Desert Wolf (26 page)

C
assius had never been
the most patient of hunters, but a mile away from the camp and Maddy’s scent continued to elude him. His nose told him she’d definitely come through, but the sandy ground gave way to hard-cracked, dry landscape that held no prints. Checking the distance to the camp, he closed his eyes and let his nose tell him where to go.

The child’s scent had always been a tad off, tainted. Pacing out another half-mile, he scowled. Trauma could affect scent, they’d always known that. She’d witnessed so much brutal death. If he’d taken more time with her, maybe he could have won her trust. Why the hell would she run off into the desert?

If he didn’t locate her in another mile, he’d double back and get more wolves out to search. Reaping or no Reaping, a child lost in the desert could die… Apprehension wrapped a hand around his spine. Stilling, Cassius extended his senses. His wolves were behind him…but not all of them.

The faint breeze muddying the scent ceased. Instincts honed through a brutal childhood roused, and his wolf rose to the surface. More than two miles from the encampment, and no sign of the child. Either she didn’t want to be found, or he was being led on a chase.

Led away…

Pivoting, he scanned the area. Pain flared inside of him. Fragile tethers jerked loose and vanished. Somewhere, his people died. The setting sun dipped below the horizon, draping a blanket over the scorched earth.
Trap
.

“Cassius Lucera de Alba…”
Russian. Fucking great
.

Facing the intruder, Cassius studied him. Light hair. Light eyes. Pudgy nose—not misshapen, like the image of the rather nondescript Landon Templeton. “Dead Man Walking…please tell me your last name is Templeton.”

The man’s scent, though…it made his nose itch. It carried the same odd taint as Maddy…blond hair. Blue eyes. The bolt of the snare echoed in his ears as though the last split-second of the bear trap snapping closed.

“We have a message for you, Empty…vain Morning Star. What did you do as a child to earn such a name?”

Listening intently, he found no other heartbeats near them, but that didn’t mean anything. They had miles of desert around them. The scent Cassius had tracked from his encampment wasn’t Maddy’s, but of this man. So was Maddy his…? “Tell you what, Jim Bob, if I wanted to discuss the vagaries of my father’s failures, my name wouldn’t even be in the top ten.” The wolf moved with an almost passive grace, more accountant or middle manager than predator. The discord between man and his beast—he was definitely a wolf of some kind—tweaked his senses.

“Very well. The offer I was instructed to give you is thus—work for us, and we will allow you to keep your pack intact, as well as grant you your pick of the Yukon or Delta Crescent territories. Oppose us, and your pack will end, much as the Garcias did.”

Deadly intent focused his rage. “What about the Garcias?”

“We made them the same offer. They failed to deliver the Omega to us, then they broke faith with us. You have one minute to make your decision, or I will end your pack once and for all.”

Him. Really? Not impressed Cassius took a step toward him, testing his resolve. Agony raked his soul. What the hell? “The Yukon? Have you ever been there? It’s damn cold, and Delta Crescent? It stinks. Lots of swamp and Cajun food…though the food isn’t bad.” A step away from the other wolf, and he hadn’t so much as tensed.

You take the short path, the one that leads to the quickest result. It’s your flaw. You see the prize, and you take the prize. It’s a strength, it drives you, but it also makes you blind…
One swipe and he could end the Russian, and the wolf had to know it. Cassius locked his gaze on him and the other man dropped his…not even a match in dominance.

Trap
.

Patience shows us other options…
His claws elongated. He could end the threat of the man in one swipe.
Other options…
“You’re not the threat.”

“Of course not. You’re too a dangerous a wolf to take on directly. We’ve watched you for many years, Alpha of Sutter Butte. You trust no one, react swiftly and with violence…but you do have an Achilles Heel.” He glanced at his watch, the movement slow and deliberate. “You should decide on my offer. It will expire in five, four, three, two…” Cassius ripped out his throat and sent blood spraying across the sand.

“Boring conversation and you’re a distraction.” Leaving the dead body to lie, he whirled and ran for the encampment as the first pained scream filled the air. Then another. The cries were soul wrenching. Rage swept through him, cold and visceral.

They were after his pack. They’d used a child to lure him away.

His healer poisoned—distraction.

Maddy’s upset—distraction.

