Chapter 15: Ajax

15

AJAX

T he forest was a blur of shadows and whispers as I plunged through the underbrush, searching for my sign of the rogue hunters. I'd spent almost every waking hour searching for the hunters to protect my pack, but most importantly, to protect my mate.

My betas, Maverick, and Devon, were taking other sections of the woods as we searched every inch of our land. There had to be something we were missing, a connection with the hunters that we had overlooked. I hated thinking Mazie was in danger—the threatening text messages had to be addressed. Once that was taken care of, I would deal with Raylene once and for all. We'd got a lead from Ryan, a lion shifter on the police force in town. There was word the hunters were meeting tonight. I'd hoped we'd catch them in the act.

I wouldn't hesitate to rip their throats out. My umbra was protective of what was ours. I halted. My umbra's senses cut through my thoughts and the shadows of twilight. The scent of blood—a coppery tang that belonged to one of my own—pulled me forward with a visceral urgency. A few long draws of breath, and I caught the scent. It was Kayla—the young umbra who had already faced more loss than any child should ever have to. I'd been looking into things after Mazie had come to me with her concerns.

Raylene wasn't a good mother to the cub; I told her as much. I'd planned on asking Mazie if the child could come and stay with us. I didn't know how she felt about children, but somehow, I couldn't imagine someone with a heart as big as Mazie's ever letting a child go through the things she'd survived.

Maybe I was too late? God, please don't let it be too late.

"Kayla!" My growl tore from the depths of my throat, slicing through the silence of the woods. It wasn't just a call but a command that willed her to be okay, respond, and be strong enough.

There. A crumpled form at the base of a tree, mousy brown hair spilling over the forest floor like a dark halo in the moonlight. I dropped to my knees beside her, my heart thudding against my ribcage as if trying to escape the confines of my flesh.

"Kayla," I whispered, softer this time, as I gently turned her face towards me. Her eyes fluttered open, big and pain-filled, grounding me in their depth.

"Help... Mazie," she breathed out, her voice barely audible.

My heart stopped.

"What's wrong with Mazie?" I demanded, louder than I'd intended.

"She's gone," Kayla rasped as I scooped her up, her slender frame light in my arms, yet her well-being heavy on my soul. I ran back to the pack house as quickly as my supernatural abilities would take me. As I carried her, I could feel the warmth of her breath against my neck, a silent reminder of the life that clung tenuously within her.

The packed house loomed into view. My mind raced with questions, none louder than the ones about Mazie, the woman who had crash-landed into my life with her innocent smile and haunted eyes. I couldn't live without her. Why hadn't I told her how much she meant to me? Had I ever told her I loved her?

Thoughts raced through my mind as several of the pack ran to greet us.

"What?" Eva cut off, her hand over her mouth. "Is she okay? "

I nodded and passed the child to her arms.

"Stay with her, Kayla," I murmured hurriedly. "Get Kyle to help you. I don't know the extent of her injuries."

Kyle met us at the door, his deep brown eyes widening with alarm.

"Ajax, what happened?"

"Take care of her," I said, ready to turn around and search for Mazie. A quick look at the drive told me she'd taken her car.

"Wait—" Eva called out. "Where is Mazie? What's going on?"

"I don't know," I bit out. I raced to our room to see if her things were still where she'd left them. Her side of the closet was empty, a hollow echo of her absence. I scanned the space, my eyes landing on a folded paper on the pillow. Unfolding it, I read the words scrawled in haste, each letter igniting a spark of dread within me.

Each word was a dagger to my heart. Mazie thought we'd been growing apart… that I didn't trust her…, that I didn't need her. She couldn't have been further from the truth. I'd been trying to spare her all the ugly details, and in doing so, I'd inadvertently shut her out. That had never been my intention. I was a fool.

"I can't stay and put everyone in danger. I'm sorry. -Mazie"

"Damn it, Mazie," I cursed under my breath. She didn't understand. It wasn't her presence that endangered us—it was her absence that would tear us apart.

"Kyle, Eva," I barked, already moving with purpose. "Watch over Kayla. I have to go after her."

"Be careful," Kyle said, his healer's hands steady but his eyes revealing his concern for us all.

I nodded, stepping into the darkness again, the cool air wrapping around me like a cloak. The loneliness of the night mirrored the hollow ache inside me. The realization that every second wasted widened the gap between Mazie and safety. The search for belonging, hers and mine, had led us down a path of thorns and uncertainty.

