Less than a week later, word came back from Florida. Marko had been sighted, and judging by the scent trail, Peter was there as well. It was time to put an end to the conflict. Hazel knew she wouldn’t be able to go. She’d only barely started learning to fight as a wolf, but even had she been more experienced, being five months pregnant with twins made her slow and vulnerable.
She understood, but it was still difficult to say goodbye to Val and the others on the morning of their departure. Val, Finn, Anka and five other pack members would be taking a commuter plane to Fort Lauderdale. They didn’t want to lose a moment of time.
“Thanks for letting me go, Hazel,” Anka said, giving her a one-armed hug. As Hazel’s second, Anka should have stayed behind to guard her, but Hazel had given her permission to take part in this mission. For one thing, Val was down a second, and she was worried about his safety. For another, she knew how hard Anka had taken Marko’s treachery. She would feel better if she saw this through to the end.
“No problem,” Hazel said, smiling to reassure her friend. “Just keep Val out of trouble.” Anka snorted and pulled her bag over her shoulder.
“I’ll do my best, but you know better than anyone how difficult that is,” she said, and then with a final wave, she turned and went through the door of the airport with the others, leaving Hazel and Val alone.
He came to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her tight against him. She breathed deeply of his scent, like a dark forest in the rain. “You will be careful, won’t you?” she asked, her hand moving to stroke his cheek. The bond between them was filled with love and longing.
“Of course. I’ll be back before you know it,” he replied. “You keep yourself safe too.”
“Somehow, I doubt I’m going to find anything particularly dangerous shopping with Cassie,” she said, shaking her head at him.
“I don’t know. You seem to have a knack for finding danger where it shouldn’t be,” he said, his eyes gleaming with humor. She might have taken offense at that, since all of her recent mishaps had been entirely due to her relationship with him, but she knew he was only teasing her. His smile was gentle as he reached up to tuck an errant curl behind her ear.
“I’ll be careful. And I’ll have Kiril and Rowena,” she said, tilting her head toward where they were waiting by the car. Kiril had been upset that his arm still wasn’t healed enough to participate in this battle, but he’d immediately volunteered to take Anka’s place protecting Hazel.
She hadn’t hesitated to agree, though Val was less confident. It would take him a bit longer to completely trust his cousin, especially after what had happened with Marko, but Hazel knew this was a good opportunity for Kiril to prove himself to the rest of the pack. She hadn’t failed to notice that Val hadn’t even brought up filling Marko’s position. They hadn’t spoken of it, yet, but she had a feeling that he also thought that if Kiril was as loyal and capable as he seemed, he’d be perfect for the job, once he came of age in a few months.
Val nodded. “Everything is going to be fine. I’ll call you when I get there.” He kissed her, soft and slow; it was hard to pull away. “I love you,” he said, stroking her cheek with his thumb.
“I love you too,” she said, pushing back a sudden urge to weep. He would be gone a week at most. This wasn’t the end of the world. “You’d better go before the plane leaves without you.”
“No danger of that,” he said, but he released her from his arms and waved to the others. Just as he was about to turn toward the airport, he spun back around. “Forgot to say goodbye to someone,” he said, and he bent down and pressed his lips to her stomach, murmuring something she couldn’t hear. Her heart was painfully full, and she blinked away a tear that stung the corner of one eye.
It was almost torture, watching him walk away, the strand of their connected emotions becoming more and more tenuous. My hormones must be getting the better of me, she thought as she made herself turn and walk back to the car.
“So, what’s the plan?” Kiril asked when she got into the back seat and Rowena pulled out of the parking lot. “Are we going to go pick up Cassie while we’re here?”
“First, we’re going by my apartment. I’ve got some things I want to pick up.” Now that she was a werewolf and Cassie was in on the secret, they’d decided to forgo their plans of staying in the city during the week for the time being. In fact, Val was trying to arrange things so that by the time the children were born, he would be able to work from home most of the time.
With technology as it was, he didn’t think there was much reason for almost anyone to work in the office more than a couple days a week unless they wanted to. She focused back on Kiril. “A little eager, aren’t you?” she teased. She hadn’t failed to notice that he and Cassie were inordinately interested in each other. He scowled and turned away, a visible flush creeping up his neck.
