Chapter 19

Pausing at the edge of the meadow, Norm scanned it carefully before sniffing the air to confirm that no one had been there since he'd left. Turning to Steel beside him, he murmured, "The path to the cave is on the other side."

Nodding, Steel took several steps before he felt Norm's hand on his arm. Raising an eyebrow, he glanced at him, waiting for an explanation.

"It's hard to find, especially since I made a lot of false trails," Norm said.

"I'll follow you," Steel replied, letting him pass, before falling in behind him.

Walking through the meadow's tall grass, Norm decided it would be better to alert Steel to Danny's recent behavior before they got to the cave. "Uhmm…there's something you should know about Danny…"

"What about him? Has he been hurt?" Steel asked.

Stopping, Norm turned to look at Steel. "No, trust me, Danny is fine…it's just…well…it's just…"

"What? Tell me."

"Well, he thinks he's the Alpha of the kids…"

Chuckling, Steel said, "I already knew that."

"Yeah…well he also thinks he's the Alpha of Smokey, Theo, and me. Right now, he's in the cave protecting Theo and the youngsters but before that, he insisted on leading everyone on our way to the cave, and then he tried to follow Smokey when he went after Willow."

Smiling broadly, Steel said, "Wait until I tell Jackson."

"Well, just don't be surprised if Danny challenges us when we approach. I left him in charge of protecting the group and, trust me, he takes his responsibility very seriously."

"Thanks for the info," Steel replied, his voice full of amusement.

"Yeah…well don't say I didn't warn you," Norm muttered, irked that Steel found it so funny.

~/~/~/~/~

Following Willow's and his mother's scent, Jackson headed into the woods, debating if he should shift. If he encountered Josiah, then the size of Jackson's wolf certainly would be superior to his uncle's wolf, but a gun would more than even the odds in favor of his uncle. Deciding to wait until he had more information, he turned to Groose. "I want the men to spread out in the trees on either side of me…and make sure they conceal themselves from anyone approaching me on the path. Josiah has a gun, I don't want to give him more targets to shoot at."

"Do you want me to send a few of the men to scout ahead of us?" asked Groose.

"No, not yet," Jackson replied. "I don't know if he has others with him and the last thing I want to do right now is to let them know we're here."

"Understood. Uh, boss, I think I…"

"I hear it too, Groose," Jackson muttered, holding up his hand, signaling everyone to halt where they were. "Let's get off the path." Ducking behind a wide tree trunk, he checked to make sure they were hidden before shifting his gaze back to the path. From the sound of it, someone was in a hurry, the question was whether it was friend or foe.

Using his wolf sense of smell, he sniffed several times before finally catching Willow's scent, but as much as he'd hoped, his mother's scent was not to be found. Fear curled around his heart as he continued toward his mother's friend.

~/~/~/~/~

Impatiently hitting the button on the intercom, Reeve's jaw was clenched so tight, he could almost feel his teeth cracking. Just as it had been on his first visit, the fifteen-foot-high iron gates blocked his way into the Blackwood Pack compound, requiring permission to enter. But this time, the delay in opening the gates was really pissing him off. If Jackson was right, Josiah was his for the taking, and that thought stirred his animal because they were now one step closer to claiming their mate. But first…

"Hello?"

"Reeve Nicolet."

There was silence for a moment before the intercom crackled again. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Jackson called me…he's expecting me," Reeve growled.

"Just a minute, please."

"No…you listen to me. I'm here on official High Council business, so open the damn gates or I'll open them myself!" He was about to get out of his truck and make good on his threat when he heard the grinding of the gears. Waiting impatiently as the gates finally began to open, Reeve pressed down on the gas pedal and drove through, the sides of his truck nearly scraping them. Without hesitation, he sped up the road to the Blackwood Pack house, leaving a trail of dust for the rest of his men's vehicles to drive through.

Reeve yanked the steering wheel sharply to the left as he took a curve at full speed, cursing as the truck's back end began to fishtail. Quickly regaining control, he continued, intent on catching his quarry. Focusing his mind on Josiah, he was approaching the last bend in the road when he was confronted by a barrier of men strung across his path—enforcers by the look of them. Skidding to a stop, Reeve waited until one of the men approached the side of his truck. Rolling down his window, he said, "I have an arrest warrant for Josiah Silver Point. Where's Jackson?"

