sensed a murmur in the pack bonds, but nothing he could determine clearly. He waited beside Burke, kneeling in the alpha’s shadow as they waited.
****
Kane gestured to the scouts, who left as silently as they appeared. They would hold the outer perimeter and be the first to sound the alarm if reinforcements arrived once they breached.
*Burke, Caius.* He called, and they sent echoes back along the bonds. *There has been no movement. The scouts are returning to their positions. We move once everyone is in place.*
Silent confirmation from them both, and Kane moved to the corner of the building. There was an empty and treeless lane that separated the two buildings, the one they needed to breach with a wide, empty lot in front of it. The sky was cloudy, but with frequent breaks as the wind moved the clouds above, letting in random moonlight that raced across the ground before breaking apart. Shadows moved with the wind, the soft howling and the inconstant light would be a help—humans, even experienced combatants, were less equipped to handle the fluctuating conditions than the wolfkin.
Kane stood, turned, and pointed to Caius, his clan leader decked out in Kane’s spare gear, holding a shotgun with ease. Caius had fought in both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, since human conflict never stayed within species’ bounds Black Pine and her vassal clans were threatened time and again by war. Caius took off, running with his perimeter team to set up along the far side of the building and the rear. He would meet up with the scouts guarding the back and arrange cover. They were out of sight within moments, and Kane waited, patient.
Kane got what he was waiting for, the scouts sending their readiness. Kane opened the pack links, and let Burke take the burden from him. The shift in control was enough to signal the rest of the wolfkin, and Kane took off, his strike team following without hesitation at his back.
Across the road, the shadows from the clouds high above covered their approach. Kane and his strike team headed for the front entrance—this building had only three ways in—the front entrance lobby, a rear service entrance for trailers, and a fire door on the far side. Caius’ team would set up around the exterior, and would take down any humans who used the two other doors to escape. The rest of the scouts and the volunteers would hold the front once Kane breached. Burke and the shamans would wait in the lobby as Kane’s team cleared the top two floors and then swept back down the staircases to the sublevels behind the abandoned security desk in the lobby.
Two wolfkin on either side covered the doors as Kane kicked them in, glass shattering, the metal frame flying off the hinges and crashing into the wall. Kane went in, shotgun to his shoulder, covering high, the rest of his team flowing in behind him, taking the corners of the lobby. A shadow moved next to the staircase access, and Kane pulled the trigger. A spray of blood painted the wall as the human guard fell to the floor. Kane pointed two fingers at the door and two of his team went to check the human and cover the door. His shot likely alerted the rest of the humans to their presence.
Burke’s team came in, the Speaker keeping his larger body between the shamans and the rest of the building. Ghost and Michael knelt, making themselves small as possible, while Gabe huddled behind them. Kane took one last look at his mate before he led half of his team up the stairs. The other half would clear the ground floor while Burke’s team would hold the lobby.
There were limited rooms on the second floor. Room after room was empty, not even furniture remaining in the abandoned spaces. The air was dusty and stale with old traces of human scent. It was likely the human guards only came up here on rare occasions to secure the area. They checked everywhere leaving no closet or bathroom unsearched. In less than two minutes Kane led his team back downstairs to the ground floor. The rest of his team came back within seconds, wordlessly confirming that the above-ground levels were empty but for the guard Kane had already shot.
They regrouped at the stairway access, and Kane nodded to the two wolves he left at the door, the dead human already moved to the side and searched. Kane could hear movement past the door leading to the basement level, and it was likely the humans were expecting them to come through any moment. Kane grabbed a flash bang grenade from the satchel hanging off his hip, pulled the pin, and at a short nod from him one of the wolves opened the door a few inches and Kane tossed the grenade down the stairs. The door was pulled shut immediately, and there was a muffled explosion a second later.
Another nod and the door was flung open, and Kane covered high as another of his team covered low, both aiming down the staircase. Two shots later, and two humans collapsed at the base of the stairs. Kane’s first shot took off the head of one and his second took out the other, who clutched at his leg.
Without hesitation Kane led the way down the staircase. Kane went to the human shot in the leg, cracking open his skull with a single kick abruptly ending his cries of pain.
The stairs turned at the bottom, opening into a complicated warren of support beams, crumbling, concrete walls and clearly excavated open spaces full of equipment.
*Alpha team converge, all engage. Complicated terrain. Mind for friendly fire. Volunteers shift, go wolfkin for assault. Two humans down at the base of the stairs.* Kane pointed left and right, splitting his team, and took the hall straight ahead.
****
Ghost heard the muted thumps of shots through the floor, the door held open by one of the tactical team members. Burke stood, great head swiveling, ears twitching, hypervigilant as they waited for the all clear to come from below. Michael and Gabe crouched behind Burke, eyes wide, Gabe exuding a mix of fear and impatience. Michael appeared calm and ready, despite the danger of their situation and the nightmare into which they were walking.
