Chapter Three
Ross heard the whine again and pushed himself into a run. Ignoring the shadows, he stayed out in the moonlight, in the front of the house. His eyes caught Connor almost immediately—but there was no sign of Ash.
Where is he?
His breath came quickly, his mouth hanging open as he took in great lungfuls of air.
Careful, Connor warned, flattening himself into the grass. Lie down, Ross.
Ross did so immediately, his eyes searching the gloom for signs of Ash. What happened?
Before Connor could respond, Ross caught the scent of Davidson. Pushing his body into the earth, Ross stayed as low as he could, hoping the tall grass would hide him.
Davidson was muttering something under his breath with what looked like a tranquilizer gun in his hand. Jenny—since he presumed that was who she was—had been right. He wanted to catch them, for whatever reason. This wasn't good.
If Davidson caught them, Ross’s entire pack would be in danger. The other packs would be in danger too since he wouldn't be able to pass on the message that there were hunters around. At the same time, Ross worried about Ash and where he was. Had Davidson already got him? If so, where was he? There was no way Davidson would have been able to lift an unconscious wolf into the house by himself. Remembering the other scents he'd caught earlier, Ross's hackles rose. There were more hunters inside. There had to be.
“Cowards,” Davidson spat, his eyes looking over the ground. Wanting to do nothing more than attack the man, Ross had to force himself to lie still. It wouldn’t do any of them any good for him to lose it now.
Walking inside, muttering something about “getting help,” Ross and Connor quickly got up.
This way, Connor said, running across the grass.
Ross followed immediately, quickly catching Ash's scent. He was downwind, away from the house, but a pink-tipped dart was sticking out of his side. His eyes were half closed, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. He was clearly unconscious.
What are we going to do?
Ross tried not to panic, glancing toward the house and then back to Ash. Davidson could come back at any minute with whatever “help” he had gone to get.
We have to shift.
Leaving no time to argue, Ross pushed the wolf down. He had to get out, get out of his wolf form and back to his human skin. It was quick and painful, but Ross caught his breath almost at once before bending down to Ash.
“We have to carry him home,” he muttered just as Connor shifted. “If we leave him here, Davidson will get him and put him in that cellar with Jenny.”
Ross felt rather than saw Connor open his mouth to ask what he meant before he closed it again and bent down to Ash. With an effort, Ross and Connor managed to settle Ash across Ross’s shoulder, his arms hoisting him up carefully.
“Got him?” Connor asked quietly.
With a grunt, Ross walked across the cold grass, hoping that everyone in the town would be asleep and not out on the street. The last thing they needed to see would be two completely naked men striding across the town of Rockshore with a wolf in their arms.
"We need to stick to the back streets," Ross muttered, catching his breath for a moment. "Let's just hope they don't realize he's gone—"
The rest of his sentence was cut off as a shout of frustration and anger came from behind them. Ross picked up his pace at once, practically running as he took Ash back home to safety.
It seemed to take hours to get back to their offices. Ross was breathing heavily when they pushed their way through the front door. Sweat dripped down his back, and his hair was soaked.
“What on earth happened?”
Thomas was there in a moment, helping him put Ash down on the long sofa.
Connor flung a towel at Ross, pulling on a pair of joggers. “Looks like Sarah was right.”
“I am?” She walked in, ignoring Ross’s nakedness and bending down next to Ash. “What happened?”
"Mr. Davidson's not all he appears to be," Connor replied grimly. "Took out Ash with a tranquilizer of some sort."
“At least it wasn’t a bullet,” Sarah murmured, lifting Ash’s eyelid. “He’s not injured, is he?”
“No,” Thomas reassured her. “Just unconscious. He won’t be able to shift until he’s woken up, though.”
Sarah glanced up at Ross, her face a mixture of anxiety and relief. “Thank goodness you got him back.”
Ross’s lip curled. “I need to get dressed quickly. You too, Connor.”
Connor nodded, as a look of understanding passed between them. They both suspected that more than likely, Mr. Davidson—and the rest of his hunters, whoever they were—were going to be after the pack sooner rather than later. It would be best to be prepared.
Once washed and dressed, Ross strode back down the stairs toward his living room, where Ash was still be tended by Sarah.
“Anything?”
She shook her head. “Nothing yet. That must have been something pretty strong to have him out for so long.”
Ross growled, his face twisting with anger. He should have been more careful, should have protected Ash somehow. As both the alpha and the pack leader, he was responsible for every other shifter and, in this case, it felt as though he had let his brother down. He’d been distracted by the woman in the cellar, whoever she was. Not that she wasn’t important—she just wasn’t as important as Ash.
Connor slapped him on the back, walking into the sitting room. “Don’t beat yourself up about this Ross. You couldn’t have known.”
Shrugging, Ross walked around the room, making sure all the curtains were shut tight. His brothers always seemed to know what he was thinking and when he felt as though it was his fault. It made him feel slightly better, knowing that they didn’t blame him the same way he blamed himself.
Peering through a small crack in the curtains, Ross tensed. “There’s someone outside,” he murmured, just low enough for everyone to hear.
Connor was beside him in an instant. “Who is it?”
Ross shook his head slightly. “I can’t see,” he said quietly. “It’s just a shadow moving at the moment.” Even his enhanced eyesight wasn’t helping him here. Whoever it was, they were skulking around their offices for a reason, and Ross didn’t like not knowing what that reason was.
“Should we go out and confront them?”
“No,” Ross said firmly, closing the curtains again. “Let them come to us. I doubt we’ll have to wait long.”
He’d barely finished his sentence when a sudden knock at the door echoed through the building.
“That’s the office door,” Connor muttered, striding toward the door that led from the living room to the front hall, where the office was. “What on earth is someone doing here at this hour?”
“Wait,” Ross said sharply, sniffing the air. It didn’t take long for him to confirm that it was Mr. Davidson at the door. “It’s him. He’s here.”
“Who?” Sarah asked, glancing from Connor to Ross and back again.
“Davidson,” Ross replied, casting a worried look over the form of his brother Ash, still in his wolf skin. “And I’ll bet he’s looking for Ash.”