We were interrupted by cheers from the crowd, and then a man’s voice came out from the front. LeeLee stilled in my arms. “What is it?” I asked.
She began moving through the crowd, bumping into people dressed in costumes with no regard. I followed, apologizing as I went. Damn, for such a small thing, she could plow through people. At the stage-like area, a tall man with dark blond hair stood in the center of the makeshift space. His booming voice expounded on the town’s great history.
“It’s my honor to welcome all of you to the one hundred and fiftieth celebration,” the man said.
I sucked in a startled breath. Surely LeeLee would’ve been allowed to attend such an event when she lived there. Her family had been like royalty. By the time I caught up to her, she’d almost reached the front, her smaller figure able to weave in and out, knocking into people with a lot less fuss than my much larger frame. I grabbed her arm before she could make it the final few feet to the front of the crowd, pulling her into my side.
“Wait a minute,” I said, holding her back from exposing herself.
Looking at the other people on the raised dais, I noticed they all had different shades of blond hair, but none quite as blonde as my LeeLee. Could they be her family? From her memories, I’d watched her mother kill herself over the body of her lifeless mate. Surely if there were other members of the family, they’d never have allowed a child to be mistreated the way LeeLee had been.
“Do you smell them?” Her eyes widened.
A deep inhale, and the scent of power hit me. Alpha wolf. I pulled LeeLee back, hoping the crowd would keep the pack from scenting us. Two wolves in another pack’s territory could end up dead really quickly.
“Niall, I may need some assistance here, and I don’t think Jenna is gonna be able to do it. She was pretty wiped when we left her.” I reached through the link to the alpha I hoped could send reinforcements the fastest.
“Boy, haven’t you heard of mental knocking?” Niall’s voice sounded strained.
I closed my eyes, not wanting to think about what I’d been interrupting. “Sorry, Alpha, but this is important. I’m assuming you know where I’ve been and who I’ve been with?’
Through the link, I heard a female’s voice. I made a mental note to send Alaina a bouquet of flowers. “I apologize, Alaina. This is urgent.’
“I’ve been told. Now, fill me in on what’s happening.’
I quickly explained all that had transpired and where we were. “Fuckin’ A, boy, you sure do know how to get from one place to the next without a problem. Damn, let me holler at Kellen. I believe they’ve made some friends with vamps who can transport like the Fey.’
My heart was pounding so hard I was sure everyone around me could hear it beating in my chest.
“Why are we waiting?” LeeLee tugged on my restraining hand.
“I’m talking to my alpha. We need a little backup, love. That is an alpha and his pack up there. I don’t know if that was your pack or a pack that moved in after you left. However, two unknown wolves entering their territory could make them angry. Let’s sit tight and wait for Niall to get back with me.” I looked into her troubled eyes, trying to make her understand the wisdom in my words.
Chapter Seven
Ilistened with half an ear while waiting for Niall to get back with me. The crowd’s quietness had the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. My wolf prowled to the surface. “We should leave,” I murmured in her ear.
“Slater, I can’t. They are calling me. Can’t you hear them?” Her eyes had a glazed look to them.
Millions of questions ran through my head. “Open up to me, love.” Her brow furrowed in confusion, and she took a step forward. My grip on her bicep kept her from going any further. Concern for her flooded me when she didn’t immediately respond. I reached out, cupping her face in my palm. “Honey, listen to me. I need you to focus on me and my voice.”
Pressing into her mind, I forged through her walls, linking onto the bond we had. I could hear the murmurs in her head and was alarmed by the numerous voices shouting at her. I quickly built her walls up, realizing she was powerless to do so. Once I was the only one left in her head, she blinked up at me.
“Thank you, Slater. My head felt as if a thousand hammers were pounding at it.” She shuddered.
While forming barriers for her, I’d been pulling us farther away from the front of the crowd. Why then did I feel as if all the eyes of the crowd were watching us?
A new voice spoke out over the crowd, this one low and husky. “Don’t listen,” I demanded, thinking maybe they were enthralling her with their words. Fuck, for all I knew, they had the power to do just that.
Continuing to back away, I slammed into a solid wall. With a grunt, I spun. My gaze went to a large barrel chest, traveling up to a man’s—or rather a shifter’s—black eyes. The unsmiling face locked onto where I held LeeLee, then back to me. Testosterone rolled off him, hyper-focused, radiating challenge in every line of his six-foot-three-or-four body.
I faced him head-on, determination and lethal intent warring with my need to keep my mate safe. “Stay behind me, love,” I commanded.
The man reached behind me, trying to grab LeeLee. I batted the arm away. The need to protect propelled me backward, away from the imminent threat, rather than going on the rampage as was my norm. The crowd of over a hundred onlookers continued to watch as I ushered LeeLee away from the hulking beast, and then my eyes caught a slight movement to my left. Several other men were moving in, trying to blend with the humans and failing.
Goddess, where was my backup?
Unwilling to get distracted by calling out to Niall, I sent a mental image, hoping my alpha could see the gravity or feel the urgency of my situation. How I hadn’t sensed the presence of so many shifters was beyond me, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it.
