Chapter 4

Ice Storm Stronghold

Otter Cove, Alaska

Lucian paced back and forth. He still couldn't believe they'd lost her. How could that have happened? How could one tigress escape her brother and four warriors? He glanced at the mantle clock in his study. Zaiden wouldn't be back for another couple of hours. Removing his clothes, Lucian called forth his tiger and sprang from the room and out onto the white tundra, galloping away from the main house. He ran for the tree line and disappeared up into the forest, gaining ground with each stride. He could hear the river up ahead.

Unlike most cats—large or small—tigers loved the water and were powerful swimmers. Lucian ran, his muscles stretching and rippling. He splashed through the cold, fast-running water and bounded up the bank on the other side. The bank was muddy, and he almost lost his footing, scrambling up the other side before charging onward. The ground beneath his feet was soft. spongy and velvety.

There were only a handful of large cats that could run faster than a tiger, but none were more powerful. Tigers had tremendous speed due to their strong musculature, long legs, and fairly flexible spines. Their sharp claws also helped as they gripped the ground to propel themselves forward. Their powerful physique gave them stability and speed over rough terrain.

In a chase, Lucian preferred flat, open plains. However, frustrated and angry as he was, he needed the complexity involved in running through an obstacle course of sorts. It forced him to think and to let his white tiger take control. The exercise wasn't as successful as it usually was, as his tiger had been looking forward to claiming their mate as much as he had. Lucian had waited a long time for Zenya, and yet another delay had not been part of his plans.

He maneuvered over downed trees, large boulders, and the uneven terrain. There was a reason the Resistance wanted him to commit his warriors to their cause. They were a formidable force that would strengthen the Resistance's fight against the Shadow League. There were multiple courses and multiple ways to run each course, making for an erratic zig zag.

Lucian pushed himself to the extreme. He always believed you did not ask more of those you led than you were willing to give yourself. Slowing his pace to a gallop, he exited the forest and made his way back to the main keep. He stopped at the top of the hill to gaze at the fortress below—and it was truly a fortress. It might not have a moat, but there were clear fields of fire and the walls which enclosed the main buildings were tall and almost impenetrable. He had made sure of that when he'd made himself alpha.

His people and their safety came first. That was the reason he had yet to commit men and resources to the Resistance. It wasn't that he didn't, in his heart, support the Resistance. It was simply that he had no intention of backing the losing side. The Baihu Clan had always remained neutral—or at least appeared to, ensuring they were left alone to increase their fortunes and become even more powerful than those who were less strategic in their allegiances.

Two SUVs from the landing strip approached. They carried a combination of Zaiden, Zenya's personal effects and the retinue of men who had gone to San Francisco.

Watch her.He snorted in his mind. They'd watched her elude them. She had outmaneuvered him, but more than that, she had thwarted his plans. Shaking his head, he charged back to the house, entering his study, shifting and dressing before he went into the foyer to confront Zaiden and those who had been tasked with bringing Zenya home.

Lucian stood in the foyer of the main building, his arms crossed, his anger and frustration infusing his body and making those who had to be there give him a wide berth. He could hear the two SUVs pull up and expected Zaiden and those who were with him to enter the dwelling and report. Instead, it was only Zaiden who entered.

Zaiden entered and knelt down on one knee, saying, "Alpha" without looking up. Zaiden had the ability to steal the spotlight when he needed to.

"Oh, for god's sake, get up. Let's go to my study," said Lucian who turned without waiting to see if Zaiden complied with his order or not. The man might be willing to focus the attention on himself to defuse his alpha's anger and displeasure, but he wasn't foolish enough to disobey his alpha.

Once inside his study, Lucian sat behind his desk, suppressing his smile. He was pissed at Zaiden, at the men who were with him, but mostly at his mate who was proving to be elusive and intelligent—not the worst traits to have in a mate. Zaiden joined him, closing the door behind him. Zaiden had known Lucian wouldn't vent his wrath at a man kneeling in supplication and loyalty. His beta had also thought to protect those who were with him from catching the sharp side of Lucian's tongue.

"I have failed you, my alpha," said Zaiden.

"Oh shut up, will you?' Lucian responded. "Just tell me, how the fuck did you let this happen? How the hell did she get away? You convinced me to let you go in my stead. You said she had finally accepted her fate and that she had no choice in the matter. You said it would be easier on her and would make her feel as though she wasn't cornered. In fact, it was you who persuaded me to let her go in the first place." Lucian was starting to warm to his anger again.

"She was a child. For as long as I have known her to want anything, she has wanted to be a vet. Even you agreed that her training would be good for the clan."

"And what bloody good are her services and training if she isn't here to provide them?" he snarled. "I'll ask again, how the fuck did you let this happen?"

"I didn't let it happen, Lucian. She was prepared, and she had help. Hell, she didn't even take her purse with her when she went to the restroom."

"You let her go to the restroom by herself?"

"Of course not. I have never been truly convinced that she had actually accepted that she would be your mate, and I told you that. I had hoped we'd be able to talk and that I could bring her more fully around to the idea."

"Did you remind her she has no choice in the matter?" Lucian growled, finding it hard not to go over his desk and beat Zaiden to a pulp. "You know, I'm sitting here fighting the urge to beat the shit out of you for failing me."

"Don't think I don't know that," said Zaiden, the ghost of a smile starting to lift the corners of his mouth. "And don't think that I don't appreciate your restraint. I might point out that one, it wouldn't change anything; two, I'm your best friend and beta—my loyalty to you is unquestioned; and three, beating the crap out of me might make you feel better, but only for a moment. I would never raise my hand to you; so then you would feel like shit for taking out your anger and frustration on me when doing so would do nothing to improve the situation."

