Pack Beta (Were Chronicles Book 11) (9 page)

“Strange, they left no tracks at Marcus’ house. Pretty sloppy to do so now.”

“It’s a trap,” Chase agreed.

“I think so. Alpha Shawn had already left to pick up Marcus. We can wait for him.”

He shook his head. “I think I should take a small group and see what we can discover. We don’t have to confront them but if we can get a better idea where they are, we’ll be able to plan better.”

“And if they are waiting for you?”

Chase eyed his brother. “We can take them.”

“You sound sure of that. We don’t even know who or what they are.”

“Only one way to find out,” he replied seriously.

“Why am I being the voice of reason?” Max asked grumpily. “Usually it’s you who tries to talk me out of dangerous situations.”

Since his brother had a point, Chase really had to think about his answer. Waiting for the Alpha made the most sense, however, since they didn’t know when Shawn would return, that could put off the search for hours.

He wasn’t willing to wait that long. He had been shot at, his friend injured and Kayla stalked. He wanted to know the hell was going on and he wanted to know now.

“We should go or they’ll get too far away,” he told Max.

Waiting for several tense minutes, relief flooded him when Max nodded. “You take a group of shifters. I’ll go with Angel and follow behind. We’ll leave Alex, Cassie and Justin here to wait for Shawn and Marcus.”

“Okay, the tracks seem to follow Goldman’s trail. We’ll spread out from there if you two stay on it,” Chase suggested.

“Keep your ears open,” Max warned.

He slapped his brother on the back before rejoining the others.

“Are we doing this?” Jacob questioned when he reached them.

“Yeah.”

The younger Wilson grinned. “It’s been a while since I’ve hunted.”

Shaking his head, he tried to hide the amusement at the younger man. Jacob was one of the best trackers the Pack had. His job at the Canyon as a park ranger also gave them an advantage. “Let’s shift and do this.”

They broke off into smaller sets. Chase stayed close to Kayla as she pulled her shirt over her head.

“Stay close to me,” he whispered. “If they get their hands on you, they win.”

Her eyes widened and she glanced around nervously.

“You don’t have to come.”

“Yes, I do,” she corrected. “I
need
to.”

“Okay.”

Since it was normal for Pack members to run together as a unit, most shifters didn’t have a problem with nudity. But Chase found himself wanting to shield Kayla’s body from the others’ view. He knew it was ridiculous but he couldn’t help it.

His wolf wasn’t interested in logic and, when it came to Kayla, his wolf made its presence known.

Chase had always seen the animal inside him as a separate but full part of him. Sort of like the other half. When he was in his other form, he felt complete.

It bothered him that his brother would never know the feeling.

Max had lived his entire life without the ability to transform. Although Max could still feel his animal, not being able to shift was hard to deal with.

Chase had spent the last ten years trying to find out why Max was different. When the Alpha in West Texas mated with a woman who was also a non-shifter he thought he had a good opportunity to get answers.

So far, the Texas Pack was able to change the old feelings that non-shifters weren’t as important to the Pack. Sadly, Chase hadn’t been able to put together all the pieces yet.

He was still working on answers, though.

Glancing over at his brother, he saw Max kissing his mate, Cassie, deeply. Chase grinned as he dropped to his knees. Kayla fell in front of him.

He nodded silently, telling her to go ahead.

Kayla’s shifted quick and flawless. Waiting until she had changed into a beautiful tan-coated wolf, Chase was glad he’d gotten to watch. To be able to see her with his human vision, he could appreciate her that much more.

He wanted to run his hands over her soft fur and make her rumble in pleasure. Since he didn’t have time for that now, he already planned on how he would get her in wolf form again.

Not wanting to be aroused in his other form, he took several calming breaths before he started to transform.

Changing into his wolf was a quick process. A tingle started in his body as he pictured the animal coming forward. He closed his eyes and just let the power that rose within him surround him.

Finished, he panted, standing on all four furry paws.

