9. Kai

CHAPTER NINE

KAI

I came to with a jolt, my head pounding like a jackhammer. Groaning, I raised a hand to my temple. Pain radiated from the back of my skull, and I could feel a sticky patch of wetness matting my hair.

The acrid stench of blood—my blood—filled my nostrils.

But underneath that was something sweeter, familiar. Cinnamon and blackberries.

Claire.

"Kai? Oh, thank fuck, you're awake." Her voice was close, too close. My eyes focused and there she was, hovering above me. The worry lines etched on her face made my chest ache. "I thought... I was scared you wouldn't..."

"Shh," I whispered. I tried to sit up, but pain lanced through my side. Broken ribs, probably. "Are you hurt?"

She shook her head, her silver hair catching what little light filtered into wherever the hell we were. "Just scared shitless."

"What happened?" I asked, trying to piece together the fragments of memory. The road, someone stepping into the road, then nothing.

"They ran us off the road," Claire murmured, her eyes darting to the door at the top of the stairs. "You hit your head pretty bad. They brought us here, wherever here is. It's been a couple hours, I think."

Fuck. This was my fault. I'd dragged Claire into this mess, and now we were both trapped in some dank basement that reeked of mold, stale piss, and far too much wolf.

I should have stayed far away from her. Should have caged my wolf to keep him from stealing my skin and tracking her in fur. Now here we were, my past crawling out to sink its claws into us both.

My inner furry bastard lifted a lip and growled.

"How many?" I asked, wincing as I sat up straighter. My side protested, but I bit back a grunt of pain. Didn't want Claire to worry any more than she already was.

"Four, I think. Maybe five. They've come to check on us a couple of times." She shifted closer, and I could see her worrying her lower lip. "I think we're still in Mill Creek. The drive wasn't that long."

Smart girl. Already gathering intel. Pride surged through me, replacing some of the fear. There were dozens of abandoned homes scattered throughout the area. Finding us wouldn't be easy, even for the pack. And if these were Bowen's men...

"Any idea what they want?" The pain in my head was subsiding, and I did a quick scan of my body. Those ribs were absolutely broken, but nothing else. A shift or two, and I would be right as rain.

Nothing as bad as my hand. The multiple breaks. The resets. The scars and tenderness that lingered as a reminder of my reckless fuckups.

Overhead, a floorboard creaked. Claire stiffened, her eyes darting to the ceiling. Her hand crept toward mine, grasping tight as she tracked the footsteps above us.

My wolf slammed against my bones. Howled his rage. Clawed and snarled and bit to get out, to protect Claire, to tear the heart out of every wolf in this damn hovel.

The door at the top of the stairs creaked open. Heavy footsteps echoed down the stairwell, stopping at the bottom. A burly man with a scarred face came into view, his eyes glowing an unnatural amber in the dim light.

Motherfucker. Lincoln Palmer, the second of the Silver River pack, had a laundry list of brutalities to his name. He'd been the one pushing hardest for Shauna's match with Bowen, salivating at the thought of solidifying an alliance with the larger Black Sands pack. My wolf snarled, remembering the satisfied smirk on Lincoln's face when our alpha had announced Shauna's betrothal.

Now, seeing him here, in this dank basement, made my blood run cold. If Lincoln was involved, this wasn't just about retrieving Shauna anymore—this was about punishment, and he'd always had a talent for doling out pain in the most creative ways possible.

"Well, well. Sleeping beauty's finally awake," he sneered.

"You're a long way from home, Linc." I met his gaze, fighting back a growl. "Missed me that much?"

"Not even a little, you fucking prick." He chuckled, the sound grating on my nerves. "But I'll tell you, I'm anticipating the fuck out of you getting what you deserve for blowing up our entire pack. Hell, I've got front row seats."

"That so? Can't say I've ever given you that much thought. A stray think here and there, but nothing so... obsessively scheme-y." I smirked, flashing a bit of fang. "The price of unrequited love, I suppose."

"Laugh it up, asshole." Lincoln clenched his fists at his sides. "You're just the means to an end. Your alpha's got something that belongs to us. Two somethings, actually."

Rage boiled in my veins. My wolf clawed at my insides, desperate to tear this bastard limb from limb. But Claire's hand on my arm kept me grounded.

"You stupid fucks." I forced out a harsh laugh, the sound pulling at my ribs. "Didn't do your research, did you? Rafe won't stand to see Maddy harmed. And if you'd paid attention for more than five seconds, you'd know he'd love nothing more than to see me gone."

The corner of Lincoln's mouth twitched with the ghost of a smirk. "Who said anything about asking him nicely?"

The threat thickened the air in my lungs.

"From what I hear, wolves around here are soft little bitches," Lincoln continued, pacing in front of us. "Someone breaks a nail, and they come running like this is some damned superhero movie complete with happy endings."

He slowly turned his head, golden eyes locking on Claire. A cruel smile curved his lips, his teeth elongating into fangs. "Well, maybe happy for some of us."

The moment his hand reached for Claire, something inside me snapped. My vision went red, and I lunged. Pain exploded through my side as I slammed into Lincoln, but I didn't care.

Nothing mattered except protecting Claire.

We crashed to the ground, fists flying. My claws extended, and I slashed at his face. His head snapped back, and a spray of blood coated my hands.

He caught my next punch, wrenching my arm to the side. His knee collided with my ribs, sending agony ripping through my body. I bit back a howl of pain, twisting out of his reach.

I'd fought Lincoln a dozen times before, and I knew he played dirty. I couldn't afford to hesitate, couldn't give him half a chance to recover.

