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“Track down…” His words were cut off as a scream ripped through the night on the heel of the loudest howl I have heard. “Fuck!” Alex turned back to us, looking us over and making a quick decision. “Follow me! Make sure you keep up. I am not sure this place is completely safe yet,” he growled and started to move. I looked back to my charges and saw hope filling their eyes. I prayed this was the right move.
“Let’s go!” I said and followed after the Alpha as he disappeared into the smoke. It was almost as if he turned into the smoke surrounding us until a large arm reached out and pulled me along towards the painful howls of what seemed to be a newly turned wolf.
* * *
As I was pulled,I made sure the other females were close behind me. Alex let go of my hand and stumbled out into a small clearing facing a massive house, but I could only focus on the giant white wolf standing over another smaller white wolf whose howls pained me. The wolf was confused and in pain because of the transformation. I stepped forward, wanting to help, when the large wolf turned its head and growled low. The violet eyes were shocking, and the large sharp teeth stopped me in my tracks. I knew this was the correct Pack when I saw him, but I wasn’t expecting to face this type of wolf. Very few Dire Wolves are left, and not even a True Alpha may carry that gene. A True Alpha was something else altogether. Dire Wolves were the guardians of the True Alphas sent out to do what had to be done before the True Alpha stepped in to handle it. If a Dire Wolf was here and being attacked, then Aeron may have bitten off more than he could chew. I backed up, holding out my arm so the other females wouldn’t get any closer. I stared into the violet eyes, but I didn’t see the green for the pupil that all Dire Wolves were said to possess to deal with any supernatural threat. I didn’t know everything about these wolves, but I could tell this wolf was unique but missing the piece that may be needed to kill this wolf and banish this demon back to Hell.
“Thomas! Is it safe?” Alex asked of another wolf. When the younger shifter lifted his head, I knew instantly he was another Alpha. What I also felt was a sense of peace roll over me, and I could feel the females behind me breathe out a sigh as if they had been holding their breath this entire time.
“Yes. No one will hurt any who is inside this house.” His smooth bass voice further intensified the feeling of safety and peace.
“Maeze, please take the females and pups into the house.” Alex directly positioned himself between the white wolf who could have killed us with one swipe of its claws and us. As we moved, another female shifter appeared in the doorway, but she wasn’t a wolf. I did not know what she could be, but it was old. Older than I was, and I would be considered ancient nowadays, or so I thought. We made it up the stone steps, and the female with the teal eyes stepped aside as we passed through the doorway and into an ample space that looked as if a bomb had gone off. I turned to make sure all were accounted for once more before I felt my inner wolf relax a fraction. I could tell that coming here was the right thing to do. I took a breath and categorized all the scents that surrounded this area, and what caught me was the scent of home. I could smell other pups and shifter children. I could also smell the Warlock that had to be here still and death. There were so many scents, but the scent only the True Alpha carried was faint. He was here, so that meant I am closer than I thought.
* * *
DIMITRI
I shifted as I made it into the house. I reached out and grabbed a wolf that made its way inside the house before I did. I grabbed the large wolf by the neck and threw it against the wall. I heard growls and screams from the children coming from the Great Room. I could smell the magic in the air, and I knew Peter was still there. Why the fuck would he help this deranged Pack to attack us? We have been in an alliance with the Warlock’s family for decades. I smashed through the double doors to see Remi holding the Warlock above her head. Her skin darkened as the teal of her eyes glowed with power. She threw the Warlock across the room and away from the children as she worked to control her shift. Her face would remind you of a shark because of the rows of sharp teeth, but she wasn’t. I don’t think anyone truly knew precisely what Remi was, but we knew it was old. I turned to see Peter trying to push himself up from the floor as he grabbed a pendant around his neck, but I didn’t give his ass a chance. He betrayed us, and that would not stand. We couldn’t trust him, so that meant we couldn’t trust the rest of his Circle either. I moved in a partial shift in my third form. I worked hard to achieve this state, but there was still a time limit on how long we could hold it.
“Don’t kill him!” Thomas growled. I grabbed the short Warlock by the back of his neck and ripped the necklace off.
“No! No! What have you done? None of you know power!” Peter screeched. He reached out to the pendent that went crashing to the floor.
