Red: Into the Dark (12 page)

Red

Nash and his friends have a plan. I know they’ve been waiting for the right time, but I also know that Nash was putting off dealing with his pain. Now he doesn’t have a choice. This accelerated timeline means he has to face his cousin’s killer and it’s not going to be pretty.

Is he going to be able to cope with that? I don’t know.

We’ve both lost so much, come so far, hurt so deeply. It pains me to know that the man I love has been hurt just as much as I have, if not more.

Unfortunately for both of us, the time for mourning has come and gone. We don’t have the luxury of continuing to feel sad or wounded. We have to fight and we have to do it now.

We travel with Ryder and Thorn through the forest.

“There aren’t any paths over here,” I comment. “How do you find your way around?”

“There aren’t any paths at all in the forest,” Thorn mutters.

“Yes, there are,” I say. “The stones.”

They all look at me like I’m crazy, including Nash.

“You’ve seen the paths,” I tell him. “With the little yellow stones. What about the ones that lead to the cabin?”

He looks at me for a moment, then realization dawns on him and he shakes his head with a smile.

“Baby, wolves can’t see the color yellow.”

“What?” Now I’m the one who is surprised. “Even shifters?”

“Even shifters. Looks like your Grams was one clever broad,” Nash smiles. “She made sure you’d be able to find your way home, but that Jeffrey would struggle to find you. To shifters, yellow and green look the same. I’ve never seen a stone path. I’m guessing because the stones look like grass to me.”

Looks like I really lucked out on that one. The thought that shifters might have some of the same colorblindness as “real” wolves never dawned on me, and I say a silent prayer, thanking Grams for all she did to help me.

“To answer your question,” Ryder says, getting us back on topic. “We grew up in these woods. We know them inside and out.”

“What about my cabin?” I ask.

“What about it?”

“No one knew it was there.”

He shrugs.

“There are little places here and there where wolves don’t tend to go. Obviously, the Alpha knows the general location of where you’re staying. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent his men after you.”

My stomach clenches as I remember my encounter with Jeffrey’s men and how horrible it was. I never should have left the cabin without Nash.

“That was a chance encounter,” I say, wanting to believe it. “Maybe they weren’t hunting me. I could have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Nothing is chance when it comes to the Alpha,” Thorn says firmly. “Look. We’re here.” He stops behind a tree and points down an overlook. We’re at the top of a wooded hilly area and at the base of the hill is the entrance to a cave.

The wolf cave?

Looks like it.

My stomach turns at the thought that we’re this close to my brother and that anything could happen. I want to enjoy this moment. I want to think about how I’m going to see my boyfriend’s childhood home. I don’t want to be afraid right now, but I am.

I am.

As we watch, I see a man stroll out from the cave, look around, and go back inside. Nash looks at Thorn.

“Security?” He asks, and Thorn nods.

“He’s got two or three guys patrolling at all times. Tomorrow, everyone will gather here,” he points out to the open area in front of the cave. “And he’ll talk about how he wants us to ‘merge’ with Nightfall.”

“We all know what that means,” Ryder comments. “All hell is going to break loose. You think the youngsters are going to go for that?”

Nash shakes his head.

“Everyone is too scared of the Nightfall members,” he says to me. “A bunch of people will freak out at the mention of anything.”

“So what do we do?” I ask, wrenching my hands together.

The men exchange knowing looks, then Nash turns to me.

“Not here,” he says, and he leads me away from the cave. We walk back into the woods until we reach a small clearing with another little cave. This was is much smaller. This one doesn’t look like it’s been inhabited, but there are a couple of sleeping bags inside and evidence of a fire.

“What’s this?” I ask.

“We’ll sleep here tonight,” he says. “It’s an emergency place some of us stay sometimes.”

“Okay,” I say, wearily eyeing the cave. It’s not very big at all. It’s really more of a ledge beneath the stone. I can’t even stand up inside. Once I crawl in there, I’ll have to lie down. I’ll be okay because Nash and his friends are here, but I’m still a bit nervous and a little scared.

“Tomorrow, at the gathering, I’ll challenge Jeffrey,” Nash says.

“What does that mean?”

“How do you not know what it means?” Thorn says. “Your brother is a shifter.”

“Half-brother,” I whisper. “And he didn’t grow up in a pack. He grew up with me and my parents. My dad wasn’t a shifter. Jeffrey didn’t even know he was different until he hit puberty.”

Thorn’s mouth hits the floor.

“He went through his first shift alone?”

I nod.

“No wonder he’s so fucked up.”

“Baby,” Nash says, gripping my shoulders. He looks in my eyes, strokes my cheek, and silently promises me that it’ll be okay. “It means I have to fight him. It means I’m going to kill your brother in front of the whole pack and then I’ll be the Alpha. I’ll be the one in charge.”

“And you can…do that?” I’m in awe. “You can beat him?”

Ryder and Thorn look uneasy, but Nash nods. “I can beat him, baby. You better believe it. I’m going to beat him, I’m going to win, and we’re going to live happily ever after, you and me. Got it?”

“Got it,” I murmur. He kisses me then and the rest of the world fades away as I’m wrapped up in his arms.

