Bite of the Moon: Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance Boxed Set (36 page)

Kellen looked up through the towering trees, looking for what? Rowan wasn’t sure, but he wished they’d figure this out because he wanted to get back to his mate.

Chapter Six

Lyric had moved past worried to freak the fuck out. She’d expected someone to come back and tell her all was okay. Or have her mate come sauntering through the door so she could kick his ass and then kiss his boo boo. As the minutes turned to a half hour and then an hour, she became even more worried. Their location had been compromised, and her mate was out there bleeding.

She thought about calling out to Kellen, or her brother Xan, but fear for their safety if they were in the middle of a battle kept her in check. Knowing her friends were locked up in their own safe spots, she had nothing better to do than pace back and forth. Rowan’s scent still clinging to her body made her ache for him.

Mr. McCartney eyed her with a look she couldn’t decipher. His wife sat behind him, chewing on her thumbnail.

Several of the high-ranking wolves had taken up residence in the lower levels under the club. She could see the McCartney’s didn’t care to have that much testosterone in one space without their attention directed elsewhere. All unmated females had been accounted for, except for Taya, and steps taken to ensure the weaker were safe until the threat was taken care of. So why then was Lyric feeling as if something was off in one of the safest places?

A look around at all the familiar faces didn’t turn up anything out of place. Her wolf itched to get out and protect her. Lyric had learned early on to listen to the other half of herself, and allowed a partial shift, one that would go unnoticed. Her brown eyes became those of the wolf, and beneath her blonde hair she allowed her ears to shift along with her nails. The men may be a lot bigger and stronger, but she was faster and smarter. If there was a threat amongst them, she would not be an easy target.

Her ears twitched at the sound of static coming from the office of the older couple. The noise reminded her of the walkie talkies she and Syn had played with as children. Why they would have such archaic devices, Lyric had no clue.

Not wanting to alert them to her plans, but needing to find out if they had betrayed the pack, Lyric entered their space. The static was even louder now that she was in there. Most of the wolves had no reason to enter where the McCartney’s spent their time, and Lyric could count on one hand the occasions she’d come inside. The sound came from Mrs. McCartney’s purse. Lyric looked around, hating to snoop through another woman’s personal belongings, but saw no way around it. As she stood there contemplating what to do, she noticed several other disturbing things. A picture of a man who looked very similar to one of the men who had attacked her outside of the club, was tucked away in the corner, almost hidden. Any bit of guilt evaporated. Knocking over the plaid bag, and watching the contents spill out, Lyric bent to pick it back up.

The walkie talkie had been turned down too low for most to hear. With a small adjustment, the device beeped, and then a man’s voice came across.

“We are five minutes out. How many are there? Just push the button if you can’t speak with the number.”

Anger threatened to overwhelm her good sense. They had five minutes to get out or prepare to defend themselves against an attack against who knew how many. In the tunnels, they were sitting ducks, but if they got back up to the club, they at least had a fighting chance.

Grabbing the little black walkie talkie, Lyric stepped out of the office. Arynn the omega was there along with Bodhi the beta. She walked up to the beta, and, in as few words as possible told him in a whisper, too low for the others to hear. The immediate change in Bodhi had her stepping back.

“You two, over here now.” Bodhi pointed at the McCartney’s.

The other pack members formed a band around them, making sure the elder couple couldn’t escape. They didn’t need to know why Bodhi was ordering them to him, only that he’d taken the place of Kellen in his absence.

Mr. McCartney was the first to comply, while his wife’s face contorted into one of loathing. “You and your filth use this pack and this club like a whorehouse with a swinging door. Your alpha is a sadist who takes pleasure in hurting the females of the pack, and yet they can’t wait to come crawling back. I would never allow my family to become part of such depravity, and when my nephew and his pack wipe the likes of you from here, I’ll be revered, instead of used as a gatekeeper of a whorehouse,” Mrs. McCartney spat.

The depth of her hate resounded around the space.