“I just want to know what the plans are,” he retorted. Rowena and Hazel laughed, but they didn’t say any more about it. When they got back to her apartment, Hazel packed some of her things, her houseplants and clothes being of most importance. Actually, she needed to go out and buy some more maternity clothes. That was one of the things she and Cassie planned to do while Val was away.
She had promised not to buy too many things for the children because he wanted to be there for that, but she doubted he wanted to buy bras and maternity jeans. Hazel didn’t even really enjoy clothes shopping, but in this case, it couldn’t be helped.
Val called in the early afternoon to say that he’d arrived safely at the Vasquez pack house. The situation was a little tense, but he thought they’d be able to develop a good working relationship eventually. They planned to start the missions to catch Marko and Peter the following evening. He promised to keep in touch as much as he could, and that was all that she could ask for. But Hazel wished, as they put her clothes and books and houseplants in the back of the jeep, that she could have the reassurance of his emotions touching hers. Eventually, they might be able to get the link between them to stretch that far, but now the bond was too new. Her heart felt strangely hollow without it.
Having packed everything she had planned to bring back home, they picked Cassie up from work. She normally taught sixth grade math, but currently she was doing summer school, which always put her in a testy mood. She got in the back seat with Hazel but her eyes immediately went to Kiril. “I didn’t know you were going to be here,” she said, glaring in Hazel’s direction.
“I’m protecting Hazel while the Alpha is away,” Kiril said, his pride evident.
“With a broken arm?” she retorted, her lips pursed. He glared back at her. Hazel knew Cassie well enough to see that she was actually concerned about his welfare, but there was no way she would admit it. Yet. Hopefully a few days spent in each other’s company would get them both off the defensive.
“My cast comes off tomorrow. I can still shift, so I can fight if I need to,” he said, sniffing. Cassie sighed.
“Let’s get home, or we’ll miss dinner,” Rowena said, probably trying to dispel the tension, but Hazel was much more concerned about Val than the enduring silence in the car.
*****************************
Time slowed to a crawl, each moment passing like cold honey. Dinner with the pack was as cheerful as usual. It was generally only the younger adults who ate at the house, and they seemed to have adopted Cassie as a temporary mascot. Whatever she thought about the subject, the common wisdom seemed to be that once you were invited into a werewolf pack, you didn't just leave. They assumed she'd be one of them eventually. Hazel wondered, to distract herself from her worries, what Kiril thought about it.
After dinner, she gave Cassie a tour of the house. She was suitably impressed by the bedroom. “This is amazing. I mean, it's basically a mansion. What do I have to do to get to live in a place like this?”
Hazel grinned. “I don't know… pretty sure there's somebody who'd like you to live here with them. Blond hair, on the skinny side, impressive glower.”
“Oh my god, shut your mouth right now!” Cassie exclaimed, but Hazel only laughed. The conversation turned to what color they were going to paint the nursery, and eventually she went to bed. The sheets smelled like Val, and she breathed them deeply, hugging his pillow against her body. In the past two months, they had spent very little time apart. The bed seemed cold and empty. It took a long time to go to sleep.
*******************
The sun would be setting soon. Val took a deep breath, shaking out his fur, and turned to the dozen wolves awaiting his instructions. There was no reason this shouldn't be easy. Thirteen wolves to bring down two, and that wasn't even counting the six scouts who’d gone out earlier and the reserves waiting in case Marko and Peter had allies. There was no reason for the unease that made his stomach roil. It just seemed too simple, now. At every turn, Peter had out-maneuvered them and escaped, and each time Val had lost or nearly lost someone he cared about. He had to put a stop to it.
You all know the plan. Terrence will lead the first team to the back door. Viola will bring the second group to circle around the front. If no one comes out of the house, Finn, Anka, and I will go in. We’ll call for backup if we need it, but it's going to be tight quarters in there as it is. Keep in contact and call for the reserves if you get overwhelmed. Stay within sight of your group. We can't let ourselves get separated. If they’ve got backup somewhere, they could pick us off one by one. This is a simple mission; we don't need any heroics.
Everyone nodded their agreement, there was nothing else to say. They’d specifically chosen mostly wolves in their thirties and forties who were known for their cool heads, so he was fairly confident that everyone knew their business.