Garcia’s son disappearing—distraction.

Horrified screams interspersed warning howls rising. New pain blossomed in his gut.

They were under attack. His wolves. His pack. Isolated in the desert, a remote location, and vulnerable…every possibility played through his mind as he raced across the cracked landscape. Every muscle churned, his speed would never be fast enough. The crunch of battle, the screams of the innocent—his people herded into a trap, and he’d brought them there.

The only way the Russians could have known was Maddy. God, he hoped they hadn’t used a child as a plant—but in his gut, he knew it. His weakness. His Achilles heel.

He reached the perimeter and hurtled onto the wolf ripping open the door of Bianca’s trailer. The healer, Sylvia, lay dead and stared sightlessly at his feet. Snapping the bastard’s neck, he didn’t slow. The fury of battle exploded all around him, but too many civilians were in their midst. For every one of theirs he took, he heard one of his go down, but Sutter Butte’s wolves, every one of them, fought back.

Gunshots punctuated the sounds of battle, and he dropped a body to whip around and face the sound.

Sovvan.

The rapid tattoo of shot after shot seemed to cut into his soul. Her scream rose above the others. A wolf blocked his way, and Cassius hit him at a run, slamming an elbow down into his clavicle and his knee into the wolf’s chest. The man went down in a crunch of bone, and just as suddenly Laurel was on him, ripping his head sideways. Johnny Blaze appeared, and he had another Russian down.

“Go, we have the Healers secured.”

Cassius didn’t need any further encouragement. He ran, every step a step too far away from his little Omega. He made it to the tent to find her on her knees next to Faust. Maddy lay in the dirt staring vacantly into nothingness and Faust’s last breath rattled.

Grief exploded from Sovvan as she threw her head back and howled. The mournful sound gutted him. So intent on reaching her, he narrowly missed the flicker of movement as a huge brute of a man appeared in the darkness. A bull, easily half-again taller and thicker than Cassius, the foreign wolf lunged for Sovvan and Cassius leapt over her to intercept the bastard and strike.

The wolf struck him, blows raining down. Not only was he big; he was fast. A bone crunched in Cassius face and another in his arm. Three knuckles dislocated, but he returned blow-for-blow. Smashing the man’s knee took him down, but he continued to fight.

The Alpha of Sutter Butte gave no quarter and surrendered no ground. Blood flooded his mouth as a tooth flew free, and he slammed his forehead into the other man. Cartilage and bone crunched in the man’s face. Driving his hands together, he clapped his head, smashing the stapes behind his ears.

Claws raked his face, splitting Cassius from forehead to chin. Blood blinded him, but he fought the slippery man. A horrified choking sound froze the man in place, and Sovvan was at his side. She slammed her fist into his throat.

Gasping, the foreign wolf’s eyes dilated, and his muscles locked up. Sovvan didn’t release him, her lips pulled against her teeth in a grimace.

“Let him go.” He ordered, covering her wrist. She listened and he pulled her aside and broke the bull-headed wolf’s neck with drive of his hand against his chin. The wolf toppled over.

Completing the circuit, he wrapped his arms around Sovvan. Blood covered her hands and her chest, but fresh blood dribbled from her shoulder. Her pupils were too big and nearly drowned out the thin ring of gold around her eyes. She stared at him without seeing and the sounds of battle around them slowed, dying to near nothingness.

One by one, survivors emerged from the dark. Fires burned some tents, and more called out. Sobs rose and fell as the dead were accounted. Cradling Sovvan against him, Cassius counted the Hunters appearing at the tent.

Laurel.

Johnny.

Monty limped on a badly turned leg and leaned heavily on Johnny.

Claire and Tyler appeared, both soaked in blood—hopefully not their own.

Trask entered carrying Gil, with JoJo and Moneyboy behind him.

And more.

“Secure the healers, begin sweeps. Bring all the injured in. Make sure every Russian is dead. No survivors.”

The wolves who could still move diverted. Among the injured flooding inside—Clark. The kid from Summit, he had a deep gash across his forehead and his hands were mottled with bruises and bloody. Still more wolves appeared. His wolves.

His people.

They looked to him and in their eyes he saw unity of spirit in the pure fury of betrayal.

