Claiming His Need (7 page)

Once I was suitably covered in jeans and my cut, we jogged over the embankment and down toward the scene of the main altercation. Men in various stages of undress cleaned up the evidence of the fight. Many of the pack wolves had worn their cloaks, but most of my brothers had simply stripped before shifting. Some had shifted on the fly, meaning there were a few naked asses running around. Happened every time. Hopefully they had extra clothes in their saddlebags.

“So what is it?” I finally asked when Sandman’s smug silence got under my skin. “What’s her name?”

“Oh, hell no, I’m not telling you.” He laughed and turned toward where Magnus stood. “But I’ll give you a hint. It’s fitting for her wolf and in her ancestral tongue.”

“Ancestr...what? Why can’t you give me a straight answer?”

“What fun would that be?” He kept heading toward Magnus as I stopped next to Rex and a group of the Valkoisus pack.
 

“I don’t know many Finnish names!” I yelled after him. “How the fuck do you know her name anyway?”

He laughed again. “Because I know stuff. Plus, I’m old and shit; history is kind of my thing.”

“I’m older, you cocky bastard.”

He was smiling and flipping me off when the first wolf hit him, having jumped clear over the top of the rock outcropping. Two more followed, completely covering him in seconds. I shifted in the middle of my first running step, going from boots to paws in the blink of an eye. Three other wolves, none of them from my den, came out from a far corpse of trees, running flat out toward where Magnus stood.
 

I ran as hard as I could, barking to give Magnus a heads up as to what was coming his way. He and Sandman both needed help as either could easily be overpowered since they were so outnumbered. But Magnus had a number of pack wolves nearby, and Sandman had me.

I raced across the forest floor, barreling straight into the pile of wolves attacking my Breed brother. Gunshots sounded through the air. I didn’t pause to figure out where they were coming from. I couldn’t stop fighting. Sandman lay in wolf form under the pile of biting, clawing animals. Not moving...not fighting back. As my teeth sank into the neck of the first aggressor, a wolf who smelled like Rex flew up beside me, and then came Shadow into the mix. The three of us battled hard, forcing the wolves off Sandman and creating a protective circle around him. He was our brother, a true Alpha in every way that mattered, and we would protect him to the death.

Without warning, all three nomads shifted to human form. Two of them moved to flank the one directly in front of me, the one with the most power in his stance. I shifted as well, being the highest member of our pack with Magnus down. Shadow stood at my side while Rex stayed in wolf form, hovering over Sandman. A handful of members of the Valkoisus pack circled around the back of the nomads, trapping them.

I addressed the one I assumed was the leader. “You realize you’re outnumbered, outgunned, and completely out of your league, don’t you?”
 

The man laughed. “Your little motorcycle club affiliation has made you cocky, whelp.” I growled as he smirked at me. “Cocky wolves make mistakes, and wolves like the ones we work for like to take advantage of mistakes.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you’d better keep a close eye on that pretty, white bitch you took from us. Boss man seems to have a special interest in her; sent two teams out here just to make sure we captured her.”

My growl grew louder, the need to rip apart this threat to my mate nearly making me lose my mind. But I held my ground. If my mate was in trouble, I needed to know as much information on the who and the why as I could.

“Why would he want her?”

He snorted. “Because she’s an Omega. He has a special...fondness for Omegas. And he has yet to add a white one to his collection.”

My stomach dropped as I glared at the stranger. Collection. This wasn’t a one-time incident, it wasn’t a territory dispute, and it wasn’t over. Somewhere, other packs were missing the women these assholes had stolen from them. Somewhere, our honored Omegas were being held against their will.
 

Without warning, the stranger leapt forward. I edged one foot back but allowed him to grab me by the throat. “He will come for her again, and there’s no way you can stop him, cub.”

Rex growled ferociously, rocking on his paws. He must have thought the nomad actually had a shot at beating me. Shadow, on the other hand, stood beside me, a wicked grin pulling up one side of his face. He knew me well after the past few years of working together, knew many of my strengths and weaknesses. And he knew this fucking animal would pay.