“Dammit, dude, get a fucking room,” I hear one of the guys say, but I’m too far lost in the kiss. Nash can do it. It’s a simple plan, but it’s the only one we have. It has to work. It just has to.

Nash

There’s no way it’s going to work.

I can’t tell her that there’s a good chance I’m going to die tomorrow. I don’t want to. Don’t get me wrong. It’s just that Jeffrey is Alpha for a reason: he plays dirty. In order to win, I’m going to have to be just as bad as he is.

Ryder and Thorn know what’s up. They exchange weary glances as we settle in to camp for the night. I know they’ve got my back. They always have. Still, the idea that I might be letting them down stings. Part of me wonders whether there’s any chance at all of me succeeding. When I look at Scarlett, though, I know I’ll do anything to make sure I get just one more day with her.

She’s amazing.

How have I lived so long without her? I want everything this girl has to offer. I love everything about her. There’s a part of me that’s completely focused on tomorrow, on conquering the Alpha during this battle. There’s another part of me, a better part, that just wants her.

It feels too soon to be thinking about a future, but what happens after tomorrow?

Would she stay with me?

Would she be by my side?

Would Scarlett run the Silent Canines with me?

Would she be willing to help me with the pack?

It’s going to be a huge responsibility, but oh, it would feel so much sweeter with her by my side. Things would be so much better if she would just stay with me. I picture her being part of pack meetings, of helping with the cubs, of raising our own.

Holy dragons, we could have our own little cubs. I’m holding Scarlett, and it’s all I can do to keep from rubbing her belly as I imagine it big and swollen with my baby inside. Would she want to?

Would she want to stay with me?

I kiss her deeply, holding her close to me. I need to feel her. I need this moment with her. If everything goes wrong tomorrow, this is going to be our last night, and I want to make it count.

I slide into the cave with Scarlett.

“What about them?” She motions to the boys.

“They’re on guard duty first,” I tell her.

“Are we next?”

“Not you,” I tell her. “We patrol in wolf form. Sorry, darling,” I add when I see how disappointed she looks. Her cute little pout is something I’ve grown to adore.

We slide onto the thin blankets that cover the floor of the cave and I roll us so I’m on my back and she’s on top of me. The moment is intimate, it’s perfect.

She kisses me softly and I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her even closer to me.

“I’m scared,” she whispers.

“You don’t have to be,” I tell her. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

It’s a promise I’m more than willing to keep. No matter what happens, no matter how long the battle is, no matter how hard the fight is, I will keep her safe.

**

We wake at dawn and spend the day preparing, running over our plan for the evening. We’ve done everything possible to prepare, but still, I’m all nerves as we approach the pack’s cave.

Jeffrey has the pack outside and a crowd has formed around him as he speaks at the entrance to the cave. I had hope to arrive as soon as he started speaking, but it looks like he moved a bit early tonight.

He’s standing tall in his human form and I feel Scarlett start to tense next to me. I squeeze her hand, silently offering her courage and strength. It’s all I have to give right now.

Everything is going to change in just a few minutes and I have to be strong for her.

“Thank you for gathering,” Jeffrey is saying, and I know we missed his preamble where he does a fake round of “thank-yous” to the people closest to him. Even when I was an active pack member, we all knew his acknowledgements were fake and simple. He never even tried to make them seem realistic.

What did Elise ever see in him?

Part of me hates the fact that I resent her for choosing Jeffrey. She chose a guy who was powerful and made her feel good. She didn’t choose a guy who would love or respect her. She didn’t choose someone who would cherish her. What about Ryder? What about Thorn? What about any of the guys at the Silent Canines who would do anything for her?

Why not them?

I’ll never know why Elise made the choices she did, but I can make sure Jeffrey doesn’t have the chance to hurt anyone else. Had I challenged him before tonight, he would have had me killed. One of his henchmen would have seen to it. Now, here, in a public, open gathering, I have the perfect chance to take him down.

I have the chance to beat the Alpha.

But as I step down to the crowd and make my way to the front, he stops speaking and turns to me. He spots me, picks me out of the crowd, and sneers.

“Why, hello, Nash.” His voice is venom. “So glad you decided to join us. I trust my sister is with you, as well?”

My jaw drops and I turn around to where Scarlett was standing at the forest’s edge. She’s no longer standing at a distance, safely watching. No, she’s being dragged by a shifter up to the front of the crowd. Kyle’s hands dig into her arms as she flails about silently, and I want to scream.

I can see Thorn and Ryder now, also being brought to the front.

This isn’t going to be pretty.

“How did you know we were coming?” I grit out. There’s no way, in my mind, he could have known.

“I have eyes and ears everywhere,” he waves his hand simply, as if it’s no matter to him. The pack is watching us both now, and I know this is my only chance.

Even though everything is going wrong, I still have to challenge him. I have to face him like a man. I have to reclaim the pack for good.

I have to conquer Jeffrey.

“Did you send those men after Red?” I ask. I won’t call her Scarlett in front of him. Her real name is special. He knows it, of course, but I won’t let it cross my lips where he might taint it. He can call her “Red” or nothing at all, but he’s going to find out really soon what happens when someone threatens my girl.

