Ashwood Falls Volume Two (13 page)

Ana shook her head. “That was Sable.”

“Why? I mean, I don’t understand. You both are his daughters. Well, at least Sable is.”

The other female shrugged. “Felix is not well in the head. He’s mad, if not completely insane. We don’t like what he’s done to the Pack and what he’s still doing. We try to help those we can. The others, the ones who refuse us, are on their own.”

Addyson thought about it for a few moments. It made sense, in a way. She was about to ask another question when Ana grabbed her hand and pulled her into a group of shrubs. Addyson cried out as visions of Ana being held by two mutants while another man whipped her repeatedly. Addyson felt every sting from the leather as it sliced into Ana’s back.

“Addyson!”

She could hear someone calling her name, but couldn’t see anyone through the pain.

“Listen to me. Focus on something. Keegan. Picture Keegan and you, in your mind, then wrap a bubble around the two of two.”

Ana’s voice finally cut through the haze, making the vision fade slightly. Doing as the female said, Addyson imagined standing in Keegan’s arms and wrapped a clear bubble around them, blocking out everything.

Then vision disappeared, leaving behind a peace she’d hadn’t experienced in a very long time. She met Ana’s gaze, and asked, “How?”

“It’s something Sable taught me to keep Felix out of my head. All I have to do is think of my mate, safe in his arms, and wrapped in a bubble, my mind is safe from mind control.”

Addyson smiled wide. The bubble around her mind was holding and was a lot stronger than the one she created with Tanner and Blaine a day ago. Tentatively she touched Ana on the arm. Nothing happen. Excitement shot through her, but quickly faded when she recalled the vision she had.

“Do they...punish you often?”

Ana shot her a quick look of confusion, then dropped her head. “Not if Sable or Kieran is around. Father...Felix orders it when I “step out of line”. It seems lately the smallest things set him off.”

Before Addyson could say another word, Ana grabbed her hand again and pulled her further into woods. Addyson was about to ask what the deal was until the sickly sweet scent of mutants reached her nose.

Ana turned to her and whispered, “You need to get out of here.”

Addyson shook her head. She liked Ana. “Come with me.”

“I can’t. I’ll be okay. Just go.”

Ana gave her a little push toward the opposite direction where they heard the mutants. Addyson stumbled, then turned and ran.

She’d bring back help.

She skidded to a halt when a large mutant stepped into her path. The beast, like the others of his kind, was ugly, something straight out of a horror movie. It made her wonder if the writers of those werewolf movies had actually had a run in with one of Felix’s mutants.

She darted to the left and dodged his arm, but was too slow when he gave chase. The half-man, half-wolf grabbed her from behind, threw her over his shoulder, and carried her back toward where she left Ana. Addyson screamed, praying that Alec ignored her plea for time alone and came looking for her.

****

K
eegan woke with a start. He sat straight up in bed and looked around then found the reason he’d woken. Addyson wasn’t there. Stretching out his senses, he tried to find her. If she was in the cave, he’d know it. Cold dread shot up his spine when the only person he sensed inside the cave was Will, sound asleep in his room.

He jumped out of bed and, not brothering with clothes, he rushed to the bedroom door. His phone rang as he reached the hall, causing him to turn around to get it. “Yeah,” he barked into the cell phone.

“Ana is gone.” Kieran’s pissed-off voice, full of alarm, shot through the line.

“So is Addyson.”

Fuck, this wasn’t good. How the hell had she gotten out of the cave undetected?

All of a sudden, like someone flipped a switch, cold fear crawled up his spine. Then Alec broke into his thoughts. “
Addyson’s been taken by mutant. I’m on his tail. You need to get here, fast.
”

Fuck
. Alec didn’t need to tell him where “here” was. Keegan could find the location through the bond with his son, and now through the mating bond with Addyson.

“They’re close to the waterfall.”

Kieran grunted and said, “Why?”

“Don’t know. Alec said a mutant has Addyson. I’m leaving now.” Keegan hung up the phone without another word, dressed, and headed to the underground waterfall.

When he arrived a few feet from the hidden entrance to the waterfall, his heart dropped to his feet. Ana and Alec were engaged in a fight with two mutants. Although Ana was holding her own, Keegan could tell she was distracted. Scanning the area, he found Addyson crouched down behind a large rock.

