Chapter 18 - Alek

The meeting with the rest of the Silver Wolves about plans to protect Iris and keep an eye out for the humans didn't amount to much. There hadn't been any sign of the humans anywhere nearby, and the general plans of trying to keep Iris safe basically amounted to more frequent patrols and making sure everyone in town knew she was under our protection. It was good to know what was going on, but the entire time, I just wanted to be back home with Iris. It was all I could do to keep still.

After the meeting was over, I stopped by the store. Iris had mentioned craving caramel as well as salt and vinegar chips—thankfully, not together—so I figured the least I could do was grab her those snacks.

It was amazing, how much our lives had changed in just a couple of months. Things between Iris and me were stronger than they had ever been. I trusted her entirely, even if she was still a little hesitant when it came to shifters. She was comfortable around the girls, as well as Malcolm and myself. At the very least, she seemed to be settling in better than I could have hoped. In a way, it felt like she had been here her entire life. She belonged here just as much as any shifter, and I thought she was finally starting to believe it herself.

And Iris had helped me, too. She had helped me learn to grow up and take responsibility, something I hadn't particularly cared to do until recently. And being with her had helped me control some of my impulsive nature. I felt like a new person, and I was completely smitten with Iris in a way I hadn't realized was possible.

In short, everything seemed to be going perfectly.

I had a spring in my step the entire walk back to the house. It was a perfect summer day, the sun shining overhead. The smells of the forest surrounding me on every side made me want to stretch my legs and go for a run. And I thought I might after making sure Iris was all right. Or maybe I'd suggest another skinny dip in the hot tub for both of us.

I rounded the corner and headed up the path toward the house. I froze when I saw the wide-open door.

"Iris?" I raced up the steps.

The locked door had been torn from the door frame, which was nearly in two pieces as it hung from a single hinge. Beyond that, things didn't look much out of the ordinary. No overturned furniture, no broken glass. Nothing.

Except for the body on the floor.

I raced over to where Tannen lay prone on the ground. Spinning him over, I heard him groan, and I sighed in relief. My stomach lurched when I saw the bullet wound in his shoulder. It was healing but slower than it should have been.

"What happened?"

"A couple guys came in, shot me immediately. I blacked out. Something in the bullet, I guess. I don't know what." He grunted and rolled his shoulder. "I'll be all right in a bit, I think. I'm sorry, Alek."

I gnashed my teeth. But it wasn't Tannen's fault. "We should have figured out they would have things to weaken shifters," I said. "Are you able to get to the mansion?"

Tannen nodded.

"Go there, tell them what happened. I'm going after Iris."

Iris's scent was here, but it was faint, and I could only smell it deeper in the house. Anything else was covered up. Outside, there was no trace of her, either.

My heart thudded. She wouldn't have left without even a note. And that wouldn't explain the busted-in front door. No, something else was happening here. Something far more sinister.

There were no scents to track, which seemed impossible. There was always a scent.

At least, if only humans were involved. Humans didn't know how to conceal their scents properly from shifters.

But other shifters knew how. And there was only one shifter I could think of who had openly hated Iris. One shifter who had threatened her, and who might have gone so far as to attack her.

"That fucker," I snarled.

Rage washed over me, and I didn't give myself any time to think or reconsider. The caramels and chips fell to the floor as I ran outside. One second, I was human. Mid-stride, I became a wolf. I growled and bristled, letting my wolf's rage and protective instincts wash over me and take over. All I cared about in that moment was finding Iris and making sure she was safe. And the first step in doing that was to find Dan. Because I knew he had something to do with all of this. And if he thought he was going to get away with it by concealing his scent, he had another thing coming.

My wolf wanted to tear him to shreds the instant we saw him, but I needed him. I needed information only he could give. I could tear his throat out later if I wanted. But at the moment, that came second to making sure Iris was alive and all right.

And if she weren't, I would make Dan and anyone else involved pay.

He'd made the effort to hide it for a long distance, but that didn't matter. I knew where he lived, and I went immediately there. He wasn't at his house, but his scent was, and the freshest trail of it led into the woods nearby. Snarling, I raced for the woods, keeping track of the scent and racing toward its source.