He laughs.

The fucker actually laughs.

“Oh, to be young and naïve again,” Jeffrey says with a smile. His grin morphs into a sneer and he keeps talking, obviously sure he’s won. He probably thinks he’s going to pull me aside and kill me, but that won’t happen. Not today. “Of course I did. She killed our grandmother. She had to go.”

Red gasps, but I don’t react. It doesn’t surprise me that this is how he wants to play things. He’s always been harsh, but realistic. If he can’t convince the pack that I’m evil, he won’t be able to convince them to let him kill me. By slandering Red’s character, he’ll be able to show them how bad and evil she is in a simple way.

He’ll be able to convince the entire pack that she’s the murderer he’s been searching for: not the other way around.

Red opens her mouth to protest, but I shake my head at her, just slightly. It’s enough to quiet her. Good girl. Anything she says
will
be used against her, so right now, it’s best if she just stays quiet.

I can hear hushed whispers and words floating through the crowd, rumors and people talking. A few of the younger wolves are pushing and shoving each other already. Soon this is going to escalate and it’s going to be bad.

Jeffrey just smirks.

Doesn’t he care about his wolves? Doesn’t he care about his pack?

“I can’t thank you enough for bringing me my darling sister,” Jeffrey says. “And I can assure you that she will be handed in to police custody as soon as possible.”

“You won’t get away with this!” Ryder shouts, and I cringe. Dammit, man. Get it together. I hear him grunt as one of Jeffrey’s minions punches him in the gut, and I know it’s time.

I clear my throat, lift my head, and meet his eyes.

“To be honest,” he says again, before I can speak. “I’m a bit surprised to see you here, Nash. When you disappeared after Elise’s death, we all thought you were responsible.” Fake grief flaunts across his face, and I see one wolf roll their eyes. So not everyone believed him that I was responsible. That’s good. “Perhaps we should also turn you into the authorities.” He pauses and his eyes flash, fiery with anger. “For questioning.”

“I didn’t kill Elise.” I grit out. “I love her.” I take a deep breath, and then I say what I came here to say. “I challenge you.” Suddenly, the crowd goes silent. The grip on my arms loosens, and I step forward.

“What did you say?” Someone in the front row says, and I repeat myself.

“I challenge you for pack Alpha,” I say.

Jeffrey looks like he wants his guards to take me away, but he can’t get away now. Too many people have heard the challenge. Already the crowd is parting, forming a large circle, and I’m in the center.

This is happening.

The last time the pack saw a challenge was six months ago when little Tony Miller decided he was the big bad and could take on the Alpha. Jeffrey destroyed him before the kid had even taken his first leap. Now, I haven’t been around for a few months, but from the looks of things, everyone’s gotten a bit antsy.

Murmurs and whispers are turning into calls and shouts. Red looks confused, but Ryder and Thorn look hopeful for the first time since Jeffrey’s guys grabbed us.

Maybe we have a shot.

Jeffrey is still standing in front of the cave entrance, but a few shifters are starting to egg him on.

“I won’t tolerate this,” he says, but I just glare.

“A challenge is a challenge,” I say. “You gonna break tradition? Or maybe you’re too scared. Maybe you want to just step aside and let someone else have a go at leading the pack. I’d be happy with you excommunicated. We don’t have to fight to the death, you know.”

That gets him moving and he steps forward. One step, and then another. My skin is tingly and on fire. I’m ready for this fight. I’m ready to take him. His guys the other day? They were just a warm-up for the real thing. He’s going down hard and I’m going to save the day for my girl.

“You got this, Nash,” Marybeth calls out, and I know I have at least one person on my side. I nod at her, but don’t smile. Now isn’t the time to show affection. If I win – and I know that I desperately need to win – I’ll make sure to thank her later.

If I don’t, well, maybe she was dumb for believing in me.

Maybe they all were.

I shoot one last glance at Red. She’s no longer being held, instead standing strong and bright. She nods slowly at me, silently encouraging me.

There’s just one last person I need to see before this fight goes down. Aunt Germaine. I find her in the crowd and she stares at me with tears in her eyes, but she nods encouragingly. I know this is what she wants, what she hoped for. My aunt has always believed in me. Even when she didn’t think the Alpha was as bad as I said, she believed in me to make the right choices. Now I’m making a choice that’s going to save a lot of lives and save a lot of trouble.

I’ll be a good leader.

I just need the chance to show my pack I can be that man for them.

Jeffrey is moving towards the center of the circle slowly, biding his time. I know he’s trying to come up with a plan for beating me. We’ve sparred a few times, but not in a long time, and I know he’s trying to remember how I fight.

Do I fight dirty?

Am I straightforward?

He’s trying to remember so he knows how to take me down, but I don’t have time to worry about that. I look around the crowd, seeing the different faces. There must be nearly 60 wolves out tonight, including a few little kids, and I hope their mothers make them leave before the fighting really starts.

“So it’s come to this,” Jeffrey finally snarls as he nears me.

I nod, slightly. I’m not about to let him distract me with a lengthy dialogue. That’s how battles are lost.