Chapter 15

The snowmobiles threatened to overheat as Ares and Derek pushed the machines to their limits retracing their path. Their trek started out easy, but as the sky darkened, visibility worsened. Swirling snow began to obscure their route, forcing them to slow at certain junctions to ensure they went in the right direction. Ares hated the delay, especially since when they first began racing to the farm, they couldn’t help but notice the tracks overlaying and running parallel to the ones created on their way over.

Once more he couldn’t help but remember that group of sleds on the other side of his property. They had to have seen them go by. Had that been Barry and his pack? It killed to know he might have driven right by them and given them a way to backtrack.

The only thing that kept him somewhat calm was knowing the bunker would keep them safe—as long as they got inside before trouble arrived.

When Derek slowed down, it forced Ares to ease off the gas as well. Before he could shout and ask what was wrong, he saw the problem through the shifting snow. A sled parked across the path, and no one sitting on it.

Derek rolled up slowly and pointed. Two piles of clothes lay draped on the seat. It appeared they’d found part of Barry’s pack.

Danger.

The warning had Ares throwing himself off his sled to the side and landing in the snow. Better a helmeted face plant though snow than the snapping jaws of the wolf that suddenly attacked.

He rolled and bounced to his feet, cursing the fact he wore too many layers. His own beast could have easily taken the one he faced, but he was more likely to get bound up in his borrowed snowsuit than become deadly.

The wolf stood on the seat of his machine and snarled.

Ares flipped up his visor and snarled back, which caused some surprise.

“That’s right, you fucking mongrel. You’re not the only one with teeth around here.”

The wolf lunged, leaping for him, and Ares let the beast hit him, mostly so he could grab it by the forelegs and flip it. The wolf went sailing and yelped as it slammed into a tree.

Bang .

A quick glance over his shoulder showed Derek had the rifle, and while he’d managed to get off a shot, he missed, and the second wolf converged on him too quickly to fire again. He swung the gun like a club, knocking it in the head, but that didn’t stop it from pouncing and taking Derek to the ground.

His friend would have to hold on for help, as Ares had his wolf to deal with. The shaggy mongrel shook its head and bared its teeth but showed more caution, as it prowled and tried to circle.

“I don’t have time for this,” Ares muttered. He grabbed a branch and snapped it free. Not the greatest weapon, but he had nothing else. It hadn’t occurred to him they’d have trouble on the trail. He should have grabbed the rifle he kept locked in the house or the crossbow in the shed.

The wolf came at a run. Only a few paces separated them. As it leaped, Ares crouched and, as the beast reached the point over his head, thrust upward. The stick didn’t penetrate far, but the wolf squealed.

Blood dripped from the wolf’s wound even before it landed. Bad idea for the mongrel as it shoved the makeshift stake deeper. The wolf whimpered, deadly injured, and it knew it.

One down. He went to help Derek, who held the rifle sideways with a wolf latched to the barrel. Ares would have had to go out of his way for another stick, precious seconds he didn’t have, so he ran instead at the wolf and leaped.

He landed boots first on its spine with enough force something cracked, and the beast dropped. But it didn’t die. It tried to crawl away, using its front paws to pull its paralyzed hindquarters.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Ares snarled as he planted himself in front of the wolf.

The wounded wolf changed into a bleeding man, who blubbered, “Don’t kill me.”

“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t.”

“I didn’t want to do this. Barry made us.”

“Where is the fucker?” he asked, glancing at the other body. The one he’d stabbed breathed still, but shallowly. Almost dead.

“He’s gone to get his kid.”

Ares whipped his head around sharply. “Where?”

“Dunno. We was just following this trail when he waved us off and told us to stop anyone that came through.”

“How far ahead is he?” Couldn’t be that far since they’d not been long at the farm.

“I don’t know. I’m cold.” The guy shivered, but Ares honestly didn’t care.

Derek, however, had some words for him. “So, here’s the deal. You made a very poor life choice in following this Barry fucker, but that doesn’t mean you can’t turn your life around. You’re going to get on that sled and leave. And by leave, I mean fuck off to wherever you came from because if I ever see you poking your nose in this area again, I will feed you to my woodchipper and fertilize our garden with your shredded remains. Do I make myself clear?”

“How am I supposed to ride? My legs don’t work,” chattered the man.

“Not my problem. You chose this.”

Ares pursed his lips. “Are you sure we shouldn’t just save ourselves the trouble and kill him now?”

“He’s young enough that if he survives, he can still repent and mend his ways.”

“He’d better…” Ares growled.

They didn’t wait to see if the guy managed to get going. They hopped their sleds and sped away, racing almost blindly on the trail they’d forged, the visibility getting worse and worse as the next storm rolled in early.

By the time they hit the marker indicating they’d reached the outskirts of the farm, snowflakes came down thick and fast.

They didn’t slow down and soon, despite the storm, could see the glowing lights of the house… and a few snowmobiles parked out front.

Ares no sooner cut his engine than Charlotte, along with Grams and Gramps, were on the porch, the latter holding guns.