“Cassius.” Claire knelt down to check Faust’s pulse, then she brushed her hand across his sightless eyes. “They came in with the Garcia’s caravan… The Garcias are dead. All of them, at least those in their trucks.”

“We’ll check on the others. Get the word out. No more wolves come here…the Reaping has been fought.” Lifting Sovvan into his arms, he cradled her to his chest. No sound came from her except the lowest whimper, one a wounded animal might release when it has lost all hope.

Tyler checked Maddy. “She’s alive.”

“Secure her. No one is to be alone with her and no one is to mistreat her.” Whatever part the child played, she was a child. They’d used her as a weapon. Cassius wouldn’t treat her badly, but they had to exercise caution.

“She’s a kid.” Tyler didn’t argue, but the idea of securing a child disturbed him. Cassius couldn’t fault him. The idea disturbed him as well.

“She poisoned Bianca, led me into a trap, and I am fairly certain she killed Faust.” The gun lay on the ground, and Faust held another in his hand. The Hound hadn’t shot the child. “Secure her.”

Laurel came forward. “I’ll do it.”

Glancing at the woman in his arms, Cassius wanted to swear. “Tyler—find the sat phone. I sent it to Constanza in Bianca’s trailer, so have a care about the poison. I need one of the healers, and I need to you to call your brother. Please.”

Rising, Tyler glanced at Sovvan then at him. “A.J. or Linc?”

Meeting the other man’s gaze, he said, “Lincoln. Tell him the Alpha of Sutter Butte needs his mate’s assistance. She is granted free passage and safe haven, but she should bring enough Hounds to defend herself…and I will hold no grudge if she must. Tell her to hurry.”

Sovvan seemed so far away from him. Though he held her close, it was as though he couldn’t reach her. The keening continued, and every sound shredded his soul.

“Tell her that her Omega needs her, and I would be eternally grateful if she could please help.” Coughing, he turned his head and spit out a wad of blood. It stung his eyes, clung to his nose and seemed to weep from every pore. “Use those exact words.”

The other wolf glanced at his mate, and she waved to him. “Go, I’ll stay with them.”

Tyler ran, and Cassius sank to the earth, then pressed his lips to Sovvan’s forehead. “Don’t run, little omega,” he whispered. “Don’t you dare run where I cannot chase you.”

The Reaping had come to them in spades. It was the last one.

His people would listen.

He thought he’d been prepared to pay the cost in blood.

The agony inside him told him, he’d been wrong.

D
awn rose
over a blood-soaked Thunder Town. Cassius remained, watching over Sovvan. Constanza tended her exclusively after Bianca passed. The healers might have been able to save her, if the attack hadn’t happened. Her loss, the Garcias—Claire had been right, all of them had fallen which he learned when he’d dispatched Hunters to check on the rest. No wolf traveled alone, so he organized them in groups of five. Johnny and Laurel seemed to have found an accord, and they were taking point.

His wolves rose, all of them. He called out what was needed, and volunteers stepped into the breech. Family lines fell as each reached out to the other. More than one wolf came to him to apologize. They’d been approached and courted by the foreigners. Many saw the opportunity for advantage in the Reaping, none had foreseen the disaster.

“The Reaping ends,” Cassius said to the last of the senior Hunters and the surviving family heads. “This was the last. They came for us while we honored a tradition has failed us for more than a generation.” None argued. “Our enemies are not each other. They are coming for us and, if we do not stand together, we will not stand at all.”

So fucking close.

“When all is accounted and the wounded healed and the dead buried, any wolf who believes they can lead can come to Summit. I will accept their challenge.”

No one spoke.

“Have the dead been burned?”

Cyril nodded. “I have taken care of it Alpha. We are documenting every body, and their identifiable marks. We will have adequate information to work with. I will send you copies.”

“The body two miles east?” The dead man who’d lured him away. Cassius couldn’t take his gaze from the trailer where Sovvan slept. They would be leaving after this meeting, and he would ride inside it. Trask promised to get his bike home.

“Documented and burned.”

An empty satisfaction rippled through him. At least he had not escaped. Rising, Cassius tried not to move his face. The claw damage left him scabbed and aching. He’d refused the healer’s touch. If they had energy to spare, he sent them to Sovvan. Wherever she’d gone, she seemed to have fled their reach. Her body healed, but even her gift seemed absent.

