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Now, the idea that I had no control over my happiness and who I loved? It had me in a tailspin.
Did I really believe there was just one person for me because fate said so? What if Ridge was wrong, and it was actually my fragility calling to the alpha in him and his protective instincts? What would happen a year from now when I was stronger and no longer at risk of being feral, and he didn’t need to care for me anymore? Would he end up resenting me?
Or worse, what if something happened to Ridge because I’d led the hunters to Blackwood? My heart ached, and my wolf prowled and growled, unhappy with the turn of thought, but I’d seen Aunt Lucille. I’d felt her profound sadness and experiencedher madness firsthand. Could I really be prepared for that level of commitment?
I moved out of Ridge’s hold. “We need to get to the hospital. I need to find out how Audrey is, and Kyle needs to be checked out.”
I hoped to push thoughts of fated mates aside. There was too much else to focus on. The hunters had breached the town. There were new shifters arriving all the time, and I’d somehow have to find time to admit to Ridge I’d exposed myself as a shifter to a human. My mind briefly flashed to Lola Kipling and how I’d reacted to Kyle’s call. I’d been so freaked out that I’d shifted in front of her. She’d fallen down in a dead faint, and I’d left her there.Fuck!
I held onto the hope that she was physically well. Mentally? As a woman of science, she’d likely be trying to find a rational excuse for what she’d witnessed and wouldn’t be rushing to call the tabloids. As callous as it seemed, I couldn’t spare more than a thought for her right now. I had to find out how Audrey was doing, and have my brother examined and given the all-clear. As soon as I knew they were safe, I’d tell Ridge about Lola or go talk to her myself.
My abrupt change of demeanor seemed to startle Ridge, and he watched me closely. I offered him a quick smile, praying he didn’t catch onto my discomfort and start asking questions I wasn’t ready to answer. The fated mate conversation was the last thing I wanted to take part in right now.
Kyle grumbled, and Ridge kissed the top of my head. “We’ll leave shortly,” Ridge said.
Easing my stance, I relaxed enough not to cause undue attention. Even so, they accepted my need to get Kyle examined and get to Audrey. I was relieved because, for now, I had legitimate reasons for being out of sorts. Once those excuses dried up, I would need to figure out another way toprocrastinate, because I strongly suspected I still would not be ready for the conversation that was headed my way.
As we started to head out, I took a minute to inspect the destruction the hunters had wrought in Ridge’s stately home. The metallic scent of blood and the acrid stench of spent gunpowder lingered in the air.
Birch Clawson, the town sheriff, and a couple of his deputies had arrived. I watched everybody closely as they went about the destruction, treating it as a crime scene, carefully collecting evidence, swabbing droplets of blood, and even taking fingerprints. It was an odd sight since this was shifter business. It wasn’t like any of this would go to court.
“Why are they collecting evidence?” I asked Ridge.
“We’re trying to gather as much information as we can on the hunters. If we collect everything they’ve left behind, whether it’s fingerprints, DNA, even spent ammunition, we can build a database of information and share it with other packs, which will help us out in the long run.” Ridge shrugged. “It’s a lot of work now, but hopefully, it’ll pay dividends in the future. Would have been better if the bastards faced charges, though.”
The cops caused a lot of commotion, conversing between themselves, glass crunching under the soles of their boots wherever they stepped. The place was a mess of shattered glass, bullet holes, copious amounts of bloodstains, and signs of an enormous struggle all over the ground floor. Kyle and Audrey had kept the battle in the front rooms, minimizing the damage, but the manor would need a lot of work before it was returned to its former glory. And even then, it would carry the scars of what had happened here.
The artwork that had to have cost a fortune hung free from their frames, and some were riddled with bullet holes and slashes purposely cut through the canvas. The destruction was senseless, done without any justification. I didn’t even want toattempt to calculate how much the art was worth, not to mention the antique furnishings displayed in the front rooms. The history alone made me sad to see the intricately carved wood now shattered and strewn about like pieces of firewood, the stuffing piled on the floor, and the bloodstains on the priceless fabrics. I wasn’t sure if Ridge would be insured against hunter attacks. It was all just so fucking needless.
Clawson didn’t waste time, crunching his way across the glass-strewn hallway to grab the remaining unconscious hunter. He handcuffed him with special cuffs that prevented even a shifter from breaking free and had him shipped to the jailhouse. Now, thanks to Kyle and me, shifters knew about the hunters’ enhanced strength and were slowly starting to do things differently. Nobody here wanted to risk taking this hunter to the hospital, where he could potentially escape or, even worse, harm a civilian.
“Security is tight everywhere at the festival,” Clawson told us. “We’ll do one last quick sweep here before going back to look for further signs of danger.”
“Thanks, Clawson,” Ridge said.
Guilt gnawed at me. Seeing the manor violated like this felt personal. If I hadn’t stayed in Blackwood, I’d never have brought the hunters’ wrath on the town. Audrey wouldn’t have been hurt. None of this would’ve happened.
Glancing toward Kyle, I winced. Though he looked exhausted, he was still hyper-alert, scoping out every little thing, watching the cops with an eagle eye. With one arm cradled to his chest, he leaned against the wall that had weathered the least amount of destruction. His expression was pained, his clothes drenched with blood from the wounds he’d received in the fight, though it was mostly Audrey’s blood caked all over him.
As I struggled to hold back tears, I swore to myself that I would keep a close eye on him and ensure he was safe andcomfortable. As my big brother moved toward me, I noticed his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Relax, sis. I have had worse,” he said, patting my back, though the lines of pain etched around his eyes told a different story. He didn’t give me time to speak, though.
“Listen,” Kyle addressed Clawson. “I doubt you’ll find more hunters lurking around Blackwood Creek right now. Those bastards were sent torescueme, but it became obvious to them that I was here by choice when I refused to leave with them. They changed course, trying to kill me so I wouldn’t give away their secrets. It’s kinda mandatory operating procedure.”
I wasn’t surprised. It was like rule one of being a hunter: don’t betray the hunter code. If you do, you die. I shook my head in disgust.
Kyle paused, his jaw clenched, pain etched on his face. His adrenaline levels would be lowering now. I had to assume his injuries were now making themselves known. He took a breath and continued.
“When these hunters don’t return, the faction leader will know they’ve failed. They’ll regroup and send a couple more after me, probably within the next few days. But for right now, the residents of Blackwood Creek should be safe.”
Clawson shot Kyle a suspicious glare, clearly not trusting him at his word. However, I knew my brother was telling the truth because I understood how the hunters worked, so I put my two cents in.
“He’s not lying, Clawson.”
“Kyle’s trustworthy,” Ridge stated, steady and confident. “We’ll keep an eye out for any more hunters, but our priority right now is making sure everyone’s safe.”
“Fine,” Clawson grumbled, still not entirely convinced, but he didn’t say anything further. He trusted Ridge as his alpha, even if he remained skeptical of Kyle, which was clear in theway he stared at him. Clawson nodded to his deputies, who were continuing their sweep of the manor, and told them they needed to head out soon.