“Shut the hell up! You have broken the vow the bond with this Pack,” I growled. I kicked the pendent over to Remi. I watched her out the corner of my eye pick it up while making sure the children stayed far behind.
“What is the need to serve this disgrace of a Pack! The True Alpha grants powers that far surpass the fraud you call Alpha.” Spittal flew from his lips as his eyes began to get a faint glow of red. Before I thought about it, I pulled the little man to my face and snarled. Everything went quiet, and the level of magic died down when the Warlock slumped into sleep. I rarely used my mental abilities. The fact that I could enter your mind and change your perception of what you’re seeing is fucked up. Peter had decent mental barriers, but it wasn’t good enough. I pushed into his thoughts and used the gift given to me at birth. If I enter your mind, you will only see your never-ending death by what you fear the most.
“You will endure until I pull you out,” I growled in his thoughts. Those words would repeat until I released him. I dropped the sweating man to the floor and looked up to see Thomas partially shifted, holding two wolves by the throats. I felt myself shifting back as I looked around to see Remi directing the female shifters and our children to the lower level of the house. I could tell that some made it downstairs to the tunnels, and who was left didn’t make it before Peter managed to get inside. I cocked my head side to side to crack my neck while I cataloged everything that went down.
“Thomas.”
“I’m good. I am taking our guests to their new accommodations while I speak with them,” Thomas grunted. I looked him over, and I could see he vibrated with anger.
“That will have to wait. We need to secure them and speak with our Alpha,” I said as I made my way over to a closet. There were always clothes in every part of the house in all sizes. They were primarily sweatpants or shorts and a tee. I reached in, knowing exactly what I was getting while I watched Thomas. He was usually the peaceful and calm out of the brothers, except when it came to the children. His “talks” usually ended up with the other person’s head either bitten off or cut off if you didn’t answer every question truthfully. His unique talent of knowing when others are lying leaves no room for doubt, and it actually gets the answers we need by the surviving “guest”, as he calls the prisoners.
“Have all my brothers, Remi, and…” Thomas stopped speaking as a group of female shifters, and Alex stood watching in the doorway. The woman who stood in front of the rest rang many alarming bells in my head because I couldn’t figure out what type of wolf she could be. Whatever she was, her wolf was ancient.
* * *
I lookedover the group and then to Remi, who stared at the wolf with lavender eyes.
“These shifters need sanctuary. They escaped from that wolf’s Pack. Remi, can you get them settled?” Alex asked.
“No, Remi, tell Lena to get them settled and meet us in Dax’s office. If what I felt is real, then he will want answers after he finishes caring for his Mate,” Thomas said. He was still in his third form, and every word was a deep growl.
“I have it handled, Thomas. Just take care of your little pets quickly so we can get to the planning. I also think she…” Remi pointed at the female shifter, who raised a brow at Remi.
“You may call me MaezeGreat Livyatan.” I looked at Maeze and back to Remi, whose eyes glowed brightly as she bared her teeth.
“Just as I thought. You are more than what you appear on the surface.” Remi smiled, but that shit looked as if you just came face to face with something in the deepest depths of the ocean. Remi turned her gaze to me and then back to Thomas, who was squinting back at Remi. “She may know how we can hit back and hit back hard,” Remi said. I agreed, but we didn’t know this shifter, and this is one call I would not make.
“If she is to join, that will be the Alpha’s decision. As of right now, we need to secure these assholes. We also need to figure out exactly how we are going to ward the fuck out of this house.” I could feel my wolf pushing against my skin. I took in a breath, and something was off and smelled a bit different from just a few minutes ago. I could tell when the brothers caught on as well. We all turned to the women, and I moved forward.
“You might as well step forward. I know you don’t belong here, and if you are coming to save this piece of shit right here, you are mistaken,” I growled. The female shifters moved out of the way, and I stopped short as a female with rich brown skin with eyes so dark they looked as if they could pass as black. Her braids came past her shoulders, and my eyes kept moving down, taking her all in. The oversized white tee shirt and distressed jeans couldn’t hide all her curves. I got to her waistline and noticed her holding a hand that was way too small, and when I looked over, I stared into the dark gaze of a young boy who narrowed his midnight black eyes at me.
“Well, I wasn’t trying to hide, just getting a sense of this house and land before getting it warded properly.”
“Who sent you here?”