But if there were even the slightest chance I could bring her back to where she belonged—with us—I would face any peril because Mazie Green had stolen my heart, soul, and reason for living somewhere along the line without my permission.

She had become a vital part of me.

The wind howled against the mountainside, a mournful echo of my turmoil. I kept moving through the dense forest, my senses on high alert. Since the moment I'd found that damned note, a piece of my soul had splintered away, lost in the wilderness along with Mazie. The night was a blur of shadows and whispered fears, but my determination burned fierce and unyielding.

The icy grip of terror clawed at my chest. The stark image of her captured, scared, and alone flooded my mind. She was not just a pack member. I should have told her. I should have made sure she understood. Mazie made all of us better. She was the missing piece we never knew we needed. Her laughter, warmth, strength of vulnerability... she had changed us all. And I had failed her by trying to protect her from the truth, from the horror lurking beneath the surface of our lives.

The trees rustled as if whispering secrets while I pushed forward, driven by a relentless force. Mazie has nowhere to go. She'd let the lease go in with her little cottage, and I knew she had little money in the bank.

"Where are you, Mazie?" I muttered, my voice barely audible over the rustling leaves. I strained my ears for any sign, any clue that might lead me to her. Every second felt like an eternity, every heartbeat a drum of war against the time slipping through my fingers.

"Please be okay," I whispered into the night, a prayer to the Moon Goddess and whatever gods watched over lost souls and misguided protectors. "I'm coming for you, Mazie. Hold on just a little longer."

With each step, I felt the weight of uncertainty bearing on me, mingling with the resolve forged from love and desperation. I would find her, no matter the cost. Because a life without Mazie was half-lived, I couldn't—wouldn't—accept that fate—not for me, not for my pack, and certainly not for the woman who unknowingly held my heart in her hands.

The forest exploded in pain around me, a searing fire igniting in my shoulder. A silver bullet—a traitor's kiss—burned through my flesh as I crashed to the earth with the force of a felled tree: two more shots, one in my leg and another in my arm. My roar of agony echoed against the silent trees, a primal sound of both umbra and man merged into one.

The taste of iron was sharp in my mouth. Another shot rang out, slicing past my head by mere inches. My mind raced, thoughts frayed and splintering like broken twigs underfoot. Mazie. I should have told her... everything. That she was my moon in the darkest nights, that her laugh could light up the abyss in my soul. That I loved her. God, how I loved her.

"Looks like the mighty Alpha isn't so invincible after all."

The voice cut through the haze of pain, familiar and dripping with venom. Raylene. Her silhouette appeared above me, flanked by Cassie and Raymond. The betrayal hurt. Raymond had served my father faithfully. Their eyes held no warmth, only the distant gleam of icy betrayal.

"Raylene," I choked out, the word a dagger in my throat. "Why?"

"Power, dear Ajax. The same reason anyone does anything." She smirked, and I saw the shadows of my past allies twist in satisfaction behind her.

They dragged my weakened form across the forest floor, the underbrush scraping against my skin, until we reached a clearing. An iron cage loomed before me, its bars cold and unforgiving, a prison forged from my deepest nightmare. They threw me inside with less care than they would give to a piece of meat thrown at dogs. The door clanged shut, sealing my fate.

"Sadly, that iron cage will keep you from shifting. But don't worry, Alpha. You won't be alive much longer to care. " Cassie taunted, her voice a serrated blade.

"Why?" I demanded, the words barely more than a growl. "Why not kill me now?"

"We can't take any chances that your mate is carrying a cub, can we? " Raylene replied, her smile thin and cruel. But it's only a matter of time before we find your precious mate and finish what we've started. Don't you worry. We have somebody as interested in returning Mazie to us as you are in having her by your side. You can leave this earth together. Won't that be romantic?"

"Who's helping you?" I snarled, desperation clawing at my insides.

"Let's just say Dr. Baker is interested in our unique biology and willing to pay generously for it." Her laughter was a chilling symphony of malice.

Pinned within the iron confines, unable to shift and heal, the weight of my failure bore down on me like the mountains themselves. The loneliness and vulnerability I'd spent my life outrunning had finally caught up, and in their grasp, I found the accurate measure of helplessness.

"Damn you," I spat at my captors, my voice breaking with the strain. "You won't win, Raylene."

Rest up, Ajax," Raylene said, her voice fading. "You'll need your strength. The real fun is yet to begin."

The cage's iron bars burned my exposed skin. The smell of charred flesh filled my nostrils as the metallic tang of blood in my mouth filled my tongue. This couldn't be the end.