Ana kept moving closer to the other female as she side kicked one mutant in the chest, knocking him backward a few steps.

“Don’t let them bite you,” Ana warned Alec.

“Yeah, no shit.” Alec shot back and ducked a punch the half-wolf creature threw at him. A split second later the mutant swiped his feet from under him, sending him on his back.

Keegan charged the creature and hit him full force in the stomach. They fell to the ground, and Keegan straddled him and let his claws out. Keegan might not have the Alpha magick, but he still had the ability to hold onto a mid-shift longer than others. He swiped his claw out, scratching the mutant across the face.

He caught the sight of Kieran rushing by to barrel into another mutant who’d joined the party. Next to him, a shot fired, and then blood sprayed over his T-shirt. The mutant under him went limp. Keegan moved his gaze up to see Addyson holding a gun still aimed at the mutant.

Keegan stood, went to her, and took the gun out of her shaking hands. “You okay?”

She nodded then her eyes grew large a split second before both of them were knocked to the ground. Everything happened so fast that Keegan could barely process it. Ana screamed in agony and sank to the ground in front of him, a knife sticking out of her stomach.

****

A
na came awake inside some kind of medical center. At first she wasn’t sure where she was until she caught Keegan’s oak-and-spice scent nearby. Turning her head in the direction of his scent, she saw him sitting in an armchair, head back and eyes closed.

She went to sit up, and a sharp pain shot up her side, making her ease back down in the bed.

“Don’t try to sit.”

Keegan’s sleep-hazed voice made her smile. “Once the Alpha, always the Alpha.”

“I agree.”

She jerked her gaze toward the sound of the voice at the door, where two males entered. One of them was the male she fought the mutants with. She wasn’t sure how, but she knew they were her brothers. Tears filled her eyes, and she blinked them away.

The taller one with midnight-black hair came toward her and held out his hand. “I’m Blaine and this,” he gestured to the other male who approached, “is Alec.”

She shook his hand, and a sense of peace, of home, warmed her heart. “Hi,” she said, not really knowing what to say.

When Blaine pulled his hand back, he stared at her for a short, uncomfortable moment before saying, “You risked your life for Addyson and our father. As I understand it, that is the second time you helped our father out.”

Our father
. She knew he’d said the words twice deliberately. She peered over at Keegan, who still had his eyes shut, but she knew he wasn’t asleep. He was listening to every word.

He looked so at ease, as though he had finally found that inner peace.

Studying his strong jaw line and straight black hair, she saw similarities to herself. She had his hair, but her eyes looked more like Blaine’s.

“You and Blaine got your eyes from your mother,” Keegan said without lifting his lashes.

Surprised, she cast a quick glance to Blaine. He smiled and said, “The Elder is telepathic.”

She frowned and looked at her hands in her lap. “A mindbender?”

It was Alec who answered. “No. He can hear your thoughts. Many times it’s not on purpose. He can tune them out but can’t shut off the ability.”

Keegan sat up in his chair, drawing her attention back to him. “I do have the ability to alter memories, but not control people’s minds like Felix can do.”

Relief floored her. She could deal with someone hearing her thoughts, but she couldn’t live another day with someone who could control her every action. She speared a glance through the open doorway and caught Kieran walking toward her.

Keegan stood, stretched, and then said, “Blaine, Alec, and I have to go meet with the wolves. I’ll be back to visit soon.”

She nodded and watched the three males walk out of the room and Kieran enter. She smiled at him then frowned at his worried expression. “What is it?”

He came to her and brushed his knuckles down her cheek. “I can only stay for a moment. I should be at the same meeting.”

Her heart shuddered. “Why? What’s going on?”

He sighed and met her gaze. “If I know Keegan, he’s planning on raiding the Onyx den.”

“And you’re just going to tell him where it is? What about Sable and Nigel?”

He leaned in and pressed his forehead to hers. “I warned Sable this would happen. Besides, she placed Nigel in a boarding school two weeks ago and told Felix it was to challenge the boy’s intelligence.”

He fell silent, and she wondered if this was the right thing to do. Yes, she hated Felix and everything he stood for. “Just promise me you won’t tell me how many innocent lives were lost.”