His vision altered too. A sharpness he didn’t have before now helped him see further into the Canyon.

Stretching his neck out, he shook himself hard, Chase let himself feel as one with his wolf before nudging Kayla and starting off down the trail.

He took the west side, leaving Jacob and Randy the right. As they trooped off the path, he heard Max behind him. The wolves would be able to cover more ground while his brother and Angel actually followed the tracks left on the path.

If whoever they were after were trying to set a trap, it would look like Max and Angel were there for the taking. Chase would insure their safety, though.

Lifting his head, he tried to scent around him but could only pick up the smells that were common to the area. There were no unknown or troubling aromas to point him in another direction. While he wasn’t surprised, it frustrated him.

Kayla stayed at his flank the entire time they traveled. To his left, he couldn’t see or hear Jacob or Randy but that was to be expected. Just knowing they were there was enough to push him on.

Not having any sense of time, Kayla found it difficult to calculate just how long their journey was taking.

It had to have been hours later, leaving her only a little tired. The adrenaline that had spiked when she’d set out on the mission had bled out but she was still determined to find something.

The most aggravating part of the search was not being able to pick up the scent of anyone else.

Someone had been at the ranch watching them. They knew that much. While the evidence pointed to the group of Hunters, she still didn’t understand how they could have gotten away.

Her mind whirled with thoughts that the missing clue linked to Justin and Angel’s own absent trace.

She should have pushed Justin for answers long before now.

Movement to her right had her pausing in mid-step. She wasn’t surprised when Chase stopped with her. They’d had been in perfect sync the entire time.

Crouching, she strained to see what had caught her eye. Chase crawled up to her as she caught another shift in the shadows.

Chase growled low, making the hair on her back stand up.

He saw it too.

Taking her gaze from the area for the first time, she looked over at Chase. He lay on his stomach with his tongue hanging out. The fur around her muzzle wrinkled as he snarled.

The sound was so soft that she was certain no one but she would hear it. When Chase turned his head and their gazes met, she could see his intent to move ahead.

She couldn’t let that happen. She was aware that Chase didn’t have nearly the same battle experience as his brother or the other members of the Pack.

Whining quietly, she brushed against him.

The hardness in his eyes eased as he blinked. Reassured that he wasn’t going to go off half-cocked, she went back to staring to the right.

If the others didn’t hear them continuing their trek soon, they would double back to her and Chase.

She wasn’t sure how long it would take.

Wiggling to get more comfortable, Kayla kept her eyes steady as she waited for something to happen.

A man stepped away from a tree where Kayla had first sensed him. He didn’t appear to be anything special. Maybe five foot ten or so, long black hair pulled back into a braid that hung down his back.

Although thin and pale, he’d obviously not been camping out long.

Wearing a black shirt, black pants, and black utility boots, there was no doubt he planned to stay hidden during the day. While his outfit worked for the night stakeout, he would have stood out under the bright Texas sun.

She wasn’t surprised when he squeezed his way back into one of the caves.

They now knew where he was. If Jacob, Randy, Max and Angel caught up to them, maybe they could take the man. As deep in the canyon as they’d gone, no one else should be around. Only anyone with questionable intentions would travel into the secluded and off-limits areas.

Not dressing as a hiker had him standing out even more. If he’d tried to blend in. she would have wondered if this was the man they were searching for.

Although her instincts screamed he was the one. Soon, though, they would know for sure.

The questions and the danger could be over soon.

God, she wanted to attack, trapping the man who had shot her father and get her revenge. Keep Chase and his family from being hurt. Protect the Pack.

Chase repositioned next to her, drawing her thoughts away from where they were headed. She huffed, glad that he had been able to pull her from doing something stupid.

Unknowingly, she had begun to crouch, so she could launch herself toward the threat. A very faint sound reached her and she tensed. Beside her, Chase started forward. Two wolves headed in their direction.

Staying close to her partner, she followed Chase past Jacob and Randy until they were out of view from the cave.