“You really have no idea who you’re dealing with, do you?” Shadow chuckled darkly and raised a single eyebrow. “You’ve just gotten yourself a dance with the Gatekeeper, fucker.”

The nomad’s eyes widened for a split second, but that was all the time he had. With a twist, I wrapped both arms around his and yanked, breaking the bones above his elbows. His scream was cut short as I spun him around and slit his throat with my claws. Shadow leaped on the man on my right as I lunged for the one on my left. One roll, a single mistake on his part, and I had my arm wrapped around his throat.

I leaned in close to my prey’s ear, whispering so the Valkoisus wouldn’t hear. “No one threatens my mate.” And then I ripped his head from his body.

As soon as Shadow had his target neutralized, he raced for Sandman. Rex shifted, looking a bit green as he stared at the headless shifter.

“Damn, man. Where’d you learn to do that?”

I wiped the blood off my face and spat, ridding my mouth of the flavor of my opponent. “I’m four hundred years old,
man
. I’ve fought for five different countries in seventeen different wars. Where do you think I learned it?”

He chuffed and shook his head. “Remind me never to fuck with you, old man.”

“Consider it done.” I walked over to Shadow, who knelt next to Sandman. Rex hovered nearby, keeping watch over our fallen brother in case any more nomads tried to go for our weakest link.

“What’s the verdict, doc?”

Shadow snorted. “I’m a medic, not a doctor. Sandman’s pulse is good, and the damage the other wolves inflicted is healing nicely—all except for a massive goose egg at the back of his head. He must have hit a rock on the way down, which would be why he’s unconscious.”

“So basically he gets attacked by three wolves and the most damage is done from a rock on the ground?”

“Pretty much.”

I shook my head. “Figures.” I leaned down to take a good look at Sandman. Shadow was our team medic and the one with the training to help in situations like these, but I hadn’t lived this long without learning a thing or two. I needed to see him alive and breathing for myself before I could move on. Sandman’s skin was a healthy color, his breathing even, and his skin knitting back together where the other wolves had clawed him. I figured three hours and he’d be back to his usual cocky bastard self.
 

“We’re going to need to help him out of here.”

“What can I do?” Rex asked. “Should I call back my team? Or that Pup guy?”

I shook my head. “No. I don’t want my mate left with so little protection.”

The shifter looked completely gobsmacked. “You have a mate?”

Rex’s question made me pause. For the first time in my very long life, I could answer that question in the affirmative. And yet, Rex was her brother, and I was uncomfortable talking about my mating with him before I spoke to their father.
 

“Kind of.” I turned away, an uncomfortable burning sensation in my chest. I hadn’t lied about my mate, but my words could have been seen as disrespectful or, in a worst-case scenario, a mate refusal. I would need to pull Rex aside once I spoke with Wariksen.

Shaking off my discontent, I refocused on the situation at hand.
 

“I can hump Sandman out of here. We just need to find Magnus.”

Shadow pointed behind me. “Last I saw, he was fighting off two wolves near that tree line.”

I stood and headed in the direction Shadow indicated. “Rex, stay with Sandman. Shadow, let’s go find the boss so we can get the fuck out of here.”

Once we were away from prying ears, Shadow chuckled. “Anxious to spend a little time with a certain female, are we?”

I grinned, couldn’t help it, the thought of being alone with my mate making me happy, horny, and proud.
 

“I have much to do, brother. I need to officially come to her Alpha and make my courting request, and then I need to talk to Rex and explain why I didn’t tell him about the mating just now. Once those things are done, I will begin the traditional courting rituals.”

“Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever—”

His words failed as we came upon the site where a fight had obviously occurred. The leaves were tramped into the mud underneath; hundreds of paw prints pushed them into the murk, creating a sea of leafy mud. The brown mess was splattered with blood, some smelling of Magnus. But there was no sign of him.

I spotted a piece of paper pinned to a tree across the field and hurried toward it. Shadow reached it first, handing the paper to me as he glared into the trees.
 

“I know he’s not the strongest leader, but I didn’t think a couple of nomads could take him down. It looks like he put up one hell of a fight, though.”