*The rogues are approaching,* Caius said along the pack lines, and Burke growled, Ghost turning in his crouch as he peered back out at the parking lot. The clouds were moving again, the lot a stretch of deeper blackness in the night, and saw no sign of Caius and his team or the approaching rogues. Burke nudged his hip with his muzzle, and Ghost paid attention to what was going on below them. Caius could handle the three rogues.
****
They came in wolf form, a foolish action to take, even in the dead of night in winter. Humans might prefer the indoors in the cold weather, but they were in a populated area, a thriving campus center not too far away. Any shots fired outside might be heard, and the police called. They would settle for tooth and claw.
Caius snorted in disdain, creeping along the corner of the building, the scent of dirty, poorly-fed, alcohol-stinking wolves scrambled over the pavement. He could smell old traces of them on the fire door at the side of the building, and when he had tried it earlier, a single claw under the metal’s edge proved the locking mechanism was broken, the door held itself shut only by weight. The rogues weren’t quiet—he and the team under his command heard them coming, claws loud on rough pavement as they came closer.
Caius and two of his betas crouched by the corner, as the three rogues, fur rough and unkempt, tumbled from the shadows and went to the door. He wondered how they would open the door with fully wolf paws, when one of the rogues sat back on his haunches and began to Change, the process rough and sluggish.
Caius leapt, snarling as he took the distance in less than a second, his betas right behind him. He landed on the rogue who was caught mid-shift, Caius’ own claws out, fangs lowered, and he ripped out the rogue’s throat before they even hit the ground. Hot blood sprayed, the rogue’s eyes wide in fear and shock, and Caius grabbed his skull and twisted. He dropped the body at his feet, and spun towards the other rogues.
His two betas, both wolves in their wilder forms, had one rogue cornered against the building. Caius leapt again, clawed hand out, and he grabbed the hind paw of the third rogue as he attempted to flee. A sharp yank and the leg broke at the hip, the rogue screaming. Caius pulled the wolf back to him, claws sinking into fur and flesh, and with a negligent flick, broke the struggling wolf’s neck. He tossed aside the rogue’s corpse, and turned back to the remaining wolf.
His betas lunged forward together, and the rogue found himself buried under the two females, throat and chest ripped open. He died within moments, the females backing away, shaking their heads to lose the taste of his foul blood on their tongues. Caius smiled down at his wolves, proud and pleased, and they danced happily with wide, sharp grins when he petted them gently on their heads.
Caius reached out for Burke. *The three rogues are dead.* Caius smiled, lifting his face to the wind, blood and death heavy in the air. He growled, a smooth purr that expelled some of the tension he had been carrying for far too long. Burke responded with subdued acknowledgment, and Caius tilted his head.
The rumbled of engines. He moved to the corner of the building at the front, and looked carefully out toward the front lot. Headlights glanced off the ground, highlighting potholes and dead grass in cracks. A dark SUV and a limo were about two hundred yards out, and Caius grinned.
*A limo and escort car are coming from the west,* Caius told Burke, the Speaker’s surprise echoing back.
*They will likely be armed. Any confrontation outside will run the risk of drawing the human authorities.*
*Get the shamans out of the line of fire. Let them into the lobby. We’ll trap them inside between us.*
Like herding frantic deer into the rest of the wolf pack, the humans would die. Caius called in the rest of the perimeter team, and split them between his side of the building and the far side. His eyes could pick up the soft pops of gunfire in the sublevel, telling him Kane was still encountering the humans within.
The two approaching cars parked side by side in front of the building, engines ticking. Guards exited the vehicles, human men in dark suits with the soft stink of gunmetal broadcasting to anyone with a nose that they were armed.
It took everything Caius had not to leap out from hiding and eviscerate Simon Remus when the human bastard got out of the limo. He paused, and backed away from the door, another man exiting behind him.
Rage and disbelief battled for supremacy. It took him a moment to regain his equilibrium, but then all he could feel was cold, icy purpose. He reached out to Burke, sensing Kane was still too busy neutralizing threats in the basement to respond.
*Burke,* he said, pausing before continuing. Burke waited, the Speaker’s mind processing everything else happening in the background. *Julian is with Remus.*
*Hostage?* Burke asked, disbelief clouding his mental voice.
Julian tugged on his suit jacket, smoothing down his tie. His red hair appeared black in the night, but the smirk on his face was unchanged and he walked beside Remus without issue. *No. He’s here willingly. I think we have another traitor.*
*I don’t understand,* Burke replied, the Speaker at a loss.
*He’s always been a mad dog—betraying his own kind wouldn’t be out of the realms of the possible,* Caius explained. *Never mind the why of it—alert Kane when you can. Trap remains the same. I’ll take care of Julian.*
Caius carefully sat, and began stripping down. He would confront Julian as a wolf, and tear him and Remus apart.