"Not here," Turk said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Where is he? I need to talk to him right away," growled Reeve, angry at the delay. When an answer wasn't forthcoming, Reeve opened the truck's door and stepped out. Digging out his wallet from his back pocket, he opened it and waved his badge at the man. "As I said, this is official High Council business…now you and your men better move aside or I'll arrest the lot of you for obstructing me."

Gesturing with his finger for Reeve to wait, Turk called Steel. After explaining the situation, he handed the phone to Reeve. "The Alpha Mate wants to talk to you."

Putting it up to his ear, Reave asked, "Where's Jackson?"

"He went after the gunman…"

"What the fuck! Why didn't he wait for me?" Reeve snarled.

Ignoring the question, Steel asked, "How many men are with you?"

"About twenty."

"Good…if it is Josiah, you'll need them, especially if he isn't alone. Turk will show you the path Jackson took."

"How long ago did he leave?" asked Reeve.

"Thirty, maybe forty minutes ago," Steel replied. "You'd best hurry if you want to catch up."

"Will do." Handing the phone back to Turk, Reeve turned to the four vehicles behind his truck, signaling their occupants to get out and join him. Once they were gathered around him, he said, "Listen up, the Blackwood Pack Alpha has already left so to catch up, we have to move fast. Any questions?"

"What formation do you want?" asked Eddie.

"Single file, for now," Reeve answered. Then, turning to Turk, he said, "Ready when you are."

Nodding, Turk headed for the trees at the farthest point from where they stood.

Following, Reeve held back his irritation at the pace Jackson's man was setting, but as much as he wanted to chew him out for his apparent lack of urgency, he bit his tongue. It wouldn't do him any good to get into a pissing match. When Turk finally pointed him in the direction Jackson had taken, Reeve broke into a dead-out run, intent on finding him as soon as possible. The sound of his men's footsteps assured him they were right behind him. Not breaking his stride, he maneuvered deftly around obstacles in his way that threatened to impede his progress. Reeve was determined to take Josiah down—and he'd bedamned if he'd let that fucker escape again.

~/~/~/~/~

Approaching the cave, Steel and his men were confronted by a snarling Daniel, whose hackles were clearly up. Smiling at the cute picture his Alpha son made, he said, "Hey Danny, come to papa."

Norm grinned as Danny bared his teeth and charged at Steel. Trying to prevent a confrontation, he stepped in front of Steel, holding up his hand. "Stop, Danny…we're all here to help get everyone back to the pack house." He watched as Danny halted, then slowly walked over to Steel, sniffing his father's shoes.

"What the hell?" Steel muttered, keeping his eyes on his son.

"I told you…Danny has suddenly become an uber-Alpha," Norm replied, watching Danny proceed to sniff the rest of the enforcers who accompanied them.

"But…but…he knows me…he knows all of us," Steel said.

"I know, but he isn't taking any chances…I left him in charge of protecting Theo and the kids and that's exactly what he's doing. You should be proud of him."

"Of course I am…but," Steele said, pausing for a moment before continuing in a whisper. "He's only a pup."

"Yeah, well…I don't think he got the memo," Norm said, chuckling.

"Danny," Theo called, from inside the cave. "Is it safe for us to come out?"

Staring in disbelief, Steel watched as Danny answered, barking his assurances to Theo.

"Thank you," Theo said, emerging from the cave, surrounded by the kids. Picking up Eamon, he handed him to Norm. "Did you bring more blankets? Even with the fire, Galen and Eamon were cold. Thankfully, Jake and Jessica have their fur to keep them warm."

"Yup…Steel, can you help?" Norm asked, handing his backpack over.

Opening it up, Steel pulled out two jackets along with boots, hats, and mittens for the brothers. Handing one set to Theo for Galen, he helped put the other clothes on Eamon, who'd refused to leave Norm's arms. Then, he asked, "Is everyone ready?" Smiling when a chorus of barks and yeses answered him, Steel turned to head back to the clearing. Leading the way, he started down the path, but suddenly realized no one was following him. Looking behind him, his jaw dropped at what he saw. What the hell is going on?

Standing behind the little Alpha wolf pup, Norm shook his head. "I told you…Danny goes first."

"Pooh bear's right," Theo said. "Danny gets to lead his pack."

"His pack?" Steel asked. "You mean the puppy pack, right?"

Shrugging Theo replied, "Yeah…but it appears Norm and me and Smokey are also part of his pack now."