I followed it into the trees, my rage growing. Every second spent chasing him was a second Iris was in trouble. I couldn't have that—I needed to get to her. And the quickest way to get to her was through Dan.

I saw him an instant before he sensed I was there, his head shooting up seconds before I pounced on his back. My paws landed on the hard ground as he dodged away a second before I would have hit him. I snarled, rounding on him, fur bristling. But a second later, the wolf was gone, and a bemused Dan appeared instead.

"Dude, what the hell?" he demanded. His outrage and wild-eyed confusion were so convincing and looked so genuine that for a moment, I almost thought I'd missed the mark. I shifted back, panting from where I had run the entire way. I might have believed him, too, if it weren't for the slight flicker in his eyes as he asked, "Why are you attacking me?"

"What the fuck did you do to Iris?" I growled.

Dan scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't give enough of a shit about that human to do anything to her."

I stalked toward him, still fuming, still bristling. "Don't pull that bullshit with me. Iris is missing, and I know you had a hand in it."

Dan barked out a laugh, folding his arms and refusing to back down. "You can't really expect me to have done something that stupid. And why would I?"

"I don't know. Why would you?" I was in his face now.

"How do you know she didn't just run away?"

A new scent hit me, and rage washed over me. Grabbing his throat, I slammed him against the tree. "I can smell her on you," I snarled.

It was faint, just the smallest of traces. But I knew her scent well enough to recognize it anywhere. He might have covered up his scent at my house, but he hadn't remembered to get it off him.

His eyes flew open with panic, then turned to cold rage before turning wolfish. His teeth lengthened to fangs as he snarled and pushed back, his own hands slamming into my chest. I took two steps back but didn't let go of my grip on his throat. My fingers lengthened to claws, pressing into the flesh of his neck.

"Tell me where she is," I said.

"Make me," Dan growled.

I'd been trying to work on impulse control, but even I had my limits, especially when it came to Iris's safety. I snarled, slamming his back to the tree and digging my claws deeper into his neck.

"If you kill me, you're never going to see her again," Dan choked out.

"Then tell me where the fuck she is, and I won't," I snarled.

"All right," he gasped. "All right."

I released him, but the instant he was free, he lunged for me again, throwing me to the ground. He shifted, and the great weight of a massive wolf pressed down on me. Before he could bite down on my throat, I turned into a wolf, snarling and pushing myself up, throwing him off me. He slammed into a tree, collapsing to the ground, but I didn't believe it was over for a second. I darted forward, trying to get the upper hand as I let anger and adrenaline flow through me.

But I was a fraction too late.

He moved toward me, claws raking across my flank, teeth sinking into my shoulder as he bit down. Fiery pain lanced through me, but I couldn't stop. There was too much at stake. My fur grew damp with blood as I staggered. Dan was more powerful, but I was faster. I had to use that to my advantage.

He pounced again. This time, I dodged, darting out of the way even as my side screamed in protest. I couldn't let this last much longer, not with my side as torn up as it was. Before he could spin around, I charged toward him, barreling into his side and knocking him over so he was flat on his back. My claws raked into his stomach, drawing blood as I leapt on top of him, stopping him from moving.

I pressed against his throat, making it perfectly obvious that I could crush it in a moment. He glowered, then shifted back, human eyes glaring hatefully at me.

"Why the fuck are you doing this for a human?" he demanded.

"You mean, besides the fact that it's fucking common decency? Maybe because I care about her."

"She would have turned on you eventually," he spat, though the menacing effect was limited by the rasp in his voice with my hand still on his throat.

"Is that what happened to you?" I asked. "Or do you just hate humans in general?"

I could see in his eyes that I'd been on the money. Some human woman had rejected him, so he'd decided all humans were the same. "You're a fucking idiot," I scoffed.

Dan snarled but stayed silent. My eyes blazed fire as I glowered down at him.

"Tell me what you did with her."

He glowered at me, but after a moment, he finally caved. "I didn't do anything," he said, then his grin turned wolfish. "Can't say the same about her brother or father, though."

