Chapter 20 - Alek

Iris's trail and scent grew stronger, and I was certain we were on the right track.

As we raced through the woods, I began to recognize some landmarks: where Dan and I had killed the deer, where I had seen Iris and her family the day I found her again, the clearing where we used to meet. I pushed forward, certain we were close, knowing that whenever we found the village, we would likely have a fight waiting for us.

Soon, we started moving into groups of houses. They were sparse at first but then grew more clustered. The houses were deserted, though. No one came to fight us or sound the alarm.

It wasn't until we got into the center of town that I realized why. Everyone was there, waiting for us. They'd had some sort of early alarm.

The grizzled man in front held a gun pointed at me as we charged forward. I recognized him from his scent as much as by his looks. Iris's dad. I snarled, then shifted back to human. The rest of the Silver Wolves stayed in wolf form, waiting to see what happened next.

"Where is she?" I demanded.

"Are you the one who kidnapped my little girl?" Iris's dad asked. His weathered face was twisted into a smirk, his nasty-looking rifle resting over his shoulder. The barrel was wide, apparently designed for large bullets, with a jagged bayonet-like protrusion at the end. "I'm David. You can walk right back around and leave us the fuck alone, or you can deal with bullets and wolfsbane."

Wolfsbane. An herb known to weaken shifters and cut off some of their abilities, including their ability to shift and heal quickly. But neither I nor the other Silver Wolves backed down from the group of barrels pointed at us.

"If by kidnap, you mean rescued her from this shithole and your abuse?" I said. "Then yes. That was me." I stalked toward him. "Tell me where she is, and I will let you live."

David's laugh was jagged and rough. "And why would I tell you where my daughter is?"

"You've been using her for too long," I growled. "I'm not letting you do this to her any longer."

"She's my daughter. Just because you knocked her up doesn't give you any claim to her."

Claim? The word made me want to tear him to shreds. He saw Iris as property. She deserved so much better.

"I'll be able to find her regardless of your help," I growled. "The only question right now is whether you get to live or not."

David laughed, shaking his head. "You've got a lot to learn, wolf," he jeered.

"You want to see me be a wolf?" I grinned, my teeth lengthening into sharp fangs. "I'm more than happy to oblige."

I lunged forward, turning into a wolf as I did. But before I could get all the way toward David, the gun went off. Pain shot into my arm, and I collapsed, grunting and panting. I shifted back to human, hand going to my bleeding shoulder.

"Bullets coated in wolfsbane," David said smugly, stalking toward me. Behind him, the rest of the men held their ground, waiting to see what happened. "Great stuff, isn't it?"

I glared up at him as I panted, chest heaving. I wanted to shift back into a wolf and tear his throat out, but the poison my body was currently trying to fight off made it impossible. I staggered to my feet, willing myself to have enough strength to push through the pain and keep moving. It was the only way I would be able to protect Iris.

David laughed, clearly seeing the pain on my face.

"Why don't I give you a more concentrated dose?" he asked, unsheathing a dagger at his hip. "How about one right in your heart?"

He lunged forward, knife raised, ready to stab downward into my chest. I dodged out of the way just in time, barely avoiding the slice of the knife. I didn't know how much poison my body was currently fighting off, but I knew adding more injuries filled with wolfsbane could be deadly. I had to avoid getting scratched again.

He swiped with the blade, and I dodged again, trying to figure out an opening that would give me the freedom I needed to dart in and end this. But the flailing knife meant that I had to keep dodging. It was impossible for me to maneuver into striking distance without getting hit.

My shoulder ached and bled, and even though I could tell my body was fighting the poison, I also knew I wouldn't be able to last forever. My body was taking too long to heal from the poison. If I didn't end this soon, he'd get another jump on me, and I'd be dead.

I also didn't have any weapons. I couldn't shift, not with the poison in my system, so I wasn't going to be able to use my claws or my teeth. I had no way to defend myself.