I lashed out with my boot, connecting with his thigh. His knee buckled, and I sprang forward, grabbing him in a chokehold and hauling him back.

Our momentum carried us into the wall. The impact jarred my spine, but I held firm. Lincoln thrashed against me, his eyes bulging as he clawed at my arms. But I held on, squeezing tighter, feeling the satisfying crunch of his windpipe beneath my forearms.

With a final gurgled gasp, his body went limp. I released him, letting him drop to the ground like the sack of shit he was.

"Keys," I rasped, hand clutching the sizzling fire in my side. "Check him for keys. We have to get out of here."

Claire's hands trembled as she patted him down, but her eyes were steel. "Got ‘em," she said, holding up a set of keys.

I grabbed her elbow, hurrying her toward the stairs. Every step sent jolts of agony through my side, but I pushed through it. Claire's ragged breaths echoed behind me as we climbed.

The musty scent of the basement gave way to fresher air as we burst through the door. Moonlight streamed through the dirty windows. Broken bits of furniture littered the space. It had been some kind of dining room, once, with a large table and broken chairs shoved to one side.

My gaze settled on the door—our way out. Freedom was so close I could taste it.

Then a shout rang out.

"They're escaping!"

Fuck.

"Run," I growled at Claire and shoved her to get her moving. Heavy footsteps thundered toward us. "Get out of here. Now."

Her eyes widened. "But?—"

"Go!"

I didn't wait to see if she obeyed. My shift ripped through me, bones breaking and muscles tearing as fur erupted across my skin.

In moments, my wolf was in control. A snarl rolled from my throat as I whirled to face the wolves bearing down on me. I recognized the faces from Bowen's pack. From my childhood, my fellow Silver River wolves. Enforcers, all of them.

All of them dead shifters walking.

I lunged at the first enforcer, catching him mid-shift and burying my fangs in his throat. Hot blood splattered my muzzle. He stumbled back, eyes wide and bloody gasps wheezing from his torn-out throat.

His death was only a momentary distraction, though. Another enforcer slammed into me, knocking me aside. Sharp teeth tore into my flank, and I yowled in pain.

But Claire hadn't run.

She stood her ground, wielding a broken chair leg like a club. Her face was a mask of determination as she swung at the wolf snapping at my side. The wood connected with a sickening crack, and the wolf stumbled back with a yelp.

Pride and terror warred within me. My brave, foolish mate.

More shouts echoed through the house. Fuck, fuck, fuck. How many were there? More than the five Claire estimated. Eight or nine, maybe?

We needed to get out the door. Into the night. Open air and open ground to hamper our pursuers.

I threw myself into the fray again, kicking and biting and clawing, distracting our attackers. As my paws crushed a pair of exposed windpipes, I stole a glance over my shoulder. Claire darted through the opening I created, still clutching the makeshift weapon.

Good. At least she had a chance.

My only regret was not telling her?—

Claire gasped, and the last trace of hope went out of the world.

I whirled, searching for Claire.

One of the bastards had her, his arm locked around her throat. Claire struggled, but she was no match for shifter strength. Fury and desperation clawed at my insides.

"Shift back, mutt," he sneered. "Or I'll snap her pretty little neck."

I snarled, hackles raised. I wanted to ignore his words, wanted to rip his head from his body. Claire's eyes met mine, wide with fear but still burning with defiance.

But it was too risky.

Slowly, I lowered myself to the ground. Defeat tasted bitter on my tongue.

Then Claire's eyes widened, fixed on something behind me. A feral grin spread across her face.

The window exploded in a shower of glass.

Rafe burst through, all snarling fury and razor-sharp fangs. He slammed into Claire's captor, sending them both tumbling across the floor. Claire scrambled away as the two of them grappled, their howls reverberating off the walls.

More crashes followed as the rest of the pack poured in. Elise and Orion, teeth bared and eyes blazing, crowded the doorway and cut off any escape route.

The room erupted into chaos. Snarls and yelps filled the air as fur and flesh collided. I kept Claire pressed against me, shielding her from the violence as best I could.

The fight was over in moments. Bodies littered the floor, most of them still. Only one remained conscious, pinned beneath Rafe's massive paw.

Rafe shifted, his hand wrapped around the wolf's throat. His voice was low and deadly serious as he leaned into his hold. "You're going to crawl back to whatever hole you came from and deliver a message. If you or any of your friends ever set foot in my territory again, I will personally rip out your spines and use them as chew toys. Do I make myself clear?"

The wolf nodded frantically, blood bubbling from his lips.

Rafe released him with a disgusted snort. "Get the fuck out of here."

As the defeated wolf scrambled away, I shifted back to human form. Pain radiated through my body, but I ignored it. All that mattered was Claire.

She threw herself into my arms, and I held her tight, breathing in her scent. Cinnamon and blackberries wrapped around me, soothing my tattered sanity.

Safe. She was safe.

"I told you to run," I murmured into her hair.

Claire pulled back, her eyes blazing. "And leave you behind? Not a chance in hell."

A raw, grateful laugh bubbled up from my chest. My brave, stubborn mate. I cupped her face in my hands, drinking in the sight of her. "Remind me never to piss you off. You're terrifying with a chair leg."

She grinned, so fierce and beautiful. So resilient. So alive. "Don't you forget it."

I leaned in, pressing my forehead to hers. Cinnamon and blackberries flooded my lungs. I inhaled deeply, memorizing her scent and the feel of her in my arms.

My wolf struggled inside me. A howl. A snarl. I bit my cheeks to hold him back once he realized what I meant to do.

I would never put Claire in danger again.

Even if it meant leaving her life completely.