Chapter Twenty
Ross threw himself to the side, his paws scrabbling in the dirt as he found a place to hide. His hackles rose as he lay next to Connor, his ears pressed firmly back against his head as he looked all around.
There’s an upwind.
Frustration filled Ross as he realized what Connor was saying. Their scent had been blowing up the hill toward whoever was there, which meant it had been almost impossible to anticipate anyone lying in wait for them.
Ross’s mind filled with questions. How had they known they were moving up this way toward the East River pack? Had they been hiding, just waiting for them to appear? The edge of the hill led to a steep drop on his right side, which meant they would have had to have gone all the way around to the other side of the hill before climbing up. He'd not heard an engine. Maybe they'd parked it somewhere and walked uphill when they'd been sheltering from the rain, although that still didn't explain how they'd known Ross and the others were traveling toward the East River pack.
His chest rattled in warning as his eyes picked up the small tranquilizer dart stuck into the ground, just where they'd been standing. He had no doubt that it was Davidson and his allies, the Damsons. They were obviously still trying to tranquilize them just so they could have their fun before killing the shifters in some twisted form of revenge.
What are we going to do?
Ross had no plan of attack, not yet. He couldn’t even see where the dart had come from, still hearing the echo of the snapping branch jangle through his mind. Jenny’s instincts had been right. They had been in danger.
“I know you’re here,” came a familiar voice. “No good hiding her from me now. I will have all of you.”
Ross felt Connor tense immediately as Davidson stepped out into the clearing, the tranquilizer gun dangling from his hand. His face was filled with evil victory, his mouth more of a leer than a smile.
His wolf pushed back into Ross without warning, forcing his human skin to burst out. With a groan, he stood as his bones finished snapping back into place, breathing hard as the pain left him. Walking toward Davidson, Ross held his head high, completely unashamed of his nakedness. He was a shifter after all. He was proud of that. No one, not even a man like Davidson, was going to intimidate him.
“Out of hiding are we?” Davidson jeered. “It won’t matter, I’m afraid. I want all of you.”
Ross met his gaze steadily. “And that includes your own two shifters, does it?”
Davidson shifted uncomfortably, his grin fading slightly. “They work for me. They’re not like you.”
“Like me?” Ross asked, tipping his head a little. “What do you mean? I didn’t kill your wife.”
Shock flooded Davidson’s face, which was then swiftly replaced with anger. “You’re all murdering savages,” he spat, his face now a deep red. “It’s unnatural, your abilities. Utterly abnormal. This world doesn’t need your twisted kind. They’ll thank me, one day, for putting you in the ground.”
Ross opened his mouth to speak, suddenly aware of a slight rustling to his right. Jenny. Inwardly, he begged her to stay still and to stay silent. He couldn't let her get hurt, not now. To his surprise, a long, drawn-out howl came from his left, startling both him and Davidson. It came again before the rustling grew louder as Connor moved away from where he'd been sitting.
“Go find that wolf,” Davidson screeched as two other people emerged from the trees. “And the other one, my beautiful Jenny. I would prefer to kill them myself, but if you have to…” He shrugged, lifting his tranquilizer gun and pointing it directly at Ross’s chest. Being so close, Ross knew there was no way he was going to miss.
Still, tension left his body. Connor had risked a lot in letting out that howl, but Ross knew immediately what his intention had been. The East River pack were waiting for them. Hopefully, one of them would hear his howl and come looking. It was just as well. It looked as though they would need all the help they could get.
“Your wife’s death must have been terrible,” Ross continued, trying to stay calm in the face of sheer fury. “But no one in my pack was involved. I promise you. Shifters aren’t killers.”
“Of course you’d say that,” Davidson mocked, his finger jumping near the trigger. “You’re not going to confess to killing her, are you? All because she married a human instead of one of your kind.”
A slight frown crossed Ross’s face. “That’s what you think happened?”
Davidson’s face twisted with pain and fury. “She told me about herself, about her shifter abilities,” he sneered. “I was surprised, of course, but we were married by then, so what could I do? In time, I grew to accept it. She never shifted when I was around, didn’t want to expose me to the other side of her.” He swallowed, hard. “She always told me shifters were expected to marry within their own kind, laughed about how she’d made an exception for me. Sometimes she joked they’d come to get her for it.” His eyes narrowed. “Looks like you did.”
Ross knew it was a lost cause, trying to convince Davidson that he and his pack weren't involved. He couldn't even be sure that it had been shifters who'd killed Davidson's wife since many true wolves roamed the forests. Davidson's anger had pushed him toward insanity, where he was hell bent on killing as many shifters as he could, eking out his revenge in the only way he could.
“So, you’re going to kill the Damsons when you’re finished, then?” he asked quietly. “They’re shifters too, Davidson.”
“I need them,” Davidson roared, his eyes blazing. “I don’t like it, but I need them.”
“What did you give them to get them to help you?”
Davidson snorted. "I didn't give them anything. I found them first, but they begged me to let them help so that I wouldn't take their lives. When I'm finished rounding you all up, they'll be the only two shifters left. They're brother and sister, so the shifter genes will die with them. It'll be all over."
Ross shook his head at the man’s naivety. “You’ll never get all of us.”
"Oh, I will," Davidson retorted, his voice lowering to an almost deadly whisper. "Your pack is just the beginning You're all connected, aren't you? Somehow, I'll make sure you're all just a pile of bones left on the ground." His grin widened. "After all, no one's going to think anything of a pile of wolf carcasses in the forest, are they?"
“We will never tell you anything about our kind,” Ross spat. “Our loyalty is -”
“Your loyalty is a joke!” Davidson interrupted, his voice growing louder. “How do you think we knew where you were headed? The East River pack are near here, aren’t they?” He snorted. “Some loyalty.”
Ross tensed as the man’s finger moved near the trigger. He didn’t know what to do or where to run. His wolf tore through his skin, pushing him to the ground. At the same time, another wolf jumped from behind Davidson, jaws open, as it bit Davidson’s arm, forcing him to drop the tranquilizer gun.
Rushing forward, Ross pulled on the gun with his jaws, pulling it toward the edge of the hill, knowing there was a steep drop. It bounced off the rocks as it fell, Ross’s ears picking up the sound as he raced back to where Jenny was growling at Davidson.
“Ah, so this is Jenny,” Ross heard Davidson say. “You escaped once, but not this time. I’ll be more than happy to kill you right here.”
He pulled a knife from his pocket with his good hand, pressing the latch so that the blade flashed forward as he gripped the handle.
Ross growled loudly, circling behind Davidson. He saw Jenny on the other side, her teeth bared as she stood her ground. There was no sign of fear as they encircled Davidson together, who stood with a look of uncertainty in his eyes.
A sudden yelp caught Ross's ears. A force slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. Righting himself, Ross backed away slightly from the hill's edge, keeping his eyes fixed on the dark gray wolf who was now defending Davidson.
You’re a traitor to your kind, Ross growled, hating the shifter who stood in front of him. Chasing down your kin just to save your own hide. His hackles rose, his teeth bared as growls poured from his throat. His eyes caught sight of Jenny jumping away as Davidson’s slashed his knife, attempting to wound her. Thankfully, it missed by a good few inches, but the danger was clear. Ross made his way over to her side, hoping that Connor was OK. He’d not heard a single thing from him for a few minutes, and the other Damson shifter was out there somewhere. They had to put a stop to Davidson’s scheme. They had to take a stand.