The knife swiped forward again, this time barely missing me. I knew I couldn't wait around any longer.

Darting my hand out, I grabbed the man's wrist, twisting it as hard as I could. David yowled, dropping the knife. Before I could reach down to grab it, he kicked it away, and it went skittering across the road.

Still panting heavily, I elbowed David in the face. He reeled backward as I raced for the knife. I may have been weakened by the wolfsbane, but I was still fast, and I managed to clear the distance before he could pounce on me.

I grabbed the knife and spun to see David right there. He grabbed my wrist, twisting it and trying to gain control of the blade, turning it so it was pointed at me rather than him. I grunted, turning it backward and pointing it toward him. I wasn't going to let this asshole take Iris away from me. Not after all this time.

Thinking of her gave me a new burst of strength. Gritting my teeth, I lashed out with my legs, sweeping his feet out from under him. He collapsed to the ground, and I was on top of him. The blade plunged downward, piercing his skin, sliding through his ribcage and straight into his heart. David gaped, then stilled, his glassy, now-sightless eyes staring upward.

I stood straight, looking down at the corpse. My body was finally beginning to restore its strength, fighting off the poison, which, considering we were still surrounded by a bunch of humans with shifter-killing weapons, was a good thing.

No one moved for a long moment, everyone on both sides waiting for someone else to make the first move. Then Malcolm stepped forward beside me.

"Go," Malcolm said to me as he looked at the stunned humans, all gaping at their fallen leader. Some looked angry, others looked frightened. "We'll handle it from here."

I didn't know which house was Iris's, but I could still track her scent. And I remembered her comment about having the biggest house in the village.

Those two things alone made me pull up short in front of a decent-sized home. No lights were on, but this was the strongest her scent had been so far. Arm and shoulder still aching, I pushed my way inside.

Silence was all that greeted me, and for a moment, I was worried that I'd been wrong. "Iris?" I yelled, my heart in my throat.

"Alek?" Though muffled, Iris's voice was music to my ears, and she sounded stunned and relieved to hear me. "Alek, is that you?"

"It's me!" I pricked my ears, trying to locate where she was.

"Oh, thank god. I'm in the basement. There's a door off the kitchen."

They'd thrown her in the basement? I would have been furious if I weren't so preoccupied with getting to her. Right now, I was too relieved I had found her to think much of anything else.

The door off the kitchen was locked, but all it took was a strong shove to tear it from its frame, revealing a set of wooden steps that led down into darkness. Iris's scent was stronger here, and the sound of her breathing crept up the stairs into my ears.

She was there. She was alive.

"Is there anything I need to worry about?" I asked. "Any traps?"

"No. It's safe."

I raced down the stairs. Iris leaned against the wall. Dirt covered her clothes, and her hair was scraggly. But she looked absolutely gorgeous, especially when our eyes met and she smiled.

I raced over, not even giving her time to speak, and wrapped my arms around her. I needed to touch her, to make sure she was safe.

Her own hands wrapped around me. "I'm all right," she soothed. She squeezed me tight, as if she needed the same reassurance I did. I buried my nose in her hair, needing her scent, needing that extra reassurance she and our cubs were okay. My wolf calmed, tail swishing contentedly now that he was close to his mate again.

"I was so worried something would happen to you," she said to me breathlessly. "Dad said he had some sort of weapon that would—" She stopped, pulling away to look at her arm, currently slick with blood from the wound on my shoulder. Her eyes flew wide as she looked from my arm to my face.

"He did have some sort of weapon," I admitted. "But it wasn't enough. I'm fine."

She swallowed, looking back at the wound. "Is he…" She trailed off.

"He's dead," I said.

"Oh…" She fell silent, processing everything.

"I'm sorry," I said.

She shook her head, then took an uneasy breath. "No, no it's fine. Just a bit of a shock."