I read the note, my blood turning to ice in my veins as the words sank in. Something was wrong...very, very wrong. And it seemed my new mate was stuck in the middle of it.

“What’s it say?”
 

I handed him the note, too busy sorting through memories in my own head to reread the thing for him.

“One by one or all at once, you all go down if we don’t get the white Omega. Bring her to us, or your Alpha dies.” He glanced at me. “But we don’t have an Alpha.”

“They mean Magnus.” I grabbed the note out of his hand and strode toward where Sandman lay. He was one of the smartest, most strategic wolves I’d ever met. More so than Magnus. Nearly as strong as Rebel. Quiet but intelligent. If anyone could help me keep my mate safe, it was the man currently knocked out on the forest floor.

“Call the Fields. Blaze needs to know what’s happened. And then call every other Feral Breed den President. I want to know of any and all issues concerning Omegas in the last five years.”

Shadow nodded. “What about Magnus?”

I kneeled down and wrapped my arms around Sandman’s hips and shoulder, turning and hefting him into a fireman’s carry. My quads burned as I pushed into a standing position, but I didn’t have time to go slow. My mate was in danger, and I needed to set up a team to make sure no one could get close to her. With a grunt, I adjusted Sandman on my shoulders and walked up the hill toward the road where we’d come into the forest, Rex and Shadow following closely.

“Magnus is on his own right now. There aren’t enough of us to track him, and we have no idea how many wolves are in this nomad cluster. We need to regroup and plan what to do next, but for now, we need to figure out how to deal with the shitstorm coming our way.”

“Kaija, sit down already,” my mother said from across the room.

I huffed but continued pacing. Gates had yet to return, and I was anxious to lay my eyes on him.
 

Lanie came to stand next to me. “It’s never easy when they’re away.”

I looked into her eyes, seeing the residual fear and anxiety there. Lanie was a good kid, a sweet girl who had come to the peninsula for college. One chance encounter at a grocery store, and she was family. Had those nomads taken her from us, we all would have been inconsolable. I needed to thank Sandman for making sure she escaped safely.

Ever the sensitive one, Lanie reached out and took my hand, squeezing hard. “They’ll be back soon. Do you feel the bond between you yet? Can you tell where he is?”

I closed my eyes and focused on the mating bond. It was definitely there, a little tug pulling me north. But it was weak, either from the newness or from the fact that we had not yet claimed each other as mates.
 

“Barely.”

“Well, barely is better than not at all.” She stood beside me at the window, watching the driveway for any sign of cars or wolves.

A few moments later, the sound of an engine drawing near pricked my ears. “They’re coming.”

Wolves and human mates seemed to appear out of thin air, all walking outside to welcome our family and new friends home. I stood at the back of the group, wringing my hands. Pup came to stand beside me, ever watchful.
 

When the first truck made the turn onto the driveway, three of the women behind me rushed forward, knowing their mates were in the vehicle. This continued as more trucks arrived, mates and children, parents and friends running to greet their heroes as I stood watching and waiting.

Finally, after most of the wolves had retired inside and there were only a handful of us left on the porch, two trucks pulled into the drive. My father was in the first one along with a few of the men from the Breed. I grew worried when I didn’t see Gates in the second truck, but I knew he was nearby. I could feel the pull to him, the strength increasing every second.

“Kaija,” my father yelled as he opened his door. “Get the doc.”

My heart dropped to my feet and tears burned my eyes. Someone was hurt. Where was Gates? What would I do if—

“Baby.” My mother placed a hand on my shoulder. “Do what your father says. Now.”

I nodded once, reluctant and terrified, but followed her instructions. I ran through the house and out the back door, shifting on the fly the moment my feet touched grass. My red cloak floated to the ground behind me as I raced away, the fabric like blood on the green carpet of the earth. Turning my head, I shook off the feeling of dread and increased my speed. Within moments, I was at the door of the pack doctor, an older Anbizen, or turned wolf, by the name of Booth.

He was on his doorstep when I arrived, apparently waiting for me.