He pressed his lips to her temple and pulled pack. “I promise.”

“Go meet with your Alphas.”

“Ana? This isn’t your fight. You’re where you belong now, with family and a Pack that loves you.”

She nodded, knowing he was right. Yet, she was confused and felt out of place. What if she’d escaped one hell just to enter into another?

T
hey met in the conference room of the office building where the Alphas conducted official Pack business. Blaine sat at the head of the table. The spot Keegan had sat for as long as he was Alpha. It felt strange to not sit there.

“We can’t just go charging into the den.”

Keegan snapped his gaze to Blaine. “Yes,
I
can.”

Blaine growled and ran a hand over his short black hair. “Okay stubborn-ass. You’ll need backup. Alec, call in the strongest sentries and enforcers to go in.”

Alec narrowed his eyes at Keegan and answered his brother. “Done. I’m going in, too.”

Travis, Keegan’s son-in-law, and Hayden, the wolf Marshal, threw in their bids to go with Keegan. Apparently he wasn’t the only one who wanted the Onyx Pack to go down.

And they would go down.

Keegan meet Luna’s stare and raised a brow. If anyone beside himself had a personal vendetta against the Onyx Alpha, it was Luna. So, yeah, he wasn’t at all surprised to see the longing in her eyes to go and give Felix what he deserved and then some.

However, old laws prevented one Alpha from attacking another or declaring war on another’s Pack. It was kind of ironic that they sat here looking for loopholes in the laws while Felix disregarded them like last month’s trash.

Jared appeared in the doorway with a book in hand and a smirk on his face. When he walked farther into the room, he set the large law book on the table for everyone to see. Pointing at a section, he read the last sentence, “In event that one Alpha outright attacks another, whether it be directly or indirectly, the Council of Elders must lay judgment upon said Alpha and his followers.”

Jared raised his blue gaze to Keegan, satisfaction written all over the jaguar’s face.

“What’s the catch? Surely I alone can’t make that call.”

Jared straightened and nodded. “You’re right. There needs to be a vote among the Elders, meaning there needs to be at least three.”

Keegan sat back in his leather chair and studied the room around him just as Kieran walked in the room with Addyson close behind. Addyson held back, standing just inside the door. Keegan offered her a smile before meeting Kieran’s gaze.

“Jared, refresh my memory on how to appoint a new Elder into the Council.” Keegan felt his lips twitch at the suspicious look in Kieran’s eyes.

Jared peered from Keegan to Kieran and laughed. “All he has to do is except your offer in front of witnesses. Kieran is eligible by default because he was a Marshal.”

That was all Keegan needed to hear. “Kieran Michaels, I hereby appoint you as an Elder of Ashwood Falls. Do you accept?”

Kieran smiled. “I accept.”

Jared nodded. “Great. I’ll do the paperwork later and have both Blaine and Luna sign them. We still need a third. I suggest trying to find one outside the den.”

Keegan nodded in agreement. He itched to get his hands on Felix and tear down his organization for good. “Kieran, what about the rebels you said lived inside the den? Will they be a problem?”

Kieran shook his head. “I informed the leader of the possibilities. She won’t stand in our way. In fact, I believe they’ll take the attack as an opportunity to make a clean break from the Pack.”

Luna peered at Kieran and asked, “What do you know about the rebels? How many are there?”

Kieran shrugged. “There are a number of cells scattered over the U.S., both human groups and shifter groups. The shifters are a mix of breeds with the same goal, bring back order to the races and secure the secrecy of all shifters. The human rebels have only one goal: rid the world of all shifters.”

Hayden growled low. “Fan-fucking-tastic. It isn’t enough that Onyx wants to be top of the shifter food chain, but now we have to deal with human hate groups.”

Luna clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and said, “I don’t like, or trust, any group that tries to take the law into their own hands. Lord knows we’ve dealt with enough of that shit for the last two hundred years.” She looked at Keegan and added, “We still need at least one more Elder.”

Travis pushed off the wall where he was leaning. “You still have to make your status change to the Pack Network.”

Keegan felt a grin forming on his lips. The Pack Network was an encrypted online community for shifter Packs across the world. He pulled out his phone and clicked on the app Dane had developed for easier access to the Network. Once logged into his profile, he sent his announcement.