I pulled her back into my arms. "I understand," I said into her hair. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"Right." She paused, then gave me an awkward smile. "Um, might need your help, though."

I blinked, frowning. "What?"

In answer, she looked down. I followed suit, and a fresh wave of anger washed over me as I took in the band of iron wrapped around her ankle. I no longer felt even remotely sorry about killing her father.

"Those fuckers," I snarled.

"Worry about it later," she said, her soft hand going to my face. "Dad's dead already. You've gotten your revenge. In the meantime, let's get out of here. I'm tired of staring at the mold on the walls."

I couldn't decide whether to laugh or be furious. But it didn't matter. If she was able to joke, that meant she was okay.

I broke the chain easily. The shackle was still there, but we could take it off later. I broke the link closest to her ankle so there wasn't a trail.

"Is your brother around?" I asked.

"I don't know," she said. "I haven't heard him or anything. He wasn't with Dad?"

I shook my head, trying to temper my growing unease. I'd be happier knowing exactly what had happened to him. "One of the other Silver Wolves probably got to him," I said, knowing I'd check with them later. The only thing I cared about right now was getting Iris to safety.

"I'll go up first," I said, craning my neck to peer at the light streaming in from the kitchen. I didn't see or hear anything. "Stay behind me."

Iris nodded. We moved up the steps, each creak giving away our location. If her brother was anywhere in the house, he would know what we were doing. The instant we were in the kitchen, Iris grabbed a chef's knife, gripping it tightly. I nodded my approval.

But nothing happened. Everything was silent as we moved through the house, and it seemed like we might just get out of here in one piece.

It wasn't until we got out of the house that something went wrong.

A yell shattered the silence, and before I could react or do anything, Iris screamed as a sharp, stabbing pain pierced my shoulder.

I grunted, spinning around to see Jason. I took a step closer to him, fully intending to swipe at him, but then I staggered, falling to all fours.

"Have fun with that," Jason jeered. "It has wolfsbane on it."

I believed him. My body suddenly felt heavy, and it was hard to get up. It had taken long enough to fight off the effects from the bullet, and I was still recovering. A second dose now was close to a death sentence. The only reason it wasn't was because there had been some time since I'd been shot.

"Jason, don't—" Iris said, but Jason wasn't listening. He already had another knife in his hand, ready to strike.

"Relax, sis," Jason said. "I'll deal with you in a minute. Just because this asshole killed Dad doesn't mean anything's changed. Just who's in charge." He gave a feral, predatory grin. "And that's me."

He jabbed downward. I rolled out of the way, the blade grazing my shoulder.

"Jason, stop!"

Jason shoved his sister away, and she stumbled backward.

"You and your kind should have stayed away from my sister," Jason hissed at me. "We might have let you live for a bit longer. I'm going to enjoy this."

"Don't you hurt him," Iris snarled, brandishing the kitchen knife we'd taken. Her hands trembled, and she was paler than normal, but the look in her eyes told me she meant business. She stared her brother down. "Don't you hurt him, Jason, or I swear I'll stab you myself."

Her brother's laugh boomed in the open air. "You haven't been able to hurt a fly before, Iris. And I've seen you try," he jeered. "You think you'll be able to stab your own brother?"

She narrowed her eyes. "You don't think I would do anything to protect Alek and my babies? Then try me."

"Iris, don't—" I began.

"I know what I'm doing," she cut me off. But did she? If that second blade was poisoned with wolfsbane as well, a single scratch could kill her. It poisoned shifters, but it killed humans outright. Iris was putting her and our babies at risk. "Trust me on this."

Jason snorted, rolling his eyes. He took one last glance at me before lunging toward his sister, knife outstretched. She darted out of the way, nimble despite the fact that she was showing. Jason stumbled past her, trying to get his footing. He lashed out with the knife again, but her arm was already there to block it. He stabbed again, and she dodged once more. Every thrust of his knife was blocked or dodged with ease as she danced gracefully, her own knife still clutched in her hand.