Charlotte looked frantic.

She wasn’t the only one.

“Where’s Athena?” Derek hollered as he tore off his helmet.

“She went after the thugs that tried to kidnap Greta,” Grams announced with a scowl.

“She did what? Is she insane?” Derek yelled.

“We told her to wait for you boys, but given the little one took off with those assholes hot on her tail, Athena decided to follow in her wolf form. Good thing she was agitated enough to shift.”

“Wait a second. Are you saying Greta’s out there in this storm?” Ares couldn’t help his shock—and fear. The woods could be dangerous in fair conditions, but in this type of weather, and with parts of the forest booby-trapped, it could turn deadly, especially for a small child.

“I wanted to follow, but Athena told me to stay back.” Charlotte’s voice cracked. “Said she was better equipped to find her.”

“I’m going after them.” Ares tossed his helmet to the snowmobile seat.

“Before you go haring off too, there’s something you need to know.” Charlotte swallowed hard before whispering, “Greta turned into a wolf.”

“What?” Ares said dumbly, but then reality hit. If Barry was a lycanthrope, then it made sense Greta would be too.

Charlotte wrung her hands. “I never believed she was one until today. When Barry tried to hurt me, Greta changed. I told her to run, but he went after her.” Her lips quavered as she whispered, “You have to find her. She’s so tiny. Just a baby still.”

“I’ll bring her back.”

We will find her and destroy those that would harm the pup.

“They don’t have much of a head start,” Grams stated. “It’s been less than ten minutes since the little one bolted.”

An eternity in a storm that rapidly erased tracks and scents.

He glanced at Derek. “I expect you’re coming too. Be sure to bring a gun, along with a pack of warm gear for Greta and Athena.”

“You aren’t carrying anything?”

“Kind of hard since I’m going on four feet.”

He heard Charlotte’s sharp inhalation. “So it’s true?”

Ares feared looking at her and seeing the condemnation. He now understood her terror of her ex. Would she be scared of him too? “Yeah. I’m a lycan but…” He dared to glance at her. “Nothing like that fucker.”

“I believe you,” her faint reply. “Can you find Greta?”

“I won’t come back without her,” he swore. “Now if y’all don’t mind, I am going to get naked.”

He could have hidden to change. After all, he’d been concealing this side of himself his whole life from everyone but his immediate family. But these people were family now too, and Charlotte needed to see his wolf wasn’t something to be feared. He wanted—make that needed—her to accept him as he was.

So behave, he warned his other half as his fingers made quick work of his clothing.

She shall see and admire my prowess, his conceited wolf declared.

Or she’d scream.

Hopefully, the former.

The biting wind stung the skin and whipped it with snow, a discomfort that lasted only seconds as he willed his beast to come forth. It didn’t take much coaxing. Unlike his sisters, Ares had always had excellent control when it came to shifting. He could even fight the lure of moonlight—he just usually chose not to.

He hit the ground on four paws and gave himself a shake to loosen his fur. More a passenger than the driver in this shape, but he trusted in his beast.

Find the pup.

With one last glance at Charlotte, who stared wide-eyed but thankfully not cringing, he set off.

He trotted quickly, noting the tracks filling rapidly with snow. Paw prints, large male ones, alongside a smaller set that belonged to Athena, but it was the sight of the tiny imprints that jarred most.

Princess was a wolf like him. No wonder they’d established a bond so quickly.

Told you: Pup.

Ares hadn’t taken his beast literally.

Couldn’t you smell it?

No. Greta seemed like a normal child. Then again, all lycanthropes passed as human on the outside. It took analyzing their DNA at a deeper level to spot the difference.

As Ares entered the woods, the whipping snow diminished, but so did visibility. Good thing he didn’t need his eyes to track. His nose only had to occasionally dip, the recent lingering scents guiding his steps. A distant bark perked his ears. Barry had three others with him. Four against one. Ares liked the odds. For himself at least. Athena, while tough, was no match for four full-grown males.

When he heard snarling up ahead, his pace quickened. A sharp-pitched yip raised his hackles.

The pup is in danger.

No shit. He brushed past some snowy bushes to see a fight happening. Athena held the high ground, standing atop a large rock, her white fur blending against the snowy backdrop. She appeared uninjured, no red streaking her flanks, and her eyes blazed with anger. Standing behind her, shivering and yet standing brave, a little wolf.

Princess.

The pup.

Facing off against them, four mangy curs. The biggest one snarled and barked at Athena, but each time he went to approach the rock, she swung her head low and snapped her teeth.

She’s fierce. His wolf approved.

So are we.

Ares gave no warning, and yet one of the wolves heard him coming and turned his head just as Ares soared. The russet wolf could do nothing to stop Ares from slamming into his side, tumbling them both in a tangle of limbs. Jaws clacked as they strove to dominate. Not really much of a contest because Ares was the bigger wolf—meaner, too, with his princess threatened.

He clamped his teeth around a neck and squeezed, kept crunching even as bones snapped, kept applying pressure until the body went limp. Not exactly the kind of thing he wanted princess to see, but at least there was little blood.

