Page 53 of Dual Nature

The distant snap of a twig caught my attention. There was no way that whoever was attacking us was a super; we didn't make noise. No, the ones sent after such a large established pack would have been those that went bump in the night. The people in the woods were human, plain and simple, but the real question was what or who were they after?

"HELP!"

Before I could even think, I had shifted into my wolf and charged into the forest, knowing it was the voice of a child. Sure enough, there was little Abby, with her mess of blonde curls and wide blue eyes that matched her mother's. She was dangling from the arm of a vampire, of all creatures, throwing off my whole understanding of what was happening. The man stood in the waning moonlight, skin so pale it all but glowed. His red eyes watched me approach, and he flashed a fanged smile at me.

Shifting back to two legs, I leveled the vampire with a look that would make most cower in fear. The rage that burned inside me was always simmering just under the surface, waiting for the chance to come out and play. Now was a time that I didn't have to hold back that anger. "Put the girl down."

"Beta, you are barking up the wrong tree if you think I'll give her up for nothing," the vampire replied, lips twisted in an ugly sneer. "Make it worth my time. Hand over the omega you have hidden, and I'll relinquish the child."

I snarled at his request, and a new level of rage overtook me at the thought of this filthy bloodsucker laying one finger on my future mate. Thankfully, I knew that Finley was safe in the tunnels with the whole pack between her and this vampire. "I don't do deals with your kind."

"Oh, come now, don't tell me you’re going to play into that whole farce about vampires and werewolves being mortal enemies. It’s hardly fitting since everyone knows a dog isn't much of a challenge. It's an insult to my race if I do say so myself," the vampire sighed. "Now, go be a good boy and fetch the omega so I can be on my way."

The cocky bastard waved the child about as if she was just a doll in his hands, not a living person. Vampires might be toward the top of the food chain when it came to supers, but werewolves were right there next to them, ready to bite them in the ass when they faltered. Darting forward, I leaped and shifted midair, aiming for the arm that was holding Abby. One of the only advantages bloodsuckers had on us was speed, but this idiot wasn't ready for me to launch myself at him, giving me the chance to latch on to him. I flailed like an alligator dragging its prey under the water, biting off the arm from the elbow joint. The vampire screamed, blood pouring from the wound thanks to the werewolf saliva that prohibited their healing abilities.

"You mangy mutt, I'll rip you limb from limb before I take your heart and eat it!" the vampire bellowed.

Before he could act on his threat, I grabbed the back of Abby's shirt and sped out of the forest, handing her off to the first pack member I could find, which happened to be Noah. Tossing the girl to him, I spun back around with a howl echoing into the night sky. I had a vampire to hunt.

When I reached the spot, I found the arm but not the vampire; good thing the bastard was still bleeding. Nose to the ground, I picked up his trail, the path leading me away from the pack and into the mountains. The amount of ground the vampire could cover in his state was slightly impressive, but it just made the hunt all that more enjoyable to have a worthy trophy to bring back. Now in the foothills past our lands, I hesitated. I didn’t want to abandon the pack when there might be more vampires hiding, but I couldn't chance this one getting away. He was here for Finley, and I couldn’t let any threat to her live while there was still breath in my body, or I didn’t deserve to claim the role of her Sentinel.

The blood stopped, the scent along with it, leaving me with nothing to follow but my own instincts. The night breeze picked up, and I caught a new scent that had nothing to do with the vampire. It set my blood boiling all the same. If what I smelled was right, this would be a bigger danger to my mate than the fucking vamp would be. Charging in the direction the scent led me, I found its source and tackled them to the ground, pinning her into the dirt until she submitted.

Shifting back with my hand around her neck, I growled a warning when she didn't shift back as well. Begrudgingly, she took her human form, eyes wide with panic and body shivering beneath the dominant energy I was sending her way. "What the fuck are you doing out here, Peggy?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a run," she stammered.

"This isn't pack land."

"I wanted to be closer to the stars."

A growl rumbled in my chest at her lies and the scent of fear pouring off of her. "You know better than to lie to me, Peggy. It makes me think that you had something to do with the attack going on back at the pack village."

"What?!" she gasped. "The village is under attack?"

"Seems whoever is behind it sent a lone vampire as a distraction that I was hunting before I caught your scent." Peggy started to wriggle under my hold as I spoke, only to freeze when I asked the next question. "Do you know what the vampire was looking for?"

"Why would I know that?" she challenged.

I narrowed my eyes as I searched her face. This bitch knew more than she was letting on, and I would bet my life on it. "Let's see if the walk back to the village will jog your memory, so when I ask you again, in front of your alphas, you might remember." Her face paled at that, letting me know I'd been right not to trust her. "Know that if you try to run from me, I’ll drag you back by your tail if I have to."

She nodded slowly, letting me know I'd made myself clear, before we both shifted and headed back to the pack village. I made her lead so it would be easier to react if I needed to; thankfully, she did as she was told and returned without any problems.

"Shift" I ordered.

We had a few cells to hold werewolves that were awaiting punishment or couldn't be trusted in their wolf form around others. After I locked her away, I made for the pack house, only to find the whole pack gathered. They were all standing there, looking up at our alphas, along with Zander, Noah, and Mason. All of them were pissed, and the energy they were giving off told me that someone was most likely going to die tonight. Frowning, I headed right for the porch, knowing someone would fill me in. Colt spotted me first and locked his gaze with mine before he said three words that would ruin me far more than watching my pack get slaughtered before my eyes as a pup.

"Finley is missing."

thirty-four

Blakely drove the black inflatable military speedboat as I hunkered down at the front, the ocean breeze whipping the loose strands of my hair into my face. He slowed as we neared the stretch of Ocean Avenue where Mr. Sutton lived. Blakely kept far enough from the coast that the soft sound of the engine didn't draw attention to us. He flashed me the go signal. Nodding, I adjusted my flippers and snorkel one last time before I tumbled out of the boat and into the shockingly cold water. My wetsuit helped to buffer most of it, thank god. Gathering myself, I headed toward the shore, feeling the drag of my waterproof backpack.

The border of Mr. Sutton's property was edged with a row of bushes to give some privacy to the pool. This gave me the cover I needed to creep onto the shore, ditch my water gear, and equip myself for the second half of this job. The first thing I did was open the small case with the earpiece that connected me to Vicky, giving it two taps to let her know that I was ready. I strapped on my knives and gun, placing my poisons in the small pouch on my lower back where they would be safe.

"You are a go to enter the grounds. Outdoor motion sensors are off-line for two minutes," Vicky alerted.

This was what we'd been training for all day; she couldn’t keep the security down for longer than five minutes without alerting the company. Darting across the open section of the backyard where the pool was, I reached the bordering plant life that served as a privacy block. I crouched as low as I could, hugging tight to the planters as I moved toward the house. Once I made it to the back door, I pulled out my lock picks and waited for the go signal.