“I’ll see you in Summit. You know what to do if they try again?”

“Evacuate the civilians, eliminate the pursuit, run to Summit.” Cyril raised his phone. The others did the same. “Sutter Butte will not fall. They may blood us, they may scar us, they may throw everything they have at us…”

“But Sutter Butte rises. We will not fall.” The words echoed the round, and even Claire said them as she leaned against her mate. The Buckleys hadn’t left him, not once. Like him, they watched over Sovvan. Their nearness to her trailer was the only reason the three of them stood outside.

One by one, he clasped the hands and shoulders of the wolves who fought alongside him, who bled for pack. The sense of them grew, and for the first time, he saw allies he would trust and whom would give their lives for him as he would them. Only after the last was loaded did he climb into the trailer.

“Tyler and I will drive. Rest if you can,” Claire told him. “I’m here till you’re secure.”

The offer moved him, and he brushed his knuckles down her cheek. “You can go home whenever you wish, Claire. I cannot thank you enough for your help, but I will not hold you from the life you wanted.”

“Eh,” she said with a grin. “Ty’s feeling pretty badass at the moment, and we’re happy to be here as long as you need us. With Mason’s blessing even.”

The last surprised him, but he nodded and let her go. Shutting the door, he walked through the trailer. Constanza sat in a chair next to the Sovvan’s bed. She surrendered her place and moved to the back of the trailer, murmuring, “I’ll be close, if you need me.”

Crawling onto the bed with his little Omega, he eased onto his back and pulled her to rest against his chest. He needed to hold her. Stroking a hand over her braided hair, he whispered, “I’ll make sure we wash it and brush it for you when we get home. Hold on, little omega. Your Alpha is coming.”

He hoped. Nothing he’d done so far had pulled her back. If Serafina could rouse her…he’d give her anything she wished.

Anything.

The trailer gave a little lurch, and then they were moving. Closing his eyes, he breathed in her scent. “Come back to me, little Omega. I figured out what you were trying to teach me. You have to let me show you. You were right about me…you were right.”

T
he absence
of vibration woke him. The doors to the front of the trailer opened then closed. Constanza appeared, disheveled and weary. “We’re in Summit, Alpha. There is another Alpha outside.”

Sitting, Cassius gathered Sovvan to him and rose with her. Pain radiated along his face from the scabs opening, but he ignored it. Muscles protested in his arms and legs. She opened the door for him then stepped back so he could carry Sovvan down. Sun warmed his face, and the town looked…exactly as he left it, yet utterly different. A crowd gathered and they raised their arms and cheered at the sight of him.

Word spread fast.

Nodding to them, he switched his attention to Serafina. She stood before a semi-circle of her own wolves—easily a half-dozen Hounds and her mate. Tyler and Claire surprised him when they closed ranks on him. Walking forward, he met Serafina halfway and their wolves formed a loose circle but kept their distance.

Anger and pain twisted Serafina’s face as she touched a hand to Sovvan’s cheek. “I want Faust’s body.”

“He is being brought back by Cyril Quintero. They have cold trucks, so no further harm will come to him.”

“And his killer?”

“Is a child.”

Serafina met his gaze. “I want her.”

“She’s a—” Cutting himself off, he nodded once. “Laurel has her in custody. I will have her brought to you.”

The Alpha of Delta Crescent nodded. “You promised me you would protect her.” Grief turned her voice husky.

Cassius bowed his head, a burn stinging his cheek. “I failed. She isn’t dead—please tell me you can bring her back from wherever she’s fled.”

To his shock, Serafina raised her free hand to his wounded face then touched his burning cheek. Still holding Sovvan, he remained still. “You’re crying, you cold-hearted bastard. Though, I don’t think you’re so cold-hearted any longer.”

He said nothing. His tears were none of her concern, even if he couldn’t remember the last time he cried.

“Do you love her?” Serafina gripped his chin, and he allowed the contact, but his eyes narrowed. Whatever she could dish out, he could take. He’d proven it over the years. As long as Sovvan lay in his arms, he wouldn’t risk injuring her to strike.

“What does it matter?”

“Answer my question.” Though her grip was light, she held him firm, as though refusing to allow him to look anywhere else.