Before he’d fully unlatched, another wolf came barking at him. Ares avoided getting bitten only narrowly. This wolf was older and wilier. Obviously experienced in fighting, judging by the scars bisecting its fur. They rolled in the snow as each sought to get a killing hold. A sharp yip was the only warning he got before another of the mongrels latched onto his leg. The pain proved fleeting, as Athena slammed into the brute, knocking him free.

While Ares dealt with his pair, the biggest wolf lunged at Athena, grabbing her fur with his teeth and yanking hard enough his sister yelped.

Athena!

How dare he injure our sibling.

Ares uttered a mighty howl and kicked his paw out at the wolf still nagging him. The surprise move, which didn’t involve teeth, resulted in a claw raking across the other beast’s eye. It howled in pain and recoiled, shaking its head. It wasn’t interested in fighting anymore, but his companion hadn’t learned its lesson yet. The brindled wolf came at Ares, jaw dripping drool, rabid with bloodlust. It made him clumsy. Ares moved to the side as it lunged and whipped his head around to grab it by the neck, hard enough the neck snapped. The body went limp, leaving Ares free to handle the big brute going after Athena.

He hung his head low and snarled, drawing the wolf’s attention away from his sister. Athena moved to the left, trapping the brute between them.

Some might say, not fair, two against one, but fairness didn’t exist in the lycanthrope world. It especially didn’t exist for a piece of shit who abused women and terrorized children.

As if synchronized, they both lunged at Barry—had to be him, as the others lacked the alpha vibe. The brute swung his head left and right, snapping his teeth, snarling, but couldn’t stop the attack. Athena sank her teeth into his haunch, possibly severing a tendon, seeing as how the leg went limp. Ares aimed for the neck but missed and got a mouthful of fur.

Barry realized he was outmatched and shook himself free before running away, slowly, his injured leg dragging. Ares could have let him go, but so long as the fucker breathed, he’d pose a danger to Charly and Greta. To his whole family.

Ares uttered a sharp bark.

Stay with the pup, the command for his sister before Ares went after Barry. Unlike the injured enemy, he remained sleek and fast. The woods he navigated might have been unfamiliar, but the scents were ones he’d grown up with. Fir tree. Pine. On an open stretch, where Barry tried to pick up some speed, he spotted a depression in the fresh fallen snow and remembered a conversation he’d had with Derek a while back.

“Just so you know, if you ever decide to wolf out on the property, keep in mind Grams and Gramps have set traps in the woods. Stick to the main paths to avoid them.”

“What kind of traps?” he’d asked.

“Metal jaws, snares, even some pits. You should see the bear they found in one last year.”

The recollection slowed his steps, but Barry didn’t slow. He ran over the sunken spot.

Which dropped, taking the wolf with it!

Ares cautiously approached the pit, making sure to steer clear of the edge but still peeking over the side to see.

A wolf’s body, its head bent at an unnatural angle, lay at the bottom, the death abrupt. Final.

The terror the man caused, over.

Good.

Even better, Barry hadn’t had time to shift, meaning he’d remain a wolf, so no body to get rid of.

With that threat handled, Ares trotted back for his sister and Greta. The wolf he’d blinded had fled, no longer interested in a fight he couldn’t win. Ares debated going after him, but a distant yelp and sharp howl, which ended abruptly, made him think it wouldn’t be necessary. Thank you, Grams and Gramps, for being paranoid .

Athena stood in front of the rock, shielding Greta’s body with her own.

Ares trotted close and slunk down so as to not loom over the little pup.

Big eyes regarded him, and his princess uttered a small whining noise. He edged closer and huffed.

Don’t be afraid.

Despite it being her first shift, she understood he meant no harm and crept out from behind Athena until she could rub noses with him.

Everything will be all right.

He’d take care of his little princess. His little wolf.

Greta leaned against him and sighed. Athena uttered a noise and looked in the direction of the farm.

Head back?

He bobbed his head.

In a minute. The little one needed comforting.

He nosed her over, checking to make sure she’d not suffered. No blood and she didn’t flinch, so most likely no bruising either. She’d stopped shaking and seemed curious about her new shape, holding out her paws to examine. Her tail flicked, and her head turned and kept turning as she spun in a circle trying to catch it.

He chuffed in amusement.

Greta plopped on her furry butt, and her tongue lolled.

Everything will be just fine.

The pup’s little body stiffened, but he didn’t stress, even as they heard the huff of someone breathing hard and the crunch of snow. He knew who came.

Our mate.

The little pup leaned against him shivering, not in cold, he suspected, but fear. Fear of what her mother might say or think. He nuzzled her to show she would always be welcome with him. Athena matched his actions on the other side. Flanking the little pup, they waited for Charlotte and Derek to step into view, the flashlights they held to pierce the storm’s darkness wavering as they bobbed with their movement. Once the lights steadied, it spotlighted the trio of wolves.

He held his head high and with pride. He refused to cower and hide.

The question being, would Charly accept him as he was?