“It’s worse than you thought, I’m afraid.”
Jonah grimaced at the news. He could feel Nichols tense up beside him as the Elder of the council continued to speak.
“The Serah Stone’s energy was located during a ceremony, but unfortunately, it is on the move. And the mine is growing deeper below Stonybrooke. I’m afraid there isn’t much more we can do. Our protection spells will only reach so far.”
“I understand,” Jonah said quietly. “Where do you think it’s going?”
“It’s got to be headed to Oak Mountain,” Nichols said. “It’s about two hours away from here by car.”
“You cannot go after it,” the Elder cautioned. “There is a dire crisis now, in the mines. The bears have infiltrated. They will soon reach the sacred space beneath the city. If their ceremony is allowed to go on, the Serah Stone’s full powers will be activated.”
“Where are the mines?” Jonah asked urgently. There was still time to save Stonybrooke. All the shifters’ lives were in danger.
“They’re about a mile north of here. I can send someone to lead you to the entrance, but you should be able to use your nose from there. I will not risk the lives of any of our men. Not yet.”
“That’s perfectly fine,” Jonah said. “This is why we’re here. It’s our job now.”
“Will you have anyone else working with you?” the Elder asked, his gaze lingering on Nichols unkindly. “I know not all bears are bad, but…”
“That’s our business to worry about,” Jonah said quickly, irritated by the prejudice of the Elder. Yes, they had more troops ready to call in to organize if things got messy, and sure, it was true that bears often caused trouble for wolf shifters, but it didn’t mean they were all bad. He was getting good and fed up with stereotypes. What did it take to bring equality to shifters of all origins? Nobody could help how they were born, could they? Did that mean they were worthy of discrimination and hatred?
“All right then, boys,” the Elder said, walking away dismissively. “I trust you to take care of this little problem. It’s not as if your careers are at stake here.”
Jonah’s chest tightened with rage, but he knew he couldn’t say anything. The Elder was technically his superior. He had to obey the laws of the pack just as much as he had to obey the rules of the SEALs. And, in this case, that meant he had to swallow his anger, and hold his tongue despite the ignorance of the Elder who was throwing his weight around and threatening Jonah’s job.
“I’ll have the boy meet you right here,” the Elder called, making his way slowly to his vehicle. “Don’t you two go anywhere.”
“Yes, sir,” Jonah said, exchanging a secret look of loathing with Nichols, who was clearly seething. The poor guy was more or less a gentle giant. The Elder probably felt threatened by Nichols, both for being a bear and because of his size. But that wasn’t going to help anything; especially not if they were his best chance of getting help for a delicate situation.
“Jonah! Look out!”
Just as the Elder’s car drove off into the distance, a deep growl sounded from behind Jonah, sending a shiver down his spine. Jonah dodged just in time as a heavy paw crashed down above him. Instead of striking him in the head, he was fast enough that the bear only sliced down his shoulder.
“Shit,” Jonah growled, looking down at his sleeve. “This was my good shirt!”
“I’ve got this,” Nichols said. “I owe you for the last time.”
“I’ll check the area, make sure this isn’t some kind of an ambush,” Jonah said, backing away from the fight just as Nichols let out an ear-piercing roar.
Normally, Jonah would have loved to stick around and watch Nichols fight. It was truly a pleasure; the man was a brilliant animal. His strategy was probably why they had selected him for the Navy SEALs.
Jonah’s hackles raised and he whipped around just in time to catch a bear’s claw in the face. A deep growl rose in his throat and before he knew it, he had transformed from his human form into his wolf form. He lunged at the bear, sinking his teeth deep into the bear’s neck. It unleashed a powerful cry of pain, but just as he was trained, Jonah held tight until the bear’s strength began to weaken.
Finally, he could feel the last bit of resistance leave the bear’s body as it sank to the ground, lifeless.
Jonah bounded quickly to the site where he had left Nichols, pleased to find that he, too, had eliminated the threat. They wordlessly agreed not to wait any longer for the boy that the Elder had promised to send, both of them wondering the same thing.
Had they been set up?
***
“I don’t know about that, Lucas,” Lieutenant Gregors said gruffly.
Jonah didn’t like the idea that the Elder had ambushed them much either, but he had to consider all possibilities. Still, the Lieutenant seemed to have much more confidence in the Council than Jonah apparently did. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be perceived as mutiny.
“I know, sir. It’s just within the realm of possibility,” Jonah said with a heavy sigh.
“Are the two of you all right? Were there any injuries?”
“Nothing notable,” Jonah said. “I did lose my best shirt, though. My sister will kill me for that.”
“So it is nothing notable? We don’t want to elicit suspicion from anybody. Not even your sister.”
“No, sir. It’s really nothing. If anybody notices, I can just say it’s an old injury.”
“All right then, Lucas. Well, I can anticipate that you will be able to follow protocol, of course.”
“Of course, sir.”
“I’d like the two of you to avoid the mines until reinforcements arrive. Is that understood, Lucas?”
“Yes, sir.”
“All right. Stay in touch.”
Gregors hung up and Jonah let out a heavy sigh. He had been hoping to eliminate the threat in the mine as soon as possible, but if the bear shifters somehow knew they were coming, then chances were high they would be anticipating a fight. That meant waiting for the rest of the squad would be essential. As much as he hated it, he would have no choice.
“I can’t believe this,” Nichols said, pulling his shirt out of his bag and putting it on. “I was ready to get this shit over with once and for all.”
“I know, man,” Jonah said. “Trust me.”
“I guess this means we’re going to have to keep waiting.”
“Just until the guys get out here. But today is shot, for sure. They might have had someone there who saw them and ran back to warn them. It would put us all in danger to try anything stupid.”
“Yeah. I guess we’re just going to have to wait it out.”
“Let’s head to the inn. The guys should probably know about this.”
“All right,” Nichols said. “But I can’t go into Stonybrooke. I’m trying to win the trust of the bear shifters out here, you know?”
“Does that mean we should spar?”
Nichols grinned.
“You’re on.”
Nichols began to shapeshift into his bear form and Jonah couldn’t help but smile. It had been a long time since they were able to have some fun; and fun with a purpose was the best kind to a man like Jonah, who thrived on discipline.
“Tap out if you have to,” Jonah teased, just as his body began to shrink into its wolf form. If he injured Nichols enough, they would be able to blame the whole massacre on Jonah and buy Nichols some fast trust. This was going to be fun.