Kayla stayed in her wolf form as Chase started to shift. Randy padded over to her. As always, it made her happy that she had her good friend.

It seemed like so long ago that they’d had dinner, teasing one another about when they’d finally find someone to call their own.

In truth, it had only been a couple of days—not even a full weekend.
How is it possible that so much has changed in mere hours?
She’d gone from not having a care in the world to being a target for a kidnapping, or worse.

Jacob had also changed back to a human to talk with Chase.

“Max and Angel are about twenty minutes down the trail,” Jacob informed them.

“We have his location,” Chase shared.

Jacob’s mouth dropped open. “Fuck, yeah.”

“He’s hiding in one of the caves. I’ll need you to take a look and see if you know if there is another way out.”

“I know every cave in this area.”

“Good, Kayla can show you. We’ll wait here for Max. We don’t have time to go back to the ranch. I think we need to take him now.”

“Is he alone?”

“We have no way of knowing,” Chase replied, shaking his head.

Jacob turned to her. “Ready?”

Kayla made sure to rub against Chase as she passed. He chuckled lightly as his fingers trailed over her back.

She felt the touch throughout her entire body.

Having to walk away from him wasn’t easy. Not that she didn’t trust Jacob. She just didn’t like leaving Chase without her there to protect him. Even knowing that he would be only yards away and safe with Randy didn’t seem to matter. She had to force herself forward.

“He’ll be okay,” Jacob said softly.

She jerked her head up.

“I’m good at reading people. You don’t want to leave him. But Chase can take care of himself. Plus he has Randy, and Max will be here soon.”

Since she couldn’t reply, she led him away.

The closer they got to the area where they’d spotted the target, the more she slowed down, insuring she made no noise.

Jacob remained behind her, his footsteps silent, breathing barely audible. He made a terrific tracker. She could see why the Pack depended on him so much.

In position, she hunkered low to give Jacob plenty of time to study the area and the cave.

The hot sun beat down on her thick fur. A large boulder that reflected the heat right back at her also hid them. Trying to control her panting, she really couldn’t wait for all of this to be over.

They stayed, keeping an eye at the entrance for at least fifteen minutes before Jacob patted her shoulder and they made their way back to the others.

Navigating back down took time but it was important that they didn’t make too much noise, unsure if the target had the same superior hearing as the shifters.

Meeting with the rest of the group, Kayla noted right away that they’d moved into a heavily shadowed area. Randy had transformed and both he and Chase were dressed.

Luckily, Max and Angel had carried extra clothing and supplies for all the shifters.

Max pulled water bottles and granola bars out of a backpack.

Thirstier than she could ever remember being, she started her own change to become human.

Back on two feet, she glanced up at Chase, who had moved to her side. He handed her clothes, which she pulled on quickly, then accepted some water.

The refreshing liquid soothed her throat. She finished half the bottle quickly.

Chase remained close to her. She ran her gaze over him, taking in his strong shoulders and serious face.

He spoke quietly to Max as they discussed the merit of going after the guy.

Since both men sounded like they wanted to move forward instead of returning to the ranch, she was relieved. It would take hours to get reinforcements.

Something could happen, even leaving a few of them there to keep watch.

“Everyone agree with making our move now?” Max questioned.

After an affirmative given by each of them, Max nodded.

“Here’s what we’ll do,” he said.

Chapter Eight

It was late afternoon by the time the plan was decided and they broke up into groups of two once again.

Max and Angel took the high ground, Jacob and Randy took the east, while Chase and Kayla would be the bait coming in from the west.

Everyone had agreed that entering the cave would be too risky. While there was no other exit, the interior was large. There were too much of a chance that anyone already in the cave could hide and orchestrate their own attack.

Hopefully Chase and Kayla’s noise would draw out whoever was inside.

They waited for the others to take position, giving them about twenty minutes. After transforming back into their wolves, Chase ran his muzzle across Kayla’s.