The words slammed into me so hard that I nearly reeled back. He tried to use my shock to get the upper hand, his claws swiping at my face. I grabbed his hand just in time and twisted. He howled, and I was fairly certain something had snapped. I didn't particularly care.

"What the fuck did you do?" I demanded.

"I told them where they could find Iris and that she was pregnant." He grinned. "You know, the types of things family members generally like to know."

"You took them to her," I said, and he didn't deny it. "Where are they?"

He laughed until my hand tightened around his throat, then he started choking again.

"Where are they?" I demanded.

"Home," he choked out. "At least, that's what I'd assume."

I let him go, standing up. He propped himself up, glaring at me and rubbing his throat.

"Get the fuck out of my sight," I said. "And I swear to god, if I see you again, I won't be this lenient."

I turned, about to shift again to race after Iris. I didn't know exactly where her family lived, but if I could get close enough, I knew I'd be able to catch the scent. If I could get back to where I'd run into her when all this began, I knew I could find the village.

Dan rasped out a laugh. "Trust me, I won't be around here much longer."

The arrogant way he laughed made my blood run cold. I turned to stare at him.

"What did you do, Dan?" I asked, my throat hoarse.

"I didn't do anything," he said. "But I would say her family and that village of hers aren't going to wait much longer. There's a storm coming. And because I helped them, they gave me the heads-up."

They were coming for us. That's what he was saying. And even if I went to get Iris, we'd still be dealing with a war, and Brixton would be the first target. I was the only one who knew at the moment.

As the realization struck, I let my guard down, and Dan went in for the kill. He lunged for me again, shifting halfway through.

He nearly got the jump on me, and I barely managed to step away in time. By the time he landed, however, I was back to a wolf and racing straight to where he was going to land.

Injured as he was, Dan wasn't expecting me to be there right when he landed. I pounced, snarling, fur bristling, as I attacked the man who had put Iris in danger. My jaws clamped around his throat and bit down. A crunch of bone and splatter of blood followed, and Dan stopped moving.

I dropped the body immediately, panting as my mind raced with fury and concern. Iris was in trouble, but so was the rest of the pack. Both needed me.

I wanted to run straight for Iris, and I nearly did. But common sense prevailed, and I raced toward the mansion. I couldn't be impulsive this time. If Dan had been telling the truth, there were a bunch of humans with dangerous weapons ready to ambush us. Jameson and the others had to be warned. And if the humans had that kind of firepower, I couldn't just dash in to help Iris, no matter how badly I wanted to. I needed the Silver Wolves' help, both to protect the town and to protect Iris.

***

I burst into the mansion without knocking, marching straight to the living room. "They took Iris," I panted.

Rand, Mark, Tannen, Jameson, and Malcolm were all there. Tannen looked better. Whatever had been on the bullets seemed to have moved out of his system. All heads snapped toward me.

"We know. Tannen told us." Jameson growled, hands flexing into claws, anger in his eyes.

"There's more."

I gave them the briefest of rundowns, just enough to give them the essentials. But even that delay grated at me. I wanted to be gone already.

"So we've got people coming our way unless we stop them?" Rand asked.

"Sounds like it," Jameson answered.

"You guys can stay here and guard," I said. "I'm going after Iris."

"I'm coming, too," Malcolm said, and I nodded my appreciation.

Jameson nodded. "We'll split the crew into two groups," he said. "Rand, Mark, Tannen, and Malcolm, you guys go with Alek since you're already here. The rest of us will stay here and shore up our defenses, all right?"

The guys nodded, all moving to the door simultaneously. As he passed, Malcolm clapped me on the shoulder, turning me to look at him.

"We're going to get her back, Alek," he promised.

I nodded, still fuming, still only focused on getting Iris back. My wolf snarled internally, ready to tear into everyone who had even thought about harming Iris. But I couldn't let my emotions get in the way here. The more I let my emotions take over, the more likely it was that we wouldn't get to Iris in time. I had to control them.

Still fuming, I spun on my heels and followed the rest of the group, ready to shift and charge into the woods. Ready to find and save Iris.