“The man on the other end said they were five minutes out about a minute ago. We’re sitting ducks down here, not knowing how many he’s bringing, especially not knowing where he’ll come at us. I suggest we go up to the club, and change the master lock key code. Kellen can still override it, but I’m assuming they gave their nephew access. If we change it now, it may buy us a few extra minutes.” Bodhi’s voice came out more like a growl.

Arynn nodded before taking off at a jog toward the computer room.

“Since I don’t have the authority to kill you, yet, you are both coming with us, but I do have the right to do this,” Bodhi said, knocking Mr. McCartney unconscious in one swift move. The look he gave Mrs. McCartney said he’d like to do a lot worse to her. The older woman’s scent had changed from defiance to fear the moment Lyric had produced her way of contacting the other pack. It increased even more at the hate coming off of Bodhi.

Lyric stepped up to the older woman. “You’ve betrayed the pack and will be sentenced as such. You know Kellen will not let you go just because you are a woman and an elder. Bodhi is clearly too much of a gentlemen to do it, but I don’t share his problem.” With a flash of her fangs, Lyric hauled her arm back and punched the older woman.

“Damn, girl, I knew I loved you.” Bodhi eyed her up and down. “Too bad you done mated another. Now, let’s head up. Time’s a-ticking. Bring the traitors with and tie them up; use extreme force.”

“Kellen and the boys are on their way back. Bad news, their time frame is longer than five minutes. They were taken on a wild goose chase, it seems.” Arynn growled. Being the omega, he could communicate with all the members without disrupting them because he was attuned to their well-being.

Lyric grabbed his hand. “Is Rowan okay?”

“Oh, your mate is fine. Pissed beyond belief, but fine.”

Dread coiled within her as she pounded up the walkway back to the club. No doubt they’d be facing an army of wolves out for blood, whether they were ready or not. Fear was like a knot in the pit of her stomach. The other wolves took up places in front and behind her, acting as protectors.

Bodhi’s face could’ve been carved in stone. “Don’t even think to move from the spot we put you. If I tell you to stay put, you stay put. If I say jump….” He raised his eyebrow.

“I’ll say, how high,” she answered.

He took a step closer, handsome features darkening as his body towered over her. “No, you will already be jumping. I say this not to be an overbearing ass, but because it could be the difference between life and death. Kellen and Xan have entrusted me with your life, and now your mate has done the same. I will see to your safety, and you will do as I say.”

She swallowed what she worried was the beginning of a sob. All these wolves would give their lives before they allowed anything to happen to her. “Bodhi, I will hide in a box if it means I am not a distraction. I promise you this, though. I am a fighter. Both Kellen and my brother made sure Syn and I could fight off an amorous wolf.”

Arynn’s voice interrupted them. “The codes are changed.” He looked around the large bar. “Every exit has been blocked, which means they have to come at us from the front. Or we will know when they breach the inner sanctum.”

The tables were bolted down for the occasional—or frequent—brawl. While they waited, the guys gathered the chairs and stacked them against the walls, clearing the space for the upcoming battle. Several men had already shifted, using their heightened senses.

Lyric shifted from one foot to the other. Hesitation and concern increasing her worry for all their safety. Most of the men who’d been called in were unmated and had vowed to always put pack first. What had happened in the first place that could cause an all-out war?

“Should I shift?” she asked gravely.

Bodhi frowned at her; his need to take action burned through his gaze. “It doesn’t matter what form you take, you will be no match for a dominate wolf, chérie.”

The usual pain knifed through her, but she wouldn’t allow it to defeat her purpose. They had never seen her in action. She and Syn were always treated as cosseted princesses, so his words didn’t surprise her. She lifted her chin. “Tell me what you want me to do and then go do your thing. I can and will fight, Bodhi. Surely they will be beating down the doors any minute.”

A muscle twitched in his jaw, a sure sign he didn’t like her words or her actions. “Go behind the bar. If they make it through the front line, you get into the safest position you can, and you do your damndest to stay alive. You hear me?”