Everyone is in place, came the message from Jack’s scouts. No one has come in or out of the cabin, but someone saw Marko in the window.
The situation could hardly be more perfect. Let’s go, Val said to his team. Finn and Anka took their places at his sides, and they moved silently down the trail. The woods were quiet, except for the alarm calls of a few solitary birds. No animal wanted to attract the attention of so many predators. They reached the place where the scouts waited without incident, and the first group split away, leaving Val with Finn, Anka, and four wolves from other packs.
They approached the front of the cabin warily. Everything was quiet, too quiet. It sent new waves of anxiety down Val’s spine. Surely, Marko could smell them coming. It wasn’t like him to just sit and wait for capture.
But there was no way of knowing without going inside. At his signal, one of the wolves in the rear shifted back to human form and turned the knob. It was unlocked, and the door opened easily. Val took another deep breath, and sighed it out. Finn, Anka, with me. The rest of you back up to the edge of the trees and watch for escape attempts. The four wolves wished him good hunting and backed away. There was no more time for second-guessing. With two of the people he trusted most at his back, he went into the cabin.
******************
As the sun set, edging the leaves of the trees in fiery hues, Hazel drummed her fingers on the windowsill, biting her lip. A drop of mint green paint dripped onto the back of her hand, and she irritably shook it away before realizing what she was doing. She walked back to the paint tray and dropped the roller in with a sigh. “I'm sure Val will be fine,” Cassie said, looking up from where she was painting around the baseboards. “Aren't there like twenty werewolves down there, just to capture two guys?”
“I know, I know. There's really no reason to be concerned. I can't help it,” Hazel replied. “I don't think I'll be able to relax until he's back home.”
“We should go for a run,” Kiril offered from the doorway. Rowena had gone shopping with them earlier, but she’d had to take care of some things at the temple, so now it was just the three of them. He had initially grumbled about helping them paint the nursery but had proved invaluable for reaching the high parts, and Hazel had never seen him so relaxed. “Or a walk, I guess, if we're going to take Cassie with us. Exercise is the best thing for nerves.”
“You’d better take me with you,” Cassie grumbled, wiping her hands on the pair of ratty sweatpants someone had lent her.
Hazel looked around at the half-painted walls. Just as she had planned, they were turning Val’s old room into the nursery. It was a little big for a baby, even two babies, but it was right down the hall from their new room and had the advantage of being familiar. They’d accomplished a lot in just a few hours; there was no reason not to take a break. Letting her wolf out might even ease some of her jitters. “Sure. Let’s go.”
She did feel better once they were outside, even though it was uncomfortably humid. Cassie grimaced, pushing a sweaty lock of hair off of her forehead. “I don’t know how you two stand it, being covered in fur,” she said as they started down the trail, Kiril on one side of her and Hazel on the other. They couldn’t answer directly, but Kiril gave her a very eloquent look, his tongue lolling from the heat. The cicadas were buzzing loud enough to stifle conversation, anyway. Perhaps that was why they didn’t notice how silent the forest had otherwise become.
Kiril turned to Hazel, his posture hesitant. Do you think Cassie…? He paused, suddenly tense, and just as Hazel was about to ask what was wrong, she smelled it too. A wolf that did not belong. Kiril darted forward just in time to intercept the attacker, who flew toward Cassie in a blur of gray fur and snarling. She screamed, backpedaling so quickly that she fell on her rear, and Hazel had a moment of indecision.
Her instincts screamed at her to rip his throat out, this interloper that she now recognized as Peter, but her intellect told her to leave it to Kiril, to get Cassie to safety. Kiril called out through the pack link, and Hazel joined him, but the only answer was from a far-off border guard. So many fighters had gone with Val, there was no one else in wolf form.
Someone would have to go to the house in person to rouse the rest of the pack. Hazel moved herself between her friend and the two other wolves, blocking Cassie from view and nudging with her nose.
“I know,” she hissed. “I’ll get help.” She got to her feet and backed slowly down the path. Hazel continued to put herself between Cassie and the two males, shielding her retreat. There was a sudden crescendo of snaps and snarls followed by a yelp of pain, and Kiril and Peter sprang apart, both panting.
If either of them were injured, they didn’t show it. They circled each other, growls rumbling in their chests and eyes narrowed in hatred, and Hazel tensed in readiness. She had to keep Peter from noticing Cassie, at least until she was further away.