I watched in amazement as the poison pumped through me. She was incredible. It was as if—

As if she knew what her brother was going to do before he did it.

I started laughing. God, I loved this woman. She was fighting for herself, me, and our cubs.

Jason heard the laughter, and his head whipped toward me. His eyes widened a second too late as he realized what was really happening. He spun as if about to run, knowing he couldn't win—

Iris's blade slid into his back, straight where his heart was. Staggering briefly, Jason fell to his knees before collapsing face-first into the dirt and going still.

"Are you all right?" Iris ran over to me, lifting me up to a seated position.

"I'll be fine," I said. "Poison'll run its course, and I'll be good as new. Klyte keeps a couple of antidotes on hand for cases like this, so I'll be able to get it taken care of once we get back. But, Iris…" I took her hand, squeezing it tight as I beamed up at her. "That was incredible! I can't believe you just did that. You were using your powers in almost real time to make the perfect move. I didn't realize your powers had developed that much."

"I hadn't, either," Iris admitted, blushing. "But I guess the thought of him coming after you or the babies made it so I was able to do it."

"It was incredible," I said. Giving a breathless laugh, I shook my head and pulled her closer. "Come here, you."

Her lips were warm and soft. If I had the time or the energy, I might have fucked her right there. But my body ached, and I could tell by the look in Iris's eyes that she was exhausted, too.

"Before we go," I said, "I need you to know how much I love you. You are, without a doubt, the best thing that's happened to me. I'm not really great at these sorts of things, but I want you to know that I love you for you. And I will always be there for you."

Iris beamed. Her eyes began to water, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. "I love you, too, Alek," she said. "And I'm sorry I ever worried about you being a shifter or how this would work out between us. I should have trusted you and known you would never hurt me."

I paused, considering. "I mean, I did kind of kidnap you," I admitted. "So you had grounds for suspicion when you really think about it. I guess I should probably apologize for the whole kidnapping-you thing, too."

Iris blinked, then started laughing. "You know? I almost completely forgot about that," she said, and brought her lips to mine.

Rustling to our left was the only thing that broke the kiss. I spun, holding onto Iris, ready to fight despite the wolfsbane still pumping through my body. I only relaxed when I saw Tannen and Malcolm strolling toward us, both a little bruised but not seriously injured.

Malcolm saw me and raised an eyebrow. "More wolfsbane?" he asked. When I nodded, he clicked his tongue, every bit the old boss I'd admired and been terrified of. "Getting sloppy if you're letting a human get the drop on you like that."

"Oh, knock it off," Tannen said to Malcolm. "Rand got scratched by one, too. Mark's checking on him. Besides that, though, everyone surrendered pretty quickly. Most of the fight left them after their leader died." He looked at Iris. "Iris, you okay?"

"Still recovering and a bit shaky, but I'll be all right, thanks."

"You should have seen her, Malcolm," I said, beaming proudly. "She used her powers like it was second nature. Managed to avoid every swipe of her brother's dagger no matter what he did."

Malcolm grinned. "Excellent," he said. "See?" he said to Iris. "I told you it would pay off."

"I think it was a fluke," she said, blushing. "Sort of brought on by adrenaline, you know? I couldn't do anything like that earlier. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been dragged back here in the first place."

"Fight or flight is a powerful tool," Malcolm agreed. "But that doesn't change the fact that you were able to do so."

I groaned. "Malcolm, you've got that look you used to get when you watched us sparring on the training mat. At least give her until after the babies are here."

Malcolm grumbled about not getting to have any fun.

"You could always come out of retirement and go back to the military," I pointed out.

Malcolm scoffed. "If I do that, I'm dragging you boys with me."

I opened my mouth, then closed it, knowing him well enough to know he wasn't joking.

"On second thought, retirement suits you," I said as I stood with a grunt, dusting off my pants and looking at Iris with a smile. "Let's go home."