22. Radley

I'm pacing in front of the wood cabin when I feel something slam into my head so hard that it takes my breath away.

"Bryce!" I call out. I can feel and know it's him. Nash and Mason come running over, having felt the same thing. They both pull me into their arms, relief flooding our systems. "Holy shit. He's okay."

"That's his wolf," Mason says. "He's running."

"Why isn't he talking to us?" I ask.

"I'm not sure. He might be hurt. Let me shift." Mason shoves his shorts off and shifts in a split second, and I can tell he can hear Bryce when his lips pull back in a snarl. Nash does the same thing, and I stare at them, trying to call on my wolf so I can hear.

"Just breathe," Margie says. "She'll come to you."

I nod and calm my breathing. My wolf, now with her bright red eyes, is waiting for me. Before I can think more about it, I'm on all four paws. No pain. No waiting. One second, I'm human; the next, I'm a wolf. It's a surreal feeling.

"Radley," Bryce breathes. "I'm on my way back. I'll explain everything when I get there, but you need to sound the alarm and get everyone ready. They're coming."

"Already done, Baby beta. How close are you?"

"I'm coming past Grandma's cabin." I smile inside my mind that he's already calling her his grandma.

"Is she in danger?"I ask.

"I don't know,"Nash answers. "We can send someone for her."

"I'll stop and tell her what's going on,"Bryce answers. "Hide Radley."

"Shift back, Little wolf."

One blink, and I'm back on two legs. Margie hands me clothes with a smile, and my cheeks heat. I'm still not as quick about remembering to take my clothes off as the guys are. I slide them on, and Mason grabs my hand. He pulls me toward the cabin, and Nash walks in behind him. They shut the door, still on high alert. I have no clue what to do so I flop down on the couch and chew on my lip, still worried about Bryce. I can't even describe the relief I felt when he was suddenly back in my mind. I'd been searching for him for hours, and it was like a blank void. It didn't help that I knew what usually caused that. Death. How did they block him from us? And how did he get away?

My phone starts ringing, and I almost jump out of my skin. Grandma's number flashes across the screen, and I slide to answer.

"Hello?"

"Radley, what's going on? I just had one of your very frantic mates show up naked on my front porch, telling me I needed to pack a bag. Are you okay?"

"No," I answer honestly. "We're sending someone to get you and bring you to us." Nash nods, phone already to his ear.

"Okay," she answers, and I can hear her moving through the house. "Do we know how long my stay will be?" This is what I love about her. She doesn't even question it. She just trusts me.

"Not yet. This is just a precaution. And, uh, sorry about Bryce's nakedness."

Grandma chuckles. "It's quite alright. I think he was more embarrassed than me when I opened the door."

"Cadence is on his way," Nash informs me. "He'll be coming through the path in the woods in a big blue truck."

"Did you hear that, Grandma?"

"Yes, dear. I'll be ready when he gets here. Stay safe."

"You too. I'll see you when you get here. I love you."

"I love you, too."

The line goes dead, and I deflate on the couch. Mason sits beside me and pulls me into his lap. I snuggle against his chest and feel my body relax. I've been on edge since we found out Bryce was gone, and I lost my temper on that bitch in the other cabin.

"How's your hand?" Mason asks, picking it up and looking at it.

"Fine." I flex my fingers, proving my point. "I've never hit anyone in my life."

Nash chuckles and sits down beside me. He pulls my legs into his lap and massages my calf. "You were dead on, though, Pup."

"Already protective of her beta." Mason kisses my forehead. "I'm proud of you."

"Is that what he is? My beta?"

"Absolutely," Mason answers. "You technically rank higher than he does."

"I don't care about that."

"Neither do we. It's just the way of the wolf hierarchy. And trust me, he's fine with it."

I'm just settling against Mason's chest when we hear a wolf howl. We all jump up and run outside. I have enough sense to strip my clothes off before shifting behind the guys. We take off running toward the noise and see a smaller wolf cornered by three big ones. Nash and Mason run ahead of me and knock them out of the way. The smaller wolf runs back toward camp, whimpering.

"Go check on them,"Mason says. Oh, that must be the alpha command Bryce talks about. It's like he has full control of my limbs. But since I have no idea how to fight, I follow the small wolf back to a cabin. When they shift, it's a girl who can't be any older than sixteen. I shift when I'm in front of her, and her eyes widen.

"You're the omega."

I nod in answer. "Are you okay?"

"I think so. I was coming back home when they came out of nowhere." Her entire body is shaking, and I grab a blanket I see lying across the porch banister. I wrap it around her shoulders and rub her arms.

"Go on inside. Are your parents home?"

She shakes her head. "No. They're out patrolling."

"Okay. You can come home with me. Go grab some clothes."

She smiles gratefully and disappears inside the house. When she comes back, she hands me something that looks like a dress. I slide it over my head and lead her to our cabin. Our cabin? Damn if I didn't like the sound of that. "What's your name?"

"Ava."

"I'm Radley."

"Thank you for coming to check on me."

"No worries." I smile at her, and she returns it. I take her inside the house and gesture toward the bathroom. "You can get changed in there."

She goes that way, and Margie steps around the corner with a smile. "You're a natural."

"I don't know," I laugh. "I feel like I'm dreaming."

"It will feel like that for a little while. Is she okay?"

"I think so. Some big rogues had her pinned down."

"So it's starting," Margie says, running her fingers through her hair.

"Yeah," I say sadly. I haven't met everyone here yet, but I already feel protective of them. "Bryce should be getting back soon."