“I adore her.” Each word jarred loose another jagged shard of his heart’s corpse, fallen into disuse beneath the rust. “She’s perfect.”

“She’s an Omega. She inspires fear, mistrust and hatred of self…”

“No, she shines light on the dark places. I’ve lived in the dark my whole life. She is the light.”

Releasing him slowly, Serafina withdrew a step. “I’ll be damned.”

The sudden, almost audible silence reminded him of his audience. Claiming her in front of his pack and hers sealed his fate. “Yes, Sera, I can love. Even a pitiless bastard like me… Did you know, that is my flaw and my weakness? I love Sovvan Stark, Omega of Delta Crescent, and I plan to take her as my mate, if she’ll have me.”

If he had to chase her across the continent, or into death, he would follow.
It may take me a while, little Omega. If you run that far, I will need to make sure Claire or Trask will take the pack and see them safely through what is to come, but I will follow.

“Sovvan Stark,” Serafina beckoned, and power gathered around her. An Alpha’s Call was hard to resist, and the wolves around him swayed. He held his ground, his power billowing out to match Sera’s, buffering his wolves. The energy collided, and her eyes went wolf, and he felt his shift. “Sovvan, your mate is
calling
you.”

The nudge jerked his attention downward—a reminder. He had done everything but the Call. He wasn’t her Alpha, because she was Delta Crescent…an image of her coming apart in his arms, and then the graze of her teeth against his shoulder. The bite before he took her…the bite.

“You little bitch,” he whispered with awe. “Come back to me right now, mate.” He reached deep inside himself and found it, tucked away and hidden. A flare of light and then her eyes opened slowly, with a pained look.

“Cassius?”

A slow cry rose around him and Serafina’s power ebbed away, but the brilliance inside him redoubled. She’d mated him, and he’d damn near missed it so used to holding everyone at arm’s length. Pressing his lips to hers, he accepted the claim. His little Omega had taken him and when her mouth opened to him, her power flooded into his pack and the world rocked sideways. The shock flowed from the center outward like a wave, then back inside, and he wasn’t the only one staggering.

Serafina caught his arm and Claire the other. His knees buckled as he saw them. Every wolf, he knew them. Hopes. Fears. Dreams. Losses. At the center of it—unity.

Mate.

Pack.

“Catch her,” Claire snapped, then Linc and Tyler were there, but he never let go of his mate, and she clung to him.

“Dammit, did he have to do it in the middle of the street?” A round of laughter followed then Serafina squeezed his shoulder.

Such an odd show of affection.

“He’s always been something of a stubborn bastard.”

S
omehow
, they managed to get him to his compound. He keyed them inside and, after the healers checked on them both and everyone seemed satisfied, he chased them all away to fall into bed with his mate. Sovvan turned into his arms and held him close. “Faust is dead.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” He meant it. “I liked the damn Hound, even if he was a pain in the ass.”

She gave a little laugh, something caught between a sob and chuckle. “He liked you, too, though he hated to admit it.”

Probably he didn’t admit it, but he wasn’t going to argue. “You mated me.”

Her eyes opened, and although tears shone in them, so did a glimmer of happiness. “I didn’t mean to.”

His nose itched. “Liar.”

“Well, I didn’t realize…I don’t know. I love you. I’m sorry I tried to steal you away.”

Nuzzling the corner of her mouth, he whispered. “You can’t steal what was already yours. I fell in love with you at the rest stop when you told me shove it. You were so utterly unimpressed with me.”

Sniffling once, she smiled. “Do you know when I fell in love with you?”

“When?”

“When you threw me in the air at the lake, and you played with me.”

His heart beat harder, shaking off the rust. The perfect onyx gem—his gem. “I can’t promise you an easy life.”

“I can’t promise to always be the life of the party.” The teasing remark fit her so well.

“I love you.” He whispered, then stroked his thumb over her shoulder. “We’re going to build on that…and on Pandora’s box.”

“That’s what you should call your lake home—Pandora.”

“I’ll think about it. My home already has a name.” He pressed a kiss to the spot between her neck and shoulder. “Her name is Sovvan, and she’s mine.” Then he sank his teeth in and the last vestige of the mating bond sealed.

Hell had come, and Sutter Butte did not fall.

Neither would they.