What are you doing here? I thought you were in Florida, Hazel said, advancing slowly toward him. She knew it was more difficult to speak to a wolf outside the pack, so she wasn’t sure he would hear, but his eyes snapped right to her.
They said he’d made you a wolf, but I couldn’t believe it. Disgusting, Peter said, glaring. But don’t worry. I left Marko with a surprise for your mate. Without a leader, the pack will disintegrate, and I’ll be here to help them pick up the pieces.
Fear spiked in her guts, making her fur bristle, but she managed to keep her tone level. Marko is no match for Val. And no one in the pack would accept you. Not even your other children want anything to do with you.
Peter snarled and jumped toward her, but that was just the opening Kiril needed. He leaped on Peter’s back, dragging him down by the neck. They rolled around in the dirt, biting and scratching, and Hazel knew she needed to help, but she was completely out of her depth.
Val and Anka had really only taught her the basics of self-defense. Still, she dove into the fray, snapping at Peter’s face, and then a wave of pain and fear and anger drove all the breath out of her lungs. Somehow, her bond with Val had been wrenched open, and something horrible had happened to him.
********************
The silence in the cabin was eerie, and Val took two careful steps inside before realizing he’d been holding his breath. It wasn’t much to look at, rough wooden floors, ragged furniture, and bare walls. Marko’s scent was everywhere, too heavy in this enclosed space to track, but Peter’s, though present, was much fainter. Val narrowed his eyes and moved forward again, every sense alert for the slightest change, just as he knew Finn and Anka were.
He could smell grease, the kind you used to oil machine parts, which was odd enough to catch his attention. Another step, and he heard a soft click as the floor under his front paw shifted almost imperceptibly. He had just enough time to yell Get back! before the floor opened under him. His claws scrabbled for purchase, and then he landed hard on his side. The air rushed out of his lungs as he yelped, more out of surprise than pain.
Are you okay? Anka asked. He could see her face peering at the edge of the pit, at least ten feet above him. The walls were bare earth, impressively vertical and hard-packed. There would be no climbing up.
Fine, I think, but you should get out of here and warn the others. Come back with a bigger team. And a rope, he said, getting to his feet and shaking himself.
What if Marko and Peter come back? Finn asked. We can’t just leave you here.
Even the two of them together couldn’t defeat me so easily. And then they’d be in the pit too. I’m not sure what they were trying to accomplish. Werewolves didn’t use guns on each other. It never even occurred to him.
We’ll hurry back, Finn said after a moment, evidently skeptical. Val heard their claws clicking on the floor, fading away to nothing. A moment later, the front door thudded closed. It took a few seconds for him to realize why that was strange, and just then, Marko appeared, standing on the lip of the pit, his posture deceptively casual.
“Look how the mighty have fallen. I was hoping to catch all three of you, but I guess you might have been able to help each other out of the hole. This is better.”
Val glared up at him. He could have resumed his human form, but what would be the point? Speaking to or even questioning Marko wouldn’t change the situation and it would make him vulnerable as well as cutting off contact with the other wolves. “I know you’re wondering why I did this. You can’t believe your best friend would turn on you.” Marko grimaced.
“I didn’t want to, but when I realized how entranced you were by that human woman, how soft she made you, I couldn’t stand it.” His lip curled with disgust, which only served to fan the flames of Val’s anger. He paced the floor of the pit, his fangs bared as hatred boiled up within him.
“My father asked to meet with me, and we agreed that Hazel had to go. I thought once you were rid of her, you’d go back to your old self. You’d thank me for it. My father didn’t know that, of course. I don’t give a shit about him or his revenge scheme.
“But she lived, and you made her one of us. Mated with her, and now there’s no going back for me. Nothing left to do but take you down with me. If my father wants the pack, he can have it.” Val snarled in denial and challenge, and Marko laughed without mirth.
“You’re right. I couldn’t take you down myself. Not in a real fight. But since I’m already an outcast, there’s nothing to keep me from cheating.” He pulled something from inside his jacket, some sort of switch or remote, and it was only due to Val’s work on building sites that he recognized what it must be.
Stay back! He shouted through the pack link. He’s going to—! The house exploded.