Margie checks her watch, and I see the worry lining her eyes. "Luther and them should be back by now. They aren't answering their phones either."

I grab her hand in support. "Mason said they took the long way around, so they might not have a signal."

We hear a loud commotion outside right when Ava walks into the living room. A huge wolf comes barrelling into the house, and Ava screams so loud that I flinch.

"Get her out of here!" I yell, shoving them toward the backdoor.

"You have to come too!" Margie argues, pulling on my arm.

We get to the door, but he grabs my arm. I spin back and have to look up to see his face. He grins. "Omega." He sniffs the air loudly and jerks me toward him. I struggle against his hold, and he digs his fingers into my biceps. "Someone is waiting for you."

"Go get help!" I call out to Margie as he drags me through the house. I let my natural instincts take over and shift. I have a better chance like this than as a human. It stuns him enough that I can get a head start. I bust through the front door, and there's chaos surrounding me. Wolves are fighting everywhere, and cabins are on fire. My first thought is Nash and Mason, so I take off that way. When I get to where we found Ava, and there's blood on the ground, a pained whine escapes.

"Nash! Mason!"

"Run, Little wolf!"

With pounding paws, I loop around the closest cabin and head back toward Grandma's property. Heavy steps are right on my heels. I check over my shoulder, and the wolf who grabbed me inside is right behind me. I see a flash of black and drop to the ground. Mason comes flying over my head, and when he hits the other wolf, it sounds like a thunderclap.

"Come on,"Nash says, running up beside me. I fall into step behind him, and he leads me the rest of the way to Grandma's. "Go inside."

"No!"I argue. "I'm not leaving you out here."

"You don't know how to fight, Radley. Now, go." I fight against the command this time because I'll be damned if I leave them to go down on their own. Nash growls under his breath and pushes me with his nuzzle toward the house. "Now."

"I can't leave you."

I can feel his exasperation through the bond, but he jerks his head for me to follow. "Stay right behind me." That's a command that I can handle. We move back toward Mason and the other wolf, and they're locked in a vicious fight. Teeth are snapping, claws are swinging, each of them trying to get the upper hand. The big wolf finally knocks Mason back a step and goes straight for his throat. Nash takes off and pins the other wolf down, ripping at his neck. A pained howl leaves the big wolf, and then he goes completely silent. When Nash turns around, he has blood dripping from his teeth. Did he…just kill that guy?

Mason limps toward me and bumps his head against mine. "Are you okay?"

"Are you? You look hurt."

"I'll be fine. It will heal. Why are you out here?"

"Because she wouldn't listen," Nash answers. I didn't think wolves could roll their eyes, but Nash just proved me wrong. If it weren't under these circumstances, it would have been hilarious.

"Why isn't Bryce back yet?"I ask, ignoring the anger radiating from Mason.

"He is. He's back at the camp."

I fall into step behind them and then stop. "Are you lying to me just to get me back there?"

Mason barks a laugh. So wolves can laugh, too? "No, Little wolf. We passed him on the way out here."

I start walking again, still a little suspicious. "Is Margie okay?"

"Yeah. She and Ava are hiding at her place,"Nash answers.

"What are we going to do?"I can't keep the worry out of my voice, and Mason falls back to press against my side.

"We're going to protect this place. But I need you to listen to me. When we get back to camp, go straight to Ava's. We can't fight if we're worried about you. You aren't ready yet, Radley."

"So I just hide?"

"Until you're trained, yes," Nash answers without hesitation. "We won't risk you."

We run back to camp, listening to the howls and yelling. I have no idea what to do, and I'm worried about the ones who can't fight. Nash and Mason said they had it under control, so why was Ava out there alone? I shake that thought from my head. I have to trust my alphas. They're only two people. We finally skid to a stop on the gravel, and Mason barks once. I take that as my cue and run straight to the cabin. Someone laid out something for me to wear on the front porch, so when I shift back, I slide on the dress. I knock quickly and push the door open. I lose it when I see Bryce standing there. I fling myself in his arms and wrap my legs around his waist. He grabs me in a tight grip when I bury my face in his hair.

"I was so worried. Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, My love."

"How did you get out?"

"Mason's mom." I jerk back to look at his face, and he gives me my favorite crooked smile. "She showed me how to get out, and I ran like hell to get back to you."

"Did they touch you?"

Something flashes across his eyes, and then it's gone. "We'll talk about all that later. Radley, I met your dad." I let my feet slide to the floor, my mind reeling. "He's the one that ordered them to come get you, but he couldn't find you, so they got me."

"My dad is behind this?" I don't even know the man, so it shouldn't have hurt this bad. Can't I have just one good parent? "Why?"

"He said he knew about you, and he was just waiting until you shifted for the first time. I guess he had to be sure." Bryce stops and cocks his head to the side. I hear the howling in the distance, but this is different. "The cavalry has arrived. That was Luther."

Margie rushes past us, but I grab her arm. "You can't go out there, Margie. It's bad." I look back at Bryce. "Was that a signal?"

"Yeah. He was letting us know that he was here. I have to go."

"What?" My face pales, and I grab his shirt. "No, you don't."

"I do, My love." He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. "We need to end this."

Margie wraps her arms around my waist, and I put mine around her shoulders. She's just as scared as me because her entire pack is also out there. "Please be careful."

"I will." Bryce grabs my cheeks and kisses me softly. "I hear Cadence's truck. Grandma is almost here." He gives me one last kiss and walks toward the door. He turns when he gets to it. "I love you, Radley." He pulls it open and shuts it behind him before I can answer.

I love you, too.