Stella

 

“What do you mean they’re confronting Greg?” Stella yelled through the phone at Kate.

“Austin said he’s the chameleon. I’m so upset. Greg’s practically family, but I understand that he’s really not.”

Stella hung up without another word. She quickly dialed Emma.

“Emma, go to the bar immediately!”

Stella hung up on her, too. She quickly changed her clothes and sought Rick out through their mate bond. He tried to shut her out, but her anger and her fear pushed through.

“Rick, you cannot let Austin confront Greg,” she pleaded.

“Greg is a chameleon. He chose his own death.”

“Greg’s not the chameleon, Rick. He’s the handler. He’ll kill Austin. He’ll kill you all!”

Then she focused on Rick and The Kamp and was able to transport herself. She watched as Greg towered over Austin and shot his power out, easily throwing the giant alpha across the parking lot. Stella raced upstairs and grabbed the few things she needed. She ran back downstairs and shoved past the rest of the men now in their bear forms. Rick’s bear caught the back of her shirt with his mouth and tugged her back.

Austin had rallied, and was headed straight back towards Greg. Emma’s car flew into the parking lot then. Without breaking, she ran her car into Greg, catching him off guard. Stella saw her opportunity. She ripped out of Rick’s grip and ran. She could feel the men hot on her heals. Jumping on top of Emma’s hood, she tossed out her mixture and began to chant. Greg roared back to life and tried to rid himself of her magic. He hit her with a blast of power, sending her flying backwards.

Rick shifted and caught her, setting her down on the ground. He put her behind him.

“Greg, whoever you are. We have unfinished business.”

“Yes we do, shifter.”

“Tell me my offenses to you.”

“You touched what was mine. You took what you thought you could have because you could. I was always the runt, I was always the underdog. That was then. Now you cannot defeat me. Austin and the rest of this pack, always getting what they want. No more, I won’t stop until you’re all dead.”

“She’s not yours. She’s never wanted to be yours. How does it feel to know the only woman in your life is there by force and not by choice?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Greg said as he raised his hands and let his power build. “Did you expect to tell me my offenses against you?” he sneered. “There are too many, and they are too great to list. Just know that they will be playing over and over again in my mind as I rip your throat out with my teeth.”

Rick shifted then and lunged towards Greg. Stella fed him her power through their mate bond. Rick was able to take Greg’s blow and keep fighting forward. Stella followed behind him, keeping him close so that he was stronger. Austin came up on her left side, and Jasper flanked her other. Justin was behind her. They all rested their snouts on her, somehow feeding Rick their power as well.

Rick’s pack, his mate the healer, and the pack’s mates all focused their power on him. Greg landed several seemingly crippling blows, but Rick continued to rise. Greg continued to as well. They battled, Greg with magic and Rick with his teeth. Pack members continued to arrive, all of them following suit and touching another member, all leading back to Stella.

Rachel appeared in the parking lot along with Arriell. Hatred shot through Stella’s body. She turned to Arriell. The woman immediately descended on Stella. Stella yelled as she threw her magic against the woman. Austin followed Stella as she ran towards the woman who had tried to take Rick from her. Austin lunged in front of her, and the woman slashed Austin with her long nails. Austin whimpered and hit the ground, black blood running down his fur.

Stella yelled for Emma, as she continued towards the woman.

“You turned out to be a worthy opponent,” the woman called over the sounds of Rick and Greg thrashing at each other. “Rick will be mine, though.”

Stella had no words for the woman. She shot her magic towards the woman, paralyzing her, while Jasper leaped on top of her and with one powerful swipe of his paw, the woman was dead. Jasper went back to Austin, who was still lying on the ground. As much as Stella wanted to help Austin, she had to get back to Rick.

Greg had finally managed to get Rick pinned to the ground. He raised his hands as he called for power from the storm. Stella threw herself on top of Rick and rolled so she was facing up at Greg. For a moment, she felt like she was having an out-of-body experience. She could hear Grandma’s smooth voice telling her what to say. Stella could hear herself repeating every word. Then Grandma chuckled, and was gone. Stella watched as Greg’s eyes grew wide, and then he withered into an old man. Small and vulnerable, he started to back away.

Rick shoved Stella off of him and went for the final kill. As he stood over his kill, he let out a deep, victorious roar. He shifted into his human form and pulled Stella up and into his arms hugging her tightly. A cry of pain seared Stella straight to the heart.

“Austin!” she cried out as she ran over to him.

Emma was kneeling next to him, and was desperately trying to stop the bleeding. Stella knocked her hands away and smelled the black ooze.

“It’s not blood. It’s poison. Go wash your hands. Any of you that have it on you. Go now.”

Emma and Jasper both hesitated, not wanting to leave their alpha.

“Go!” Stella shouted. “I need to go upstairs and get some of my medicines. I can’t heal him otherwise. Stay here, but do not touch him,” Stella told Rick before she ran upstairs, praying she had brought the primrose herb.

A shifter had come to Grandma once with the black poison coming out of him. Grandma hadn’t had any of the primrose that day, and by the time they had gotten it, the shifter had died. Stella couldn’t let Austin die. She tore through her bags, frantically searching. She cried when she finally found it. Running back down, she skidded to a stop next to Austin and immediately dropped down next to him to administer the herb.