Zaiden was right. Worse than that, Zaiden knew he was right and knew that Lucian knew he was right.

Shaking his head, he turned and opened the small mini-fridge built into the credenza behind him. "Want a beer?"

"I wouldn't turn one down," Zaiden admitted.

Lucian took out two bottles of craft beer that they made at Ice Storm. There had been some talk about looking at the logistics of making it on a larger scale and selling it locally. He handed Zaiden a bottle. The two men removed the tops, and both took a long sip of the smooth, spicy, copper-colored liquid with hints of chocolate.

"You need to know that we need to restock the plane. The five of us drank all of the beer on the flight home. I'm not sure it even made it to Alaska," said Zaiden.

Lucian chuckled. "Seriously, Zaiden, what happened?"

"That's the hell of it. I have no idea. I knew that the meek and accepting act was just that, an act. But I had her purse with her ID, credit cards, money, and all the rest of it. I sent two men with her to the bathroom, and one went in ahead of her to check for a window or door she could slip out of. There was nothing. Maybe they waited a little longer than they should have, but as soon as they knew anything was wrong, they burst in…"

"Did anyone else go in or out?"

"No. Our guys turned the only person away. In fact, he even checked the men's room and stood guard while she used it. We headed outside and nothing."

"Any security cameras?"

"Yes. None in the bathroom and only one pointed at the employees' entrance at the back. We hacked into the feed for the Embarcadero, and there was nothing. I mean there were people who were coming and going but no one that even vaguely resembled my sister."

"There's some software out there that can identify someone by their gait—the way they move. See if we can get hold of that and run what we have. She can't just have disappeared into thin air. We have to find her."

Zaiden sat back. "You're not just pissed. You're worried about her."

"Of course I'm worried about her. She's out there on her own. If she's bolted, which it would appear she has done, she's done so in unfamiliar territory with no back up and no one to help her."

Nodding, Zaiden said, "I don't know that I believe that. She's lived in Davis for the past eight years. We know for a fact she's worked summers and breaks in San Francisco and visited Catalina and San Diego several times. She has to have had help either from the employees at the restaurant, although I don't see how they could have done that, or the Shadow Sisters. Snatching her out from under your nose is just the kind of caper they excel at and revel in."

Lucian chuckled. "I have to admire them for their ingenuity and courage, but they are fighting a losing battle, and their efforts would be better spent returning to their origin clans."

A week had passed by and there had been not so much as a whisper as to where Zenya had disappeared or who had helped her. They had been able to acquire the software they needed to see if they could spot Zenya with an altered appearance by the way she moved. Nothing so far. There was a knock on the door.

"Lucian?" Zaiden greeted him as he joined him in his study.

"Anything?"

"Nothing conclusive. It has to be the Shadow Sisters."

"Then I say we go after them. Take one captive and make her talk," snarled Lucian, whose temperament was getting worse by the day.

"That's not going to work. You may not yet have decided to join the Resistance, but if you take one of the Shadow Sisters, the Resistance will turn on you."

"We can hold our own."

"I'm not saying we can't," Zaiden said, trying to placate him. "But that will leave the Resistance vulnerable, and I don't think we want that. I'm also not convinced that the Shadow Sisters wouldn't be a formidable opponent on their own. In any event, doing so gives the Shadow League room to better their position…"

"Fuck the League, fuck the Resistance, and fuck the damn Shadow Sisters," Lucian shouted, banging his fist on the desk. "Zenya is out there, and I want her back."

"I am well aware, my alpha," said Zaiden, the last two words dripping with disdain. "Everybody here knows that. You growl and snap at everyone. There are whispers among the unmated females that perhaps Zenya was right not to return…"

"How dare you," Lucian growled, coming to his feet.

Zaiden sprang to his feet as well. "I dare because I am beta to this clan. It is my job to tell you when there are rumblings among our people. Whatever you choose to do with anything regarding my sister, you should have a care as to how it looks to others. I have no doubt that you mean her no real harm, but there are those who are now questioning that."

"I swear to god, I'm going to put a collar and leash on her when I catch up to her."

"Understandable, but I don't like your odds on getting that done without injury. One of the things we've been able to find out is that she managed to sneak in some self-defense classes while she was away. Apparently, she is now a black belt in krav maga."

For the first time in more than a week, Lucian chuckled. "So, I should take some comfort in that she can most likely defend herself, but also have a care that she can kill me with her bare hands." He sat back down shaking his head. "It occurs to me that she'd been planning this for years."

Zaiden nodded as he sat. "That would be my guess. She managed to fool us and those who watched her. My sister is not only intelligent, but beautiful and cunning as well."

"That she is, which is why she is my fated mate and why I will never give up on finding her."

"I may have an idea about how to do that."

Lucian looked up. "Tell me."

"What alpha do we know that is pretty much openly in league with the Shadow Sisters?"

"Reynolds. But you said our people in Mystic River do not believe she is there."

"I don't think Zenya would agree to come back to Alaska. She may not be at Windsong, and he may not know where she is, but I would be willing to bet he could find her."

"And why would he do that? Reynolds and I are not exactly good friends."

"No, but you are alpha to a clan he wants desperately to bring into the fold."

"What are you suggesting?"

"What if you agreed to commit the Baihu Clan to the Resistance in exchange for information that gets Zenya returned to you? Don't snarl at me. I know for a fact you're already leaning towards the Resistance, so why not use it to get what you want and get Zenya home safe? Hell, you could even present it as a way to ensure Zenya is safe and not out on the fringes of god knows where."

Lucian smiled. "It would seem a devious nature runs in your family's DNA."