"Can we go?" Galen whined. "I gotta be home for Remee and Carsey."

"Me, too," Eamon said, tiredly.

Raising an eyebrow, Norm looked at Steel, waiting for him to step aside and when that didn't happen, he said, "It's been a long day for the kids and the sooner we get them back home, the better I'll feel."

Exhaling, Steel nodded, stepping aside to let his son pass him. He fell in behind him, watching Danny lead the group to the clearing. He wasn't sure what to make of his son's newfound Alpha behavior, but a discussion with his father and Jackson was now on the agenda—and the sooner, the better.

~/~/~/~/~

Before Josiah could raise his gun, Smokey's claws tore into the alpha's stomach, eviscerating him and tossing his guts onto the ground. Then, stepping back, he saw the fear in Josiah's face as he looked down at the bloody, ragged opening where his belly had been. Smokey felt no pity for him. Using a gun was behavior he expected from humans, but never from a shifter—it reeked of cowardice.

Screaming in pain, Josiah dropped his gun and attempted to use both hands to close the gaping wound, but to no avail. He was bleeding out and was soon surrounded by a pool of blood.

Smokey's eyes glowed and a red haze clouded his vision. Rage had overtaken him. Without pausing, he thrust his claws into Josiah's chest, grabbing his heart, ripping it out, and tossing it aside. His bear had risen within him—not to be satisfied until nothing was left of the depraved monster who'd shot him.

Forcing a full shift, Smokey's bear began to tear Josiah's corpse apart with its teeth until all that remained were pieces of flesh scattered on the forest floor. Lifting his head and baring his teeth, he roared mightily, silencing the forest as he broadcast his conquest over the evil alpha.

Hope had stumbled and fallen to the ground when the man attacked Josiah. Unsure about what was happening at first, her eyes widened at the scene unfolding before her. Scooting backward, she put as much space between her and the attack as possible. Speechless, she watched as the bear destroyed the demon who had caused so much suffering for her family and herself. Taking a deep breath, she slowly let it out—along with all her fears and nightmares.

After several more bellows, Smokey forced his bear into a shift and reclaimed his human form, his body still filled with adrenaline. Opening and closing his fists, Smokey couldn't stop the anger still raging within him. He looked around at Josiah's scattered remains. You motherfucker! You had it too easy. You deserved to suffer more for what you did and every other thing you put your filthy hands on.

Hope gasped when she realized the grizzly bear who'd tried to rescue her and Willow was the man who now stood over the remains of Josiah's body. How could he have survived Josiah's bullets? Now, though, he needed her. Keeping all her movements slow, Hope rose and walked over to him, hesitating a moment before gently rubbing her hand along his arm. She waited until the man's fists finally relaxed before saying, "Easy…it's okay…he's dead and won't be able to hurt anyone again."

Smokey's eyes shifted from the gruesome scene before him to the small, motherly-looking woman beside him. Her touch was exactly what he needed—and what his bear needed—to quiet the rage inside both of them. Finally calming down, his eyes met Hope's. "Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Shaking her head, Hope murmured, "No…not at all. How did you find me?"

"Willow."

"Willow? She's alive?" asked Hope, disbelief in her voice.

"She is and sent me after you. She wanted to come, but I asked her to go get Jackson, instead. I expect him to be here shortly."

"I don't understand…Josiah shot Willow…"

Hearing the distress in Hope's voice, Smokey put an arm around her, giving her a gentle squeeze. "I was able to help her…she's fine now…I swear it."

Brushing a lone tear away, Hope looked up at the man. "Thank you very much…she's my best friend."

"Her son is my best friend."

Hope stared up at him, the pieces finally falling into place. "You're Smokey, aren't you? Willow has told me so much about you and Ghost."

"Yes ma'am. Willow is like a mother to both of us. When I heard her scream, I knew she was in trouble."

"She never told me you were here."

"I don't think she knew…I brought my friend's parents to the Blackwood Pack and that's when I found my mates. I've been a little busy since then," Smokey said, sheepishly. Then glancing at what was left of Josiah, he wasn't sure what to do about the mess. When he was with the agency, they always had a cleanup team, but that benefit lapsed when he left. Maybe Ghost could help him, but that could wait until he got Hope home. He looked at Hope with admiration as he thought of all the pain she'd endured since the massacre. Smiling at her, he asked, "Ready to go see your family?"

"Yes," she said, simply. "That would be nice."