Following, Reeve held back his irritation at the pace Jackson’s man was setting, but as much as he wanted to chew him out for his apparent lack of urgency, he bit his tongue. It wouldn’t do him any good to get into a pissing match. When Turk finally pointed him in the direction Jackson had taken, Reeve broke into a dead-out run, intent on finding him as soon as possible. The sound of his men’s footsteps assured him they were right behind him. Not breaking his stride, he maneuvered deftly around obstacles in his way that threatened to impede his progress. Reeve was determined to take Josiah down—and he’d bedamned if he’d let that fucker escape again.
~/~/~/~/~
Approaching the cave, Steel and his men were confronted by a snarling Daniel, whose hackles were clearly up. Smiling at the cute picture his Alpha son made, he said, “Hey Danny, come to papa.”
Norm grinned as Danny bared his teeth and charged at Steel. Trying to prevent a confrontation, he stepped in front of Steel, holding up his hand. “Stop, Danny…we’re all here to help get everyone back to the pack house.” He watched as Danny halted, then slowly walked over to Steel, sniffing his father’s shoes.
“What the hell?” Steel muttered, keeping his eyes on his son.
“I told you…Danny has suddenly become an uber-Alpha,” Norm replied, watching Danny proceed to sniff the rest of the enforcers who accompanied them.
“But…but…he knows me…he knows all of us,” Steel said.
“I know, but he isn’t taking any chances…I left him in charge of protecting Theo and the kids and that’s exactly what he’s doing. You should be proud of him.”
“Of course I am…but,” Steele said, pausing for a moment before continuing in a whisper. “He’s only a pup.”
“Yeah, well…I don’t think he got the memo,” Norm said, chuckling.
“Danny,” Theo called, from inside the cave. “Is it safe for us to come out?”
Staring in disbelief, Steel watched as Danny answered, barking his assurances to Theo.
“Thank you,” Theo said, emerging from the cave, surrounded by the kids. Picking up Eamon, he handed him to Norm. “Did you bring more blankets? Even with the fire, Galen and Eamon werecold. Thankfully, Jake and Jessica have their fur to keep them warm.”
“Yup…Steel, can you help?” Norm asked, handing his backpack over.
Opening it up, Steel pulled out two jackets along with boots, hats, and mittens for the brothers. Handing one set to Theo for Galen, he helped put the other clothes on Eamon, who’d refused to leave Norm’s arms. Then, he asked, “Is everyone ready?” Smiling when a chorus of barks and yeses answered him, Steel turned to head back to the clearing. Leading the way, he started down the path, but suddenly realized no one was following him. Looking behind him, his jaw dropped at what he saw.What the hell is going on?
Standing behind the little Alpha wolf pup, Norm shook his head. “I told you…Danny goes first.”
“Pooh bear’s right,” Theo said. “Danny gets to lead his pack.”
“His pack?” Steel asked. “You mean the puppy pack, right?”
Shrugging Theo replied, “Yeah…but it appears Norm and me and Smokey are also part of his pack now.”
“Can we go?” Galen whined. “I gotta be home for Remee and Carsey.”
“Me, too,” Eamon said, tiredly.
Raising an eyebrow, Norm looked at Steel, waiting for him to step aside and when that didn’t happen, he said, “It’s been a long day for the kids and the sooner we get them back home, the better I’ll feel.”
Exhaling, Steel nodded, stepping aside to let his son pass him. He fell in behind him, watching Danny lead the group to theclearing. He wasn’t sure what to make of his son’s newfound Alpha behavior, but a discussion with his father and Jackson was now on the agenda—and the sooner, the better.
~/~/~/~/~
Before Josiah could raise his gun, Smokey’s claws tore into the alpha’s stomach, eviscerating him and tossing his guts onto the ground. Then, stepping back, he saw the fear in Josiah’s face as he looked down at the bloody, ragged opening where his belly had been. Smokey felt no pity for him. Using a gun was behavior he expected from humans, but never from a shifter—it reeked of cowardice.
Screaming in pain, Josiah dropped his gun and attempted to use both hands to close the gaping wound, but to no avail. He was bleeding out and was soon surrounded by a pool of blood.
Smokey’s eyes glowed and a red haze clouded his vision. Rage had overtaken him. Without pausing, he thrust his claws into Josiah’s chest, grabbing his heart, ripping it out, and tossing it aside. His bear had risen within him—not to be satisfied until nothing was left of the depraved monster who’d shot him.
Forcing a full shift, Smokey’s bear began to tear Josiah’s corpse apart with its teeth until all that remained were pieces of flesh scattered on the forest floor. Lifting his head and baring his teeth, he roared mightily, silencing the forest as he broadcast his conquest over the evil alpha.
Hope had stumbled and fallen to the ground when the man attacked Josiah. Unsure about what was happening at first, her eyes widened at the scene unfolding before her. Scooting backward, she put as much space between her and the attack as possible. Speechless, she watched as the bear destroyed the demon who had caused so much suffering for her family andherself. Taking a deep breath, she slowly let it out—along with all her fears and nightmares.
After several more bellows, Smokey forced his bear into a shift and reclaimed his human form, his body still filled with adrenaline. Opening and closing his fists, Smokey couldn’t stop the anger still raging within him. He looked around at Josiah’s scattered remains.You motherfucker! You had it too easy. You deserved to suffer more for what you did and every other thing you put your filthy hands on.
