Chapter Twenty-three
Erik had set out early in the morning with the intent of helping to clear off the new snow and then renew the search for Hall. The fact was he needed to get away before he let himself be overwhelmed by his emotions.
The night before hadn't been about just satisfying his primal need. That would have been better, easier. The truth was he felt something with Lillian, a true connection, something he’d never felt before, and that feeling frightened him.
Lillian meant something to him. As he lay there with her nestled against his side, Erik knew that this was more than just a fleeting thing. He liked the feeling of her in his arms, of her there in his bed with him. They worked well together. Better than he ever expected, let alone hoped.
Still he knew any sort of relationship wasn't a good idea. Although he might not believe in the curse, Erik did believe that being with his kind was inherently dangerous. For anyone. Many times, he tried to get Nan to move away, but the old woman refused. This was the life she knew and loved, and no one, not even Erik, could take that away from her.
Lillian was different. She hadn't been born into this life. She’d been raised a normal sort of way. Whatever she might be, it was clear that she could live out her whole life and never have to deal with what she had at the club. If she hadn’t gone to work at his company, she wouldn’t be dealing with battling werewolves and vampires.
Leif called out to him on the other side of the hill. They’d sent the pack out to search the full four hundred acres and had come up with nothing so far. Still, it was a long stretch of land and not that difficult for a wolf from their pack to hide. Their werewolf scent being the same made it difficult to distinguish an individual.
Erik made his way in wolf form and found Tyr and Leif at the opening of the cave.
Leif nodded toward the entrance, and Erik took a deep breath. The smell of a fresh fire still lingered in the air. They were too far from the houses to have it be the fireplace. The only way a scent like that got left behind was if someone had a fire nearby.
Erik nodded, and the wolves padded quietly inside, using their keen eyesight to keep a watchful eye as they did so.
They hadn't gotten very far when they spotted Hall huddled in the corner in human form, his body covered in cuts and mud. He glanced up at the wolves standing in front of them. His eyes were normal.
Erik wasn't taking any chances this time. The alley battle proved Hall was faster and stronger than them. Whatever was going on with him had sent him into full berserker mode. When he was that way, he became far more difficult to fight, mainly because he didn’t care if he lived or died.
Fear was what made them human, what reminded them of what they were fighting for and who they were fighting against. Without that fear, the wolf was just an animal drunk on bloodlust. Mindless. Dangerous.
"She ran to Seattle," Hall said quietly, a defeated look on his face. "She said she wouldn't, but she ran. I…” He sighed.
Erik bowed his head but remained in wolf form. The safety of the rest of the pack was most important.
He still pitied Hall. It seemed that things had gotten too hot for Anca, and the vampire had disappeared on him.
A soft blond-haired wolf stepped forward and whined at his brother. Tyr just wanted his family back. Hell, they all wanted Hall to come back.
"She said the drugs would make it easier," Hall said. The large man placed his head between his hands and began to rock his body. "That I would be able to control things."
Erik stepped back. They could already see Hall was struggling to keep his form, his emotions ruling him as he fought the wolf. Erik had expected something like this but was still disappointed.
Tyr shifted despite what they had talked about before setting out that day. The brother struggled with his need to comfort his brother over what his pack leader had warned.
"We can help you," Tyr said.
Hall shouted as he fought off the shift. He growled and grunted.
"We can figure out what these drugs are and help you get off them,” Tyr said.
Hall looked up at his brother, his eyes once again turning the dangerous blood red. Erik let out a warning bark to Tyr. In his human state, he’d never be able to take on his brother.
"You can't help anyone," Hall spat out. "It’s too late.”
He shifted midair as he lunged for his brother, knocking him down. The wolves rushed toward him, but Hall sped away, leaping past and racing out the cave entrance. Erik and Leif followed quickly behind him, desperately trying to keep up with the man in wolf form.
He was fast, not like the vampires, but faster than a normal werewolf. No matter how much Erik pumped his legs, Hall put more distance between them than he could fathom. It wasn't long before the other wolf was long out of eyesight and disappeared into the snowy landscape.
Erik finally stopped and glanced behind him at Leif. The two wolves shifted and stood there in human form in their bare feet. Despite being in human form, the snow never bothered him much, likely the wolf in him wouldn’t allow it.
Tyr shot past them. Not surprisingly, he chased after his brother despite the distance between them. He was desperate to save the boy he'd once known.
"Should we go after him?" Leif asked, looking off in the distance.
Erik shook his head. It would do no good at this point. The sun would set soon, and despite the fact that they had keen eyesight, they were in no position to go hunting one of their own in this state.
"Have you heard of any drugs on the street?" Erik asked. “Something new?”
Leif shrugged. "No more than usual and certainly none that would make the men turn into raving monsters."
Erik grunted and nodded. Anca had given Hall a drug that had changed him from the man to the beast. The question was, how did she get a hold of such a thing?
He needed to speak to Corso, but it would have to wait until the morning. He still needed to get back to Lillian and figure out what the hell he was going to do with her.
"She's waiting for you," Leif said as if he knew what was on his friend's mind.
Erik should've known better. Likely his emotions were playing on his face as they stood there.
"She's not ready for this," Erik said, waving his hand in the direction Hall had left.
Leif snorted. "Who the hell is? And she seemed to handle herself just fine with that vampire."
Erik still couldn't explain it. Nothing he could think of made sense. He’d spent so long knowing that there was no chance for more, he’d never even thought if it could happen. He knew the myths and legends, but he’d lived his life thinking they were just that.
"And what about the curse?" Erik asked finally.
Leif shrugged. "I thought you didn't believe in the curse."
Erik shook his head. He wasn't certain what he believed these days.
Leif clapped a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Take her. Be happy. Show your men they can be happy as well."
Erik turned to his friend and raised a brow. "Does that include you?"
He watched as Leif stared off into the distance. "I'd like to think so," he said. "I guess time will tell."
Erik nodded. That was about as deep as he and Leif had gotten when focused on love. Neither were much on the mushy details. There was desire, and there was reality. Sometimes those two met.
"Let's head back in,” Erik said. "Tyr will come back when he's exhausted himself. I think we just have to let him deal with this on his own."
The two men shifted back into wolf form, and Leif lifted his head to let out a great cry that echoed through the land. In the distance, the pack answered.