CHAPTER EIGHT

"It smells like some of Jaron"s men," Noah stated when they circled the rock ledge by the lake. "Eamon was here trying to pick up a scent, and he probably scented those bastards, and they knew it." Noah exploded. It was obvious he held Eamon in high regard.

"Or they were simply waiting for him, knowing he wouldn"t be satisfied until he investigated the area himself," Sean suggested.

"Waiting for him the way they waited for Murphy?" He snapped.

"I hope not." Sean was seriously worried for his friend. It didn"t look good coming on the heels of Murphy"s murder. "We need to speak to Jaron. These are his men, so he must know something."

"Eamon"s a powerful wolf. They wouldn"t take him easily, and they wouldn"t be able to hold him for long." Noah added as they headed for the Range Rover.

When they arrived at Jaron"s home further up the mountain, no one was there, not even his assistant Shelly, who was always there, according to Noah. They went inside and looked around, but there was no sign of Eamon or any indication that Jaron himself was involved.

"Hide the Range Rover so our presence isn't blatantly obvious and let's follow their trail." Sean stated and started across the back yard toward a dense crop of trees.

"Do you think they've already killed him?" Noah asked.

"I don"t know, but like you said, he is a tough son of a bitch and wouldn"t go down easy." Sean reminded him, and Noah nodded.

"I should have stayed with him."

"Don"t second guess yourself. No good will come from it. besides, Eamon does as he pleases, and I don"t think he would have allowed you to simply follow him around." Sean gave a grim smile. He was starting to feel a little on edge and wasn"t sure where it was coming from. It could be coming from Lowell, but he was safe and secure in his apartment.

"I just feel so stupid for having this happen right under my noses. I feel like they're laughing at us." Noah responded.

"They won't be laughing for long, that I promise." They continued for several miles deep into the woods before coming to a small clearing. Jaron and several others were there, and they looked to be waiting for something or someone.

Noah and Sean stayed back, hidden in the trees and far enough away that they would not be scented. The wind was blowing towards them so their scent would not be picked up easily. They considered confronting them and asking about their involvement with Murphy and Eamon, but something about the scene made them hold back and wait to see what was happening before making a move.

All their plans changed in an instant when a Jeep pulled up and two men got out. They spoke with Jaron and then opened the back door and pulled Lowell, his Lowell, from the back seat and threw him to the ground at Jaron's feet. Sean was incensed and immediately charged the group standing over his precious mate. Noah was right behind him; he understood the situation when he recognized Lowell.

Jaron grabbed Lowell by the throat and held him in front of him with a gun pointed at his temple. Jaron swung around to face Sean as he raced to his mate"s defense. Lowell was scared, and it was tearing him up and sending his wolf into a frenzy.

"Come any closer, and I will blow his brains out." Jaron taunted.

"That wouldn't look much like a wolf attack, Jaron." Noah cut in. "I thought you wanted a war between the wolves and the humans. If you shoot him, it will just be straight-up murder. Your master plan has a lot of flaws, has since the beginning."

Jaron laughed. "Well, then, I guess I"ll just have to tear out his throat then, won"t I." He dropped the gun and held the claws against Lowell"s throat. The others formed a half circle behind Jaron. "Now, why don"t you two come a little closer." They both took a few steps going as slowly as possible, as Sean worked on a plan to save his mate and kill these fucking bastards.

"Lou, tie them up and make sure it"s tight. You two are going to simply disappear like Eamon." A large wolf behind him started forward. "Face them this way. I want Sean to watch as I gut his sweet little mate."

He pulled Lowell up close. "I"m going to kill your little friends too. You cost me several good soldiers, and you will pay." He laughed again and gave Lowell a jerk by his neck for effect, but Lowell did not react. His eyes were on Sean. The second that Jaron shifted his gaze, and it was no more than a split second, Sean was on him, pulling Lowell from his grasp.

Lowell was sure he would wet his pants before this was over. The guy with the claws was not playing with a full deck, so there was no telling what he would do. He was glad the gun was gone, but he wasn"t out of the woods yet.

He kept his eyes on Sean aware that the man was planning something, and he wanted to follow whatever moves he made. The look in his eyes was calculating as he took in everyone in the small clearing. He saw his lover take out a pack of wolves so this bunch would be no problem. His only real concern was this guy, the guy with the claws.

Sean acted and was on them so fast it was a blur. Lowell felt himself being lifted and tossed backward away from the brawl, and as soon as he hit the ground, he started scrambling. He wanted to help, he wanted to do something, but he knew the best thing to do was to get out of the way, so Sean"s attention wasn"t split trying to take care of him.

He did manage to grab the gun that his captor had tossed aside and ran with it. He crouched down behind a few stumps. It was not that they gave him a lot of cover, but it was some. The gun would be of no use against a shifter. He remembered what Sean had told him. Shifters were hard to kill, and it required removing body parts. But a bullet could sting and could hamper so he kept it trained on the action in front of him in case an opportunity presented itself.

He watched his amazing lover shift into one of the largest and fiercest wolves he"d ever encountered. Everyone had shifted, and the fight was brutal. The viciousness was off the charts. Blood was everywhere, and to Lowell"s dismay, it appeared that Noah, a beautiful white wolf, was losing ground against his three attackers. It looked bad, but his heart was telling him everything would be okay.

Suddenly someone burst from dense wood on the other side of the clearing. It was a wolf, a black wolf even larger than Sean and Lowell recognized him, it was Eamon and there were others with him. They surrounded the group and in a very few minutes no one was left except Jaron and Sean had him pinned to the ground.