“I hear you.” she snapped.

His voice dropped to a low timbre. “I lost my baby sister years ago. I won’t let that happen to Xan’s if I can help it.”

Though her heart ached for his loved one, Lyric wouldn’t stand back and allow the men to die while she hid in fear. His eyes held the misery of years, and she silently vowed to stand her ground.

Thunder rumbled outside, almost drowning out the noise of incoming feet. Flashes of lightening lit up the windows, allowing the shadows of their enemies to be seen for seconds at a time.

Everyone inside the club took up position, watching the silent figures slither closer. Not a soul dared breath. They had enemies coming from two sides. If her nose was correct, over fifteen shifters approached, ten from the front, five in the tunnels. They were outnumbered.

She saw what Turo, one of the bartenders, called the equalizer, strapped under the counter. He’d probably want to beat her ass when he learned she used his precious AR-15, what the hell ever it was, but Lyric could give two shits. All she cared about in that moment, was that he always kept a full magazine in it, and Turo said that it was thirty percent more accurate than his AK-47. The lightness of the weapon almost caused her to drop it. She’d been shooting rifles for years and felt secure that her aim was good enough.

When the first door collapsed under the barrage of wolves, chaos reigned like the storm outside. Like the hounds of Hell they were, spittle falling from their jaws, they attacked en masse.

Lyric sat with her back to the wall. Her one glance around the corner had sent her scuttling back with her borrowed gun in her lap, and she felt like a coward. The sound of growls and battle was louder than the booming thunder outside, drowning out the sound of her beating heart.

A crash alerted her to the front door breaking down; the scent of moisture blowing in with the wind combined with the stench of their enemies. Her body jerked with each of her pack members’ howls. Alerted by murmurs of approaching wolves coming around the bar, she tucked herself into a tight ball, inwardly cursing her cowardice.

One hand clasped the gun while she peered out of the small space. Not two feet from her was a mangy wolf that looked diseased. His yellow eyes rotated this way and that, before he lifted his lips in a snarl, distracted by the smell of liquor. Behind him, another wolf looking just the same nudged him, swiping at his side with claws not quite as deadly as her own. The biggest challenge was shooting the gun in a half shift.

Eventually, they moved away, returning as if they sensed something was amiss. Taking a deep breath, Lyric made sure the gun was ready to fire.

The sound of howls and growls increased.

Even through the mayhem, the two wolves now stalking her weren’t deterred from their search. It was as if they’d been given her scent. A knife came sailing by, impaling the wolf closest to her. He jerked, and his fetid breath reached where she sat. Turo stomped past, coming from the opposite direction, twisting the downed wolf in one beefy arm before jerking his knife out of the carcass. The other wolf reared back on his hind legs as Turo motioned him forward, his big body between her and the wolves. He grunted as the deranged wolf attacked, the small claws leaving a trail of blood across his forearm. And still she kept to her corner and stayed motionless and quiet.

“You stay down and keep my baby safe. Fire at anything that looks like those fuckers. However, I’m gonna have your brother buy me the next box of bullets.” His gravelly voice was barely above a whisper.

Turo leapt over the counter in one smooth move. Whatever had drawn his attention howled in pain and then went silent.

The sound of large claws clacking against the cement flooring had her swiveling to the left. She raked her gaze from the black claws of a male wolf up to the towering face of pure evil. He was clearly an alpha with no sense of morality, and he knew exactly where she was. His eyes didn’t skitter back and forth searching, just zeroed in on her hiding spot, she jerked back, hoping he didn’t see her, but knew it was useless as the sound of his footfalls came closer.

Lyric jumped up, abandoning her sanctuary, with the AR-15 pointed straight at his chest, which was eye level with her head. Fuck, he was bigger than Kellen and Xan. Keeping her back to the wall, she looked expectantly off to the side.

No savior in sight.