Eamon shifted back to human, as did Sean, who released Jaron and stood backing away. Lowell wasn"t sure what he was looking at, but it appeared that Jaron was not half as cocky as he was a few minutes ago. His goons lay dead strewn around the clearing, and now he had to face Eamon.

Sean and the others positioned themselves in a wide circle around the two men. Everyone remained silent except for Jaron. "What"s your plan, Eamon? I"m not alone in this; you know I have been sanctioned by one of the elders. I am the new Alpha of this pack, and you"re just going to have to get used to it." He was talking crazy.

"You tried to have me killed," Eamon stated calmly as he started circling his prey.

"I thought you were already dead. I wouldn"t have moved on the others if I knew you were still a threat." He wasn"t making much sense.

Eamon turned to the crowd and raised his hands. "I formally challenge this wolf to a fight to the death for the position of Alpha of the Salida Pack." He made it formal and binding, and Lowell saw Jaron shrink just a little before he suddenly shifted and leaped at Eamon. But Eamon was nobody"s fool and shifted before Jaron was off the ground. They slammed together in mid-air, and the fight was epic. Fighting to the death really brings out the absolute monster in a man.

He noticed Sean glancing back at him, making sure he was safe and urging him to stay where he was. Lowell set the gun aside and stood up, realizing he was no longer in any danger. He could see everything clearly from where he stood, and it was damn ruthless, and the viciousness was reaching new heights, and he found himself looking away when Eamon went in for the kill.

When he looked up, Eamon was in his human form, torn and bloody, but he was a champion. Eamon Coles was the new Alpha of the Salida Pack.

Sean kept his eyes on both the challenge taking place and his mate, who was standing a mere few feet away. His heart nearly died when he saw him being held by that lunatic and even now, he and his wolf still feared for his safety. An Alpha challenge was no place for a little human, but he was handling himself well and Sean could not be prouder of his young mate.

Jaron was a beast, and he personified the true meaning of that word. Eamon shifted and held him off the ground with one hand and tore out his throat with the other. Sean enjoyed watching him die. Eamon threw his remains to the ground and turned his back, signaling his utter disdain for the wolf.

Sean wrapped his arms around Lowell, his little love, when he came running to him. So glad to have him safe in his arms. "Don't ever do that to me again." He said to Lowell and then kissed him senseless right there in front of everyone.

"I"ll try not to get abducted again; I promise." Lowell smiled, and that smile was a balm to Sean"s soul.

"I need to get you home where you are safe and protected. My wolf is frantic that more danger may come your way." Sean felt his wolf pacing nervously.

"I think the danger has come and gone, Sean." Lowell teased. "And you and your wolf handled it wonderfully."

"Eamon handled it. Eamon Coles, the new Alpha, and a fine one he will be too." Sean announced loudly, and everyone heartily agreed. Sean dropped his right hand to cup Lowell"s gorgeous ass needing the assurance that all was as it should be. He gripped him hard, squeezing him tight, and pressed Lowell"s body to his. The feeling of his mate trumped everything in life. As long as he had this beauty by his side, he would be forever satisfied.

"We"re in public, Sean." Lowell demurred but still pressed himself to Sean.

Sean bent and whispered in his ear. "I don"t care, Lowell; wolves are not prudes. I could fuck you right here in the clearing in front of everybody, and they probably wouldn"t even watch." He declared and then amended. "Well, maybe they wouldn"t watch. We are pretty spectacular, and they would be compelled to watch. Want to give it a try?" Sean laughed when Lowell vigorously started shaking his head.

"You two need to get a room," Eamon announced as he walked over to where they stood. He glanced back over his shoulder at the others who were cleaning the area and discarding the bodies of the traitors. "It"s been a hell of a few days." He declared.

"Thanks for the save. I appreciate your timing." He told Eamon. "I'm so glad you're not dead."

Eamon chuckled. "Yeah, me too. Fortunately, Jaron did not send his best. Underestimating others was always his greatest weakness."

"He mentioned having the sanction of an elder. Do you think he was speaking the truth, or was it part of his insanity?" Sean asked, remembering Jaron"s boast.

"I believe it was truth. Jaron was a good fighter but a lousy thinker. He couldn"t have put together this plan or hoped to carry it out on his own. He had help, and I will find them." Eamon made that a pledge.

"If you need me while you transition to Alpha, I am more than happy to stay and help." Sean offered.

"What I want is for you to agree to be my Beta. Will you join me in building the Salida pack into the strong and solid pack I know it can become." Sean was taken aback for a moment, but he knew that there wasn"t anything he would enjoy more than serving his friend. Staying and joining the Salida Pack would also allow his mate to remain in his hometown among people he knew. He looked at Lowell and saw the hope in his eyes.

"I accept and thank you."

"Now go and take time with your mate. I've monopolized your time long enough."

"Will do." Sean swung Lowell up into his arms and headed back toward the tree line.

"You"re naked, Sean." Lowell pointed out.

"Does that bother you?"

"No, but I don't want others looking at things that belong to me." He clarified. "I'll give you my shirt and you can wrap it around your waist." Sean was touched by the ownership Lowell was already exhibiting it was lovely and it showed the bond was perfect and their future would also be perfect.

"There"s a Range Rover a few miles away, and I have some clothes in the back. I"m all yours, baby, and only yours." He stated, stopping to press another kiss on Lowell"s lips. He forced his tongue inside and ravaged him completely, leaving him breathless and shaking.

"I love you Sean." He proclaimed on a shaky breath with his heart pounding out of his chest.

"I love you too, sweetheart," Sean answered and then took his lips in another hard and wild embrace.

THE END